Loose a Shield

[Magus Coeruleus]

What actually happens when you "loose a shield" as per PHB p. 128? Does that mean drop it, put it somewhere on your body so that your hand is free but it's not on the ground, or ungripped so that it's still strapped to your arm but you can use your hand for something else (if it's a small shield, anyway)?

Do you think that, if you loose a large shield, you cannot use that hand for anything at all? PHB p. 106 says "A large shield is too heavy for you to use your shield hand for anything else." But what if, say, you loose your large shield and cast a Stilled (metamagicked) Cure spell--could you use that shield hand to touch a willing comrade and heal him or her?

 

[Destil]

Loose a shield means to sling it off your back/shoulder/whatever and start wielding it. Basicly it's the equivelent of drawing a weapon.

 

[Dingleberry]

I always thought "readying" a shield was the equivalent of drawing a weapon, and "loosing" a shield was the equivalent of sheathing a weapon (though you can do it without provoking an AoO and can combine it with a move ).