cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
at will
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: I'm writing my book at will - there's no deadline or minimum word count.
text: I gif the witt, I gif the strenght, / of all thou sees, of brede & lengthe; / thou shall be wonder wise. / Myrth and Ioy to haue at will, / All thi likyng to fulfill, / and dwell in paradise.
ref: 15th c., “[The Creation]”, in Wakefield Mystery Plays; Re-edited in George England, Alfred W. Pollard, editors, The Towneley Plays (Early English Text Society Extra Series; LXXI), London: […] Oxford University Press, 1897, →OCLC, page 6, lines 174–179:
english: I give thee consciousness, I give thee strength over all thou seest, over all its breadth and length thou shalt be wondrously wise. Mirth and joy [you shall] have at will to fulfil all thy liking and dwell in paradise.
translation: I give thee consciousness, I give thee strength over all thou seest, over all its breadth and length thou shalt be wondrously wise. Mirth and joy [you shall] have at will to fulfil all thy liking and dwell in paradise.
bold_translation_offsets: 163
170
text: [...] there is no special incentive to adopt a design on the latest French pattern, in which the gear ratio can be changed at will to permit higher tractive efforts on freight duties as an alternative to higher speeds on passenger duties.
ref: 1960 December, “The first hundred 25 kV a.c. electric locomotives for B.R.”, in Trains Illustrated, page 727:
text: And yet, United always carried the greater threat. Their movement in attack constantly confounded Southampton's defenders, with Rooney, Van Persie and Januzaj swapping places and eluding markers at will.
ref: 2013 October 19, Ben Smith, BBC Sport:
glosses: At one's preference; as one sees fit.
Derived terms: fire at will
tenant at will
employment at will
at will
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more at will
form: most at will
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of at-will.
at this point in time
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: While we are not able to assist you at this point in time, we will be sure to call you if an opportunity arises.
glosses: right now, or in the near and foreseeable future
Synonyms: at present
at the moment
at this moment
currently
now
presently
right now
Related terms: for the present
in the here and now
nowadays
these days
at some point
at the wheel
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: It is a shame, his first day driving and he falls asleep at the wheel.
glosses: Driving; in control of a vehicle.
examples: text: We were thriving when Bill was at the wheel, but since the new CEO has started things have been going south.
glosses: In control of the situation; in charge.
Synonyms: sense: driving, in control of the vehicle
word: behind the wheel
at the hands of
Language: English
Part of speech: prep
Forms: form: at the hand of
Senses: examples: text: By 1859, D. Morier Evans was exhibiting [George] Hudson as the principal character in his rogues' gallery entitled "Facts, Failures and Frauds"; and at the hands of modern economic historians he has been written down as a common swindler.
ref: 1951 December, Michael Robbins, “John Francis's "History of the English Railway"”, in Railway Magazine, page 800:
text: It also does not help that one of the main causes of Chelsea's current plight is the scattergun strategy and madcap transfer spree from their owners that has taken them to 11th in the Premier League and now out of the Champions League at the hands of the ruthless holders, who are always happy to apply brutal reality to any romantic notions.
ref: 2023 April 18, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea Champions League exit: Where do 'disjointed, broken' Blues go from here?”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: By the actions of (someone).
Related terms: at hand
by one's own hand
in hand
at the drop of a hat
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Etymology: From the customary starting of competitions by making a sweeping downward motion with a cap.
Senses: examples: text: We're expected to just do it at the drop of a hat.
text: If you need help, just call on Mike. He can come at the drop of a hat.
text: A tremendous thing happened when Dean met Carlo Marx. Two keen minds that they are, they took to each other at the drop of a hat.
ref: 1957, Jack Kerouac, chapter 1, in On the Road, Viking Press, →OCLC, part 1:
text: Let's face it. We are swollen up like an overfed slug, our breath stinks, the tiniest irritant is magnified ten thousand times, and we cry at the drop of a hat.
ref: 2014, Becky Rutledge, Miss Becky's Charm School, Citadel Press, →ISBN:
synonyms: at a moment's notice
at once
in a heartbeat
glosses: Without any hesitation; instantly.
at sixes and sevens
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Etymology: Unknown, though it may have originated from the game of hazard and the Old French cinc (“five”) and sis (“six”), the riskiest numbers to shoot for, which were misheard and folk-etymologized into English as "six" and "seven".
Senses: examples: text: Yet if his majesty our sovereign lord
Should of his own accord
Friendly himself invite,
And say "I'll be your guest to-morrow night."
How should we stir ourselves, call and command
All hands to work! Let no man idle stand. …
For 'tis a duteous thing
To show all honour to an earthly king,
And after all our travail and our cost,
So he be pleas'd, to think no labour lost.
But at the coming of the King of Heaven
All's set at six and seven:
We wallow in our sin,
Christ cannot find a chamber in the inn.
