shade

a shade

A bit; a small amount. Her paper was a shade better than yours, that's why she got an A- while you got a B+.
See also: shade

a shade (something)

Somewhat; a little bit; slightly. The software update should make is a shade easier to search for the information you need. I think we should use a mixture that's a shade thinner.
See also: shade

a shade of (something)

A particular hue of a given color. I think we should paint this room a light shade of green.
See also: of, shade

gardens are not made by sitting in the shade

proverb Things are accomplished through work and effort. Come on, get up out of bed! Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade! We've already poured countless hours into this product launch and still have lots of work ahead of us. But gardens are not made by sitting in the shade, right?
See also: by, garden, made, not, shade, sitting

have (got) it made in the shade

To be in a comfortable position in life, usually due to some manner of financial success or windfall. I can't believe they sold their company for billions—they have it made in the shade now! If you're born into a wealthy family, you've got it made in the shade while the rest of us struggle.
See also: have, made, shade

in the shade

In a state or position of inferiority, inadequacy, or unimportance relative to something else. As always, my good grades were put in the shade by my brother's football achievements. The new detective drama, with its ingenious setup and fantastic lead actress, casts every other thriller on TV in the shade.
See also: shade

made in the shade

In a comfortable position in life, usually due to some manner of financial success or windfall. I can't believe they sold their company for billions—they're made in the shade now! If you're born into a wealthy family, you're made in the shade while the rest of us struggle.
See also: made, shade

put (someone or something) in the shade

To make someone or something seem less interesting, important, or remarkable by comparison. I was really proud of my presentation, but Jonathan's put everyone else's in the shade. The fantastic performance by the Ugandan runner put his opponents in the shade.
See also: put, shade

shade

slang Subtle insults or expressions of disapproval. I was just checking my phone for a second when Joe totally threw shade at me, saying, "Some of us don't need to be glued to our phones every minute of the day." My mom is the queen of shade. She loves to say, "Is that really what you're going to wear?"

shade in

To darken some specified area of an image. A noun or pronoun can be used between "shade" and "in." I spent nearly an hour just shading in the upper lip of this portrait I'm working on. For every donation we receive, the teacher will shade an area in on this graph.
See also: shade

shade into (something)

To transition, pass, or cross over from one state, condition, or characteristic into another in gradual increments or degrees. The band has a synthetic, 1980s kind of sound that shades into more modern electronic music popular in Europe. The film, though set in a fictional, dystopian future, presents themes and situations that shade uncomfortably into real life.
See also: shade

shade tree

A tree that is grown for its ability to provide shade from the sun. You need to stand under a shade tree, my dear. You'll get sunburned otherwise. Let's have our picnic under this nice shade tree.
See also: shade, tree

shades

slang Sunglasses. Short for "sunshades." A: "Cool shades!" B: "Thanks! I found them in a vintage shop." I think spending more than $20 on a pair of shades is absolute lunacy, yet I know people who've spent upwards of $200!
See also: shade

shades of (someone or something)

A reminder, reminiscence, or approximation of someone or something in the past or another person or thing. She lined up the shot and got a perfect bull's-eye—shades of her former passion for marksmanship. He took a moment to collect himself after his outburst. "Shades of my father," he muttered to himself.
See also: of, shade

shadetree mechanic

Someone who repairs cars informally or as a hobby. Grandpa seems to love being retired. He's always been a bit of a shadetree mechanic, but now it's become his passion. You've got a pretty big problem with your transmission right now, more than this shadetree mechanic can diagnose. You'll have to take it to a professional.

throw shade

slang To subtly issue insults or expressions of disapproval. I was just checking my phone for a second when Joe totally threw shade at me, saying, "Some of us don't need to be glued to our phones every minute of the day." My mom is the queen of throwing shade. She loves to say, "Is that really what you're going to wear?"
See also: shade, throw
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

have it made in the shade

 and have got it made in the shade
Sl. to have succeeded; to be set for life. Wow, is he lucky! He has it made in the shade. Sarah's got it made in the shade with her huge inheritance.
See also: have, made, shade

shades of someone or something

Fig. reminders of someone or something; a thing that is reminiscent of someone or something. When I met Jim's mother, I thought "shades of Aunt Mary." "Shades of grade school," said Jack as the university lecturer rebuked him for being late.
See also: of, shade
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

shades of

A reminder of a person or situation in the past. For example, He really played a fine game for a fifty-year-old-shades of his high school triumphs, or They found themselves alone on the beach-shades of their childhood summers together. [Mid-1800s]
See also: of, shade
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

put someone/something in the shade

If one person or thing puts another in the shade, they are so impressive that they make the other person or thing seem unimportant or less good by comparison. Such was her beauty that even in her sixties, she managed to put younger women in the shade. The celebrations are so fantastic they would put Mardi Gras in the shade. Note: Shade here means the shadow or darkness produced by blocking the light.
See also: put, shade, someone, something

