World Book 1997 4.0

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ World Book 1997 4.0 / The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia v4.00.iso / data / dictdata / peep.dic < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1997-04-07 | 11.2 KB | 158 lines

<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>PEEP</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="peep"> peep (1), verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>v.i. 1. to look through a small or narrow hole or crack. Ex. I shall be upstairs in my room peeping through the window-blinds (William Dean Howells) (SYN) peer, peek. <DD> 2. to look when no one knows it; look furtively, slyly, or pryingly. Ex. In the corn opposite to her a rabbit stole along, crouched, and peeped (John Galsworthy). <DD> 3. (Figurative.) to look out as if peeping; come partly out. Ex. Violets peeped among the leaves. <DD>v.t. to cause to stick out a little; show slightly. <DD>noun 1. a look through a hole or crack; little look; peek. Ex. to take a peep into the pantry. <DD> 2. a secret look. <DD> 3. (Figurative.) the first looking or coming out. Ex. at the peep of day. <DD> 4. a small hole or crack to look through; peephole. </DL> <A NAME="peep"> peep (2), noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a cry of a young bird or chicken or of certain other animals that make a high-pitched noise, such as various frogs; sound like a chirp or a squeak; cheep. Ex. the peep of baby chicks scratching for corn. <DD> 2. (Figurative.) a slight word or sound, often of complaint. Ex. without a peep out of anyone. <DD> 3. any one of various small sandpipers or other shore birds. <DD> 4. =jeep. <DD>v.i. 1. to make a short, sharp sound; chirp. Ex. The bird peeped. <DD> 2. (Figurative.) to speak in a thin, weak voice. </DL> <A NAME="peeper"> peeper (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a person who peeps, especially a Peeping Tom. <DD> 2. (Informal.) <DD> a. a mirror. <DD> b. a spyglass. expr. peepers, (Informal.) <DD> a. a pair of spectacles. <DD> b. the eyes. Ex. A secret ... invisible ... to the stupid peepers of that young whiskered prig, Lieutenant Osborne (Thackeray). </DL> <A NAME="peeper"> peeper (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a person or thing that peeps or cheeps. <DD> 2. any one of certain frogs that make peeping noises. </DL> <A NAME="peephole"> peephole, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a hole through which one may peep. </DL> <A NAME="peepingtom"> Peeping Tom,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. Also, peeping tom. a prying observer, especially a man, who gets pleasure from watching the occupants of a house, room, or other private place without himself being observed. <DD> 2. the tailor who was the only person to look at Lady Godiva as she rode naked through Coventry, for which, according to the legend, he was struck blind. </DL> <A NAME="peepshow"> peep show,<DL COMPACT><DD> an exhibition of objects or pictures viewed through a small opening, usually fitted with a magnifying glass. </DL> <A NAME="peepsight"> peep sight,<DL COMPACT><DD> a rear sight for a gun consisting of a small flat piece of metal, with a tiny hole in the center through which the front sight is aligned with the target. </DL> <A NAME="peepul"> peepul, noun. =pipal.</DL> <A NAME="peer"> peer (1), noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1a. a person of the same rank, ability, or qualities as another; equal. Ex. a jury of one's peers. He is so fine a man that it would be hard to find his peer. And drunk delight of battle with my peers (Tennyson). <DD> b. anything equal to something else in quality. Ex. a book without a peer. <DD> 2. a man who has a title; man who is high and great by birth or rank. A duke, marquis, earl, count, viscount, or baron is a peer. <DD>v.t. 1. to rank with; equal. <DD> 2. (Informal.) to raise to the peerage; ennoble. </DL> <A NAME="peer"> peer (2), intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. to look closely to see clearly, as a near-sighted person does. Ex. to peer into the night. She peered at the tag to read the price. <DD> 2. (Figurative.) to come out slightly; peep out; appear. Ex. The sun was peering from behind a cloud. When daffodils begin to peer (Shakespeare). </DL> <A NAME="peerage"> peerage, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the rank or dignity of a peer. Ex. Five ministers who lost their jobs were consoled with the customary peerages (Time). <DD> 2. the peers of a country. (SYN) nobility. <DD> 3. a book giving a list of the peers of a country and their family histories. </DL> <A NAME="peeress"> peeress, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the wife or widow of a peer. Ex. The invitations will be restricted to peeresses whose husbands are members of the House of Lords at present (London Times). <DD> 2. a woman having the rank of a peer in her own right. </DL> <A NAME="peergroup"> peer group,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a group of people of