cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
jerigonza
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From Spanish jerigonza.
Senses: examples: text: In Jerigonza, a /p/ is placed after each vowel and then is followed by a copy of that vowel.
ref: 1991, Natalie Lefkowitz, Talking Backwards, Looking Forwards: The French Language Game Verlan, Gunter Narr Verlag, →ISBN, page 12:
ref: 1999, Carlos-Eduardo Pineros, “Head-Dependence in Jerigonza, a Spanish Language Game”, in Advances in Hispanic Linguistics:
text: In the Spanish language game Jerigonza, often used by younger speakers as a secret speech code, intrusive vowels are invisible.
ref: 2005 January 1, Randall Scott Gess, Edward J. Rubin, Theoretical and Experimental Approaches to Romance Linguistics: Selected Papers from the 34th Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages (LSRL), Salt Lake City, March 2004, John Benjamins Publishing, →ISBN, page 57:
glosses: A language game in Spanish in which the letter p is inserted after every syllable.
goldfinch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡoʊldˌfɪnt͡ʃ/
Forms: form: goldfinches
Etymology: From Middle English goldfinch, goldfynch, goldefynch, from Old English goldfinċ, equivalent to gold + finch. Compare West Frisian goudfink (“goldfinch”), Dutch goudvink (“bullfinch”), German Goldfink (“goldfinch”), Danish guldfink (“goldfinch”), Icelandic gullfinka (“goldfinch”).
Senses: glosses: Any of several small passerine birds of the finch family
A European goldfinch, Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
glosses: Any of several small passerine birds of the finch family
An American goldfinch (Spinus tristis, syn. Carduelis tristis)
glosses: Any of several small passerine birds of the finch family
Lawrence's goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei, syn. Carduelis lawrencei)
glosses: Any of several small passerine birds of the finch family
A lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria, syn. Carduelis psaltria).
glosses: A sovereign (the coin).
Derived terms: pale goldfinch
willow goldfinch
Related terms: lettuce-bird
thistlewarp
el cheapo
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From Spanish el (“the”) + cheap + -o (“mock-Spanish suffix”).
Senses: examples: text: I only had five bucks, so I bought the el cheapo headphones.
synonyms: no-name
brand X
glosses: Cheap; inexpensive; of low quality.
el cheapo
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: el cheapos
Etymology: From Spanish el (“the”) + cheap + -o (“mock-Spanish suffix”).
Senses: examples: text: Don't expect a big tip from El Cheapo over there.
glosses: A mock-honorific title given to a particular person who is stingy.
examples: text: He's such an el cheapo that his wallet hasn't been opened for days.
synonyms: see Thesaurus:miser
glosses: A person who is stingy; a miser.
glosses: On the game show The Price Is Right, used in reference to the lowest two-digit number on a board of (initially) nine numbers in the pricing game Money Game.
tins
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of tin
tins
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: third-person singular simple present indicative of tin
jota
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhoʊtə/
ipa: /ˈhoʔə/
ipa: /-ɑ/
rhymes: -oʊtə
Forms: form: jotas
Etymology: Borrowed from Spanish jota.
Senses: glosses: A traditional popular dance of the Iberian peninsula with regional variations.
glosses: The music to which this dance is set, normally of 3/4 or 6/8 time.
grab bag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: grab bags
form: grabbag
form: grab-bag
Etymology: Literal sense
Senses: examples: text: Winners can choose a gift from the grab bags on the table.
synonyms: mystery bag
coordinate_terms: goody bag
party bag
;
swag bag
glosses: A gift, purchase, etc. whose contents are concealed until after a selection is made; a bag as gift that comprises mystery prizes.
synonyms: mystery bag
hypernyms: lucky dip
lucky draw
coordinate_terms: grab box
glosses: A bag from which a gift or prize may be withdrawn (grabbed) unseen.
examples: text: With that system, it's a grab bag which files we can find at any moment.
text: There were now a grab bag of southern country-rock units with a new wrinkle—Black Oak Arkansas, for one, combined psychedelia, fifties rock, Hindu spiritualism, and gospel into “psycho-boogie,” or “raunch 'n' roll.”
ref: 2015, Mark Ribowsky, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars:
text: There was no location, really — most of the convention took place in a Milwaukee of the mind. […] Instead, the teleconvention kept a few standards (like the Bruce Springsteen–soundtracked montage) and borrowed from a grab bag of other TV formats, from talk show to cable news to reality-TV reunion special.
ref: 2020 August 18, James Poniewozik, “A D.N.C. Opening Night for the New Abnormal”, in The New York Times:
text: While this piece is less scattered than Hearne’s most recent major work, “Place,” a deeply personal reflection on gentrification, “Farming,” too, feels like a grab bag into which there’s always assumed to be room for yet one more idea.
ref: 2023 July 10, Zachary Woolfe, “Review: Ted Hearne’s Sweet, Sad American Elegy”, in The New York Times:
synonyms: word: lucky dip
word: mixed bag
word: ragbag
word: hodgepodge
word: bouillabaisse
word: bric-a-brac
word: catch-all
word: clamjamfrey
word: cocktail
word: gallery
word: congeries
word: crazyquilt
word: disjecta membra
word: farrago
word: galimatias
word: gallimaufry
word: grab bag
word: hodgepodge
word: horse and rabbit stew
word: hotchpotch
word: hotchpot
word: job lot
word: jumble
word: macedoine
word: medley
word: melange
word: mingle-mangle
word: miscellanea
word: miscellany
word: mishmash
word: mixed bag
word: mixture
word: motley
word: odds and ends
word: oddments
word: olio
word: olla podrida
word: omnium-gatherum
word: pastiche
word: patchwork quilt
word: potpourri
word: ragbag
word: salmagundi
word: slurry
word: smorgasbord
word: welter
word: Whitman's sampler
glosses: Any random assortment, selection or possibility.
glosses: A moderately large bag of crisps or other snack, suitable for sharing.
synonyms: bug-out bag
go bag
glosses: A bag containing essential items, which can be easily picked up and taken in an emergency.
