NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 57 pps

scrub up 1. to clean oneself up. 2. to clean oneself, especially one’s hands and arms, as a preparation for performing a surgical proce- dure. (A special use of Q.) scrutinize ["skrut n aIz] tv. to examine someone or something closely; to look at something very closely; to inspect someone or something. scrutiny ["skrut n i] n. a close examination; an inspection; look- ing at something closely. (No plu- ral.) → under scrutiny scuba ["sku b@] 1. iv. to dive and explore underwater. (Past tense and past participle: scubaed.) 2. the adj. use of Q. scuba diver ["sku b@ "daI v#] n. someone who does scuba diving. scuba (diving) n. diving or explor- ing underwater with a tank that contains air, allowing a diver to breathe, and that can be carried or worn on the back. (No plural. An acronym for self-contained under- water breathing apparatus.) scuff ["sk^f] 1. tv. to make scratches in the surface of some- thing clean and smooth; to make marks on the surface of something clean and smooth. 2. iv. to walk somewhere without picking up one’s feet; to slide one’s feet along as one walks. sculptor ["sk^lp t#] n. an artist who makes art out of clay, stone, metal, or other solid materials. sculpture ["sk^lp tS#] 1. n. the art of making art from clay, stone, metal, or another solid material. (No plural.) 2. n. a piece of art that is made out of clay, stone, metal, or another solid material. (Often singular with a plural meaning.) sea ["si] 1. n. a large body of salt water that is smaller than an ocean. 2. n. one of the large bodies of salt water that cover almost three-fourths of the earth’s sur- face; an ocean. → at sea → at sea (about something ) → between the devil and the deep blue sea → There are plenty of other fish in the sea. sea level ["si lEv @l] n. the horizon- tal level at the surface of the oceans, which is considered zero. seafood ["si fud] n. animals from the sea, including fish, shellfish, and octopus, that are eaten as food. (No plural.) seal ["sil] 1. n. a large animal that has thick, coarse fur, lives in and near the sea, and has flat legs. 2. n. an official mark or design of a government, business, organiza- tion, or person that is printed or stamped on objects for identifica- tion. (A signature usually serves as a seal for an individual.) 3. n. a piece of wax, metal, or other material that has the mark or design of a government, business, organization, or person printed or stamped on it. 4. n. something that causes an opening in an object to remain closed; some- thing that prevents an opening from being opened secretly. 5. tv. to close something tightly; to fas- ten something tightly, often with scrub up 526 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 526 TLFeBOOK glue or pressure. 6. tv. to fill cracks in an object with a substance so that air, water, or other things can- not pass through the cracks. → signed, sealed, and delivered seal something off (from someone or something ) to make something inaccessible to someone or some- thing. seam ["sim] 1. n. the line of thread where two pieces of cloth have been sewn together. 2. n. the line where two edges of anything meet. → burst at the seams → come apart at the seams the seamy side of life the most unpleasant or roughest aspect of life. (Informal. A reference to the inside of a garment, where the seams show.) search ["s#tS] 1. iv. to look care- fully, trying to find someone or something. 2. tv. to examine someone or something closely to try to find something. 3. n. an attempt to find someone or some- thing. search high and low for someone or something Go to hunt high and low for someone or something. search something with a fine- tooth comb Go to go over some- thing with a fine-tooth comb. seashell ["si SEl] n. a shell of an animal that lives in the sea; a hard, protective covering made by an animal that lives in the sea, such as an oyster. seashore ["si Sor] n. the land that borders the sea; the shore that runs along a sea. seasick ["si sIk] adj. being sick while on a boat or a ship because of the movement of the sea. seaside ["si saId] 1. n. the land that borders a sea; the seashore. (No plural.) 2. adj. located on the seashore; at the side of the sea. season ["siz @n] 1. n. one of the four times of the year: winter, spring, summer, and fall. 2. n. a period of time marked by a cer- tain kind of weather, an activity, or condition. 