We entertain him always like a stranger,
And as at first still lodge him in the manger.
ref: 17th century, Thomas Ford, "Yet if His Majesty Our Sovereign Lord" (Christ Church MS. 736–8), first published by A. H. Bullen, Lyrics from the Song Books of the Elizabethan Age (1888)
text: Oh, what a racket! And everything on deck apparently at sixes and sevens. Mail-bags and passengers mixed up in every direction.
ref: 1912, Arthur Quiller-Couch, chapter 23, in Poison Island:
text: A few days after the battle started, we abandoned Pa-chung County. The enemy troops were elated and boasted of their victory. In fact, the loss of Pa-chung County was a great setback for us. The local people, seeing our departure, could not help wavering. Even those engaged in the work of the Soviet government were not altogether clear about the strategy of our army. They were at sixes and sevens, and some went to such lengths as to make preparations for the eventuality that the Red Army might back out of northern Szechwan.
ref: 1972, Chang Kuo-t’ao, The Rise of the Chinese Communist Party 1928-1938, volume II, University Press of Kansas, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 342:
synonyms: all sixes and nines
glosses: In a state of confusion.
examples: text: Her outlook on life was so different from what he conceived a woman's outlook should be, that he was more often than not at sixes and sevens with her.
ref: 1911, Jack London, chapter 6, in Adventure:
text: All you will see is a girl you once knew, although she's dressed up to the nines, at sixes and sevens with you.
ref: 1976, Tim Rice, Don't Cry For Me Argentina:
synonyms: at loggerheads
glosses: In a state of dispute or disagreement.
raw_tags: of people or groups
at one's fingertips
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Forms: form: at one's finger tips
Senses: examples: text: He seemed to have all sports knowledge at his fingertips: we could scarcely finish a question before he had answered it.
synonyms: at one's fingers' ends
for more, see at hand § Synonyms
glosses: Readily available.
at a loss for words
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: She was at a loss for words when she saw the number of people who had come to grieve for her husband.
glosses: Having nothing to say; not knowing what to say; stunned to the point of being speechless.
Synonyms: lost for words
Related terms: words fail someone
urophilia
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌjʊə.ɹɒˈfɪ.li.ə/
ipa: /ˌjʊ.ɹɑˈfɪ.li.ə/
rhymes: -ɪliə
Etymology: From uro- + -philia.
Senses: topics: human-sciences
lifestyle
psychology
sciences
sexuality
glosses: Undinism, a fetish for or sexual dependency on either the smell and/or taste of urine, or the sight and sound of someone urinating.
Related terms: urophile
urophile
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈʊɹɒfaɪl/
Forms: form: urophiles
Etymology: From uro- + -phile.
Senses: glosses: One with a sexual dependency on the smell and/or taste of urine or the sight and sound of someone urinating.
Related terms: urophilia
flagellant
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: flagellants
Etymology: From Latin flagellāns, present participle of flagellāre (“to whip”).
Senses: glosses: a person who whips themselves or others either as part of a religious penance or for sexual gratification.
Derived terms: flagellantism
flagellant
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more flagellant
form: most flagellant
Etymology: From Latin flagellāns, present participle of flagellāre (“to whip”).
Senses: examples: text: If we turn from these abortions of tragedy to the metrical farces which may fairly be said to contain the germ or embryo of English comedy (a form of dramatic art which certainly owes nothing to the father of our tragic stage), we find far more of hope and promise in the broad free sketches of the flagellant head master of Eton and the bibulous Bishop of Bath and Wells; […]
ref: 1875 May 1, Algernon Charles Swinburne, “The Three Stages of Shakespeare”, in John Morley, editor, The Fortnightly Review, volume XVII, new series / XXIII, old series, number CI, London: Chapman and Hall, page 624:
text: Her heart answered. And that heart also was arraigned: and the heart’s fleshly habitation acting on it besides: so flagellant of herself was she: covertly, however, and as the chaste among women can consent to let our animal face them.
ref: 1891, George Meredith, “Nataly in Action”, in One of Our Conquerors, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, page 247:
text: Women’s exclusion from the collective flagellation characteristic of battuti groups was based on more than just the shame of exposing their bodies or mixing male and female flagellants, since it continued through the period when those bearing the cords wore robes and hoods which obliterated their individual identity. More importantly, even the few “flagellant” consororities in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Italy may not have practised the exercise.
ref: 1990, Nicholas Terpstra, “Women in the Brotherhood: Gender, Class, and Politics in Renaissance Bolognese Confraternities”, in Renaissance and Reformation, volume XIV, new series / XXVI, old series, number 3, page 196:
glosses: Given to flagellation.
ie
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of i.e..
feminine product
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: feminine products
Senses: glosses: Anything, such as a tampon or sanitary towel, used for handling menstrual discharge.
resurrectionist
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: resurrectionists
Etymology: From resurrection (“the act of rising from the dead and becoming alive again”) + -ist (“forms agents of cause; forms adherents of a belief”), coined alongside resurrection man.
