World Book 1997 4.0

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Text File | 1997-04-11 | 11.3 KB | 198 lines

<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: first night - fish ball</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> <A HREF="a.dic">A</A> <A HREF="b.dic">B</A> <A HREF="c.dic">C</A> <A HREF="d.dic">D</A> <A HREF="e.dic">E</A> <A HREF="f.dic">F</A> <A HREF="g.dic">G</A> <A HREF="h.dic">H</A> <A HREF="i.dic">I</A> <A HREF="j.dic">J</A> <A HREF="k.dic">K</A> <A HREF="l.dic">L</A> <A HREF="m.dic">M</A> <A HREF="n.dic">N</A> <A HREF="o.dic">O</A> <A HREF="p.dic">P</A> <A HREF="q.dic">Q</A> <A HREF="r.dic">R</A> <A HREF="s.dic">S</A> <A HREF="t.dic">T</A> <A HREF="u.dic">U</A> <A HREF="v.dic">V</A> <A HREF="w.dic">W</A> <A HREF="x.dic">X</A> <A HREF="y.dic">Y</A> <A HREF="z.dic">Z</A> <A NAME="firstnight"> first night,<DL COMPACT><DD> the initial public performance in a run of a play or the like. </DL> <A NAME="firstnighter"> first-nighter, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who makes a practice of attending the theater on the nights of the first public performance of plays. </DL> <A NAME="firstoffender"> first offender,<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who has been found guilty of a violation of law for the first time. </DL> <A NAME="firstpapers"> first papers,<DL COMPACT><DD> the initial documents in the process of naturalization, in which an alien formally declares his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States. </DL> <A NAME="firstperson"> first person,<DL COMPACT><DD> a form of a pronoun or verb used to refer to the speaker or writer and those he includes with himself. I, me, my and we, us, our are pronouns of the first person. </DL> <A NAME="firstquarter"> first quarter,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the period of time between the new moon and the first half moon. <DD> 2. the phase of moon represented by the first half moon after the new moon. <DD> 3. the first fourth of any period of time; the first quarter of the year. </DL> <A NAME="firstrank"> first-rank, adjective. =first-rate.</DL> <A NAME="firstrate"> first-rate, adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. of the highest class. Ex. The question is one of first-rate importance (John Bright). <DD> 2. excellent; very good. <DD>adv. excellently; very well. Ex. I did first-rate on the test. </DL> <A NAME="firstreich"> First Reich, =Holy Roman Empire.</DL> <A NAME="firstrepublic"> First Republic,<DL COMPACT><DD> the government of France from 1792 to 1804. </DL> <A NAME="firstrun"> first-run, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. (of a new motion picture) shown for the first time. Ex. First-run movies and television were used to lure more passengers aboard [airplanes] (Leslie A. Bryan). <DD> 2. (of a theater) featuring first-run motion pictures. </DL> <A NAME="firsts"> firsts, noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under first. </DL> <A NAME="firstsergeant"> first sergeant,<DL COMPACT><DD> a master sergeant in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps in direct charge of a company or similar unit under the commissioned officer in command. A first sergeant is below a sergeant major in the Army and below a master sergeant in the Marine Corps. </DL> <A NAME="firststate"> First State,<DL COMPACT><DD> a nickname for Delaware. </DL> <A NAME="firststrike"> first-strike, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. (of a nuclear weapon or force) designed or intended for use only in an initial attack. Ex. Weapons openly deployed and susceptible to annihilation by the enemy who strikes first can be used only as first-strike weapons. Second-strike weapons are hidden or protected so that they cannot easily be destroyed and can remain available for retaliation (Atlanta Constitution). <DD> 2. limited to the power to strike first; not retaliatory. Ex. first-strike capability. <DD>noun an attack by first-strike weapons. Ex. ... ICBMs are certain to be vulnerable to a US first-strike (New Republic). </DL> <A NAME="firststring"> first string,<DL COMPACT><DD> (Sports.) the players, collectively, who usually comprise the starting line-up in a game, distinguished from alternates or substitutes. </DL> <A NAME="firststring"> first-string, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. of or having to do with a first string. Ex. a first-string quarterback. <DD> 2. of or having to do with the foremost or best available; first-rate. Ex. a first-string diplomat. </DL> <A NAME="firststringer"> first-stringer, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a member of a first string, in any activity. </DL> <A NAME="firsttermer"> first-termer, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) one serving his first term (at a school, in prison, as a soldier, or Congressman). </DL> <A NAME="firsttimer"> first-timer, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD> 1. a person who does something for the first time; novice. Ex. Some first-timers will burn their fingers by building in the wrong positions (Sunday Times). <DD> 2. a person who comes to a place for the first time; newcomer. Ex. To first-timers still harboring old border-town images, Mexico City comes as a happy shock (Time). </DL> <A NAME="firstworld"> First World,<DL COMPACT><DD> the developed or industrialized countries of the world. Ex. He tries to prick