| 释义 |
Definition of foul in English: fouladjective faʊlfaʊl 1Offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being dirty. Example sentencesExamples - The old wooden stairs gave way to concrete, and a foul musty smell filled the air.
- I just rolled out of the bed groggy, with a massive headache, sore eyes, a foul taste in my mouth and the smell of cigarettes on my clothes and in my hair.
- It leaks into groundwater from fuel storage tanks, contaminating water supplies with a foul smell and taste.
- Both are worried about the effect the leak could have on their own properties as well as the foul smell.
- Garbage and foul smells can sabotage good feng shui.
- Many of these residents have complained to me about the foul taste and murky color of their tap water.
- Not many city residents go there to spend an evening because of the foul smell from the sewer, which is in the middle of the garden dividing it into two zones.
- There was a foul stench in the air like that of gunpowder.
- He pulled me close to his face, so close that I could smell his foul breath.
- He came so close to her she could smell his foul breath, and she turned her head away.
- A Hong Kong man at the hotel said there was a foul smell and suddenly the corridor filled with smoke.
- A foul stench filled the air, though she could not put a name to what it was.
- Every time I left my house, I smelled this foul odor of burnt flesh in the air; I didn't know what it was at first.
- Ten minutes into our trip a foul smell begins to permeate the carriage; it emanates from the aforementioned toilets.
- She sipped her cup of coffee, letting the strong flavor erase the foul aftertaste in her mouth.
- The room they entered was a dark, foul-smelling cellar.
- Dustbins on the road between the commercial establishments and the main road leading to Kalka are not cleaned regularly and emit a foul smell.
- I was just getting Rick to his feet when a foul stench filled the air.
- The bread had been alright, but the water… it had tasted so foul.
- They began hobbling towards the car, Leanne almost crumbling under the weight and the disgusting, foul smell of alcohol.
Synonyms disgusting, revolting, repellent, repulsive, repugnant, abhorrent, loathsome, offensive, detestable, awful, dreadful, horrible, terrible, horrendous, hideous, appalling, atrocious, vile, abominable, frightful, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, stomach-churning, stomach-turning, off-putting, uninviting, unpalatable, unappetizing, unsavoury, distasteful, nasty, obnoxious, objectionable, odious noxious, evil-smelling, foul-smelling, smelly, stinking, high, rank, rancid, fetid, malodorous North American vomitous informal ghastly, horrid, gruesome, God-awful, gross, diabolical, putrid, yucky, icky, grotty, sick-making, gut-churning British informal beastly, whiffy, pongy, niffy North American informal lousy, skanky, funky Australian informal on the nose literary noisome, mephitic archaic disgustful, loathly rare miasmic, miasmal, olid dirty, filthy, mucky, grimy, grubby, stained, dirt-encrusted, muddy, muddied, unclean, unwashed squalid, sordid, shabby, sleazy, nasty, soiled, sullied, scummy rotten, defiled, decaying, putrid, putrefied, smelly, fetid informal cruddy, yucky, icky British informal manky, gungy, grotty literary befouled, besmirched, begrimed rare feculent - 1.1informal Very disagreeable or unpleasant.
the news had put Michelle in a foul mood Example sentencesExamples - ‘OK, sorry,’ Leanne said, taken aback by Rob's uncharacteristically foul mood.
- Both father and son knew that she would be in a foul mood.
- Never mind me, I'm just in a foul mood after today's work.
- I was in a foul mood and looking for a reason to have a row with someone.
- Francophiles will have discovered long ago that the quality of the wines on sale in French hypermarchés is usually foul.
- However, at the time, the atmosphere was foul - even once or twice nearly degenerating into a punch-up.
- School starts tonight, it's snowing again, and I'm in a foul mood.
- He was in a foul temper and this was not making matters any better.
- Interviewed later Diffey said he could not remember much about the incident, but he said he had been in a really foul mood that day.
- As if my foul mood isn't bad enough, I have just got a notice from DHL informing me that the package I sent from home in February has been lost.
- I went upstairs in a foul mood and shut myself in my room.
- In hospital she screamed at the nurses. ‘I was foul to them. I became a monster,’ she says, sighing heavily.
- Jo was fun to hang out with, but she had a foul temper.
- Thomas had looked at his brother, completely undisturbed by the foul glare he was giving him.
- Mrs M was in the foulest of moods imaginable. She set us a test tomorrow as EXTRA homework
- On Wednesday last week Clarke arrived at the paper's offices in Glasgow's Central Quay in a foul temper.
- He came home at 12 pm in a particularly foul mood.
- So it is indeed possible that he had no idea he was being so foul.
- I have been foul to you and I must apologize.
- The 72-year-old R&B legend is in one of his famous foul moods.
Synonyms unkind, unfriendly, disagreeable, inconsiderate, uncharitable, rude, churlish, spiteful, malicious, mean, mean-spirited, ill-tempered, ill-natured, ill-humoured, bad-tempered, hostile, vicious, malevolent, evil-minded, surly, obnoxious, poisonous, venomous, vindictive, malign, malignant, cantankerous, hateful, hurtful, cruel, wounding, abusive informal bitchy, catty vulgar slang shitty
2Wicked or immoral. Example sentencesExamples - He was too goddamn innocent for her foul mind to understand.
- Swindon's most senior Judge John McNaught has dealt with the foulest of crimes in more than 40 years in the courtroom.
- Canvassing for the leadership contest degenerated into a vicious campaign in which all kinds of foul means including promise of office and bribery were resorted to.
- You would commit the most foul of murders out of loyalty to me.
- The characters are, with the possible exception of Beatrix, uniformly foul, violent, brutal, cold.
- In the popular consciousness, however, paganism and witchcraft have come to be associated with black magic, foul deeds, even devil-worship.
- Leaders and media observers repeated the nostrum that the best way for the country to respond to such a foul crime is to return to normal and signal that the nation's spirit and resolve cannot be undermined.
- They came horribly close to succeeding in this foul design.
- Second, racism is a foul, potentially murderous and often actually murderous thing.
- The phantom king begs Hamlet to avenge his foul murder.
- We must stand side by side with the Jewish community, and the evil perpetrators of those foul attacks must be brought to justice.
- As Shakespeare knew only too well, from foul deeds endless tragedy arises.
- The methods might have been foul - full of dishonesty, cynicism and hypocrisy - but they worked.
- In August 1996 its 10 million citizens were convulsed in grief and anger to hear of the foul deeds of child rapist and murderer, Mark Dutroux.
- Handing down a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, the judge said it was an ‘evil and foul’ murder of ‘unspeakable savagery’.
- We will do everything in our power to bring to justice those who were responsible for this foul deed.
- Most men involved in the search now believed that a foul crime had been committed.
- Our forces will rid the world of the evil men who committed this foul deed.
- There is a case of murder involved here - and a foul murder, at that - by a person who had a modus operandi that has been known to the police now for years.
- King Hamlet's tormented spirit reveals that a hidden crime of foul murder condemns it to walk the earth and roast in hell.
Synonyms evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, wrong, morally wrong, wrongful, bad, iniquitous, corrupt, black-hearted, ungodly, unholy, irreligious, unrighteous, sacrilegious, profane, blasphemous, impious, base, mean, vile - 2.1 (of language) obscene.
Example sentencesExamples - Recently a manager of a Scottish Football League side decided to referee his youth teams in a match, and ended up sending two of the boys home, so foul was their abusive language.
- He was also found guilty of ungentlemanly conduct, but a charge of using foul and abusive language was not proven.
- The language is foul (no surprise), and they have been seen urinating in front gardens.
- He was allegedly uncooperative and became verbally abusive, using foul 4 - letter words and obscene hand gestures.
- I sat towards the front of the tram which was fairly quiet until a group of late teens / early twenty year old males got on at the back and discussed quite loudly using the foulest of language the events of the previous night.
- Both players were found guilty of foul and abusive language towards the match official during Acorn's defeat to Normanton Knights on November 20.
- We're hearing a lot more foul language in public these days.
- He said the word ‘detectives’ as if it was the most foul profanity.
- The statements are completely uncensored and if foul or explicit language offends you then this probably isn't your thing.
- People who use public transport should not have to put up with foul language, aggressive behaviour or the fear of people causing damage.
- They made their way back to the ship, where Fleet was currently halfway through an incredibly foul and quite inspired stream of profanity.
- Elva still tries to find me, screaming foul profanities.
