cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
suffocate
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsʌfəkeɪt/
ipa: /ˈsʌfəkət/
Forms: form: more suffocate
form: most suffocate
Etymology: The adjective is first attested in the 1420's, the verb in 1526; from Middle English suffocat(e) (“deprived of air, suffocated”), borrowed from Latin suffōcātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin suffōcō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from sub- (“under, up to”) + fōx (“throat”, oblique stem in fōc-). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.
Senses: glosses: Suffocated, choked.
raw_tags: as a participle
examples: text: This chaos, when degree is suffocate, follows the choking
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 iii]:
glosses: Smothered, overwhelmed.
insufficient
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənt/
rhymes: -ɪʃənt
Etymology: From Middle French insufficient, from Latin insufficiens. See also in- + sufficient.
Senses: examples: text: Insufficient time is available to reflect on the problem.
glosses: An inadequate quantity of; not enough.
examples: text: Insufficient of the building remains to determine its age.
glosses: A quantity (of something) that is less than is needed.
raw_tags: as pronoun
insufficient
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɪnsəˈfɪʃənt/
rhymes: -ɪʃənt
Forms: form: more insufficient
form: most insufficient
Etymology: From Middle French insufficient, from Latin insufficiens. See also in- + sufficient.
Senses: examples: text: It is a necessary condition but an insufficient one.
glosses: Not sufficient; of a type or kind that does not suffice, that does not satisfy requirements or needs.
examples: text: Brother Coſroe, I find my ſelfe agreeu’d,
Yet inſufficient to expreſſe the ſame:
For it requires a great and thundering ſpeech: […]
ref: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene i:
glosses: Not sufficient; lacking competent power or ability; unqualified, unequal, unfit.
Synonyms: word: unsufficient
Derived terms: diploinsufficient
haploinsufficient
immunoinsufficient
insufficiently
principle of insufficient reason
stickler
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstɪk.lə/
Forms: form: sticklers
Etymology: From Middle English stighteler, stytelere, equivalent to stickle + -er. The judges at Cornish wrestling matches do indeed carry sticks which serve for signalling and as a badge of their office. This practice has evolved from holding swords and then swordsticks.
Senses: examples: text: In ancient time they were wont to employ third persons as sticklers, to see no treachery or disorder were used, and to beare witnes of the combates successe.
ref: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 27, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
text: Basilius, the judge, appointed sticklers and trumpets whom the others should obey.
ref: c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “[The Second Booke] Chapter 1”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC, folio 105, recto:
english: The New Arcadia
translation: The New Arcadia
text: Our former chiefs, like sticklers of the war, / First sought to inflame the parties, then to poise.
ref: 1658, John Dryden, Stanza to Oliver Cromwell:
glosses: A referee or adjudicator at a fight, wrestling match, duel, etc. who ensures fair play.
examples: text: Lexicographers are sticklers for correct language.
text: The Tory or High-church were the greatest sticklers against the exorbitant proceedings of King James II.
ref: 1713, Jonathan Swift, A Preface to Bishop Burnet's Introduction:
text: "If you're accused of profiling or pretextual stops, you can bring your daily logbook to court and document that pulling over motorists for 'stickler' reasons is part of your customary pattern," Remsberg writes, "not a glaring exception conveniently dusted off in the defendant's case."
ref: 2019, Malcolm Gladwell, Talking to Strangers:
text: For the sticklers, here "final demand" is meant to include inventory investment.
ref: 2024, Jeremy B. Rudd, A Practical Guide to Macroeconomics, p. 12
synonyms: dogmatist
formalist
pedant
traditionalist
glosses: Someone who insistently advocates for something, especially for strict observance of a formal rule.
Related terms: stickle
pizza puff
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: pizza puffs
Etymology: From pizza + puff, trademarked in some regions.
Senses: examples: text: Today I was eating a pizza puff with crinkle-fries and a vanilla shake, so diarrhea was pretty much a definite for me.
ref: 2004, Joe Meno, Hairstyles of the Damned, page 68:
text: That he'd never had a pizza puff did not deter him. His approach at lunch, as it was elsewhere, was straight ahead.
ref: 2006, Andy Nash, Through the Lens of Social Justice:
text: Rick tells them about various diners (he is an expert on local grubby diners), and which ones make you need a bathroom the soonest, which ones you should only order a pizza puff from […]
ref: 2016, Adam Selzer, Just Kill Me, page 121:
glosses: A dough pouch filled with the ingredients of a pizza, such as cheese, pizza sauce, sausage, and pepperoni, and usually deep-fried.
press kit
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: press kits
form: presskit
Senses: glosses: A packaged set of promotional and news materials to inform the media about a person, band or product. The kit will often include a CD or demo along with reviews, photos, and background information. The kit is distributed to media sources, such as radio stations and newspapers.
patrilocality
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From patrilocal + -ity, from patri- + local.
Senses: topics: human-sciences
sciences
social-science
sociology
glosses: A socially instituted practice whereupon a married couple lives with or near the family of the husband.
suffocation
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: suffocations
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English suffocation, suffocacioun, from Middle French suffocation, from Latin suffocatio.
