ANTIC

antic, fantastic, fantastical, grotesque

(adjective) ludicrously odd; “Hamlet’s assumed antic disposition”; “fantastic Halloween costumes”; “a grotesque reflection in the mirror”

antic, joke, prank, trick, caper, put-on

(noun) a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement

clown, clown around, antic

(verb) act as or like a clown

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Adjective

antic (comparative more antic, superlative most antic)

Playful, funny, absurd

(architecture, arts) Grotesque, incongruous.

(archaic) Grotesque, bizarre

Obsolete form of antique.

Noun

antic (plural antics)

(architecture, arts, obsolete) A grotesque representation of a figure; a gargoyle.

A caricature.

(often in plural) A ludicrous gesture or act; ridiculous behaviour; caper.

A grotesque performer or clown, buffoon.

Verb

antic (third-person singular simple present antics, present participle anticking, simple past and past participle anticked)

(intransitive) To perform antics, caper.

(obsolete) To make a fool of, to cause to look ridiculous.

(transitive, rare) To perform (an action) as an antic; to mimic ridiculously.

Etymology 2

Noun

antic (plural antics)

(animation) A pose, often exaggerated, in anticipation of an action; for example, a brief squat before jumping

Anagrams

• actin, actin', actin-, cain't, can it

Source: Wiktionary


An"tic, a. Etym: [The same word as antique; cf. It. antico ancient. See Antique.]

1. Old; antique. (Zoöl.)

Definition: "Lords of antic fame." Phaer.

2. Odd; fantastic; fanciful; grotesque; ludicrous. The antic postures of a merry-andrew. Addison. The Saxons . . . worshiped many idols, barbarous in name, some monstrous, all antic for shape. Fuller.

An"tic, n.

1. A buffoon or merry-andrew; one that practices odd gesticulations; the Fool of the old play.

2. An odd imagery, device, or tracery; a fantastic figure. Woven with antics and wild imagery. Spenser.

3. A grotesque trick; a piece of buffoonery; a caper. And fraught with antics as the Indian bird That writhes and chatters in her wiry cage. Wordsworth.

4. (Arch.)

Definition: A grotesque representation. [Obs.]

5. An antimask. [Obs. or R.] Performed by knights and ladies of his court In nature of an antic. Ford.

An"tic, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Anticked, Antickt.]

Definition: To make appear like a buffoon. [Obs.] Shak.

An"tic, v. i.

Definition: To perform antics.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 December 2024

QUANDONG

(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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