While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft.
Spotting and old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted,
"Are there any gators around here?!"
"Naw," the man hollered back, "they ain"t been around for years!"
Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore.
About halfway there he asked the guy,
"How"d you get rid of the gators?"
"We didn"t do nothin"," the beachcomber said. "The sharks got "em."
eye n. Gaze that is superstitiously believed to cause harm.
- —adj. - morally bad; wicked.
- harmful.
- disagreeable (evil temper). —n. - evil thing.
- wickedness. evilly adv. [old english]
EWER
n. Water-jug with a wide mouth. [latin aqua water]
EXAM
n. = *examination 3.
EXIT
poll n. Poll of people leaving a polling-station, asking how they voted.
- —n. - passage or door by which to leave a room etc.
- act or right of going out.
- place where vehicles can leave a motorway etc.
- actor's departure from the stage. —v. (-t-) 1 go out of a room etc.
- leave the stage (also as a direction: exit macbeth). [latin exeo exit- go out]
EXPO
n. (also expo) (pl. -s) large international exhibition. [abbreviation of *exposition 4]
EAGER
adj. Keen, enthusiastic (eager to learn; eager for news). eagerly adv. Eagerness n. [latin acer keen]
- beaver n. Colloq. Very diligent person.
EAGLE
eye n. Keen sight, watchfulness. eagle-eyed adj.
- n. - a large bird of prey with keen vision and powerful flight. B this as a symbol, esp. Of the us.
- score of two strokes under par at any hole in golf. [latin aquila]
EARLY
bird n. Colloq. Person who arrives, gets up, etc. Early.
- days n.pl. Too soon to expect results etc.
- on adv. At an early stage.
- —adj. & adv. (-ier, -iest) 1 before the due, usual, or expected time.
- a not far on in the day or night, or in time (early evening; at the earliest opportunity). B prompt (early payment appreciated).
- not far on in a period, development, or process of evolution; being the first stage (early english architecture; early spring).
- forward in flowering, ripening, etc. (early peaches). —n. (pl. -ies) (usu. In pl.) Early fruit or vegetable. earliness n. [old english: related to *ere]
EARTH
mother n. Sensual and maternal woman.
- sciences n.pl. Those concerned with the earth or part of it.
- —n. - a (also earth) the planet on which we live. B land and sea, as distinct from sky.
- a the ground (fell to earth). B soil, mould.
- relig. This world, as distinct from heaven or hell.
- connection to the earth as the completion of an electrical circuit.
- hole of a fox etc.
- (prec. By the) colloq. Huge sum; everything (cost the earth; want the earth). —v. - cover (plant-roots) with earth.
- connect (an electrical circuit) to the earth. come back (or down) to earth return to realities. Gone to earth in hiding. On earth colloq. Existing anywhere; emphatically (the happiest man on earth; looked like nothing on earth; what on earth have you done?). Run to earth find after a long search. earthward adj. & adv. Earthwards adv. [old english]
EASEL
n. Stand for an artist's work, a blackboard, etc. [dutch ezel ass]