3. tv. to add spices to food to make it taste better or dif- ferent. → in season → out of season seasonal ["siz @ n@l] the adj. form of season W. (Adv: seasonally.) seasoning ["siz (@) nIN] n. a spice; an herb; something that is added to food to make it taste better or different. seat ["sit] 1. n. something that is used for sitting on; a place where someone can sit. 2. n. the part of a pair of pants that one sits on. 3. n. the part of the body that one sits on; the behind; the buttocks. 4. n. a place where someone is a mem- ber, such as in Congress or on a stock exchange. 5. tv. to provide someone with Q; to lead someone to Q; to help someone sit down. 6. tv. to have a certain number of places to sit; to have room for a certain number of seated people. → by the seat of one’s pants → show one to one’s seat → show someone to a seat → take a backseat (to someone ) seat belt ["sit bElt] n. a strap that buckles across one’s lap, as in a car seat belt 527 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 527 TLFeBOOK or an airplane. (See also safety belt .) seated ["sit Id] adj. sitting down in or on something. seating ["sit IN] 1. n. a particular arrangement of seats. (No plural.) 2. n. the number of seats that are available in a place. (No plural.) seawater ["si wOt #] n. salt water as found in the sea. seaweed ["si wid] n. a plant that grows in or at the edge of the sea. (Plural only for types and instances.) seclude [sI "klud] tv. to keep some- one away from other people; to keep something away from other things or places. secluded [sI "klud Id] adj. private; remote; set apart from other places; kept away from other places or people. (Adv: secludedly.) seclusion [sI "klu Z@n] n. the con- dition of being private and hidden; a place away from other people. (No plural.) second ["sEk @nd] 1. n. a basic unit of the measurement of time; ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute; ¹⁄₃₆₀₀ of an hour. 2. n. a moment; a very short period of time. 3. n. a unit of measurement of an angle equal to ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute or ¹⁄₃₆₀₀ of a degree. 4. n. someone or something that comes after the first [one] as in T. 5. adj. coming, happening, or being immediately after the first. (Adv: secondly.) 6. adv. in a position that is immediately after the first position. → come off second best → get one’s second wind → get second thoughts about someone or something → in one’s second childhood → on second thought → play second fiddle (to someone ) second nature to someone easy and natural for someone. secondary ["sEk @n dEr i] 1. adj. second in importance; not pri- mary. (Adv: secondarily.) 2. adj. [of the education of students] from the 6th to 12th or from the 9th to 12th grades, depending on the school district. secondhand ["sEk @nd "hAnd] 1. adj. [of goods] already used by someone else; not new. 2. adj. [of stores] selling used products. 3. adj. not experienced directly but heard from another person. 4. adv. learned from someone else. second-rate not of the best qual- ity; inferior. seconds n. an additional serving of food. (Treated as plural.) secrecy ["si krI si] n. the quality of being secret; keeping something a secret. (No plural.) secret ["si krIt] 1. n. information known by a small number of peo- ple, especially people who have promised not to tell anyone else. 2. n. a mystery; something that cannot be explained. 3. adj. known only by a small number of people who have promised not to tell anyone else. (Adv: secretly.) 4. adj. working at a job without others knowing what one does; doing something without others knowing what one is doing. (Adv: secretly.) → carry a secret to the grave seated 528 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 528 TLFeBOOK → in secret → keep a secret → open secret → take a secret to one’s grave secretary ["sEk rI tEr i] 1. n. some- one who is employed to type let- ters, answer telephones, organize schedules and meetings, and do other office work. 2. n. someone who keeps a written record of the things that are discussed at the official meetings of an organiza- tion. 3. n. someone who is in charge of a department of the United States government. 4. n. a writing desk with drawers and shelves. secrete [sI "krit] 1. tv. [for a part of a plant or an animal] to produce and release a fluid. 2. tv. to hide something; to put something in a place where others cannot see it or find it. secretion [sI "kri S@n] n. a fluid that is produced and released by a part of a plant or an animal, such as sap or mucus. (Singular or plu- ral with the same meaning, but not countable.) secretive ["si kr@ tIv] adj. tending to do things secretly; tending not to do things publicly or openly. (Adv: secretively.) secretly ["si kr@t li] adv. without being known or seen by others. section ["sEk S@n] 1. n. a separate part of a larger group, place, or thing; a division. 