A college student was delivering pizza to a regular customer"s house in New York.
The guy who answered the door asked him, "What is the usual tip?"
"Well," replied the youth,"this is my first trip here, but the other guys say if I get a quarter out of you, I"ll be doing great."
"Is that so?" snorted the man. "Well, just to show them how wrong they are, here"s five dollars."
"Thanks!" replied the youth, "I"ll put this in my school fund."
"What are you studying?" asked the man.
The lad smiled and said: "Applied psychology."
- done without delay; prompt. speedily adv. Speediness n.
SPHERE
n. - solid figure with every point on its surface equidistant from its centre; its surface.
- ball, globe.
- a field of action, influence, etc. B social class.
- hist. Each of the revolving shells in which celestial bodies were thought to be set. [greek sphaira ball]
SPHINX
n. - (sphinx) (in greek mythology) winged monster with a woman's head and a lion's body, whose riddle oedipus guessed.
- antiq. A ancient egyptian stone figure with a lion's body and a human or animal head.
SPIDER
crab n. Crab with long thin legs.
- monkey n. Monkey with long limbs and a prehensile tail.
- n. Eight-legged arthropod of which many species spin webs esp. To capture insects as food. [old english: related to *spin]
- plant n. House plant with long narrow striped leaves.
SPIGOT
n. - small peg or plug, esp. In a cask.
- device for controlling the flow of liquid in a tap. [related to *spike2]
SPINAL
adj. Of the spine. [latin: related to *spine]
- column n. Spine.
- cord n. Cylindrical nervous structure within the spine.
SPINET
n. Hist. Small harpsichord with oblique strings. [italian spinetta]
SPIRAL
staircase n. Circular staircase round a central axis.
- —adj. - coiled in a plane or as round a cylinder or cone.
- having this shape. —n. - spiral curve or thing (spiral of smoke).
- progressive rise or fall of two or more quantities alternately because each depends on the other(s). —v. (-ll-; us -l-) 1 move in a spiral course.
- (of prices, wages, etc.) Rise or fall continuously. spirally adv. [greek speira coil]
SPIREA
n. (brit. Spiraea) shrub with clusters of small white or pink flowers. [greek: related to *spiral]
SPIRIT
gum n. Quick-drying gum for attaching false hair.
- —n. - person's essence or intelligence; soul.
- a rational or intelligent being without a material body. B ghost.
- a person's character (an unbending spirit). B attitude (took it in the wrong spirit). C type of person (is a free spirit; a kindred spirit). D prevailing tendency (spirit of the age).
- a (usu. In pl.) Strong distilled liquor, e.g. Whisky or gin. B distilled volatile liquid (wood spirit). C purified alcohol (methylated spirit).
- a courage, vivacity. B (in pl.) State of mind, mood (in high spirits; his spirits were dashed).
- essential as opposed to formal meaning (the spirit of the law). —v. (-t-) (usu. Foll. By away, off, etc.) Convey rapidly or mysteriously. in spirit inwardly. [latin spiritus: related to *spirant]
