| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
deal1 (diːl) ![]() | |
| —vb (foll by in) , deals, dealing, dealt | |
| 1. | to engage (in) commercially: to deal in upholstery |
| 2. | ( |
| 3. | (tr) to give (a blow) to (someone); inflict |
| 4. | slang (intr) to sell any illegal drug |
| —n | |
| 5. | informal a bargain, transaction, or agreement |
| 6. | a particular type of treatment received, esp as the result of an agreement: a fair deal |
| 7. | an indefinite amount, extent, or degree (esp in the phrases goodorgreat deal) |
| 8. | cards |
| a. the process of distributing the cards | |
| b. a player's turn to do this | |
| c. a single round in a card game | |
| 9. | See big deal |
| 10. | informal chiefly (US) cut a deal See also deal with to come to an arrangement; make a deal |
| 11. | informal the real deal a person or thing seen as being authentic and not inferior in any way |
| [Old English dǣlan, from dǣl a part; compare Old High German teil a part, Old Norse deild a share] | |
deal in
Also, deal with. Be occupied or concerned with, as in Jim deals in generalities, or This book deals with idioms. The first term dates from the late 1500s, the variant from about 1300.
Do business or trade in something, as in They deal in diamonds. [Late 1500s] Also see deal with.
deal someone in. Also, . Include someone, give someone a share, as in I hope they'll deal me in on this new enterprise. This usage comes from card games, where to deal has meant "to distribute cards" since the 16th century. [Early 1900s]