a bad electrical connection that causes the current to flow in the wrong direction, often having the effect of stopping the power supply

to do something more quickly than usual, by avoiding some of the parts of the process

We may be able to short-circuit this litigation before it drags on forever. 我们可能可以在诉讼无限期拖延下去产之前，设法缩短诉讼（时间）。

The agency short-circuited the normal construction process by conducting environmental studies at the same time that preliminary studies were done. 这个机构通过在做前期初步调研的同时把环境调研做完，缩短了正常的施工流程。