a tea-fight
A tea-party; especially a church or chapel gathering at which tea and buns, etc., are provided.
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A term coined by Prof
Huxley in 1869 (with allusion to St. Paul's mention of an altar to "the Unknown God") to indicate the mental attitude of those who withhold their assent from whatever is incapable of proof, such as an unseen world, a First Cause, etc. Agnostics neither dogmatically accept nor reject such matters, but simply say Agnosco — I do not know — they are not capable of proof, Q?, THEIST.
a thing of beauty is a joy for ever
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
a thousand pounds by the year
Thus runs the bill. Ely: This would drink deep. Cant.: Twould drink the cup and all.
a three-bottle man
A toper who can drink three bottles of port at a sitting.
a three-cornered fight
A parliamentary (or other) contest in which there are three com- petitors.
a three-decker
Properly, a sailing ship having three decks, a warship carrying guns on three decks, but applied to 9ther triplicates, such as the ola-fashioned pulpit, reading-desk, and clerk's desk arranged one above the other; and to the three-volume novel — the usual way of publishing fiction in most of the 19th century up to about 1895.
a three-tailed bashaw
A beglerbeg or prince of princes among the Turks, who has a standard of three horse-tails borne before htm. The next rank is the bashaw with two tails, and then the bey, who has only one horse-tail.
A tongue of a fool carves a piece of his heart to all sit near him. (Strauss, 1994 p. 136)
A foolish person reveals their inner thoughts to those around them
A Trojan horse
A deception, a concealed danger. See WOODEN HORSE OF TROY. Don't look a gift-horse in the month. See GIFT- HORSE.
a true bill
Under the old judicial system before a case went to the criminal Assizes it was examined by the Grand Jury whose duty it was to decide whether or not there was sufficient evidence to justify a trial. If they decided that there was they were said "to find a true bill"; if, on the other hand, they decided there was not sufficient evidence they were said "to ignore the bill.
a true friend does sometime venture to be offensive
A true friend will occasionally speak uncomfortable truths
a tub of naked children
Emblematical in religious paintings of St. Nicholas (q.v.), in allusion to the two boys murdered and placed in a pickling tub by a landlord, but raised to life again by this saint.
a turn-up for the book
A bit of good luck, unexpected good fortune. Waiting for something to turn up. Expectant that the luck will change, that good fortune will arrive without much effort on one's own part. Mr. Micawber's philosophy of life, in David Copperfield.
a tyrant's vein
A ranting, bullying manner. In the old moralities the tyrants were made to rant, and the loudness of their rant was proportionate to the villainy of their dis- positions.
A Vacation Barrister
Formerly one newly called to the bar, who for three years had to attend in "Long Vacation." The practice (and consequently the term) is now obsolete.
a variety of something
Many different types of something
a vesta
The Zoroastrian and Par- see Bible, dating in its present form from the last quarter of the 4th century, A.D., collected from the ancient writings, sermons, etc., of Zoroaster (fl. before 800 B.C.), oral traditions, etc.
a walk-over
A very easy victory; as in a running match when one's rivals could be beaten by walking.
a walking-on part
A part in a play in which the actor has only to walk about on the stage, sometimes with a word or two to say.
a watched man never plays
Traditional English proverbial phrase; full definition pending editorial review.
a watched pot never boils
Said as a mild reproof to one who is showing impatience; watching and anxiety won't hasten matters.
a week from next Tuesday
a time far in the future
a week is a long time in politics
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
a weight-for-age race
A sort of handicap Oy.v.), in which the weights carried are appor- tioned according to certain conditions. Horses of the same age carry similar weights, costens paribus.
a wet blanket
A discouragement; , a . marplot or spoil-sport. A person is a wet blanket who discourages a proposed scheme. "Treated with a wet blanket,*' discouraged. "A wet blanket influence," etc. A wet blanket is used to smother fire, or to prevent one escaping from a fire from being burnt.
a whip-round
An impromptu collection for some benevolent object.
