A Dictionary of Cont..

with the prefix ob- meaning towards or in the
direction of. In modem usage, however, noxious
is the stronger term, for it means injurious to
health or physical well-being (The chemical
plant filled the air with noxious fumes. The
strong smell of sulphur, and a choking sensation
in the lungs, indicated the presence of noxious
gases). Obnoxious means objectionable, offensive,
odious (Many a pleasant man becomes
obnoxious on becoming famous). A thing may
be both noxious and obnoxious, as mustard gas;
obnoxious but not noxious, as a bugle call at
dawn; noxious but not obnoxious, as a piipe of
opium.
nozzle; nuzzle; nose; muzzle; snout. Nozzle is
perhaps most familiar as the term to describe
a projecting spout, terminal, discharge pilpe, or
the like, as of a bellows or hose. Among its
other meanings is the slang one of “nose.”
Nuzzle is a verb only. Intransitive, it means to
burrow or root with the nose, as an animal
does, or to thrust the nose against (The puppy
nuzzled up close to the little boy and borh fell
asleep). Transitive, it means to root up with
the nose or to touch with the nose.
Nose is a noun or a verb. As a noun it
describes the part of the face or head which
contains the nostrils or anything whic:h resembles
the nose of a person or an animal, as
a spout or nozzle, or the prow of a ship (I’ll
hold her nose agin’ the bank/ Till the last
galoot’s ashore), or a projecting part of anything.
As a verb it can mean to thrust with or
as with the nose (It looked as though she had
made a safe landing but as soon as the propellers
were reversed the airship nosed over,
crumpling the right wing). It has the special
meaning (not shared by nozzle or nuzzLe) of
to smell out (But indeed, if you find him not
within this month, you shall nose him as you
go up the stairs into the lobby). The slang adjective
nosy, prying, inquisitive, has a suggestion
of both of these meanings of the verb nose-to
thrust into and to smell out other people’s
affairs.
Muzzle, most familiar as describing the
mouth, or end for discharge, of the barrel of a
gun or pistol, also describes the projecting part
of the head of an animal, including jaws,
mouth, and nose, or a device placed over this
part to prevent the animal from biting. As a
verb it means to put a muzzle on or, by extension,
to silence, to gag.
Snout, like muzzle, refers to animals. Unlike
muzzle, it may be used in humorous or contemptuous
reference to a person’s nose when
it is large or prominent.
ntb degree. Although the idea of largeness is not
inherent in to the nth degree, popular usage
has made the phrase mean to the utmost extent,
and exasperated mathematicians must console
themselves with the reflections that language is
not exact and that more sciences than their own
have been so plundered.
nub is a variant of knob. It means a protuberance,
a lump, or a small piece. In American slang it
may also mean the point or gist of anything
327
number terms
(The nub of his argument was that we were
licked and had better make the best of it).
nucleus. The plural is nucleuses or nuclei.
number. When used as a grammatical term,
number means the distinction between singular
and plural. Number exists in all nouns and
some pronouns, such as he, they, and is reflected
in a few adjectives, such as this, these
and much, many, and in the present tense of
most verbs, as in he walks, they walk. Problems
of number are discussed in this dictionary under
agreement: verbs, dual words, plural nouns,
singular nouns, and the individual nouns, pronouns,
and adjectives.
The word number itself is plural, that is, it
requires a plural verb, when it is used with the
article a, as in a number of boxes were sent,
and is singular when it is used with the article
the, as in the number of boxes is small. See
amount and numerals.
number (song, tune). In the plural number can
mean metrical feet or verse (Tell me not in
mournful numbers/ Life is but an empty dream)
or musical periods, measures, groups of notes
(Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow/ For old,
unhappy, far-off things,/ And battles long ago).
In the singular it can mean a distinct part of
an extended musical work, or one in a sequence
of compositions. The word is being used with
increasing frequency by band leaders, disc
jockeys, and even publishers of music, to mean
a song or dance tune (Ginny Simms in a popular
number. The next number is a waltz). But
this use is certainly not standard, being chiefly
a piece of jargon.
number terms. In this book the expression number
terms means: (1) the ordinal numerals such
as third, fifth, and the related words first, last,
next, other; (2) the cardinal numerals such as
three, five, and the indefinite number words few,
many, several; (3) the fractions and the words
that represent a definite number but that are
not part of the number system, such as couple,
dozen, gross; and (4) under some circumstances,
the degree words more, most, less,
least. (See numerals; fractions; and the individual
words.)
Most of the number terms can be used as
adjectives. When they form part of a series
qualifying the same noun, the number terms
precede all other kinds of adjectives except the
definitives (such as the, this, my, some), as in
my three beautiful big brown dogs.
Sometimes several number terms are used
together in the same series. When this happens,
the individual words follow approximately the
order in which they are listed above. The
ordinals precede the cardinals, as in the second
three men. First, last, and other are exceptions
and may stand before or after a cardinal
number or an indefinite number word, as in
the last two men and the two last men. The
cardinals and the indefinite number words
precede the words in group three, as in the
first few dozen eggs. The degree words are
ordinarily last in a series of number adjectives,
as in bring two dozen more glasses.