- Well, foul speech may be offensive, but who can say with certainty what is obscene?
- She winced and screamed a very foul and unladylike oath.
- Don't be distracted by my foul vocabulary or by your own frustration.
- Such moves in future, however, should also attempt to curb the rising tide of foul language, both on the pitch and terraces.
- However Sheridan then blotted his copy book by getting sent off in the 70th minute for foul and abusive language.
- However, your language is exceedingly foul for someone in your position.
- Even though I learned most of my foul vocabulary from my parents, Mom had one word that was off-limits.
- Eventually, your little baby is going to blurt out something foul, no matter how sheltered you think she is.
Synonyms vulgar, obscene, profane, blasphemous, gross, coarse, crude, filthy, dirty, indecent, indelicate, suggestive, smutty, off colour, low, lewd, ribald, salacious, scatological, offensive, abusive informal blue - 2.2 Done contrary to the rules of a sport.
Example sentencesExamples - Jefferson doesn't back away from contact and plays with emotion - even yelling at himself for something simple like a missed foul shot.
- The eighth was a strikeout, the ninth a pop fly to first base, the 10th a foul pop to the catcher.
- From the foul tackle the ball fell loose and crossed the line for a goal.
- All I can say is that I'll certainly be expecting my men to get stuck in and it's up to the referee after that to decide what s a fair tackle and what s a foul tackle.
- His two foul shots at the end of the 1957 Finals gave the Celtics their first title.
- There was not a foul or unfair stroke in the game.
- So it's pretty ironic that the average NBA player couldn't make a foul shot if his sneaker contract depended on it.
- In the first 20 minutes Knowles put his side into a 2-0 lead with two superb lobbed goals, but was later dismissed following a foul tackle.
- And former New Zealand captain Quentin Pongia was put on report for an alleged foul tackle.
- Therefore, the proportion of foul tackles equates to the likelihood of player error occurring during the execution of a tackle.
- In the top of the 8th inning, with one out, a Marlin batter hit a foul fly ball in the direction of the stands.
- He called four foul throw-ins, invoked the six-second rule against a keeper who had just come on as a substitute and found himself being exceptionally whistle happy.
Synonyms unsporting, unsportsmanlike, dirty, below the belt, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, underhand, unscrupulous, dishonourable
3Containing or full of noxious matter; polluted. Example sentencesExamples - In 1285 London's air was so foul that King Edward I set up an air pollution commission, which banned the use of coal.
- If the room had a little light apart from the faulty bedside lamp that flickered unpredictably every few minutes it wouldn't be so bad, or even just a fan that at least to cool and circulate the foul damp air.
- Less than 10 miles east lies the Potomac River, a foul body of water when we founded this organization in 1966.
- In the 19th century refuse, waste, water and foul water were just dumped in the streets, resulting in widespread disease.
- There were also doubts about the ability of the current sewerage system to cope with more foul water and concern over the loss of recreational space.
- The sky was the sort of overcast that was not just gray, but the kind of gray that bled the color from all the things around it, a thick smog filling the air, ominous and foul.
- The first few breaths overwhelmed her and she gagged on the foul air.
- The air grew foul, the reek of rotting death made them heave as they picked their way through the mass of tangled bodies.
- Their choice was cold, damp, flooded huts or foul, humid air in an overcrowded ward.
- The meter-square bag was found leaking its foul contents outside the office of legislator Leung Yiu-chung in an industrial area of Kowloon.
- Afterwards he lay there, breathing the foul air as shallowly as he could.
- As well, some new sewers will be laid in the town and there will be greater separation of surface water from foul sewer to create more capacity in the treatment plant.
- Pastor's neighborhood of million-dollar homes, all backing up to a private park, was covered with foul, inky water.
- They could not approach the city for it was blocked by a foul morass on all sides.
- He claimed they were held in wire cages open to the elements and forced to drink foul water and food that was out of date by up to 10 years.
- As London grew from a rambling town into a crowded urban center, its city air grew ever more foul with smoke and unhealthy sulfur dioxide gases from wood-burning and coal-burning stoves.
- This has caused foul water pooling in the street and the mosquitoes and rats have arrived.
- It is illegal to discharge foul water into a surface water drain.
- Most of these tasks were in the pipeline anyway as part of Beijing's plan to modernise its outdated infrastructure and clean up its notoriously foul air.
- At least five homes in Moresby Close, Westlea, were swamped by up to six inches of foul water when a brook flooded and sewers burst during a recent downpour.
Synonyms contaminated, polluted, adulterated, infected, tainted, defiled, impure, filthy, dirty, unclean rare feculent - 3.1foul with Clogged or choked with.
the land was foul with weeds Example sentencesExamples - She was glad not to be able to see much of the place, foul with seeping water and fungus, a chamber of old horrors where prisoners hunched under the vaults of cold stone like monstrous white insects, wingless and half-blind.
- Wheat is an exhausting crop, which requires land in good heart, whilst if grown continuously, or too frequently, disease often becomes serious, and, most important of all, the land becomes very foul with weeds.
- 3.2Nautical (of a rope or anchor) entangled.
- 3.3 (of a ship's bottom) overgrown with weed, barnacles, or similar matter.
4(of the weather) wet and stormy. he walked in fair and foul weather Example sentencesExamples - Despite predictions of foul weather and traffic chaos, sunny weather lured thousands of tourists to the Lake District.
- Often they will be out in foul weather when most of us would rather be tucked up in bed.
- The weather was foul but we decided to treat ourselves to a Starbucks trip anyway, and were well rewarded.
- On a completely foul day try putting some black and white film in the camera and see what you get.
- The situation is worse when the weather is foul.
- Both European victories have been on Scottish soil, but the weather was so foul last weekend that it would be wrong the claim the latter was an unqualified success.
- It was January, the weather was foul, it was after Christmas and people needed cheering up.
- The foul weather also keeps most students at school in the middle of the day, making do with very simple food such as plain steamed buns and hot water, for lunch.
- When I arrived in Cambridge, Mass., in early September 1978, foul weather had already set in.
- The weather was foul this morning and we all got soaked.
- With the foul weather, crazy workload and lack of sleep, motivation has been pretty low for the last three months.
- She added that unlike other walkers, groups of charity fund-raisers were not deterred by foul weather, simply because they had to take part in their event on a chosen day.
- The sky was darkening quickly, threatening foul weather and danger in the distance.
- The new building will have improved facilities, ensuring it remains a welcome retreat for ramblers, particularly after climbing Mount Snowdon in foul weather.
- Meanwhile, while the Irish and their neighbours in Britain may bemoan the foul weather, spare a thought for residents along the east coast of the USA.
- Redhill was the wettest place in England last Tuesday and the coldest in the UK that night as foul weather swept the country.
- As foul weather blighted Manchester's New Year celebrations, people who had not bought tickets turned up at the hotel's doors.
- Hart drove two tons of metal through a foul and wintry February morning, hurtling through the snowy dark.
- Horse and rider need to nurture complete trust, to tackle the field in fair weather or foul with cavalier bravery but with two minds, one of them human, intrinsically focused.
- Initial reports suggest that that crash was an accident because of foul weather.
Synonyms inclement, unpleasant, disagreeable, dirty, nasty, rough, bad stormy, squally, gusty, windy, blustery, blowy, wild, rainy, wet foggy, misty, gloomy, murky, overcast, louring - 4.1Sailing (of wind or tide) opposed to one's desired course.
it sometimes becomes advantageous to anchor during the periods of foul tide Example sentencesExamples - Nicolson, a successful writer but somewhat inexperienced sailor, teams up with an old salt and buddy George Fairhurst, who continually bails them out of near calamities - foul currents, fierce tides, raging winds and equipment failures.
- This is nearly twice the power usually found on boats this size and provides lots of power for punching through chop and motoring against foul winds and currents.
noun faʊlfaʊl 1(in sport) an unfair or invalid stroke or piece of play, especially one involving interference with an opponent. the midfielder was booked for a foul on Ford Example sentencesExamples - Drummond, Carlton and Lee Collins also had further chances - and all Aldershot could muster in reply, a succession of fouls apart, was a Jim Rodwell shot from long range on 37 minutes.
- It took three fouls apiece on Kandi and Ervin Johnson to force Saunders's hand in the direction he should have been following all along - playing Mark Madsen.
- It was a tough time for the French and Silvestre, having already been booked for a foul on Gillespie, just couldn't contain the winger in the 69th minute.
