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drum |
10 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Swag \Swag\, n. [Australia] a A tramping bushman's luggage, rolled up either in canvas or in a blanket so as to form a long bundle, and carried on the back or over the shoulder; -- called also a {bluey}, or a {drum}. b Any bundle of luggage similarly rolled up hence luggage in general. He tramped for years till the swag he bore seemed part of himself. --Lawson. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Vase \Vase\ (v[=a]s or v[aum]z; 277), n. [F. vase; cf Sp & It vaso; fr L. vas, vasum. Cf {Vascular}, {Vessel}.] 1. A vessel adapted for various domestic purposes, and anciently for sacrificial uses; especially, a vessel of antique or elegant pattern used for ornament; as a porcelain vase; a gold vase; a Grecian vase. See Illust. of {Portland vase}, under {Portland}. No chargers then were wrought in burnished gold, Nor silver vases took the forming mold. --Pope. 2. (Arch.) a A vessel similar to that described in the first definition above, or the representation of one in a solid block of stone, or the like used for an ornament, as on a terrace or in a garden. See Illust. of {Niche}. b The body, or naked ground, of the Corinthian and Composite capital; -- called also {tambour}, and {drum}. Note: Until the time of Walker (1791), vase was made to rhyme with base,, case, etc., and it is still commonly so pronounced in the United States. Walker made it to rhyme with phrase, maze, etc Of modern English practice, Mr A. J. Ellis (1874) says: ``Vase has four pronunciations in English: v[add]z, which I most commonly say is going out of use v["a]z I hear most frequently, v[=a]z very rarely, and v[=a]s I only know from Cull's marking. On the analogy of case, however, it should be the regular sound.'' From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Drum \Drum\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Drummed}; p. pr & vb n. {Drumming}.] 1. To beat a drum with sticks; to beat or play a tune on a drum. 2. To beat with the fingers, as with drumsticks; to beat with a rapid succession of strokes; to make a noise like that of a beaten drum; as the ruffed grouse drums with his wings. Drumming with his fingers on the arm of his chair. --W. Irving. 3. To throb, as the heart. [R.] --Dryden. 4. To go about as a drummer does to gather recruits, to draw or secure partisans, customers, etc,; -- with for From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Drum \Drum\, n. [Cf. D. trom, trommel, LG trumme G. trommel, Dan. tromme, Sw trumma OHG. trumba a trumpet, Icel. pruma a clap of thunder, and as a verb to thunder, Dan. drum a booming sound, drumme to boom; prob. partly at least of imitative origin; perh. akin to E. trum, or trumpet.] 1. (Mus.) An instrument of percussion, consisting either of a hollow cylinder, over each end of which is stretched a piece of skin or vellum, to be beaten with a stick; or of a metallic hemisphere (kettledrum) with a single piece of skin to be so beaten; the common instrument for marking time in martial music; one of the pair of tympani in an orchestra, or cavalry band. The drums cry bud-a-dub. --Gascoigne. 2. Anything resembling a drum in form as: a A sheet iron radiator, often in the shape of a drum, for warming an apartment by means of heat received from a stovepipe, or a cylindrical receiver for steam, etc b A small cylindrical box in which figs, etc., are packed. c (Anat.) The tympanum of the ear; -- often but incorrectly, applied to the tympanic membrane. d (Arch.) One of the cylindrical, or nearly cylindrical, blocks, of which the shaft of a column is composed; also a vertical wall, whether circular or polygonal in plan carrying a cupola or dome. e (Mach.) A cylinder on a revolving shaft, generally for the purpose of driving several pulleys, by means of belts or straps passing around its periphery; also the barrel of a hoisting machine, on which the rope or chain is wound. 3. (Zo["o]l.) See {Drumfish}. 4. A noisy, tumultuous assembly of fashionable people at a private house; a rout. [Archaic] Not unaptly styled a drum, from the noise and emptiness of the entertainment. --Smollett. Note: There were also drum major, rout, tempest, and hurricane, differing only in degrees of multitude and uproar, as the significant name of each declares. 5. A tea party; a kettledrum. --G. Eliot. {Bass drum}. See in the Vocabulary. {Double drum}. See under {Double}. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Drum \Drum\, v. t. 1. To execute on a drum, as a tune. 2. (With out) To expel ignominiously, with beat of drum; as to drum out a deserter or rogue from a camp, etc 3. (With up) To assemble by or as by beat of drum; to collect; to gather or draw by solicitation; as to drum up recruits; to drum up customers. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Drumfish \Drum"fish`\, n. (Zo["o]l.) Any fish of the family {Sci[ae]nid[ae]}, which makes a loud noise by means of its air bladder; -- called also {drum}. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Croaker \Croak"er\ (-?r), n. 1. One who croaks, murmurs, grumbles, or complains unreasonably; one who habitually forebodes evil. 2. (Zo["o]l.) a A small American fish ({Micropogon undulatus}), of the Atlantic coast. a An American fresh-water fish ({Aplodinotus grunniens}); -- called also {drum}. c The surf fish of California. Note: When caught these fishes make a croaking sound; whence the name which is often corrupted into crocus. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: drum n 1: a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretch across each end [syn: {membranophone}, {tympan}] 2: the sound of a drum; "he could hear the drums before he heard the fifes" 3: a bulging cylindrical shape; hollow with flat ends [syn: {barrel}] 4: a cylindrical metal container used for shipping or storage of liquids [syn: {metal drum}] 5: a hollow cast-iron cylinder attached to the wheel that forms part of the brakes [syn: {brake drum}] 6: small to medium-sized bottom-dwelling food and game fishes of shallow coastal and fresh waters that make a drumming noise [syn: {drumfish}] v 1: make a rhythmic sound: "Rain drummed against the windshield"; "The drums beat all night" [syn: {beat}, {thrum}] 2: play the drums 3: study intensively, as before an exam; "I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam" [syn: {cram}, {grind away}, {bone up}, {swot}, {get up}, {mug up}, {swot up}, {bone}] From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]: drum adj n. Ancient techspeak term referring to slow, cylindrical magnetic media that were once state-of-the-art storage devices. Under BSD Unix the disk partition used for swapping is still called `/dev/drum'; this has led to considerable humor and not a few straight-faced but utterly bogus `explanations' getting foisted on {newbie}s. See also "{The Story of Mel}" in Appendix A. From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]: drum Ancient slow, cylindrical magnetic media that were once state-of-the-art storage devices. Under {BSD} {Unix} the disk partition used for swapping is still called "/dev/drum"; this has led to considerable humour and not a few straight-faced but utterly bogus explanations" getting foisted on {newbie}s. See also "{The Story of Mel}". (1994-12-22)
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