“ Basilisk, baz′il-isk, n. a fabulous creature, about a foot long, with a black-and-yellow skin and fiery red eyes, so named, according to Pliny, from the crest on the head like a crown—variously regarded as a kind of dragon or cockatrice: in modern zoology, a harmless crested lizard of tropical South America: an ancient brass cannon throwing a shot of about 200 lb. weight. ”

“ Cast anchor, to moor a ship; Cast an eye, a glance, to look at; Cast a thing in one's teeth, to bring a reproach against some one; Cast away, to wreck, to waste; Cast down, to deject or depress in mind: to turn the eyes downward ”

“ Drum, drum, n. an instrument of percussion, in which a skin of parchment, stretched on a frame of wood or metal, is beaten with an instrument called a drumstick: anything shaped like a drum: the tympanum or middle portion of the ear: (archit.) the upright part of a cupola: (mech.) a revolving cylinder: formerly a large and tumultuous evening party (said to be so called because rival hostesses vied with each other in beating up crowds of guests) .—v.i. to beat a drum: to beat with the fingers.—v.t. to drum out, to expel: to summon:—pr.p. drum′ming ”

“ Caption, kap′shun, n. the act of taking: an arrest: (Eng. law) the formal title of indictments and depositions which shows the authority under which it is executed or taken: in Scotland, prior to 1837, the name given to the formal warrant to apprehend a debtor or other defaulting obligant, which was given in the Bill Chamber after letters of horning had been executed.—adj. Cap′tious, ready to catch at faults or take offence: critical: peevish.—adv. Cap′tiously.—n. Cap′tiousness. ”

“ Cash, kash, n. coin or money: ready money.—v.t. to turn into or exchange for money: to pay money for.—ns. Cash′-account′, an account to which nothing is carried but cash: a form of account with a bank, by which a person is entitled to draw out sums as required by way of loan to a stipulated amount—also called Cash′-cred′it; Cash′-book, a book in which an account is kept of the receipts and disbursements of money; Cashier′, a cash-keeper: one who has charge of the receiving and paying of money ”

“ Catch fire, to become ignited, to be inspired by passion or zeal; Catch hold of, to seize; Catch it, to get a scolding or the like; Catch me! an emphatic colloquial phrase implying that there is not the remotest possibility of my doing something suggested; Catch on, to comprehend: to catch the popular fancy; Catch out, to put a batsman out at cricket by catching the ball he has batted; Catch sight of, suddenly to get a glimpse of; Catch up, to overtake; Catch up, or away, to lay hold of forcibly. [From O. Fr. cachier—Late L. captiāre for captāre, inten. of capĕre, to take. See Chase.] ”

“ Docket, dok′et, n. a summary of a larger writing: a bill or ticket affixed to anything: a label: a list or register of cases in court.—v.t. to make a summary of the heads of a writing: to enter in a book: to mark the contents of papers on the back:—pr.p. dock′eting; pa.p. dock′eted. [Dim. of dock, to curtail; sometimes docquet, as if French.]
Doctor, dok′tur, n. one who has received from a university the highest degree in a faculty: a physician: a medical practitioner: a cleric especially skilled in theology or ecclesiastical law.—v.t. ”

“ Blow′pipe, a pipe through which a current of air is blown on a flame, to increase its heat: a kind of weapon much used by some of the Indian tribes of South America both in hunting and war, consisting of a long straight tube in which a small poisoned arrow is placed, and forcibly expelled by the breath.—adj. Blow′y.—To blow hot and cold, to be favourable and unfavourable by turns, to be irresolute; To blow off (steam, &c.) , to allow to escape, to escape forcibly; To blow one's own trumpet, to sound one's own praises; To blow over, to pass away, to subside, as a danger or a scandal ”

“ I were best = it were best for me.—To have the best of it, to gain the advantage in a contest; To make the best of one's way, to go by the best possible road; To put one's best foot foremost, to do the best, or to make the best show, one can. ”

“ Bore, bōr, v.t. to pierce so as to form a hole; to weary or annoy.—n. a hole made by boring: the size of the cavity of a gun; a person or thing that wearies (not from the foregoing, according to Dr Murray, who says both verb and noun arose after 1750) .—ns. Bor′er, the person or thing that bores: a genus of sea-worms that pierce wood; a name common to many insects that pierce wood; Bor′ing, the act of making a hole in anything: a hole made by boring: (pl.) the chips produced by boring. ”