Senses: examples: text: A child left unattended may die of suffocation.
text: The moon, directly opposite, flung into the room a long and tremulous line of light, which fell on Guido's face, as he reclined on the pillows which supported his head; he needed the support, for a feeling of suffocation was his constant complaint.
ref: 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 302:
glosses: Asphyxia—a condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death.
examples: text: The coroner reported three suffocations last week.
glosses: A particular act of death or killing by means of asphyxia.
Synonyms: asphyxia
Derived terms: suffocation mate
Related terms: suffocate
slop bowl
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: slop bowls
Senses: glosses: One of the four components of the traditional tea set. Tea drinkers emptied their unwanted, cold tea into the slop bowl before refilling their cups with fresh, hot tea.
examples: ref: 2025 September 8, Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert, “America's favorite slop bowl chains are in trouble. We tasted them to figure out why.”, in Business Insider, MSN.com, retrieved 19 Sep 2025:
topics: food
lifestyle
glosses: A subset of fast casual food served in bowls and marketed as being healthier alternatives.
skull cap
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: skull caps
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of skullcap.
Shravas
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: A male given name from Sanskrit, meaning “fame” or “to be heard” used in India; It is very uncommon.
hand waving
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: hand wavings
form: hand-waving
form: handwaving
Senses: examples: text: The sales pitch sounded good, but there was a lot of hand waving about the price.
text: Protesters who demand that this brilliantly humane enterprise be stopped should have their motives questioned. Their protest is nothing but the mindless hand waving of Luddites.
ref: 2000 August 21, “letter”, in Time:
glosses: Discussion or argumentation involving approximation, vagueness, educated guessing, or the attempt to explain or excuse vagaries.
Derived terms: handwavium
Related terms: handwave
handwaving
handwavy
wave of the hand
stunt
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /stʌnt/
rhymes: -ʌnt
Forms: form: stunts
Etymology: Unknown. Compare Middle Low German stunt (“a shoulder grip with which you throw someone on their back”), Middle English stunt (“foolish; stupid”).
Senses: examples: text: He found ways to devise, stage, and film stunts that are like nothing anyone’s ever accomplished. He recorded stunning image after stunning image; practically every frame of Fury Road could be a painting.
ref: 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club:
glosses: A daring or dangerous feat, often involving the display of gymnastic skills.
glosses: An act or activity viewed as the outcome of a plan or scheme, often malicious or nefarious.
glosses: Ellipsis of publicity stunt.
examples: text: "See if you can hit the barrel, Joe," urged George Bland. "A lot of us have missed it, including Peaches, who seems to think his particular stunt is high throwing."
ref: 1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine:
glosses: A skill.
topics: American-football
ball-games
football
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A special means of rushing the quarterback done to confuse the opposing team's offensive line.
Hyponyms: publicity stunt
Derived terms: card stunt
media stunt
publicity stunt
stunt casting
stunt cock
stunt double
stuntman
stuntperson
stuntwoman
sweeps stunt
yellow sorghum stunt
stunt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /stʌnt/
rhymes: -ʌnt
Forms: form: stunts
form: stunting
form: stunted
form: stunted
Etymology: Unknown. Compare Middle Low German stunt (“a shoulder grip with which you throw someone on their back”), Middle English stunt (“foolish; stupid”).
Senses: topics: cheerleading
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To perform a stunt.
examples: text: Call me the juice and you know I'm a stunt.
ref: 2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:
text: I was that interested because I wanted the Z28, but I wasn't going another day with Sterling stunting on me with the Contour.
ref: 2015, Seth Turner Jr., Brother: The Self-made Story of a St. Louis Entrepreneur:
qualifier: African-American Vernacular
glosses: To show off; to posture; to flaunt valuables.
stunt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /stʌnt/
rhymes: -ʌnt
Forms: form: stunts
form: stunting
form: stunted
form: stunted
Etymology: From dialectal stunt (“stubborn, dwarfed”), from Middle English stont, stunt (“short, brief”), from Old English stunt (“stupid, foolish, simple”), from Proto-Germanic *stuntaz (“short, compact, stupid, dull”). Cognate with Middle High German stunz (“short”), Old Norse stuttr (“short in stature, dwarfed”). Related to Old English styntan (“to make dull, stupefy, become dull, repress”). More at stint.
Senses: examples: text: Some have said smoking stunts your growth.
text: The politician timed his announcement to stunt any surge in the polls his opponent might gain from the convention.
glosses: To check or hinder the growth or development of.
stunt
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /stʌnt/
rhymes: -ʌnt
Forms: form: stunts
Etymology: From dialectal stunt (“stubborn, dwarfed”), from Middle English stont, stunt (“short, brief”), from Old English stunt (“stupid, foolish, simple”), from Proto-Germanic *stuntaz (“short, compact, stupid, dull”). Cognate with Middle High German stunz (“short”), Old Norse stuttr (“short in stature, dwarfed”). Related to Old English styntan (“to make dull, stupefy, become dull, repress”). More at stint.
