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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

S(c)hift, n. Also: schyft, chift, shif, schifit; scheft, scheift; shicht. [ME and e.m.E. schift (c1325), shifte (1461); S(c)hift v. Cf. Skift n.¹]

1. A plan for achieving one's ends; an expedient. c1490 Porteous Noblenes 63/62 (Ch. & M.).
The riche man that lattis honour for expensis gudis faillies hym & all schift in hym confoundis 1570-3 Bann. Trans. 15.
While mony schiftis were devysed this last was found out, to wit, … that the prowest suld requeist the lordis to depart 1558-66 Knox II 383.
Thei began a newe schift, to wit, to speak of the punishement of adulterye 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 34.
Sum schift, thocht not ane honest ane, ȝit ane schift, forsuith must be devysit 1582 Declar. Causis 26.
Qvhan all vther schyftis that micht mak … money had bene scummit & socht [etc.] 1623 Melrose P. 529.
The shift is vnthriftie, and will neuer work her [sc. the lady's] end

b. A course of action designed to bring about a desired end; a recourse. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 2981.
This knicht … Quhen he wantit he had nane vther schift, For his sonnis saik than he committit thift 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 127.
The setting vp of the kingis authoritie was but ane fetche, or shift, to saue vs from grit inconvenientis a1578 Pitsc. I 85/33.
That he had no wther scheift to conqueis his leving bot waine trattillis to saw discoird amang nobillmen a1585 Maitl. Q. 157/119.
I haue na schift bot to resing All power in hir handis a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 245 (L).
To quenche me soir I was devorit With schiftis [W. siches] I went about Bot ay the mair I schep to smorr it The baldar it brak out 1600 Hamilton Facile Tr. 88.
What vther shift can thir nouateurs haue … nor to reiect thir buikes calland thame Apocriphes c1600 Montg. Suppl. xxix 51.
To hevene my eyis I dar nocht lift Aganest it I hawe trespast Nor in the eirthe I find no scheift Nor succoure that can lest 1700 Rothesay Par. Rec. 138.
Two poor distressed widowes … who use verie honest and laufull shifts and endeavours to train up their children at school

c. To tak (oneself) to (one's) schift, to act on one's own initiative; to do the best one can for oneself. 1571 Bann. Memor. 107.
Als soune as thai saw thair owin artailȝerie turned to thaim self, everie man tuike him to his schift; … some lap the walis [etc.]

d. To be put to (one's) schift, to be left to make one's own way in life; to be left to fend for oneself. a1597-1617 Hist. Jas. VI (1825) 46.
The landis of Woddislie, perteyning heretablie to his wyff, was also conficat, whareby thay war bayth put to shift 1632 Sutherland Bk. II 155.
I am not the first cadent off ane hous that hes bein put to his shift

e. Of (one's) awin schift, as a result of one's own initiative; by one's own unaided efforts. 1591 Edinb. Test. XXIII 116.
The haill geir inspreth and sowmes of moneth quhilk the said Helene … hes of hir awin conquest & schift

2. A means of earning one's living; a livelihood.Freq., honest (and lauchfull) schift.(1) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 1526 (B).
Dissait: I will be treittit … With my maisteris the merchandmen … few … can begyle the landwart wyvis But me … Now Falsat quhat sall be thy chift [Ch. schift]? Ib. 3211.
I had nevir na vder chift Sen I was borne a1570-86 Maitl. F. 437/14.
Our traffique dois clene decay Our chift and gane is quyt away 1583 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XV 42.
Without any other help nor thair honest industrie and sober schyft 1586 Edinb. Test. XVI 108b.
To my sone naturall … fyve hundreth merkis … to help him to ane schift 1596 Dalr. II 14/16.
All persounis, minstrelis, gemsteris, sportouris, gyuen till ydlenes, and quha eit thair breid only throuch sik schift 1605 Reg. Privy C. VII 709.
Beggaris unhable (except be thair unlawfull schift quhilk is evir spent as it is gottin) to sustene thameselffis in prisone 1618 Haddington B. Rec. (Robb) 13 Feb.
Accusit as ane comoun nycht walker & upsitter … having little or na kind of schift to win geir(2) 1560 Edinb. B. Rec. III 69.
Vagaboundis … and otheris without maisteris, nocht haifing … sum honest shift to vphald thame self with a1570-86 Arbuthnot Maitl. F. 56/50.
Filthie lucre is comptit honest schift 1572 Reg. Privy C. II 133.
Except thay have … sum honest and lauchfull schift quhairupoun to leif 1596 Dalr. I 116/16.
Of the nobilitie … the ȝoungest ar put to sum honest schift quhairthrouch thay may leid a lyfe nocht allutterlie abiecte 1612 Reg. Privy C. IX 449.
[He] hes a purpois to go out of the cuntrey, that he may mak some honnest and lauchfull shift for his leiving

