leap in the dark
verb (used without object)
1.
to spring through the air from one point or position to another; jump: to leap over a ditch.
2.
to move or act quickly or suddenly: to leap aside; She leaped at the opportunity.
3.
to pass, come, rise, etc., as if with a jump: to leap to a conclusion; an idea that immediately leaped to mind.
verb (used with object)
4.
to jump over: to leap a fence.
5.
to pass over as if by a jump.
6.
to cause to leap: to leap a horse.
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Leap in the dark
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
noun
Idioms 7.
a spring, jump, or bound; a light, springing movement.
8.
the distance covered in a leap; distance jumped.
9.
a place leaped or to be leaped over or from.
10.
a sudden or abrupt transition: a successful leap from piano class to concert hall.
11.
a sudden and decisive increase: a leap in the company's profits.
12.
by leaps and bounds, very rapidly: We are progressing by leaps and bounds.
13.
leap in the dark, an action of which the consequences are unknown: The experiment was a leap in the dark.
14.
leap of faith, an act or instance of accepting or trusting in something that cannot readily be seen or proved.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English lepen, Old English hlēapan to leap, run; cognate with German laufen, Old Norse hlaupa, Gothic hlaupan
before 900; Middle English lepen, Old English hlēapan to leap, run; cognate with German laufen, Old Norse hlaupa, Gothic hlaupan
Related forms
leap·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To leap in the dark
Collins
World English Dictionary
leap (liːp) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by at) , leaps, leaping, leapt, leaped | |
| 1. | (intr) to jump suddenly from one place to another |
| 2. | to move or react quickly |
| 3. | (tr) to jump over |
| 4. | to come into prominence rapidly: the thought leapt into his mind |
| 5. | (tr) to cause (an animal, esp a horse) to jump a barrier |
| —n | |
| 6. | the act of jumping |
| 7. | a spot from which a leap was or may be made |
| 8. | the distance of a leap |
| 9. | an abrupt change or increase |
| 10. | music Also called (US and Canadian): skip a relatively large melodic interval, esp in a solo part |
| 11. | a leap in the dark an action performed without knowledge of the consequences |
| 12. | by leaps and bounds with unexpectedly rapid progress |
| [Old English hlēapan; related to Gothic hlaupan, German laufen] | |
| 'leaper | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
leap
O.E. hleapan "to jump, run, leap" (class VII strong verb; past tense hleop, pp. hleapen), from P.Gmc. *khlaupan (cf. O.S. hlopan, O.N. hlaupa, O.Fris. hlapa, Du. lopen, Ger. laufen "to run," Goth. us-hlaupan "to jump up"), of uncertain origin, with no known cognates beyond Germanic. The noun is O.E.
hlyp (Anglian *hlep). Leap-frog, the children's game, is attested from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
leap in the dark
An act whose results cannot be predicted. For example, Given today's high divorce rate, he considered marriage a leap in the dark. [Late 1600s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
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