- A series of petty fouls brought a booking for Smertin in the 29th minute, which made him the third Russian to be cautioned by referee Urs Meir.
- Harvey got whistled for a foul and then lost it, followed by Howard.
- It was a well-behaved match with very few fouls.
- Owen had a much more convincing penalty appeal just before half-time, but Andreas Dober somehow got away with a blatant, over-the-top foul.
- In the past decade, Brazilian football has become among the most violent in the world with an astonishing average of around 55 fouls a game in domestic matches.
- He fell into the area but the foul looked to have been committed just outside it.
- Jim Leishman had words with referee John Underhill after the game concerning the foul that led to the second goal.
- Ray Parlour committed four fouls himself before he got his first booking.
- To be fair to Halsey, he didn't have a good view of the incident, and there was no way he could tell how obvious a foul it was.
- World Cup referees yesterday vowed to crack down on players who orchestrate and feign fouls to get opponents in trouble.
- He even had the ball in the net, but was booked for a foul on the goalkeeper.
- The game was also notable for an atrocious four-man foul on Kerry's most exciting player, Mickey O'Sullivan, who never played the game again.
- While the energetic midfielder's two fouls - on Van Bronckhorst and then Pires - just about deserved cautions, a final warning would surely have been a more common-sense decision.
- Phil Neville and Tim Cahill were both booked, with the former Manchester United midfielder responsible for the foul which forced off Pires.
- My biggest concern would be can he stay in the game without having a lot of fouls called against him.
- In last week's ferocious victory over Huddersfield, for example, Ellis was the victim of a deliberate late foul, and was then bitten for good measure.
- Never a thing of beauty, the game got even scrappier with Tom McCarthy brandishing the yellow card to three perpetrators of clumsy fouls.
Synonyms unfair, against the rules, illegal, unsporting, unsportsmanlike, below the belt, dirty, dishonourable, dishonest, underhand, unscrupulous, unjust, unprincipled, immoral, crooked, fraudulent informal shady - 1.1 A collision or entanglement in riding, rowing, or running.
Example sentencesExamples - With a personal best of 6.68m from earlier in the season, she surprisingly had fouls on her first two efforts and waited long on the runway as she composed herself for her last attempt.
2dated, informal mass noun A disease in the feet of cattle. he was indeed suffering from foul of the foot
adverb faʊlfaʊl Contrary to the rules; unfairly. Example sentencesExamples - So that if you're knowingly taking advantage of people with a disadvantage, then you're coming foul of the Trade Practices Act.
- Italian editors shrieked that the Austrian team had ‘played foul’.
- I think any form of a quota must be done away with whether it is a quota in numbers…or a quota in time, i.e. you have to fill these positions by such and such a time if you do not want to be foul of the law.
- That's the real problem: even guys who want to play fair are under pressure from cheaters to play foul.
- There have been productions of this play set in innumerable locales and time periods, but I've never seen one that played so foul with the tone of Shakespeare's text.
verb faʊlfaʊl [with object]1Make foul or dirty; pollute. factories which fouled the atmosphere Example sentencesExamples - Regional air pollution increased throughout the 1990s and into the current decade as electricity demand, motor vehicle use and industrial activity have increasingly fouled the air.
- Industrial and human wastes fouled drinking water, turning the Thames into an open sewer whose stench drove Disraeli choking from the chamber of the Commons in the ‘great stink’ of 1858.
- When planning, it's wise to site ponds away from trees as dead leaves will foul the water.
- Moreover, our dependency on coal to generate energy not only fouls our air, but poisons our fish with mercury.
- Its design is outdated and inappropriate; its size, looks, and four-wheel drive bring out the worst in drivers; it clogs streets and fouls the air.
- The mountains of manure that factory farming generates foul our air and water, disrupting ecosystems and sickening rural communities.
- At rush hour the streets are plugged with cars producing vast quantities of toxic gases that foul the air.
- The spill fouled over 60 miles of the river and 20 marinas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
- When the EPA found companies fouling our air and water, it instituted a program of pollution credits.
- Industry and agriculture have fouled the air, the water, and the soil.
Synonyms dirty, soil, stain, blacken, muddy, begrime, splash, spatter, smear, befoul, besmirch, blight, defile, make filthy, infect, pollute, contaminate, poison, taint, adulterate, sully literary besmear - 1.1 (of an animal) make (something) dirty with excrement.
make sure that your pet never fouls paths Example sentencesExamples - The land is now being used by the football and rounders club, whose members want to stop dogs fouling the pitch and youngsters riding motorcycles across it.
- The Environment Education and Enforcement Team tackles those people who tip rubbish, drop litter and allow their dogs to foul streets and open spaces.
- It was also pointed out that a fence was necessary to stop cattle from getting onto the boat club land and to stop dogs fouling pasture meant for silage.
- Responsible dog owners in Addingham have been asked to report people who let their pets foul fields, streets and other open spaces in the village.
- More than a hundred fines have now been issued to people who drop litter or let their dogs foul the pavement in Sheffield.
- In a zero-tolerance initiative, Manchester city council is cracking down on dog owners who allow their pets to foul public spaces.
- Swindon Council employs dog wardens whose job is to patrol the borough's streets keeping a watchful eye on careless owners who let their pets foul the streets.
- Now the wardens have received powers to slap £25 fixed penalty notices on litter louts and people who allow their dogs to foul the district's parks.
- On Monday, members of the town council recreation and amenities committee despaired over the number of owners who continue to let their dogs foul public places.
- People on the path have also walked through the middle of outdoor lessons and sports activities and dog walkers have allowed their pets to foul the playground.
- Parish councillor David Sweet is urging residents to report anyone spotted allowing their dog to illegally foul restricted areas such as the High Street.
- Southend Council is waging war against unsociable dog owners who let their pets foul the street.
- But others complain that foxes are digging up their gardens, fouling their lawns, attacking their pets and ripping open their garbage bags.
- Anyone who refuses to pay an on-the-spot fine for allowing their pet to foul a footpath, for example, could be taken to court and find their name in the newspapers.
- Year six pupils at Arnside National School have designed warning posters to encourage dog owners to think twice about letting their dogs foul the village streets.
- It follows a previous campaign which has seen fixed penalty notices handed out to owners who allow their dogs to foul the streets and in parks without clearing up after them.
- Her decision brought to an end many months of wrangling with some of the neighbours, who claimed her cats were fouling their gardens and making their lives hell.
- He said even though it was illegal, the biggest problem was policing the situation and actually catching and prosecuting people who allow their dogs to foul the streets and parks.
- Concerned residents of the heritage town of Abbeyleix are surprised that there are a few dog owners who look the other way when their pets foul the footpaths and other public places.
- Dog owners who refuse to clean up after their pets have fouled the streets of York have been reminded they risk a fine of up to £1,000.
- 1.2foul oneself (of a person) defecate involuntarily.
Example sentencesExamples - They described ‘torture techniques’ and claimed that detainees had been forced into painful positions for 18 to 24 hours at a time or left to foul themselves.
- Sure, I'll still defecate in my pants, but now my excrement will be safely contained and no one need know that I have fouled myself in public.
- Nervous of legal action from passengers humiliated by fouling themselves in their seats, most carriers allowed crew to decide whether the person requesting admission to the smallest part of the plane was desperate or a desperado.
- For an enemy combatant to foul himself in a hot room is an unpleasant thing.
- Now and then, she fouled herself or wet herself.
2(in sport) commit a foul against (an opponent) United claim their keeper was fouled Example sentencesExamples - Beckham briefly saw the red mist when he went chasing after Vata and brought him down after clearly believing he had been fouled himself by the Albanian midfielder.
- Alan Kelly was fouled in the penalty area and Coleman coolly converted the resulting penalty.
- Portland proceeded to foul O'Neal repeatedly, a familiar tactic and one that had often frustrated the big man.
- This time Scholes is fouled, giving Beckham another chance to swing it in from the left.
- The Town keeper Darren O'Grady was obviously fouled as he went to catch a high punt with Gary Smyth tucking the loose ball into the unguarded net.
- The end of the game took on a sour note as Tooreen's Sean Ganley was sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Ciaran Cox who had come on as a substitute just minutes previously.
- The keeper fouled his opponent but avoided a red card.
- ADF started to dominate the midfield and just before half-time, striker Paul Fleming was fouled in the box.
