nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: en passant Part of Speech: noun Etymology: An unadapted borrowing from French en passant. Pronunciation: /ˌɒ̃ pæˈsɒ̃/, /ˌɑn pəˈsɑnt/, /ˌɑn pæˈsɑnt/ 1. A move in which a pawn captures an opposing pawn on the same rank immediately after the latter has moved forward two squares on its first move in the game, as if it had moved forward only one square. Example: Spectators are privy to awe inspiring castles, baffling forks, and breathtaking en passants. Example: En passant is the rarest of moves. It is a French phrase that means "in passing." This occurs when one player moves a pawn two spaces forward, on its first move, to try to avoid a capture by an opponent pawn. When this happens, the opponent may move his pawn diagonally to the square that the first player passed over (i.e., as if he only moved one space forward). The pawn from the first player is then considered captured and removed from the board.
Word: limn Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English limnen, limyne, lymm, lymn, lymne (“to illuminate (a manuscript)”), a variant of luminen (“to illuminate (a manuscript)”), short form of enluminen (“to shed light on, illuminate; to enlighten; to make bright or clear; to give colour to; to illuminate (a manuscript); to depict, describe; to adorn or embellish with figures of speech or poetry; to make famous, glorious, or illustrious”), from Old French enluminer (“to brighten, light up; to give colour to; to illuminate (a manuscript)”), from Latin illūminō (“to brighten, light up; to adorn; to make conspicuous”), from il- (a variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’)) + lūminō (“to brighten, illuminate; to reveal”) (from lūmen (“light; (poetic) brightness”) (from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to shine; to see”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Pronunciation: /lɪm/ 1. To draw or paint; to delineate. Labels: also, figuratively, transitive Example: Who then to frail Mortality ſhall truſt, / But limns in Water, or but writes in Duſt. Example: Then the Painter, according to the pattern of ſome living thing, portraieth [draweth out] the picture groſly; afterward he reſembleth it to the life, and with his pencil limneth it with different painting colors. 2. To illuminate, as a manuscript; to decorate with gold or some other bright colour. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: Some of her [Elizabeth Barton's] Revelations were no better than ſilly Tales: Such was a certain Tale of Mary Magdalen, delivering her a Letter from Heaven, that was limned with golden Letters: which indeed was written by a Monk of St. Auguſtines, Canterbury: and another at Calais.
Word: besmear Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English *bismerwen, from Old English besmirwan, besmierwan (“to besmear”), equivalent to be- + smear. Cognate with Dutch besmeren (“to besmear”), German beschmieren (“to besmear”). 1. To smear over, to smear all over, to daub. Labels: transitive Example: I long to ſee thee backe returne from thence, That I may view theſe milk-white ſteeds of mine. All loden with the heads of killed men, And from their knees, euen to their hoofes below, Beſmer’d with blood, that makes a dainty ſhow. Example: […] carters and coachmen, who make in imitation thereof a composition of grease and tar, with which they besmear the inside of the naves of wheels and the extremitys of the axis upon which they move. 2. To damage the reputation of, to tarnish, to sully. Labels: transitive Example: Novv, Sir, vvhen my Time comes, leſt they ſhou'd think it vvorth vvhile to handle my Memory vvith the ſame Freedom, I am vvilling to prevent its being ſo odly beſmear'd (or at beſt but flatly vvhite-vvash'd) by taking upon me to give the Publick This, as true a Picture of myſelf as natural Vanity vvill permit me to dravv; […] Example: His public record is already besmeared with tawdry divorces, […]
Word: en suite Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From French en suite. Pronunciation: /ɑn ˈswit/ 1. Of a bathroom, etc., connected to a bedroom. Labels: not-comparable 2. Of a bedroom, etc., connected to an ensuite bathroom. Labels: not-comparable 3. Forming part of a cohesively themed or matching set or series. Labels: not-comparable Example: The Dress Cap and Under-Sleeves are en suite.
Word: en suite Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From French en suite. Pronunciation: /ɑn ˈswit/ 1. Adjoining and connected (to a bedroom or bathroom). Labels: not-comparable Example: […] the boudoir of Mme de Saint-Ange. This architectural type, a small, furnished and ornate feminine aristocratic space dedicated to bathing and dressing, located en suite with bedroom and salon or dining room, and used by the lady of the house to withdraw or to receive private guests for intimate conversation (or more), is the setting for both exclusion and excess, chosen by de Sade[…] 2. So as to form cohesively themed or matching set. Labels: not-comparable Example: The burgonet was decorated en suite, the sides of the bowl embossed with acanthus scrolls flanking a central palmette and with swagged ribbons at the peak and nape, the hinged cheekpieces embossed in the center with a leafy mask with foliate diadem[…] Example: The grips of these hilts […] were of solid metal which was decorated en suite with the rest of the hilt.
Word: en suite Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French en suite. Pronunciation: /ɑn ˈswit/ 1. Alternative form of ensuite. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: He got out of bed and went to wash his hands in the en suite, a small pink-tiled room with a potted plant in the corner and little jars of face cream and perfume everywhere.
