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To struggle eagerly with others for something thrown upon the ground; to go down upon all fours to seize something; to catch rudely at what is desired. Of other care they little reckoning make, Than how to scramble at the shearer's feast. Milton.

Thin; lean; meager; scrawny; scrannel. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

edicament, as it were, a painful rubbing or scraping; a perplexity; a difficulty. The too eager pursuit of this his old enemy through thick and thin has led him into many of these scrapes. Bp. Warburton.

Meager; thin; rawboned; bony; scranny.

Eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite.

Eager in appetite or desire of gratification; affected by keen hunger; ravenous; as, an eagle or a lion sharp-set. The town is sharp-set on new plays. Pope.

To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires. Epicurean cooks Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite. Shak.

Engaged in, or given to, seeing sights; eager for novelties or curiosities.

One given to seeing sights or noted things, or eager for novelties or curiosities.

Remiss; backward; not using due diligence or care; not earnest or eager; as, slack in duty or service. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. 2 Pet. iii. 9.

To cause to become less eager; to repress; to make slow or less rapid; to retard; as, to slacken pursuit; to slacken industry. "Rancor for to slack." Chaucer. I should be grieved, young prince, to think my presence Unbent your thoughts, and slackened 'em to arms. Addison. In this business of growing rich, poor men shou…

Small; inadequate; meager; pitiful; as, slender means of support; a slender pittance. Frequent begging makes slender alms. Fuller.

To make an effort to bite; to aim to seize with the teeth; to catch eagerly (at anything); -- often with at; as, a dog snapsat a passenger; a fish snaps at the bait.

Apt to snap at persons or things; eager to bite; as, a snapping cur.

Disposed to solicit; eager to obtain something desirable, or to avoid anything evil; concerned; anxious; careful. "Solicitous of my reputation." Dryden. "He was solicitous for his advice." Calerendon. Enjoy the present, whatsoever it be, and be not solicitous about the future. Jer. Taylor. The colonel had been intent u…

Lean; wanting flesh; meager; thin; gaunt. O, give me the spare men, and spare me the great ones. Shak.

Eagerly pressing or urgent; zealous; ardent; earnest; bold; valiant; intrepid; as, a strenuous advocate for national rights; a strenuous reformer; a strenuous defender of his country. And spirit-stirring wine, that strenuous makes. Chapman. Strenuous, continuous labor is pain. I. Taylor. -- Stren"u*ous*ly, adv. -- Str…

Ardent; eager; zealous; earnestly engaged; as, a strong partisan; a strong Whig or Tory. Her mother, ever strong against that match. Shak.

life; means of support; provisions, or that which produces provisions; livelihood; as, a meager subsistence. His viceroy could only propose to himself a comfortable subsistence out of the plunder of his province. Addison.

A sort of dog, noted for quick scent and eager pursuit of game. [Obs.] Wase (1654).