Whiskey - White

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Whiskey (?), n. Same as , a liquor.
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{ Whiskey, Whisky, } n.; pl. Whiskeys (#) or Whiskies. [See , v. t. & n.] A light carriage built for rapid motion; -- called also tim-whiskey.
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{ Whiskey Ring, or Whisky Ring }. (U. S. Hist.) A conspiracy of distillers and government officials during the administration of President Grant to defraud the government of the excise taxes. The frauds were detected in 1875 through the efforts of the Secretary of the Treasury B. H. Bristow, and most of the offenders were convicted.
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Whiskin (?), n. A shallow drinking bowl. [Prov. Eng.] Ray.
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Whisking, a.
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1. Sweeping along lightly.
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2. Large; great. [Prov. Eng.]
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{ Whisky, Whiskey } (?), n. [Ir. or Gael. uisge water (perhaps akin to E. wash, water) in uisgebeatha whiskey, properly, water of life. Cf. .] An intoxicating liquor distilled from grain, potatoes, etc., especially in Scotland, Ireland, and the United States. In the United States, whisky is generally distilled from maize, rye, or wheat, but in Scotland and Ireland it is often made from malted barley.
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Coloq. Bourbon whisky , corn whisky made in Bourbon County, Kentucky. -- Coloq. Crooked whisky . See under . -- Coloq. Whisky Jack (Zoöl.), the Canada jay (Perisoreus Canadensis). It is noted for its fearless and familiar habits when it frequents the camps of lumbermen in the winter season. Its color is dull grayish blue, lighter beneath. Called also moose bird.
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{ Whiskyfied, Whiskeyfied } (?), a. [Whisky + -fy.] Drunk with whisky; intoxicated. [Humorous] Thackeray.
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Whisp (?), n. See .
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Whisp, n. (Zoöl.) A flock of snipe.
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Whisper (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whispered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whispering.] [AS. hwisprian; akin to G. wispern, wispeln, OHG. hwispal�n, Icel. hvīskra, Sw. hviska, Dan. hviske; of imitative origin. Cf. .]
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1. To speak softly, or under the breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration in the larynx which gives sonorous, or vocal, sound. See , n.
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2. To make a low, sibilant sound or noise.
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The hollow, whispering breeze. Thomson.
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3. To speak with suspicion, or timorous caution; to converse in whispers, as in secret plotting.
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All that hate me whisper together against me. Ps. xli. 7.
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Whisper, v. t.
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1. To utter in a low and nonvocal tone; to say under the breath; hence, to mention privately and confidentially, or in a whisper.
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They might buzz and whisper it one to another. Bentley.
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2. To address in a whisper, or low voice. [Archaic]
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And whisper one another in the ear. Shak.
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Where gentlest breezes whisper souls distressed. Keble.
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3. To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately. [Obs.] “He came to whisper Wolsey.” Shak.
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Whisper, n.
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1. A low, soft, sibilant voice or utterance, which can be heard only by those near at hand; voice or utterance that employs only breath sound without tone, friction against the edges of the vocal cords and arytenoid cartilages taking the place of the vibration of the cords that produces tone; sometimes, in a limited sense, the sound produced by such friction as distinguished from breath sound made by friction against parts of the mouth. See , n., 2, and Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 153, 154.
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The inward voice or whisper can not give a tone. Bacon.
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Soft whispers through the assembly went. Dryden.
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2. A cautious or timorous speech. South.
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3. Something communicated in secret or by whispering; a suggestion or insinuation.
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4. A low, sibilant sound. “The whispers of the leaves.” Tennyson.
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Whisperer (?), n.
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1. One who whispers.
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2. A tattler; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly; hence; a backbiter; one who slanders secretly. Prov. xvi. 28.
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Whispering, a. & n. from . v. t.
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Coloq. Whispering gallery , or Coloq. Whispering dome , one of such a form that sounds produced in certain parts of it are concentrated by reflection from the walls to another part, so that whispers or feeble sounds are audible at a much greater distance than under ordinary circumstances. The dome of the U. S. capitol building is one example.