- Rangers defender Khizanishvilli seemed to get the final touch but Larsson was deemed to have fouled De Boer to aid its passage.
- Haas is sent off after picking up another yellow for fouling Paul Scholes.
- As Collier tried to net from the rebound he was fouled and another penalty was awarded.
- Mark Hudson then hit the crossbar, Moyles was fouled and sub Tom Donovan converted the penalty as Celbridge ran out six point winners.
- Portlaw did have claims for a penalty turned down late on when it seemed keeper Wayne English had fouled a Portlaw player in the area but referee Martin Halley waved play on.
- Silsden were given a lifeline when Hoyle was fouled and Rhodes dispatched another penalty.
- It seemed the only way for Blackburn to stop Chelsea was to foul them, and Neill was booked for bringing Robben down as he surged goalwards.
- St Joseph's were put under more pressure when their winger was sent off for fouling Marsden as he scored but this seemed to make the Huddersfield side more committed.
- Then a terrible back pass from Steven Gerrard saw Thierry Henry fouled by the England goal - keeper David James, allowing Zidane to secure victory with a penalty.
- Jason Maxwell was once again fouled 40 yards from goal and Danny Walsh hoisted a dangerous cross over.
- The Reebok held its breath as Okocha strode forward to stroke the spot-kick wide to Kasey Keller's left after Spurs sub Gary Doherty had fouled Youri Djorkaeff.
- Dave Rogers fouled Moussilou in the eighth minute, and the hosts were awarded a free-kick, which Acimovic fired high over keeper Steve Williams' crossbar.
3(of a ship) collide with or interfere with the passage of (another) the ships became overcrowded and fouled each other Example sentencesExamples - In The Edison [1933] AC 449, the appellants, whose vessel had been fouled by the respondents, claimed damages under various heads.
- 3.1 Cause (a cable, anchor, or other object) to become entangled or jammed.
watch out for driftwood which might foul up the engine no object we feared the anchor would foul in the heavy grasses Example sentencesExamples - The vessel, with two men on board raised the alarm just after 9 p.m. when its propeller became fouled.
- Stromness lifeboat was called out at the weekend after a Scrasbter fishing boat fouled her propeller in severe weather conditions.
- Earlier in the day, they were called to assist a fishing vessel when its propellor became fouled while fishing off Helvick.
- Once fouled on the reefs, the nets go on fishing, killing sea turtles, fish, seabirds and other wildlife while destroying corals.
- It is apparent that the wreck has been cleared to below deck level, with some additional damage to the starboard side of the hull, perhaps a consequence of the Silver Harvest fouling its anchor on the wreck in 1998.
- The vessel's net entangled and fouled the 52-foot motor lifeboat's twin 36-inch brass propellers.
- The Stromness lifeboat attended the fishing vessel Arkhangel at 4pm on Saturday after the vessel fouled her propeller 20 miles off Noup Head in Westray.
- Her propellor had been fouled and the vessel was stuck to the sea-bed.
Synonyms tangle up, entangle, snarl, catch, entwine, enmesh, twist, tangle
Phrases Do something damaging or harmful to oneself or one's own interests. we seem to have fouled our own nest, running up huge debts and deficits Example sentencesExamples - At a time when politician-bashing has become a national sport, too many MPs have joined in this campaign, denigrating politics as a vocation. In effect, they are fouling their own nests.
- Do these other magazines understand that by painting a dark and distorted picture of the bodybuilding world, they are fouling their own nest, shooting themselves in the foot by undermining their own future?
- I agree we are unlikely to destroy the planet, but are highly likely to foul our nest beyond habitability for ourselves.
- Now the prime minister has gone a step further in the process of fouling his European nest.
- This works in part because the criminals are careful not to foul their own nest.
- Yet consistently, with appalling regularity and style, he has displayed an equivalent capacity to foul his own nest, plucking frequent disasters from the jaws of personal victory.
- Of course, this romantic observation occurs in an essay called ‘Murder in the Kitchen,’ in which Watts also writes that by ‘destroying our environment and fouling our own nest… the world around us looks as if we hated it.’
Phrasal Verbs foul something up (or foul up) Make a mistake with or spoil something. leaders should admit when they foul things up Example sentencesExamples - Companies make a good product and then they foul it up with a container that the customer can't open.
- He didn't take the train because there was a derailment and the schedule was fouled up.
- Hollywood's ability to take a perfectly good story and completely foul it up has never ceased to amaze me.
- ‘Here was an ideal opportunity for Yorkshire to have done something positive and they have gone and fouled it up,’ he said.
- If spammers can add enough legitimate sites to the master spam list, they can foul it up and make it less usable.
- In the coming decades, there's going to be a time of great opportunity if we make the right decisions, if government doesn't foul it up.
- A sweet, tender, loving, affectionate, beautiful woman who pursued ME, and I still found a way to foul it up and lose her.
- Although it's a relatively easy daily task, reduced with usage to a routine I can accomplish in a couple of minutes, running on auto-pilot, it takes no more than the click of a wrong button in the text editor to foul things up.
- We're just another species - the dominant species, maybe, and the one who's doing the most to foul things up for all the rest, but surely we're flattering ourselves if we think that we are somehow essential to the operation of this planet.
- I fouled up in the area where I'm supposed to be a master, the area of just politics.
- To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
- Anything worth doing is worth doing twice, especially after you've fouled it up the first time.
- But it wasn't enough to take away from the fact the FAI fouled up and were being told so in no uncertain terms.
- And I thought before you foul things up in your typical fashion you might want to know the truth.
- It must be said that a professedly cash strapped County Board has fouled up a great chance to pull in some badly needed revenue by playing these two games at separate venues on Sunday.
- I have half a mind to turn up in court on the scheduled date with the bank statements proving that they have fouled up, and then invoicing them for my time.
- Practice this shot until you can make it 8 out of 10 times (even the pros will foul it up sometimes.)
- Getting compensation when your bank, building society, insurer or investment house fouls up will soon be a lot easier with the establishment of a new financial complaints body to replace the existing muddle of various ombudsmen.
- Refreshingly, for the author of a book about lying, she is honest enough to admit when she has fouled up.
- If anything something should be done because we fouled up so atrociously in the past.
Synonyms wreck, ruin, spoil, disrupt, undo, upset, play havoc with, make a mess of, put an end to, end, bring to an end, put a stop to, terminate, prevent, frustrate, blight, crush, quell, quash, dash, scotch, shatter, vitiate, blast, devastate, demolish, sabotage, torpedo
Derivatives adverb ˈfaʊlliˈfaʊ(l)li A feminist wore pants, smoked, drank, spoke foully, flaunted her promiscuity; in short she did everything those men had done and got away with for centuries. Example sentencesExamples - This was an ancient Tibetan proverb and it meant that when one's character was maligned most foully, one was to turn the other cheek.
- Tuesday was quiet, but at the Wednesday 2 a.m. break, the entire staff heard Olag curse, foully and for long minutes.
- The Richard III Society remains firmly convinced that Richard III was foully traduced by revisionists like William Shakespeare and other Tudor dynasty hagiographers.
- Following the passage of staircases to the lowest level, he then went in a stone room, which smelled foully like dead carcasses.
noun ˈfaʊlnəsˈfaʊlnəs I couldn't run, or even move, for fear that the watery goop covering the floor would splash up and cover me with its oozing foulness. Example sentencesExamples - Despite all the diseases they carry, the nuisance they make of themselves and their general foulness, I'm actually quite fond of these little rats.
- In addition, though, many forms of alcohol contain additives known as ‘congeners’ which have their own role to play in the thick head and general foulness a big night out can induce.
- But for the sheer foulness of the atmosphere, you'd have to go some to beat Soho after about 11 at night - chucking out time.
- Also contributing to the discussion were changes in the middle-class conception of the home, heightened fears about the foulness of the body, and new ideas about the human relationship with nature.
Origin Old English fūl, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse fúll 'foul', Dutch vuil 'dirty', and German faul 'rotten, lazy', from an Indo-European root shared by Latin pus, Greek puos 'pus', and Latin putere 'to stink'. The Old English word foul comes from an ancient root shared by Latin pus (adopted into late Middle English) Latin putere ‘to stink’ (source of LME putrid), and the original sense was ‘stinking or disgusting’. Foul play indicating unfair conduct or treachery is recorded from the late 16th century, and sports players have been able to complain of ‘a foul’ since the 1750s. See also fair
Rhymes afoul, befoul, cowl, fowl, growl, howl, jowl, owl, prowl, Rabaul, scowl, yowl Definition of foul in US English: fouladjectivefoulfaʊl 1Offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being unpleasantly soiled. Example sentencesExamples - The old wooden stairs gave way to concrete, and a foul musty smell filled the air.