Senses: examples: text: One... who makes open profession of dealing in dead bodies and is well known by the name of the Resurrectionist.
ref: 1777, Ann. Reg. 1776, section 129:
text: Early in the 19th century, Udny Green churchyard was a favourite haunt of resurrectionists who dug up freshly interred corpses to sell to the medical school at Aberdeen. To prevent this, in 1832 the villagers built a mort-house where they kept the newly dead for a while before burial.
ref: 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 388:
synonyms: bodysnatcher
resurrectioner
resurrection man
glosses: One who sells cadavers to anatomists, surgeons, etc., especially by exhuming corpses from graves; a graverobber.
examples: 1830, A. Addis, Theory of Prophecy, Prol. p.xliv
Those who make the rest of the dead... to be the same with the remnant slain by the sword... to be consistent, ought to make the first resurrectionists the same with the armies in heaven.
topics: lifestyle
religion
glosses: A believer in a future bodily resurrection.
examples: text: We have no taste for enacting the part of literary resurrectionists.
ref: 1831, New Monthly Magazine, 32 362:
text: Bank is a theatrical resurrectionist: His New York-based company... specializes in unearthing and staging ‘neglected but worthy’ works.
ref: 2007 September 3, Variety, 67
glosses: One who resurrects an abandoned idea, practice, etc.; a revivalist.
examples: text: Some of the habitual buyers [of ostrich feathers] have nicknames, and those who do a local business and buy for re-selling are known as ‘resurrectionists’.
ref: 1888 July, Longman's Magazine, 256
glosses: One who sells repaired or reconditioned goods; a refurbisher.
examples: text: There is a class of horses called ‘resurrectionists’... and they either recover early form... or... become animated, when they were supposed to be gone altogether, with... life and vigour.
ref: 1883 October 23, Standard, 3/2
topics: equestrianism
hobbies
horses
lifestyle
pets
sports
glosses: A racehorse that (once or numerously) suddenly recovers its stamina midrace.
break in
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: breaks in
form: breaking in
form: broke in
form: broken in
Senses: examples: text: Someone broke in and stole his radio.
text: Thousands gathered at São Paulo’s main cathedral and made their way to the mayor’s office, where a small group smashed windows and tried to break in, forcing guards to withdraw.
ref: 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Jun 2013:
glosses: To enter a place by force or illicit means.
examples: text: These shoes will be more comfortable after they have broken in.
text: These shoes will be more comfortable after I have broken them in.
synonyms: wear in
coordinate_terms: break down
wear out
glosses: To reach a state of functioning more smoothly through use or wear; to cause (something, or someone, new) to undergo this change.
examples: text: He broke in with the New York Yankees.
glosses: Starting something brand new or at a new level.
examples: text: Captain had been broken in and trained for an army horse; his first owner was an officer of cavalry going out to the Crimean War. He said he quite enjoyed the training with all the other horses, trotting together, turning together, to the right hand or to the left, halting at the word of command, or dashing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet, or signal of the officer.
ref: [1877], Anna Sewell, “An Old War Horse”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part III, page 162:
glosses: To tame; make obedient; to train to follow orders of the owner.
raw_tags: of a horse
examples: text: While brothel patrons placed their bets / On who would be the first to break her in
ref: 2002, Allison Moorer, “Ruby Jewel Was Here”, in Miss Fortune:
glosses: To take the virginity of a girl, to deflower.
glosses: To interrupt one's conversation; speak before another person has finished speaking.
glosses: To initiate a new person into prostitution or prison sex acts.
Derived terms: word: breaker-inner
word: break-in
Related terms: break away
break into
break out
break and enter
breaking and entering
burn-in
vario
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: varios
Senses: examples: text: When he took his eyes off of where he was headed, his vario showed umpteen knots.
ref: 1986, Soaring, volume 50:
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Variometer
at loggerheads
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Pronunciation: ipa: /æt ˈlɒɡəhɛdz/
ipa: /æt ˈlɔɡɚˌhɛdz/
ipa: /ˈlɑ-/
Etymology: Uncertain; possibly from the use of a loggerhead (“metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end”) as a weapon during a fight.
Senses: examples: text: We were really at loggerheads about what to do with the money we found on the side of the road; she said we should turn it in, I said we should keep it.
text: Educators in a Washington state school district went on strike Friday because the teachers’ union and the Ridgefield School District (RSD) remain at loggerheads following months of collective bargaining negotiations.
ref: 2022 September 9, Paradise Afshar, “Washington state school district goes on strike”, in CNN:
glosses: Unable to agree; opposing.
Synonyms: at odds
at sixes and sevens
ask for it
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: asks for it
form: asking for it
form: asked for it
form: asked for it
Senses: examples: text: Leaving your wallet visible on the car seat is just asking for it.
synonyms: ask for trouble
look for trouble
glosses: To provoke an unwanted action; to invite a problem or fail to prevent one.
examples: text: If you'd like a fresh towel at any point during your stay, just ask for it.
glosses: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ask for, it.
Related terms: get what one asked for
have it coming
just deserts
play with fire
serve someone right
at stake
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Etymology: See stake.