the conscience of the First World for its complicity in the Third World's troubles (Time). </DL> <A NAME="firstworldwar"> First World War,<DL COMPACT><DD> the World War of 1914-1918; World War I. </DL> <A NAME="firth"> firth, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a narrow arm of the sea. <DD> 2. the estuary of a river. </DL> <A NAME="fis"> FIS (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> Federation Internationale de Ski (French, International Ski Federation). </DL> <A NAME="fisc"> fisc, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a royal or state treasury; exchequer. </DL> <A NAME="fiscal"> fiscal, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. =financial. <DD> 2. having to do with public finance. Ex. Important changes were made in the government's fiscal policy. <DD>noun a public prosecutor in some countries. Ex. cited before the fiscal of the empire (Sarah Austin). adv. fiscally. </DL> <A NAME="fiscalagent"> fiscal agent,<DL COMPACT><DD> a representative of another in matters of finance; financial agent. </DL> <A NAME="fiscalyear"> fiscal year,<DL COMPACT><DD> the time between one yearly settlement of financial accounts and another. The fiscal year of the United States government begins on July 1 and ends June 30. In Great Britain and Canada it begins on April 1 and ends on March 31. </DL> <A NAME="fischertropschprocess"> Fischer-Tropsch process, =gas synthesis.</DL> <A NAME="fish"> fish, noun, pl. fishes or (collectively) fish, verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. an animal that lives in water, is covered with scales, has gills to breathe with, and has a long backbone for support. Fish are cold-blooded and usually have fins for swimming. Some fishes lay eggs in the water; others produce living young. <DD> 2. any one of numerous other animals living in water, such as shellfish or whales. <DD> 3. the flesh of fish used for food. <DD> 4. (Informal, Figurative.) a person; fellow. Ex. He is an odd fish. <DD> 5a. a long strip of iron or wood used to strengthen a mast, spar, or joint. <DD> b. =fish tackle. <DD>v.i. 1. to catch fish; try to catch fish. Ex. Though we sat in the boat and fished for hours we didn't catch anything. <DD> 2. to try for something as if with a hook. Ex. He fished with a stick for his watch, which had fallen through a grating. <DD> 3. (Figurative.) to search. Ex. She fished in her purse for a coin. <DD> 4. to search by dredging, dragging, diving, or otherwise for objects under water, mud, or refuse. Ex. to fish for pearls. <DD> 5. (Figurative.) to try to get by means of cunning. Ex. She fished for compliments. <DD>v.t. 1. to catch (fish); try to catch (fish). Ex. to fish trout. Thou hast fished salmon a thousand times (Scott). <DD> 2. to try to catch fish in. Ex. He fished the stream for trout. <DD> 3. (Figurative.) to search through as by fishing. Ex. The sheriff's men fished the whole stream for the body but failed to find it. <DD> 4. (Figurative.) to find and pull. Ex. He fished the map from the drawer. <DD> 5. (Nautical.) <DD> a. to reinforce (a strained mast, spar, or joint) by lashing wood or iron bars along the strained part. Ex. All hands were now employed ... fishing the spritsail yard (Richard Henry Dana). <DD> b. to hoist the flukes of (an anchor) to the gunwale with fish tackle. <DD>adj. of or having to do with fishes, fishing, or the sale of fish. expr. fish in troubled waters. See under troubled waters. expr. fish or cut bait, (U.S.) to make a choice; make up one's mind; stop vacillating. Ex. One of the attributes of an administrator is his ability to stick his neck out, ... to decide what side of the fence he is on and to take a stand there, to fish or cut bait (Time). expr. fish out, <DD> a. to use up the supply of fish in. Ex. That stream is completely fished out. <DD> b. (Figurative.) to get (information) by careful inquiry or subtle methods. Ex. ... an admirable knack of fishing out the secrets of his customers (Joseph Addison). expr. fish out of water, a person who is out of his element; stranger. Ex. Is there a chance of his finding a kindred soul at Newell Hall, so that he will not be a fish out of water? (London Times). expr. have other fish to fry, (Informal.) to have other things to do. Ex. I've got other things in hand ... I've got other fish to fry (Margaret Oliphant). expr. make fish of one and flesh (or fowl) of another, to treat two persons differently; show partiality or favor. Ex. This is making fish of one and fowl of another with a vengeance (Manchester Examiner). expr. neither fish nor fowl, a person or thing that does not fit into any group or class. Ex. Four years after college, the man with an M.D. is neither fish nor fowl; if he wants to do clinical work he needs another three to five years hospital experience; if he wants to do research, he probably has to go back to school (Michael Crichton). adj. fishless. adj. fishlike. </DL> <A NAME="fishable"> fishable, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. that can be fished in. Ex. a fishable stream. <DD> 2. lawful to be fished in. </DL> <A NAME="fishandchips"> fish and chips,<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) fried slabs of cod, haddock, or other fish, and French fried potatoes. </DL> <A NAME="fishball"> fish ball,<DL COMPACT><DD> shredded cooked fish and mashed potatoes, shaped into a ball and fried. </DL> <A HREF="fishbell.dic">NEXT</A>