2. n. a unit of measurement of land equal to one square mile or 640 acres. 3. tv. to divide something into separate parts as in Q. secure [sI "kjUr] 1. adj. safe from danger, harm, loss, injury, or theft. (Adv: securely.) 2. tv. to safely fas- ten or close something. 3. tv. to obtain something. security [sI "kjUr @ ti] 1. n. the state of being or feeling safe from dan- ger, harm, loss, injury, or theft. (No plural.) 2. n. an office or department concerned with the protection of people and property. (No plural.) 3. n. property that is promised to a bank or lender when money is borrowed. (If the money is not paid back, then the bank or lender will be given the property. No plural.) 4. n. a mone- tary asset or debt agreement, such as a stock or a bond. 5. the adj. use of Q, W, E, or R. → lull someone into a false sense of security → social security security against something some- thing that keeps something safe against potential loss; something that protects something against a loss; a protection. sedan [sI "dAn] n. a car with four doors, a front seat and a backseat, a fixed roof, and room for at least four people. sedate [sI "det] 1. adj. quiet; calm; relaxed; not excited; not moved by excitement. (Adv: sedately.) 2. tv. to give someone or an animal a drug that causes relaxation. sedative ["sEd @ tIv] 1. n. a drug or medicine that causes one to sleep or relax. 2. the adj. use of Q. sedentary ["sEd n tEr i] 1. adj. [of a creature] not very active and keep- ing still most of the time. (Adv: sedentary 529 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 529 TLFeBOOK sedentarily [sEd n "tEr @ li].) 2. adj. [of activity] not requiring a lot of movement. (Adv: sedentarily [ sEd n "tEr @ li ].) see ["si] 1. iv., irreg. to sense or experience with the eyes. (Past tense: saw; past participle: seen.) 2. tv., irreg. to observe someone or something by the use of the eyes; to sense or experience someone or something with the eyes. 3. tv., irreg. to understand something; to comprehend something. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 4. tv., irreg. to learn some- thing by reading or through direct observation. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 5. tv., irreg. to visit someone; to stop by the place where someone lives. 6. tv., irreg. to meet with someone for an appointment. 7. tv., irreg. to date someone; to have a romantic rela- tionship with someone. → begin to see daylight → begin to see the light → can’t see beyond the end of one’s nose → can’t see one’s hand in front of one’s face → Long time no see. → not able to see the forest for the trees → not see further than the end of one’s nose → wait-and-see attitude see double to see two of every- thing instead of one. see eye to eye (about something ) and see eye to eye on some- thing to view something in the same way (as someone else). see eye to eye on something Go to see eye to eye (about something ). see someone off to accompany one to the point of departure for a trip and say good-bye. see someone or something as something to consider someone or something the same as something. see someone to someplace to escort someone to a place; to make sure that someone gets to some- place safely; to accompany some- one to a place. see something through to stay with a project all the way to its completion. see stars to see flashing lights after receiving a blow to the head. see the (hand)writing on the wall to know that something is certain to happen. see the light (at the end of the tunnel) to foresee an end to one’s problems after a long period of time. see the light (of day) to come to the end of a very busy time. see things to imagine one sees someone or something that is not there. see through someone or something to recognize the deception involved with someone or some- thing. see (to it) that something is done to make sure of something; to make certain of something; to be certain to do something. see to someone or something to tend to or care for someone or something. seed ["sid] 1. n. a part of a plant that a new plant will grow from if see 530 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 530 TLFeBOOK it is fertilized. 2. tv. to plant crops on an area of land by scattering Q. → go to seed → run to seed seedling ["sid lIN] n. a young plant or tree that is newly grown from a seed. seedy ["si di] 1. adj. having a lot of seeds. (Comp: seedier; sup: seediest.) 