“ Actinia, ak-tin′i-a, n. a genus of marine animals of the class Polypi, growing on rocks or shells, with numerous tentacles or rays like the petals of a flower, from which they are often called animal flowers or sea-anemones. ”

“ Agent, āj′ent, n. a person or thing that acts or exerts power: any natural force acting on matter: one authorised or delegated to transact business for another.—n. Ag′ency, the office or business, operation or action, of an agent; instrumentality.—Law agent, a general term in Scotland, including Writers to the Signet, Solicitors to the Supreme Court, and Procurators in the sheriff courts—the requirements are an indentured apprenticeship of five years to a law agent, the passing of examinations in general knowledge and in law, and formal admission by the Court of Session. ”

“ To beat off, to drive back; To beat out, to work out fully, to make gold or silver leaf out of solid metal; To beat the air, to fight to no purpose, or against an imaginary enemy; To beat the bounds, to trace out the boundaries of a parish in a periodic survey or perambulation, certain natural objects in the line of journey being formally struck with a rod, and sometimes also the boys whipped to make them remember; To beat the brains, to puzzle one's brains about something ”

“ Belly, bel′li, n. the part of the body between the breast and the thighs, containing the bowels: the stomach, as the receptacle of the food: the bowels proper: the womb or uterus: the interior of anything: the bulging part of anything, as a bottle, or any concave or hollow surface, as of a sail: the inner or lower surface of anything, as opposed to the back, as of a violin, &c.—adj. ”

“ The blues (for blue devils) , a colloquial expression for depression of spirits.—To be a blue, to be chosen to represent Oxford or Cambridge at an inter-university contest in cricket, football, rowing, or athletics; An old blue, one once so chosen.—To drink till all's blue, until everything around one looks blue; To look blue, to be down-spirited.—True blue, faithful to the principles of the political party wearing blue as its colour, in many places identified with Conservative. ”

“ Diocese, dī′ō-sēs, n. the circuit or extent of a bishop's jurisdiction.—adj. Diocesan (dī-os′es-an, or dī′ō-sē-san) , pertaining to a diocese.—n. a bishop as regards his diocese: one of the clergy in the diocese. [Through Fr. and L. from Gr. dioikēsis, dioikein, to keep house—di, for dia, sig. completeness, oikein, to manage a household—oikos, a house.]
Diodon, dī′o-don, n. a genus of globe-fishes which have all their teeth consolidated on the jaws, so as to make them like the beak of a bird. [Gr. dis, twice, double, odous, odontos, a tooth.] ”

“ Affiliate, af-fil′i-āt, v.t. to receive into a family as a son, or into a society as a member: to attach to, or connect with, as minor colleges with a university: to impute paternity to, to attribute to, to father on or upon.—n. Affiliā′tion, the act of receiving into a family or society as a member: (law) the assignment of an illegitimate child to its father, the assignment of anything to its origin. [L. affiliāre, to adopt—ad, to, filius, a son.] ”

“ Age, āj, n. the ordinary length of human life: the time during which a person or thing has lived or existed: mature years: legal maturity (at 21 years) , or time of life with regard to crime, contracts, marriage, &c.: a period of time: any great period of human history, as the Golden Age, the Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, or of individual history, as the age of infancy, the five—or seven—so-called ages of man: a generation of men: a century.—v.i. to grow old:—pr.p. ”

“ Day, dā, n. the time of light, from sunrise to sunset: the time from morning till night: twenty-four hours, the time the earth takes to make a revolution on her axis—this being the solar or natural day as distinguished from the sidereal day, between two transits of the same star: a man's period of existence or influence: a time or period.—ns. Day′-bed (Shak.) , a couch or sofa; Day′-blind′ness, a defect of vision, in which objects are best seen by a dim light; Day′-book, a book in which merchants, &c., enter the transactions of every day; Day′break; Day′-coal, the upper stratum of coal ”

“ Dog, dog, n. a domestic quadruped of the same genus as the wolf, and akin to the fox, varying in size from small terriers to huge Newfoundlands, mastiffs, and St Bernards: a mean scoundrel: a term of contempt: a fellow (as a jolly dog) : one of two constellations of stars: an andiron: an iron hook for holding logs of wood: a dogfish: a cock, as of a gun.—adj. male (opposed to bitch) , as in dog-fox, dog-ape.—v.t. to follow as a dog: to follow and watch constantly: to worry with importunity:—pr.p. dog′ging ”

