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A short passage connecting two sections, but not forming part of either; a short coda.

mall bronze mortar mounted on a wooden block with handles, and light enough to be carried short distances by two men.

A short ridge connecting two higher elevations or mountains; the pass over such a ridge.

A short, comprehensive prayer, adapted to a particular day, occasion, or condition, and forming part of a liturgy. The noble poem on the massacres of Piedmont is strictly a collect in verse. Macaulay.

A short knotted rope formerly used as an instrument of punishment in the navy. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Colt's tooth, an imperfect or superfluous tooth in young horses. -- To cast one's colt's tooth, to cease from youthful wantonness. "Your colt's tooth is not cast yet." Shak. -- To have a colt's tooth, to be wanton. Chaucer…

bing wool, flax, cotton, etc., and separating the longer and more valuable fiber from the shorter. See also Carding machine, under Carding.

To circumvent; to wheedle. [Colloq.] -- To come short, to be deficient; to fail of attaining. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. iii. 23. -- To come to. (a) To consent or yield. Swift. (b) (Naut.) (with the accent on to) To luff; to brin the ship's head nearer the wind; to anchor. (c) (with the…

Having short clauses or sentences; brief; concise.

To confound. [An obsolete Latinism.] Committing short and long [quantities]. Milton. To commit a bill (Legislation), to refer or intrust it to a committee or others, to be considered and reported. -- To commit to memory, or To commit, to learn by heart; to memorize.

ing jurisdiction of marriage licenses, divorces, registration of wills, etc. -- To be on short commons, to have small allowance of food. [Colloq.]

Residence temporarily, or for a short time.

One who accompanies or is in company with another for a longer or shorter period, either from choice or casually; one who is much in the company of, or is associated with, another or others; an associate; a comrade; a consort; a partner. The companions of his fall. Milton. The companion of fools shall smart for it. Pro…

Short; compendious. [Obs.] Bailey.

of a larger work or system; an abridgment; an epitome; a compend; a condensed summary. A short system or compendium of a sience. I. Watts.

Short for Composition; -- used, esp. in England, colloq. in various trade applications; as :

y authority; necessary; due to complusion. This contribution therestening fall infinitely short of their hopes, they soon made it compulsory. Burke.

ically, having such a combination of concave and convex sides as makes the focal axis the shortest line between them. See Illust. under Lens.

.e., appeals to the verdict of a jury. Mozley & W. -- In conclusion. (a) Finally. (b) In short. -- To try conclusions, to make a trial or an experiment. Like the famous ape, To try conclusions, in the basket creep. Shak.

tic lens used as a condenser. -- Bull's-eye condenser, or Bull's-eye (Optics), a lens of short focal distance used for concentrating rays of light. -- Injection condenser, a vessel in which steam is condensed by the direct contact of water. -- Surface condenser, an apparatus for condensing steam, especially the exha…

A short narrative or tale, esp. one dealing with surprising or marvelous events.