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used in distillation, usually made of glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and worm still. Used also metaphorically. The alembic of a great poet's imagination. Brimley.

A distorted image.

An instrument for restoring a picture or image distorted by anamorphosis to its normal proportions. It usually consists of a cylindrical mirror.

A distorted or monstrous projection or representation of an image on a plane or curved surface, which, when viewed from a certain point, or as reflected from a curved mirror or through a polyhedron, appears regular and in proportion; a deformation of an image.

Winding; full of windings and turnings; sinuous; tortuous; as, the anfractuous spires of a born. -- An*frac"tu*ous*ness, n.

Distorted vision, in which straight lines appear bent.

producing amusing figures or pictures by means of two revolving disks, on one of which distorted figures are painted.

The retort or turning of an adversary's plea against him.

An argument retorted on an opponent. Milton.

irected to one side; not in the straight line of vision; obliquely; awry, so as to see distortedly; as, to look asquint.

Twisted; distorted; awry. [R.] Halliwell.

d one side; not in a straight or true direction, or position; out of the right course; distorted; obliquely; asquint; with oblique vision; as, to glance awry. "Your crown's awry." Shak. Blows them transverse, ten thousand leagues awry. Into the devious air. Milton.

The method of blackmailing by decoying a person into a compromising situation and extorting money by threats of exposure. [Cant]

able oven in which baking is done. [U.S.] A baker's dozen, thirteen. -- Baker foot, a distorted foot. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Baker's itch, a rash on the back of the hand, caused by the irritating properties of yeast. -- Baker's salt, the subcarbonate of ammonia, sometimes used instead of soda, in making bread.…

sition; an apparatus consisting of a set of similar parts; as, a battery of boilers, of retorts, condensers, etc.

arded grain." Dryden. Bearded vulture, Bearded eagle. (Zoöl.) See Lammergeir. -- Bearded tortoise. (Zoöl.) See Matamata.

Paralysis of the facial nerve, producing distortion of one side of the face.

Hence: Morally distorted; not upright. [Poetic] I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel. Shak. A bevel angle, any angle other than one of 90º. -- Bevel wheel, a cogwheel whose working face is oblique to the axis. Knight.

Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.

One who extorts, or endeavors to extort, money, by black mailing.