cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
cut and thrust
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cut-and-thrust
Etymology: A metaphor referring to swordplay.
Senses: examples: text: He never got used to the cut and thrust of political debate.
text: He likes the cut and thrust, the falls, bruises, and dry blows of an argument: as to any good or useful results that may come of the amicable settling of it, any one is welcome to them for him.
ref: 1821–1822, William Hazlitt, “Character of Cobbett”, in Table-Talk; or, Original Essays, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Warren; Henry Colburn and Co.:
text: Several cabinet ministers, including Nadine Dorries and Michael Gove, have since defended the remarks, however, with the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, calling it part of the “cut and thrust” of parliamentary debate.
ref: 2022 February 3, Heather Stewart, quoting Dominic Raab, “Boris Johnson’s policy chief quits over PM’s ‘scurrilous’ Savile remark”, in The Guardian:
text: This might all simply be the cut and thrust of business.
ref: 2022 December 14, Philip Haigh, “Open access services on their way to South Wales”, in RAIL, number 972, page 54:
text: For quotations using this term, see Citations:cut and thrust.
glosses: The use of vehement arguments.
diplomatic bag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: diplomatic bags
Senses: examples: text: King's Messenger, 1918-1940: Memoirs of a Silver Greyhound. By George P. Antrobus, O.B.E., King's Foreign Service Messenger 1918-1940. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd. Price 10s 6d net. [...] His occasional journeys with the diplomatic bags was not a task the author greatly relished.
ref: 1941 October, “Railway Literature”, in Railway Magazine, page 480:
glosses: A container with letters etc from representatives of a given country to another country, which has immunity from examination by customs officials.
Synonyms: word: diplomatic pouch
diplomatic pouch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: diplomatic pouches
Senses: glosses: A diplomatic bag.
HDCP
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: Initialism of High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection.
HDCP
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: HDCPs
Senses: topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Abbreviation of handicap.
deliver the goods
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: delivers the goods
form: delivering the goods
form: delivered the goods
form: delivered the goods
Senses: examples: text: The government promised a lot, but failed to deliver the goods.
text: […] many drivers who fired those engines in their hey-day have all confirmed to me that they were free-steaming machines, which when pressed could "deliver the goods".
ref: 1959 February, A. G. Dunbar, “The "Dunalastair I" 4-4-0s of the Caledonian”, in Trains Illustrated, page 85:
text: Euro 2022 stars Beth Mead, Alessia Russo and Toone all came off the bench to help inspire a comeback and it was the Manchester United midfielder, who scored the opening goal in that European success at Wembley, who delivered the goods again.
ref: 2023 December 1, Emma Sanders, “England 3-2 Netherlands”, in BBC Sport:
text: Empowered staff deliver the goods and exceed your expectations. Disempowered staff develop a 'sullen obedience' where they stop driving new initiatives and just await orders.
ref: 2024 January 10, Chris Green, “Empowered...energised... and managing for success”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 22:
glosses: To do what was promised or expected.
Related terms: make good on
fallout shelter
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: fallout shelters
form: fall-out shelter
Senses: glosses: A thick-walled building, usually under the ground, built so that people can keep away from dust after a nuclear explosion.
fall-out shelter
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: fall-out shelters
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of fallout shelter.
flat rate
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: flat rates
Senses: examples: text: Customers are expected to pay a flat rate of £15 monthly.
glosses: a rate (typically of money) that does not vary over time
Related terms: word: flat-rate
word: flat tax
word: lump sum
word: all-inclusive
word: charge-out rate
word: standard fee
word: fixed price
word: annual fee
word: quarterly fee etc
flat-rate
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: examples: a flat-rate contribution
glosses: Being or relating to a flat rate.
flying visit
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: flying visits
Senses: examples: text: My favorite novelist was on a flying visit to London last week for a book signing.
text: Rishi Sunak is not interested in the climate emergency – and everyone knows it. Forced to make a flying visit to Cop27, Mr Sunak’s intransigence made him an outcast at the UN summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
ref: 2022 November 7, “The Guardian view on Rishi Sunak’s Cop27 trip: placing the planet on a road to hell”, in The Guardian:
text: COVID seems to have increased traffic to such locations, as 'staycations' have become more popular. But for me, it's a flying visit. I am merely changing trains to continue along the coast to Hastings, aboard another Southern Class 377.
ref: 2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 55:
glosses: A very short visit.