Word: ligate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in 1599; borrowed from Latin ligātus, perfect passive participle of ligō (“to bind”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of legato. Compare league. Pronunciation: /ˈlɪɡeɪt/ 1. To bind with a ligature or bandage. Labels: transitive 2. To connect text characters with a ligature. Labels: transitive 3. To join by ligation. Labels: ambitransitive
Word: pith helmet Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Compound of pith + helmet. Pronunciation: /pɪθ ˈhɛlmɪt/ 1. A lightweight helmet-shaped hat made of the pith of the sola or shola (Indian spongewood) plant covered with white cotton and faced with green cloth. 2. A hat of similar appearance, but made of different materials.
Word: flawed Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English flaued, equivalent to flaw + -ed. Pronunciation: /flɔːd/, /floːd/, /flɔd/, /flɑd/ 1. Having a flaw or imperfection. Example: Flawed diamonds are generally not used in jewellery. Example: His design for a perpetual motion machine is flawed because water does not flow uphill.
Word: foolproof Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree English fool English proof English -proof English foolproof From fool + -proof. Pronunciation: /ˈfuːl ˌpɹuːf/ 1. Of a device: protected against, or designed to be proof against, misuse or error. 2. Of an idea or plan: certain to succeed in all eventualities, or claimed to be so; infallible. Example: Dill had hit upon a foolproof plan to make Boo Radley come out at no cost to ourselves (place a trail of lemon drops from the back door to the front yard and he’d follow it, like an ant). Example: My foolproof recipe is my gâteau fermière.
Word: foolproof Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree English fool English proof English -proof English foolproof From fool + -proof. Pronunciation: /ˈfuːl ˌpɹuːf/ 1. To render (something) foolproof. Labels: transitive Example: We foolproofed the operations.
Word: manta ray Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Spanish mantarraya, itself a compound from manta and raya; according to Jorge Juan y Santacilia and Antonio de Ulloa, so called “for being broad and long like a quilt”. Pronunciation: /ˈmæntə ɹeɪ/ 1. Any of several very large pelagic rays formerly of the genus Manta, now placed in genus Mobula, with winglike pectoral fins, a long tail, and two fins resembling horns that project from the head. Example: My favorite are the manta rays. We watch them wing past. The have the largest brain of any fish, I remember.
Word: oriole Part of Speech: noun Etymology: A borrowing from Middle French oriol, from Old French oriol, from Latin aureolus, diminutive of aureus (“golden”). Doublet of aureole. First use appears c. 1776 in the writings of Thomas Pennant. Pronunciation: /ˈɔː.ɹiːˌəʊl/, /ˈɔɹ.iˌoʊl/ 1. Any of various colourful passerine birds, New World orioles of the genus Icterus (family Icteridae) and Old World orioles of the family Oriolidae. Example: Those at risk include the wood thrush, a well-known songbird, and the Baltimore oriole, the mascot of Maryland’s baseball team.
Word: WW2 Part of Speech: name 1. Abbreviation of World War II. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of
Word: workstation Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From work + station. Pronunciation: /ˈwɝkˌsteɪʃən/ 1. A desktop computer, normally more powerful than a normal PC and often dedicated to a specific task, such as graphics. Example: All train movements on the Far North Line have been controlled by a Radio Electronic Token Block workstation at Inverness since 1995, having already been introduced on the Kyle Line some 11 years earlier. 2. An area, at a workplace, for a single worker. Example: Holonyms: workplace, workstead Example: Near-synonym: workspace
Word: utopian Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek οὐ (ou) Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) New Latin Ūtopiader. English utopia Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin -ānus Old French -ainder. Middle English -an English -an English utopian From utopia + -an. Pronunciation: /juːˈtəʊ.pi.ən/, /juˈtoʊ.pi.ən/ 1. Of or pertaining to or resembling a utopia. Example: utopian happiness Example: The world we lived in was wide, and most of it was open to us with little trouble. Roads, railways, and shipping lines laced it, ready to carry one thousands of miles safely and in comfort. If we wanted to travel more swiftly still, and could afford it, we traveled by airplane. There was no need for anyone to take weapons or even precautions in those days. You could go just as you were to wherever you wished, with nothing to hinder you - other than a lot of forms and regulations. A world so tamed sounds utopian now. 2. Ideal but often impractical; visionary. Example: a utopian project Example: The Great Society was never, in my mind, just a visionary utopian ideal. I considered it a realistic outline of what this nation could achieve in a limited period of time if we marshaled our will and committed our resources.
Word: utopian Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek οὐ (ou) Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) New Latin Ūtopiader. English utopia Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin -ānus Old French -ainder. Middle English -an English -an English utopian From utopia + -an. Pronunciation: /juːˈtəʊ.pi.ən/, /juˈtoʊ.pi.ən/ 1. Someone who supports or heralds the establishment of a utopia. Example: One of our brighter young Utopians, Aldous Huxley, predicts that the movies of the future will include “feelies” and “smellies.” Example: Digital utopians have heralded the dawn of an era in which Web 2.0 […] ushers in the democratization of the world: more information, more perspectives, more opinions, more everything, and most of it without filters or fees.
Word: shola Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Bengali শোলা (śōla). 1. A wild plant of species Aeschynomene aspera, found in Bengal and Assam, having a milky-white, spongy pith used for the manufacture of pith helmets and decorative artifacts. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: shola Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Tamil [Term?]. 1. A wooded ravine; a thicket. Labels: India, historical Example: At daylight […] we left the Sisipara bungalow, and rode for several miles through a valley interspersed with sholas of rhododendron trees. Example: Here and there in the hollows were little jungles; sholas, as they are called.
