earth : Idioms & Phrases


Adamic earth

  • a name given to common red clay, from a notion that Adam means red earth.
Webster 1913

Adamic earth, Bitter earth, Bog earth, Chian earth

  • etc. See under Adamic, Bitter, etc.
Webster 1913

alkaline earth

  • noun any of the bivalent metals of group II of the periodic table (calcium or strontium or barium or magnesium or beryllium)
    alkaline earth.
WordNet

Alkaline earths

  • noun any of the bivalent metals of group II of the periodic table (calcium or strontium or barium or magnesium or beryllium)
    alkaline earth.
WordNet
  • certain substances, as lime, baryta, strontia, and magnesia, possessing some of the qualities of alkalies.
Webster 1913

alkaline-earth metal

  • noun any of the bivalent metals of group II of the periodic table (calcium or strontium or barium or magnesium or beryllium)
    alkaline earth.
WordNet

Apex of the earth's motion

  • (Astron.), that point of the heavens toward which the earth is moving in its orbit.
Webster 1913

Bitter earth

  • (Min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia.
Webster 1913

Black earth

  • mold; earth of a dark color. Woodward.
Webster 1913

bleaching earth

  • noun an adsorbent clay that will remove coloring from oils
    bleaching clay.
WordNet

Bog earth

  • (Min.), a soil composed for the most part of silex and partially decomposed vegetable fiber. P. Cyc.
Webster 1913

Bone earth

  • (Chem.), the earthy residuum after the calcination of bone, consisting chiefly of phosphate of calcium.
Webster 1913

Brick earth

  • clay or earth suitable for, or used in making, bricks.
Webster 1913

Chian earth

  • a dense, compact kind of earth, from Chios, used anciently as an astringent and a cosmetic.
Webster 1913

cologne earth

Co*logne" earth`
Etymology
From Cologne the city.
Definitions
  1. (Min.) An earth of a deep brown color, containing more vegetable than mineral matter; an earthy variety of lignite, or brown coal.
Webster 1913

diatomaceous earth

  • noun a light soil consisting of siliceous diatom remains and often used as a filtering material
    kieselguhr; diatomite.
WordNet

Diurnal motion of the earth

  • the motion of the earth upon its axis which is described in twentyfour hours.
Webster 1913

down-to-earth

  • adjective satellite sensible and practical
    earthy.
    • has a straightforward down-to-earth approach to a problem
    • her earthy common sense
WordNet

earth almond

  • noun European sedge having small edible nutlike tubers
    chufa; yellow nutgrass; ground almond; Cyperus esculentus; rush nut.
WordNet

Earth apple

  • . (Bot.) (a) A potato. (b) A cucumber.
Webster 1913

Earth auger

  • a form of auger for boring into the ground; called also earth borer.
Webster 1913

Earth bath

  • a bath taken by immersing the naked body in earth for healing purposes.
Webster 1913

Earth battery

  • (Physics), a voltaic battery the elements of which are buried in the earth to be acted on by its moisture.
Webster 1913

Earth chestnut

  • the pignut.
Webster 1913

Earth closet

  • a privy or commode provided with dry earth or a similar substance for covering and deodorizing the fæcal discharges.
Webster 1913

earth color

  • noun a colored mineral used as a pigment
WordNet

Earth dog

  • (Zoöl.), a dog that will dig in the earth, or enter holes of foxes, etc.
Webster 1913

earth flax

Earth" flax`
Definitions
  1. (Min.) A variety of asbestus. See Amianthus.
Webster 1913

earth god

  • noun a god of fertility and vegetation
    earth god.
WordNet

earth goddess

  • noun a goddess of fertility and vegetation
    earth goddess.
WordNet

Earth hog, Earth pig

  • (Zoöl.), the aard-vark.
Webster 1913

Earth hunger

  • an intense desire to own land, or, in the case of nations, to extend their domain.
Webster 1913

Earth light

  • (Astron.), the light reflected by the earth, as upon the moon, and corresponding to moonlight; called also earth shine. Sir J. Herschel.
Webster 1913

Earth metal

  • . See 1st Earth, #7 (Chem.)
Webster 1913

earth mother

  • noun the earth conceived of as the female principle of fertility
WordNet

Earth oil

  • petroleum.
Webster 1913

Earth pillarspyramids

  • (Geol.), high pillars or pyramids of earth, sometimes capped with a single stone, found in Switzerland. Lyell.
Webster 1913

Earth pitch

  • (Min.), mineral tar, a kind of asphaltum.
Webster 1913

Earth quadrant

  • a fourth of the earth's circumference.
Webster 1913

earth science

  • noun any of the sciences that deal with the earth or its parts
WordNet

earth shine

Earth" shine`
Definitions
  1. See Earth light, under Earth.
Webster 1913

Earth table

  • (Arch.), the lowest course of stones visible in a building; the ground table.
Webster 1913

earth tremor

  • noun a small earthquake
    tremor; microseism.
WordNet

earth up

  • verb block with earth, as after a landslide
    land up.
WordNet

earth wax

  • noun a waxy mineral that is a mixture of hydrocarbons and occurs in association with petroleum; some varieties are used in making ceresin and candles
    ozocerite; mineral wax; ozokerite; ader wax.
WordNet

earth's crust

  • noun the outer layer of the Earth
    crust.
WordNet

earth's surface

  • noun the outermost level of the land or sea
    surface.
    • earthquakes originate far below the surface
    • three quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water
WordNet