Senses: glosses: A check in growth.
glosses: That which has been checked in growth; a stunted animal or thing.
glosses: A two-year-old whale, which, having been weaned, is lean and yields little blubber.
set screw
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: set screws
form: setscrew
Senses: glosses: Any screw used to hold or adjust a setting, via fixation in a certain location or position: frequently a headless one, but may also be any other machine screw or thumb screw used for the purpose of setting.
glosses: Any screw used to hold or adjust a setting, via fixation in a certain location or position: frequently a headless one, but may also be any other machine screw or thumb screw used for the purpose of setting.
A headless screw with threads along the entire length. Typically, such screws have a hex or slot drive recessed in the threaded length.
synonyms: grub screw
glosses: A screw with a head, usually hexagonal, like a bolt but without a shank to allow it to screw into material rather than take a nut; a tap bolt.
setscrew
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: setscrews
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of set screw.
cheat sheet
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cheat sheets
form: cheat-sheet
form: cheatsheet
Etymology: From cheat + sheet.
Senses: examples: text: If you have trouble remembering all the trigonometric identities, the book has a cheat sheet in back that lists them.
synonyms: crib sheet
hypernyms: answer sheet
coordinate_terms: cheater
glosses: A sheet of paper (or a digital analogue thereof) containing notes used to assist (with or without permission) on a test; especially, such a sheet used secretly and improperly.
hypernyms: aide-mémoire
pro memoria
coordinate_terms: non-paper
glosses: Any summary or quick reference used as a shortcut or reminder, such as an aid for public speaking.
flub
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /flʌb/
ipa: /flʊb/
rhymes: -ʌb
Forms: form: flubs
Etymology: Possibly suggested by fluff and flop. First appeared in the US as a verb c. 1924, and as a noun c. 1953.
Senses: examples: text: 1962 November 6, Richard Nixon, “Gentlemen, this is my last press conference”, 2008, Rick Perlstein (editor), Richard Nixon: Speeches, Writings, Documents, page 111,
I made a talk on television, a talk in which I made a flub—one of the few that I make, not because I′m so good on television but because I′ve been doing it a long time. I made a flub in which I said I was running for governor of the United States.
text: A flub can be a slight cinematic slip-up or a major gaffe.
ref: 1997, Garry Marshall, Lori Marshall, Wake Me When It′s Funny: How to Break into Show Business and Stay, page 280:
text: The pressure public speaking puts on a person will occasionally cause these little flubs, so don′t panic when they happen to you.
The worst way to deal with a flub is to panic and make a big deal out of it.
ref: 2002, John Sheirer, Shut Up and Speak!: Essential Guidelines for Public Speaking in School, Work, and Life, page 56:
glosses: An error; a mistake in the performance of an action.
glosses: A fold of fat.
flub
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /flʌb/
ipa: /flʊb/
rhymes: -ʌb
Forms: form: flubs
form: flubbing
form: flubbed
form: flubbed
Etymology: Possibly suggested by fluff and flop. First appeared in the US as a verb c. 1924, and as a noun c. 1953.
Senses: examples: text: ‘Stage fright? So? What are you babbling ′bout? You′re mad as a snake!’
‘Ever since I was a kid. I was in the Christmas Pageant one year and flubbed my line.’
‘What was your line?’
‘I told you I flubbed it!’ he mouthed these words hysterically.
ref: 2003, Trevor Pearson, Living Strictly fore! Pleasure, pages 88–89:
text: The actor that detained her had one line in that particular scene and flubbed it. And then flubbed it again...and again. And again, all the while assuring the director and the crew that he ‘knew his lines’ and then flubbed them again.
ref: 2008, D. L. White, Acting For Film And Television, page 37:
text: But even after the film ended, Jackie left his audience happy by including outtakes during the end credits — but not outtakes of flubbed lines (as in Cannonball Run) ... outtakes of flubbed stunts (including some painful shots of the bar room brawl and clock-tower fall that go horribly wrong)!
ref: 2011, Ric Meyers, Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book, page 129:
glosses: To goof, fumble, or err in the performance of an action.
Derived terms: flubber
Related terms: flub up
uvula
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈjuː.vjʊl.ə/
ipa: /ˈju.vjəl.ə/
homophone: uvular (non-rhotic)
Forms: form: uvulae
form: uvulas
form: uvulæ
Etymology: Borrowed from Late Latin ūvula, diminutive of ūva (“grape”).
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
synonyms: staphyle
glosses: Ellipsis of palatine uvula, the fleshy appendage that hangs from the back of the soft palate, that closes the nasopharynx during swallowing.
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: the slight elevation in the mucous membrane immediately behind the internal urethral orifice of the urinary bladder, caused by the middle lobe of the prostate
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: an object so suspended inside a bell that it may hit the bell and cause it to ring; a clapper
Derived terms: uvulatome
uvulatomy
uvulo-
uvul-
Related terms: word: uvular
Kafkaesque
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌkæfkəˈʔɛsk/
note: intrusive R
ipa: /ˌkæfkəˈɹɛsk/
ipa: /ˌkæfkəˈɛsk/
ipa: /ˌkɑfkəˈʔɛsk/
ipa: /ˌkæfkəˈʔɛsk/
ipa: /ˌkɑfkəˈɛsk/
ipa: /ˌkæfkəˈɛsk/
rhymes: -ɛsk
Forms: form: more Kafkaesque
form: most Kafkaesque
Etymology: From Kafka + -esque, after writer Franz Kafka.
