What is "to fight shy"

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.

   The horses of the army . . . were no longer shy, but would come up to my very feet without starting.
   --Swift.

2. Reserved; coy; disinclined to familiar approach.

   What makes you so shy, my good friend? There's nobody loves you better than I.
   --Arbuthnot.

   The embarrassed look of shy distress And maidenly shamefacedness.
   --Wordsworth.

3. Cautious; wary; suspicious.

   I am very shy of using corrosive liquors in the preparation of medicines.
   --Boyle.

   Princes are, by wisdom of state, somewhat shy of thier successors.
   --Sir H. Wotton.

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

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]

   To fight shy. See under Fight, v. i.

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["a]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.

   You do fight against your country's foes.
   --Shak.

   To fight with thee no man of arms will deign.
   --Milton.

2. To act in opposition to anything; to struggle against; to contend; to strive; to make resistance.

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