COLD-SHORT Meaning of COLD-SHORT in English ■ adjective (of a metal) brittle in its cold state.OriginC17: from Swed. kallskör , from kall 'cold' + skör 'brittle', later assoc. with short in the same sense. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004