Senses: examples: text: What is at stake in these next 20 minutes is the championship.
text: Doesn't he realize that all of our lives are at stake here too?
text: I see my reputation is at stake
My fame is shrewdly gored.
ref: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
text: How, Lucia, wou’dst thou have me sink away
In pleasing Dreams, and lose my self in Love,
When ev’ry moment Cato’s Life’s at Stake?
ref: 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act V, scene i, page 14:
text: […] as I have a great deal more at stake on this point than anybody else can have, I think it rather unnecessary in you to be advising me.
ref: 1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter V, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volume (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC:
glosses: At issue, at risk.
Related terms: up the ante
on the line
ride on
at odds
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Pronunciation: ipa: /ət‿ˈɒdz/
note: of Canada
ipa: /ət‿ˈɑdz/
note: of Canada
ipa: [əɾ‿ˈɑdz]
note: of the US
ipa: /ət‿ˈɒdz/
note: of the US
ipa: [əɾ‿ˈɒdz]
ipa: /ət‿ˈɔdz/
ipa: [əɾ‿ˈɔdz]
ipa: /ət‿ˈɒdz/
ipa: [əɾ‿ˈɔ̟dz]
rhymes: -ɒdz
Etymology: From at + odds (“(obsolete) dissimilarity; inequality”).
Senses: examples: text: The witness’s statement seems to be at odds with the evidence—not a good sign for the prosecutor.
text: By day and night he vvrongs me, / Euery houre he flaſhes into one groſſe crime or other / That ſets vs all at ods, ile not indure it, […]
ref: c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
text: [I] began to be at odds vvith myſelf vvhether to be glad or ſorry; […]
ref: 1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 186:
text: In the passage they encountered Mr. Mould the undertaker: a little elderly gentleman, bald, and in a suit of black; with a note-book in his hand, a massive gold watch-chain dangling from his fob, and a face in which a queer attempt at melancholy was at odds with a smirk of satisfaction; […]
ref: 1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, “The Reader is Brought into Communication with Some Professional Persons, and Sheds a Tear over the Filial Piety of Good Mr. Jonas”, in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC, page 237:
text: At Pleasant Valley sheepmen and cattlemen were at odds over the grazing. Sooner or later they would clash.
ref: 1940, Zane Grey, chapter 1, in 30,000 on the Hoof, Roslyn, N.Y.: Walter J. Black, →OCLC, page 5:
text: Evidence now proves that the Primus and the Archon are at odds. Investigations show that the Primus disapproves of the Archon's single-minded interest in Remnant technology, believing it to be a distraction from the kett's attempts to conquer Heleus.
ref: 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Redwood City, Calif.: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Kett: Primus Codex entry:
text: In 2017, after five years of YouTube obscurity, he had his first viral hit, a video which now seems, weirdly, both completely at odds with the thrust of his subsequent career, and to contain many of its core themes. It’s called I Counted to 100,000!, and it’s exactly that: a livestreamed ordeal, lasting about 40 hours, in which the young Donaldson sits in his gaming chair, stares into his crappy webcam, and counts from 1 to 100,000.
ref: 2025 June 3, Mark O’Connell, “‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 07 Jun 2025:
synonyms: at loggerheads
at sixes and sevens
at variance
glosses: In disagreement; conflicting.
Related terms: at cross-purposes
on the outs
at peace
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: Since discovering religion, she's been at peace in her personal life.
text: Thane: I am at peace with what I've done in my life, Shepard. There comes a time when one must rest from war and conflict.
Thane: It is not your time, but it is mine.
ref: 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel, Huerta Memorial Hospital:
glosses: Free of worries; peaceful.
examples: text: He was unhappy when he was alive, but now he's at peace.
synonyms: with the Lord
with God
glosses: Dead.
Related terms: at peace with
at rest
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: The yatch lies at rest in the marina.
text: At rest, the car is impressive, but when it's moving, the sight is astounding.
synonyms: motionless
unmoving
antonyms: in motion
moving
glosses: Not moving; stationary.
synonyms: dormant
suspended
glosses: In a state of inactivity or repose, either physical or mental.
synonyms: asleep
departed
glosses: Dead.
at sea
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
ref: 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:
synonyms: asea
glosses: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see at, sea.
examples: text: Most of the class was at sea after the first week.
text: Oh, great, the handle just broke—well, we're really all at sea now, aren't we?
text: Wojciech Szczesny was then called into action twice in a minute to parry fierce drives from Djebbour and Torossidis as Arsenal's back four looked all at sea.
ref: 2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2-1 Olympiakos”, in BBC Sport:
synonyms: adrift
asea
at a loss
glosses: In a state of confusion or bewilderment.
Related terms: worse things happen at sea
at loose ends
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: glosses: Without any activity or purpose.
examples: text: I am really at loose ends about this choice; I am between the proverbial rock and hard place.
glosses: In an uncertain position or situation.
glosses: Not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed.
