# What does sheepish mean and relationship to sheep?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 22, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836 "2005-09-22T04:05:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/1 "2005-09-22T04:05:44Z")

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I had promised to send a friend some signed papers about 2 or 3 weeks ago and I kept forgetting to do it. This afternoon I called him to confess that I feel guilty for not doing so but promised that I would today.

When I called him, I said: " I feel kind of sheepish calling you" and then apologized for not having done so.

My question: Does sheepish mean shy, embarrased or what? And what has sheep got to do with the definition?

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**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/2 "2005-09-22T04:11:34Z")

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I don’t know. Maybe Hal does?

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**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/3 "2005-09-22T05:49:29Z")

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sheep·ish adj.

1. Embarrassed, as by consciousness of a fault: a sheepish grin.
2. Meek or stupid.

Your meaning comes from the assumption that someone as stupid as a sheep (2.) would be more likely to embarrass themselves as per 1. There’s no implication of actual stupidity though.

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**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/4 "2005-09-22T11:47:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> **Savannah**  
> I don’t know. Maybe Hal does?

\<snerk\>

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**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/5 "2005-09-22T14:58:29Z")

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> [@Askance](#):
>
> sheep·ish adj.
> 
> 1. Embarrassed, as by consciousness of a fault: a sheepish grin.
> 2. Meek or stupid.

Ah. Rather like how **Hal** ’s been feeling.

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**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/6 "2005-09-22T15:12:31Z")

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I saw the headline and thought “Well, this’ll take all of two responses”.

Looks like I was off by one.

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**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/7 "2005-09-22T15:23:30Z")

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> [@Hal Briston](#):
>
> I saw the headline and thought “Well, this’ll take all of two responses”.
> 
> Looks like I was off by one.

And some of us checked it just to see if there were **Hal** jokes.

😃

E.

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**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/8 "2005-09-22T15:31:38Z")

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> [@Elza B](#):
>
> And some of us checked it just to see if there were **Hal** jokes.

Baa.

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**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-sheepish-mean-and-relationship-to-sheep/322836/9 "2005-09-22T15:39:26Z")

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> [@Lute Skywatcher](#):
>
> Baa.

Proudly.

(It’s been a long week…gotta get my giggles somewhere.)

E.