about the same age; age group. Ex. ... the happy, easy comfortable adaptation of a child to his peer group (Max Rafferty). <DD> 2. a group of people of the same background, class, social status, or occupation. </DL> <A NAME="peerless"> peerless, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> without an equal; matchless. Ex. His peerless performance won him a prize. (SYN) unequaled. adv. peerlessly. noun peerlessness. </DL> <A NAME="peeroftherealm"> peer of the realm or of the United Kingdom,<DL COMPACT><DD> a peer entitled as a matter of hereditary right to sit in the House of Lords. </DL> <A NAME="peesash"> peesash, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a hot, dry, dust-laden desert wind of India. </DL> <A NAME="peetweet"> peetweet, noun. =spotted sandpiper.</DL> <A NAME="peeve"> peeve, verb, peeved, peeving, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD>v.t., v.i. to make peevish. <DD>noun 1. an annoyance. <DD> 2. a peevish mood or disposition. </DL> <A NAME="peeved"> peeved, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> annoyed; irritated. Ex. They are peeved about the late trains. </DL> <A NAME="peevish"> peevish, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. cross; fretful; complaining. Ex. A peevish child is unhappy and makes others unhappy. (SYN) petulant, pettish, irritable, querulous. <DD> 2. showing annoyance or irritation. <DD> 3. (Obsolete.) obstinate. adv. peevishly. noun peevishness. </DL> <A NAME="peewee"> peewee, noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a very small person or thing. <DD> 2a. =pewee. <DD> b. (Australian.) magpie lark. <DD>adj. 1. small; undersized. Ex. a peewee fighter. <DD> 2. of, having to do with, or characteristic of younger and smaller players in some sport. Ex. a peewee hockey game, a peewee football league. </DL> <A NAME="peewit"> peewit, noun. =pewit.</DL> <A NAME="peg"> peg, noun, verb, pegged, pegging.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a pin or small bolt of wood or metal, used to fasten parts together, to hang things on, to stop a hole, to make fast a rope or string, or to mark the score in a game. Ex. Hang your coat on the peg in the wall. The head [of a violin] contains pegs, or pins, which are used to tighten or loosen the strings (R. G. Pauly). <DD> 2. a step; degree. Ex. His work is several pegs above yours. <DD> 3. (Informal.) a hard throw of a ball, especially in baseball. Ex. Willie Mays saved the Giants a run in the second inning with one of his amazing pegs (New York Times). <DD> 4. (Informal.) <DD> a. a wooden leg; peg leg. Ex. The hardest thing about the role was keeping Ahab's wooden peg away from him (Newsweek). <DD> b. a leg. Ex. You'll hear about the cannonball that carried off his pegs (Oliver Wendell Holmes). <DD> 5. (British.) a small drink of alcoholic liquor. Ex. I suspected the old fellow was going to cool his wrath with a 'peg' (F. M. Crawford). <DD> 6. (Dialect.) a tooth, especially a child's tooth. <DD> 7. an implement furnished with a pin, claw, or hook, used for tearing, harpooning, and other work where it is necessary to catch on to an object. <DD> 8. the price at which a commodity, stock, or other security is pegged. <DD>v.t. 1. to fasten or hold with pegs. Ex. We must peg down our tent. <DD> 2. to mark with pegs. <DD> 3. to keep the price of (a commodity, stock, or other security) from going up or down. Ex. to peg wheat at $1.56 a bushel. <DD> 4. (Figurative.) to attach; make dependent on. Ex. The Algerian franc is pegged to the French franc. <DD> 5. (Informal.) to mark; tag; identify. Ex. He was pegged as a jolly, jowly journeyman closing out a career (Maclean's). The two titles, in fact, most precisely peg the tone and content of each feature (New York Times). <DD> 6. (Informal.) to throw hard. Ex. The left fielder pegged the ball to the shortstop. <DD> 7. to strike or pierce with a peg. <DD>v.i. 1. (Informal.) to work hard; keep on energetically and patiently. Ex. He pegged away at his studies so that he would get high marks. <DD> 2. to keep score by moving pegs, as in cribbage. <DD> 3. to hit a croquet peg with the ball. expr. a peg to hang (something) on, an occasion, pretext, or excuse for. Ex. The chief use of a fact is as a peg to hang a thought on (Lancet). expr. off the peg, ready-made. Ex. Clothes made in his workrooms are sold off the peg (Punch). expr. peg out, <DD> a. to peg or pitch one's tent. Ex. We are pegging out in a very comfortless spot (Harper's). <DD> b. to die. Ex. A fierce little piece bought to console the children after the dog pegged out (Punch). <DD> c. to mark the boundary of (a mining claim or other piece of ground) with pegs. Ex. I ... pegged out eight square feet, paid the licence fee, and returned to my mates (W. H. Hall). expr. take down a peg (or two), to lower the pride of; humble. Ex. She took that proud girl down a peg or two. adj. peglike. </DL> <A NAME="pegasi"> Pegasi, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> genitive of Pegasus (the constellation). </DL> <A HREF="pegasus.dic">NEXT</A>