Profane Outburst by CBS White House Correspondent Engenders Interest in Overlooked Slang Word 'Shirty'
![](http://d20hvt89h2l7r8.cloudfront.net/18ebsbix6le61jpg/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636.jpg)
Major Garrett, CBS News' chief White House correspondent, sure is mad at someone! This tweet flickered briefly across our screens this morning before Garrett noticed and deleted it; it was likely intended as a DM for some unfortunate soul—another reporter? A source? National Journal's Jim O'Sullivan, who tweeted this directly before Garrett flew off the handle:
Someone, @majorcbs, left a thing of Cover Girl on the WH press men's room sink
— Jim O'Sullivan (@JOSreports) February 11, 2013
Confirmed: makeup contraband in WH men's room does NOT belong to @majorcbs. Will investigate further
— Jim O'Sullivan (@JOSreports) February 11, 2013
Most excitingly, Garrett's slip (re-)introduced us to "shirty," a classic word, used most often in Britain and the Antipodes and too-often overlooked here in America, that means "aggressive or bad-tempered," "frustrated and pompous," agitated, irritated or angry, depending on the source you consult. To be honest, we're not sure Garrett meant to use "shirty" in this context—indeed, Garrett himself seems to be the "shirty" one—but we deeply enjoyed the tweet nonetheless.
Update: A dedicated reader sends us this also-deleted tweet, which would seem to confirm the above speculation:
![](http://d20hvt89h2l7r8.cloudfront.net/18ebul2ve89chjpg/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636.jpg)