Synonyms: whistle-stop
go off the boil
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: goes off the boil
form: going off the boil
form: went off the boil
form: gone off the boil
Senses: examples: text: All puddings must be boiled in plenty of water, turned frequently, kept closely covered, and never allowed to go off the boil.
ref: 1891, Nelson A. Dunning, editor, The Farmers' Alliance History and Agricultural Digest:
text: That is the reason for the coin. You will be able to hear it dancing about, and it will tell you if the water goes off the boil or is getting dangerously low.
ref: 1972, Diana Kennedy, Craig Claibourne, The Cuisines of Mexico:
glosses: To cease to boil when heat is no longer applied.
examples: text: As one of the rearguard put it, "We laid up until the Hun had gone off the boil a bit and slipped out the following night."
ref: 1955, John Baker White, The Big Lie:
text: But John, not surprisingly, has gone off the boil, and feels nothing for Annette so strongly as an intense weariness and desire to be rid of her.
ref: 1987, Rosalind Miles, The Female Form: Women Writers and the Conquest of the Novel:
text: Wednesday to Shadow, "I don't sleep. It's overrated. A bad habit I do my best to avoid - in company, wherever possible, and the young lady may go off the boil if I don't get back to her."
ref: 2004, Neil Gaiman, American Gods:
text: By then we'd gone off the boil sexually and he was even less keen than I was about 'marriedness', so it was more like friends deciding to share a flat than the setting-up of a ménage.
ref: 2009, Diana Athill, Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir:
glosses: To lose interest; to pall.
glosses: To diminish in intensity or urgency.
glosses: To become less successful.
Related terms: be off the boil
be on the boil
bring to the boil
come off the boil
come on the boil
come to the boil
go on the boil
return to the boil
nullomer
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: nullomers
Senses: topics: biology
genetics
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
glosses: A sequence of bases (in a nucleic acid) that is absent in one species (especially human) but may be present in others.
Related terms: peptoprime
peptoprime
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: peptoprimes
Senses: topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A sequence of amino acids that has never been found in any protein in any species; some of these sequences may be incompatible with life.
Related terms: nullomer
hammer out
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: hammers out
form: hammering out
form: hammered out
form: hammered out
Senses: examples: text: Two years after the flood, my lawyer managed to hammer out a settlement with my insurance company over the damages.
text: In New York City, property owners seeking to rebound from the storm will have to feel their way through a wilderness of new flood maps, revamped building codes and land-use ordinances, along with a host of other measures addressing the specific needs of storm-battered communities — all of which have yet to be hammered out and adopted.
ref: 2012 December 21, David M. Halbfinger, Charles V. Bagli, Sarah Maslin Nir, “On Ravaged Coastline, It’s Rebuild Deliberately vs. Rebuild Now”, in New York Times:
text: Over the next week and a half, diplomats will have to hammer out rules around international carbon markets and figure out how to deliver on a still-unmet promise from more than a decade ago to deliver $100 billion annually by 2020 to help poor countries pivot away from fossil fuels and prepare for the impact of climate change.
ref: 2021 November 2, Jim Tankersley, Katie Rogers, Lisa Friedman, “With Methane and Forest Deals, Climate Summit Offers Hope After Gloomy Start”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
text: He really doesn't know when to shut up and leave it to those at the heart of the negotiations, who fully understand and appreciate all the nuances, to try and hammer out a deal.
ref: 2022 August 10, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Striking a fair balance”, in RAIL, number 963, page 3:
glosses: To come to (a difficult agreement or settlement) after much arguing and conflict.
hard-liner
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: hard-liners
form: hardliner
Etymology: From hard line + -er.
Senses: examples: text: Because of what was perceived as his sensitive and fair handling of the "Revere Cases," Butters became the subject of much criticism from hard-liners in law enforcement.
ref: 1980 February 9, Mitzel, “Man Sentenced to Total Of 39 Years on Charges of Child Pornography, Rape”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 28, page 3:
text: The hardliners, persistent in their belief that the UK would in the end be afforded special treatment by the EU, have served only to undermine the very mandate they seek to protect.
ref: 2019 March 13, Oliver Norgrove, “Hypnotised by cake and unicorns, the Brexit perfectionists have blown it”, in The Guardian:
text: As hard-liners gain power within a group, they drive out moderates; what remains of the group is even more extreme, which drives out even more moderates; and so on.
ref: 2021 January 29, Paul Krugman, “The G.O.P. Is in a Doom Loop of Bizarro”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
glosses: A person who takes a firm and uncompromising position on some policy.
Derived terms: soft-liner
supercontinuum
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: supercontinua
Etymology: From super- + continuum.
Senses: topics: natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: light having both high spatial coherence and broad spectral bandwidth; i.e. laser light that is not monochromatic
smirch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
Forms: form: smirches
form: smurch
form: smerch
Etymology: From Middle English *smorchen ("to spatter, soil"; attested in besmorchid (“bespattered, soiled all over”)), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a derivative of Middle English smeoren, smuren, smeren (“to smear”) or related to Middle English smotry (“sooty, grimy”). Compare also Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”), Old French esmorcher (“to torture”), Middle English smoterly, smoterlich (“besmirched”), modern English smut.
