cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
fier
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: fiers
Senses: examples: text: They have also divers conjurations: one they made at what tyme they had taken Captain Smyth prisoner, to know, as they reported, if any more of his countrymen would arrive there, and what they intended; the manner of yt Captain Smyth observed to be as followeth : first, soe some as daie was shut in, they kindled a faire great fier in a lone howse, about which assembled seven priests, takinge Captain Smyth by the hand, and appointing him his seat; about the fier they made a kynd of enchanted circle of meale; that done, the chifest priest, attyred as is expressed, gravely began to sing and shake his rattle, solemly rownding and marching about the fier, the rest followed him silently untill his song was done, which they all shutt up with a groane.
ref: 1849, William Strachey, Richard Henry Major, The History of Travaile Into Virginia Britannia, page 92:
text: The salvadges perceiving so much, subtilely devised how they might put out the fier in the shallop, by which meanes they sawe they should be free from the danger of our men's pieces.
ref: 2000, Colin G. Calloway, Dawnland Encounters: Indians and Europeans in Northern New England, →ISBN:
text: The men, “beinge att praiers,” heard odd noises and thought “they sawe one like an Indian leape over the fier.”
ref: 2012, Rebecca Anne Goetz, The Baptism of Early Virginia: How Christianity Created Race, →ISBN, page 45:
glosses: Archaic form of fire.
Related terms: english: etymologically unrelated
translation: etymologically unrelated
word: sci-fier
mice
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: mīs
ipa: /maɪs/
rhymes: -aɪs
Etymology: From Middle English mys, mice, muis, mise, mis, from Old English mȳs (“mice”), from an umlauted form of Proto-Germanic *mūsiz (“mice”), nominative and vocative plural of Proto-Germanic *mūs (“mouse”). Compare Scots mice, mise, myse, myce (“mice”), West Frisian mûzen (“mice”), Dutch muizen (“mice”), German Mäuse (“mice”), Swedish möss (“mice”), Faroese mýs (“mice”), Icelandic mýs (“mice”). More at mouse.
Senses: glosses: plural of mouse
Derived terms: miceless
miceproof
mice
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: mīs
ipa: /maɪs/
rhymes: -aɪs
Forms: form: mices
form: micing
form: miced
form: miced
Etymology: From Middle English mys, mice, muis, mise, mis, from Old English mȳs (“mice”), from an umlauted form of Proto-Germanic *mūsiz (“mice”), nominative and vocative plural of Proto-Germanic *mūs (“mouse”). Compare Scots mice, mise, myse, myce (“mice”), West Frisian mûzen (“mice”), Dutch muizen (“mice”), German Mäuse (“mice”), Swedish möss (“mice”), Faroese mýs (“mice”), Icelandic mýs (“mice”). More at mouse.
Senses: examples: text: That cat's mysin, he doesn't see the dog coming.
ref: 1984, Peter A. Smith, Fred M. Barritt, Bermewjan Vurds, Island Press:
text: A breakfast diner might describe an incident with someone who was "not too tightly wrapped". Or not wanting to waste time on someone who was always "micin". Another breakfast guest might explode with "what'chu mean?", only to be told half-jokingly, “Bie ... shut yor mouth”.
ref: 2015 December 9, Jack Gauntlett, “Bermudian sayings always raise a smile”, in The Royal Gazette, archived from the original on 11 Dec 2022:
qualifier: Bermuda
glosses: To be distracted or inattentive (possibly alluding to a cat being distracted by a mouse).
raw_tags: in the form micin
loophole
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈluːphəʊl/
ipa: /ˈluphoʊl/
rhymes: -uːphəʊl
Forms: form: loopholes
form: loop hole
Etymology: From Middle English loupe (“opening in a wall”) + hole, from a Germanic source. Compare Medieval Latin loupa, lobia and Middle Dutch lupen (“to watch”).
Senses: examples: text: […] and having a fair loophole, as it were, from a broken hole in the tree, he took a sure aim, without being seen, waiting till they were within about thirty yards of the tree, so that he could not miss.
ref: 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC:
text: There was a loophole in this wall, to let the light in, just at the height of a person's head, who was sitting near the chimney.
ref: 1809, Maria Edgeworth, The Absentee:
text: The sun had shifted round, and the myriad windows of the Ministry of Truth, with the light no longer shining on them, looked grim as the loopholes of a fortress.
ref: 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, page 25:
synonyms: arrowslit
arrow slit
arrow-hole
balistraria
coordinate_terms: embrasure#Noun
crenel#Noun
glosses: A slit in a castle wall; today, any similar window for shooting a ranged weapon or letting in light.
examples: text: Coupling the poor girl's intelligence with my previous knowledge, and the result of our good friend's inquiries on the spot, I left him no loophole of escape, and laid bare the whole villany which by these lights became plain as day.
ref: 1838, Charles Dickens, chapter 49, in Oliver Twist, page 236:
text: You have a contract that says you will work until Island Towers is finalized, which I interpret as completion of construction, or I can stop you working elsewhere. And there's no loopholes, because you drafted it and you're the best.
ref: 2002, Marc Lawrence, Two Weeks Notice (motion picture):
text: They would rather ask more from the vast majority of Americans and put our recovery at risk than close even a single tax loophole that benefits the wealthy.
ref: 2013 February 9, Barack Obama, The Support They Need:
glosses: A method of escape, especially an ambiguity or exception in a rule or law that can be exploited in order to avoid its effect.
