dɪɡ ʃɑːft ʃæft provide with barbs barbed wire one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove the pointed part of barbed wire an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect his parting shot was ‘drop dead’ she threw shafts of sarcasm she takes a dig at me every chance she gets