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Whisperingly, adv. In a whisper, or low voice; in a whispering manner; with whispers. Tennyson.
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Whisperously (?), adv. Whisperingly. [R.]
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Whist (?), interj. [Cf. G. st! pst! bst! ���. Cf. .] Be silent; be still; hush; silence.
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Whist, n. [From , interj.] A certain game at cards; -- so called because it requires silence and close attention. It is played by four persons (those who sit opposite each other being partners) with a complete pack of fifty-two cards. Each player has thirteen cards, and when these are played out, the hand is finished, and the cards are again shuffled and distributed.
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☞ Points are scored for the tricks taken in excess of six, and for the honors held. In long whist, now seldom played, ten points make the game; in short whist, now usually played in England, five points make the game. In American whist, so-called, honors are not counted, and seven points by tricks make the game.
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-- Coloq. Bridge whist . See , n., above. -- Coloq. Duplicate whist , a form of whist in playing which the hands are preserved as dealt and played again by other players, as when each side holds in the second round the cards played by the opposing side in the first round. -- Coloq. Solo whist . See , above.
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Whist, v. t. [From , interj.] To hush or silence. [Obs.] Spenser.
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Whist, v. i. To be or become silent or still; to be hushed or mute. [R.] Surrey.
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Whist, a. [Properly p. p. of whist, v.] Not speaking; not making a noise; silent; mute; still; quiet. “So whist and dead a silence.” Sir J. Harrington.
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The winds, with wonder whist,
Smoothly the waters kissed. Milton.
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☞ This adjective generally follows its noun, or is used predicatively.
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Whistle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whistled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whistling (?).] [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan. hvisle, Icel. hvīsla to whisper, and E. whisper. √43. See .]
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1. To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.
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The weary plowman leaves the task of day,
And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way. Gay.
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2. To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument, somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp, shrill tone.
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3. To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air.
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The wild winds whistle, and the billows roar. Pope.
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Whistle, v. t.
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1. To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a tune or an air.
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2. To send, signal, or call by a whistle.
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He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he had whistled him up. Addison.
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Coloq. To whistle off . (a) To dismiss by a whistle; -- a term in hawking. “AS a long-winged hawk when he is first whistled off the fist, mounts aloft.” Burton. (b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; to dismiss.
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I 'ld whistle her off, and let her down the wind
To prey at fortune. Shak.
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☞ “A hawk seems to have been usually sent off in this way, against the wind when sent in search of prey; with or down the wind, when turned loose, and abandoned.” Nares.
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Whistle, n. [AS. hwistle a pipe, flute, whistle. See , v. i.]
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1. A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or through or instrument which gives a similar sound; the sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle.
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Might we but hear
The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes, . . .
Or whistle from the lodge. Milton.
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The countryman could not forbear smiling, . . . and by that means lost his whistle. Spectator.
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They fear his whistle, and forsake the seas. Dryden.
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2. The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like, passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of a metallic bell or cup.
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3. An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity, or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips; as, a child's whistle; a boatswain's whistle; a steam whistle (see Steam whistle, under ).
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The bells she jingled, and the whistle blew. Pope.
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4. The mouth and throat; -- so called as being the organs of whistling. [Colloq.]
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So was her jolly whistle well ywet. Chaucer.
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Let's drink the other cup to wet our whistles. Walton.
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Coloq. Whistle duck (Zoöl.), the American golden-eye.
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Whistlefish (?), n. (Zoöl.) A gossat, or rockling; -- called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.
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Whistler (?), n. [AS. hwistlere.]
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1. One who, or that which, whistles, or produces or a whistling sound.
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2. (Zoöl.) (a) The ring ousel. (b) The widgeon. [Prov. Eng.] (c) The golden-eye. (d) The golden plover and the gray plover.
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3. (Zoöl.) The hoary, or northern, marmot (Arctomys pruinosus).