Related terms: grab box
let the cat out of the bag
mixed bag
blackball
lucky dip
pick 'n' mix
pig in a poke
mixed bag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: mixed bags
Senses: examples: text: a mixed bag of nuts
glosses: Any bag containing a mixture of something.
examples: text: The people I met at the support group were a mixed bag: some were grouchy pessimists, and others were cheery do-gooders.
synonyms: assortment
rattlebag
glosses: A group of entities with few characteristics in common.
examples: text: Owning a car is a mixed bag. It is convenient, but also costly.
text: It was Villa, however, who posted the next moment of danger with another long-range effort from Young, forcing Hart - who had been a mixed bag throughout - to dive low to his right to save as Houllier's side continued to perform in a most encouraging fashion
ref: 2011 January 22, Phil McNulty, “Aston Villa 1 - 0 Man City”, in BBC:
text: At the same time, it did not alleviate teenagers’ social anxiety and young users did not share more photos, as the company thought they might, leading to a mixed bag of results.
ref: 2021 October 25, Mike Isaac, “Facebook Wrestles With the Features It Used to Define Social Networking”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
glosses: Something tending to have both good and bad results or characteristics; something having a mixture of advantages and disadvantages.
Related terms: curate's egg
grab bag
goodie bag
mixed blessing
mixed picture
disadvantage
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: dĭs'əd-vän'tĭj
ipa: /ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/
enpr: dĭs'əd-văn'tĭj
ipa: /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/
Forms: form: disadvantages
form: disadvauntage
Etymology: From Middle English disavauntage, from Old French desavantage.
Senses: examples: text: The disadvantage to owning a food processor is that you have to store it somewhere.
text: One of the disadvantages of increasing intermediate stops is that, as we have pointed out already, certain prestige trains have to suffer, notably the "Cornish Riviera Express", slowed 15min to Plymouth by stops at Taunton and Exeter; the "Torbay Express", decelerated 18min by stops at Reading, Westbury, Taunton and Newton Abbot; and the "Bristolian", which adds 14min in order to allow for a Bath stop and an increased load.
ref: 1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: Western Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 590:
glosses: A weakness or undesirable characteristic; con; drawback.
examples: text: My height is a disadvantage for reaching high shelves.
text: I was brought hither under the disadvantage of being unknown, even by sight, to any of you.
ref: 1774, Edmund Burke, speech to the electors of Bristol:
text: 1859-1890, John G. Palfrey, History of New England to the Revolutionary War
Abandoned by their great patron, the faction henceforward acted at disadvantage.
glosses: A setback or handicap.
examples: text: They would throw a construction on his conduct, to his disadvantage before the public.
ref: 1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent, volume (please specify |volume=I to X), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company [et al.], →OCLC:
glosses: Loss; detriment; hindrance.
Synonyms: sense: an undesirable characteristic
word: afterdeal
sense: an undesirable characteristic
word: con
sense: an undesirable characteristic
word: drawback
sense: an undesirable characteristic
word: malefit
sense: an undesirable characteristic
word: downside
sense: a handicap
word: afterdeal
sense: a handicap
word: weakness
Derived terms: disadvantageable
first-mover disadvantage
disadvantage
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: dĭs'əd-vän'tĭj
ipa: /ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/
enpr: dĭs'əd-văn'tĭj
ipa: /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/
Forms: form: disadvantages
form: disadvantaging
form: disadvantaged
form: disadvantaged
form: disadvauntage
Etymology: From Middle English disavauntage, from Old French desavantage.
Senses: examples: text: They fear it might disadvantage honest participants to allow automated entries.
text: For London to have its own exclusive immigration policy would exacerbate the sense that immigration benefits only certain groups and disadvantages the rest. It would entrench the gap between London and the rest of the nation. And it would widen the breach between the public and the elite that has helped fuel anti-immigrant hostility.
ref: 2013 September 28, Kenan Malik, “London Is Special, but Not That Special”, in New York Times, retrieved 28 Sep 2013:
glosses: To place at a disadvantage.
Synonyms: tell against
Derived terms: disadvantageous
disadvantageously
disadvantageousness
giddy
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡɪd.i/
ipa: /ˈɡɪd.i/
ipa: [ˈɡɪɾ.i]
rhymes: -ɪdi
Forms: form: giddies
Etymology: The adjective is derived from Middle English gidi, gedy, gydy (“demonically controlled or possessed; crazy, insane; foolish, idiotic, ridiculous, unwise; unsure; (rare) dizzy, shaky; (rare) of an animal: crazed, out of control; a fool”) [and other forms], from Old English gidiġ, gydiġ (“possessed by a demon or spirit, insane, mad”), from Proto-West Germanic *gudīg (“ghostly, spirited”, literally “possessed by a god or spirit”), from *god (“god”) + *-ig, *-g (suffix forming adjectives with the senses of being, doing, or having). The English word is analysable as god + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’, forming adjectives).