2. adj. run-down; shabby. (Adv: seedily. Comp: seed- ier; sup: seediest.) seeing that something is the case considering that something is the case; since something is the case. seek ["sik] tv., irreg. to try to find someone or something; to look for someone or something. (Past tense and past participle: sought.) seek to do something to try to do something; to attempt to do some- thing; to pledge oneself to do something. seem ["sim] iv. to appear to be a certain way; to give the impression of being a certain way. seen ["sin] past participle of see. seep ["sip] iv. [for a liquid] to pass through something slowly; to leak. seep in(to something ) [for a fluid] to trickle or leak (out of some- thing) into something. seep out (of something ) [for a fluid] to trickle or leak out of something. seep through something [for a fluid] to permeate something and escape. segment ["sEg m@nt] 1. n. a part of something; a part of something that can be easily separated. 2. tv. to separate something into parts; to divide something into parts. segregate ["sE grI get] 1. tv. to sep- arate someone or a group of peo- ple from other people; to isolate someone or a group of people. 2. tv. to separate people of one race from people of another race. segregated ["sE grI get Id] adj. [of human races] separated by law or other forces. (Adv: segregatedly.) segregation [sE grI "ge S@n] 1. n. the state existing in a segregated society; the state of races being separated by law or other causes. (No plural.) 2. n. the separation of someone or something from other people or things. (No plural.) seize ["siz] 1. tv. to grab, take, and hold on to someone or something. 2. tv. to take control of something by force or by authority; to cap- ture something by force or by authority. seize onto someone or something to grab onto someone or some- thing. seize up to freeze or halt; [of a machine with moving parts] to jam and stop suddenly. seize (up)on something 1. to grasp something tightly. 2. to take hold of something, such as a plan, idea, etc. (Figurative.) seizure ["si Z#] 1. n. an act of seiz- ing someone or something. 2. n. a sudden attack of a sickness; a con- vulsion caused by a sudden attack of a sickness. seldom ["sEl d@m] adv. almost never; rarely. seldom 531 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 531 TLFeBOOK select [s@ "lEkt] 1. tv. to pick some- one or something from a group of choices. 2. adj. specifically chosen; exclusive; specially chosen. (Adv: selectly.) selection [s@ "lEk S@n] 1. n. a choice; someone or something that is chosen; someone or some- thing that is selected. 2. n. a vari- ety of things to choose from, especially in a store. selective [s@ "lEk tIv] adj. choosing carefully; making careful choices. (Adv: selectively.) self ["sElf] n. a reference to a person as an individual or being. (Usually in compounds. See also myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. No plural.) self-addressed ["sElf @ "drEst] adj. addressed to oneself. self-centered ["sElf "sEn t#d] adj. selfish; often thinking only of one- self instead of anyone else. (Adv: self-centeredly.) self-confidence [sElf "kan fI d@ns] n. the belief that one is able to do something; confidence in one’s own ability. (No plural.) self-conscious [sElf "kan S@s] adj. aware that one is being seen by other people, especially when one is shy or embarrassed around other people. (Adv: self-con- sciously.) self-contained [sElf k@n "tend] adj. containing within itself every- thing that is necessary. self-control [sElf k@n "trol] n. the control of one’s own actions or feelings. (No plural.) self-discipline ["sElf "dIs @ plIn] n. the discipline needed to control one’s feelings and actions. (No plu- ral.) self-employed [sElf Em "ploId] adj. working for one’s own business; not working for other people. self-esteem [sElf @ "stim] n. the good opinion one has of oneself; the respect one shows for oneself. (No plural.) self-help ["sElf "hElp] 1. n. helping oneself without the help of others. (No plural.) 2. adj. [of books or techniques] showing people how to help themselves without the help of others. selfish ["sEl fIS] adj. too concerned with oneself; too concerned with what one wants instead of what other people want; showing more care for oneself than for other people. (Adv: selfishly.) selfishness ["sEl fIS n@s] n. the state of being too greedy and con- cerned with oneself. (No plural.) self-reliant [sElf rI "laI @nt] adj. able to get along or do something without the help of others. (Adv: self-reliantly.) self-respect [sElf rI "spEkt] n. the respect and pride one has for one- self. (No plural.) self-service ["sElf "s# vIs] 1. n. the system by which one must serve oneself in a store or business. (No plural.) 