Related terms: at a loose end
between a rock and a hard place
double check
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: double checks
form: double checking
form: double checked
form: double checked
form: double-check
form: doublecheck
Senses: examples: text: I'm pretty sure that he's not coming, but I can double check the guest list.
hypernyms: recheck#Verb
<
check#Verb
coordinate_terms: triple check#Verb
;
crosscheck#Verb
glosses: To check a second time; to check twice with extra caution or attention; to verify or make sure.
double check
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: double checks
form: double-check
form: doublecheck
Senses: examples: text: Why don't you make another double check of the house to see if there are still rats around?
hypernyms: recheck#Noun
<
check#Noun
coordinate_terms: triple check#Noun
;
crosscheck#Noun
glosses: A second check or verification, usually with additional caution or attention.
topics: board-games
chess
games
glosses: A check delivered by two pieces simultaneously.
beats me
Language: English
Part of speech: phrase
Etymology: A shortening of it beats me
Senses: examples: text: Do you have any idea what "tergiversate" means? Beats me!
text: Beats me how he finds out when we're goofing off.
text: "Flowering shrubs don't thrive in the subterranean caverns from which geysers spring," suggested Bradley. Olson shook his head. "It beats me," he said.
ref: 1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IV, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC:
glosses: I don't know; I have no idea.
raw_tags: as response or with indirect question
Synonyms: search me
throw for a loop
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: throws for a loop
form: throwing for a loop
form: threw for a loop
form: thrown for a loop
Senses: examples: text: really threw me for a loop;   threw us all for a loop
text: He thought he was up-to-date on all the latest wine lingo until a longtime wine writer returned his sample request card with a bold, hand-written note on it that stated, “Send me all samples—ABC!”
 “ABC” threw my friend for a loop. When he called me, I translated the cryptic phrase—ABC is winespeak for “Anything But Chardonnay.”
ref: 1997 March, Ron Loutherback, “Beyond the Label: The ABCs of white wine”, in Orange Coast, volume 23, number 3, page 168:
glosses: Synonym of knock for a loop.
synonyms: word: knock for a loop
urgently
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more urgently
form: most urgently
Etymology: From urgent + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: We all urgently need to apply solutions to the problem of pollution.
text: Funds are urgently required if this work is to be completed as planned.
text: And now we're waiting for the very same people to establish GBR, drive through urgently needed fares reform, and come up with imaginative and effective train operating contracts...
ref: 2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:
glosses: With great haste, with a sense of urgency, because it is very important.
examples: text: He pleaded urgently for release from what he considered to be an unjust imprisonment.
glosses: Continuously. With insistence.
Synonyms: sense: great haste
word: imperatively
sense: great haste
word: pressingly
sense: great haste
word: emergently
word: persistently
word: persuasively
usefully
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more usefully
form: most usefully
Etymology: From useful + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: I would rather have it said, "He lived usefully," than, "He died rich."
glosses: In a useful manner; in a way that achieves something
instantly
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɪnstəntli/
Forms: form: enstantly
form: instantlie
form: instauntly
Etymology: From instant + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: When the neighbours' dog barked, ours instantly replied with a howl.
text: Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.
ref: 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
text: The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott.
ref: 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
text: But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater.
ref: 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43:
glosses: At once; without delay.
examples: text: Sir, my lord would instantly speak with you.
ref: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
text: Theoxena although she were instantly urged thereunto, could never be induced to marry againe.
ref: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 27, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
glosses: Urgently; with insistence.
examples: text: As if he mastred there a double spirit
Of teaching, and of learning instantly
ref: c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
glosses: At the same time.
Synonyms: sense: at once, without delay
word: immediately
sense: at once, without delay
word: instantaneously
instantly
Language: English
Part of speech: conj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɪnstəntli/
Forms: form: enstantly
form: instantlie
form: instauntly
Etymology: From instant + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: I phoned instantly I heard you were back.
head_nr: 1
glosses: As soon as, directly.
pedigree
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɛd.ɪ.ɡɹi/
Forms: form: pedigrees
Etymology: From Anglo-Norman pé de grue, a variant of Old French pié de gru (“foot of a crane”), from Latin pes (“foot”) + grus (“crane”).
Senses: glosses: A chart, list, or record of ancestors, to show breeding, especially distinguished breeding.
glosses: A person's ancestral history; ancestry, lineage.
glosses: Good breeding or ancestry.
examples: text: This connection between sexual and spiritual impurity had an immense pedigree.
ref: 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 33:
glosses: The history or provenance of an idea, custom etc.
glosses: The ancestry of a domesticated animal, especially a dog or horse.
Derived terms: nonpedigree
pedigree clause
pedigree collapse
pedigreeless
subpedigree
pedigree
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɛd.ɪ.ɡɹi/
Etymology: From Anglo-Norman pé de grue, a variant of Old French pié de gru (“foot of a crane”), from Latin pes (“foot”) + grus (“crane”).
Senses: glosses: Having a pedigree.
glosses: Purebred.
pedigree
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɛd.ɪ.ɡɹi/
Forms: form: pedigrees
form: pedigreeing
form: pedigreed
form: pedigreed
Etymology: From Anglo-Norman pé de grue, a variant of Old French pié de gru (“foot of a crane”), from Latin pes (“foot”) + grus (“crane”).
