Night. A sleeping couple is lying in a bed. Door bell rings. A couple wakes up. Woman: "Quick! My husband is back!" Man jumps out from a window. Flying down he starts to think: "Shit! But I am the husband!"
- ring n. Ring in a cross-section of a tree, from one year's growth.
- surgeon n. Person who treats decayed trees in order to preserve them.
- —n. - perennial plant with a woody self-supporting main stem or trunk and usu. Unbranched for some distance above the ground.
- piece or frame of wood etc. For various purposes (shoe-tree).
- = *family tree. —v. (trees; treed) force to take refuge in a tree.
TREK
orig. S.afr. —v. (-kk-) 1 travel or make one's way arduously.
- esp. Hist. Migrate or journey with one's belongings by ox-wagon. —n. - a long or arduous journey or walk (quite a trek to the launderette). B each stage of this.
- organized migration of a body of people. trekker n. [dutch, = draw]
TRIG
n. Colloq. Trigonometry. [abbreviation]
- point n. Reference point on high ground, used in triangulation.
TRIM
—v. (-mm-) 1 a make neat or of the required size or form, esp. By cutting away irregular or unwanted parts. B set in good order.
- (foll. By off, away) cut off (unwanted parts).
- ornament, decorate.
- adjust the balance of (a ship or aircraft) by arranging its cargo etc.
- arrange (sails) to suit the wind.
- a associate oneself with currently prevailing views, esp. To advance oneself. B hold a middle course in politics or opinion.
- colloq. A rebuke sharply. B thrash. C get the better of in a bargain etc. —n. - state of readiness or fitness (in perfect trim).
- ornament or decorative material.
- trimming of a person's hair. —adj. (trimmer, trimmest) 1 neat or spruce.
- in good order; well arranged or equipped. [old english, = make firm]
TRIO
n. (pl. -s) 1 group of three.
- mus. A composition for three performers. B the performers. [french and italian from latin]
TRIP
—v. (-pp-) 1 a (often foll. By up) (cause to) stumble, esp. By catching the feet. B (foll. By up) (cause to) make a slip or blunder.
- a move with quick light steps. B (of a rhythm etc.) Run lightly.
- make an excursion to a place.
- a operate (a mechanism) suddenly by knocking aside a catch etc. B automatically cut out.
- slang have a hallucinatory experience caused by a drug. —n. - journey or excursion, esp. For pleasure.
- a stumble or blunder. B tripping or being tripped up.
- nimble step.
- slang drug-induced hallucinatory experience.
- device for tripping a mechanism etc. [dutch trippen skip, hop]
- —v. (-tt-) 1 (of a person) run at a moderate pace.
- (of a horse) proceed at a steady pace faster than a walk, lifting each diagonal pair of legs alternately.
- colloq. Walk, go.
- cause (a horse or person) to trot.
- traverse (a distance) at a trot. —n. - action or exercise of trotting (proceed at a trot; went for a trot).
- (the trots) slang diarrhoea. on the trot colloq. - in succession (six days on the trot).
- continually busy (kept me on the trot). Trot out 1 colloq. Introduce (an opinion etc.) Tediously or repeatedly.
- cause (a horse) to trot to show his paces. [french]
TROY
n. (in full troy weight) system of weights used for precious metals and gems, with a pound of 12 ounces or 5,760 grains; 1 oz. Troy = 31.1035 g. [probably troyes in france]