earth-ball

  • noun any of various highly prized edible subterranean fungi of the genus Tuber; grow naturally in southwestern Europe
    truffle; earthnut.
WordNet

earth-closet

  • noun a small outbuilding with a bench having holes through which a user can defecate
    outhouse; jakes; privy.
WordNet

earth-god

  • noun a god of fertility and vegetation
    earth god.
WordNet

earth-goddess

  • noun a goddess of fertility and vegetation
    earth goddess.
WordNet

earth-nut pea

  • noun European herb bearing small tubers used for food and in Scotland to flavor whiskey
    tuberous vetch; earthnut pea; heath pea; Lathyrus tuberosus.
WordNet

earth-received time

  • noun the coordinated universal time when an event is received on Earth
    ERT.
WordNet

earth-tongue

  • noun any club-shaped fungus of the genus Geoglossum
    earthtongue.
WordNet
Earth"-tongue` noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A fungus of the genus Geoglossum.
Webster 1913

Ends of the earth

  • the remotest regions of the earth.
Webster 1913

Foster earth

  • earth by which a plant is nourished, though not its native soil. J. Philips.
Webster 1913

Fuller's earth

  • noun an absorbent soil resembling clay; used in fulling (shrinking and thickening) woolen cloth and as an adsorbent
WordNet
  • a variety of clay, used in scouring and cleansing cloth, to imbibe grease.
Webster 1913

Gall of the earth

  • noun common perennial herb widely distributed in the southern and eastern United States having drooping clusters of pinkish flowers and thick basal leaves suggesting a lion's foot in shape; sometimes placed in genus Prenanthes
    Nabalus serpentarius; Prenanthes serpentaria; lion's foot.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), an herbaceous composite plant with variously lobed and cleft leaves, usually the Prenanthes serpentaria.
Webster 1913

Green earth

  • (Min.), a variety of glauconite, found in cavities in amygdaloid and other eruptive rock, and used as a pigment by artists; called also mountain green.
Webster 1913

Hazel earth

  • soil suitable for the hazel; a fertile loam.
Webster 1913

hell on earth

  • noun any place of pain and turmoil;
    the pits; hellhole; snake pit; hell; inferno.
    • the hell of battle
    • the inferno of the engine room
    • when you're alone Christmas is the pits
WordNet

Infusorial earth

  • (Geol.), a deposit of fine, usually white, siliceous material, composed mainly of the shells of the microscopic plants called diatoms. It is used in polishing powder, and in the manufacture of dynamite.
Webster 1913

Japan earth

  • . See Catechu.
Webster 1913

Lemnian bole, Lemnian earth

  • an aluminous earth of a grayish yellow color; sphragide; formerly sold as medicine, having astringent properties.
Webster 1913

Man-of-the earth

  • (Bot.), a twining plant (Ipomoea pandurata) with leaves and flowers much like those of the morning-glory, but having an immense tuberous farinaceous root.
Webster 1913

man-of-the-earth

  • noun a morning glory with long roots of western United States
    Ipomoea leptophylla.
  • noun tropical American prostrate or climbing herbaceous perennial having an enormous starchy root; sometimes held to be source of the sweet potato
    wild sweet potato vine; scammonyroot; wild potato vine; Ipomoea panurata; manroot; Ipomoea fastigiata.
WordNet

Meat earth

  • (Mining), vegetable mold. Raymond.
Webster 1913

middle-earth

Mid"dle-earth` noun
Definitions
  1. The world, considered as lying between heaven and hell. Obs. a land in Tolkien's "Hobbit" and "Ring" books Shak.
Webster 1913

On earth

  • adverb used with question words to convey surprise
    • what on earth are you doing?
WordNet
  • an intensive expression, oftenest used in questions and exclamations; as, What on earth shall I do? Nothing on earth will satisfy him. Colloq.
Webster 1913

organization of the oppressed on earth

  • noun a Shiite terrorist organization with strong ties to Iran; seeks to create an Iranian fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon; car bombs are the signature weapon
    Hizbullah; Lebanese Hizballah; Islamic Jihad; Hezbollah; Hizballah; Hizbollah; Party of God; Revolutionary Justice Organization; Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine.
WordNet

Poles of the earth, ∨ Terrestrial poles

  • (Geog.), the two opposite points on the earth's surface through which its axis passes.
Webster 1913

potter's earth

  • noun clay that does not contain any iron; used in making pottery or for modeling
    potter's clay.
WordNet

rare earth

  • noun any element of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71)
    lanthanon; lanthanide; lanthanoid; rare earth.
WordNet

rare-earth element

  • noun any element of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71)
    lanthanon; lanthanide; lanthanoid; rare earth.
WordNet

Samian earth

  • a species of clay from Samoa, formerly used in medicine as an astringent.
Webster 1913

scorched-earth policy

  • noun the target company defends itself by selling off its crown jewels
WordNet

Star-of-the-earth

  • (Bot.), a plant of the genus Plantago (P. coronopus), growing upon the seashore.
Webster 1913

Tile earth

  • a species of strong, clayey earth; stiff and stubborn land. Prov. Eng.
Webster 1913

To go the way of all the earth

  • to die. = to go the way of all flesh.
Webster 1913

Yellow earth

  • a yellowish clay, colored by iron, sometimes used as a yellow pigment.
Webster 1913