DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
Sand n.
1. Fine particles of stone, esp. of siliceous stone, but not reduced to dust; comminuted stone in the form of loose grains, which are not coherent when wet.
That finer matter, called sand, is no other than very small pebbles. --Woodward.
2. A single particle of such stone. [R.]
3. The sand in the hourglass; hence, a moment or interval of time; the term or extent of one's life.
The sands are numbered that make up my life. --Shak.
4. pl. Tracts of land consisting of sand, like the deserts of Arabia and Africa; also, extensive tracts of sand exposed by the ebb of the tide. “The Libyan sands.” --Milton. “The sands o' Dee.” --C. Kingsley.
5. Courage; pluck; grit. [Slang]
Sand badger Zool., the Japanese badger (Meles ankuma).
Sand bag. (a) A bag filled with sand or earth, used for various purposes, as in fortification, for ballast, etc. (b) A long bag filled with sand, used as a club by assassins.
Sand ball, soap mixed with sand, made into a ball for use at the toilet.
Sand bath. (a) Chem. A vessel of hot sand in a laboratory, in which vessels that are to be heated are partially immersed. (b) A bath in which the body is immersed in hot sand.
Sand bed, a thick layer of sand, whether deposited naturally or artificially; specifically, a thick layer of sand into which molten metal is run in casting, or from a reducing furnace.
Sand birds Zool., a collective name for numerous species of limicoline birds, such as the sandpipers, plovers, tattlers, and many others; -- called also shore birds.
Sand blast, a process of engraving and cutting glass and other hard substances by driving sand against them by a steam jet or otherwise; also, the apparatus used in the process.
Sand box. (a) A box with a perforated top or cover, for sprinkling paper with sand. (b) A box carried on locomotives, from which sand runs on the rails in front of the driving wheel, to prevent slipping.
Sand-box tree Bot., a tropical American tree (Hura crepitans). Its fruit is a depressed many-celled woody capsule which, when completely dry, bursts with a loud report and scatters the seeds. See Illust. of Regma.
Sand bug Zool., an American anomuran crustacean (Hippa talpoidea) which burrows in sandy seabeaches. It is often used as bait by fishermen. See Illust. under Anomura.
Sand canal Zool., a tubular vessel having a calcareous coating, and connecting the oral ambulacral ring with the madreporic tubercle. It appears to be excretory in function.
Sand cock Zool., the redshank. [Prov. Eng.]
Sand collar. Zool. Same as Sand saucer, below.
Sand crab. Zool. (a) The lady crab. (b) A land crab, or ocypodian.
Sand crack Far., a crack extending downward from the coronet, in the wall of a horse's hoof, which often causes lameness.
Sand cricket Zool., any one of several species of large terrestrial crickets of the genus Stenophelmatus and allied genera, native of the sandy plains of the Western United States.
Sand cusk Zool., any ophidioid fish. See Illust. under Ophidioid.
Sand dab Zool., a small American flounder (Limanda ferruginea); -- called also rusty dab. The name is also applied locally to other allied species.
Sand darter Zool., a small etheostomoid fish of the Ohio valley (Ammocrypta pellucida).
Sand dollar Zool., any one of several species of small flat circular sea urchins, which live on sandy bottoms, especially Echinarachnius parma of the American coast.
Sand drift, drifting sand; also, a mound or bank of drifted sand.
Sand eel. Zool. (a) A lant, or launce. (b) A slender Pacific Ocean fish of the genus Gonorhynchus, having barbels about the mouth.
Sand flag, sandstone which splits up into flagstones.
Sand flea. Zool. (a) Any species of flea which inhabits, or breeds in, sandy places, especially the common dog flea. (b) The chigoe. (c) Any leaping amphipod crustacean; a beach flea, or orchestian. See Beach flea, under Beach.
Sand flood, a vast body of sand borne along by the wind. --James Bruce.
Sand fluke. Zool. (a) The sandnecker. (b) The European smooth dab (Pleuronectes microcephalus); -- called also kitt, marysole, smear dab, town dab.