The noun and the verb are derived from the adjective.
Senses: examples: text: But the giddy, the idle, and the frivolous part of the vvorld vvill inceſſantly purſue a phantom, and graſp a ſhadovv.
ref: 1778 September, X. X., “The Observer. Number LVII.”, in The Town and Country Magazine; or, Universal Repository of Knowledge, Instruction, and Entertainment, volume X, London: […] A[rchibald] Hamilton Jun. […]; [a]nd sold by G[eorge] Robinson, […], →OCLC, page 487, column 2:
text: She seemed born not only to captivate the giddy, but to turn the heads of the sage.
ref: 1838, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Alice or The Mysteries […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book II, page 125:
glosses: Someone or something that is frivolous or impulsive.
topics: agriculture
biology
business
lifestyle
medicine
natural-sciences
pathology
sciences
veterinary
zoology
glosses: Synonym of gid (“a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae”).
synonyms: word: gid
extra: a disease caused by parasitic infestation of the brain by tapeworm larvae
star-crossed
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstɑːˌkɹɒst/
ipa: /ˈstɑɹˌkɹɔst/
ipa: /ˈstɑɹˌkɹɑst/
Forms: form: more star-crossed
form: most star-crossed
form: starcrossed
form: star-cross
Etymology: From star + crossed. Coined by William Shakespeare in 1597 in Romeo and Juliet, see quotations.
Senses: examples: text: The star-crossed lovers looked into each other's eyes, before dying.
text: From forth the fatall loynes of theſe two foes, / A paire of ſtarre-crost Louers tooke their life:
ref: c. 1591–1595 (date written), [William Shakespeare], “The Prologue”, in […] Romeo and Juliet. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, published 1597, →OCLC:
text: But now, such is my star-cross'd destiny, / When he beholds you as you are, I may / As well entreat him give away his crown, / As to part from a jewel of more value.
ref: 1636, Philip Massinger, The Great Duke of Florence, act V, scene iii:
text: For a few moments he sat dazed, visualizing that dreadful waste near New Orleans where in the sand it was so easy for the star-crossed Chevalier to bury the idol of his heart.
ref: 1919 [1914], Compton Mackenzie, Sinister Street, volume 2:
text: After a star-crossed regular season, Morgan vowed Thursday to show the college hoops world what it has been missing.
ref: 2009 March 20, Adam Rittenberg, “Spartans overpower Robert Morris”, in ESPN:
synonyms: word: ill-starred
word: augurous
word: baleful
word: bodeful
word: boding
word: dire
word: disastrous
word: fatal
word: foreboding
word: ill-boding
word: ill-fated
word: ill-omened
word: ill-starred
word: inauspicate
word: inauspicious
word: nefastous
word: omenic
word: ominous
word: brooding
word: portentous
word: presageful
word: presagious
word: prodigious
word: sinister
word: star-crossed
word: sullen
glosses: Ill-fated by destiny, the fate of the person being “written in the stars”.
Related terms: stars are aligned
star crossed
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more star crossed
form: most star crossed
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of star-crossed.
slip through the cracks
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: slips through the cracks
form: slipping through the cracks
form: slipped through the cracks
form: slipped through the cracks
Senses: examples: text: Judge Hart rejected prosecution claims there were systemic failings, saying the failure to implement options was because they "slipped through the cracks".
ref: 2025 October 15, “News: Woman died after leaning out of HST: GWR fined £1m”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 10:
synonyms: slip through the net
fall through the cracks
glosses: To escape notice or lack sufficient attention.
shake on it
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: shakes on it
form: shaking on it
form: shook on it
form: shaken on it
Etymology: Refers to the use of a handshake to confirm an agreement.
Senses: examples: text: I'll bring the contract tomorrow, and if everything looks good, we'll shake on it.
text: Let's shake on it!
text: Often when two persons make a bargain they at its conclusion “Shake hands on it” to make it binding.
ref: 1896, Clifton Johnson, “Odds”, in What They Say in New England (non-fiction), Boston, Massachusetts, United States: Lee and Shepard Publishers, page 63:
glosses: To agree by shaking hands; to close a deal.
Related terms: gentleman's agreement
hit one's stride
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: hits one's stride
form: hitting one's stride
form: hit one's stride
form: hit one's stride
Senses: examples: text: I usually start running slowly for a warm-up and then hit my stride a few minutes into the run.
glosses: when walking or running, to reach a full or comfortable pace
examples: text: They had a baby just as she was hitting her stride professionally.
text: The owners and staff of the Painted Lady at 186 Commercial Street are hitting their stride as they enter their first full season, following a late start in July, 1984.
ref: 1985 April 27, Sue Hyde, “Formal Dining Pleasure”, in Gay Community News, page 8:
glosses: to reach a full level of efficiency, competence, comfort, etc.; to get going
jubilar
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more jubilar
form: most jubilar
Etymology: Compare French jubilaire.
