What does it mean to be on a short list? I recently applied for an academic job that did not request letters of recommendation at the time of application, but only a list of potential references. I just now received an email from the search committee chair that I had made it to the "short list" and to please contact my references to arrange for my letters to be sent.  I thought that a "short list" was the list of people who were going to be flown out for an in-person interview, but it seems that the "short list" in this context just means "the list of candidates whose letters of reference we'd like to see".  Is there an agreed-upon definition of "short list" that I'm missing?
Nope, there's no widely agreed upon definition of "short list".  Sometimes a committee draws up an official short list, while sometimes people informally talk about a short list based on who is being seriously considered even if there's no official list.  Sometimes the short list consists of the people being interviewed, sometimes it's the people for whom letters are being requested, and sometimes it's in between.  Things can get more complicated when there are several forms of interviews (e.g., interviews at an annual meeting vs. fly-ins).  Sometimes a reference to the short list is a meaningless pleasantry meant to soften the blow of rejection when a committee member knows an applicant personally.  Ultimately, the only thing you can say for sure is that it's better to be on the short list than off it.  Beyond that, you have to guess from context or ask for clarification.