mainlyUKinformalIf someone, usually a woman, is on theshelf, she is notmarriedand isconsideredtoooldfor anyone towanttomarryher:
(通常指女子)年龄太大而找不到对象的 In thosedays, if you hadn'tmarriedby thetimeyou were 30, you weredefinitelyon theshelf.在那个时代,如果你到30岁还未结婚,那就肯定嫁不出去了。