- The room they entered was a dark, foul-smelling cellar.
- Many of these residents have complained to me about the foul taste and murky color of their tap water.
- The bread had been alright, but the water… it had tasted so foul.
- It leaks into groundwater from fuel storage tanks, contaminating water supplies with a foul smell and taste.
- A Hong Kong man at the hotel said there was a foul smell and suddenly the corridor filled with smoke.
- He came so close to her she could smell his foul breath, and she turned her head away.
- A foul stench filled the air, though she could not put a name to what it was.
- I just rolled out of the bed groggy, with a massive headache, sore eyes, a foul taste in my mouth and the smell of cigarettes on my clothes and in my hair.
- Not many city residents go there to spend an evening because of the foul smell from the sewer, which is in the middle of the garden dividing it into two zones.
- She sipped her cup of coffee, letting the strong flavor erase the foul aftertaste in her mouth.
- There was a foul stench in the air like that of gunpowder.
- Ten minutes into our trip a foul smell begins to permeate the carriage; it emanates from the aforementioned toilets.
- Both are worried about the effect the leak could have on their own properties as well as the foul smell.
- Every time I left my house, I smelled this foul odor of burnt flesh in the air; I didn't know what it was at first.
- Garbage and foul smells can sabotage good feng shui.
- They began hobbling towards the car, Leanne almost crumbling under the weight and the disgusting, foul smell of alcohol.
- I was just getting Rick to his feet when a foul stench filled the air.
- Dustbins on the road between the commercial establishments and the main road leading to Kalka are not cleaned regularly and emit a foul smell.
- He pulled me close to his face, so close that I could smell his foul breath.
Synonyms disgusting, revolting, repellent, repulsive, repugnant, abhorrent, loathsome, offensive, detestable, awful, dreadful, horrible, terrible, horrendous, hideous, appalling, atrocious, vile, abominable, frightful, sickening, nauseating, nauseous, stomach-churning, stomach-turning, off-putting, uninviting, unpalatable, unappetizing, unsavoury, distasteful, nasty, obnoxious, objectionable, odious dirty, filthy, mucky, grimy, grubby, stained, dirt-encrusted, muddy, muddied, unclean, unwashed - 1.1informal Very disagreeable or unpleasant.
the news had put Michelle in a foul mood Example sentencesExamples - He came home at 12 pm in a particularly foul mood.
- In hospital she screamed at the nurses. ‘I was foul to them. I became a monster,’ she says, sighing heavily.
- As if my foul mood isn't bad enough, I have just got a notice from DHL informing me that the package I sent from home in February has been lost.
- Francophiles will have discovered long ago that the quality of the wines on sale in French hypermarchés is usually foul.
- Jo was fun to hang out with, but she had a foul temper.
- School starts tonight, it's snowing again, and I'm in a foul mood.
- ‘OK, sorry,’ Leanne said, taken aback by Rob's uncharacteristically foul mood.
- However, at the time, the atmosphere was foul - even once or twice nearly degenerating into a punch-up.
- I was in a foul mood and looking for a reason to have a row with someone.
- I have been foul to you and I must apologize.
- Never mind me, I'm just in a foul mood after today's work.
- The 72-year-old R&B legend is in one of his famous foul moods.
- Mrs M was in the foulest of moods imaginable. She set us a test tomorrow as EXTRA homework
- Interviewed later Diffey said he could not remember much about the incident, but he said he had been in a really foul mood that day.
- Thomas had looked at his brother, completely undisturbed by the foul glare he was giving him.
- Both father and son knew that she would be in a foul mood.
- He was in a foul temper and this was not making matters any better.
- So it is indeed possible that he had no idea he was being so foul.
- On Wednesday last week Clarke arrived at the paper's offices in Glasgow's Central Quay in a foul temper.
- I went upstairs in a foul mood and shut myself in my room.
Synonyms unkind, unfriendly, disagreeable, inconsiderate, uncharitable, rude, churlish, spiteful, malicious, mean, mean-spirited, ill-tempered, ill-natured, ill-humoured, bad-tempered, hostile, vicious, malevolent, evil-minded, surly, obnoxious, poisonous, venomous, vindictive, malign, malignant, cantankerous, hateful, hurtful, cruel, wounding, abusive
2Wicked or immoral. Example sentencesExamples - Leaders and media observers repeated the nostrum that the best way for the country to respond to such a foul crime is to return to normal and signal that the nation's spirit and resolve cannot be undermined.
- He was too goddamn innocent for her foul mind to understand.
- Second, racism is a foul, potentially murderous and often actually murderous thing.
- Handing down a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, the judge said it was an ‘evil and foul’ murder of ‘unspeakable savagery’.
- King Hamlet's tormented spirit reveals that a hidden crime of foul murder condemns it to walk the earth and roast in hell.
- We must stand side by side with the Jewish community, and the evil perpetrators of those foul attacks must be brought to justice.
- The characters are, with the possible exception of Beatrix, uniformly foul, violent, brutal, cold.
- We will do everything in our power to bring to justice those who were responsible for this foul deed.
- The phantom king begs Hamlet to avenge his foul murder.
- Swindon's most senior Judge John McNaught has dealt with the foulest of crimes in more than 40 years in the courtroom.
- Our forces will rid the world of the evil men who committed this foul deed.
- Canvassing for the leadership contest degenerated into a vicious campaign in which all kinds of foul means including promise of office and bribery were resorted to.
- There is a case of murder involved here - and a foul murder, at that - by a person who had a modus operandi that has been known to the police now for years.
- They came horribly close to succeeding in this foul design.
- As Shakespeare knew only too well, from foul deeds endless tragedy arises.
- In the popular consciousness, however, paganism and witchcraft have come to be associated with black magic, foul deeds, even devil-worship.
- Most men involved in the search now believed that a foul crime had been committed.
- You would commit the most foul of murders out of loyalty to me.
- In August 1996 its 10 million citizens were convulsed in grief and anger to hear of the foul deeds of child rapist and murderer, Mark Dutroux.
- The methods might have been foul - full of dishonesty, cynicism and hypocrisy - but they worked.
Synonyms evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, wrong, morally wrong, wrongful, bad, iniquitous, corrupt, black-hearted, ungodly, unholy, irreligious, unrighteous, sacrilegious, profane, blasphemous, impious, base, mean, vile - 2.1 (of language) obscene or profane.
Example sentencesExamples - People who use public transport should not have to put up with foul language, aggressive behaviour or the fear of people causing damage.
- The language is foul (no surprise), and they have been seen urinating in front gardens.
- Well, foul speech may be offensive, but who can say with certainty what is obscene?
- I sat towards the front of the tram which was fairly quiet until a group of late teens / early twenty year old males got on at the back and discussed quite loudly using the foulest of language the events of the previous night.
- He was also found guilty of ungentlemanly conduct, but a charge of using foul and abusive language was not proven.
- Eventually, your little baby is going to blurt out something foul, no matter how sheltered you think she is.
- She winced and screamed a very foul and unladylike oath.
- Both players were found guilty of foul and abusive language towards the match official during Acorn's defeat to Normanton Knights on November 20.
- We're hearing a lot more foul language in public these days.
- However Sheridan then blotted his copy book by getting sent off in the 70th minute for foul and abusive language.
- Such moves in future, however, should also attempt to curb the rising tide of foul language, both on the pitch and terraces.
- Elva still tries to find me, screaming foul profanities.
- Don't be distracted by my foul vocabulary or by your own frustration.
- They made their way back to the ship, where Fleet was currently halfway through an incredibly foul and quite inspired stream of profanity.
- Recently a manager of a Scottish Football League side decided to referee his youth teams in a match, and ended up sending two of the boys home, so foul was their abusive language.
- The statements are completely uncensored and if foul or explicit language offends you then this probably isn't your thing.
- However, your language is exceedingly foul for someone in your position.
- Even though I learned most of my foul vocabulary from my parents, Mom had one word that was off-limits.
- He was allegedly uncooperative and became verbally abusive, using foul 4 - letter words and obscene hand gestures.
- He said the word ‘detectives’ as if it was the most foul profanity.
