shackly en · ADJ
Etymology
Probably from dialectal shackle (“to shake, rattle”) + -y.
Meanings
-
(UK, US, colloquial, dated) Shaky, rickety, ramshackle.
when I got to that old shackly brick store by the Temperance Tavern, I backed up agin the wall to have another think.
1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, page 228:
- (dialectal) Loose-jointed, shambling.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most shackly | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more shackly | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |