The horses of the army . . . were no longer shy, but
would come up to my very feet without starting.
--Swift.
2. Reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach.
What makes you so shy, my good friend? There's
nobody loves you better than I. --Arbuthnot.
The embarrassed look of shy distress And maidenly
shamefacedness. --Wordsworth.
3. Cautious; wary; suspicious.
I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the
preparation of medicines. --Boyle.
Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat shy of
thier successors. --Sir H.
Wotton.
{To fight shy}. See under {Fight}, v. i.