His temper has scared away potential colleagues and shortened the tenures of several assistants.

Alder replied angrily, his temper obviously shortened by the long, cold wait.

I could see that Shoogar's temper was shortening.

Perhaps not immediately, but he'd seen tempers shorten.

"You were cautioned, my young friend," came the slow, growling response that always indicated Allanon's temper was shortening.

Finally Granny Morkie's temper, which was never particularly long, shortened to vanishing point.

Tensions mount and tempers shorten like fuses burning in slow-motion.

As the game tightened in the third quarter, tempers shortened.

As he grew more weary, his temper shortened, and he complained bitterly at every halt.

After two consecutive overcast days the grumbling begins, everyone's temper shortens, traffic cops stop giving warnings, and people aren't quite as nice to their dogs.