Word: sola topi Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the shola or sola plant (Aeschynomene aspera)—whose pith is used—and topi or tope, Hindi for "hat", popularised by the British colonials who wore them while inspecting farms or travelling. 1. A pith helmet Example: In some Charles appeared, in shorts and sola topi, flanked by robed, shock-headed men of intense blackness.
Word: grouty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree English grout Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English grouty From grout + -y. 1. Full of grout(s), that is, sediment. Example: […] the Wash of the Dung runs into this Pond, and thickens it to that degree, that many have wondered how the Cattle could drink such grouty, black, stinking Water, full of Lice, Worms, Bugs, and other Insects. Example: Stew no longer than the meat is thoroughly done to eat, and you will obtain excellent broth, without depriving the meat of its nutritious succulence : to boil it to rags, as is the common practice, will not enrich your broths, but make them thick and grouty.
Word: grouty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Uncertain; compare grouchy. 1. Angry or surly, sulky. Labels: Northern-US Example: How easy to be kind and pleasant: how uncomfortable to be rude and grouty! Example: You better go down to your company, or that long-nosed Englishwoman'll get even groutier than she is. 2. Lowering; threatening to rain or storm. Labels: Northern-US 3. Turbid as with liquor.
Word: topee Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Hindi टोपी (ṭopī)/Urdu ٹوپی (ṭōpī). Pronunciation: /ˈtəʊ.pi/ 1. A pith helmet. Example: I lent my topee to Camarião, who looked extremely odd in it. Example: There were a few people on the platform, among them two Indian police, and a station oflicial with a white topee.
Word: solar topee Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Hindi सोला टोपी (solā ṭopī), from Hindi सोला (solā, “the plant Aeschynomene aspera, used to make pith helmets”) + Hindi टोपी (ṭopī, “hat”). The spelling solar is a Hobson-Jobsonism from English solar (“relating to the sun”), as the hat provided shade from the sun. 1. A pith helmet.
Word: dieseled Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree German Dieselbor. English diesel English -ed English dieseled From diesel (noun) + -ed. 1. Powered by a diesel engine. Labels: not-comparable
Word: dieseled Part of Speech: verb 1. simple past and past participle of diesel Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: premunire Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of praemunire. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: premunire Part of Speech: verb 1. Alternative form of praemunire. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: But instead of receiving any manner of Justice, most rediculously and impertinantly was the Oath of Allegiance, imposed as a Snare upon them; for refusal whereof they were forthwith premunired, and their Estates and Liberties in this horrid manner rap’d from them. Example: A Thief having ſtoln two Beaſts from one of thoſe called Quakers, was impriſoned: But ſome body having informed the Judge that the Man that proſecuted was a Quaker, and he (the Judge) perceiving that he would not ſwear, would not hear what the Man could ſay, but tender'd him the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, which the ſaid Quaker refuſing, the Judge premunired him, and let the thief go free.
Word: hypoxia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: By surface analysis, hyp- + ox- + -ia. Pronunciation: /haɪˈpɔk.si.ə/, /ˈhaɪ.pɔk.si.ə/ 1. A condition in which tissues are deprived of an adequate supply of oxygen . Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A reduced concentration of dissolved oxygen in an aquatic environment. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: anoxia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Internationalism, from an- (“without”) + ox- (“oxygen”) + -ia (“disease”). Pronunciation: /ænˈɒk.sɪ.ə/, /æˈnɒk-/, /ænˈɑk.si.ə/, /æˈnɑk-/ 1. A condition in which a body tissue or an environment is severely or totally deprived of oxygen; severe hypoxia. Labels: uncountable, usually
Word: hyperoxia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: By surface analysis, hyper- + ox- + -ia. 1. A condition caused by an excess of oxygen in tissues; the excess itself. Labels: uncountable
Word: pathological Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek πάσχω (páskhō)der. Ancient Greek πᾰ́θος (pắthos) Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek -λογῐ́ᾱ (-logĭ́ā)bor. Latin -logialbor. French -logie French pathologiebor. English pathology Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ic Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al Middle English -ical English -ical English pathological From pathology + -ical. Pronunciation: /ˌpæθ.əˈlɑd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/, /ˌpæθ.əˈlɒd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/ 1. Pertaining to pathology. Example: But we can no longer regard the mere fact of these diffuse condensations of the lung becoming yellow and caseous as an evidence of their tuberculous nature, especially since the pathological anatomists, and among them Virchow, have shown that formations of the most different kind, having not the slightest connection with tubercule— as, for example, old cancerous masses, lymphatic glands swollen by a hyperplasia of cells, hæmorrhagical infarctions, abscesses, &c.— undergo exactly the same caseous transformation. 2. Relating to, amounting to, or caused by a physical or mental disorder. Example: Paul Canning's performance as Julian gives the character an emotional center that is not in the script: He is vulnerable without being pathological, needy without being pathetic. 3. Having properties which are counterintuitive or difficult to handle. 4. Having properties that cause unusually bad behaviour, especially regarding correctness or performance.
Word: a/c Part of Speech: adj 1. Abbreviation of antecubital. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, not-comparable
Word: a/c Part of Speech: noun 1. Abbreviation of account. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of Example: a cheque marked a/c payee may not be deposited in a bank account which does not belong to the named payee 2. Initialism of air conditioning. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 3. Initialism of air conditioner. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 4. Initialism of aircraft. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: bank account Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Originally referring merely to the registry of transactions (deposits, withdrawals) for a fund held by a bank, the sense came to encompass the fund being held. 1. A fund, held by a bank in a contractual arrangement between the bank and the owner of the fund, a customer of the bank, into which they can deposit and from which they can withdraw money.
