Usage examples (14)

• It always helps if you can find a reason to not be hair-shirted about it.
• It was the kind of bonkers, hair-shirted remark (in an otherwise very good speech) which taints the environmental movement.
• Nor are we calling for ‘hair-shirted denial’, merely that it be demonstrated that money is being spent properly and that all is open and above board.
• But this should not mean hair-shirted self-denial, where MPs who do not employ staff and pride themselves on low expenses, such as the Tory Philip Hollobone, are...