Sand fly Zool., any one of several species of small dipterous flies of the genus Simulium, abounding on sandy shores, especially Simulium nocivum of the United States. They are very troublesome on account of their biting habits. Called also no-see-um, punky, and midge.
Sand gall. Geol. See Sand pipe, below.
Sand grass Bot., any species of grass which grows in sand; especially, a tufted grass (Triplasis purpurea) with numerous bearded joints, and acid awl-shaped leaves, growing on the Atlantic coast.
Sand grouse Zool., any one of many species of Old World birds belonging to the suborder Pterocletes, and resembling both grouse and pigeons. Called also rock grouse, rock pigeon, and ganga. They mostly belong to the genus Pterocles, as the common Indian species (Pterocles exustus). The large sand grouse (Pterocles arenarius), the painted sand grouse (Pterocles fasciatus), and the pintail sand grouse (Pterocles alchata) are also found in India. See Illust. under Pterocletes.
Sand hill, a hill of sand; a dune.
Sand-hill crane Zool., the American brown crane (Grus Mexicana).
Sand hopper Zool., a beach flea; an orchestian.
Sand hornet Zool., a sand wasp.
Sand lark. Zool. (a) A small lark (Alaudala raytal), native of India. (b) A small sandpiper, or plover, as the ringneck, the sanderling, and the common European sandpiper. (c) The Australian red-capped dotterel (Aegialophilus ruficapillus); -- called also red-necked plover.
Sand launce Zool., a lant, or launce.
Sand lizard Zool., a common European lizard (Lacerta agilis).
Sand martin Zool., the bank swallow.
Sand mole Zool., the coast rat.
Sand monitor Zool., a large Egyptian lizard (Monitor arenarius) which inhabits dry localities.
Sand mouse Zool., the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.]
Sand myrtle. Bot. See under Myrtle.
Sand partridge Zool., either of two small Asiatic partridges of the genus Ammoperdix. The wings are long and the tarsus is spurless. One species (Ammoperdix Heeji) inhabits Palestine and Arabia. The other species (Ammoperdix Bonhami), inhabiting Central Asia, is called also seesee partridge, and teehoo.
Sand picture, a picture made by putting sand of different colors on an adhesive surface.
Sand pike. Zool. (a) The sauger. (b) The lizard fish.
Sand pillar, a sand storm which takes the form of a whirling pillar in its progress in desert tracts like those of the Sahara and Mongolia.
Sand pipe Geol., a tubular cavity, from a few inches to several feet in depth, occurring especially in calcareous rocks, and often filled with gravel, sand, etc.; -- called also sand gall.
Sand pride Zool., a small British lamprey now considered to be the young of larger species; -- called also sand prey.
Sand pump, in artesian well boring, a long, slender bucket with a valve at the bottom for raising sand from the well.
Sand rat Zool., the pocket gopher.
Sand rock, a rock made of cemented sand.
Sand runner Zool., the turnstone.
Sand saucer Zool., the mass of egg capsules, or oothecae, of any mollusk of the genus Natica and allied genera. It has the shape of a bottomless saucer, and is coated with fine sand; -- called also sand collar.
Sand screw Zool., an amphipod crustacean (Lepidactylis arenarius), which burrows in the sandy seabeaches of Europe and America.
Sand shark Zool., an American shark (Odontaspis littoralis) found on the sandy coasts of the Eastern United States; -- called also gray shark, and dogfish shark. See Illust. under Remora.
Sand skink Zool., any one of several species of Old World lizards belonging to the genus Seps; as, the ocellated sand skink (Seps ocellatus) of Southern Europe.
Sand skipper Zool., a beach flea, or orchestian.
Sand smelt Zool., a silverside.
Sand snake. Zool. (a) Any one of several species of harmless burrowing snakes of the genus Eryx, native of Southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, especially Eryx jaculus of India and Eryx Johnii, used by snake charmers. (b) Any innocuous South African snake of the genus Psammophis, especially Psammophis sibilans.
Sand snipe Zool., the sandpiper.
