to fight shy

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Shy \Shy\ (sh[imac]), a. [Compar. Shier (sh[imac]"[~e]r) or Shyer; superl. Shiest or Shyest.] [OE. schey, skey, sceouh, AS. sce['o]h; akin to Dan. sky, Sw. skygg, D. schuw, MHG. schiech, G. scheu, OHG. sciuhen to be or make timid. Cf. Eschew.]

1.Easily frightened; timid; as, a shy bird. [1913 Webster]

The horses of the army . . . were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet without starting.— Swift.[1913 Webster]

2.Reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach. [1913 Webster]

What makes you so shy, my good friend? There's nobody loves you better than I.— Arbuthnot.[1913 Webster]

The embarrassed look of shy distress And maidenly shamefacedness.— Wordsworth.[1913 Webster]

3.Cautious; wary; suspicious. [1913 Webster]

I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines.— Boyle.[1913 Webster]

Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat shy of thier successors.— Sir H. Wotton.[1913 Webster]

4.Inadequately supplied; short; lacking; as, the team is shy two players.[Slang] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

5.(Poker), owing money to the pot; -- in cases where an opponent's bet has exceeded a player's available stake or chips, but the player chooses to continue playing the hand before adding the required bet to the pot. [Slang] [PJC]

To fight shy. See under Fight, v. i. [1913 Webster]

Fight \Fight\ (f[imac]t), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fought (f[add]t); p. pr. & vb. n. Fighting.] [OE. fihten, fehten, AS. feohtan; akin to D. vechten, OHG. fehtan, G. fechten, Sw. f[aum]kta, Dan. fegte, and perh. to E. fist; cf. L. pugnare to fight, pugnus fist.]

1.To strive or contened for victory, with armies or in single combat; to attempt to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms; -- followed by with or against. [1913 Webster]

You do fight against your country's foes.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

To fight with thee no man of arms will deign.— Milton.[1913 Webster]

2.To act in opposition to anything; to struggle against; to contend; to strive; to make resistance. [1913 Webster]

To fight shy, to avoid meeting fairly or at close quarters; to keep out of reach. [1913 Webster]