OpenLLM-France/wikimedia huggingface dataset:
# Kobayashi Maru
## English
### Etymology

From the fictional Kobayashi Maru test, first introduced in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a training exercise in which Starfleet cadets face an intentionally unwinnable scenario as a test of character. The test involves the rescue of an eponymous vessel, named by Star Trek II screenwriter Jack B. Sowards after his neighbours, from the Japanese family name Kobayashi and maru (a suffix of Japanese ship names).

### Noun

Kobayashi Maru (plural Kobayashi Marus)
* (informal) A scenario with no positive or favourable outcome; a no-win situation.
** 2010, April Winchell, Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF‎, page 121:Christmas is the Kobayashi Maru of holidays. It is unwinnable.
** 2015, Scott Meyer, An Unwelcome Quest‎, page 265:Martin said, “Gwen, do you understand that there’s no right answer to that? You've asked me the Kobayashi Maru of questions. There’s no possible way to answer that won't make you mad.”
** 2016, Hillary Manton Lodge, Together at the Table‎, page 81:“You might not be able to win,” I said. “It may be the Kobayashi Maru of seating arrangements.”
** For more quotations using this term, see Citations:Kobayashi Maru.
# wikiphilosophies
## English
### Noun

wikiphilosophies
* plural of wikiphilosophy
# takterrassar
## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Noun

takterrassar m
* indefinite plural of takterrasse
# bielinków kapustników
## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /bjɛˈliŋkuf kapusˈtɲikuf/
* Syllabification: bie‧lin‧ków ka‧pus‧tni‧ków

### Noun

bielinków kapustników
* genitive plural of bielinek kapustnik
# îmburuienat
## Romanian
### Etymology

From în- +‎ buruiană +‎ -at.

### Adjective

îmburuienat m or n (feminine singular îmburuienată, masculine plural îmburuienați, feminine and neuter plural îmburuienate)
* full of weeds
# tardons
## French
### Verb

tardons
* inflection of tarder:
** first-person plural present indicative
** first-person plural imperative

### Anagrams

* tondras
* tradons
# Iuppa
## Italian
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Proper noun

Iuppa m or f by sense
* a surname

### Further reading

* Stefano Ravara, Mappa dei Cognomi, 2015-2024
# ringmärkningen
## Swedish
### Noun

ringmärkningen
* definite nominative singular of ringmärkning
# Kermanshahan
## English
### Proper noun

Kermanshahan
* Former name of Kermanshah (“Iranian province”).
# wikipedistka
## Czech
### Etymology

From wikipedista +‎ -ka.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈvɪkɪpɛdɪstka]

### Noun

wikipedistka f (male equivalent wikipedista)
* wikipedian (female)
# schamelle
## Middle English
### Noun

schamelle
* Alternative form of camel
# perfluoroctanos
## Spanish
### Noun

perfluoroctanos
* plural of perfluoroctano
# ökkööyu
## Ye'kwana
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [əkkəːju]

### Noun

ökkööyu
* (Caura River dialect) Alternative form of ököyu (“snake”)
# tardorepubblicano
## Italian
### Etymology

From tardo- +‎ repubblicano.

### Adjective

tardorepubblicano (feminine tardorepubblicana, masculine plural tardorepubblicani, feminine plural tardorepubblicane)
* (relational) late Roman Empire
# Jept
## Old Czech
### Alternative forms

* Jepte

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (13th CE) /ˈjɛpt/
* IPA: (15th CE) /ˈjɛpt/

### Proper noun

Jept m pers
* a male given name

#### Declension
### Further reading

* Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “Jept”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění
# ringmärkningarna
## Swedish
### Noun

ringmärkningarna
* definite nominative plural of ringmärkning
# Kermelin
## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Breton.