Senses: examples: text: Kafkaesque bureaucracies
text: In the end, Jesus is not only a Kafkaesque, lonely, holy man, abandoned in his death and despised by his own people, but his teaching is not even considered to be like that of the Jewish Sages.
ref: 2001, David Flusser, Jesus (3d ed; Jerusalem: Magnes), →ISBN, page 250:
text: The world is increasingly becoming a Single Central Europe with its Kafkaesque anonymity, Musilesque human-traits-free individuality, or the divided individual without individuality and indivisibility, Orwellesque Newspeak and total control, if not manufacturing, of history.
ref: 2011, L. Donskis, Modernity in Crisis: A Dialogue on the Culture of Belonging:
text: Imagine a city like Los Angeles disappearing from the map completely. That's exactly what happened to Chaohu, a city in eastern China's Anhui province with a similar population — about 4 million. The people have remained, but the city has vanished in an administrative sleight of hand.
That was the Kafkaesque reality for Chaohu's inhabitants, who went to bed one night and woke up the morning of Aug. 22 to find out that their city no longer existed. For many, their first inkling that something had changed was from the local news.
ref: 2011 September 21, Louisa Lim, “The Curious Case Of The Vanishing Chinese City”, in NPR, archived from the original on 21 Sep 2011, Asia:
glosses: Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity.
glosses: Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of looming danger.
glosses: In the manner of something written by Franz Kafka.
Related terms: Kafkaian
Kafkatrap
Kafkian
Dickensian
Orwellian
dishevelled
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈʃɛvəld/
ipa: /dɪsˈʃɛvəld/
Forms: form: more dishevelled
form: most dishevelled
form: disheveled
Etymology: From earlier dishevely, from Old French deschevelé (modern French déchevelé and échevelé), from des- (“dis-”), + chevel (“hair”) (modern French cheveu). See there for more details.
Senses: synonyms: messy
scraggly
tousled
unkempt
untidy
glosses: With the hair uncombed.
raw_tags: of a person
examples: text: The men resided in a huge bunk house, which consisted of one room only, with a shack utside where the cooking was done. In the large room were a dozen bunks ; half of them in a very dishevelled state, […]
ref: 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 6, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
text: “Wild-eyed and disheveled, King Hrethel roamed every night through his throne room, which was empty and still.”
ref: 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 43:
text: This is a crazy, dishevelled, often hilarious film, in which lightning flashes of wit and insight crackle periodically across a plane of tedium. I sometimes felt I was watching the 100-hour version.
ref: 2018 August 31, Peter Bradshaw, “The Other Side of the Wind review – lost Orson Welles epic is hurricane of anger and wit”, in The Guardian:
synonyms: untidy
slovenly
glosses: Disorderly or untidy in appearance.
Derived terms: dishevelledly
shevelled
undishevelled
dishevelled
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈʃɛvəld/
ipa: /dɪsˈʃɛvəld/
Forms: form: disheveled
Etymology: From earlier dishevely, from Old French deschevelé (modern French déchevelé and échevelé), from des- (“dis-”), + chevel (“hair”) (modern French cheveu). See there for more details.
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of dishevel
antacid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ænˈtæsɪd/
rhymes: -æsɪd
Forms: form: antacids
Etymology: From anti- + acid.
Senses: examples: text: Until Tagamet (cimetidine), most major drug companies didn't take tummy troubles terribly seriously. Oh sure, Americans gorped down antacids almost like candy, but most pharmaceutical big wigs probably wrote that off to our penchant for eating junk food on the run.
ref: 1985, Joe Graedon, Teresa Graedon, The New People's Pharmacy: Drug Breakthroughs for the '80s, Bantam, →ISBN, page 134:
text: I'm on warm milk and laxatives
 Cherry-flavored antacids
ref: 1993, “Pennyroyal Tea”, in In Utero, performed by Nirvana:
glosses: An agent that counteracts or neutralizes acidity, especially in the stomach.
antacid
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ænˈtæsɪd/
rhymes: -æsɪd
Forms: form: more antacid
form: most antacid
Etymology: From anti- + acid.
Senses: glosses: Counteracting or neutralizing acidity, especially in the stomach.
choke
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: chōk
ipa: /t͡ʃəʊk/
ipa: /t͡ʃoʊk/
rhymes: -əʊk
Forms: form: chokes
form: choak
form: choake
form: chock
Etymology: From Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke.
Senses: glosses: A control on a carburetor to adjust the air/fuel mixture when the engine is cold.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: In wrestling, karate (etc.), a type of hold that can result in strangulation.
glosses: A constriction at the muzzle end of a shotgun barrel which affects the spread of the shot.
glosses: A partial or complete blockage (of boulders, mud, etc.) in a cave passage.
topics: business
electrical-engineering
electricity
electromagnetism
electronics
energy
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: A choking coil.
glosses: A major mistake at a crucial stage of a competition because one is nervous, especially when one is winning.