Senses: examples: text: Too often, in the years between 800 and 1050, the everyday sun declined through the smirch of flame and smoke of a monastery or town robbed and burnt.
ref: 1998, Michael Foss, People of the First Crusade, →ISBN, page 6:
glosses: Dirt, or a stain.
examples: text: there were some business transactions which savored of dangerous speculation, if not dishonesty; and around it all lay the smirch of the Freedmen's Bank.
ref: 2008, W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk, →ISBN, page 33:
glosses: A stain on somebody's reputation.
smirch
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
Forms: form: smirches
form: smirching
form: smirched
form: smirched
form: smurch
form: smerch
Etymology: From Middle English *smorchen ("to spatter, soil"; attested in besmorchid (“bespattered, soiled all over”)), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a derivative of Middle English smeoren, smuren, smeren (“to smear”) or related to Middle English smotry (“sooty, grimy”). Compare also Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”), Old French esmorcher (“to torture”), Middle English smoterly, smoterlich (“besmirched”), modern English smut.
Senses: examples: text: CELIA. I'll put myself in poor and mean attire, / And with a kind of umber smirch my face; / The like do you; so shall we pass along, / And never stir assailants.
ref: c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], lines 101–104:
text: Girls thought that by leaping over the fires without being smirched they made sure of a happy marriage.
ref: 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 10, page 108:
synonyms: besmirch
soil
glosses: To dirty; to make dirty.
synonyms: besmirch
glosses: To harm the reputation of; to smear or slander.
Derived terms: besmirch
smirch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
Forms: form: smirches
Etymology: Blend of smear + chirp.
Senses: examples: text: The strain h(t) produced by a smirch in LISA is given by h(t) = −-A(t)cos[(t) + φ(t)]
ref: 2003, B. S. Sathyaprakash, BF Schutz, “Templates for stellar mass black holes falling into supermassive black holes”, in Classical and Quantum Gravity, volume 20, number 10:
text: By observing a smirch, LISA offers a unique opportunity to directly map the spacetime geometry around the central object and test whether or not this structure is in accordance with the expectations of general realtivity.
ref: 2005, John M. T. Thompson, Advances in Astronomy: From the Big Bang to the Solar System, →ISBN, page 133:
topics: astronomy
natural-sciences
glosses: A chirp of radiation power from an astronomical body that has a smeared appearance on its plot in the time-frequency plane (usually associated with massive bodies orbiting supermassive black holes)
epicardial
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Of or pertaining to the epicardium
Derived terms: epicardially
myoepicardial
proepicardial
subepicardial
transepicardial
epicardium
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: epicardiums
form: epicardia
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin epi- (“over”) + Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía, “heart”). Attested in English from the 19th century.
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: The layer of tissue between the pericardium and the heart.
Derived terms: epicarditis
proepicardium
subepicardium
in camera
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin in camerā (“in the chamber”).
Senses: glosses: In secret or in private (in an enclosed room, behind closed doors).
examples: text: The trial was held in camera because the accused was a minor.
text: Ma'am, I must protest most strongly your decision to conduct this inquest in camera.
ref: 2011, M. R. Hall, The Disappeared: A Jenny Cooper Mystery, →ISBN, page 309:
text: Any transcription of the proceedings at the in camera hearing, as well as any physical evidence presented at the hearing, shall be ordered sealed by the court, and only a court may have access to its contents.
ref: 2014, John Snape, California Evidence Code 2014, →ISBN, page 43:
text: An inquest in camera and they would all be vindicated.
ref: 2018, Kate Atkinson, Transcription, →ISBN, page 293:
topics: law
glosses: Without the presence of the public or the media (in court)
Related terms: on camera
neurovascularization
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From neurovascular + -ization.
Senses: glosses: The formation of a neurovascular system.
glosses: The structure of a particular neurovascular system.
neurovascular
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From neuro- + vascular.
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: Of or pertaining to both nerves and blood vessels.
Derived terms: microneurovascular
neuromicrovascular
neurovascularization
neurovascularly
nonneurovascular
Related terms: neural
vascular
cubic equation
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cubic equations
Senses: topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: A polynomial equation whose greatest exponent is 3.
Related terms: cubic function
trouble spot
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: trouble spots
form: troublespot
Senses: examples: text: Difficulties were met by keeping permanent way and maintenance staff on duty and organising mobile squads to move as required to trouble spots.
ref: 1962 March, “The New Year Freeze-up on British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 159:
glosses: A location of difficulties or hostilities; a hot spot; a flashpoint.
jackbooted
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈd͡ʒækbuːtɪd/
ipa: /ˈd͡ʒækbutɪd/
ipa: /-təd/
ipa: [-ɾəd]
Etymology: From jackboot + -ed.
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of jackboot
cloyless
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From cloy + -less.
Senses: examples: text: Epicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite,
That sleep and feeding may prorogue his honour
Even till a Lethe'd dullness-
ref: c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
glosses: That does not cloy; uncloying.
cubic function
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cubic functions
Senses: topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Any function (polynomial) whose greatest exponent is 3.