### Proper noun

Kermelin ?
* A toponym in Gueltas, Morbihan
    Holonym: Gueltas

### Further reading

* Géoportail, Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière, 2019
# wire nettings
## English
### Noun

wire nettings
* plural of wire netting
# tamareira
## Portuguese
### Etymology

From tâmara (“date”) +‎ -eira, from Arabic.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ta.maˈɾe(j).ɾɐ/ [ta.maˈɾe(ɪ̯).ɾɐ]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ta.maˈɾe(j).ɾɐ/ [ta.maˈɾe(ɪ̯).ɾɐ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ta.maˈɾe(j).ɾa/ [ta.maˈɾe(ɪ̯).ɾa]
* (Portugal) IPA: /tɐ.mɐˈɾɐj.ɾɐ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /tɐ.mɐˈɾɐj.ɾɐ/
** (Northern Portugal) IPA: /tɐ.mɐˈɾej.ɾɐ/
** (Central Portugal) IPA: /tɐ.mɐˈɾej.ɾɐ/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /tɐ.mɐˈɾe.ɾɐ/
* Hyphenation: ta‧ma‧rei‧ra

### Noun

tamareira f (plural tamareiras)
* date palm (palm tree whose fruit is the date)
    Synonym: datileira

#### Related terms

* tâmara
* tamaral
* tamarês
# perfluoroethers
## English
### Noun

perfluoroethers
* plural of perfluoroether
# ökle
## Hungarian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈøklɛ]
* Hyphenation: ök‧le
* Rhymes: -lɛ

### Etymology 1
#### Noun

ökle (plural öklék)
* (zoology) bitterling, a member of the genus Rhodeus (among cyprinid fish)

##### Derived terms

* szivárványos ökle (“European bitterling, Rhodeus amarus”)

### Etymology 2

ököl (“fist”) +‎ -e (“his/her/its”, possessive suffix)

#### Noun

ökle
* third-person singular single-possession possessive of ököl

##### Declension
### Further reading

* (bitterling) ökle in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
# schmulen
## German
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈʃmuːlən]
* Hyphenation: schmu‧len
* Audio:(file)

### Verb

schmulen (weak, third-person singular present schmult, past tense schmulte, past participle geschmult, auxiliary haben)
* to peek

#### Conjugation

$^1$Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.

### Further reading

* “schmulen” in Duden online
* “schmulen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
# Jojolas
## English
### Proper noun

Jojolas
* plural of Jojola
# ringmärkt
## Swedish
### Verb

ringmärkt
* supine of ringmärka
* past participle of ringmärka
# preceptuasteis
## Spanish
### Verb

preceptuasteis
* second-person plural preterite indicative of preceptuar
# witało
## Lower Sorbian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈvʲitawɔ]

### Participle

witało
* neuter singular of witał

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /viˈtawɔ/
* Rhymes: -awɔ
* Syllabification: wi‧ta‧ło

### Verb

witało
* third-person singular neuter past of witać
# tamaraos
## English
### Noun

tamaraos
* plural of tamarao

## Spanish
### Noun

tamaraos m pl
* plural of tamarao
# bibelselskapet
## Norwegian Bokmål
### Noun

bibelselskapet n
* definite singular of bibelselskap

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Noun

bibelselskapet n
* definite singular of bibelselskap
# ökenvandringen
## Swedish
### Noun

ökenvandringen
* definite singular of ökenvandring
# scinderla
## Italian
### Verb

scinderla
* compound of the infinitive scindere with la
# Jokela
## Finnish
### Etymology

From joki (“river”) +‎ -la.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈjokelɑ/, [ˈjo̞k̟e̞lɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -okelɑ
* Syllabification: Jo‧ke‧la

### Proper noun

Jokela
* a Finnish surname from landscape
* Any of a number of small places in Finland.

#### Declension

Possessive forms of Jokela (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) :

#### Statistics

* Jokela is the 146th most common surname in Finland, belonging to 4,707 individuals, according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

### Anagrams

* keloja, lekoja, lokeja
# poliestrali
## Italian
### Adjective

poliestrali m
* plural of poliestrale

### Anagrams

* postillerai
# preceptuemos
## Spanish
### Verb

preceptuemos
* inflection of preceptuar:
** first-person plural present subjunctive
** first-person plural imperative
# wobble base pairs
## English
### Noun

wobble base pairs
* plural of wobble base pair
# scartavetrare
## Italian
### Etymology

From s- +‎ carta vetrata (“sandpaper”) +‎ -are.

