idioms using “short”

Make short work of

To handle efficiently or effectively

“Sakurai-san made short work of the translation project; her years of experience in finance really helped.”

Be caught short

To be unprepared (usually regarding money)

“We were caught short this month because we were not given advance notice of the price increase.”

The long and short of something

The summary

“The long and short of it is that we lost the contract because we can’t meet the deadline.”

Life’s too short

Said when one can’t waste time or energy on something negative

“The author said he isn’t going to worry about the critics’ reviews of his movie; life’s too short.”

Sell someone short

To undervalue someone’s contribution

“Don’t sell yourself short; you have a lot of talent and years of valuable experience.”