(1):
(n.) A wire for changing a loop from one needle to another, as in narrowing, etc.
(2):
(n.) One who, or that which, shifts; one who plays tricks or practices artifice; a cozener.
(3):
(n.) An assistant to the ship's cook in washing, steeping, and shifting the salt provisions.
(4):
(n.) An arrangement for shifting a belt sidewise from one pulley to another.