### Verb

* This Italian verb needs to be reviewed and cleaned up.
* The definition(s) may be wrong or misleading, and important senses may be missing. The specified auxiliary may also be wrong. The remainder of the conjugation is probably correct for -are verbs but may be wrong in some particulars for -ire verbs (especially the present participle).
scartavetràre (first-person singular present scartavétro, first-person singular past historic scartavetrài, past participle scartavetràto, auxiliary avére)
* (transitive) to sandpaper
    Synonyms: carteggiare, cartavetrare

#### Conjugation
### Further reading

* scartavetrare in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

### Anagrams

* scartavetrerà
# perfizesse
## Portuguese
### Verb

perfizesse
* first/third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of perfazer
# ûonamaq
## Khalaj

| Perso-Arabic | Perso-Arabic | اوُوْناماق |

### Pronunciation

* (Xarrâbî) IPA: [uːo̯naˈmaq], [u̞ːo̯naˈmaq]

### Verb

ûonamaq (third-person singular aorist ûonayır, second person singular imperative ûonayı)
* Alternative form of oynamaq (“to play”)

### References

* Doerfer, Gerhard (1980) Wörterbuch des Chaladsch (Dialekt von Charrab) [Khalaj dictionary] (in German), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó
# taskwork
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English taskewark, taxk work, equivalent to task +‎ work.

### Noun

taskwork (countable and uncountable, plural taskworks)
* Work that is done as a task.
* Work that is done by the job; piece work.
# Kafir
## English
### Proper noun

Kafir
* (obsolete) The Nuristani language family.
* Alternative spelling of Kaffir

### Anagrams

* fakir, farik

## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

Kafir m (plural Kuffar)
* (Islam) kafir

### Further reading

* “Kafir” in Duden online
# polvoreabais
## Spanish
### Verb

polvoreabais
* second-person plural imperfect indicative of polvorear
# preceptuasen
## Spanish
### Verb

preceptuasen
* third-person plural imperfect subjunctive of preceptuar
# witchen-tree
## English
### Noun

witchen-tree (plural witchen-trees)
* (obsolete) The mountain ash or rowan.

#### Related terms

* wych elm
# scartavate
## Italian
### Verb

scartavate
* second-person plural imperfect indicative of scartare

### Anagrams

* castravate
# perfizeres
## Portuguese
### Verb

perfizeres
* second-person singular future subjunctive of perfazer
# ñuhu
## Teposcolula Mixtec
### Etymology

From Proto-Mixtec *yuʔų.

### Noun

ñuhu
* fire

### References

* Alvarado, Francisco de (1593) Vocabulario en lengua misteca (in Spanish), Mexico: En casa de Pedro Balli, pages 113v, 139v
# taslakana
## Cebuano
### Etymology

taslakan +‎ -a

### Pronunciation

* Hyphenation: tas‧la‧ka‧na

### Adjective

taslakana
* exclamatory form of taslakan
# Kaffs
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

Kaffs n
* plural of Kaff
# rinarreremmo
## Italian
### Verb

rinarreremmo
* first-person plural conditional of rinarrare
# preceptuases
## Spanish
### Verb

preceptuases
* second-person singular imperfect subjunctive of preceptuar
# wobbulates
## English
### Verb

wobbulates
* third-person singular simple present indicative of wobbulate
# alpestris
## Latin
### Etymology

From Alpēs +‎ -estris.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /alˈpes.tris/, [äɫ̪ˈpɛs̠t̪rɪs̠]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /alˈpes.tris/, [älˈpɛst̪ris]

### Adjective

alpestris (neuter alpestre); third-declension two-termination adjective
* Alpine

#### Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

#### Related terms

* Alpēs

### References

* alpestris in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
# bilancerà
## Italian
### Verb

bilancerà
* third-person singular future of bilanciare
# ördeği
## Turkish
### Noun

ördeği
* singular definite accusative of ördek
# scialacquata
## Italian
### Participle

scialacquata f sg
* feminine singular of scialacquato
# politirassia
## Norwegian Bokmål
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [pʊlɪˈtʰiːˌʁɑsɪɑ]

### Noun

politirassia
* a police raid
# Kamerik-Houtdijken
## Dutch
### Etymology

Compound of the toponyms Kamerik and Houtdijken. Originally the name of a legal district.