Word: Japonia Part of Speech: name Etymology: From New Latin Japō̆nia, also spelled Iapō̆nia, through Japon + -ia. Pronunciation: /d͡ʒæˈpəʊniə/ 1. Japan: A country in East Asia. Labels: obsolete Example: In Japonia, 'tis a common thing to stifle their children if they be poor, or to make an abort, which Aristotle commends. Example: THE Tyrants of Japonia invented a ſtrange Torment for thoſe who confeſſed Chriſt
Word: aposthia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English a- Ancient Greek πόσθη (pósthē) Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -iader. English -ia English aposthia From a- + Ancient Greek πόσθη (pósthē) + English -ia. 1. The congenital absence of a foreskin. Labels: uncountable
Word: ballet Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto (“short dance, ballet”), diminutive form of ballo (“group dance”) (cognate with Old French bal, whence English ball), from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”). By surface analysis, ball + -et. Pronunciation: /bælˈeɪ/, /ˈbæl(ˌ)eɪ/, /ˈbal.eɪ/, /ˈbal.ɪ/, /bælˈæɪ/ 1. A classical form of dance. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: a classically-trained ballet dancer 2. A theatrical presentation of such dancing, usually with music, sometimes in the form of a story. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Let's go to the ballet in the theatre tomorrow! 3. The company of persons who perform this dance. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Zara joined the ballet at the age of 14. 4. A light part song, frequently with a fa-la-la chorus, common among Elizabethan and Italian Renaissance composers. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A (small) ball i.e. roundel on a coat of arms, called a bezant, plate, etc., according to colour. Labels: countable, uncommon, uncountable Example: 9. Peter West, Ar. bears sable Ballets argent a Lyon Rampant. 6. Any intricate series of operations involving coordination between individuals. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Food preparation on a potager no doubt became a kitchen ballet in which pans were constantly shifted, coals constantly replenished, and grates shaken out. Example: Henry Payton joined Alan on the sidelines during the conclusion of the oddly delicate ballet known as On-Scene Investigation.
Word: ballet Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto (“short dance, ballet”), diminutive form of ballo (“group dance”) (cognate with Old French bal, whence English ball), from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”). By surface analysis, ball + -et. Pronunciation: /bælˈeɪ/, /ˈbæl(ˌ)eɪ/, /ˈbal.eɪ/, /ˈbal.ɪ/, /bælˈæɪ/ 1. To perform an action reminiscent of ballet dancing. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Situations that typically require longer iliac limbs than the measurements suggest include extreme iliac tortuosity, “balleting” of the limbs (Endurant and Excluder) (Fig. 90-3), and the need to extend to the external iliac arteries. It these anatomic circumstances, it is prudent to choose a longer length when in doubt. Example: Unfortunately, he could only sustain so much abuse. Footfalls approached. Kanoa's lips smacked and his jaw hung open. His eyelids fluttered, their underlying gaze balleting without clarity. He felt beyond sick, and his world spun immensely. A garbled voice of incoherency seemed to be his only link to this realm of consciousness.
Word: slugfest Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Originally US, from slug (“to hit very hard”) + -fest. Pronunciation: /ˈslʌɡfɛst/ 1. A baseball game in which many runs are scored, especially by home runs. Labels: slang Example: The game turned into a 15-9 slugfest. Example: In a World Series that has come to be defined by the unpredictable and unexpected, it was only fitting that one night, after a lights-out pitchers’ duel between the heretofore unremarkable Alex Wood and Charlie Morton, a slugfest would unfold that sent the Cy Young Award winners Clayton Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel to early exits. 2. A game or match in which heavy blows are exchanged. Labels: slang Example: The championship bout was a slugfest; both boxers were bloodied. Example: But while Roger Federer and Serena Williams were bludgeoning their opponents off the main court in a combined 126 minutes, the fans looking for a fantastic match stuffed into Armstrong Stadium next door to watch a mesmerizing slugfest between seventh-seeded Gaël Monfils of France and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain. 3. A tough, heated contest. Labels: figuratively Example: Lakers win slugfest over Clippers Example: There isn’t much reason to be optimistic about thoughtful dialogue in this general election. Both sides are girded for a negative, no-holds-barred slugfest.
Word: back burner Part of Speech: noun 1. A section of a stove used to keep some pots warm while one focuses on others. Labels: countable Example: In restaurants, the back burner is the place that chefs leave their sauces and soup stocks to simmer while they are engaged in other, more immediately pressing, and faster operations on the front burners. Example: Also, avoid reaching across a lit burner in the front of the stove to stir a pot on a back burner. Turn the front burner off while you tend to food on a back burner. 2. A state of low urgency; a state of low current importance. Labels: figuratively, uncountable Example: We'll put next year's Christmas party on the back burner until we deal with the current financial crisis. Example: I kept cases on the back burner for years—just thinking about them, playing them out in my head, waiting for the time to work it, or a lucky break.