Senses: examples: text: […] the example of those ancient Roman Christians, as Eusebius and Sozomen report, would have taught us, that the tenth complete year of our Constantine deserves to be solemn and Jubilar.
ref: 1612, Joseph Hall, [letter] To the Right Honourable Sir John Swinerton […] :
glosses: pertaining to, or having the character of, a jubilee
rendaku
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Japanese 連濁 (rendaku, “sequential voicing”).
Senses: topics: human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: In the Japanese language, a phenomenon which governs the voicing of the initial consonant of the non-initial portion of a compound or prefixed word. An example is 時々 (ときどき, tokidoki), where the second, iterative element "-toki" becomes "-doki" and 折り紙 (おりがみ, origami) where the word 紙 (かみ, kami; paper) becomes "gami".
Synonyms: sequential voicing
plummet
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈplʌmɪt/
ipa: /ˈplʌmət/
rhymes: -ʌmɪt
Forms: form: plummets
Etymology: From Middle English plommet (“ball of lead, plumb of a bob-line”), recorded since 1382, from Old French plommet or plomet, the diminutive of plom, plum (“lead, sounding lead”), from Latin plumbum (“lead”). The verb is first recorded in 1626, originally meaning “to fathom, take soundings", from the noun.
Senses: examples: text: I'le ſeeke him deeper than ere plummet ſounded, / And with him there lye mudded.
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 III, scene iii], page 13, column 2:
text: Iudgement also will I lay to the line, and righteousnesse to the plummet: and the haile shall sweepe away the refuge of lyes, and the waters shall ouerflow the hiding place.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 28:17:
text: Each long black hair upon his head hung down as straight as any plummet line; […]
ref: 1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, chapter 21, in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC:
text: And love was the plummet dropped down into the deeps of him where like had never gone.
ref: 1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter VI, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC:
text: He told her then of his life since he had returned to the jungle—of how he had dropped like a plummet from a civilized Parisian to a savage Waziri warrior, and from there back to the brute that he had been raised.
ref: 1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg, published March 1915, →OCLC:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water; a plumb bob or a plumb line.
examples: text: His parachute was shot half away, and if he'd jumped he would have fallen like a plummet.
ref: 1945, Ernie Pyle, Here Is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe, The World Publishing Company, page 93:
glosses: Hence, any weight.
glosses: A piece of lead formerly used by schoolchildren to rule paper for writing (that is, to mark with rules, with lines).
glosses: A violent or dramatic fall.
examples: text: Yet another seriously under-par performance is unlikely to provide any real answers to their remarkable plummet in form - but it proves they can at least churn out a much-needed result.
ref: 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
glosses: A decline; a fall; a drop.
plummet
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈplʌmɪt/
ipa: /ˈplʌmət/
rhymes: -ʌmɪt
Forms: form: plummets
form: plummeting
form: plummetting
form: plummeted
form: plummeted
form: plummetted
form: plummetted
Etymology: From Middle English plommet (“ball of lead, plumb of a bob-line”), recorded since 1382, from Old French plommet or plomet, the diminutive of plom, plum (“lead, sounding lead”), from Latin plumbum (“lead”). The verb is first recorded in 1626, originally meaning “to fathom, take soundings", from the noun.
Senses: examples: text: After its ascent, the arrow plummeted to earth.
text: The switchback road to Diabaig - pronounced 'Jer-vague' - passes through some of the most exhilarating scenery in Scotland. […] With a final swoop, the road plummets down into Diabaig, where cottages are dotted across the slopes of a rocky semi-circle.
ref: 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 151:
text: Some speculated Twitter’s stock would plummet, while another said the company would not have to be owned by “a moron,” using an expletive to refer to Mr. Musk.
ref: 2022 October 4, Kate Conger, Lauren Hirsch, “Elon Musk Suggests Buying Twitter at His Original Price”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
text: Passenger numbers had been rising sharply. But the replacement of the services by buses, which take far longer because of the number of stations in out-of-the-way villages on the route, will ensure they plummet again.
ref: 2022 December 14, Christian Wolmar, “No Marston Vale line trains... and no one in charge seems to 'give a damn'”, in RAIL, number 972, page 46:
glosses: To drop swiftly, in a direct manner; to fall quickly.
Synonyms: sense: to drop swiftly
word: dive
sense: to drop swiftly
word: drop
sense: to drop swiftly
word: fall
Derived terms: plummeter
plummetless
unplummetable
unplummeted
Related terms: plumb
plumb line
humoresque
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: humoresques
Senses: topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A composition that is playful in attitude and tone.
julio
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: julios
Etymology: Borrowed from Italian giulio. Doublet of Julius.
Senses: examples: text: At Rome every Pleasurable Female pays a Julio per Week to the Church […]
ref: 1723, Charles Walker, Memoirs of the Life of Sally Salisbury:
glosses: A former coin of Italy, struck by Pope Julius II (1503-13).
tenten
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈtɛntɛn/
Forms: form: tentens
form: ten-ten
form: ten ten
Etymology: Borrowed from Japanese 点々(てんてん) (tenten, literally “dots”).
Senses: synonyms: word: nigori
word: dakuten
glosses: A diacritic (゛) used with Japanese kana to mark a consonant as voiced.
Related terms: alt: maru
word: handakuten
divertimento
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˌvɜːtɪˈmɛntəʊ/
ipa: /dəˌvɝtəˈmɛntoʊ/
rhymes: -ɛntəʊ
Forms: form: divertimentos
form: divertimenti
Etymology: Borrowed from Italian, from divertire (“to amuse, to entertain”), from Latin dīvertere.