Derived terms: boyfriend loophole
every law has a loophole
every law has its loophole
lo mein loophole
poophole loophole
Related terms: legal vacuum
loophole
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈluːphəʊl/
ipa: /ˈluphoʊl/
rhymes: -uːphəʊl
Forms: form: loopholes
form: loopholing
form: loopholed
form: loopholed
form: loop hole
Etymology: From Middle English loupe (“opening in a wall”) + hole, from a Germanic source. Compare Medieval Latin loupa, lobia and Middle Dutch lupen (“to watch”).
Senses: examples: text: The lower windows were barricaded, and the whole building loopholed for musketry fire.
ref: 1896, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard:
text: The doors were barricaded, the shutters closed upon the windows and loopholed, and provisions were brought in from the outhouses.
ref: 1907, A. E. W. Mason, The Broken Road:
text: The Germans were loopholing it for defence.
ref: 1915, W. H. L. Watson, Adventures of a Despatch Rider:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: To prepare a building for defense by preparing slits or holes through which to fire on attackers
examples: text: Abroad they had developed loopholing the law into an art; in Israel they jettisoned loopholing for ignoring the law wherever possible. Obeying laws was for naive fools.
ref: 1988, Macabee Dean, The Ashmadai Solution: A Surrealistic Extrapolation of a Gentle Genocide:
text: De-moralizing the subject can be, quite simply, demoralizing, as stirring statements of ideals turn into persnickety rules with exceptions crying out to be loopholed.
ref: 2005, Deborah Rhode, David Luban, Legal Ethics Stories:
glosses: To exploit (a law, etc.) by means of loopholes.
Abrahamitical
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more Abrahamitical
form: most Abrahamitical
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Abrahamitic.
Abram-man
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Abram-men
Senses: examples: text: Come, princes of the ragged regiment; / You 'o the blood, Prig, my most Upright-lord, / and these, what name or title e'er they bear, / Jarkman, or Patrico, Crank, or Clapper-dudgeon, / Frater, or Abram-man; I speak to all.
ref: c. 1620, Beggars' Bush, act 2, scene 1:
text: There is a trick for you to find out an Abram-man, and save sixpence when he begs of you as a disbanded seaman.
ref: 1823, Walter Scott, Saint Ronan's Well:
glosses: Alternative form of Abraham man.
SW
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: Initialism of Star Wars.
SW
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: SWs
Senses: examples: text: PAOTING (Ch’ing-Yüan, Tsingyuan), capital of Hopeh province, China, is 90 mi. (145 km.) S.W. of Peking on the Peking-Hankow railway.
ref: 1968, Joseph Earle Spencer, “Paoting”, in Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 17, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 237, column 1:
glosses: Initialism of southwest.
glosses: Initialism of search warrant.
glosses: Initialism of sex work.
synonyms: SWer
glosses: Initialism of sex worker.
topics: business
electrical-engineering
electricity
electromagnetism
electronics
energy
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
coordinate_terms: MW
LW
glosses: Initialism of short wave.
glosses: Initialism of social work.
glosses: Abbreviation of software.
coordinate_terms: CW
GW
HW
LW
UGW
glosses: Initialism of start weight.
glosses: Initialism of street workout.
Related terms: sense: southwest
word: NW
sense: southwest
word: WNW
sense: southwest
word: NNW
sense: southwest
word: SE
sense: southwest
word: ESE
sense: southwest
word: SSE
sense: southwest
word: S
sense: southwest
word: W
sense: southwest
word: SSW
sense: southwest
word: WSW
SW
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Initialism of southwestern.
glosses: Initialism of single white.
raw_tags: in personal ads
SW
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: topics: entertainment
handbells
lifestyle
music
glosses: Abbreviation of swing: to play the bell in a normal position, swing it down to the waist, then bring it back up.
Related terms: topics: electronics
electricity
electrical-engineering
electromagnetism
energy
business
physics
physical-sciences
natural-sciences
engineering
word: RF
topics: electronics
electricity
electrical-engineering
electromagnetism
energy
business
physics
physical-sciences
natural-sciences
engineering
word: SHF
topics: electronics
electricity
electrical-engineering
electromagnetism
energy
business
physics
physical-sciences
natural-sciences
engineering
word: UHF
topics: electronics
electricity
electrical-engineering
electromagnetism
energy
business
physics
physical-sciences
natural-sciences
engineering
word: VHF
gallicize
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡælɪsaɪz/
Forms: form: gallicizes
form: gallicizing
form: gallicized
form: gallicized
form: gallicise
form: Gallicise
form: Gallicize
Etymology: From Gallic + -ize, from Latin Gallicus (“of or relating to Gaul”) and used archaically in English in reference to modern France.