Related terms: cubic equation
industrial tribunal
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: industrial tribunals
Senses: topics: law
synonyms: employment tribunal
glosses: A tribunal with jurisdiction to hear labour disputes.
raw_tags: in England and Wales
knock-on effect
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: knock-on effects
Etymology: knock-on + effect
Senses: examples: text: If a coach arrives late, it has a knock-on effect on the entire coach station.
text: There are various knock-on effects [to the international boycott of the Palestinian government]. PA [Palestinian Authority] services, particularly health and education, have deteriorated sharply because of supply shortages and strikes by workers. Much of the time hospitals have been seeing only emergency cases.
ref: 2007, March 24th, The Economist magazine, page 51
text: The Crossrail trains were delivered on time, but there was a long software integration period. That had a knock-on effect on the other orders.
ref: 2020 September 9, Paul Clifton, “SWR unveils £1bn 'Arterios' for the "heart of our network"”, in Rail, page 26:
glosses: A secondary, often unintended effect; a repercussion, chain reaction.
Related terms: idiom
other effects: domino effect
concept
related: Unintended consequence
proteobacteria
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of proteobacterium
live down
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: lives down
form: living down
form: lived down
form: lived down
Senses: examples: to live down slander
glosses: To live so as to subdue or refute.
examples: text: I'll never be able to live down that time my pants fell down at the school dance.
glosses: To cause others to forget about something embarrassing that happened to oneself.
raw_tags: in the negative
proteobacterium
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: proteobacteria
Senses: glosses: Any microbe of the phylum Proteobacteria, many of which are pathogenic.
meting
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: meeting
Senses: glosses: present participle and gerund of mete
meting
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: meeting
Forms: form: metings
Senses: examples: text: We are far more apt to yawn than to weep as we make our way through this series of loosely connected incidents, of unmotivated actions, of contrived metings-out of justice.
ref: 1964, William K. Bottorff, Twayne's United States Authors Series, volume 56, page 72:
glosses: The act of one who metes; a distribution or handing out.
parasitoid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: parasitoids
Etymology: From parasite + -oid.
Senses: examples: text: All of these solitary parasitoid wasps that use their sting-ovipositors for stinging prey and depositing eggs are subjected to little predatory pressure from large predators.
ref: 2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 23:
glosses: Any organism that is parasitic during part of its life cycle, especially one that eventually kills its host.
Derived terms: alloparasitoid
autoparasitoid
ectoparasitoid
endoparasitoid
hyperparasitoid
parasitoidal
parasitoid wasp
proteorhodopsin
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: proteorhodopsins
Senses: topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Any of several proteins, found in marine bacteria, that are light-dependent proton pumps.
Related terms: bacteriorhodopsin
mainspring
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: mainsprings
Etymology: From main + spring. For figurative sense, compare spring (“source, origin”).
Senses: examples: text: He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away.
ref: 1921 June, Margery Williams, “The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Become Real”, in Harper’s Bazar, volume LVI, number 6 (2504 overall), New York, N.Y.: International Magazine Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
topics: hobbies
horology
lifestyle
glosses: The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling.
examples: text: My daughter is the mainspring of my life.
text: But in the England of Shakespeare’s history plays, the mainspring of the system has broken down.
ref: 2014 November 2, Paul Mason, “What Shakespeare taught me about Marxism”, in The Guardian:
glosses: The most important reason for, or element of, something.
proton pump
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: proton pumps
form: proton-pump
Senses: topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Any protein in the membrane of a cell or mitochondrion whose function is to move protons across the membrane and thus establish an electrochemical potential.
stick figure
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: stick figures
form: stickfigure
Senses: examples: text: The first thing one notices about the painting is the striking difference in style between the human figure and the animals; the animals are rendered in the naturalistic style of the other figures at Lascaux, but the man is a mere stick figure and is so stylized as to seem some sort of mediation between the naturalistic style of the animals on the one hand and the abstract signs on the other.
ref: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 110:
glosses: A simple drawing, usually representing a human.
A line drawing with a circle for the head and straight lines for the torso and limbs.
glosses: A simple drawing, usually representing a human.
An outline, with a more realistic body shape, commonly used on warning signs, bathroom doors, and in other such symbols.
glosses: A skinny person.
bacteriorhodopsin
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: bacteriorhodopsins
Etymology: From bacterio- + rhodopsin.
Senses: topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Any of several related purple photosynthetic proteins, found in halobacteria, that act as proton pumps
Related terms: proteorhodopsin
flavobacteria
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of flavobacterium
utterer
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: utterers
Etymology: From utter + -er.
Senses: examples: text: The strange and beautiful being gazed on the spot with a look of horror; she wrung her hands as if in the helplessness of despair—a low cry came upon the wind, and its mysterious utterer had disappeared.
ref: 1832, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833, The Enchantress, page 49:
text: Some maintain that arbitration avoids prejudiced juries and sympathy verdicts, but such remarks may merely reflect their utterers' antijury bias.
ref: 1961, Harvard Law Review, volume 74, page 457:
glosses: One who utters something.
Related terms: utter
utteress
flavobacterium
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: flavobacteria
Senses: glosses: Any of many Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, of the class Flavobacteriia ^([sic]), that occur in soil and water, and are mostly pigmented and photosynthetic.