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4. (Zoöl.) The whistlefish.
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Whistlewing (?), n. (Zoöl.) The American golden-eye.
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Whistlewood (?), n. (Bot.) The moosewood, or striped maple. See .
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Whistling (?), a. & n. from , v.
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Coloq. Whistling buoy . (Naut.) See under . -- Coloq. Whistling coot (Zoöl.), the American black scoter. -- Coloq. Whistling Dick . (Zoöl.) (a) An Australian shrike thrush (Colluricincla Selbii). (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.] -- Coloq. Whistling duck . (Zoöl.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck. -- Coloq. Whistling eagle (Zoöl.), a small Australian eagle (Haliastur sphenurus); -- called also whistling hawk, and little swamp eagle. -- Coloq. Whistling plover . (Zoöl.) (a) The golden plover. (b) The black-bellied, or gray, plover. -- Coloq. Whistling snipe (Zoöl.), the American woodcock. -- Coloq. Whistling swan . (Zoöl.) (a) The European whooper swan; -- called also wild swan, and elk. (b) An American swan (Olor columbianus). See under . -- Coloq. Whistling teal (Zoöl.), a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India. -- Coloq. Whistling thrush . (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus Myiophonus, native of Asia, Australia, and the East Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note is a loud and clear whistle. (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]
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Whistlingly, adv. In a whistling manner; shrilly.
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Whistly (?), adv. In a whist manner; silently. [Obs.]
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Whit (?), n. [OE. wight, wiht, AS. wiht a creature, a thing. See , and cf. , .] The smallest part or particle imaginable; a bit; a jot; an iota; -- generally used in an adverbial phrase in a negative sentence. “Samuel told him every whit.” 1 Sam. iii. 18. “Every whit as great.” South.
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So shall I no whit be behind in duty. Shak.
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It does not me a whit displease. Cowley.
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White (hwīt), a. [Compar. Whiter (hwītẽr); superl. Whitest.] [OE. whit, AS. hwīt; akin to OFries. and OS. hwīt, D. wit, G. weiss, OHG. wīz, hwīz, Icel. hvītr, Sw. hvit, Dan. hvid, Goth. hweits, Lith. szveisti, to make bright, Russ. sviet' light, Skr. çvēta white, çvit to be bright. √42. Cf. , .]
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1. Reflecting to the eye all the rays of the spectrum combined; not tinted with any of the proper colors or their mixtures; having the color of pure snow; snowy; -- the opposite of black or dark; as, white paper; a white skin. “Pearls white.” Chaucer.
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White as the whitest lily on a stream. Longfellow.
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2. Destitute of color, as in the cheeks, or of the tinge of blood color; pale; pallid; as, white with fear.
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Or whispering with white lips, “The foe!
They come! they come!” Byron.
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3. Having the color of purity; free from spot or blemish, or from guilt or pollution; innocent; pure.
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White as thy fame, and as thy honor clear. Dryden.
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No whiter page than Addison's remains. Pope.
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4. Gray, as from age; having silvery hair; hoary.
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Your high engendered battles 'gainst a head
So old and white as this. Shak.
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5. Characterized by freedom from that which disturbs, and the like; fortunate; happy; favorable.
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On the whole, however, the dominie reckoned this as one of the white days of his life. Sir W. Scott.
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6. Regarded with especial favor; favorite; darling.
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Come forth, my white spouse. Chaucer.
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I am his white boy, and will not be gullet. Ford.
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☞ White is used in many self-explaining compounds, as white-backed, white-bearded, white-footed.