Senses: glosses: Synonym of frenchify, to make French or more French-like.
synonyms: word: frenchify
word: to make French or more French-like
glosses: Synonym of frenchify, to become French or more French-like.
synonyms: word: frenchify
word: to become French or more French-like
glosses: To translate into the French language.
Derived terms: Gallicizer
sango
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsæŋəʊ/
rhymes: -æŋəʊ
Forms: form: sangos
form: sangoes
Etymology: Abbreviation of sandwich (pronounced "sangwich") + -o (colloquialising suffix). Australian from 1940s.
Senses: glosses: A sandwich.
Synonyms: word: sambo
word: sammie
word: sammo
word: sanger
word: sarnie
sango
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsæŋəʊ/
rhymes: -æŋəʊ
Forms: form: sangos
Senses: examples: text: 1824, Alexander Gerard, Journal of an Excursion through the Himalayah Mountains, from Shipke to the Frontiers of Chinese Tartary, David Brewster (editor), The Edinburgh Journal of Science, Volume 1: April—October, page 219,
We crossed it and another stream a little above their union by a couple of bad sangos, and ascended from its bed by a rocky footpath, winding amongst extensive forests of oak, yew, pine, and horse chesnut, to Camp.
text: Four large mountain torrents, the Dangalee, Dubrane, Loarnad, and Rindee Gadh, join the Ganges from the left bank, and have to be crossed by sangos.
ref: 1865, Henry Astbury Leveson, The Hunting Grounds of the Old World, page 459:
glosses: A rudimentary wooden bridge in India.
tare
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
Forms: form: tares
Etymology: From Middle English tare (“vetch”), from Old English *taru, from Proto-West Germanic *taru.
Senses: glosses: A vetch, or the seed of a vetch (genus Vicia, esp. Vicia sativa)
glosses: Any of the tufted grasses of genus Lolium; darnel.
examples: text: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
ref: Matthew 13:25 (KJV)
text: I saw as I thought an uncle and guardian who has led a sober, industrious and Christian life and finds himself obliged to look on the tares of folly in his own close kin.
ref: 1985, John Fowles, A Maggot:
glosses: A damaging weed growing in fields of grain.
Derived terms: taxonomic: Vicia parviflora
word: slender tare
taxonomic: Vicia hirsuta
word: hairy tare
taxonomic: Vicia tetrasperma
word: smooth tare
tare
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
Forms: form: tares
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French tare, from Italian tara, from Arabic طَرْحَة (ṭarḥa, “that which is thrown away”), a derivative of طَرَحَ (ṭaraḥa, “to throw (away)”).
Senses: examples: text: What is the neat weight of 4 hogsheads of tobacco, each weighing 10cwt. 3qrs. 10lb. gross; — tare 100lb. per hdd.?
ref: 1824, Stephen Pike, The Teachers' Assistant: Or a System of Practical Arithmetic, page 97:
glosses: The empty weight of a container; unladen weight.
Related terms: cloff
gross
net
tret
tare
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
Forms: form: tares
form: taring
form: tared
form: tared
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French tare, from Italian tara, from Arabic طَرْحَة (ṭarḥa, “that which is thrown away”), a derivative of طَرَحَ (ṭaraḥa, “to throw (away)”).
Senses: examples: text: he is […] to tare such number of bales as may be deemed necessary to settle the net weight for duty.
ref: 1886, Records of the History, Laws, Regulations, and Statistics of the Tobacco Trade of the United Kingdom, page 86:
text: Without question, I think, the exploit of "Jubilee" No. 45737 Atlas [...] was the finest [...], for the train was made up to eleven bogies taring the maximum of 350 tons for an engine of this class, notwithstanding which 7 min. was gained on schedule.
ref: 1959 December, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 610:
topics: business
law
glosses: To take into account the weight of the container, wrapping etc. in weighting merchandise.
examples: 2003, Dany Spencer Adams, Lab Math, CSHL Press, p. 63,
Spectrometers, for example, must be zeroed before each reading; balances must be tared before each weighing.
topics: sciences
glosses: To set a zero value on an instrument (usually a balance) that discounts the starting point.
Synonyms: sense: to set a zero value
word: zero
tare
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛɹ/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
Senses: glosses: simple past of tear
tare
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛɹ/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /ˈtɑːɹeɪ/
ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛɹ/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
Etymology: Borrowed from Japanese 垂(た)れ (tare, “sauce, gravy”).
Senses: glosses: Any of various dipping sauces served with Japanese food, typically based on soy sauce.
tare
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɛə/
ipa: /tɛ(ə)ɹ/
ipa: /teː/
ipa: /teə/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
ipa: /tiə/
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /teə/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /tɜː(ɹ)/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /tɛɹ/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
homophone: tear (“rip”)
ipa: /ˈtɑːɹeɪ/
Forms: form: tares
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of tara (“Indian coin”).
please
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /pliːz/
enpr: plēz
ipa: /pliz/
rhymes: -iːz
homophone: pleas
Forms: form: puh-lease
Etymology: Short for if you please, an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it please you which is a calque of French s'il vous plaît, which replaced pray. If it please you is a present subjunctive form, but most current uses of please are not parsed that way.