Senses: topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: composition that has several short movements, a style that composers started to use in the 18th century.
Related terms: divertissement
consequences
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/
ipa: /ˈkɑn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/
ipa: /ˈkɑn.sɪ.kwən.sɪz/
Senses: glosses: plural of consequence
consequences
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/
ipa: /ˈkɑn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/
ipa: /ˈkɑn.sɪ.kwən.sɪz/
Senses: glosses: An old-fashioned parlour game describing the meeting of a lady and gentleman and the ensuing events, each player in turn writing a part of the story, not knowing what the others have written.
themes
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of theme
themes
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: third-person singular simple present indicative of theme
maru
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɑːɹuː/
ipa: /ˈmaɹuː/
ipa: /ˈmɑɹu/
rhymes: -ɑːɹuː
Forms: form: marus
Etymology: From Japanese 丸(まる) (maru, “circle; suffix used for ship names”).
Senses: examples: text: the Nippon Maru
text: Intelligence Report […] It is possible that there may be an increase in the number of transports and marus.
ref: 1941 November 23, “Pearly Harbor Attack”, in Hearings, volume 11:
text: Does the 9th Fleet have enough marus and warships to carry two divisions of troops and their supplies to Buna?
ref: 1985, Lawrence Cortesi, Valor in the Sky, page 21:
text: four more marus fell to torpedoes
ref: 1992, Edward J. Drea, MacArthur's ULTRA: Codebreaking and the War Against Japan, 1942-1945, University Press of Kansas:
glosses: A Japanese ship, especially a merchant ship.
synonyms: handakuten
glosses: A semi-voiced diacritic (゜) used with Japanese kana to change a /h/ to a /p/.
glosses: A large, circular punctuation mark (。) used as a full stop in Japanese text.
Coordinate terms: nigori
Derived terms: Kobayashi Maru
Ronald
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹɒ.nəld/
ipa: /ˈɹɑ.nəld/
rhymes: -ɒnəld
Etymology: Anglicized from Scottish Gaelic Raghnall, itself derived from Old Norse Rǫgnvaldr, from rǫgn (“advice”) + valdr (“power”), later partly merged with the Continental Germanic equivalent Reynold.
Senses: examples: text: Bridey says if she had a son which please God she will some day she'll call him Ronald because she's mad about Ronald Colman that you see in the Coliseum Cinema. Or Errol, now that's another lovely name, Errol Flynn. ---
Ronald, says Bridey, Ronald. He's gorgeous.
No, says Mam, it has to be Irish. Isn't that what we fought for all these years? What's the use of fighting the English for centuries if we're going to call our children Ronald?
ref: 1996, Frank McCourt, chapter VII, in Angela's Ashes, HarperCollins., →ISBN, pages 203–204:
glosses: A male given name from the Germanic languages.
Derived terms: sense: pet forms
word: Ron
sense: pet forms
word: Ronnie
sense: pet forms
word: Ronny
Related terms: word: Reginald
word: Reynold
word: Renaud
dimensions
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈmɛn.ʃ(ə)nz/
ipa: /daɪˈmɛn.ʃ(ə)nz/
ipa: /daɪˈmɛn.ʃənz/
Senses: glosses: plural of dimension
dimensions
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈmɛn.ʃ(ə)nz/
ipa: /daɪˈmɛn.ʃ(ə)nz/
ipa: /daɪˈmɛn.ʃənz/
Senses: glosses: third-person singular simple present indicative of dimension
mani
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: manis
Senses: examples: text: You mean you actually found something more important than to you than a weekly mani?
ref: 2006 March 16, Therese Beaupre, “The O.P.”, in Totally Spies!: Undercover, season 4, episode 4, spoken by Samantha “Sam” (Jennifer Hale), Marathon Media, via Teletoon:
text: The nails need a mani, the dress is due for a dry cleaning miracle and those "special occasion cuff links" have gone missing.
ref: 2009 January 12, “Dress for Success: Have a Ball at Dumbarton”, in Express Night Out:
glosses: Clipping of manicure.
Related terms: mani stone
mani-pedi
mani wheel
pedi
spearhead
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈspɪə.hɛd/
ipa: /ˈspɪɹ.hɛd/
ipa: /ˈspiɹ.hɛd/
Forms: form: spearheads
Etymology: From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head.
Senses: examples: text: Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.[…]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
ref: 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
glosses: The pointed head, or end, of a spear.
examples: text: Spearheads of the NER bargain fares attack this year have been the introduction of weekend fares at a 7s 6d in the £ discount on ordinary rates between principal stations throughout the Region—[...].
ref: 1964 September, G. Freeman Allen, “Interim report on the East Coast Route express service”, in Modern Railways, pages 158–159:
glosses: One who leads or initiates an activity (such as an attack or a campaign).
glosses: The leading military unit in an attack.
examples: text: England played at a tempo in attack that was too much for Bulgaria, with width provided at various times by Walcott, Young and Stewart Downing and Rooney acting as the potent spearhead.
ref: 2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2020:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A player who initiates attacking moves.
spearhead
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈspɪə.hɛd/
ipa: /ˈspɪɹ.hɛd/
ipa: /ˈspiɹ.hɛd/
Forms: form: spearheads
form: spearheading
form: spearheaded
form: spearheaded
Etymology: From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head.
