cast

cast
   1. to give birth prematurely
   Standard English of quadrupeds, from the meaning to cause to fall:
    Just a pair still-born at the hinner een' Puir dwarfed last anes, Wee, deid, cast anes. (Lumsden, 1892, writing about lambs: hinner een' means latter end)
   Whence two obsolete punning phrases of bipeds, both meaning 'to give birth while unmarried'. To cast a girth used equestrian imagery, and to cast a laggin (or leglin) girth came from the spilling of the staves of a tub when the hoop round them is displaced:
    ... slipping a foot, casting a leglin-girth or the like. (W. Scott, 1822)
   2. obsolete
   to use magical powers of divination
   If you were cast for death, you had not been selected to play Julius Caesar but were terminally ill:
    He's cassen her planets, and he's sure she'll dee. (E. Peacock, 1870)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cast — (k[.a]st), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cast}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Casting}.] [Cf. Dan. kaste, Icel. & Sw. kasta; perh. akin to L. {gerere} to bear, carry. E. jest.] 1. To send or drive by force; to throw; to fling; to hurl; to impel. [1913 Webster] Uzziah… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cast — (k[.a]st), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cast}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Casting}.] [Cf. Dan. kaste, Icel. & Sw. kasta; perh. akin to L. {gerere} to bear, carry. E. jest.] 1. To send or drive by force; to throw; to fling; to hurl; to impel. [1913 Webster] Uzziah… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cast — Cast, n. [Cf. Icel., Dan., & Sw. kast.] 1. The act of casting or throwing; a throw. [1913 Webster] 2. The thing thrown. [1913 Webster] A cast of dreadful dust. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 3. The distance to which a thing is or can be thrown. About a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cast — [kast, käst] vt. cast, casting [ME casten < ON kasta, to throw] 1. a) to put, deposit, or throw with force or violence; fling; hurl b) to give vent to as if by throwing [to cast aspersions] 2. to deposit (a ballot); register (a vote) …   English World dictionary

  • cast — ► VERB (past and past part. cast) 1) throw forcefully or so as to spread over an area. 2) cause (light or shadow) to appear on a surface. 3) direct (one s eyes or thoughts) towards something. 4) express: journalists cast doubt on this account. 5) …   English terms dictionary

  • Cast — ist der Name einer Gemeinde in Frankreich, siehe Cast (Finistère) einer ehemaligen englischen Band, siehe Cast (Band) Cast steht weiterhin für Cast (Medizin), einen immobilisierenden Stützverband als Alternative zum Gipsverband das… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • cast — [kɑːst ǁ kæst] verb cast PTandPP [transitive] cast a vote also cast a ballot to vote for someone or vote in an election: • Justice Kennedy cast the deciding vote in the 5 4 ruling. * * * cast UK US /kɑːst/ verb [T] ( …   Financial and business terms

  • CAST — als Abkürzung steht für: CAST (Algorithmus), ein symmetrisches Verschlüsselungsverfahren Cluster Affinity Search Technique CAST (Unternehmen), das im Diamantengeschäft tätige Unternehmen Consolidated African Selection Trust Ltd. CAST Experiment,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • čast — čȃst ž <I i/čȃšću> DEFINICIJA 1. dostojanstvo koje se zasniva na etičkim načelima, moralni stav koji potiče da se djeluje tako da se stekne poštovanje drugih i sačuva samopoštovanje 2. opće priznanje; počast, uvažavanje 3. moralni dobitak… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Cast — (k[.a]st), v. i. 1. To throw, as a line in angling, esp, with a fly hook. [1913 Webster] 2. (Naut.) To turn the head of a vessel around from the wind in getting under weigh. [1913 Webster] Weigh anchor, cast to starboard. Totten. [1913 Webster] 3 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cast — noun, caste 1. The noun cast is derived from the verb and has a number of special meanings, including the actors of a play or film, an object made in metal, and its use as in a person of a moral cast, plus a host of curious technical meanings… …   Modern English usage

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”