Word: sawbuck Part of Speech: noun Etymology: * From saw + buck, calque of Dutch zaagbok. * (ten-dollar bill): From the resemblance of the Roman numeral X (ten) to a sawhorse. 1. A framework for holding wood so that it can be sawed; a sawhorse. 2. A ten-dollar bill. Labels: US, slang
Word: Ameche Part of Speech: noun Etymology: After Don Ameche, who played Alexander Graham Bell in a 1939 film. 1. A telephone. Labels: US, dated, slang Example: Tell the asshole to take the fuckin' cigar out of his mouth and get on the Ameche. Example: "Sweetheart, bring me the Ameche, please." His face had a foolish smile. Untangling the twenty foot extension cord, Alice Lynn placed the telephone in front of her husband.
Word: anaesthetic Part of Speech: adj 1. Alternative spelling of anesthetic. Labels: Commonwealth, alt-of, alternative
Word: anaesthetic Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative spelling of anesthetic. Labels: Commonwealth, alt-of, alternative
Word: potbelly Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pot + belly. 1. A large, protruding, or swollen abdomen; a paunch. 2. Ellipsis of potbelly stove. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis 3. Ellipsis of Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal
Word: bean-shooter Part of Speech: noun 1. A peashooter; a small or toy gun. Labels: slang 2. A slingshot. Labels: US, dialectal
Word: beezer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unknown, perhaps from Spanish cabeza (“head”), though the meaning “head” appears to somewhat postdate “nose” in English. First attested in 1908, originally apparently as American boxing slang. Various sources have suggested a borrowing, perhaps by American sailors or marines, from Mandarin 鼻子 (“nose”). While the Mandarin may have reinforced an existing term, an ultimate derivation from Mandarin is improbable given the context and time frame of early use. 1. nose Labels: dated, slang Example: “In der beezer, Casey, slam him in der beezer!” ¶ At the ropes Casey fought back, but was obliged to clinch. Example: “Now, don’t be turnin’ up that busted beezer of yours so proud an’ haughty.[…]” 2. head Labels: dated, slang Example: We were beating up into the wind, when Captain Pray decided to tack, and her concise order to me was “Duck your beezer!” and while I was wondering which part of the boat a beezer was, the boom just missed the top of my head and she remarked, “I told you to duck.” Example: “[…] If the hogs ate your beezer with all the phony ideas you’ve got in it, they’d croak!”
Word: beezer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Scots beezer, beeser, of unknown origin. First attested in the 1910s. The adjective is from the noun. 1. A smart person, a bloke. Labels: UK, dated, slang
Word: beezer Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Scots beezer, beeser, of unknown origin. First attested in the 1910s. The adjective is from the noun. 1. Excellent, super. Labels: UK, dated, slang Example: We had a beezer time at the party.
Word: behind the eight-ball Part of Speech: prep_phrase Etymology: First use appears c. 1923 in the Buffalo Evening Times. Thought to derive from the game of Kelly pool, in which players assigned balls numerically higher than 8, that is, balls that are behind the 8 ball in order, have little possibility of winning, or from eight-ball pool, where one cannot contact the eight ball on a shot before it is the legal ball, frustrating shots, or more generally, from the fact that the 8 ball is considered harder to aim at because of its color. 1. In a difficult situation or tight spot; at a disadvantage. Labels: idiomatic Example: After his last two projects failed, he was really behind the eight-ball. Example: He was desperate, playing behind the eight-ball.
Word: bent car Part of Speech: noun 1. A stolen car. Labels: slang
Word: big house Part of Speech: noun 1. Prison, jail. Labels: slang Example: He was 38 years old and had been in the big house twice for shooting scrapes. 2. The workhouse. Labels: obsolete, slang 3. A religious building of the Delaware Indians, representing the cosmos. 4. A plantation house 5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see big, house.
Word: bim Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From bimbo. 1. A woman. Labels: slang
Word: bindle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unknown; compare Old English bindele (“a binding, a tying”) from bindan (“to bind”), and bundle. Additionally, compare mister from master. Pronunciation: /ˈbɪndl/ 1. A length of cord, rope, twine, etc, used to bind something. Labels: Scotland
Word: bindle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Probably a corruption of bundle; perhaps influenced by the preceding word bindle meaning "length of cord used to bind something". Pronunciation: /ˈbɪndl/ 1. A bundle carried by a hobo (usually containing his possessions), often on a stick slung over the shoulder; a blanket roll. Labels: Canada, US, slang Example: [L]astly he made a bindle in a plastic tarp of some cans of juice and cans of fruit and cans of vegetables […] 2. Any bundle or package; specifically one containing narcotics such as cocaine, heroin, or morphine. Labels: Canada, US, slang
Word: bindle stiff Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From bindle, a hobo’s sack. 1. A hobo, misfit, criminal, wanderer, or drifting harvest worker. Example: “So maybe you better jus’ scatter along now, ’cause Curley maybe ain’t gonna like his wife out in the barn with us ‘bindle stiffs.’ ” Example: He felt like a toss-up between a bindle stiff and a skid row derelict.
Word: bindle punk Part of Speech: noun 1. A bindle stiff.
