- thing sought, esp. By a medieval knight. —v. (often foll. By about) go about in search of something (esp. Of dogs seeking game). [latin quaero quaesit- seek]
QUEUE
—n. Line or sequence of persons, vehicles, etc. Waiting their turn. —v. (queues, queued, queuing or queueing) (often foll. By up) form or join a queue. [latin cauda tail]
QUICK
one n. Colloq. Drink (usu. Alcoholic) taken quickly.
- —adj. - taking only a short time (quick worker).
- arriving after a short time, prompt.
- with only a short interval (in quick succession).
- lively, intelligent, alert.
- (of a temper) easily roused.
- archaic alive (the quick and the dead). —adv. (also as int.) Quickly. —n. - soft sensitive flesh, esp. Below the nails.
- seat of emotion (cut to the quick). quickly adv. [old english]
QUIET
—adj. - with little or no sound or motion.
- of gentle or peaceful disposition.
- unobtrusive; not showy.
- not overt; disguised.
- undisturbed, uninterrupted; free or far from vigorous action.
- informal (quiet wedding).
- enjoyed in quiet (quiet smoke).
- not anxious or remorseful.
- not busy (it is very quiet at work). 10 peaceful (all quiet on the frontier). —n. - silence; stillness.
- undisturbed state; tranquillity. —v. (often foll. By down) make or become quiet or calm. be quiet (esp. In imper.) Cease talking etc.
QUIFF
n. 1 man's tuft of hair, brushed upward over the forehead.
- curl plastered down on the forehead. [origin unknown]
QUILL
n. - (in full quill-feather) large feather in a wing or tail.
- hollow stem of this.
- (in full quill pen) pen made of a quill.
- (usu. In pl.) Porcupine's spine. [probably low german quiele]
QUILT
—n. Coverlet, esp. Of quilted material. —v. Line a coverlet or garment with padding enclosed between layers of cloth by lines of stitching. quilter n. Quilting n. [latin culcita cushion]
QUIRE
n. 25 (formerly 24) sheets of paper. [latin: related to *quaternary]
QUIRK
n. - peculiar feature, peculiarity.
- trick of fate. quirky adj. (-ier, -iest). [origin unknown]
QUITE
adv. - completely, entirely, wholly.
- to some extent, rather.
- (often foll. By so) said to indicate agreement. quite a (or some) remarkable or outstanding (thing). Quite a few colloq. A fairly large number of. Quite something colloq. Remarkable thing or person. [var. Of *quit]
Snails produce a colorless, sticky discharge that forms a protective carpet under them as they travel along. The discharge is so effective that they can crawl along the edge of a razor without cutting themselves.
