As long as were talking about electrical faults, I'd like to say this:
A SHORT is a quick way of saying a "short circuit to ground" and that's the only place a short goes--to GROUND, prematurely--before power gets to its intended load. Usually this condition results in a blown fuse or burned up wires (if the fuse isn't sized correctly)
A "bad" connection is a circuit that is not complete--ie: an "open" or partially open circuit. These include broken wires, corroded or loose, poor connections. An "open circuit" will not blow a fuse, altho a poor connection will sometimes create heat and be warmer at that location than the rest of the circuit.
Id also add that if you have starter trouble, there are 4 places to check and clean--the 2 battery terminals, the 1 large wire on the starter solenoid and the GROUND cable on the chassis.
Remember, a full circuit starts at the + battery and ends at the - battery. The ground circuit is every bit as necessary as the supply circuit.
Happy Troubleshooting!