Senses: examples: text: He spearheaded the entire project from day one.
text: Newcastle have put themselves within touching distance after a fantastic run which has been spearheaded by the goals of Senegal striker Cisse.
ref: 2012 April 21, Jonathan Jurejko, “Newcastle 3-0 Stoke”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 12 Sep 2018:
text: George Monks spearheaded the project to solve this problem with a funicular, and work on the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway (L&LCR) began in 1887.
ref: 2021 January 13, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Spectacular funiculars”, in RAIL, issue 922, page 53:
text: Musk is betting that lonely users will trade their cash (and last shreds of their connection to human life) for a bot that is explicitly designed to flirt with sad men, as the saddest man on Earth spearheaded it.
ref: 2025 July 16, Luis Prada, “Elon Musk’s Grok AI Now Includes a Pornographic Waifu Chatbot”, in Vice, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2025:
text: Bessent has also been spearheading trade negotiations. Last week he traveled to Sweden to meet with Chinese trade officials to discuss extending the current tariff rates in place on both countries’ goods. This comes as there’s a looming August 12 deadline for the two sides to extend rates or face higher tariffs.
ref: 2025 August 5, Elisabeth Buchwald, “Trump says Scott Bessent no longer in the running for Fed chair”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 25 Aug 2025:
glosses: To drive or campaign ardently for, as an effort, project, etc.; to direct.
ardently
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more ardently
form: most ardently
Etymology: From Middle English ardauntly; equivalent to ardent + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: All scandals aside, Jewish establishment donors and leaders obsessed not only with Jewish continuity but the right kind of continuity—ardently pro-Israel children of two Jewish parents—have failed on their own terms.
ref: 2019 August 7, Marissa Brostoff, Noah Kulwin, “The Right Kind of Continuity”, in Jewish Currents:
glosses: fervently
heckler
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: hecklers
Etymology: From heckle + -er.
Senses: examples: text: The juggler always seemed to have a heckler or two in the crowd on Saturdays.
text: Scott, who runs the Classic and promotes me here, said I was wrong about the heckler being the alpha male of the sport fan group. He said the alpha male would have money, cars, women and be silent. The heckler was a kind of delta male, the jester to the king alpha male. He would spend his life in the orbit of power, trailing it, circling it, but never achieving it.
ref: 2010, Stewart Lee, How I Escaped My Certain Fate, page 323:
glosses: One who heckles; somebody who insults, makes fun of, or teases.
examples: text: […] the usual gap between the time the last strike of the day departed and the first night hecklers arrived was closed with "zippers" — night fighters who, using day fighter tactics, proceeded to the target in daylight in time to relieve the last day blanket patrol.
ref: 1949, Walter Karig, Battle Report:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: An aircraft flying attack missions at night.
glosses: Alternative form of hackler (“worker who separates flax”).
Related terms: heckler's veto
kill two birds with one stone
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: kills two birds with one stone
form: killing two birds with one stone
form: killed two birds with one stone
form: killed two birds with one stone
Etymology: Apparently coined by Dr. John Bramhall, Bishop of Derry, in a 1646 letter to Thomas Hobbes, later published in 1656.
Compare earlier stop two gaps with one bush.
Senses: examples: text: Biking to work kills two birds with one stone. It saves money travelling and will help to lose weight.
glosses: To solve two problems with one single action.
wikipedia: Cicero
Epistulae ad Familiares
Synonyms: feed two birds with one scone
Derived terms: two birds with one stone
Related terms: at one blast
one fell swoop
stop two gaps with one bush
while one is at it
reality check
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: reality checks
Senses: examples: text: Near-synonyms: sanity check, sanity test; sniff test
text: Be sure to do a reality check on the idea before releasing it.
text: what is evidently clear is the nature and quality of rational thought exhibited by both types of minds. It can be stated that Kafka’s autistic mind is not susceptible to delusional concepts which might be presented as religious dogma by society or experienced by the self. For the neurotypical mind these concepts and experiences of existential doubt are harder to shake off since it appears that the neurotypical configuration of the self is an internal cognitive mechanism without an adequate external reality check. In contrast this external reality check appears to be present in the high-functioning autistic mind. It is thought that the autistic mind is more intimately connected with objective reality via its external sensory focus on reality and its superior understanding of physical causality, relative to neurotypical persons (Baron-Cohen et al. 1999; Paganini and Gaido 2013) and is therefore less susceptible to supernatural experiences or explanations.
ref: 2018 November 12, Jerry Stuger, “Autism and Religious Beliefs: Clues from Kafka Research”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, volume 49, →DOI, pages 1559–1569:
hypernyms: check#Noun
coordinate_terms: attitude check
glosses: A check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.
examples: text: That kid needs a reality check before he fails or drops out.
text: United's renaissance under manager Erik ten Hag already has the tangible reward of the Carabao Cup but Liverpool unleashed a brutal reality check on their progress with a severe thrashing.
ref: 2023 March 5, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: A wake-up call; a reminder.
Derived terms: word: reality-check
Related terms: pub test
reminder
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹɪˈmaɪndə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ɹɪˈmaɪndəɹ/
ipa: [ɹɪˈmaɪn.dɚ]
ipa: /ɹɪˈmɑɪndə(ɹ)/
Forms: form: reminders
Etymology: From remind + -er.