Derived terms: flavobacterial
flavobacteriosis
utterers
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of utterer
skeptically
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more skeptically
form: most skeptically
form: sceptically
Etymology: From skeptical + -ly.
Senses: glosses: In a skeptical manner, with skepticism.
sower
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsəʊɚ/
rhymes: -əʊə(ɹ)
Forms: form: sowers
Etymology: From Middle English sowere, from Old English sāwere; equivalent to sow + -er.
Senses: glosses: One who or that which sows.
sower
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsəʊɚ/
rhymes: -əʊə(ɹ)
ipa: /ˈsaʊɚ/
rhymes: -aʊə(ɹ)
ipa: /ˈsəʊɚ/
rhymes: -əʊə(ɹ)
Forms: form: sowerer
form: sowerest
Senses: examples: text: Pro. Then, as my gueſt, and thine owne acquiſition / Worthily purchas'd, take my daughter : But / If thou do'ſt breake her Virgin-knot, before / All ſanctimonious ceremonies may / With full and holy right, be miniſtred, / No ſweet aſperſion ſhall the heauens let fall / To make this contract grow; but barraine hate, / Sower-ey'd diſdaine, and diſcord ſhall beſtrew / The vnion of your bed, with weedes ſo loathly / That you ſhall hate it both : Therefore take heede, / As Hymens Lamps ſhall light you.
ref: 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 14:
text: It is allowed, that Senates and great Councils are often troubled with redundant, ebullient, and other peccant Humours, with many Diſeaſes of the Head and more of the Heart; with ſtrong Convulſions, with grievous Contractions of the Nerves and Sinews in both Hands, but eſpecially the Right; with Spleen, Flatus, Vertigos and Deliriums; with Scrophulous Tumors full of fœtid purulent Matter; with ſower frothy Ructations, with Canine Appetites and Crudeneſs of Digeſtion, beſides many others needleſs to mention.
ref: 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Further Account of the Academy. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 82:
glosses: Archaic form of sour.
misfire
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɪs.faɪ(ɹ)/
ipa: /mɪsˈfaɪ(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈmɪs.faɪ.ɚ/
rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Forms: form: misfires
Etymology: Either a univerbation of earlier miss fire, or the compound mis- + fire (or possibly a confluence of both).
Senses: glosses: An act of misfiring.
examples: text: Amazon’s misfires with Alexa may have led Google astray, said a former manager who worked on Google Assistant.
ref: 2023 March 15, Brian X. Chen, Nico Grant, Karen Weise, “How Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant Lost the A.I. Race”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
glosses: A failure.
misfire
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɪs.faɪ(ɹ)/
ipa: /mɪsˈfaɪ(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈmɪs.faɪ.ɚ/
rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Forms: form: misfires
form: misfiring
form: misfired
form: misfired
Etymology: Either a univerbation of earlier miss fire, or the compound mis- + fire (or possibly a confluence of both).
Senses: topics: engineering
firearms
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
tools
war
weaponry
glosses: To fail to discharge properly.
glosses: To fail to ignite in the proper sequence.
raw_tags: of an engine
glosses: To initiate an action potential without the proper stimulus.
raw_tags: of a nerve or neuron
examples: text: His practical joke misfired and he nearly burnt my left hand.
glosses: To fail to achieve the anticipated result.
Derived terms: misfirer
Related terms: back fire
backfire
hang fire
miss the mark
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: misses the mark
form: missing the mark
form: missed the mark
form: missed the mark
Senses: glosses: Of a projectile, to fail to hit the target.
examples: text: The party's manifesto missed the mark and failed to attract people's attention.
text: In a statement provided to Ad Age, Tor Myhren, Apple’s vice president of marketing, said the company “missed the mark.”
ref: 2024 May 9, Emma Roth, quoting Tor Myhren, “Apple apologizes for iPad ‘Crush’ ad that ‘missed the mark’”, in The Verge:
glosses: To fail to achieve the intended result.
Related terms: wide of the mark
on the job
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: Near-synonyms: on the clock; on the case, on it
text: Unlike your typical office drama, wherein characters’ lives intersect entertainingly both inside and outside work, the premise of Severance rests in the twisted implications of total compartmentalization: What if you could separate out your work memories (and thereby your work self), thereby forming a totally distinct identity while on the job?
ref: April 14 2022, Delia Cai, “Severance, the New York Times’s Twitter Guidelines, and the Forever Illusion of Work-Life Balance”, in Vanity Fair:
glosses: working; busy; at work.
glosses: Having sex.
topics: law-enforcement
police
glosses: Being a police officer, as contrasted with a civilian.
Related terms: on-the-job
point of no return
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: points of no return
Etymology: The expression originated in air navigation planning. The point along the planned flight path beyond which an aircraft will no longer be capable of returning to the takeoff airfield or an alternate airfield due to insufficient fuel is calculated before takeoff. This is mandatory for overwater flights or flights without alternates on route.
