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kite
kite / kīt/ • n. 1. a toy consisting of a light frame with thin material stretched over it, flown in the wind at the end of a long string. ∎ Sailing, inf. a spinnaker or other high, light sail. 2. a medium to large long-winged bird of prey (family Accipitridae) that typically has a forked tail and frequently soars on updrafts of air. Several genera and many species include the American swallow-tailed kite (Elanoides forficatus). 3. inf. a fraudulent check, bill, or receipt. ∎ an illicit or surreptitious letter or note. 4. Geom. a quadrilateral figure having two pairs of equal adjacent sides, symmetrical only about its diagonals. • v. [tr.] inf. write or use (a check, bill, or receipt) fraudulently. PHRASES: (as) high as a kite inf. intoxicated with drugs or alcohol. |
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"kite." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kite." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kite.html "kite." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kite.html |
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kite
kite from the mid 16th century, the name of this bird of prey was used figuratively for a person preying on others, a rapacious person, a sharper.
The use of kite to mean a toy consisting of a light frame with thin material stretched over it, flown in the wind at the end of a long string, is recorded from the mid 17th century, and derives from its hovering in the air like a bird. The name is recorded from Old English (in form cȳta), and is probably of imitative origin and related to German Kauz ‘screech owl’. as high as a kite intoxicated with drugs or alcohol (the expression is recorded from the mid 20th century). See also fly a kite at fly2. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "kite." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "kite." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-kite.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "kite." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-kite.html |
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kite
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"kite." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kite." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-kite.html "kite." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-kite.html |
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kite
kite bird of prey OE.; toy to be flown XVII. OE. cȳta, prob. of imit. orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "kite." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "kite." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-kite.html T. F. HOAD. "kite." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-kite.html |
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