Senses: glosses: To determine the pedigree of (an animal).
Related terms: genealogy
attn
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: Abbreviation of attention, used as a heading in letters to indicate for whom the letter is intended.
momentary
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/
ipa: /ˈməʊmənt(ə)ɹi/
Forms: form: more momentary
form: most momentary
Etymology: From Middle English momentare, from Late Latin mōmentārius (“of brief duration”), from mōmentum (“a short time, an instant”). By surface analysis, moment + -ary.
Senses: glosses: Lasting for only a moment.
glosses: Happening at every moment; perpetual.
examples: text: Yet oh! what an immense difference did I feel between this impression of a pleasure merely animal, and struck out of the collision of the sexes by a passive bodily effect, from that sweet fury, that rage of active delight which crowns the enjoyments of a mutual love-passion, where two hearts, tenderly and truly united, club to exalt the joy, and give it a spirit and soul that bids defiance to that end which mere momentary desires generally terminate in, when they die of a surfeit of satisfaction!
ref: 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:
english: Fanny Hill
translation: Fanny Hill
text: Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one,[…].”
ref: 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
glosses: Ephemeral or relatively short-lived.
Derived terms: intermomentary
micromomentary
momentarily
momentariness
momentary god
nonmomentary
unmomentary
momentarily
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈməʊməntəɹəli/
ipa: /məʊmənˈtɛɹəli/
Etymology: From momentary + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: I imagined momentarily that it was four score and seven years ago, that I had just been brought forth from my mother[…]
ref: 2010 December 23, Phillip Roth, “Prologue”, in The Great American Novel, →ISBN, page 21:
text: The numbers thin out the further we get from London, so I don't feel guilty when I remove my mask momentarily to scoff some of the snacks I'd bought at Marylebone.
ref: 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
topics: manner
glosses: In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
examples: text: The system will restart momentarily.
text: He told me, further, that the second coming was at hand--was looked for momentarily in Jerusalem.
ref: 1880, Lew Wallace, chapter 3, in Ben-Hur, a Tale of the Christ:
topics: duration
time
glosses: In a moment or very soon; any minute now, any time now.
glosses: Progressively; moment by moment.
Synonyms: sense: in a moment
word: presently
word: shortly
word: soon
sense: for a moment
word: briefly
word: temporarily
sense: moment by moment
word: incrementally
word: progressively
word: step by step
word: gradually
all hat and no cattle
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: In reference to cattle ranchers and the hats they stereotypically wear; also derives from people wearing cowboy hats as fashion, but who are not actually cowboys, i.e., a poser, or a pretentious and phony individual.
Senses: examples: text: 1980, Patricia Calvert, The Snowbird, Scribner, →ISBN, page 29,
A fortune can be made on the prairie, and that's what me and Mr. B aim to do. Don't aim to be all hat and no cattle forever, let me tell you!
text: c. 1982, Paul W. Cronin, quoted in Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein (Eds.), The American Elections of 1982, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (1983), →ISBN, page 82,
They provided a lot of talk, what Texans refer to as “all hat and no cattle.”
text: 1985, Regis MacKenna, The Regis Touch: Million-Dollar Advice from America’s Top Marketing Consultant, Addison-Wesley Longman, Incorporated, →ISBN, page 27,
There’s an old Texas saying about a cowboy who was “all hat and no cattle.” That is, he was all show and no substance.
text: Drusilla: It's time, Angel. She's ready for you now, she's dancing, dancing with death.
Spike: Big deal, he won't do anything. Our man Angel here likes to talk, but he's not much for action. All hat and no cattle.
ref: 1998, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "I Only Have Eyes for You" (roughly 24.5 minutes in)
text: "Big Hat, no cattle / Big head, no brain / Big snake, no rattle".
ref: 1999, Randy Newman, "Big Hat, No Cattle", from the album Bad Love, ASIN B00000J7R4, Uses variation of idiom in refrain
text: 2001, Janis L. Edwards, "Running in the Shadows in Campaign 2000: Candidate Metaphors in Editorial Cartoons", in American Behavioral Scientist, Volume 44 Issue 12, page 2142,
We expect a leader to be effective in his job, not just a public relations artist who is "all hat and no cattle."
text: 2007, John Saul, "Freewheeling", in Call It Tender, Salt Publishing, →ISBN, page 31,
She slapped my backside. Yew ol’ cowpoke.
I’m a cowpoke?
Yew certainly are. All hat and no cattle.
glosses: Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
Synonyms: all bark and no bite
all bluff and bluster
all booster, no payload
all crown, no filling
all erection, no ejaculation
all fart and no poo
all foam, no beer
all fur coat and no knickers
all hammer, no nail
all hat and no cowboy
all hat, no ranch
all icing, no cake
all lime and salt, no tequila
all motion and no meat
all mouth and no trousers
all mouth and trousers
all retch and no vomit
all shot, no powder
all show, no go
all sizzle and no steak
all talk
all talk and no action
all wax and no wick
big hat, no cattle
big hat, no cattle
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Synonym of all hat and no cattle.
synonyms: word: all hat and no cattle
viscus
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈvɪskəs/
homophone: viscous
rhymes: -ɪskəs
Forms: form: viscera
Etymology: From Latin vīscus (“any internal organ of the body”).