Senses: topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: The point in an aircraft's flight when there is insufficient fuel to reverse direction and return to the place of origin.
examples: text: After Munich it became daily more evident that Hitler had passed the point of no return. With every burst of news from Europe the inevitability of war became more certain.
ref: 1959, Roger Burlingame, I Have Known Many Worlds, page 216:
text: [...] this trickle of loss going on relentlessly week by week will gradually reduce miscellaneous merchandise loadings on the railways to a point of no return, where the entire business must be abandoned to cut steeply mounting losses.
ref: 1964 May, “News and Comment: Liner trains and the NUR”, in Modern Railways, page 290:
text: However, for slightly larger stars, no such final equilibrium state is possible, and in such a case the star will contract beyond a certain critical point — the point of no return — where complete gravitational collapse leading to a spacetime singularity is inevitable.
ref: 1999, Malcolm Ludvigsen, General Relativity: A Geometric Approach, page 152:
text: A record loss of sea ice in the Arctic this summer has convinced scientists that the northern hemisphere may have crossed a critical threshold beyond which the climate may never recover.
ref: 2005 September 16, Steve Connor, “Global warming 'past the point of no return”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2007:
glosses: The point in any process or sequence of events where some development becomes inevitable.
Synonyms: event horizon
PNR
PONR
rubicon
threshold
Related terms: equitime
inevitability
the die is cast
diæretic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of dieretic.
phase in
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: phases in
form: phasing in
form: phased in
form: phased in
Senses: examples: text: The government will phase in the new education system over a period of three years.
text: The program phased in last year.
antonyms: phase out
glosses: To introduce (something) little by little, either via discrete phases of increase or (by extension) by continuous gradations; to introduce in phases, or as if by phases (gradually); to begin (something) gradually.
phase out
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: fāz out
ipa: /feɪ̯z äʊ̯t/
Forms: form: phases out
form: phasing out
form: phased out
form: phased out
Senses: examples: text: Leaded petrol was phased out in the course of the 1990s.
text: It [Greenpeace] also says that tax exemptions should be phased out for airlines, including the opt-outs that low-cost carriers currently have from paying VAT or fuel duty on kerosene.
ref: 2023 August 9, “Network News: Network Rail under fire for spending thousands of pounds on flights”, in RAIL, number 989, page 15:
text: “The lack of an agreement to phase out fossil fuels was devastating,” said Prof Michael Mann, a climatologist and geophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.
ref: 2023 December 14, Damian Carrington, quoting Michael E. Mann, “Failure of Cop28 on fossil fuel phase-out is ‘devastating’, say scientists”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
synonyms: sunset#Verb
antonyms: phase in#Verb
coordinate_terms: phase down#Verb
glosses: To remove or relinquish the use of (something) little by little, either via discrete diminishing phases or (by extension) by continuous gradations; to remove in phases, or as if by phases (gradually).
Derived terms: word: phase-out
word: phaseout
pool table
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: pool tables
Senses: glosses: A table used for playing pool.
Hypernyms: billiard table
snooker table
table
power broker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: power brokers
form: power-broker
Etymology: From power + broker.
Senses: examples: text: In France, a near-revolution by students and workers came close to toppling Charles de Gaulle in May; its economic aftermath in November almost certainly discredited forever Gaullism's vaunted role as the power broker of Europe.
ref: 1969 January 3, “Men of the Year”, in Time:
text: Gen Ali Murtopo—vice chairman of Indonesia's Supreme Advisory Council, former information minister, a major power broker in and out of the army—declared after a meeting with the president that the killings were justified.
ref: 1988, Lewis B. Ware et al., Low-Intensity Conflict in the Third World,, Air Univ. Press, →ISBN, page 139:
text: The Qatar government, which runs the QIA, will become a major power-broker in determining the future of the London exchange.
ref: 2007 September 16, Louise Armitstead, “Qataris to seal bid for Nasdaq’s LSE stake”, in The Sunday Times, UK:
glosses: A person or group having the ability to influence important decisions, especially in public policy, politics, and business.
Related terms: power behind the throne
rag-and-bone man
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: rag-and-bone men
Senses: examples: text: Horses and carts are never seen now and the rag and bone man is no more. In the fifties there were still those who made a living from old clothes, especially those made from natural fibres and suitable for felting.
ref: 2009 November 24, David Fowler, NATIONAL SERVICE, ELVIS and ME!, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 98:
synonyms: bone-grubber
bone-picker
ragman
ragpicker
scrappie
scrapper
glosses: A man who deals in scrap metal and recycled junk (originally including rags and bones, in earlier centuries).
Related terms: rag paper
bone meal
bone ash
on the rampage
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Senses: examples: text: The rioters went on the rampage and wrecked the town hall.
text: Stoke were on the rampage but their night was soured by the referee's decision to show Jerome a second yellow card on the stroke of half time.
ref: 2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: behaving violently or rioting
eat like a pig
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: eats like a pig
form: eating like a pig
form: ate like a pig
form: eaten like a pig
Senses: antonyms: eat like a bird
hypernyms: eat like an animal
coordinate_terms: eat like a horse
qualifier: simile
glosses: To chew noisily, with one's mouth open, especially while consuming large quantities greedily.
