Dear Editors,
While consulting the entry for shake-down(n.), I paused at the note:
“Meaning ‘a thorough search’ is from 1914; perhaps from the notion of measuring corn.”
I wonder whether this wording might be slightly opaque for modern readers. From comparison with other lexicographic treatments, the underlying idea appears to derive from the practice of shaking grain down so that nothing remains concealed before measuring, which makes the semantic path to “thorough search” clearer.
If so, a brief clarification might make the connection more immediately transparent.
With appreciation and best regards,
Dariusz Śmietanka