a white elephant
Some possession the expense or responsibility of which is more than it is worth.
a white lie
A conventional lie, such as telling a caller that Mrs A. or Mrs. B. is not at home, meaning not "at home" to that particu- lar caller.
a white man
A thoroughly straight- forward and honourable man.
a white night
A sleepless night; the French have the phrase Passer une nuit blanche.
a white squall
One which produces no diminution of light, in contradistinction to a black squall, in which the clouds are black and heavy.
a wide range of something
Common English phrase; full definition pending editorial review.
a wild goose never laid a tame egg
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
a wild-cat scheme
A rash and hazardous financial venture; a speculation in which one would have about as much chance of making a profit as of catching a wild-cat in the woods.
a wind egg
An egg without a shell, or an unfertilized one; from the old superstition that the hen that lays it was impregnated, like the "Thracian mares," by the wind.
a wise man changes his mind, but a fool never does
Intelligent people are willing to change their opinions, while foolish ones are not.
a wolf in sheep's clothing
An enemy posing as a friend. The phrase is taken from the well- known fable of -fesop.
a woman of the town
A prostitute. The little stranger has come to town. The expected child is born.
a word spoken is past recalling
Something said cannot be taken back
a wrap and a slap
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
a wry face
The features drawn awry, expressive of distaste.
A Yarmouth capon
A red herring. Capon is also an obsolete term for a love- letter, after the Fr. poulet, which means not only a chicken but also a love-letter, or a sheet of fancy notepaper. Thus Henri IV, consult- ing with Sully about his marriage, says: "My niece of Guise wpuld please me best, though report says maliciously that she loves poulets in paper better than in a fricassee.
a year and a day
a period of time used to establish a precedent or tradition
a young man married is a young man marred
An early marriage can ruin a young man's life
Aaron's Beard
The popular name of many wild plants, including Great St. John's Wort (Rose of Sharon), the Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Meadowsweet, Saxifrage Sarmentosa, etc.
Aaron's Rod
The name given (with refer- ence to Num. xvii, 8) to various flowering plants, including Golden Rod, Great Mullein, and others.
aaron's serpent
Something so powerful as to eliminate minor powers. And hence one master passion in the breast, Like Aaron's serpent swallows up the rest.
ab ovo
From the very beginning. Stasinus, in his Cypna, a poem in 11 books belonging to the Homeric cycle and forming an intro- duction to the Iliad, does not rush (as does the Iliad itself) in medias res, but begins with the eggs of Leda, from one of which Helen was born. If Leda had not laid this egg, Helen would never have been born, therefore Paris could not have eloped with her, therefore there would have been no Trojan War, etc.
Abbey of St
Denis dated 1534. Original Sin. See SIN. Orinda the Matchless (o rin' da). Katherine Philips (1631-64), the poetess and letter-writer. She first adopted the signature "Orinda" in her correspondence with Sir Charles Cotterell, and afterwards used it for general purposes. Her praises were sung by Cowley, Dryden, and others.
Abbot's Priory
a place or situation where someone has absolute authority
Abbott and Costello
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
abel-wackets
Blows given on the palm of the hand with a twisted handkerchief, instead of a ferula; a jocular punishment among seamen, who sometimes play at cards for wackets, the loser suffering as many strokes as he has lost games.
abigail
A lady's waiting-maid.
abigail
A lady’s-maid; perhaps obtained from old comedies. Used in an uncomplimentary sense. Some think the term is derived from Abigail Hill (Mrs. Masham), lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, and a typical ABIGAIL in the way of intrigue.
able to do something
Having the skill or capability to perform a task
Abou Hassan
A rich mer- chant (in The Arabian Nights), transferred dur- ing sleep to the bed and palace of the Caliph
abound in one's own sense
To have a strong and self-centered opinion
about right
"to do the thing ABOUT RIGHT," i.e., to do it properly, soundly, correctly; "he guv it ’im ABOUT RIGHT," i.e., he beat him severely.
about time
happening sooner than expected
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