Synonyms vulgar, obscene, profane, blasphemous, gross, coarse, crude, filthy, dirty, indecent, indelicate, suggestive, smutty, off colour, low, lewd, ribald, salacious, scatological, offensive, abusive - 2.2 Done contrary to the rules of a sport.
Example sentencesExamples - Therefore, the proportion of foul tackles equates to the likelihood of player error occurring during the execution of a tackle.
- And former New Zealand captain Quentin Pongia was put on report for an alleged foul tackle.
- There was not a foul or unfair stroke in the game.
- The eighth was a strikeout, the ninth a pop fly to first base, the 10th a foul pop to the catcher.
- So it's pretty ironic that the average NBA player couldn't make a foul shot if his sneaker contract depended on it.
- He called four foul throw-ins, invoked the six-second rule against a keeper who had just come on as a substitute and found himself being exceptionally whistle happy.
- In the first 20 minutes Knowles put his side into a 2-0 lead with two superb lobbed goals, but was later dismissed following a foul tackle.
- Jefferson doesn't back away from contact and plays with emotion - even yelling at himself for something simple like a missed foul shot.
- His two foul shots at the end of the 1957 Finals gave the Celtics their first title.
- From the foul tackle the ball fell loose and crossed the line for a goal.
- In the top of the 8th inning, with one out, a Marlin batter hit a foul fly ball in the direction of the stands.
- All I can say is that I'll certainly be expecting my men to get stuck in and it's up to the referee after that to decide what s a fair tackle and what s a foul tackle.
Synonyms unsporting, unsportsmanlike, dirty, below the belt, illegal, illegitimate, illicit, underhand, unscrupulous, dishonourable
3Containing or charged with noxious matter; polluted. Example sentencesExamples - Pastor's neighborhood of million-dollar homes, all backing up to a private park, was covered with foul, inky water.
- It is illegal to discharge foul water into a surface water drain.
- The first few breaths overwhelmed her and she gagged on the foul air.
- They could not approach the city for it was blocked by a foul morass on all sides.
- There were also doubts about the ability of the current sewerage system to cope with more foul water and concern over the loss of recreational space.
- As London grew from a rambling town into a crowded urban center, its city air grew ever more foul with smoke and unhealthy sulfur dioxide gases from wood-burning and coal-burning stoves.
- As well, some new sewers will be laid in the town and there will be greater separation of surface water from foul sewer to create more capacity in the treatment plant.
- This has caused foul water pooling in the street and the mosquitoes and rats have arrived.
- If the room had a little light apart from the faulty bedside lamp that flickered unpredictably every few minutes it wouldn't be so bad, or even just a fan that at least to cool and circulate the foul damp air.
- He claimed they were held in wire cages open to the elements and forced to drink foul water and food that was out of date by up to 10 years.
- The meter-square bag was found leaking its foul contents outside the office of legislator Leung Yiu-chung in an industrial area of Kowloon.
- The sky was the sort of overcast that was not just gray, but the kind of gray that bled the color from all the things around it, a thick smog filling the air, ominous and foul.
- Most of these tasks were in the pipeline anyway as part of Beijing's plan to modernise its outdated infrastructure and clean up its notoriously foul air.
- Less than 10 miles east lies the Potomac River, a foul body of water when we founded this organization in 1966.
- In 1285 London's air was so foul that King Edward I set up an air pollution commission, which banned the use of coal.
- Afterwards he lay there, breathing the foul air as shallowly as he could.
- The air grew foul, the reek of rotting death made them heave as they picked their way through the mass of tangled bodies.
- In the 19th century refuse, waste, water and foul water were just dumped in the streets, resulting in widespread disease.
- Their choice was cold, damp, flooded huts or foul, humid air in an overcrowded ward.
- At least five homes in Moresby Close, Westlea, were swamped by up to six inches of foul water when a brook flooded and sewers burst during a recent downpour.
Synonyms contaminated, polluted, adulterated, infected, tainted, defiled, impure, filthy, dirty, unclean - 3.1foul withpredicative Clogged or choked with.
the land was foul with weeds Example sentencesExamples - She was glad not to be able to see much of the place, foul with seeping water and fungus, a chamber of old horrors where prisoners hunched under the vaults of cold stone like monstrous white insects, wingless and half-blind.
- Wheat is an exhausting crop, which requires land in good heart, whilst if grown continuously, or too frequently, disease often becomes serious, and, most important of all, the land becomes very foul with weeds.
- 3.2Nautical (of a rope or anchor) entangled.
- 3.3 (of a ship's bottom) encrusted with algae, barnacles, or other marine growth.
- 3.4Printing (of a first copy or proof) defaced by corrections.
Example sentencesExamples - The printed texts of Shakespeare's plays that appear to derive from foul paper copy provide a unique glimpse of the playwright in the act of composition.
4(of the weather) wet and stormy. Example sentencesExamples - She added that unlike other walkers, groups of charity fund-raisers were not deterred by foul weather, simply because they had to take part in their event on a chosen day.
- The weather was foul but we decided to treat ourselves to a Starbucks trip anyway, and were well rewarded.
- The foul weather also keeps most students at school in the middle of the day, making do with very simple food such as plain steamed buns and hot water, for lunch.
- The sky was darkening quickly, threatening foul weather and danger in the distance.
- As foul weather blighted Manchester's New Year celebrations, people who had not bought tickets turned up at the hotel's doors.
- On a completely foul day try putting some black and white film in the camera and see what you get.
- The situation is worse when the weather is foul.
- Both European victories have been on Scottish soil, but the weather was so foul last weekend that it would be wrong the claim the latter was an unqualified success.
- The weather was foul this morning and we all got soaked.
- It was January, the weather was foul, it was after Christmas and people needed cheering up.
- Often they will be out in foul weather when most of us would rather be tucked up in bed.
- The new building will have improved facilities, ensuring it remains a welcome retreat for ramblers, particularly after climbing Mount Snowdon in foul weather.
- Despite predictions of foul weather and traffic chaos, sunny weather lured thousands of tourists to the Lake District.
- When I arrived in Cambridge, Mass., in early September 1978, foul weather had already set in.
- With the foul weather, crazy workload and lack of sleep, motivation has been pretty low for the last three months.
- Hart drove two tons of metal through a foul and wintry February morning, hurtling through the snowy dark.
- Horse and rider need to nurture complete trust, to tackle the field in fair weather or foul with cavalier bravery but with two minds, one of them human, intrinsically focused.
- Meanwhile, while the Irish and their neighbours in Britain may bemoan the foul weather, spare a thought for residents along the east coast of the USA.
- Initial reports suggest that that crash was an accident because of foul weather.
- Redhill was the wettest place in England last Tuesday and the coldest in the UK that night as foul weather swept the country.
Synonyms inclement, unpleasant, disagreeable, dirty, nasty, rough, bad - 4.1Sailing (of wind or tide) opposed to one's desired course.
Example sentencesExamples - Nicolson, a successful writer but somewhat inexperienced sailor, teams up with an old salt and buddy George Fairhurst, who continually bails them out of near calamities - foul currents, fierce tides, raging winds and equipment failures.
- This is nearly twice the power usually found on boats this size and provides lots of power for punching through chop and motoring against foul winds and currents.
nounfoulfaʊl 1(in sports) an unfair or invalid stroke or piece of play, especially one involving interference with an opponent. Example sentencesExamples - World Cup referees yesterday vowed to crack down on players who orchestrate and feign fouls to get opponents in trouble.
- A series of petty fouls brought a booking for Smertin in the 29th minute, which made him the third Russian to be cautioned by referee Urs Meir.
- He fell into the area but the foul looked to have been committed just outside it.
- Owen had a much more convincing penalty appeal just before half-time, but Andreas Dober somehow got away with a blatant, over-the-top foul.
- Ray Parlour committed four fouls himself before he got his first booking.
- The game was also notable for an atrocious four-man foul on Kerry's most exciting player, Mickey O'Sullivan, who never played the game again.
- In last week's ferocious victory over Huddersfield, for example, Ellis was the victim of a deliberate late foul, and was then bitten for good measure.
- To be fair to Halsey, he didn't have a good view of the incident, and there was no way he could tell how obvious a foul it was.
- Harvey got whistled for a foul and then lost it, followed by Howard.
- It took three fouls apiece on Kandi and Ervin Johnson to force Saunders's hand in the direction he should have been following all along - playing Mark Madsen.