Word: bing Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bing, binge, benge (also as Middle English byngger, bengere (“grain bin, hopper”)), from Old Norse bingr (“heap of corn; bed; bolster”), cognate with Scots bing, Swedish binge (“heap”), Danish bing (“bin; box; compartment”). Compare also Scottish Gaelic binnean meaning a small hill or slag heap. Pronunciation: /bɪŋ/ 1. Solitary confinement. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable, with-definite-article 2. A slag heap, i.e. a man-made mound or heap formed with the waste material (slag) as a by-product of coal mining or the shale oil industry. Labels: Scotland, countable, uncountable 3. The waste by-product from a foundry or furnace, formed into such a mound. Labels: Scotland, countable, uncountable 4. A heap or pile, especially of metallic ore. Labels: Scotland, UK, countable, uncountable
Word: bing Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Origin obscure. Compare Scots bin (“to move speedily with noise”). Pronunciation: /bɪŋ/ 1. To go; walk; come; run. Labels: dated, dialectal, slang
Word: bing Part of Speech: intj Etymology: Onomatopoeia, variously of a bouncing sound or a bell. Pronunciation: /bɪŋ/ 1. The sound made by a bounce, or by striking a metallic surface. Labels: onomatopoeic 2. The high-pitched sound made by a bell being struck. Labels: onomatopoeic Example: Toronto Star, "Ryanair looking at standing 'seats,' pay toilets", 2 July 2010, Jim Rankin Bing! Ladies and gentlemen, in a few minutes the captain will turn off the fasten seatbelt sign, but for your own safety we recommend you stay seated and with your seatbelt securely fastened at all times.
Word: bing Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Onomatopoeia, variously of a bouncing sound or a bell. Pronunciation: /bɪŋ/ 1. The sound made by a bell, an onomatopœia. 2. The sound made by a bounce. 3. A bounce.
Word: bing Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Onomatopoeia, variously of a bouncing sound or a bell. Pronunciation: /bɪŋ/ 1. To bounce.
Word: muset Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French mussette, from Old French mussette, diminutive of musse, muce (“a hiding place”). 1. A small hole or gap through which a wild animal passes; a muse. Labels: obsolete Example: And when thou hast on foot the purblind hare, Mark the poor wretch, to overshoot his troubles How he outruns the wind and with what care He cranks and crosses with a thousand doubles: The many musets through the which he goes Are like a labyrinth to amaze his foes.
Word: chinning Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɪnɪŋ/ 1. present participle and gerund of chin Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: dark meat Part of Speech: noun 1. The legs, thighs and wings of poultry. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A black person, regarded as a sex partner. Labels: slang, uncountable, vulgar
Word: drop a dime Part of Speech: verb Etymology: See dime § Etymology 2 1. To make a telephone call. Labels: idiomatic, slang 2. To inform, to call the authorities (on). Labels: slang, with-on Example: Near-synonyms: give [someone] up, give [someone] away; spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag Example: He was in the back for a few minutes. Turned out he was dropping a dime on Ralph.
Word: duck soup Part of Speech: noun 1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see duck, soup. Labels: uncountable, usually 2. Something which is easy; a piece of cake. Labels: idiomatic, slang, uncountable, usually
Word: Dutch act Part of Speech: noun 1. Suicide. Labels: slang Example: Was she depressed enough to do the Dutch act?
Word: house frau Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from German Hausfrau. 1. A housewife.
Word: flophouse Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From flop + house, originally hobo slang, presumably from slang flop (“lie down to sleep”). Pronunciation: /ˈflɒphaʊs/ 1. A cheap hotel or boarding house where many people sleep in large rooms. Labels: US, slang Example: In one of [Cincinnati’s] slum districts stands the Silver Moon, a “flop house” (i.e., a house where the occupants are “flopped” out of their hanging bunks by letting down the ropes). Example: We even visited some drunken seamen in a flophouse on Mission Street that she knew; they offered us whisky.
Word: flophouse Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From flop + house, originally hobo slang, presumably from slang flop (“lie down to sleep”). Pronunciation: /ˈflɒphaʊs/ 1. To stay in a flophouse. Labels: intransitive Example: August was aware of Robert's strange quirk of flophousing away from home and that he often spent weekends at the Diana. Example: I kept going nowhere, bummed the country, boxcar'd it, breadlined it, flophoused it, that cruddy dying by inches in jungles when, Christ-o, outa the knocked-out black and blue I'm told I gotta go to war, gotta fight for freedom.
Word: gashouse Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From gas + house. 1. gasworks
Word: goog Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Irish and Scottish Gaelic gog / gug, cf. googie, from gugaí / gogaí (“sound made by chickens, baby name for chicken, baby name for egg" (i.e. gug-gug-gugaí)”). Pronunciation: /ɡuːɡ/, /ɡʊɡ/ 1. An egg. Labels: Australia, slang Example: I always supposed he was called Goog because the tiny flattened ears did nothing to interrupt the goog-like sweep from crown to jaw. Example: From its modest beginnings in one's diet as a boiled goog with toast soldiers, to the heady heights of the soufflé, the egg is the soul of French and English cuisine.
Word: grift Part of Speech: noun Etymology: American criminal underworld slang, 1906 (noun), 1915 (verb), alteration of graft (“corruption, illicit profit through corrupt means, bribe, one's occupation”), alteration perhaps influenced by similar sounding words, e.g. drift, etc., probably ultimately from Middle Dutch graft (“digging, ditch, canal, trench”) (modern Dutch gracht), related to Dutch graven (“to dig”), English grave (“to dig”). Pronunciation: /ɡɹɪft/ 1. A confidence game or swindle. Labels: US, slang Example: Hey, what's the grift? What are you trying to pull? Example: ‘Sounds like he’s trying to stretch out his grift for as long as possible,’ Gentle said. ‘Taking as much from his followers as he can before it falls apart.’