Related terms: pigging out
pork-barrelling
relief agency
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: relief agencies
Senses: glosses: A humanitarian organization trying to bring relief to the poor and needy.
relief worker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: relief workers
Senses: glosses: A person who works, often on a voluntary basis, in a relief agency.
relief map
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: relief maps
Senses: topics: cartography
geography
natural-sciences
glosses: A map that shows the three-dimensional topography of terrain, usually by use of contours but sometimes with colors or by hatching.
Related terms: raised-relief map
many happy returns
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: The earliest attributable use was by Lady Newdigate in a letter written in 1789 (and published in Newdigate-Newdegate Cheverels in 1898): Many happy returns of ye day to us my Dr Love.
Senses: glosses: A greeting, usually for birthdays, in reference to the passing year; Happy birthday!
shot in the arm
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: shots in the arm
Senses: glosses: An injection of a drug into the arm, whether for medical or recreational purposes.
examples: text: By that agreement, President Roosevelt in 1941 gave Canada's war industry a shot in the arm.
ref: 1944 May 1, “Canada at War: Net Profit”, in Time, retrieved 31 Jan 2017:
text: Renzo Piano's skyscraper, which will be Europe's tallest building, may provide a shot in the arm for London.
ref: 2011 December 30, Robert Booth, “London's Shard: a 'tower of power and riches' looking down on poverty”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 31 Jan 2017:
text: The president claims the economy needs a shot in the arm now, but Republicans say the nation should not widen the deficit.
ref: 2012 December 4, Annie Lowrey, “Republicans Balk at Short-Term Stimulus in Obama Plan”, in New York Times, retrieved 31 Jan 2017:
text: “You get a win and suddenly the crowd’s on your side again. It was a shot in the arm for two reasons. First, when we work together, we are stronger. Second, this isn’t a done deal.”
ref: 2018 April 28, Dorian Lynskey, quoting James McGrory, “‘It’s not a done deal’: inside the battle to stop Brexit”, in The Guardian:
glosses: A stimulus; a boost in energy, morale, or well-being.
shop steward
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: shop stewards
Senses: examples: text: It is understood that ScotRail made a revised offer of 2.5%, but the RMT national executive committee is likely to reject this following consultation with shop stewards.
ref: 2021 October 20, Conrad Landin, “Network News: RMT vows to hold strike action during COP26”, in RAIL, number 942, page 10:
glosses: A local member of a trade union elected to represent his fellow workers in discussions with the management at a workplace.
Synonyms: union delegate
union representative
union steward
workplace steward
father of chapel
enactment
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɛnˈæktmənt/
Forms: form: enactments
Etymology: From enact + -ment.
Senses: examples: text: The actors' powerful enactment of the play was breathtaking.
glosses: The act of enacting, or the state of being enacted.
The act of playing the part of.
examples: text: The enactment of this law will be a great step backward for our country.
topics: law
glosses: The act of enacting, or the state of being enacted.
The act of making (a bill) into law.
examples: text: The enactments passed by the council that year included sweeping reforms.
topics: law
glosses: A piece of legislation that has been properly authorized by a legislative body.
Derived terms: nonenactment
preenactment
Related terms: reenactment
jojoba esters
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of jojoba ester
ill-gotten
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: examples: text: The sultan's men got the message: he and his successors exiled out-of-favour amirs to Jerusalem where they were expected to spend their ill-gotten wealth on sumptuous complexes that contained palaces, madrassas and tombs.
ref: 2011, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: The Biography – A History of the Middle East, page 335:
glosses: Obtained improperly or illegally.
Derived terms: ill-gotten gains
ill-gotten gains never prosper
ill-gotten gains never profit
ill-gotten goods never prosper
Related terms: ill-begotten
jojoba ester
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: jojoba esters
Senses: glosses: A wax obtained by interesterification of jojoba oil with long chain alcohols; used in cosmetics, etc.
pool tables
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of pool table
interesterification
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: interesterifications
Etymology: From inter- + ester + -ification.
Senses: topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
organic-chemistry
physical-sciences
glosses: The reaction of an ester with an alcohol in order to obtain a different ester.
Synonyms: transesterification
slush fund
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: slush funds
Etymology: Originally in reference to money for miscellaneous uses that sailors made by selling slush (“a soft mixture of grease and other ingredients”).