Senses: examples: text: Please, pass the bread.
text: Would you please sign this form?
text: Could you tell me the time, please?
text: May I take your order, please?
text: Q: Should I call him to confirm? A: Please do.
text: (Michael): Yuri Andropov! What are you doing in my closet of anxieties again?
(Yuri): Uh, oh. This is not 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.?
(Michael): Does it look like it? You're in the wrong nightmare again!!
(Yuri): ★@#*!?! Soviet maps ... worth nothing! Give, please, directions to White House.
ref: 1983 July 10, Berkeley Breathed, Bloom County, spoken by Yuri Andropov:
glosses: Used to make a polite request.
Derived terms: bitch, please
OK please
pl0x
please excuse my dear Aunt Sally
please explain
please find attached
please God
please help me
please pass the salt
please repeat after me
please say that again
please sit down
please speak more slowly
please turn left
please turn right
plox
pls
plz
pretty please
will the real someone please stand up
please
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pliːz/
enpr: plēz
ipa: /pliz/
rhymes: -iːz
homophone: pleas
Forms: form: puh-lease
Etymology: Short for if you please, an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it please you which is a calque of French s'il vous plaît, which replaced pray. If it please you is a present subjunctive form, but most current uses of please are not parsed that way.
Senses: examples: text: Near-synonym: thank you
text: May I help you? —(Yes,) please.
text: D'you mind if I open the window? —Please do.
glosses: Used as an affirmative to an offer.
raw_tags: with yes
examples: text: Oh, please, do we have to hear that again?
text: So it's safe to let a 10-year-old use a gun? Please.
text: So now I have to go back there a third time? Please!
glosses: An expression of annoyance, impatience, or exasperation.
please
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pliːz/
enpr: plēz
ipa: /pliz/
rhymes: -iːz
homophone: pleas
Etymology: Semantic loan from German bitte (“please; excuse me”).
Senses: examples: text: Customer while ordering: Can I get a [unintelligible]? Restaurant employee: Please?
text: Fellow: May I have a few days off to get married?
Reply, in the Cincinnati idiom by a boss who had heard the sound but not the sense:
Boss: Please?
ref: August 1973, “Bitte or Bitter?”, in Cincinnati, page 109:
text: Even though I heard it was supposed to be German-Catholic background, there’s only one thing German — they say ‘please’ [for the more common ‘pardon me’], which comes from bitte.
ref: September 1978, Virginia Watson-Rouslin, “A Foreign View”, in Cincinnati, page 110:
text: […] He explained in broken English that one of his daughters was ill and he probably could not be there. I did not understand all that he said, so asked, ‘Please?’ per Cincinnati custom. ‘There is no need to plead. I will be there if she is feeling better,’ he replied.
ref: September 1979, “Winners: Contest No. 13—The Laugh’s On Us”, in Cincinnati, volume 12, number 12, page 15:
text: Cincinnati are some of the most polite persons I have ever met in the US. When asking someone a question, instead of saying “Excuse me,” or “Pardon,” they say “Please?”
ref: 5 May 1998, Jose I. Sarasua, “Come to Cincinnati... Please?”, in Cost Engineering, volume 40, number 5, page 9:
text: By the same token, one contestant who doesn’t hear a particular question could say “Pardon me?” while another could say “Please?” Again, neither would be lying if he said he was from Ohio.
ref: April 2001, Jeff Robinson, “Say what?”, in Ohio Magazine, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2019, page 77:
text: In Maine, where as much as a quarter of the population has French ancestry, you may hear a stray hair called a couette, and in parts of Ohio please is used in the same way as the German bitte, to invite a person to repeat something just said — apparently a remnant of the bilingual schooling once available in Cincinnati.
ref: 2008, Henry Hitchings, The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English, →ISBN, page 255:
text: Ellen grew up outside of Cincinnati and believed her own talk was the “norm,” while others were speakers of dialects. She was in graduate school before she learned that not all people say, Please? to mean Can you repeat that?
ref: 2011, Ellen McIntyre, Nancy Hulan, Vicky Layne, Reading Instruction for Diverse Classrooms: Research-Based, Culturally Responsive Practice, Guilford Press, →ISBN, page 72:
synonyms: pardon#Interjection
pardon me
beg pardon
excuse me
;
say again
come again
what's that
what
;
glosses: Said as a request to repeat information.
get a kick out of
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: gets a kick out of
form: getting a kick out of
form: got a kick out of
form: got a kick out of
form: gotten a kick out of
Senses: examples: text: I really got a kick out of that clown's juggling act.
text: Some get a kick from cocaine / I'm sure that if I took even one sniff / That would bore me terrifically too / Yet I get a kick out of you
ref: 1934, Cole Porter, “I Get a Kick Out of You”:
glosses: To be delighted by; to be amused by.
kick around
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: kick arounds
form: kickaround
form: kick-around
Senses: glosses: An informal game of football, rugby or similar sports.
