different between shady vs overcast

English

Etymology

From shade +? -y. Compare Saterland Frisian skaadich, skaddich (“shady”), German schattig (“shady”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??e?di/
• Rhymes: -e?di

Adjective

shady (comparative shadier, superlative shadiest)

1. Abounding in shades.
2. Causing shade.

   • The shady trees cover him with their shadow.

3. Overspread with shade; sheltered from the glare of light or sultry heat.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Building

     you may have rooms both for summer and winter; shady for summer, and warm for winter

4. (informal) Not trustworthy; disreputable.

   He is a shady character.

   • 2009: Stuart Heritage, Hecklerspray, Friday the 22^nd of May in 2009 at 1 o’clock p.m., “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”

     Jon & Kate Plus 8 is a show based on two facts: 1) Jon and Kate Gosselin have eight children, and 2) the word ‘Kate’ rhymes with the word ‘eight’. One suspects that if Kate were ever to have another child, a shady network executive would urge her to put it in a binbag with a brick and drop it down a well. But this is just a horrifying tangent.

5. (Britain, slang) Mean, cruel.

   Don't be shady, give us a go.

Synonyms

• (not trustworthy): corrupt, dodgy, dubious, equivocal, seedy, sketchy, suspicious

Translations

Anagrams

• dashy

English

Etymology

From Middle English overcasten, equivalent to over- +? cast. Compare Swedish överkasta.

Pronunciation

Adjective and noun

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ??v?-käst', IPA^(key): /???v??k??st/
• (General American) enPR: ??v?r-k?st', IPA^(key): /?o?v?.kæst/

Verb

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ?'v?-käst?, IPA^(key): /???v??k??st/
• (General American) enPR: ?'v?r-k?st?, IPA^(key): /?o?v??kæst/
• Rhymes: -??st

Noun

overcast (plural overcasts)

1. (obsolete) An outcast.
2. A cloud covering all of the sky from horizon to horizon; cloudy.

Adjective

overcast (comparative more overcast, superlative most overcast)

1. Covered with clouds; overshadowed; darkened; (meteorology) more than 90% covered by clouds.
2. (figuratively) In a state of depression; gloomy; melancholy.

Translations

Verb

overcast (third-person singular simple present overcasts, present participle overcasting, simple past and past participle overcast)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To overthrow.
2. (transitive) To cover with cloud; to overshadow; to darken.
3. (transitive) To make gloomy; to depress.
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To be or become cloudy.
5. (transitive, obsolete) To transform.
6. (transitive, bookbinding) To fasten (sheets) by overcast stitching or by folding one edge over another.

Translations

References

• overcast in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• overcast in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• overacts