Upon entering the little country store, the stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door.
Inside he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.
He asked the store manager, "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?"
"Yep, that"s him," he replied.
The stranger couldn"t help but be amused.
"That certainly doesn"t look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"
"Because," the owner replied, "before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."
ammoniac n. Ammonium chloride, a white crystalline salt. [latin sal salt, ammoniacus of jupiter ammon]
- volatile n. Solution of ammonium carbonate used as smelling-salts. [latin, = volatile salt]
SAM
abbr. Surface-to-air missile.
SAP
—n. - vital juice circulating in plants.
- vigour, vitality.
- slang foolish person. —v. (-pp-) 1 drain or dry (wood) of sap.
- weaken. [old english]
- —n. Tunnel or trench dug to get nearer to the enemy. —v. (-pp-) 1 dig saps.
- undermine. [french sappe or italian zappa spade]
SAS
abbr. Special air service.
SAT
Abbr. Saturday.
- abbr. Standard assessment task.
- past and past part. Of *sit.
SAW
—n. - hand tool with a toothed blade used to cut esp. Wood with a to-and-fro movement.
- power tool with a toothed rotating disk or moving band, for cutting. —v. (past part. Sawn or sawed) 1 cut (wood etc.) Or make (boards etc.) With a saw.
- use a saw.
- a move with a sawing motion (sawing away on his violin). B divide (the air etc.) With gesticulations. [old english]
- past of *see1.
- n. Proverb; maxim. [old english: related to *say]
SAX
n. Colloq. Saxophone. [abbreviation]
SAY
—v. (3rd sing. Present says; past and past part. Said) 1 (often foll. By that) a utter (specified words); remark. B express (say what you feel).
- (often foll. By that) a state; promise or prophesy. B have specified wording; indicate (clock says ten to six).
- (in passive; usu. Foll. By to + infin.) Be asserted (is said to be old).
- (foll. By to + infin.) Colloq. Tell to do (he said to hurry).
- convey (information) (spoke, but said little).
- offer as an argument or excuse (much to be said in favour of it).
- (often absol.) Give an opinion or decision as to (hard to say).
- take as an example or as near enough (paid, say, £20).
- recite or repeat (prayers, mass, tables, a lesson, etc.). 10 convey (inner meaning etc.) (what is the poem saying?). 11 (the said) law or joc. The previously mentioned. —n. - opportunity to express a view (let him have his say).
- share in a decision (had no say in it). i'll say colloq. Yes indeed. I say! Exclamation of surprise etc. Or drawing attention. That is to say in other words, more explicitly. [old english]