kick around
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: kicks around
form: kicking around
form: kicked around
form: kicked around
form: kickaround
form: kick-around
Senses: examples: text: Don't be afraid to kick it around a little. It is sturdy.
text: I leave you gentlemen now, and you will write it. You will interpret. That’s your right. But as I leave you I want you to know—just think how much you’re going to be missing. You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore, because gentlemen, this is my last press conference, and it will be the one in which I have welcomed the opportunity to test wits with you. […]
ref: 1962 November 7, Richard Nixon, “Richard Nixon's November 1962 Press Conference”, in Richard Nixon Foundation:
glosses: To abuse or mistreat; to bully; to be rough with.
examples: text: Is this your pen I found kicking around in my drawer?
text: Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown
ref: 1973 March 1, Roger Waters, “Time”, in The Dark Side of the Moon, performed by Pink Floyd:
glosses: To wander loose; to float around; to hang around; to exist; to remain unexploited or unused.
examples: text: to kick around ideas
text: They kicked around some ideas for doing their own thing, like moonlighting as music video producers, but they never followed through.
ref: 2023 October 19, Brendan I. Koerner, “Watch This Guy Work, and You’ll Finally Understand the TikTok Era”, in Wired, →ISSN:
glosses: To discuss informally; to consider or distribute.
raw_tags: of an idea or proposal
kick in
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: kicks in
form: kicking in
form: kicked in
form: kicked in
Senses: examples: text: Upon hearing residents in the burning house, the passerby kicked in the front door and yelled to those inside.
text: You touch me again, I swear I’ll kick your teeth in.
glosses: To kick; to collapse or break by kicking.
To kick or strike so as to cause the object struck to collapse or fall inwards.
glosses: To kick; to collapse or break by kicking.
To kick or strike (a person); to beat up.
examples: text: You have to push the switch hard to get the heater to kick in.
text: I took my medication an hour ago, and it hasn't kicked in yet.
text: People expect women [when they give birth] to have this instinct that kicks in.
ref: 2013, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight (motion picture), Julie Delpy (actor):
text: Once the wet kicks in up north, you can be stranded for months waiting for swollen rivers to subside to a crossable depth[.]
ref: 2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 289:
glosses: To begin, contribute or join in on.
To start, connect, or take effect, especially in a sudden way; to begin functioning.
examples: text: You should kick in on the work.
text: The rhythm section will kick in after that point.
glosses: To begin, contribute or join in on.
To join or begin.
examples: text: For the year-end party, we're asking each employee to kick in twenty dollars.
text: This is a worthy charity, so everyone should kick in.
glosses: To begin, contribute or join in on.
To contribute, especially to a collection of money; to hand over.
examples: text: The business is going to kick in most likely.
glosses: To die; to give up on something.
Related terms: kick in the pants
kick in the pants
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: kicks in the pants
Senses: examples: text: That kid needs a kick in the pants to get his homework done today.
synonyms: kick up the arse
kick in the rear
glosses: A forceful reminder to start or get going.
Related terms: kick someone in the pants
light a fire under
light a fire under
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: lights a fire under
form: lighting a fire under
form: lit a fire under
form: lit a fire under
Etymology: Referring to a time when, if chimney sweeps were afraid to ascend a chimney, the fire would be lit under them in order to motivate them to climb to the top.
Senses: examples: text: Let me see if I can light a fire under the waiter to get our order sooner.
glosses: To motivate or encourage (someone) to start sooner or move faster.
kick start
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: kick starts
form: kickstart
form: kick-start
Etymology: From kick + start.
Senses: glosses: A metal bar on a motorcycle used to start its engine.
examples: text: The motorcycle requires a kick start.
glosses: An act of starting a motorcycle by quickly depressing the kick start with one's foot.
examples: text: As a kick start for the group, let's write up some ideas.
glosses: A fast or strong start; help with starting or beginning well.
glosses: An impetus that starts or restarts some process.
kick start
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: kick starts
form: kick starting
form: kick started
form: kick started
form: kickstart
form: kick-start
Etymology: From kick + start.
Senses: examples: text: He kick started the motorcycle and took off.
glosses: To start a motorcycle.
examples: text: To kick start your learning, let's summarize the basics.
text: Kick start your day with a hearty breakfast.
glosses: To start or begin strongly or quickly.
examples: text: To kick start the economy with a large construction project.
text: The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted that global consumption of coal power[…] would reach record levels in 2021 driven by a surge in demand for energy to kickstart global economies following the coronavirus pandemic.
ref: 2022 January 17, Jillian Ambrose, “China’s coal production hit record levels in 2021”, in The Guardian:
synonyms: reinvigorate
revitalize
jump-start
glosses: To make (something) active, functional, or productive again; to reinvigorate (an activity, system, or process).
