v. & n.
v. 1 tr. & intr. move with a scraping, sliding, or dragging motion (shuffles along; shuffling his feet). 2 tr. a (also absol.) rearrange (a pack of cards) by sliding them over each other quickly. b rearrange; intermingle; confuse (shuffled the documents). 3 tr. (usu. foll. by on, off, into) assume or remove (clothes, a burden, etc.) esp. clumsily or evasively (shuffled on his clothes; shuffled off responsibility). 4 intr. a equivocate; prevaricate. b continually shift one's position; fidget. 5 intr. (foll. by out of) escape evasively (shuffled out of the blame).
n. 1 a shuffling movement. 2 the act or an instance of shuffling cards. 3 a general change of relative positions. 4 a piece of equivocation; sharp practice. 5 a quick scraping movement of the feet in dancing (see also double shuffle). shuffle-board = SHOVELBOARD. shuffle the cards change policy etc. shuffler n.
[ perh. f. LG schuffeln walk clumsily f. Gmc: cf. SHOVE ]