Derived terms: air choke
blood choke
breadcutter choke
chokable
choke a darkie
choke back
chokeberry
chokebore
choke chain
choker chain
chokecherry
choke-children
choke collar
choke damp
chokedamp
choke-dog
choke down
choke-full
choke-hold
choke hold
chokehold
choke off
choke on
choke out
choke pear
chokepoint
choke point
choke price
choke-priest
choker
chokeslam
chokestrap
choke the chicken
choke the luff
choke tube
choke up
chokey
choky
chokily
choking bloom
choking coil
chokecoil
chokingly
dechoke
enough to choke a horse
full choke
guillotine choke
multichoke
nonchoked
one throat to choke
rear naked choke
rope and choke
too much pudding will choke a dog
unchoke
choke
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: chōk
ipa: /t͡ʃəʊk/
ipa: /t͡ʃoʊk/
rhymes: -əʊk
Forms: form: chokes
Etymology: Back-formation from artichoke.
Senses: examples: text: Once all the leaves are gone, a hairy little island will remain in the middle of the artichoke. This is the “choke.” A gentleman uses his knife and fork to slice it away, uncovering the delicious artichoke “heart” underneath.
ref: [2004, John Bridges, Bryan Curtis, A Gentleman at the Table, Thomas Nelson, →ISBN, page 60:
glosses: The mass of immature florets in the centre of the bud of an artichoke.
wet blanket
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: wet blankets
Etymology: Suggesting that such a person would extinguish fun in the same manner a wet blanket can smother and extinguish a fire.
Senses: synonyms: word: buzzkill
word: killjoy
word: spoilsport
word: buzzkill
word: cold fish
word: dampener
word: downer
word: fun sponge
word: grinch
word: joy killer
word: killjoy
word: miserabilist
word: party pooper
word: spoilsport
word: stick in the mud
word: wet blanket
word: wet rag
glosses: A person who takes the fun out of a situation or activity, as by pessimism, demands, dullness, etc.
glosses: A timid person; one who lacks confidence; a wimp.
glosses: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wet, blanket.
Derived terms: throw a wet blanket on
wet blanket
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: wet blankets
form: wet blanketing
form: wet blanketed
form: wet blanketed
Etymology: Suggesting that such a person would extinguish fun in the same manner a wet blanket can smother and extinguish a fire.
Senses: examples: text: I say almost because I could still hear Ted trying his best to wet blanket Webster's Halloween costume idea.
ref: 2014, Helen Oyeyemi, Boy, Snow, Bird, →ISBN:
text: The secretary of the state retail association recently seen wet blanketed the whole thing, doubting the possibility of representative figures, or of getting the dealers to tell the truth, at least when business was poor and they begin to cut the prices of their competitors.
ref: 1926, United States. Forest Service, Forest Research Bi-Monthly Report, page 33:
text: Nevertheless there is a certain handicap to the child who has been snubbed, mocked, jeered, wet blanketed and undervalued.
ref: 1911, American Motherhood - Volumes 32-33, page 311:
glosses: Alternative form of wet-blanket.
sharp cookie
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: sharp cookies
Senses: examples: text: She's a sharp cookie and will have no trouble seeing a sales pitch for what it is.
glosses: One who is intelligent, bright, or sharp; especially, one who can identify attempts to deceive or mislead.
Synonyms: smart cookie
first rate
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of first-rate.
first rate
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: first rates
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of first-rate.
top of the line
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: top-of-the-line
Senses: examples: text: When you buy a top-of-the-line refrigerator, you expect it to work for many years.
text: Ohh, you can't fool me. This thing's top of the line! It's got two contrast knobs!
ref: 2009 May 4, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Hremail #7”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman):
antonyms: bottom of the line
glosses: The best, or of the highest quality, especially among a range of products.
blow off steam
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: blows off steam
form: blowing off steam
form: blew off steam
form: blown off steam
Etymology: Relief valves released the excess pressure in a steam engine to prevent the boiler from exploding.
Senses: examples: text: Don't take it personally when he shouts like that. He's just blowing off steam.
text: I told her she could call me and talk any time she wanted to blow off steam.
synonyms: blow off one's steam
let off steam
glosses: To vent; to talk or take action (especially in a ranting or unrestrained way) so as to relieve stress.
glosses: To do something to get rid of excess energy or worry, especially exercise or diversion.
Related terms: blow-off
blowoff
automagically
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more automagically
form: most automagically
Etymology: From automagical + -ly.
Senses: glosses: In an automagical manner; happening seemingly without effort.
under someone's nose
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: I searched for my glasses for twenty minutes, and finally found them right under my nose.
glosses: directly in front of one; clearly visible
examples: text: If we had paid more attention, we would have found that answer was under our noses the whole time.
glosses: obvious or apparent
grundle
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɹʌndəl/
rhymes: -ʌndəl
Forms: form: grundles
Etymology: Possibly Utah colloquial from Blend of group + bundle.