Senses: examples: text: He is said to have used his party’s slush fund to buy votes in the election.
text: 7: CERN bestows slush fund on the LHC. Take all pennies from the CERN space.
ref: 2008 September 28, Illiad [pen name; J. D. Frazer], “The Large Hadron Collider Game”, in Userfriendly.org, archived from the original on 07 May 2019:
text: To do this, [the Lord Mayor] has at his disposal a multibillion-pound slush fund for use in lobbying the UK government and governments around the world to bring in laws that are friendly to banks and multinational companies.
ref: 2017, Jason Hickel, “The Tax Evaders”, in The Divide […] , London: William Heinemann, →ISBN:
topics: business
finance
glosses: Money stored for illegal or dishonest purposes.
examples: text: A slush fund is a sum of money that is set aside as a reserve. In accounting, a slush fund is a general ledger account of commingled funds that does not have a designated purpose. In more sinister cases, a slush fund may be used as a "black fund," which is unaccounted for and kept off the books.
ref: 2021 June 28, Daniel Liberto, “Slush Fund”, in Investopedia:
topics: accounting
business
finance
glosses: Money that has not been hypothecated or dedicated to a particular purpose, or which is used for a different purpose than originally intended.
eer
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɛə/
ipa: /ɛɚ/
rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
Senses: glosses: Unpunctuated contraction of ever.
slush funds
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of slush fund
shop stewards
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of shop steward
relief maps
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of relief map
bas-relief
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæs.ɹɪˌliːf/
ipa: /ˈbɑː.ɹɪˌliːf/
ipa: /ˈbɑs.ɹɪˌliːf/
ipa: /ˌbɑ.ɹɪˈlif/
ipa: /ˌbæs.ɹɪˈlif/
ipa: /ˈbɑ.ɹɪˌlif/
ipa: /ˈbæs.ɹɪˌlif/
Forms: form: bas-reliefs
form: basrelief
form: bas relief
form: bass-relief
Etymology: From French bas-relief, from Italian bassorilievo, compound of basso (“low”) + rilievo (“relief”), from Latin relevare (“to raise up, make light”).
Senses: examples: Near-synonym: cameo (jewelry)
synonyms: basso-relievo
basso-rilievo
low relief
antonyms: alto-relievo
high relief
qualifier: sculpture
glosses: A low or mostly-flat sculpture which is carved into a wall, or is in the form of a tile mounted flat to a wall, rather than a fully three-dimensional, free-standing figure.
bas-relief
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæs.ɹɪˌliːf/
ipa: /ˈbɑː.ɹɪˌliːf/
ipa: /ˈbɑs.ɹɪˌliːf/
ipa: /ˌbɑ.ɹɪˈlif/
ipa: /ˌbæs.ɹɪˈlif/
ipa: /ˈbɑ.ɹɪˌlif/
ipa: /ˈbæs.ɹɪˌlif/
Forms: form: basrelief
form: bas relief
form: bass-relief
Etymology: From French bas-relief, from Italian bassorilievo, compound of basso (“low”) + rilievo (“relief”), from Latin relevare (“to raise up, make light”).
Senses: glosses: Refers to any aspect of sculpture which is flat or in the bas relief style.
relief workers
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of relief worker
relief agencies
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of relief agency
splinter group
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: splinter groups
Senses: examples: text: Splinter groups in the centre Left or centre Right are often a shot in the arm for the Far Right or the Communist Party.
glosses: A group of members of a political party or of a similar organisation who have decided to create their own organisation.
Related terms: faction
groupuscule
spy ring
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: spy rings
Senses: examples: the Russian spy ring
glosses: A network of spies.
rubicons
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of rubicon
splinter groups
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of splinter group
spy rings
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of spy ring
power brokers
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of power broker
stuffed like a turkey
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: qualifier: simile
glosses: Very full from overeating.
drunk as a skunk
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: Although skunk might refer to the aroma of some alcoholic beverage, the rhyme seems to have motivated this idiom.
Senses: qualifier: simile
glosses: Highly inebriated.
Synonyms: drunk as a cunt
drunk as a fiddler
drunk as a fiddler's bitch
drunk as a lord
drunk as a piper
drunk as a sow
drunk as a wheelbarrow
drunk as an owl
drunk as Chloe
drunk as David's sow
full as a goog
pissed as a fart
pissed as a newt
tight as a tick
drunk
goldfinches
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of goldfinch
wave field synthesis
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: The use of mathematics and a large number of loudspeakers to accurately reproduce a given field of sound.
Related terms: wavefield
bungling
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more bungling
form: most bungling
Etymology: From the verb bungle.
Senses: examples: text: Harry made a bungling attempt to catch the ball.
text: Well, he then decided to manufacture everything as in the human body. I'll show you in the museum the bungling attempt it took him ten years to produce. It was to have been a man, but it lived for three days only. Then up came young Rossum, an engineer. He was a wonderful fellow, Miss Glory. When he saw what a mess of it the old man was making, he said: "It's absurd to spend ten years making a man. If you can't make him quicker than nature, you might as well shut up shop."
ref: c. 1921 (date written), Karel Čapek, translated by Paul Selver, R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots): A Fantastic Melodrama […], Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1923, →OCLC, Act 1:
glosses: Incompetent or inept.
Derived terms: bunglingly
unbungling