Related terms: head start
jump start
kick off
hold up
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: holds up
form: holding up
form: held up
form: held up
Senses: examples: text: Hold up a minute. I want to check something.
synonyms: hold on
hang on
glosses: To wait or delay.
examples: text: I've got to get to work now. Why are you holding me up?
text: What is holding up traffic?
text: It worked to perfection. Ferrari's decision not to stop on the next lap simply made life easier, especially when Alonso was held up by Marussia's Charles Pic during that period - for which the Frenchman earned a drive-through penalty.
ref: 2012 May 13, Andrew Benson, “Williams's Pastor Maldonado takes landmark Spanish Grand Prix win”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: To impede; detain.
examples: text: The guy tried to hold up a bank.
glosses: To impede; detain.
To detain by threatening, usually with a weapon, in order to commit robbery.
synonyms: stick up
examples: text: Hold up the table while I slide this underneath.
text: In order to accommodate the new platform 4 and the reversibly signalled slow line, a deep cutting had to be cut back and held up in places with a concrete retaining wall.
ref: 1962 June, David Walters, “The new station and layout at Coventry”, in Modern Railways, page 405:
text: Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […] Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.
ref: 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:
glosses: To support or lift.
examples: text: His lectures held up Napoleon as an example of the phenomenon.
text: held up for public ridicule
glosses: To support or lift.
To highlight, as if lifting up for display.
examples: text: I don't think he's holding up his end of the bargain.
glosses: To support or lift.
To fulfil or complete one's part of an agreement.
examples: text: hold up to scrutiny
text: hold up to heavy use
text: The now infamous '108 woodlands' figure published by the Woodlands Trust, and later used by others to infer that HS2 would destroy 108 woodlands, does not hold up to scrutiny.
ref: 2023 August 23, Chris Howe, “Green screen: HS2's route through the shires”, in RAIL, number 990, page 34:
glosses: To persist.
To withstand; to stand up to; to survive.
examples: text: For what will the World say; Why could not he hold up? What made him come on so heavily, but that he wanted either Management or Metal
ref: 1697, Jeremy Collier, Essays upon Several Moral Subjects:
glosses: To persist.
To keep up; not to fall behind; not to lose ground.
examples: text: how're you holdin up?
glosses: To persist.
To maintain composure despite hardship.
examples: text: Bride of Frankenstein is an old film, but it holds up.
glosses: To persist.
To continue to be seen as favorable, to avoid seeming dated.
raw_tags: of a work
Derived terms: word: hold-up
word: holdup
word: hold up one's end
word: hold up to
Related terms: forhold
hang up
hold it
hold off
hold on
stick up
uphold
hold on
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: holds on
form: holding on
form: held on
form: held on
Senses: examples: text: Hold on tightly to the railing.
glosses: To grasp or grip firmly.
examples: text: Hold on to my umbrella while I ride the roller coaster.
glosses: To keep; to store something for someone.
examples: text: I'm holding on to my trump cards until I really need them.
glosses: To retain an advantage.
examples: text: Hold on while I get my coat.
text: The departure was not unduly prolonged. In the road Mr. Love and the driver favoured the company with a brief chanty running. “Got it?—No, I ain't, 'old on,—Got it? Got it?—No, 'old on sir.”
ref: 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
glosses: Wait a short while.
examples: text: He didn't give up his fandom when others did; he held on.
glosses: To remain loyal.
examples: text: This trade held on for many years.
ref: 1723, Jonathan Swift, Some Arguments Against Enlarging the Power of Bishops:
text: That scare aside, Wolves had little trouble in holding on for their first league away win of the season and their first over the Reds since little-known striker Steve Mardenborough gave them a victory at Anfield in January 1984.
ref: 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0-1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:
glosses: To persist.
Synonyms: sense: grasp or grip firmly
word: belock
word: hold tight
sense: store something for someone
word: keep
sense: store something for someone
word: store
sense: wait a short while
word: cool one's heels
word: hang on
sense: stay loyal
word: keep faith
sense: persist
word: go on
word: last
word: remain
Related terms: hang on
hold up
on hold
hang on
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌhæŋ ˈɒn/
Forms: form: hangs on
form: hanging on
form: hung on
form: hung on
Senses: examples: text: Hang on. Let me check.
coordinate_terms: hang in
glosses: To wait a moment.
examples: text: Hang on to the handle so you don't drop it.
text: "If you'll come along, then hang on!" said Hans, and the man had to hang on and limp along on one leg, whether he would or no; and when he tried to tear himself loose, he made it still worse for himself, for he was very nearly falling on his back whenever he struggled to get free.
ref: 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 271:
text: Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern. Then, for a jiffy, I hung on and fought for breath.
ref: 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
glosses: To hold, grasp, or grip.
examples: text: Hang on to my jacket until I get back.
glosses: To keep; to store something for someone.
examples: text: The audience hangs on his every word.
glosses: To pay close attention to, or regard with (possibly obsequious) admiration.
examples: text: He's got a philosophy he hangs on to.
glosses: To continually believe in something; to have faith in.
examples: text: Just hang on and keep going; this pain won't last forever.
text: It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spend it with you / Such a perfect day you just keep me hanging on / You just keep me hanging on
ref: 1972, Lou Reed, “Perfect Day”:
text: Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
ref: 1973, “Time”, in The Dark Side of the Moon, performed by Pink Floyd:
synonyms: hang in
glosses: To persevere.
examples: text: Everything hangs on whether the boss agrees.
text: Medically, autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, hanging on a set of observed and reported behavioral characteristics.
ref: 2021 April 29, Gemma L. Williams, Tim Wharton, Caroline Jagoe, “Mutual (Mis)understanding: Reframing Autistic Pragmatic “Impairments” Using Relevance Theory”, in Frontiers in Psychology, volume 12, →DOI:
synonyms: hang upon
glosses: To depend upon.
glosses: To weigh down or oppress.
glosses: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hang, on.