### Pronunciation

* Hyphenation: Ka‧me‧rik-‧Hout‧dij‧ken

### Proper noun

Kamerik-Houtdijken n
* A former municipality of Utrecht, Netherlands
# prakuzojn
## Esperanto
### Noun

prakuzojn
* accusative plural of prakuzo
# wolf-packs
## English
### Noun

wolf-packs
* plural of wolf-pack
# scandhusum
## Old English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈʃɑndˌxuː.sum/, [ˈʃɑndˌhuː.sum]

### Noun

sċandhūsum
* dative plural of sċandhūs
# perfugitis
## Latin
### Verb

perfugitis
* second-person plural present active indicative of perfugiō
# ördekleri
## Turkish
### Noun

ördekleri
* definite accusative plural of ördek

## Turkmen
### Noun

ördekleri
* accusative plural of ördek
# tarira
## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ta.ʁi.ʁa/

### Verb

tarira
* third-person singular simple future of tarir
# politiqueés
## Spanish
### Verb

politiqueés
* second-person singular voseo present subjunctive of politiquear
# praevaliturarum
## Latin
### Participle

praevalitūrārum
* genitive feminine plural of praevalitūrus
# Kameras
## German
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈka.mə.ras/, /-raːs/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

Kameras
* plural of Kamera
# witheredness
## English
### Etymology

From withered +‎ -ness.

### Noun

witheredness (uncountable)
* The state of being withered.
# scandiate
## Italian
### Verb

scandiate
* second-person plural present subjunctive of scandire

### Anagrams

* adescanti, sindacate
# bilbältet
## Swedish
### Noun

bilbältet
* definite singular of bilbälte
# översköljas
## Swedish
### Verb

översköljas
* infinitive passive of överskölja
# tatuś
## Polish
### Etymology

From tata +‎ -uś.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtatuɕ/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -atuɕ
* Syllabification: ta‧tuś

### Noun

tatuś m pers
* daddy

#### Declension
### Further reading

* tatuś in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* tatuś in Polish dictionaries at PWN
# rimbrottarono
## Italian
### Verb

rimbrottarono
* third-person plural past historic of rimbrottare
# praevalituri
## Latin
### Participle

praevalitūrī
* inflection of praevalitūrus:
** nominative/vocative masculine plural
** genitive masculine/neuter singular
# Karapetyans
## English
### Proper noun

Karapetyans
* plural of Karapetyan
# willen zeggen
## Dutch
### Etymology

Literally, “to want to say”. Compare French vouloir dire.

### Verb

willen zeggen
* to mean, to signify
# altportugiesischen
## German
### Adjective

altportugiesischen
* inflection of altportugiesisch:
** strong genitive masculine/neuter singular
** weak/mixed genitive/dative all-gender singular
** strong/weak/mixed accusative masculine singular
** strong dative plural
** weak/mixed all-case plural
# perdivite
## Latin
### Adjective

perdīvite
* ablative masculine/feminine/neuter singular of perdīves
# übersteigend
## German
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˌyːbɐˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩t/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: über‧stei‧gend

### Participle

übersteigend
* present participle of übersteigen

### Adjective

übersteigend (strong nominative masculine singular übersteigender, not comparable)
* exceeding, transcending
    Synonym: überschreitend
    Antonym: unterschreitend

#### Related terms

* absteigend
* aufsteigend
* überladen
* überschreiten
* Überschuss
* überschüssig
* Überstand
# taustāt
## Latvian
### Verb

taustāt
* second-person plural present indicative of taustīt
# rimbrottasti
## Italian
### Verb

rimbrottasti
* second-person singular past historic of rimbrottare
# Kleidergeschäfte
## German
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈklaɪ̯dɐɡəˌʃɛftə/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: Klei‧der‧ge‧schäf‧te

### Noun

Kleidergeschäfte
* nominative/accusative/genitive plural of Kleidergeschäft
# Karapetian
## English
### Etymology

Variant of Karapetyan.