“ Catalysis, ka-tal′i-sis, n. (chem.) the decomposition of a compound and the recomposition of its elements, by the presence of a substance which does not itself suffer change, as in fermentation.—adj. Catalyt′ic. [Gr. katalysis—kata, down, lyein, to loosen.]
Catamaran, kat′a-mar-an′, or kat-am′ar-an, n. a raft of three pieces of wood lashed together, the middle piece being longer than the others, and serving as a keel—on this the rower squats, and works a paddle—much used in the Madras surf: an old kind of fire-ship, long superseded; an ill-natured woman. ”

“ Church, church, n. a house set apart for Christian worship: the whole body of Christians: the clergy: any particular sect or denomination of Christians: any body professing a common creed, not necessarily Christian.—v.t. to perform with any one the giving of thanks in church, more esp. of a woman after childbirth, or of a newly-married couple on first appearing at church after marriage.—ns. Church′-ale, a strong ale brewed for a church festival: the festival at which the ale was drunk ”

“ Cashew, ka-shōō′, n. a spreading tree of no great height, in both the East and West Indies, the fruit of which is a kidney-shaped nut at the end of a pear-shaped fleshy stalk, the kernel of this nut and the fleshy stalk (called the Cashew′-app′le) being both used as food. ”

“ Default, de-fawlt′, n. a fault, failing, or failure: defect: neglect to do what duty or law requires: failure to account for money entrusted to one's charge: offence.—v.i. to fail through neglect of duty: to fail to appear in court when called upon.—n. Default′er, one who fails to appear in court, or to account for money entrusted to his care, or to settle a debt of honour.—Judgment by default, judgment given against a person because he fails to plead or make an appearance in court. ”

“ Admiral, ad′mir-al, n. the chief commander of a navy—the ancient English title of Lord High Admiral is now in abeyance, his functions falling to the five Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, and the High Court of Admiralty: a naval officer of the highest rank. In the British navy, admirals are distinguished into three classes—Ad′mirals, Vice′-ad′mirals, and Rear′-ad′mirals; the admiral carrying his colour at the main, the vice-admiral at the fore, and the rear-admiral at the mizzen mast-head. ”

“ Creep, krēp, v.i. to move on the belly, like a snake: to move slowly: to grow along the ground or on supports, as a vine: to fawn or cringe: to have the physical sensation of something creeping over or under the skin: to shudder at from fear or repugnance: to drag with a creeper, as a river-bottom:—pr.p. creep′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. crept.—ns. Creep′er, a creeping plant: a genus of small climbing birds; Creep′-hole, a hole into which to creep: a subterfuge; Creep′ie, a low stool, the old Scotch stool of repentance.—adv. ”

“ Batter, bat′er, v.t. to beat with successive blows: to wear with beating or by use: to attack with artillery.—n. ingredients beaten along with some liquid into a paste: paste for sticking.—ns. Bat′tering-charge, the full charge of powder for a cannon; Bat′tering-ram, an ancient engine for battering down walls, consisting of a large beam with an iron head like that of a ram. ”

“ Anableps, an′a-bleps, n. a genus of bony fishes with open air-bladders, and projecting eyes divided into an upper and lower portion, so that each eye has two pupils. [Gr. anablepsis, 'a looking up.']
Anabolism, an-ab′ol-izm, n. the constructive processes within the protoplasm, by which food or other material, at a relatively low level, passes through an ascending series of ever more complex and unstable combinations, till it is finally worked up into living matter. ”

“ Chime, chīm, n. the harmonious sound of bells or other musical instruments: agreement of sound or of relation: harmony: (pl.) a set of bells.—v.i. to sound in harmony: to jingle: to accord or agree: to rhyme.—v.t. to strike, or cause to sound in harmony: to say words over mechanically.—Chime in, to join in, in agreement; Chime in with, to agree, or fall in with. [M. E. chimbe, prob. O. Fr. cymbale—L. cymbalum, a cymbal.]
Chime, Chimb, chīm, n. the rim formed by the ends of the staves of a cask: (naut.) a hollowed or bevelled channel in the waterway of a ship's deck. ”