3. A device intended to deceive, mislead or ensnare; a stratagem; a subterfuge; an evasion.(1) 1554 Knox III 195.
David inspired with the Halie Gaist knew not sic schyftis as warldlie wyse men ymagine now-a-dayis 1564 Edinb. B. Rec. III 187.
That na … fraudfull schyftis as drawing, … flaling or carding of clayth be vsit in tymes cuming 1566 Reg. Privy C. I 478.
Be thir and a greit nowmer of sic uther schiftis and inventionis is hir majesteis liberalitie sa planelie abusit be … gredie askeris 1570 Leslie 222.
The ould man … come agane to the wall and by sic slie shift gat up aloft apoun the battelline 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 127.
I can not tell what fetches or shiftis [Trans. 160 scheftis] your lordschip hes vsit in thir proceidingis; … lat your awin conscience accuse your self 1584 Sempill Sat. P. xlv 859.
He … fred him with this fals conceat Gif this be weill the warld shall ken To raise sic schiftis on saikles men Ib.
Honest men of simple conscience … meanit nothing of thir your shiftis and fetches, but proceidit vpoun ane honest and constant ground 1587 Carmichael Etym. 4.
Stratagema, a wittie shift in wars 1590-1 R. Bruce Serm. 198.
When the sign was offered to him be Isaiah … he cast it off be ane shift 1594 Cal. Sc. P. XI 377.
[In the said chancellor daily some one or other] schifit [appears to trap my lord] 1614 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 13 Feb.
Of his peitis sum ar markit and sum onmarkit quhilk wes thocht to be ane schift 1619 Perth Kirk S. MS 8 June.
All thir thingis proponit ar found to be fals schiftis and clokis of his knaifrie 1623 Melrose P. 543.
Nether sall it ever be hard of that I sall medle with such bass shifs c1630 Scot Narr. 43.
The commissioners of the kirk … took this for a shift 1639 Hamilton P. (Camden Soc.) 103.
Hoping your majestie will doe me the honor to think that this is no shift 1651 Dickson Matthew 265.
The most cursed shift that can be devised may be cloaked with the pretence of religion a1665 W. Guthrie Letters Horning 14.
After many … resolutions to mend they … yet is following this crooked shift(2) 1581 Reg. Privy C. III 402.
Efter lang schiftes and driftis [she had] refusit alluterlie to adheir to the said compliner 1591 Elgin Rec. I 220.
Lippynning for na forder schiftis nor delayis 1675 Cramond Kirk S. II 12 Dec.
He … found nothing but shifts and delayes 1684 Ib. 3 Aug.
The session thinkeing this but a shift & delay, desire [etc.]

b. A sophistical argument; a piece of sophistry. 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 104.
The Caluinistis chiftis concerning the sam ar refutit a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 658 (W).
He grieues vs and deues vs With sophistries and schifts 1611-57 Mure Early Misc. P. i 129.
‘Behold,’ quod Cupid, ‘Ressounes schifts Of false philosophie consists’

c. A pretext. a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxii 31.
I seik some shift that we may shed

4. To mak … (a) schift (to do something), to follow a course of action; devise a stratagem. Passing into: To make an effort; to strive; to try (one's best).Also (once) with clause complement, and without complement.(1) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3746 (Ch.).
To win our meat we man mak vther schift Ib. 4191 (B).
Was nevir man maid mair honest chift His leving for to win 1579 Reg. Privy C. III 129.
Slittis … quhair without the jevelouris knawledge the freindis of sic as beis committit to ward sall … mak schiftis to get thame furth 1660 Wodrow Hist. (1828) I 19.
Five of them promised … to make a shift to send a thousand pieces of gold to him 1682 Lauder Observes App. iv 304.
[The dog] readiely took it, and … made a shift, by rowing it up and down his mouth, to separat what was pleasant to his pallat — 1650 Glasgow Wrights Acts 11.
[Assay masters] salbe cairfull that no shift be maid, nor left to be maid, that the intrant may be instructit be … help of wtheris to the making of the sey peice(2) 1540 Lynd. Sat. 3281 (B).
Haif I nocht maid ane honest chift, That hes betrasit commoun thift? 1589 James VI in Cal. Sc. P. X 174.
And as for siluer, in guide faith I ame making all the schift I can a1639 Spotsw. Hist. (1655) 229.
The duke … made divers shifts, desiring that all matters might be continued to the tenth of May c1680 Mackenzie Affairs 31.
And when money grew scarce, it forc'd gentlemen to make untimely shifts for its payment

5. A change of workmen after a certain length of time to allow a fresh gang to replace them; the length of time for which a gang of workmen was expected to work before being replaced. a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 427.
Fourtie s. & 40 shifts is worth 4 lib. in the yeir a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 540.
Fair shifts na robberie 1646 J. Hope Diary (1958) 172.
This coalle … entertaines 70 workmen beneath 12 or 15 above ground with 6 horses divided into tuo shichts from 4 to 4 a clocke

b. ‘The crop grown in any particular season in a system of crop-rotation. … The system itself is called by the number of crops in the rotation' (SND, s.v. Shift n. 4). 1715 Pennecuik Wks. 92.
The adoption in this country of the common course of four shifts, before pasture