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: One of the organs, as the brain, heart, or stomach, in the great cavities of the body of an animal; especially used in the plural, and applied to the organs contained in the abdomen.
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: The intestines.
Synonyms: entrails
innards
intestines
offal
Derived terms: eviscerate
visceral
Related terms: viscous
deputy
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈdɛpjəti/
ipa: /ˈdɛpjəti/
ipa: /ˈdɛpəti/
Forms: form: deputies
form: deputee
Etymology: From French député, from Late Latin deputatus (“appointed”).
Senses: examples: text: the deputy of a prince
text: The deputy sheriff was promoted after his senior retired.
text: As the deputy store manager, he is able to fire staff.
synonyms: lieutenant
representative
delegate
vice
vicegerent
glosses: One appointed as the substitute of others, and empowered to act for them, in their name or their behalf; a substitute in office.
topics: business
mining
glosses: A person employed to install and remove props, brattices, etc. and to clear gas, for the safety of the miners.
examples: text: The State Duma comprises 450 deputies.
topics: government
glosses: The name for a member of parliament in some countries.
topics: government
glosses: The name for a member of parliament in some countries.
A member of the French National Assembly.
topics: government
glosses: The name for a member of parliament in some countries.
A member of the French Chamber of Deputies, formerly called Corps Législatif.
examples: text: Eamon Ryan is a deputy in the Dáil.
text: At today's meeting, Deputy Ryan will speak on local issues.
topics: government
glosses: The name for a member of parliament in some countries.
A member of Dáil Éireann, or the title of a member of Dáil Éireann.
examples: text: The sheriff's deputies took the suspect into custody.
text: Deputy Jones was promoted to corporal today.
glosses: a law enforcement officer who works for the county sheriff's office; a deputy sheriff or sheriff's deputy; the entry level rank in such an agency.
Synonyms: word: substitute
word: representative
word: legate
word: delegate
word: envoy
word: agent
word: deputy
word: emissary
word: lieutenant
word: proxy
word: secondary
word: surrogate
Hyponyms: word: vice admiral
word: vice director
word: vicegerent
word: vice president
word: executive officer
word: locum
word: locum tenens
word: minister
word: provost
word: regent
word: second
word: steward
word: viceregent
word: viceroy
word: vice-premier
word: vizier
word: person
word: substitute
Derived terms: confused deputy
deputise
deputize
deputy chief constable
deputy director
deputy first minister
deputy prime minister
deputyship
Eurodeputy
Related terms: vice-
deputy
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈdɛpjəti/
ipa: /ˈdɛpjəti/
ipa: /ˈdɛpəti/
Forms: form: deputies
form: deputying
form: deputied
form: deputied
form: deputee
Etymology: From French député, from Late Latin deputatus (“appointed”).
Senses: glosses: to deputise
no-brainer
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: no-brainers
form: no brainer
form: nobrainer
Etymology: From no + brain + -er.
Senses: examples: text: If the newer version performs as well for half the cost, the decision is a no-brainer.
text: "Babcock [an engineering services company with a facility at Rosyth] has new contracts for new frigates there, so opening up the opportunities for rail running in is a no-brainer."
ref: 2019 November 20, Graeme Pickering, “Plans breathing new life into Fife”, in Rail, page 49:
glosses: An easy or obvious conclusion, decision, solution, task, etc.; something requiring little or no thought.
Related terms: rocket science
brain surgery
no brainer
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: no brainers
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of no-brainer.
make do
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: makes do
form: making do
form: made do
form: made do
Senses: examples: text: There is barely enough money, so we will have to make do with what we have.
text: Pep Guardiola’s team will have to make do with the Premier League title whereas Liverpool will go into Friday’s draw because over the two legs they were more clinical during their spells of superiority.
ref: 2018 April 10, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London):
glosses: To survive, get by (with), or use whatever is available (due to lack of resources).
examples: text: Make the movie do! (Put on the movie!)
text: Brandon’s makin’ the grill do so we can get to eatin’.
glosses: To put into action.
examples: text: A poor screw-driver is one of the most exasperating of poor tools, and a trial to one's patience and temper; besides, it is of little use attempting to "make it do," for it seldom will do.
ref: 1902, Lina Beard with Adelia Belle Beard, What a girl can make and do: new ideas for work and play, page 7:
text: It is not the same hide but we make it do. You work harder to make it into good leather and harder to make it into good shoes, and we get by.
ref: 1920, George F. Johnson, “How Do You Suppose We Make a Success of Our Business?”, in American review of shoes and leather, volumes 35-38:
text: She had dozens of ways to make something ‘do’ for another week or month. Skillful with a needle, she could darn and re- darn our socks without making the heel or toe uncomfortably thick
ref: 2005, Trevanian, The crazyladies of Pearl Street, page 65:
glosses: To use for one's purpose something worn, defective, or intended for another purpose.