Synonyms: sense: store something for someone
word: keep
sense: store something for someone
word: store
sense: continually believe in something
word: keep faith
Derived terms: hang tight
Related terms: hold
hold on
hold up
hold out
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: holds out
form: holding out
form: held out
form: held out
form: hold-out
form: holdout
Etymology: From hold and out.
Senses: examples: text: He held out his hand, and I grabbed it.
text: I held out my hand, and the horrible, soft-spoken, eyeless creature gripped it in a moment like a vise. I was so much startled that I struggled to withdraw; but the blind man pulled me close up to him with a single action of his arm.
ref: 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
text: And you stare at me
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
Like you've been carrying a load
ref: 1991, “Jesus Christ Pose”, in Chris Cornell (lyrics), Soundgarden (music), Badmotorfinger, performed by Soundgarden, Track 4:
glosses: To hold (something) out; to extend (something) forward.
examples: text: The prospectus held out the promise of enormous profits to be made.
glosses: To offer, present (a hope, possibility, opportunity etc.)
examples: text: I am holding out for more money.
text: How long has he been holding out?
glosses: To wait, or refuse in hopes of getting something better (from a negotiation, etc.)
raw_tags: with for
examples: text: How long can they hold out without water?
text: Stevan Jovetic gave Montenegro hope when he unleashed a pile-driver but Wales held out for a much-needed win.
ref: 2011 September 2, “Wales 2-1 Montenegro”, in BBC:
text: For the third game in a row, the Boks held out with just one point after seeing off France and England in the quarters and semis respectively.
ref: 2023 October 28, Leighton Koopman, “YES!!! The Springboks beat the All Blacks to win another Rugby World Cup title”, in Independent Online:
glosses: To survive, endure.
examples: text: You've got a key! Why have you been holding out on me?
glosses: To withhold something.
examples: text: Pack the boxes, but hold out a few blue ones for later.
glosses: To set aside something or save it for later.
hold out
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: hold outs
form: hold-out
form: holdout
Etymology: From hold and out.
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of holdout.
Related terms: dead-ender
diehard
hold off
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: holds off
form: holding off
form: held off
form: held off
Senses: examples: text: Let's try to hold off the lawyers until we are ready for them.
text: The breakthrough came after 63 minutes as United’s unorthodox defence desperately tried to hold off a spell of sustained pressure.
ref: 2014 November 2, Daniel Taylor, “Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United”, in guardian.co.uk:
glosses: To delay (someone or something) temporarily; to keep at bay.
examples: text: Hold off (on) the decision one more day so I can answer your question.
text: Hold off (on) baking until I get there.
glosses: To delay commencing (an action until some specified time or event has passed).
Synonyms: postpone
put off
Derived terms: word: holdoff
Related terms: fend off
forhold
hold it
hold on
hold up
on hold
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Forms: form: on-hold
Senses: examples: text: This project is on hold until we can get more information.
text: Plans to build a western rail route into Heathrow Airport have been put on hold, with Network Rail saying that staff working on the scheme have been moved to other projects.
ref: 2021 May 5, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Heathrow Western Rail Access scheme 'on hold'”, in RAIL, number 930, page 26:
text: A new law used to justify such arrests was put on hold by a federal judge in Miami on April 2, but that didn't stop Florida police from continuing to enforce it.
ref: 2025 May 13, Patrik Jonsson, “Beat cops to game wardens, Florida expands ‘army’ of immigration enforcers”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
glosses: Delayed; postponed; suspended.
examples: text: I have been on hold for 45 minutes listening to a recording about how important my call is to them.
glosses: Waiting on a telephone call.
examples: text: I have a book on hold for me at the library.
glosses: On reserve; being held for someone.
examples: text: Now James Kellaris, a professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati, reports that the sexes respond differently to onhold^([sic]) music.
ref: 1999, New Scientist:
glosses: Pertaining to a telephone hold state.
Related terms: hold on
ham
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hăm
ipa: /ˈhæm/
ipa: /ˈhæːm/
rhymes: -æm
Forms: form: hams
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm (“inner or hind part of the knee, ham”), from Proto-West Germanic *hammu, from Proto-Germanic *hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (“leg”).
Cognate with Dutch ham (“ham”), dialectal German Hamme (“hind part of the knee, ham”), dialectal Swedish ham (“the hind part of the knee”), Icelandic höm (“the ham or haunch of a horse”), Old Irish cnáim (“bone”), Ancient Greek κνήμη (knḗmē, “shinbone”). Compare gammon and gam.