Senses: examples: text: We won't completely explain why this approach works — just trust us and save a grundle of work.
ref: 1981, Paul A. Randle, Philip R. Swensen, Personal Financial Planning for Executives, page 263:
text: We've got a grundle of push buttons, but nobody has to remember what mode they're in.
ref: 1986, Theatre Crafts, page 54:
text: The guy's got a grundle of money; everyone's really excited, but one of the investors is a little bit nervous about this guy.
ref: 1994, West Virginia Bar Association, Annual Report of the West Virginia Bar Association, page 56:
text: This meant that for all but the richest families, the best sort of woman was one who could bear a grundle of children while working like a plowhorse.
ref: 1997, Martha Nibley Beck, Breaking Point, page 66:
text: For a grundle of ideas, go visit the website
glosses: A big bunch, lots.
grundle
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɹʌndəl/
rhymes: -ʌndəl
Forms: form: grundles
Etymology: Alteration of grumble.
Senses: glosses: A small grumble.
grundle
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɹʌndəl/
rhymes: -ʌndəl
Forms: form: grundles
form: grundling
form: grundled
form: grundled
Etymology: Alteration of grumble.
Senses: glosses: To emit a grumble, or a lesser version thereof
grundle
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɹʌndəl/
rhymes: -ʌndəl
Forms: form: grundles
Etymology: Unknown. See grundy.
Senses: examples: text: I placed a finger, then two, on his grundle for added pleasure.
ref: 2008, “A Taste for You”, in Jazz, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 10:
text: I hit the flush button and I feel the air from the VCHT (vacuum, collection, and holding tank) system pass over my grundle. That one full second of cool air down below is one of the few perks of the day and of the job.
ref: 2009, Terence Fitzgibbons, Assumed the Watch, Moored as Before: An Alternative Naval Officer's Guide, Xlibris, published 2009, →ISBN, page 37:
text: Lost in his bliss, he doesn't protest when she presses a spit-slicked finger to his grundle, or when she slips it lower, then deeper.
ref: 2009, Cate Robertson, “Half-Crown Doxy”, in Susie Bright, editor, Bitten: Dark Erotic Stories, Chronicle Books, →ISBN, page 126:
glosses: The perineum; the area between the anus and genitals.
Synonyms: perineum
grundle
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɹʌndəl/
rhymes: -ʌndəl
Forms: form: grundles
Senses: glosses: A holloway; a kind of ancient road or track.
sticking point
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: sticking points
form: sticking-point
Senses: examples: text: The question of representing inside workers was a sticking point.
ref: 1934 July 30, “41,000 Years' Work”, in Time:
text: A major sticking point had arisen over draft article IV of the proposed treaty dealing with the disputed Antarctic claims and rights.
ref: 2002, H. Robert Hall, "Casey and the Negotiation of the Antarctic Treaty" in Jabour-Green, J. & Haward, M. (eds.) The Antarctic: Past, Present and Future: Antarctic CRC Research Report #28, Hobart, pp.27-33
text: A key sticking point is RDG's requirement of introducing driver-only operation (DOO) on all routes where it can be installed now, and for all future new train deliveries.
ref: 2022 December 14, Mel Holley, “Network News: Strikes go on as RMT rejects RDG's "detrimental" offer”, in RAIL, number 972, page 8:
text: The sticking point is over whether the legislation can be used for enforcement of ‘Urban Vehicle Access Regulations’ (UVARs) such as the Stockholm congestion charge, or the Brussels low emissions zone (which bans the most polluting vehicles).
ref: 2024 March 8, Ellen Townsend – Policy Director, “Opinion – Will Foreign Drivers Continue Getting Away with Breaking the Law?”, in ETSC:
glosses: A disputed issue or state of affairs that causes an interruption or outright impasse in progress towards some goal or resolution, especially in negotiation or argumentation.
examples: text: It warmed his feelings to the sticking point.
ref: 1842, James Fennimore Cooper, chapter 4, in The Wing and Wing:
text: I could not screw my courage to the sticking point.
ref: 1913, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 3, in The Golden Road:
glosses: The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking-place.
Related terms: pinch point
impasse
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈæmpɑːs/
ipa: /æmˈpɑːs/
ipa: /ˈɪmpɑːs/
ipa: /ɪmˈpɑːs/
ipa: /ˈɪmpæs/
ipa: /ɪmˈpæs/
Forms: form: impasses
Etymology: Borrowed from French impasse.
Senses: glosses: A road with no exit; a cul-de-sac.
examples: text: “It seems to me the thing's an impasse. French expression,” I explained, “meaning that we're stymied good and proper with no hope of finding a formula.”
ref: 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XIV:
text: "Young man, this town is at a bit of an impasse. If you have any suggestion that might help, now would be the time to voice it."
ref: 2010, Clare Vanderpool, Moon Over Manifest:
text: The agreement, which falls short of the sprawling changes championed by Democrats, is a significant step toward ending a yearslong impasse over gun reform legislation.
ref: 2022 June 12, Emily Cochrane, Annie Karni, “Senators Reach Bipartisan Deal on Gun Safety”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
glosses: A deadlock or stalemate situation in which no progress can be made.
stumbling block
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: stumbling blocks
form: stumbling-block
form: stumbling blocke
Etymology: Probably originally from Romans 14:13 or 1 Corinthians 8:9 in the King James Version of the Bible, translating Koine Greek πρόσκομμα (próskomma).