Sand star Zool., an ophiurioid starfish living on sandy sea bottoms; a brittle star.
Sand storm, a cloud of sand driven violently by the wind.
Sand sucker, the sandnecker.
Sand swallow Zool., the bank swallow. See under Bank.
Sand trap, Golf a shallow pit on a golf course having a layer of sand in it, usually located near a green, and designed to function as a hazard, due to the difficulty of hitting balls effectively from such a position.
Sand tube, a tube made of sand. Especially: (a) A tube of vitrified sand, produced by a stroke of lightning; a fulgurite. (b) Zool. Any tube made of cemented sand. (c) Zool. In starfishes, a tube having calcareous particles in its wall, which connects the oral water tube with the madreporic plate.
Sand viper. Zool. See Hognose snake.
Sand wasp Zool., any one of numerous species of hymenopterous insects belonging to the families Pompilidae and Spheridae, which dig burrows in sand. The female provisions the nest with insects or spiders which she paralyzes by stinging, and which serve as food for her young.
Stone n.
1. Concreted earthy or mineral matter; also, any particular mass of such matter; as, a house built of stone; the boy threw a stone; pebbles are rounded stones. “Dumb as a stone.”
They had brick for stone, and slime . . . for mortar. --Gen. xi. 3.
Note: ☞ In popular language, very large masses of stone are called rocks; small masses are called stones; and the finer kinds, gravel, or sand, or grains of sand. Stone is much and widely used in the construction of buildings of all kinds, for walls, fences, piers, abutments, arches, monuments, sculpture, and the like.
2. A precious stone; a gem. “Many a rich stone.” --Chaucer. “Inestimable stones, unvalued jewels.” --Shak.
3. Something made of stone. Specifically: -
(a) The glass of a mirror; a mirror. [Obs.]
Lend me a looking-glass;
If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,
Why, then she lives. --Shak.
(b) A monument to the dead; a gravestone.
Should some relenting eye
Glance on the where our cold relics lie. --Pope.
4. Med. A calculous concretion, especially one in the kidneys or bladder; the disease arising from a calculus.
5. One of the testes; a testicle.
6. Bot. The hard endocarp of drupes; as, the stone of a cherry or peach. See Illust. of Endocarp.
7. A weight which legally is fourteen pounds, but in practice varies with the article weighed. [Eng.]
Note: ☞ The stone of butchers' meat or fish is reckoned at 8 lbs.; of cheese, 16 lbs.; of hemp, 32 lbs.; of glass, 5 lbs.
8. Fig.: Symbol of hardness and insensibility; torpidness; insensibility; as, a heart of stone.
I have not yet forgot myself to stone. --Pope.
9. Print. A stand or table with a smooth, flat top of stone, commonly marble, on which to arrange the pages of a book, newspaper, etc., before printing; -- called also imposing stone.
Note: ☞ Stone is used adjectively or in composition with other words to denote made of stone, containing a stone or stones, employed on stone, or, more generally, of or pertaining to stone or stones; as, stone fruit, or stone-fruit; stone-hammer, or stone hammer; stone falcon, or stone-falcon. Compounded with some adjectives it denotes a degree of the quality expressed by the adjective equal to that possessed by a stone; as, stone-dead, stone-blind, stone-cold, stone-still, etc.
Atlantic stone, ivory. [Obs.] “Citron tables, or Atlantic stone.” --Milton.
Bowing stone. Same as Cromlech. --Encyc. Brit.
Meteoric stones, stones which fall from the atmosphere, as after the explosion of a meteor.
Philosopher's stone. See under Philosopher.
Rocking stone. See Rocking-stone.
Stone age, a supposed prehistoric age of the world when stone and bone were habitually used as the materials for weapons and tools; -- called also flint age. The bronze age succeeded to this.
Stone bass Zool., any one of several species of marine food fishes of the genus Serranus and allied genera, as Serranus Couchii, and Polyprion cernium of Europe; -- called also sea perch.
Stone biter Zool., the wolf fish.
