All 6 Uses

sheer
in
And Then There Were None
(Edited)

May be sheer moonshine-just plain lunacy!
p. 100.2

sheer = pure
Of course all that was the sheerest hypocrisy!
p. 110.7

sheerest = purest
...the cliffs fell sheer to the sea below,
p. 123.5

sheer = steeply
It's pretty sheer. [the cliff]
p. 126.5 *

sheer = steep
And anyway it's a sheer impossibility that Armstrong can be in the house.
p. 252.1 *

sheer = complete
Sheer reaction had kept her immobile.
p. 265.6

sheer = pure (nothing else)

Definitions:

(1) (sheer as in: a sheer blouse)
typically of fabric: very thin and delicate -- often transparent
(2) (sheer as in: sheer fun)
complete or pure -- without restriction, qualification, or other elements (used for emphasis)
(3) (sheer as in: a sheer cliff)
so steep it is almost vertical
(4) (sheer as in: sheer to the left)
change direction; or to cause such a change of direction -- usually abruptly
(5) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Sheer can also be an alternative spelling for shear (to cut). Sheers can refer to light, transparent curtains.