Returns the short description of an object or character. For objects and non-players, this is what Sloth Mud calls the object. A strange example: a loaf of bread, which is object 1000, has short equal to 'a loaf of bread'. This is distinct from it's name, which is 'bread loaf food'.
For players, the short is the same thing as the name. Neither short nor name is settable for players.