shades of someone/something

If you have just mentioned a person or thing and you say shades of another person or thing, you mean that the first person or thing reminds you of the second one. MacDowell stars in a thriller as the wife of a criminal who has faked his death. Shades of The Third Man, perhaps? The debate was brought forward by a week, in an effort to prevent the protest planned for it by the students' leaders. Shades of 1968? Note: `Shade' is an old word for `ghost'.
See also: of, shade, someone, something
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

in (or into) the shade

in (or into) a position of relative inferiority or obscurity.
See also: shade

a shade —

a little —. informal
1984 Armistead Maupin Babycakes Shall we go a shade lighter…Pink it up a bit?
See also: of, shade

shades of —

used to suggest reminiscence of or comparison with someone or something specified.
The sense of shade alluded to here is ‘shadow’ or ‘ghost’.
1991 Cordelia Mansall Discover Astrology Perhaps it is shades of the way your mother had to reject her own brilliance. You have a very fine brain which you tend to put down.
See also: of, shade
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

put somebody/something in the ˈshade

(informal) be much better or more successful than somebody/something: The new player really puts the rest of the team in the shade. OPPOSITE: cannot hold a candle to somebody/something
See also: put, shade, somebody, something
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

shade in

v.
1. To represent degrees of shade or shadow in some drawing or picture, so as to give the illusion of depth: The artist shaded in the contours of the model's face in the portrait.
2. To darken some bounded area that is drawn or printed on a surface: The teacher shaded in the area where the circles overlapped with yellow chalk. I'm going to shade in the left side of this drawing with crosshatches to make it darker.
See also: shade

shade into

v.
To pass from one quality, color, or thing to some other by very slight changes or degrees: The hues of the pink sunset shaded into purple.
See also: shade
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

have it made in the shade

tv. to have succeeded; to be set for life. (Have got can replace have.) Wow, is he lucky! He has it made in the shade.
See also: have, made, shade

shades

n. dark glasses. (see also sunshades.) Where are my shades? The sun is too bright.
See also: shade
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

a shade

A little bit; slightly: a sprinter who was a shade quicker that the rest.
See also: shade
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • a shade
  • a shade (something)
  • little bit
  • a little bit
  • do (one's) bit
  • do bit
  • do one's bit
  • do your bit
  • take a breath
  • it's/that's a bit steep
References in periodicals archive
Visual shade matching owing to its subjectivity is a concern for the dental clinicians so different devices have been introduced to aid the colour selection for achieving optimum aesthetics.7 The use of electronic shade-matching devices has become common in dentistry.
COMPARISON OF TOOTH SHADE MATCHING USING VISUAL AND DIGITAL CAMERA METHODS
Each shade has crushable trim around the entire perimeter, so as it goes into the window frame there are several bite points and the shade's trim compresses around the trim of the window, keeping it in place.
Jet Shades: Efficient, See-Through: We think the Jet Shades tinted window panels are good for reducing cabin heat and sun glare and for maximizing air conditioning efficiency
CHANGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS SHADE can come from buildings, trees, fences and dominant evergreen plants.
Shady dealings need a little extra effort; Plant pro Mark Sage gives HANNAH STEPHENSON some advice on keeping things cool outdoors
A shading threshold is the allowed amount of shade inside the oval located adjacent to a candidate's name in the ballot used for automated elections.
Netizen lambasts Leni supporter's #LeaveOurShadesAlone campaign with one hilarious post
The plantation faced an east-west direction, projecting the shade into the paddocks.
Improved grazing activity of dairy heifers in shaded tropical grasslands/Novilhas leiteiras melhoram sua atividade de pastejo em pastagens tropicais sombreadas
Radiation use efficiency increases when the diffuse component of the incident radiation is enhanced under shade. The target responses are those determining the commercial value of each crop, including yield, product quality, and rate of maturation (Shahak and Gussakovsky, 2004).
Effect of shade net colours, its intensity and fertilizer levels on growth and yield of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.)
As expected, for the baseline it was observed that desk illuminance is greatly dependent on visible light transmittance of the shade fabric.
Daylighting and Thermal Assessment of Combined Dynamic Shading Systems on Energy Consumption in Educational Buildings
Use 54 "-wide fabric to yield a shade up to 53 " wide.
Shade to order
For nails, this rich chocolate shade is a deliciously dark choice.
celebrity cuts Star makeover
Growth and morphogenesis of sun and shade plants on the influence of light intensity.
Effect of artificial shading on yield and yield components of Lentil's cultivars
Key words: shade selection, instrumental shade guide, tooth color.
Comparison and agreement of visual and instrumental shade matching: an in-vivo evaluation
I am usually half way through the digging before discovering just how much shade I have.
Light in your garden's darkness
HMG Paints has announced the launch of a new shade card.
Shady goings on at HMG
I've been trying to buy a shade with beading or fringing for a table or standard lamp.
Putting others in the shade; tricks of the trade