Senses: examples: text: Idioms are a common stumbling block for learners of a language.
text: And by opting not to enforce the law in the recent strikes, industry leaders signalled a reluctance to aggravate a dispute in which many believe the stumbling block is not TOCs, but the Westminster government.
ref: 2024 March 20, Conrad Landin, “"Farcical" Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act isn't working”, in RAIL, number 1005, page 24:
synonyms: word: bar
word: drag
word: barrier
word: bone in the throat
word: bump in the road
word: hindrance
word: impediment
word: obstruction
word: obstacle
word: encumbrance
word: hurdle
word: roadblock
word: stumbling block
word: hitch
glosses: A hindrance, obstacle or impediment; an opportunity for error.
Related terms: stumbling stock
stumbling stone
stepping stone
building block
Aegis cruiser
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Aegis cruisers
Senses: topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: An Aegis class cruiser.
break even
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: breaks even
form: breaking even
form: broke even
form: broken even
Senses: examples: text: After an entire night playing poker, he nearly broke even.
text: The BTC had no clear plan how to fulfil its remit to break even, year-on-year.
ref: 2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 43:
glosses: To neither gain nor lose money.
examples: text: It's a lot of work just to break even and keep the weeds down.
glosses: To stay the same; to neither advance nor regress.
Derived terms: break-even
break-even point
break-even time
Related terms: pay for itself
wash its face
follow suit
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: follows suit
form: following suit
form: followed suit
form: followed suit
Senses: topics: card-games
games
glosses: To play a card of the same suit as the previous or leading card.
examples: text: If you are not sure of the proper etiquette, watch what others do and follow suit.
text: After World War II it took time to clear up the arrears of track maintenance on both lines and it was not until 1953 that the L.M.R. restored any two-hour schedules, the W.R. following suit a year later.
ref: 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 98:
text: The wise man built his words upon the rocks / But I'm not bound to follow suit
ref: 1984, “So. Central Rain”, in Reckoning, performed by R.E.M.:
text: I had a natural African American impulse to let this worldlywise middle-aged black woman's maternalism wash over me. And as a post-civil rights African American, I assumed that it was a white audience's job to follow suit.
ref: 2014 May 28, John McWhorter, “Saint Maya”, in The New Republic, →ISSN:
text: But unless there is a Damascene conversion in the Treasury, the chances of the UK Government following suit currently look slim.
ref: 2022 May 4, Anthony Lambert, “A revolution in ticketing”, in RAIL, number 956, page 33:
glosses: To follow an example; to imitate or copy the actions of another.
absent-mindedness
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd.nəs/
Forms: form: absent-mindednesses
Etymology: From absent-minded + -ness.
Senses: examples: text: I don't mean to make mistakes; it's just absent-mindedness.
text: For six years they had taken care of him and loved him—watched over his outgoings and his incomings and forgiven all his absent-mindednesses.
synonyms: absence of mind
antonyms: presence of mind
;
mindfulness
coordinate_terms: mindlessness
thoughtlessness
empty-headedness
glosses: The characteristic or state of being easily distracted or preoccupied.
Related terms: absent-minded
absent-mindedly
flesh out
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: fleshes out
form: fleshing out
form: fleshed out
form: fleshed out
Senses: examples: text: The model shows the basics, but we still need to flesh out the details.
synonyms: round out#English:_flesh out with more details
glosses: To complete; to create details from a basic outline, structure, or skeleton.
Related terms: word: bare bones
word: fill in
word: fill out
word: flush out
word: put meat on the bones
english: essentials
translation: essentials
word: skeleton
word: skeletonized
drag one's feet
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: drags one's feet
form: dragging one's feet
form: dragged one's feet
form: dragged one's feet
Etymology: From the idea of walking while dragging one's feet along the ground, either from lack of enthusiasm or to intentionally slow down movement. Compare dig in one's heels (“firmly oppose”).
Senses: examples: text: I have been dragging my feet about filing my taxes.
text: There was much to love about this last season, from the tense opening barfight to the finale shootout with the IRA, which was so disorientingly murky and gas-filled it felt otherworldly. But it struggled to ever quite get going, with the first five episodes dragging their feet in a way that began to frustrate.
ref: 2022 December 27, Alexi Duggins, Hollie Richardson, Kate Abbott, “The Rings of Power to Conversations With Friends: 2022’s TV letdowns”, in The Guardian:
glosses: To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.
synonyms: slow-walk
dilly-dally
glosses: To intentionally stall, to delay, to obstruct.
Derived terms: foot-dragging
Related terms: word: delaying tactic
word: dig in one's heels
word: long finger
action item
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: action items
Senses: examples: text: Please take the issue of database maintenance fees as an action item for next week.
topics: management
synonyms: action point
glosses: A task; especially, regarding an agenda item discussed in a meeting that requires further activity or investigation in order to reach a conclusion, select an alternative, or implement a change.
spotlight
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈspɒtˌlaɪt/
ipa: /ˈspɑtˌlaɪt/
ipa: /ˈspɔtˌlɑɪt/
Forms: form: spotlights
Etymology: From spot + light.