Word: grift Part of Speech: verb Etymology: American criminal underworld slang, 1906 (noun), 1915 (verb), alteration of graft (“corruption, illicit profit through corrupt means, bribe, one's occupation”), alteration perhaps influenced by similar sounding words, e.g. drift, etc., probably ultimately from Middle Dutch graft (“digging, ditch, canal, trench”) (modern Dutch gracht), related to Dutch graven (“to dig”), English grave (“to dig”). Pronunciation: /ɡɹɪft/ 1. To obtain illegally, as by con game. Labels: US, slang, transitive 2. To obtain money illegally. Labels: US, intransitive, slang 3. To obtain money immorally or through deceitful means. Labels: US, intransitive, slang
Word: confidence game Part of Speech: noun 1. A swindle in which the mark, or victim, is defrauded after their trust has been won.
Word: con game Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of confidence game. 1. A swindle in which the mark, or victim, is defrauded after his or her trust has been won.
Word: grifter Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From grift + -er; or probably an alteration of grafter (“a corrupt person, one who accepts bribes”), which is essentially a doublet of the same word. Originally circus slang (carny; compare shill of similar semantics), gradually widened in sense. First attested in 1906; popularized online circa late 2010s. Pronunciation: /ˈɡɹɪftɚ/, /ˈɡɹɪftə/ 1. A con artist; someone who pulls confidence games; a swindler, scammer, huckster, hustler, and/or charlatan. Labels: US, informal Example: We're all grifters. So we sell each other out for a nickel. Example: That was the train the drunks and the sinners rode—the gambling men and the grifters, the big-time spenders, the skirt-chasers, and all the jolly crew. 2. A manipulator or otherwise generally corrupt person who "games" a system, group of people, or other entity for selfish gains; especially of a political "sell-out" perceived as lacking integrity. Labels: Internet, colloquial, especially Example: The latest act in the Madness of King Donald drama playing globally on every channel underlined the increasingly delusional world the anti-hero inhabits, his fantasies fed and indulged by a cast of sycophants, lackeys and straight grifters, all in it for what they can get. Example: That tiny blue slice is what’s left of the Coalition (both Liberals and Nationals), squeezed between the teals and a barbarian horde of mouthbreathers, grifters and flat-out, flat-earth fucking weirdos gathered under the bright-orange war banner of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation — or, as they would officially henceforth be known, His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. 3. A YouTuber or other content creator who produces low-effort content critiquing a particular franchise or trend, particularly content perceived as ragebait or done for monetary gain. Labels: Internet, derogatory Example: But with changing technology, criticism has entered a new era thanks to YouTube and live streaming. In the middle of all this growth is a pseudo-intellectual fungus which seems to be spreading rapidly. In my article about Box Office numbers I mentioned the phrase “grifter critic”.
Word: gumshoe Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From gum + shoe. Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌm.ʃuː/ 1. A sneaker or rubber overshoe. 2. A detective. Labels: slang Example: "Who's this gumshoe guy from the bush league tailin' us?" Example: So how does Santa go up and down chimneys and keep his clothes clean? MAIRE NIC SUIBHNE and her junior gumshoes get their claws into assorted Messrs Claus and come up with an answer . . .
Word: gumshoe Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From gum + shoe. Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌm.ʃuː/ 1. To act as a detective. Labels: slang Example: The next thing they did was to send a man sent down there from Baltimore and he spent a good deal of time gumshoeing around in that county trying to get another individual put in as secretary-treasurer. Example: But these days, more and more women are gumshoeing through the pages of murder mysteries.
Word: Harlem sunset Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Used in Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely (1940), suggesting the red colour of a sunset. 1. A fatal wound caused by a knife fight. Labels: US, rare Example: One time there was five smokes carved Harlem sunsets on each other down on East Eighty-four. Example: This wasn't some punk carving Harlem sunsets on a drugstore attendant. This was a professional job.
Word: wooden kimono Part of Speech: noun Etymology: A variation of earlier criminal slang such as wooden coat. 1. Synonym of coffin. Labels: US, slang Example: "And you're just about ready to give up the ghost and call for a wooden kimono." Example: I expected the man to show up any minute with his tape measure to outfit me with a wooden kimono.
Word: vig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of vigorish, from Yiddish וויגריש (vigrish), from Russian вы́игрыш (výigryš, “winnings”). Pronunciation: /vɪɡ/ 1. Synonym of vigorish (“charge taken on bets”). Labels: countable, slang, uncountable Example: The house sets vigs on any game they allow you to bet on. It is your responsibility to play only those games where the vig is not prohibitive. Let's take one more look at how vigorish works for the house. Example: The bookmaker's mean profit per dollar bet is called vigorish or “the vig.” In our example, 11 + 11 = $22 is bet, and the bookmaker wins $1 so the vig is 1/22 = 4.5%. 2. Synonym of vigorish (“interest from a loan, as from a loan shark”). Labels: US, countable, slang, uncountable Example: 1973, Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin (screenplay), Mean Streets, quoted in 2009, Ellis Cashmore, Martin Scorsese's America, page 118, “You charged a guy from the neighborhood $1800 vig?” he asks incredulously (“vig” is short for vigorish, meaning a rate of interest from a loan from an illegal moneylender). Example: The guy was probably professional muscle, a leg breaker who collects vig for a loan shark. (Vig is a mob term for interest on loans to a loan shark.) 3. Synonym of vigorish (“commission, finder's fee, or similar extra charge”). Labels: countable, uncountable Example: “Charlie, sign here, here and here.” “So, you're giving me all your money.” “Charlie, for the 500th time, I'm not giving it to you. It's not yours. I'm just setting up a temporary account in your name. What my wife can't find, she can't get.” “Right. That's-- This is good. This is shady, Frank. I like this kind of stuff.” “But you will be handsomely rewarded if you just keep your hands off of this money.” “Right, right. So what's the vig?” “The vig?” “Yeah, man. Like. You know, that's-- what's the vig on this action here?” “Do you even know what "vig" means?”