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Coloq. White alder . (Bot.) See Sweet pepper bush, under . -- Coloq. White ant (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of social pseudoneuropterous insects of the genus Termes. These insects are very abundant in tropical countries, and form large and complex communities consisting of numerous asexual workers of one or more kinds, of large-headed asexual individuals called soldiers, of one or more queens (or fertile females) often having the body enormously distended by the eggs, and, at certain seasons of numerous winged males, together with the larvæ and pupæ of each kind in various stages of development. Many of the species construct large and complicated nests, sometimes in the form of domelike structures rising several feet above the ground and connected with extensive subterranean galleries and chambers. In their social habits they closely resemble the true ants. They feed upon animal and vegetable substances of various kinds, including timber, and are often very destructive to buildings and furniture. -- Coloq. White arsenic (Chem.), arsenious oxide, As2O3, a substance of a white color, and vitreous adamantine luster, having an astringent, sweetish taste. It is a deadly poison. -- Coloq. White bass (Zoöl.), a fresh-water North American bass (Roccus chrysops) found in the Great Likes. -- Coloq. White bear (Zoöl.), the polar bear. See under . -- Coloq. White blood cell . (Physiol.) See . -- Coloq. White brand (Zoöl.), the snow goose. -- Coloq. White brass , a white alloy of copper; white copper. -- Coloq. White campion . (Bot.) (a) A kind of catchfly (Silene stellata) with white flowers. (b) A white-flowered Lychnis (Lychnis vespertina). -- Coloq. White canon (R. C. Ch.), a Premonstratensian. -- Coloq. White caps , the members of a secret organization in various of the United States, who attempt to drive away or reform obnoxious persons by lynch-law methods. They appear masked in white. Their actions resembled those of the Ku Klux Klan in some ways but they were not formally affiliated with the Klan, and their victims were often not black. -- Coloq. White cedar (Bot.), an evergreen tree of North America (Thuja occidentalis), also the related Cupressus thyoides, or Chamæcyparis sphæroidea, a slender evergreen conifer which grows in the so-called cedar swamps of the Northern and Atlantic States. Both are much valued for their durable timber. In California the name is given to the Libocedrus decurrens, the timber of which is also useful, though often subject to dry rot. Goodale. The white cedar of Demerara, Guiana, etc., is a lofty tree (Icica altissima syn. Bursera altissima) whose fragrant wood is used for canoes and cabinetwork, as it is not attacked by insect. -- Coloq. White cell . (Physiol.) See . -- Coloq. White cell-blood (Med.), leucocythæmia. -- Coloq. White clover (Bot.), a species of small perennial clover bearing white flowers. It furnishes excellent food for cattle and horses, as well as for the honeybee. See also under . -- Coloq. White copper , a whitish alloy of copper. See German silver, under . -- Coloq. White copperas (Min.), a native hydrous sulphate of iron; coquimbite. -- Coloq. White coral (Zoöl.), an ornamental branched coral (Amphihelia oculata) native of the Mediterranean. -- Coloq. White corpuscle . (Physiol.) See . -- Coloq. White cricket (Zoöl.), the tree cricket. -- Coloq. White crop , a crop of grain which loses its green color, or becomes white, in ripening, as wheat, rye, barley, and oats, as distinguished from a green crop, or a root crop. -- Coloq. White currant (Bot.), a variety of the common red currant, having white berries. -- Coloq. White daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy. See under . -- Coloq. White damp , a kind of poisonous gas encountered in coal mines. Raymond. -- Coloq. White elephant (Zoöl.), (a) a whitish, or albino, variety of the Asiatic elephant. (b) see in the vocabulary. -- Coloq. White elm (Bot.), a majestic tree of North America (Ulmus Americana), the timber of which is much used for hubs of wheels, and for other purposes. -- Coloq. White ensign . See Saint George's ensign, under . -- Coloq. White feather , a mark or symbol of cowardice. See To show the white feather, under , n. -- Coloq. White fir (Bot.), a name given to several coniferous trees of the Pacific States, as Abies grandis, and Abies concolor. -- Coloq. White flesher (Zoöl.), the ruffed grouse. See under . [Canada] -- Coloq. White frost . See . -- Coloq. White game (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. -- Coloq. White garnet (Min.), leucite. -- Coloq. White grass (Bot.), an American grass (Leersia Virginica) with greenish-white paleæ. -- Coloq. White grouse . (Zoöl.) (a) The white ptarmigan. (b) The prairie chicken. [Local, U. S.] -- Coloq. White grub (Zoöl.), the larva of the June bug and other allied species. These grubs eat the roots of grasses and other plants, and often do much damage. -- Coloq. White hake (Zoöl.), the squirrel hake. See under . -- Coloq. White hawk , or Coloq. White kite (Zoöl.), the hen harrier. -- Coloq. White heat , the temperature at which bodies become incandescent, and appear white from the bright light which they emit. -- Coloq. White hellebore (Bot.), a plant of the genus Veratrum (Veratrum album) See , 2. -- Coloq. White herring , a fresh, or unsmoked, herring, as distinguished from a red, or cured, herring. [R.] Shak. -- Coloq. White hoolet (Zoöl.), the barn owl. [Prov. Eng.] -- Coloq. White horses (Naut.), white-topped waves; whitecaps. -- Coloq. The White House . See under . -- Coloq. White ibis (Zoöl.), an American ibis (Guara alba) having the plumage pure white, except the tips of the wings, which are black. It inhabits tropical America and the Southern United States. Called also Spanish curlew. -- Coloq. White iron . (a) Thin sheets of iron coated with tin; tinned iron. (b) A hard, silvery-white cast iron containing a large proportion of combined carbon. -- Coloq. White iron pyrites (Min.), marcasite. -- Coloq. White land , a tough clayey soil, of a whitish hue when dry, but blackish after rain. [Eng.] -- Coloq. White lark (Zoöl.), the snow bunting. -- Coloq. White lead . (a) A carbonate of lead much used in painting, and for other purposes; ceruse. (b) (Min.) Native lead carbonate; cerusite. -- Coloq. White leather , buff leather; leather tanned with alum and salt. -- Coloq. White leg (Med.), milk leg. See under . -- Coloq. White lettuce (Bot.), rattlesnake root. See under . -- Coloq. White lie . See under . -- Coloq. White light . (a) (Physics) Light having the different colors in the same proportion as in the light coming directly from the sun, without having been decomposed, as by passing through a prism. See the Note under , n., 1. (b) A kind of firework which gives a brilliant white illumination for signals, etc. -- Coloq. White lime , a solution or preparation of lime for whitewashing; whitewash. -- Coloq. White line (Print.), a void space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a blank line. -- Coloq. White meat . (a) Any light-colored flesh, especially of poultry. (b) Food made from milk or eggs, as butter, cheese, etc.
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Driving their cattle continually with them, and feeding only upon their milk and white meats. Spenser.
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-- Coloq. White merganser (Zoöl.), the smew. -- Coloq. White metal . (a) Any one of several white alloys, as pewter, britannia, etc. (b) (Metal.) A fine grade of copper sulphide obtained at a certain stage in copper smelting. -- Coloq. White miller . (Zoöl.) (a) The common clothes moth. (b) A common American bombycid moth (Spilosoma Virginica) which is pure white with a few small black spots; -- called also ermine moth, and virgin moth. See Woolly bear, under . -- Coloq. White money , silver money. -- Coloq. White mouse (Zoöl.), the albino variety of the common mouse. -- Coloq. White mullet (Zoöl.), a silvery mullet (Mugil curema) ranging from the coast of the United States to Brazil; -- called also blue-back mullet, and liza. -- Coloq. White nun (Zoöl.), the smew; -- so called from the white crest and the band of black feathers on the back of its head, which give the appearance of a hood. -- Coloq. White oak . (Bot.) See under . -- Coloq. White owl . (Zoöl.) (a) The snowy owl. (b) The barn owl. -- Coloq. White partridge (Zoöl.), the white ptarmigan. -- Coloq. White perch . (Zoöl.) (a) A North American fresh-water bass (Morone Americana) valued as a food fish. (b) The croaker, or fresh-water drum. (c) Any California surf fish. -- Coloq. White pine . (Bot.) See the Note under . -- Coloq. White poplar (Bot.), a European tree (Populus alba) often cultivated as a shade tree in America; abele. -- Coloq. White poppy (Bot.), the opium-yielding poppy. See . -- Coloq. White powder , a kind of gunpowder formerly believed to exist, and to have the power of exploding without noise. [Obs.]
