shift ‧ y /ˈʃɪfti/ BrE AmE adjective informal
looking dishonest:
He looks a bit shifty to me.
shifty eyes
—shiftily adverb
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THESAURUS
■ seeming to be dishonest
▪ suspicious if someone or something seems suspicious, they make you think that something dishonest or illegal is happening:
The police are treating the boy’s death as suspicious.
▪ dubious if something seems dubious, you think it may not be completely true, right, or honest:
He has a rather dubious reputation.
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It all sounds highly dubious to me.
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the country’s dubious record on human rights
▪ shady shady business deals or people seem to be dishonest or connected with secret and illegal activities:
Several senior members of the party had been involved in shady deals.
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a shady character
▪ shifty someone who looks shifty looks as if they are doing or planning something dishonest:
The man on the market stall looked a bit shifty when he gave me my change.
▪ dodgy British English informal probably dishonest and not to be trusted – used especially to say that you do not want to be involved with someone or something:
There’s something a bit dodgy about him.
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dodgy business deals