- He even had the ball in the net, but was booked for a foul on the goalkeeper.
- Phil Neville and Tim Cahill were both booked, with the former Manchester United midfielder responsible for the foul which forced off Pires.
- Drummond, Carlton and Lee Collins also had further chances - and all Aldershot could muster in reply, a succession of fouls apart, was a Jim Rodwell shot from long range on 37 minutes.
- My biggest concern would be can he stay in the game without having a lot of fouls called against him.
- Jim Leishman had words with referee John Underhill after the game concerning the foul that led to the second goal.
- Never a thing of beauty, the game got even scrappier with Tom McCarthy brandishing the yellow card to three perpetrators of clumsy fouls.
- It was a tough time for the French and Silvestre, having already been booked for a foul on Gillespie, just couldn't contain the winger in the 69th minute.
- While the energetic midfielder's two fouls - on Van Bronckhorst and then Pires - just about deserved cautions, a final warning would surely have been a more common-sense decision.
- It was a well-behaved match with very few fouls.
- In the past decade, Brazilian football has become among the most violent in the world with an astonishing average of around 55 fouls a game in domestic matches.
Synonyms unfair, against the rules, illegal, unsporting, unsportsmanlike, below the belt, dirty, dishonourable, dishonest, underhand, unscrupulous, unjust, unprincipled, immoral, crooked, fraudulent - 1.1 A collision or entanglement in riding, rowing, or running.
Example sentencesExamples - With a personal best of 6.68m from earlier in the season, she surprisingly had fouls on her first two efforts and waited long on the runway as she composed herself for her last attempt.
- 1.2
2dated, informal A disease in the feet of cattle. he was indeed suffering from foul of the foot
adverbfoulfaʊl 1Unfairly; contrary to the rules. Example sentencesExamples - Italian editors shrieked that the Austrian team had ‘played foul’.
- There have been productions of this play set in innumerable locales and time periods, but I've never seen one that played so foul with the tone of Shakespeare's text.
- That's the real problem: even guys who want to play fair are under pressure from cheaters to play foul.
- So that if you're knowingly taking advantage of people with a disadvantage, then you're coming foul of the Trade Practices Act.
- I think any form of a quota must be done away with whether it is a quota in numbers…or a quota in time, i.e. you have to fill these positions by such and such a time if you do not want to be foul of the law.
- 1.1 (in sports) in foul territory.
if a batter hits a bunt foul with two strikes, he is out Example sentencesExamples - Still it was disappointing - the ball went foul down the first base line.
- Giambi then narrowly missed a three-run homer, his ball down the rightfield line curving foul by a few feet.
- Then, to their surprise, right field umpire John Rice ruled that the ball had gone foul.
- Any other hitter would have pulled that pitch foul.
- If he had touched the ball in fair territory before it went foul, the play would have been ruled a fair ball.
verbfoulfaʊl [with object]1Make foul or dirty; pollute. factories that fouled the atmosphere Example sentencesExamples - When planning, it's wise to site ponds away from trees as dead leaves will foul the water.
- The mountains of manure that factory farming generates foul our air and water, disrupting ecosystems and sickening rural communities.
- The spill fouled over 60 miles of the river and 20 marinas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
- Industry and agriculture have fouled the air, the water, and the soil.
- When the EPA found companies fouling our air and water, it instituted a program of pollution credits.
- At rush hour the streets are plugged with cars producing vast quantities of toxic gases that foul the air.
- Moreover, our dependency on coal to generate energy not only fouls our air, but poisons our fish with mercury.
- Its design is outdated and inappropriate; its size, looks, and four-wheel drive bring out the worst in drivers; it clogs streets and fouls the air.
- Industrial and human wastes fouled drinking water, turning the Thames into an open sewer whose stench drove Disraeli choking from the chamber of the Commons in the ‘great stink’ of 1858.
- Regional air pollution increased throughout the 1990s and into the current decade as electricity demand, motor vehicle use and industrial activity have increasingly fouled the air.
Synonyms dirty, soil, stain, blacken, muddy, begrime, splash, spatter, smear, befoul, besmirch, blight, defile, make filthy, infect, pollute, contaminate, poison, taint, adulterate, sully - 1.1 Disgrace or dishonor.
Example sentencesExamples - These lies had fouled his name.
- They claimed ‘the USOC has fouled his reputation by placing his name at the top of a system that, beyond his control, encourages the use of dangerous, illegal drugs by athletes.’
- Wally, not wanting to foul the image of his lifelong hero, had kept this monumental secret until his death.
- 1.2 (of an animal) make (something) dirty with excrement.
make sure that your pet never fouls the sidewalk Example sentencesExamples - But others complain that foxes are digging up their gardens, fouling their lawns, attacking their pets and ripping open their garbage bags.
- On Monday, members of the town council recreation and amenities committee despaired over the number of owners who continue to let their dogs foul public places.
- Southend Council is waging war against unsociable dog owners who let their pets foul the street.
- It was also pointed out that a fence was necessary to stop cattle from getting onto the boat club land and to stop dogs fouling pasture meant for silage.
- Her decision brought to an end many months of wrangling with some of the neighbours, who claimed her cats were fouling their gardens and making their lives hell.
- Responsible dog owners in Addingham have been asked to report people who let their pets foul fields, streets and other open spaces in the village.
- In a zero-tolerance initiative, Manchester city council is cracking down on dog owners who allow their pets to foul public spaces.
- People on the path have also walked through the middle of outdoor lessons and sports activities and dog walkers have allowed their pets to foul the playground.
- Swindon Council employs dog wardens whose job is to patrol the borough's streets keeping a watchful eye on careless owners who let their pets foul the streets.
- The Environment Education and Enforcement Team tackles those people who tip rubbish, drop litter and allow their dogs to foul streets and open spaces.
- The land is now being used by the football and rounders club, whose members want to stop dogs fouling the pitch and youngsters riding motorcycles across it.
- It follows a previous campaign which has seen fixed penalty notices handed out to owners who allow their dogs to foul the streets and in parks without clearing up after them.
- Now the wardens have received powers to slap £25 fixed penalty notices on litter louts and people who allow their dogs to foul the district's parks.
- He said even though it was illegal, the biggest problem was policing the situation and actually catching and prosecuting people who allow their dogs to foul the streets and parks.
- Parish councillor David Sweet is urging residents to report anyone spotted allowing their dog to illegally foul restricted areas such as the High Street.
- Dog owners who refuse to clean up after their pets have fouled the streets of York have been reminded they risk a fine of up to £1,000.
- Concerned residents of the heritage town of Abbeyleix are surprised that there are a few dog owners who look the other way when their pets foul the footpaths and other public places.
- More than a hundred fines have now been issued to people who drop litter or let their dogs foul the pavement in Sheffield.
- Anyone who refuses to pay an on-the-spot fine for allowing their pet to foul a footpath, for example, could be taken to court and find their name in the newspapers.
- Year six pupils at Arnside National School have designed warning posters to encourage dog owners to think twice about letting their dogs foul the village streets.
- 1.3foul oneself (of a person) defecate involuntarily.
Example sentencesExamples - They described ‘torture techniques’ and claimed that detainees had been forced into painful positions for 18 to 24 hours at a time or left to foul themselves.
- For an enemy combatant to foul himself in a hot room is an unpleasant thing.
- Now and then, she fouled herself or wet herself.
- Nervous of legal action from passengers humiliated by fouling themselves in their seats, most carriers allowed crew to decide whether the person requesting admission to the smallest part of the plane was desperate or a desperado.
- Sure, I'll still defecate in my pants, but now my excrement will be safely contained and no one need know that I have fouled myself in public.
2(in sports) commit a foul against (an opponent). Example sentencesExamples - The end of the game took on a sour note as Tooreen's Sean Ganley was sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Ciaran Cox who had come on as a substitute just minutes previously.
- Dave Rogers fouled Moussilou in the eighth minute, and the hosts were awarded a free-kick, which Acimovic fired high over keeper Steve Williams' crossbar.
- Beckham briefly saw the red mist when he went chasing after Vata and brought him down after clearly believing he had been fouled himself by the Albanian midfielder.
- Haas is sent off after picking up another yellow for fouling Paul Scholes.
- It seemed the only way for Blackburn to stop Chelsea was to foul them, and Neill was booked for bringing Robben down as he surged goalwards.
- Rangers defender Khizanishvilli seemed to get the final touch but Larsson was deemed to have fouled De Boer to aid its passage.