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock.
examples: text: "I'll have you so your hams will stand out like horse's shanks!" de declared.
ref: 1931, Ion L. Idriess, Lasseter's Last Ride, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 165:
hypernyms: cut
;
meat
<
food
glosses: A thigh and/or buttock of a hog slaughtered for meat; (occasionally) the corresponding cut from some other animal.
examples: text: a little piece of ham for the cat
text: She put some ham in the beans and cut up some sweet potatoes to boil.
ref: 2012, Audra Lilly Griffeth, A King's Daughter, →ISBN:
hypernyms: meat
<
food
glosses: Meat from the thigh and/or buttock of a hog cured for food.
glosses: The back of the thigh of humans or certain other animals.
synonyms: ham e-mail
antonyms: spam
junk mail
glosses: Electronic mail that is wanted; email that is not spam or junk mail.
Derived terms: Admiralty ham
Bayonne ham
Black Forest ham
burger
butter-ham
Christmas ham
country ham
deviled ham
devilled ham
dressmaker's ham
Gourock ham
ham and beef shop
ham-and-egger
ham and eggs
ham-and-eggs daisy
hambeast
hambone
ham chin peng
ham e-mail
hamfat
ham-fisted
ham-fistedly
ham-handed
ham-handedly
ham-handedness
ham hands
ham hock
hamily
hamlike
hammie
hammy
hamplanet
ham salad
ham sandwich
ham-sandwich
ham sandwich theorem
hamshackle
ham shank
ham steak
hamstring
ham up
hamwich
Jinhua ham
Limerick ham
mutton ham
Parma ham
pressed ham
Smithfield ham
Spam
Spanish ham
stuffed ham
tailor's ham
Taylor ham
turkey ham
Westphalian ham
York ham
ham
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hăm
ipa: /ˈhæm/
ipa: /ˈhæːm/
rhymes: -æm
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English ham, from Old English hām.
Senses: glosses: Obsolete form of home.
Related terms: hamlet
ham
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hăm
ipa: /ˈhæm/
ipa: /ˈhæːm/
rhymes: -æm
Forms: form: hams
Etymology: Uncertain, though it is generally agreed upon that it first appeared in print around the 1880s. At least four theories persist:
* It came naturally from the word amateur. Deemed likely by Hendrickson (1997), but then the question would be why it took so long to pop up. He rejects the folk etymology of Cockney slang hamateur because it originated in American English.
* From the play Hamlet, where the title character was often played poorly and/or in an exaggerated manner. Also deemed likely by Hendrickson, though he raises the issue that the term would have likely been around earlier if this were case.
* From the minstrel's practice of using ham fat to remove heavy black makeup used during performances.
* Shortened from hamfatter (“inferior actor”), said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man. William and Mary Morris (1988) argue that it's not known whether the song inspired the term or the term inspired the song, but that they believe the latter is the case.
Senses: examples: text: Writing in The New Yorker in 2005, James Wood praised Mr. McCarthy as “a colossally gifted writer” and “one of the great hams of American prose, who delights in producing a histrionic rhetoric that brilliantly ventriloquizes the King James Bible, Shakespearean and Jacobean tragedy, Melville, Conrad, and Faulkner.”
ref: 2023 June 13, Dwight Garner, quoting James Wood, “Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
topics: acting
broadcasting
entertainment
film
lifestyle
media
television
theater
synonyms: hambone
hamfatter
overactor
tear-cat
glosses: An overacting or amateurish performer; an actor with an especially showy or exaggerated style.
topics: broadcasting
media
radio
synonyms: radio amateur
glosses: An amateur radio operator.
Derived terms: hamese
hamfest
ham-fisted
ham radio
ham
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: hăm
ipa: /ˈhæm/
ipa: /ˈhæːm/
rhymes: -æm
Forms: form: hams
form: hamming
form: hammed
form: hammed
Etymology: Uncertain, though it is generally agreed upon that it first appeared in print around the 1880s. At least four theories persist:
* It came naturally from the word amateur. Deemed likely by Hendrickson (1997), but then the question would be why it took so long to pop up. He rejects the folk etymology of Cockney slang hamateur because it originated in American English.
* From the play Hamlet, where the title character was often played poorly and/or in an exaggerated manner. Also deemed likely by Hendrickson, though he raises the issue that the term would have likely been around earlier if this were case.
* From the minstrel's practice of using ham fat to remove heavy black makeup used during performances.
* Shortened from hamfatter (“inferior actor”), said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man. William and Mary Morris (1988) argue that it's not known whether the song inspired the term or the term inspired the song, but that they believe the latter is the case.
Senses: examples: Near-synonym: camp it up
topics: acting
broadcasting
entertainment
film
lifestyle
media
television
theater
synonyms: ham it up#Verb
chew the scenery#Verb
melodramatize#Verb
overact#Verb
tear a cat#Verb
glosses: To overact; to act with exaggerated emotions.
Related terms: mug
pose
go ham