Asked by tt

Hamlet: The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold.

Horatio: It is a nipping and an eager air.

Hamlet: What hour now?

–Hamlet,
William Shakespeare

Based on the context, what is the best definition of shrewdly as it is used in these lines?

thoughtfully
quickly
cleverly
sharply

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
sharply

Here "shrewdly" uses the older sense meaning keenly or biting — the air "bites" in a sharp, piercing way (supported by Horatio's "nipping and an eager air").