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A pistol charged with white powder. Beau. & Fl.
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-- Coloq. White precipitate . (Old Chem.) See under . -- Coloq. White rabbit . (Zoöl.) (a) The American northern hare in its winter pelage. (b) An albino rabbit. -- Coloq. White rent , (a) (Eng. Law) Formerly, rent payable in silver; -- opposed to black rent. See , n., 3. (b) A rent, or duty, of eight pence, payable yearly by every tinner in Devon and Cornwall to the Duke of Cornwall, as lord of the soil. [Prov. Eng.] -- Coloq. White rhinoceros . (Zoöl.) (a) The one-horned, or Indian, rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Indicus). See . (b) The umhofo. -- Coloq. White ribbon , the distinctive badge of certain organizations for the promotion of temperance or of moral purity; as, the White-ribbon Army. -- Coloq. White rope (Naut.), untarred hemp rope. -- Coloq. White rot . (Bot.) (a) Either of several plants, as marsh pennywort and butterwort, which were thought to produce the disease called rot in sheep. (b) A disease of grapes. See White rot, under . -- Coloq. White sage (Bot.), a white, woolly undershrub (Eurotia lanata) of Western North America; -- called also winter fat. -- Coloq. White salmon (Zoöl.), the silver salmon. -- Coloq. White salt , salt dried and calcined; decrepitated salt. -- Coloq. White scale (Zoöl.), a scale insect (Aspidiotus Nerii) injurious to the orange tree. See Orange scale, under . -- Coloq. White shark (Zoöl.), a species of man-eating shark. See under . -- Coloq. White softening . (Med.) See Softening of the brain, under . -- Coloq. White spruce . (Bot.) See , n., 1. -- Coloq. White squall (Naut.), a sudden gust of wind, or furious blow, which comes up without being marked in its approach otherwise than by whitecaps, or white, broken water, on the surface of the sea. -- Coloq. White staff , the badge of the lord high treasurer of England. Macaulay. -- Coloq. White stork (Zoöl.), the common European stork. -- Coloq. White sturgeon . (Zoöl.) See (d). -- Coloq. White sucker . (Zoöl.) (a) The common sucker. (b) The common red horse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum). -- Coloq. White swelling (Med.), a chronic swelling of the knee, produced by a strumous inflammation of the synovial membranes of the kneejoint and of the cancellar texture of the end of the bone forming the kneejoint; -- applied also to a lingering chronic swelling of almost any kind. -- Coloq. White tombac . See . -- Coloq. White trout (Zoöl.), the white weakfish, or silver squeteague (Cynoscion nothus), of the Southern United States. -- Coloq. White vitriol (Chem.), hydrous sulphate of zinc. See White vitriol, under . -- Coloq. White wagtail (Zoöl.), the common, or pied, wagtail. -- Coloq. White wax , beeswax rendered white by bleaching. -- Coloq. White whale (Zoöl.), the beluga. -- Coloq. White widgeon (Zoöl.), the smew. -- Coloq. White wine . any wine of a clear, transparent color, bordering on white, as Madeira, sherry, Lisbon, etc.; -- distinguished from wines of a deep red color, as port and Burgundy. “White wine of Lepe.” Chaucer. -- Coloq. White witch , a witch or wizard whose supernatural powers are supposed to be exercised for good and beneficent purposes. Addison. Cotton Mather. -- Coloq. White wolf . (Zoöl.) (a) A light-colored wolf (Canis laniger) native of Thibet; -- called also chanco, golden wolf, and Thibetan wolf. (b) The albino variety of the gray wolf. -- Coloq. White wren (Zoöl.), the willow warbler; -- so called from the color of the under parts.
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