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Finest
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
adjective
1.
of superior or best quality; of high or highest grade: fine wine.
2.
choice, excellent, or admirable: a fine painting.
3.
consisting of minute particles: fine sand; a fine purée.
4.
very thin or slender: fine thread.
5.
EXPANDkeen or sharp, as a tool: Is the knife fine enough to carve well?
6.
delicate in texture; filmy: fine cotton fabric.
7.
delicately fashioned: fine tracery.
8.
highly skilled or accomplished: a fine musician.
9.
trained to the maximum degree, as an athlete.
10.
characterized by or affecting refinement or elegance: a fine lady.
11.
polished or refined: fine manners.
12.
affectedly ornate or elegant: A style so fine repels the average reader.
13.
delicate or subtle: a fine distinction.
14.
bright and clear: a fine day; fine skin.
15.
healthy; well: In spite of his recent illness, he looks fine.
16.
showy or smart; elegant in appearance: a bird of fine plumage.
17.
good-looking or handsome: a fine young man.
18.
COLLAPSE(of a precious metal or its alloy) free from impurities or containing a large amount of pure metal: fine gold; Sterling silver is 92.5 percent fine.
adverb
19.
Informal. in an excellent manner; very well: He did fine on the exams. She sings fine.
20.
very small: She writes so fine I can hardly read it.
21.
Billiards, Pool. in such a way that the driven ball barely touches the object ball in passing.
22.
Nautical. as close as possible to the wind: sailing fine.
verb (used without object)
24.
to become less, as in size or proportions; reduce; diminish (often followed by down): The plumpness fines down with exercise.
verb (used with object)
26.
to reduce the size or proportions of (often used with down or away): to fine down the heavy features; to fine away superfluous matter in a design.
27.
to clarify (wines or spirits) by filtration.
noun
Idiom29.
cut fine, to calculate precisely, especially without allowing for possible error or accident: To finish in ten minutes is to cut it too fine.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English fin < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin fīnis end, utmost limit, highest point
1250–1300; Middle English fin < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin fīnis end, utmost limit, highest point
Synonyms
1. finished, consummate, perfect; select. Fine, choice, elegant, exquisite are terms of praise with reference to quality. Fine is a general term: a fine horse, person, book. Choice implies a discriminating selection of the object in question: a choice piece of steak. Elegant suggests a refined and graceful superiority that is generally associated with luxury and a cultivated taste: elegant furnishings. Exquisite suggests an admirable delicacy, finish, or perfection: an exquisite piece of lace. 3. powdered, pulverized. 5. acute.
1. finished, consummate, perfect; select. Fine, choice, elegant, exquisite are terms of praise with reference to quality. Fine is a general term: a fine horse, person, book. Choice implies a discriminating selection of the object in question: a choice piece of steak. Elegant suggests a refined and graceful superiority that is generally associated with luxury and a cultivated taste: elegant furnishings. Exquisite suggests an admirable delicacy, finish, or perfection: an exquisite piece of lace. 3. powdered, pulverized. 5. acute.
Antonyms
1. inferior.
1. inferior.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To finest
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fine
c.1200, "termination," from O.Fr. fin "end," from M.L. finis "a payment in settlement, fine or tax," from L. finis "end" (see finish). Modern meaning is via sense of "sum of money paid for exemption from punishment or to compensate for injury" (mid-14c., from the same sense
EXPANDin Anglo-Fr., late 13c.) and from phrases such as to make fine "make one's peace, settle a matter" (c.1300). Meaning "sum of money imposed as penalty for some offense" is first recorded 1520s. The verb (c.1300) originally meant "pay as a ransom or penalty;" inverted meaning "to punish by a fine" is from 1550s. Related: Fined; fining.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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