2. the adj. use of Q. sell ["sEl] 1. tv., irreg. to transfer a product in exchange for money; to transfer a product to someone in exchange for money. (Past tense and past participle: sold.) 2. tv., select 532 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 532 TLFeBOOK irreg. to make something available for purchase. 3. tv., irreg. to cause something to be more likely to be used or bought. sell for some amount to be offered for sale for an amount of money; to be sold for an amount of money. sell like hot cakes [for some- thing] to be sold very fast. sell out (to someone ) 1. to sell everything to someone. 2. to betray someone or something to someone. sell someone a bill of goods to get someone to believe something that is not true. sell someone or something out to betray someone or something. sell someone or something short to underestimate someone or some- thing; to fail to see the good quali- ties of someone or something. sell something off to sell all of something. seller ["sEl #] n. someone who sells something for money. semester [sI "mEs t#] n. half of a school year; a term; a 16-week to 18-week period of classes. semicircle ["sEm I s#k @l] n. half of a circle; a shape like half of a cir- cle. semicolon ["sEm I ko l@n] n. a punctuation mark (;) that shows separation between two clauses, indicating more of a pause than a comma but less of a pause than a period. (It is also used to separate items in a list if any of the items uses a comma so that the reader is not confused.) seminar ["sEm @ nar] 1. n. one of the meetings of a type of (college) course that meets regularly with a professor to discuss theories, stud- ies, or research. 2. n. a meeting where a speaker, or panel of speakers, talks and information or ideas about a particular topic is exchanged. senate ["sEn @t] 1. n. the smaller of the two groups of people who are elected to make the federal laws in the United States. 2. n. the profes- sors who are the governing body at certain schools and universities. senator ["sEn @ t#] n. someone who is a member of a senate. send ["sEnd] tv., irreg. to cause someone or something to be transported or to go from one place to another. (Past tense and past participle: sent.) send away (for something ) to order something to be brought or sent from some distance. send for someone or something to request that someone come or that something be brought. send off for something to dispatch an order for something to a distant place. send one about one’s business to send someone away, usually in an unfriendly way. send out (for someone or some- thing ) to send an order by messen- ger, telephone, cable, or fax that someone or something is to come or be delivered. send someone in for someone to send someone into a game as a replacement for someone else. send someone in for someone 533 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 533 TLFeBOOK send someone in(to something ) to make someone go into something or someplace. send someone into something to cause someone to be in a certain state or condition. send someone off to participate in saying good-bye to someone who is leaving. send someone off (to something ) to send someone away to some- thing or someplace, especially away on a journey; to be present when someone sets out on a jour- ney to something or someplace. send someone out (for someone or something ) to send someone out to search for someone or some- thing. send someone over ((to) some- place ) to order someone to go to someplace. send someone packing to send someone away; to dismiss some- one, possibly rudely. send someone to the showers to send a player out of a game and off the field, court, etc. (Figurative and literal.) send something by something 1. to send something by a particular carrier. 2. to deliver something to something or someplace. (Infor- mal.) send something off (to someone or something ) to send something to someone, something, or some- place. senile ["si naIl] adj. tending to for- get things or be confused because of advancing age. (Adv: senilely.) senility [s@ "nIl @ ti] n. a state of confusion and loss of memory associated with old age. (No plu- ral.) senior ["sin j#] 1. adj. [of people] older; [of employees] having served an employer longer than most other employees. 2. adj. higher in rank or position. 