Stone boiling, a method of boiling water or milk by dropping hot stones into it, -- in use among savages. --Tylor.
Stone borer Zool., any animal that bores stones; especially, one of certain bivalve mollusks which burrow in limestone. See Lithodomus, and Saxicava.
Stone bramble Bot., a European trailing species of bramble (Rubus saxatilis).
Stone-break.
Stone bruise, a sore spot on the bottom of the foot, from a bruise by a stone.
Stone canal. Zool. Same as Sand canal, under Sand.
Stone cat Zool., any one of several species of small fresh-water North American catfishes of the genus Noturus. They have sharp pectoral spines with which they inflict painful wounds.
Stone coal, hard coal; mineral coal; anthracite coal.
Stone coral Zool., any hard calcareous coral.
Stone crab. Zool. (a) A large crab (Menippe mercenaria) found on the southern coast of the United States and much used as food. (b) A European spider crab (Lithodes maia). Stone crawfish Zool., a European crawfish (Astacus torrentium), by many writers considered only a variety of the common species (Astacus fluviatilis).
Stone curlew. Zool. (a) A large plover found in Europe (Edicnemus crepitans). It frequents stony places. Called also thick-kneed plover or bustard, and thick-knee. (b) The whimbrel. [Prov. Eng.] (c) The willet. [Local, U.S.]
Stone crush. Same as Stone bruise, above.
Stone eater. Zool. Same as Stone borer, above.
Stone falcon Zool., the merlin.
Stone fern Bot., a European fern (Asplenium Ceterach) which grows on rocks and walls.
Stone fly Zool., any one of many species of pseudoneuropterous insects of the genus Perla and allied genera; a perlid. They are often used by anglers for bait. The larvae are aquatic.
Stone fruit Bot., any fruit with a stony endocarp; a drupe, as a peach, plum, or cherry.
Stone grig Zool., the mud lamprey, or pride.
Stone hammer, a hammer formed with a face at one end, and a thick, blunt edge, parallel with the handle, at the other, -- used for breaking stone.
Stone hawk Zool., the merlin; -- so called from its habit of sitting on bare stones.
Stone jar, a jar made of stoneware.
Stone lily Paleon., a fossil crinoid.
Stone lugger. Zool. See Stone roller, below.
Stone marten Zool., a European marten (Mustela foina) allied to the pine marten, but having a white throat; -- called also beech marten.
Stone mason, a mason who works or builds in stone.
Stone-mortar Mil., a kind of large mortar formerly used in sieges for throwing a mass of small stones short distances.
Stone oil, rock oil, petroleum.
Stone parsley Bot., an umbelliferous plant (Seseli Labanotis). See under Parsley.
Stone pine. Bot. A nut pine. See the Note under Pine, and Piñon.
Stone pit, a quarry where stones are dug.
Stone pitch, hard, inspissated pitch.
Stone plover. Zool. (a) The European stone curlew. (b) Any one of several species of Asiatic plovers of the genus Esacus; as, the large stone plover (Esacus recurvirostris). (c) The gray or black-bellied plover. [Prov. Eng.] (d) The ringed plover. (e) The bar-tailed godwit. [Prov. Eng.] Also applied to other species of limicoline birds.
Stone roller. Zool. (a) An American fresh-water fish (Catostomus nigricans) of the Sucker family. Its color is yellowish olive, often with dark blotches. Called also stone lugger, stone toter, hog sucker, hog mullet. (b) A common American cyprinoid fish (Campostoma anomalum); -- called also stone lugger.
Stone's cast, or Stone's throw, the distance to which a stone may be thrown by the hand; as, they live a stone's throw from each other.
Stone snipe Zool., the greater yellowlegs, or tattler. [Local, U.S.]
Stone toter. Zool. (a) See Stone roller (a), above. (b) A cyprinoid fish (Exoglossum maxillingua) found in the rivers from Virginia to New York. It has a three-lobed lower lip; -- called also cutlips.
To leave no stone unturned, to do everything that can be done; to use all practicable means to effect an object.