Senses: examples: text: He left a note as a reminder to get groceries.
glosses: Someone or something that reminds.
examples: text: She ignored first the reminder of 80 cents. At the end, she was sentenced to pay 200 euros!
topics: business
finance
glosses: Writing that reminds of open payments.
Derived terms: animal reminder disgust
pill reminder
neck and crop
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Etymology: Uncertain, but crop may refer to the backside of a horse, so that a horse that fell neck and crop had both its neck and backside hit the ground.
Senses: examples: text: She turned him neck and crop out of the house.
text: "She was a governess in the family of some Roman prince, and the son of the house seduced her. She thought he was going to marry her. They turned her out into the street neck and crop. She was going to have a baby, and she tried to commit suicide. Stroeve found her and married her."
ref: 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 41”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:
text: "In Peter Harrigan's mines! Don't you realise that he'll pick them up and throw them out of here, neck and crop--the whole crew, every man in the town, if necessary?"
ref: 1917, Upton Sinclair, King Coal, chapter 12:
text: "Have it out with him to-night. Fair and square. Out he goes, Edmund, neck and crop. Out, by thunder."
ref: 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 76:
text: In the darkness he fell on him, dragged him to the back gate, and flung him out neck-and-crop.
ref: 1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter II, in Capricornia, page 24:
glosses: completely and with violence
Synonyms: neck and heels
Related terms: come a cropper
over the transom
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Etymology: A transom is a lintel or crosspiece over a door; likely an alteration of Latin trānstrum (“crossbeam”). Refers to the idea of a writer tossing a manuscript through the open window over the door of the publisher's office. Alternatively, a "transom" is the nautical term for the back of a small boat. Something which "came in over the transom" would have suddenly (and presumably, surprisingly) entered through the "back door" of the craft, metaphorically.
Senses: examples: text: All the over-the-transom articles are handled by our interns.
text: Only one piece that came in over the transom appears in this issue.
glosses: Unsolicited.
raw_tags: of a work submitted for publication
examples: text: They worked into the night and sent an associate to make an over-the-transom filing.
topics: government
law
glosses: Meeting a deadline by delivery after the day of the deadline but before opening of business the following business day.
unsolicited
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌʌnsəˈlɪsɪtɪd/
Forms: form: more unsolicited
form: most unsolicited
Etymology: From un- + solicited.
Senses: examples: text: People have become very frustrated with unsolicited sales calls.
text: In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.
ref: 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
glosses: Not requested; neither welcomed nor invited.
reinforce
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌɹiː.ɪnˈfɔːs/
ipa: /ˌɹi.ɪnˈfɔɹs/
ipa: /ˌɹiː.ɪnˈfoːs/
ipa: /ˌɹiː.ənˈfoːs/
rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)s
homophone: reenforce
Forms: form: reinforces
form: reinforcing
form: reinforced
form: reinforced
form: re-enforce
form: reenforce
Etymology: From re- + inforce.
Senses: examples: text: He reinforced the handle with a metal rod and a bit of tape.
text: [T]hey [the English] valiantly, and vvith the ſlaughter of many, put backe the enemy: vvhich vvas ſo farre from daunting the Normans, that by it they vvere more vvhetted to re-enforce themſelues vpon them: […]
ref: 1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Harold the Second of that Name, the Sonne of Earle Goodwine, and Thirtie Eight Monarch of the Englishmen, […]”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. […], London: […] William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble, […], →OCLC, book VIII ([The Danes] […]), paragraph 38, page 407, column 1:
glosses: To strengthen, especially by addition or augmentation.
examples: text: The right homework will reinforce and complement the lesson!
text: The accident was also one of several since Clapham [...] that demonstrated the role of breakable windows in the death toll. RSSB research would later confirm and reinforce the need for laminated glass to protect passengers and increase survivability.
ref: 2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 42:
glosses: To emphasize or review.
examples: text: Advertising for fast food can reinforce unhealthy dietary tendencies.
text: Mr. Schlossberg’s rant angered activists for immigrant rights, who said it reinforced stereotypes that Spanish speakers are not citizens. And they worried that it perpetuated fear within immigrant communities of ICE’s aggressive tactics to deport those who are undocumented.
ref: 2018 May 22, Liz Robbins, Maya Salam, “‘I Am Not Racist’: Lawyer Issues Apology One Week After Rant”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Apr 2023:
glosses: To encourage (a behavior or idea) through repeated stimulus.
Synonyms: sense: strengthen
word: strengthen
sense: strengthen
word: augment
sense: strengthen
word: fortify
sense: strengthen
word: buttress
sense: strengthen
word: bolster
sense: strengthen
word: line
sense: emphasize
word: emphasize
sense: emphasize
word: review
sense: emphasize
word: repeat
sense: encourage
word: encourage
sense: encourage
word: reward
sense: encourage
word: instruct
sense: encourage
word: teach
sense: encourage
word: learn
Derived terms: self-reinforce
self-reinforcing
backtrack
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæk.tɹæk/
Forms: form: backtracks
Etymology: From back + track.
Senses: glosses: the act of backtracking
backtrack
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæk.tɹæk/
Forms: form: backtracks
form: backtracking
form: backtracked
form: backtracked
Etymology: From back + track.
