shoulder-high
Definition
Adjective/Adverb: "shoulder-high" describes something that reaches up to the height of a person's shoulder, or an action that occurs at that height.
Usage Examples
Adjective (describing a noun):
- The cornfield was filled with shoulder-high plants. (The plants grew to the level of a person's shoulder.)
- He carried a shoulder-high stack of books. (The stack of books was as tall as his shoulder.)
Adverb (describing a verb):
- The children waded through the shoulder-high grass. (They moved through grass that reached their shoulders.)
- She lifted the trophy shoulder-high in victory. (She raised the trophy to the height of her shoulder.)
Advanced Usage
"shoulder-high wave": a wave in the ocean that rises to the height of a person's shoulder.
- Surfers prefer shoulder-high waves for a good challenge. (Waves that are level with a surfer's shoulders provide optimal surfing conditions.)
"shoulder-high snow": snow that accumulates to the height of a person's shoulder.
- After the blizzard, the snow was shoulder-high in some areas. (The snow depth reached the height of a person's shoulder.)
Variants and Related Words
Shoulder (n): the joint connecting the arm to the body.
- He rested his hand on her shoulder. (The part of the body between the neck and upper arm.)
High (adj): of great vertical extent; tall.
- The mountain is very high. (Elevated far above the ground.)
Synonyms
Waist-high: reaching to the height of a person's waist.
- The floodwater was waist-high. (Less tall than shoulder-high.)
Knee-high: reaching to the height of a person's knee.
- The grass was knee-high. (Shorter than shoulder-high.)
Related Idioms
Shoulder to the wheel: to work hard or put effort into a task.
- We all put our shoulder to the wheel to finish the project on time. (We worked diligently together.)
Cold shoulder: to deliberately ignore or treat someone with indifference.
- She gave him the cold shoulder after the argument. (She ignored him intentionally.)