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a dishonest person; a rogue; a villain. "A pair of crafty knaves." Shak. In defiance of demonstration, knaves will continue to proselyte fools. Ames.

preliminary or auxiliary proposition demonstrated or accepted for immediate use in the demonstration of some other proposition, as in mathematics or logic.

Of moralitee he was the flower. Chaucer. I am bold to think that morality is capable of demonstration. Locke.

Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; a negative morality; negative criticism. There in another way of denying Christ, ... which is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess him. South.…

Showing; exhibiting. Ostensive demonstration (Math.), a direct or positive demonstration, as opposed to the apagogical or indirect method.

A theorem or proposition so easy of demonstration as to be almost self-evident. [R.] Crabb.

guments that induce, or tend to induce, certainty of the judgment; conclusive evidence; demonstration. I'll have some proof. Shak. It is no proof of a man's understanding to be able to confirm whatever he pleases. Emerson.

To turn aside; to elude; to disappoint; to frustrate; to baffle. I hoped for a demonstration, but Themistius hoped to put me off with an harangue. Boyle. We might put him off with this answer. Bentley.

A pointing out; manifestation; proof; demonstration. [Obs.] You may marvel why I . . . would not rather Make rash remonstrance of my hidden power Than let him be so lost. Shak.

s, a rigorous officer of justice; a rigorous execution of law; a rigorous definition or demonstration. He shall be thrown down the Tarpeian Rock With rigorous hands. Shak. We do not connect the scattered phenomena into their rigorous unity. De Quincey.

A remark or observation subjoined to a demonstration or a train of reasoning.

ess; clearness; as, the simplicity of a doctrine; the simplicity of an explanation or a demonstration.

Involving, or formed by, speculation; ideal; theoretical; not established by demonstration. Cudworth.

A blustering demonstration, or great effort; a great display. [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.

terred, as by scruples; to scruple; -- often with at. They will stick long at part of a demonstration for want of perceiving the connection of two ideas. Locke. Some stick not to say, that the parson and attorney forged a will. Arbuthnot.

cile, intractable fools, whose stolidity can baffle all arguments, and be proof against demonstration itself. Bentley.

s; so that, if these are true, the conclusion must be true, and the argument amounts to demonstration;

of action that is directly effective, whether it be a simple strike, a peaceful public demonstration, sabotage, or revolutionary violence. By the general strike and direct action syndicalism aims to establish a social system in which the means and processes of production are in the control of local organizations of wo…

y performances before an assembly, as public lectures, scholastic exercises, anatomical demonstrations, surgical operations, etc.