Derived terms: word: make-do
word: make it do or do without
word: make do and mend
Related terms: eke out
get by
settle for
grouch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡɹaʊt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -aʊtʃ
Forms: form: grouches
Etymology: From Middle English grouchen, variant of grucchen (“to complain, mumble, murmur”). See grutch.
Senses: examples: text: But today he had noticed from the moment he had got out of bed that something was amiss with the world. Either he was in the grip of some divine discontent due to the highly developed condition of his soul, or else he had a grouch.
ref: 1919, P. G. Wodehouse, 'A Damsel in Distress', Herbert Jenkins, 1956, p 20
glosses: A complaint, a grumble, a fit of ill-humor.
examples: text: I don't feel like hanging around with that grouch.
synonyms: word: bellyacher
word: carper
word: castigator
word: caviler
word: censurer
word: complainer
word: crabber
word: critic
word: criticizer
word: faultfinder
word: findfault
word: grouch
word: grumbler
word: hafter
word: kvetcher
word: latrant
word: nitpicker
word: pettifogger
word: pick-fault
word: quibbler
word: scolder
word: smellfungus
word: sourpuss
word: squeaky wheel
word: troublemaker
word: vituperator
word: whiner
word: whinger
word: whining Willy
glosses: One who is grumpy or irritable.
Derived terms: grouch bag
morning grouch
grouch
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡɹaʊt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -aʊtʃ
Forms: form: grouches
form: grouching
form: grouched
form: grouched
Etymology: From Middle English grouchen, variant of grucchen (“to complain, mumble, murmur”). See grutch.
Senses: examples: text: He spent all his time grouching about the problem instead of fixing it.
synonyms: word: beef
word: bellyache
word: bemoan
word: bitch
word: bleat
word: carp
word: chunter
word: complain
word: crab
word: croak
word: dump on
word: frine
word: girn
word: give out
word: grumble
word: grotch
word: grouse
word: grouch
word: grump
word: gruntle
word: gripe
word: harp
word: inveigh
word: kvetch
word: latrate
word: make a stink
word: murmur
word: mutter
word: moan
word: nag
word: nark
word: nudzh
word: pinch
word: piss and moan
word: rail
word: rail out
word: repine
word: ride
word: snivel
word: whine
word: whinge
glosses: To be grumpy or irritable; to complain.
Derived terms: begrouch
groucher
Related terms: grouchy
legislative
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.tɪv/
ipa: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪˌsleɪ.tɪv/
ipa: [ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪˌsleɪ.ɾɪv]
ipa: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.əˌsleɪ.tɪv/
ipa: [ˈlɛd͡ʒ.əˌsleɪ.ɾɪv]
other: /ˈlɛd͡ʒˌɪs.lə.tɪv/
ipa: /ˈled͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.tɪv/
ipa: [ˈled͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.ɾɪv]
ipa: /-slæɪ-/
ipa: /lɛˈd͡ʒɪ.slə.tɪv/
Forms: form: more legislative
form: most legislative
Etymology: From legislate + -ive.
Senses: examples: text: a legislative act
text: Although enormously influential in shaping the laws of the land, The House of Lords are not actually a legislative body.
text: The legislative framework provides much opportunity for correction and amendment of poorly thought out bills.
glosses: Making, or having the power to make, a law or laws; lawmaking.
Derived terms: antilegislative
interlegislative
legislative body
legislative building
legislatively
legislative process
legislative session
nonlegislative
postlegislative
prelegislative
quasilegislative
quasi-legislative
semilegislative
unlegislative
legislative
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.tɪv/
ipa: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪˌsleɪ.tɪv/
ipa: [ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ɪˌsleɪ.ɾɪv]
ipa: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.əˌsleɪ.tɪv/
ipa: [ˈlɛd͡ʒ.əˌsleɪ.ɾɪv]
other: /ˈlɛd͡ʒˌɪs.lə.tɪv/
ipa: /ˈled͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.tɪv/
ipa: [ˈled͡ʒ.ɪ.slə.ɾɪv]
ipa: /-slæɪ-/
ipa: /lɛˈd͡ʒɪ.slə.tɪv/
Forms: form: legislatives
Etymology: From legislate + -ive.
Senses: synonyms: legislature
glosses: That branch of government which is responsible for making, or having the power to make, a law or laws.
chromic acid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: topics: chemistry
inorganic-chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A corrosive acid, H₂CrO₄, known only in solution or as its salts, the chromates (from which it may be prepared); it is a very powerful oxidizing agent.
Related terms: dichromic acid
chromium trioxode
dichromic acid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From di- + chromic acid.
Senses: topics: chemistry
inorganic-chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A relatively unstable form of chromic acid, H₂Cr₂O₇, known only in solution or as its salts, the dichromates, from which it may be prepared.