### Proper noun

Karapetian (plural Karapetians)
* A surname from Armenian.

#### Statistics

* According to the 2010 United States Census, Karapetian is the 39555th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 556 individuals. Karapetian is most common among White (95.5%) individuals.

### Further reading

* Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Karapetian”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 276.
# wikunia
## Polish
### Alternative forms

* wigoń

### Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish vicuña, from Quechua wik'uña. Doublet of wigoń.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /viˈkuɲa/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -uɲa
* Syllabification: wi‧ku‧nia

### Noun

wikunia f
* vicuna

#### Declension
### Further reading

* wikunia in Polish dictionaries at PWN
# altportugiesisches
## German
### Adjective

altportugiesisches
* strong/mixed nominative/accusative neuter singular of altportugiesisch
# pergeñarles
## Spanish
### Verb

pergeñarles
* infinitive of pergeñar combined with les
# übersteigender
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

übersteigender
* inflection of übersteigend:
** strong/mixed nominative masculine singular
** strong genitive/dative feminine singular
** strong genitive plural
# taustīdama
## Latvian
### Participle

taustīdama
* nominative singular feminine of taustīdams
# Gîtlan
## Romanian
### Etymology

From gâtlan.

### Proper noun

Gîtlan m (genitive/dative lui Gîtlan)
* a surname
# Kleiderhaken
## German
### Etymology

Kleider (“clothes”) +‎ Haken (“hook”)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈklaɪ̯dɐˌhaːkn̩/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: Klei‧der‧ha‧ken

### Noun

Kleiderhaken m (strong, genitive Kleiderhakens, plural Kleiderhaken)
* coat peg, coathook, clothes hook

#### See also

* Kleiderbügel

### Further reading

* “Kleiderhaken” in Duden online
* “Kleiderhaken” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
# Kaldor-Hicks criterion
## English
### Proper noun

the Kaldor-Hicks criterion
* (economics) The criterion of being Kaldor-Hicks efficient.
# woozy
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English wosy (“muddy, miry”), from Middle English wose (“mud, slime, ooze”) +‎ -y. Doublet of oozy. Perhaps influenced by boozy.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈwuːzi/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -uːzi

### Adjective

woozy (comparative woozier, superlative wooziest)
* Queasy, dizzy, or disoriented.
    I got off the rollercoaster feeling a bit woozy.
* Intoxicated by drink or drugs.

#### Synonyms

* (queasy, dizzy, or disoriented): giddy, lightheaded, whifty
* (intoxicated): See Thesaurus:drunk or Thesaurus:stoned

#### Derived terms

* woozily
* wooziness
# schicksalhafteres
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

schicksalhafteres
* strong/mixed nominative/accusative neuter singular comparative degree of schicksalhaft
# perfluxeratis
## Latin
### Verb

perflūxerātis
* second-person plural pluperfect active indicative of perfluō
# önseziler
## Turkish
### Noun

önseziler
* nominative plural of önsezi
# tassassions
## French
### Verb

tassassions
* first-person plural imperfect subjunctive of tasser
# Habenichtsen
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

Habenichtsen
* dative plural of Habenichts
# ruineusement
## French
### Etymology

From ruineux +‎ -ment.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adverb

ruineusement
* ruinously

### Further reading

* “ruineusement”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
# Kaldoja
## Estonian
### Proper noun

Kaldoja (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])
* a surname
# will contest
## English
### Noun

will contest (plural will contests)
* (law) A legal action brought to dispute the validity of a will.
# schicksalhafteren
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

schicksalhafteren
* inflection of schicksalhaft:
** strong genitive masculine/neuter singular comparative degree
** weak/mixed genitive/dative all-gender singular comparative degree
** strong/weak/mixed accusative masculine singular comparative degree
** strong dative plural comparative degree
** weak/mixed all-case plural comparative degree
# bingwa
## Swahili
### Pronunciation