- Silsden were given a lifeline when Hoyle was fouled and Rhodes dispatched another penalty.
- This time Scholes is fouled, giving Beckham another chance to swing it in from the left.
- The Town keeper Darren O'Grady was obviously fouled as he went to catch a high punt with Gary Smyth tucking the loose ball into the unguarded net.
- Mark Hudson then hit the crossbar, Moyles was fouled and sub Tom Donovan converted the penalty as Celbridge ran out six point winners.
- As Collier tried to net from the rebound he was fouled and another penalty was awarded.
- Then a terrible back pass from Steven Gerrard saw Thierry Henry fouled by the England goal - keeper David James, allowing Zidane to secure victory with a penalty.
- ADF started to dominate the midfield and just before half-time, striker Paul Fleming was fouled in the box.
- The Reebok held its breath as Okocha strode forward to stroke the spot-kick wide to Kasey Keller's left after Spurs sub Gary Doherty had fouled Youri Djorkaeff.
- Jason Maxwell was once again fouled 40 yards from goal and Danny Walsh hoisted a dangerous cross over.
- St Joseph's were put under more pressure when their winger was sent off for fouling Marsden as he scored but this seemed to make the Huddersfield side more committed.
- Alan Kelly was fouled in the penalty area and Coleman coolly converted the resulting penalty.
- Portlaw did have claims for a penalty turned down late on when it seemed keeper Wayne English had fouled a Portlaw player in the area but referee Martin Halley waved play on.
- Portland proceeded to foul O'Neal repeatedly, a familiar tactic and one that had often frustrated the big man.
- The keeper fouled his opponent but avoided a red card.
- 2.1Baseball Hit a foul ball.
Carter fouled into the glove of Boggs Example sentencesExamples - As per the rules, if the third strike is fouled into the glove, it is an out.
- Raul checkswings and misses on 2-strike count, pulls back, but ump says Raul got it and fouled into the catcher's mitt.
3(of a ship) collide with or interfere with the passage of (another). Example sentencesExamples - In The Edison [1933] AC 449, the appellants, whose vessel had been fouled by the respondents, claimed damages under various heads.
- 3.1 Cause (a cable, anchor, or other object) to become entangled or jammed.
watch out for driftwood which might foul up the engine no object we feared the anchor would foul in the heavy grasses Example sentencesExamples - The vessel's net entangled and fouled the 52-foot motor lifeboat's twin 36-inch brass propellers.
- Once fouled on the reefs, the nets go on fishing, killing sea turtles, fish, seabirds and other wildlife while destroying corals.
- Stromness lifeboat was called out at the weekend after a Scrasbter fishing boat fouled her propeller in severe weather conditions.
- Earlier in the day, they were called to assist a fishing vessel when its propellor became fouled while fishing off Helvick.
- The vessel, with two men on board raised the alarm just after 9 p.m. when its propeller became fouled.
- The Stromness lifeboat attended the fishing vessel Arkhangel at 4pm on Saturday after the vessel fouled her propeller 20 miles off Noup Head in Westray.
- It is apparent that the wreck has been cleared to below deck level, with some additional damage to the starboard side of the hull, perhaps a consequence of the Silver Harvest fouling its anchor on the wreck in 1998.
- Her propellor had been fouled and the vessel was stuck to the sea-bed.
Synonyms tangle up, entangle, snarl, catch, entwine, enmesh, twist, tangle
Phrases Do something damaging or harmful to oneself or one's own interests. Example sentencesExamples - This works in part because the criminals are careful not to foul their own nest.
- Of course, this romantic observation occurs in an essay called ‘Murder in the Kitchen,’ in which Watts also writes that by ‘destroying our environment and fouling our own nest… the world around us looks as if we hated it.’
- At a time when politician-bashing has become a national sport, too many MPs have joined in this campaign, denigrating politics as a vocation. In effect, they are fouling their own nests.
- Yet consistently, with appalling regularity and style, he has displayed an equivalent capacity to foul his own nest, plucking frequent disasters from the jaws of personal victory.
- Now the prime minister has gone a step further in the process of fouling his European nest.
- Do these other magazines understand that by painting a dark and distorted picture of the bodybuilding world, they are fouling their own nest, shooting themselves in the foot by undermining their own future?
- I agree we are unlikely to destroy the planet, but are highly likely to foul our nest beyond habitability for ourselves.
Phrasal Verbs foul something up (or foul up) Make a mistake with or spoil something. leaders should admit when they completely foul things up Example sentencesExamples - I have half a mind to turn up in court on the scheduled date with the bank statements proving that they have fouled up, and then invoicing them for my time.
- We're just another species - the dominant species, maybe, and the one who's doing the most to foul things up for all the rest, but surely we're flattering ourselves if we think that we are somehow essential to the operation of this planet.
- But it wasn't enough to take away from the fact the FAI fouled up and were being told so in no uncertain terms.
- Refreshingly, for the author of a book about lying, she is honest enough to admit when she has fouled up.
- ‘Here was an ideal opportunity for Yorkshire to have done something positive and they have gone and fouled it up,’ he said.
- Anything worth doing is worth doing twice, especially after you've fouled it up the first time.
- Companies make a good product and then they foul it up with a container that the customer can't open.
- In the coming decades, there's going to be a time of great opportunity if we make the right decisions, if government doesn't foul it up.
- Although it's a relatively easy daily task, reduced with usage to a routine I can accomplish in a couple of minutes, running on auto-pilot, it takes no more than the click of a wrong button in the text editor to foul things up.
- Getting compensation when your bank, building society, insurer or investment house fouls up will soon be a lot easier with the establishment of a new financial complaints body to replace the existing muddle of various ombudsmen.
- To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
- If anything something should be done because we fouled up so atrociously in the past.
- I fouled up in the area where I'm supposed to be a master, the area of just politics.
- And I thought before you foul things up in your typical fashion you might want to know the truth.
- If spammers can add enough legitimate sites to the master spam list, they can foul it up and make it less usable.
- Practice this shot until you can make it 8 out of 10 times (even the pros will foul it up sometimes.)
- Hollywood's ability to take a perfectly good story and completely foul it up has never ceased to amaze me.
- It must be said that a professedly cash strapped County Board has fouled up a great chance to pull in some badly needed revenue by playing these two games at separate venues on Sunday.
- He didn't take the train because there was a derailment and the schedule was fouled up.
- A sweet, tender, loving, affectionate, beautiful woman who pursued ME, and I still found a way to foul it up and lose her.
Synonyms wreck, ruin, spoil, disrupt, undo, upset, play havoc with, make a mess of, put an end to, end, bring to an end, put a stop to, terminate, prevent, frustrate, blight, crush, quell, quash, dash, scotch, shatter, vitiate, blast, devastate, demolish, sabotage, torpedo
1Be put out of the game for exceeding the permitted number of fouls. Example sentencesExamples - After a few more trips up and down the floor, I picked up my fourth and fifth fouls, causing me to foul out in just over 5 minutes of play.
- James ended the game with only three fouls; a player fouls out of the game with his sixth.
- When Indiana played Phoenix two years ago, the Mercury had 2 players foul out of the game and two others with 5 fouls.
- Both Long and Jensen played much of the second half with four fouls, but managed to avoid fouling out.
- The only MIT player to foul out was Randy Hyun '95, who committed his fifth with two seconds left in the game.
- 1.1(of a batter) be made out by hitting a foul ball that is caught by an opposing player.
Wilson has never fouled out against this young pitcher Example sentencesExamples - But reliever Mike Myers got Jose Cruz to foul out, helped by first baseman McCarty, who tracked down the ball in the bullpen, and Jorge Cantu to ground to second.
- In the second frame, Steve Garvey fouled out to the catcher,
- It turned out, that Snider walked, Musial grounded out to second, Hodges popped out to second and the fourth batter fouled out to catcher Yogi Berra.
- Waechter struck out Martinez, walked John Olerud, loading the bases, and got out of the jam when Mike Cameron fouled out to C Toby Hall.
- Rivera surrendered two runs on five hits before finally getting Carlos Beltran to foul out to Jorge Posada with the bases loaded to close out the Yankees’ 11-8 victory.
Origin Old English fūl, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse fúll ‘foul’, Dutch vuil ‘dirty’, and German faul ‘rotten, lazy’, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin pus, Greek puos ‘pus’, and Latin putere ‘to stink’. |