Senses: examples: text: I dropped my sunglasses and had to backtrack to find them.
text: Trophy in paw, I invest another hour twenty backtracking to find my original spawn-in spot, and reduce Fluffoki and her little friendlings to so much dead flesh, although sorry to say, it being a kids' game, they die in splatters of sparks rather than [...]
ref: 2008, Lauren Beukes, Moxyland - Page 86:
glosses: To retrace one's steps.
examples: text: If we backtrack through this problem, maybe we can figure out where we went wrong.
glosses: To repeat or review work already done.
examples: text: Speedbird One: enter and backtrack Runway 27 Left.
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: To taxi down an active runway in the opposite direction to that being used for takeoff.
glosses: To exercise a racehorse around the racetrack in the opposite direction to that in which races are run.
examples: text: Woodward’s mild rebuke of Tatis received backlash from most players who spoke out, and even Woodward backtracked and reexplained himself the next day.
ref: 2020 August 22, Adam Kilgore, “Baseball’s unwritten rules may be softening, but they haven’t gone away”, in The Washington Post:
ref: 2022 December 1, Ryan Pearson, “Nintendo Backtracks On Claim They Didn't Hear Of Performance Issues In 'Pokémon Scarlet & Violet' And Releases Much-Needed Patch”, in Bounding Into Comics, archived from the original on 05 Jan 2023:
text: “You saw the disaster that followed when Trump spoke out against the Florida [amendment],” said Trish Crouse, a political science professor at the University of New Haven. “He found himself having to backtrack and reexplain himself.”
ref: 2024 June 10, Justine McDaniel and Anumita Kaur, “Harris’s own ballot will include crime measure dividing Democrats in Calif.”, in The Washington Post:
glosses: To go back on or withdraw a statement.
Derived terms: word: backtracker
word: backtracking
critter
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: krĭtʹər
ipa: /ˈkɹɪtɚ/
ipa: /ˈkɹɪtə/
rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)
Forms: form: critters
Etymology: First attested 1815, from a dialectal pronunciation of creature.
Senses: examples: text: The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile.
ref: 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
glosses: A creature, an animal.
examples: text: One of the biggest challenges facing a railfan photographer is the correct identification of one manufacturer's "critter" locomotive from that of another competing builder.
ref: 2025 March 7 (last accessed), R. Craig Rutherford, The Diesel Shop:
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A small locomotive used in an industrial setting.
Coordinate terms: beastie
Derived terms: congresscritter
crispy critter
crittercam
critterproof
crotch critter
gendercritter
salescritter
spokescritter
werecritter
muriatic acid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: examples: Near-synonyms: gastric acid, stomach acid, gastric juice (which is mostly hydrochloric acid)
topics: chemistry
inorganic-chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Hydrochloric acid.
glosses: A low grade, industrial grade or impure form of hydrochloric acid, often containing traces of iron.
Derived terms: oxymuriatic acid
Related terms: muriate
muriate
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: muriates
Etymology: From Latin muria (“brine”) + -ate.
Senses: topics: chemistry
inorganic-chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Chloride.
Derived terms: muriate of potash
MOP
muriate of soda
Related terms: muriatic acid
ardent spirits
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ärʹdnt
Etymology: First attested 1471, from its inflammability; see etymology section of ardent.
Senses: examples: text: "Even then I realized the possibilities of my suburb, that hotbed of revolution in which heroes, inventors, and practical men of science, rogues and scoundrels, virtues and vices, were all packed together by poverty, stifled by necessity, drowned in drink, and consumed by ardent spirits."
ref: 1837, et al, Honoré de Balzac, translated by Clara Bell, Facino Cane:
glosses: Strong distilled alcoholic liquor or whiskey.
Synonyms: aqua vitae
Related terms: booze
hard drink
hard liquor
John Barleycorn
liquor
spirits
strong drink
myristic acid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From myristic.
Senses: topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
organic-chemistry
physical-sciences
glosses: A saturated fatty acid, CH₃(CH₂)₁₂COOH, tetradecanoic acid, found in both animal and vegetable oils and fats; used in the manufacture of soap, cosmetics etc.
Derived terms: myristate
myristoyl
myristate
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: myristates
Etymology: From myristic acid + -ate (“salt or ester”).
Senses: topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Any salt or ester of myristic acid.
Derived terms: trimyristate
nicotinic acid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
organic-chemistry
physical-sciences
glosses: pyridine-3-carboxylic acid; together with nicotinamide is a part of the vitamin B complex
Synonyms: E375 when used as a colour retention agent
niacin
Derived terms: isonicotinic acid
nicotinate
Related terms: nicotinaldehyde
retrace
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹiːˈtɹeɪs/
ipa: /ˈɹiːtɹeɪs/
rhymes: -eɪs
Forms: form: retraces
form: retracing
form: retraced
form: retraced
Etymology: From French retracer, from Middle French retracier.
Senses: glosses: To trace (a line, etc. in drawing) again.
examples: text: He retraced his steps, and found his keys where he had dropped them.
text: Instead of retracing my route, I have elected to walk across Blackpool to the town's remaining large station, although even this has been greatly reduced in size.
ref: 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 56:
glosses: To go back over something, usually in an attempt at rediscovery.
topics: business
finance
glosses: To undergo retracement.
Derived terms: retrace one's steps