* Audio (Kenya):(file)

### Noun

bingwa (ma class, plural mabingwa)
* expert (person with extensive knowledge or ability)
* champion (someone who has been winner in a contest)

#### Derived terms

* ubingwa

### References

* Dzahene-Quarshie, Josephine (2012) “English loans in Swahili newspaper football language”, in Ghana Journal of Linguistics‎, volume 1, number 1, pages 35–56
# önska
## Swedish
### Etymology

From Old Swedish ȳskia, ø̄skia, from Old Norse œskja (“wish”), from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”). The 'n' stems from influence from Middle Low German wunschen. Compare German wünschen.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Verb

önska (present önskar, preterite önskade, supine önskat, imperative önska)
* to wish

#### Related terms

* önskan
* önskelista
* önskning

### References

* önska in Svensk ordbok (SO)

### Anagrams

* ansök, sköna
# tassaste
## Italian
### Verb

tassaste
* inflection of tassare:
** second-person plural past historic
** second-person plural imperfect subjunctive

### Anagrams

* stasaste, tastasse
# Habenichtses
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

Habenichtses
* genitive singular of Habenichts
# ruinierend
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Participle

ruinierend
* present participle of ruinieren
# Kanarischen Inseln
## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Proper noun

Kanarischen Inseln
* inflection of Kanarische Inseln:
** strong dative plural
** weak/mixed nominative/genitive/dative/accusative plural
# work the refs
## English
### Verb

work the refs (third-person singular simple present works the refs, present participle working the refs, simple past and past participle worked the refs)
* (sports) To attempt to persuade the referee or other officials to view the players on one's team with a sympathetic bias.
** 1996, William E. Warren, L. Chapman, Basketball Coach's Survival Guide, →ISBN, page 233:You should also work the refs during pregame warmups, telling them how hard your players work on blocking out in practice and hope that the refs give your players a fair chance.
** 1998, Rod Hundley, Tom McEachin, Hot Rod Hundley: "You Gotta Love It, Baby", →ISBN, page 241:He worked the refs better than anyone I've ever seen. He was a great bench coach, too. He had a great feel for playing the right people at the right time.
** 2004, Jack Ramsay, Dr. Jack's Leadership Lessons Learned From a Lifetime in Basketball, →ISBN:I don't remember much about the game, who won or lost, but what I do remember was Jack, his intensity and the fierce, passionate way he worked the refs.
** 2015, Harlan Coben, The Stranger, →ISBN:All coaches work the refs because they understand human nature better than anyone.
* (politics, by extension) To manipulate the press to view one's candidate favorably and to report negative stories on one's opponent.
** 2006, James E. Mueller, Towel Snapping the Press, →ISBN:Slater said that Bush would charm reporters in an attempt to "work the refs" much like a basketball coach will try to cajole and hassle referees in order to influence calls.
** 2010, Julie Drew, William Lyons, Lance Svehla, Sound-Bite Saboteurs, →ISBN:Today this pressure is better funded and more coordinated on the Right, making their efforts to work the refs, to script our political spectacles, more powerful.
** 2013, Mark Tushnet, In the Balance: Law and Politics on the Roberts Court, →ISBN, page 28:In a sense, for conservatives the “changed his mind” story is a continuation of their efforts to work the refs, this time treating the American people as the referees in a contest over respect for the Supreme Court.
** 2016 September 26, David Goldstein, Anita Kumar, “Trump is still Trump in first debate and Clinton doesn’t take the bait”, in Miami Herald:Both candidates worked the refs ahead of the game.
** 2016 October 31, Isaac Chotiner, “Donald Trump Is on the Ballot Next Week. Why Are We Talking About Emails?”, in Slate Magazine:ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum suggests Comey was overcorrecting in response to a monthslong assault by the GOP on the FBI’s authority. “Republicans worked the refs at the FBI,” Legum tweeted, “and it worked.”