释义 |
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024feath•ered (feᵺ′ərd),USA pronunciation adj. - Birds, Furnitureclothed, covered, or provided with feathers, as a bird or an arrow.
- quick;
rapid; speedy; swift:feathered feet. - Fine Art, Furniture(of a veneer) cut to show a figure resembling a plume.
- Middle English fethered, Old English gefetherede, see feather, -ed3 bef. 1000
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024feath•er /ˈfɛðɚ/USA pronunciation n. - Birds[countable] one of the light, horny structures that form the principal covering of birds.
- condition, as of health, spirits, etc.:[uncountable]feeling in fine feather after a vacation.
v. [~ + object] - to clothe or cover with or as if with feathers.
Idioms- Idioms a feather in one's cap, a praiseworthy achievement;
honor:It was a feather in his cap to be named to the town council. - Idioms feather one's nest, to enrich oneself by using one's favorable or privileged position:feathered her own nest instead of helping her clients.
feath•ered, adj. feath•er•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est. WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024tar1 /tɑr/USA pronunciation n., v., tarred, tar•ring, adj. n. [uncountable] - Chemistrya black, thick substance that can be shaped when hot and is hard when cold, used for making roads, etc.:hot tar smeared on the highways.
- Chemistrysolid material produced when tobacco burns:cigarette tar.
v. [~ + object] - to smear or cover with or as if with tar.
adj. - of or relating to tar.
- covered or smeared with tar;
tarred. Idioms- Idioms tar and feather, [~ + object] to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024feath•er (feᵺ′ər),USA pronunciation n. - Birdsone of the horny structures forming the principal covering of birds, consisting typically of a hard, tubular portion attached to the body and tapering into a thinner, stemlike portion bearing a series of slender, barbed processes that interlock to form a flat structure on each side.
- kind;
character; nature:two boys of the same feather. - Zoologysomething like a feather, as a tuft or fringe of hair.
- something very light, small, or trivial:Your worry is a mere feather.
- [Archery.]one of the vanes at the tail of an arrow or dart.
- Building[Carpentry.]a spline for joining the grooved edges of two boards.
- Building[Masonry.]See under plug and feathers.
- Jewelrya featherlike flaw, esp. in a precious stone.
- Mechanical Engineering[Mach.]See feather key.
- [Archaic.]attire.
- [Obs.]plumage.
- Idioms a feather in one's cap, a praiseworthy accomplishment;
distinction; honor:Being chosen class president is a feather in her cap. - Idioms birds of a feather. See bird (def. 12).
- Idioms in fine or high feather, in good form, humor, or health:feeling in fine feather.
- Idioms ruffle someone's feathers, to anger, upset, or annoy (another person).
- Idioms smooth one's ruffled or rumpled feathers, to regain one's composure;
become calm:After the argument, we each retired to our own rooms to smooth our ruffled feathers. v.t. - to provide with feathers, as an arrow.
- to clothe or cover with or as with feathers.
- Sport[Rowing.]to turn (an oar) after a stroke so that the blade becomes nearly horizontal, and hold it thus as it is moved back into position for the next stroke.
- [Aeron.]
- to change the blade angle of (a propeller) so that the chords of the blades are approximately parallel to the line of flight.
- to turn off (an engine) while in flight.
v.i. - Birdsto grow feathers.
- to be or become feathery in appearance.
- to move like feathers.
- Sport[Rowing.]to feather an oar.
- Dialect Terms feather into, [South Midland U.S.]to attack (a person, task, or problem) vigorously.
- Idioms feather one's nest, to take advantage of the opportunities to enrich oneself:The mayor had used his term of office to feather his nest.
- bef. 900; Middle English, Old English fether; cognate with Dutch veder, German Feder, Old Norse fjǫthr; akin to Greek pterón, Sanskrit pátram wing, feather
feath′er•less, adj. feath′er•less•ness, n. feath′er•like′, adj. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024tar1 (tär),USA pronunciation n., v., tarred, tar•ring, adj. n. - Chemistryany of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood.
- Chemistrycoal-tar pitch.
- Chemistrysmoke solids or components:cigarette tar.
- beat, knock, or whale the tar out of, [Informal.]to beat mercilessly:The thief had knocked the tar out of the old man and left him for dead.
v.t. - to smear or cover with or as if with tar.
- tar and feather:
- to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation.
- to punish severely:She should be tarred and feathered for what she has done.
adj. - of or characteristic of tar.
- covered or smeared with tar;
tarred. - tarred with the same brush, possessing the same shortcomings or guilty of the same misdeeds:The whole family is tarred with the same brush.
- bef. 900; (noun, nominal) Middle English tarr(e), ter(re), Old English teru; cognate with Dutch, German teer, Old Norse tjara; akin to tree; (verb, verbal) Middle English terren, Old English tierwian, derivative of the noun, nominal
tar2 (tär),USA pronunciation n. [Informal.]- Informal Termsa sailor.
- perh. short for tarpaulin 1740–50
seafarer, gob. See sailor. Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: feather /ˈfɛðə/ n - any of the flat light waterproof epidermal structures forming the plumage of birds, each consisting of a hollow shaft having a vane of barbs on either side. They are essential for flight and help maintain body temperature
- something resembling a feather, such as a tuft of hair or grass
- a bird's feather or artificial substitute fitted to an arrow to direct its flight
- the feathered end of an arrow, opposite the head
- the position of an oar turned parallel to the water between strokes
- condition of spirits; fettle: in fine feather
- something of negligible value; jot: I don't care a feather
- feather in one's cap ⇒ a cause for pleasure at one's achievements
vb - (transitive) to fit, cover, or supply with feathers
- to turn (an oar) parallel to the water during recovery between strokes, principally in order to lessen wind resistance
- to change the pitch of (an aircraft propeller) so that the chord lines of the blades are in line with the airflow
- (intransitive) (of a bird) to grow feathers
- feather one's nest ⇒ to provide oneself with comforts, esp financial
Etymology: Old English fether; related to Old Frisian fethere, Old Norse fjöthr feather, Old High German fedara wing, Greek petesthai to fly, Sanskrit patati he fliesˈfeather-ˌlike adj ˈfeathery adj |