Senses: glosses: A bright, directional light or lamp, especially one used to illuminate the focus or center of attention on a stage.
glosses: The circle of light shed by a spotlight.
examples: text: Some people enjoy the spotlight.
glosses: The center of attention; the highlight or most important part.
glosses: A showcase.
Hypernyms: light
Derived terms: in the spotlight
spotlight effect
spotlight
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈspɒtˌlaɪt/
ipa: /ˈspɑtˌlaɪt/
ipa: /ˈspɔtˌlɑɪt/
Forms: form: spotlights
form: spotlighting
form: spotlighted
form: spotlighted
form: spotlit
form: spotlit
Etymology: From spot + light.
Senses: examples: text: We spotlight the star, but the supporting cast has all the great lines in this scene.
text: The first act of Me & Julie presents Mr. Short in a black tie at his piano, beneath a golden arched proscenium, spotlighted on an otherwise dark stage.
ref: 1984 April 14, Michael Bronski, “Sophistication and Verve”, in Gay Community News, page 18:
glosses: To illuminate with a spotlight.
examples: text: The news series served to spotlight corruption.
glosses: To draw attention to.
glosses: Synonym of jacklight (“to use a spotlight in hunting animals”).
synonyms: word: jacklight
extra: to use a spotlight in hunting animals
Hypernyms: light
penitence
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: pĕnʹĭ-təns
Forms: form: penitences
form: pænitence
Etymology: First attested circa 13th century, from Middle English penitence, from Old French penitence, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”), from paenitēns (“penitent”), present active participle of paeniteō (“regret, repent”). Equivalent to penitent + -ence. Doublet of penance.
Senses: examples: text: an assassin who misses his aim and flounders into penitence much as that discomfortable drama misses its point and stumbles into vacuity
ref: 1886, Algernon Charles Swinburne, The Age of Shakespeare, John Webster:
text: As for the moral turpitude that man unveiled to me, even with tears of penitence, I cannot, even in memory, dwell on it without a start of horror.
ref: 1886, Robert Louis Stevensony, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
text: Away, Remorse! / Compunction, hence!. / Go, Moral Force! / Go, Penitence!
ref: 1887, W. S. Gilbert, Ruddigore, Act II:
glosses: The condition of being penitent; a feeling of regret or remorse for doing wrong or sinning.
Synonyms: compunction
contrition
remorse
repentance
penance
atonement
post-war
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: postwar
Etymology: From post- + war.
Senses: glosses: Pertaining to a period of time immediately following the end of a war; where there is a cessation of conflict.
After the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.
examples: text: Some old, underfired clay pantiles might be damaged by button mosses rooting in cracks and fissures. But most post-war tiles are hard enough to withstand a bit of moss growth.
ref: 2014 October 26, Jeff Howell, “Is the Japanese knotweed threat exaggerated? Our troubleshooter calls for calm about Japanese knotweed in the garden – and moss on the roof [print version: Don't panic about an overhyped invasion, 25 October 2014, p. P13]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property), archived from the original on 21 Jan 2015:
text: [...] after the original Victorian station was demolished and then entombed in concrete in the 1960s, Birmingham New Street became a byword for the worst excesses of the much-loathed Brutalist architecture so widely used to reconstruct inner-city post-war Britain.
ref: 2020 July 29, Paul Stephen, “A new collaboration centred on New Street”, in Rail, page 54:
glosses: Pertaining to a period of time immediately following the end of a war; where there is a cessation of conflict.
After the end of World War II in 1945.
Synonyms: postbellum
Coordinate terms: interwar
placeshifting
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From place + shifting.
Senses: glosses: The act or habit of watching or listening to live or recorded media on a remote device via the Internet or over a network.
Related terms: time shifting
spaceshifting
personal conduct
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: examples: text: His personal conduct is above reproach.
glosses: A set of precepts that one individual tries to observe in daily life. For example, precepts of preserving human life, speaking truthfully, or being nice to people.
examples: text: His personal conduct needs to be evaluated.
glosses: The way a person behaves.
Related terms: ethics
moral code
pre-war
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹiːˈwɔː/
ipa: /pɹiˈwɔɹ/
Forms: form: prewar
Etymology: From pre- + war.
Senses: examples: For quotations using this term, see Citations:prewar.
glosses: Before a war.
glosses: Before a war.
Before the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.
glosses: Before a war.
Before the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
glosses: Before a war.
Before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Especially pre-war architecture: buildings (particularly in and around New York) built between 1900 and about 1940.
glosses: Before a war.
Before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Between the end of World War I in 1918 and the outbreak of World War II in 1939; interwar, especially Weimar Republic Germany.
Synonyms: antebellum
Coordinate terms: interwar
reeducation
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: reeducations
Etymology: From re- + education.
Senses: glosses: The act of educating again or anew so as to rehabilitate or adapt to new situations.
glosses: Involuntary political indoctrination.
Derived terms: reeducation camp
polycontexturality
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: Gotthard Gunther coined the term. His school of second-order cybernetics is the foundation of polycontextural logic.
Senses: topics: human-sciences
philosophy
sciences
glosses: A school of thought regarding subjectivity, involving a large number of contexts and viewpoints that cannot be reconciled.
wikipedia: Gotthard Gunther