Word: WTFO Part of Speech: phrase Etymology: Could be credited to George Carlin "WTF". However, he may have picked it up when he was a radar operator in the United States Air Force. 1. what the fuck, over! Labels: slang
Word: vigorish Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Yiddish וויגריש (vigrish), from Russian вы́игрыш (výigryš, “winnings”). 1. A charge taken on bets, as by a bookie or gambling establishment. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: The house sets vigs on any game they allow you to bet on. It is your responsibility to play only those games where the vig is not prohibitive. Let's take one more look at how vigorish works for the house. Example: The bookmaker's mean profit per dollar bet is called vigorish or “the vig.” In our example, 11 + 11 = $22 is bet, and the bookmaker wins $1 so the vig is 1/22 = 4.5%. 2. The interest on a loan of money, especially for loans made by a usurer or loan shark. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: His clients included wealthy women who possessed jewelry of great value, a fact which did not escape the loan shark. When it became apparent that the hairdresser could not meet his substantial vigorish payments, he was pressed into service as a "fingerman" for a burglary ring. Example: They lend you a thousand and call it a bone. It cost a hundred a week vigorish to borrow the bone. 3. An amount owed on account of or payment of a bookie's charge or of interest. Labels: countable, slang 4. A commission or similar extra charge. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable Example: I was asking a man who had never bent a rule in his entire life to do it once. This wasn't Italy or France, where such miracles are possible with a little political vigorish. This was Switzerland, where nothing like this ever happens.
Word: under glass Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. In a greenhouse, a cold frame, or a similar structure; said of the propagation and growth of plants. 2. In a glass case, like an item in a museum. 3. In jail. Labels: idiomatic, slang
Word: take a powder Part of Speech: verb 1. To leave without saying goodbye; to leave quietly, to run away; to scram; to depart without taking leave or notifying anyone, often with the implication of avoiding something unpleasant or shirking responsibility. Labels: US, colloquial, idiomatic Example: Macdonald spoke slowly, bitterly. "The kidnapping is one too many for me, Costello. I don't want any part of it. I'm takin' a powder from this toy mob. I took a chance that bright boy might side me." Example: First Mrs Hitchcock packed up and took a powder, and there was hell to pay.
Word: stool pigeon Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the act of tying or even nailing a pigeon to a stool to act as a decoy by hunters. Alternatively, from an alteration of stale (“decoy”) + pigeon. 1. A pigeon tied to a stool by a piece of twine, used as a decoy to entice free-flying birds to the ground to be shot or trapped. 2. A decoy used in a crooked gambling game. Labels: obsolete, slang 3. An informer to the authorities, especially one who gives up criminal associates. Labels: slang
Word: stoolie Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From stool + -ie. Pronunciation: /ˈstuːli/ 1. A stool pigeon. Labels: slang Example: 'Two top operatives flying down tonight. Time to get co-operation from the Police. I'll tell 'em to get their stoolies working in Tampa. This isn't only a St Petersburg job. Bye now.'
Word: shamus Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Said to be from the Irish name Séamus, on account of many American police officers being of Irish descent. Pronunciation: /ˈʃɑːməs/, /ˈʃeɪməs/ 1. A private detective; originally, a policeman or police detective. Labels: US, slang Example: “That's what you're here for. Didn't your aunt tell you? She wants you to follow Wilbert Cream and Phyllis about everywhere and see that he doesn't get a chance of proposing.” “You mean that I'm to be a sort of private eye or shamus, tailing them up? I don't like it,” I said dubiously.
Word: roundheels Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From round + heels. 1. A sexually promiscuous woman. Labels: slang Example: […] “His wife was a roundheels anyway—” “Darling.” She took him by the braid-edged lapels. “Won’t you watch your language a little for the duration? I know Grannie’s horrified sometimes.” “Grannie wouldn’t know what a roundheels means,” Bruno said hoarsely. Example: But now she ignored the display, nodded attentively, and tried to sound smart but not too smart, agreeable but not a total pushover, and—when Emilio flirted—appropriately slutty but not a complete roundheels.
Word: roundheels Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From round + heels. 1. plural of roundheel Labels: form-of, plural
Word: roscoe Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unknown, apparently from the surname Roscoe; sometimes attested as John Roscoe. Attested from the 1910s. 1. A handgun, particularly a revolver. Labels: US, slang Example: Why, it was nothing to travel about the country with fifty grand worth of ice on me. Suppose I hadn’t packed a roscoe—hell, I’d of been hoisted once a week! Example: Vincenzo Ricci: Just his normal detail, a few guys with roscoes. None of the other fellas are gonna do dick to protect that piece of shit.
Word: pro skirt Part of Speech: noun 1. A prostitute. Labels: slang
Word: pearl diver Part of Speech: noun 1. A person who dives for pearls. 2. A person who works as a dishwasher. Labels: slang