3. adj. of or for students in the fourth year of high school or college. 4. adj. for very old or elderly peo- ple; serving elderly people. 5. n. an older person; a senior citizen. 6. n. a student in the fourth year of high school (12th grade) or the fourth year of college. senior citizen ["sin j# "sIt @ z@n] n. someone who is 65 years old or older. seniority [sin "jor @ ti] n. the qual- ity of having been employed at one’s place of work for a relatively longer period of time than some- one else. (No plural.) sensation [sEn "se S@n] 1. n. the use of the senses; the ability to see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. 2. n. an awareness of someone or some- thing because of sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell. 3. n. a vague feeling of awareness; a general feeling in the mind. 4. n. someone or something that causes people to become very excited or interested. sensational [sEn "se S@ n@l] 1. adj. very exciting or interesting; attracting a lot of attention. (Adv: sensationally.) 2. adj. exaggerated and designed to excite and appeal to a mass audience. (Adv: sensa- tionally.) send someone in(to something) 534 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 534 TLFeBOOK sense ["sEns] 1. n. each of the abili- ties allowing creatures to see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. 2. n. a spe- cial feeling or sensation, especially one that cannot be described. (No plural.) 3. n. the ability to under- stand or appreciate something. (No plural. See also sense of humor .) 4. n. good judgment; the ability to make good decisions. (No plural.) 5. n. the meaning or definition of something; a mean- ing. 6. n. a belief shared by a group of people. 7. tv. to be aware of something with the help of Q. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 8. tv. to determine some- thing; to have a feeling about a sit- uation. (The object can be a clause with that U.) → come to one’s senses → common sense → lull someone into a false sense of security → out of one’s senses → sixth sense sense of humor [sEns @v "hju m#] n. the ability to laugh at things that are funny; the ability to see the funny aspects of a situation. (No plural.) senseless ["sEns l@s] 1. adj. with- out reason; having no purpose; stupid; foolish. (Adv: senselessly.) 2. adj. unconscious. (Adv: sense- lessly.) sensible ["sEn s@ b@l] 1. adj. repre- senting or showing common sense; wise. (Adv: sensibly.) 2. adj. practical instead of stylish. (Adv: sensibly.) sensitive ["sEn s@ tIv] 1. adj. able to feel the effect of something, especially light, sound, smell, taste, or texture; easily affected or harmed by something. (Adv: sensi- tively.) 2. adj. easily offended; [of someone] easily affected by some- thing. (Figurative on Q. Adv: sen- sitively.) 3. adj. easily able to sense a small change in something. sensitivity [sEn s@ "tIv I ti] 1. n. the ability to sense or perceive some- thing. (No plural.) 2. n. the ten- dency to perceive or imagine even the smallest offense. (Sometimes plural with the same meaning.) sensory ["sEn s@ ri] adj. of the senses; of the ability to see, hear, taste, touch, or smell. sensual ["sEn Su @l] adj. providing pleasure to the body; concerning the pleasures of eating, drinking, sex, etc. (Adv: sensually.) sensuous [sEn "Su @s] adj. affecting the senses; experienced through the senses. (Adv: sensuously.) sent ["sEnt] past tense and past par- ticiple of send. sentence ["sEnt ns] 1. n. a group of words that forms an independent thought, usually including at least a subject and a verb. 2. n. the pun- ishment given to a criminal by a judge in a court of law. 3. tv. [for a judge] to assign a punishment to a criminal. sentiment ["sEn t@ m@nt] n. a ten- der feeling or emotion. (No plu- ral.) sentimental [sEn t@ "mEn t@l] adj. having tender feelings or emo- tions, often sad or romantic ones. (Adv: sentimentally.) sentimental 535 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 535 TLFeBOOK . unit of the measurement of time; ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute; ¹⁄₃₆₀₀ of an hour. 2. n. a moment; a very short period of time. 3. n. a unit of measurement of an angle equal to ¹⁄₆₀ of a minute or ¹⁄₃₆₀₀ of. in charge of a department of the United States government. 4. n. a writing desk with drawers and shelves. secrete [sI "krit] 1. tv. [for a part of a plant or an animal] to produce and release. telephones, organize schedules and meetings, and do other of ce work. 2. n. someone who keeps a written record of the things that are discussed at the of cial meetings of an organiza- tion. 3. n.