The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
RECOIL
recoil, repercussion, rebound, backlash
(noun) a movement back from an impact
recoil, kick
(noun) the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired
bounce, resile, take a hop, spring, bound, rebound, recoil, reverberate, ricochet
(verb) spring back; spring away from an impact; “The rubber ball bounced”; “These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide”
flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quail
(verb) draw back, as with fear or pain; “she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf”
backfire, backlash, recoil
(verb) come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect; “Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble”; “the political movie backlashed on the Democrats”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
recoil (countable and uncountable, plural recoils)
A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.
The state or condition of having recoiled.
(firearms) The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle.
An escapement in which, after each beat, the scape-wheel recoils slightly.
Synonyms
• (firearms): kick
Verb
recoil (third-person singular simple present recoils, present participle recoiling, simple past and past participle recoiled)
(intransitive) To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment. [from 16th c.]
(intransitive, now rare) To retreat before an opponent. [from 14th c.]
(obsolete, intransitive) To retire, withdraw. [15th-18th c.]
(of a firearm) To quickly push back when fired
Anagrams
• coiler
Source: Wiktionary
Re*coil", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Recoiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Recoiling.] Etym: [OE. recoilen, F. reculer, fr. L. pref. re- re- + culus the fundament. The English word was perhaps influenced in form by accoil.]
1. To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return. Evil on itself shall back recoil. Milton. The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible . . . that we should recoil into our ordinary spirits. De Quincey.
2. To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming, or the like; to shrink. Shak.
3. To turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire. [Obs.] "To your bowers recoil." Spenser.
Re*coil", v. t.
Definition: To draw or go back. [Obs.] Spenser.
Re*coil", n.
1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood.
2. The state or condition of having recoiled. The recoil from formalism is skepticism. F. W. Robertson.
3. Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged. Recoil dynamometer (Gunnery), an instrument for measuring the force of the recoil of a firearm.
– Recoil escapement See the Note under Escapement.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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Word of the Day
18 April 2024
MOTIVE
(adjective) impelling to action; “it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function”- Arthur Pap; “motive pleas”; “motivating arguments”
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