spring : Idioms & Phrases


Air spring

  • noun a mechanical device using confined air to absorb the shock of motion
    air cushion.
WordNet
  • a spring in which the elasticity of air is utilized.
Webster 1913

Air spring, Boiling spring

  • etc. See under Air, Boiling, etc.
Webster 1913

Boiling spring

  • a spring which gives out very hot water, or water and steam, often ejecting it with much force; a geyser.
Webster 1913

box spring

  • noun a coiled bedspring in a frame that is covered with cloth
WordNet

Brine spring

  • a spring of salt water.
Webster 1913

C spring

  • a spring in the form of the letter C.
Webster 1913

Caballine spring

  • the fountain of Hippocrene, on Mount Helicon; fabled to have been formed by a stroke from the foot of the winged horse Pegasus.
Webster 1913

carolina spring beauty

  • noun similar to Claytonia virginica but having usually pink flowers; eastern North America
    Claytonia caroliniana.
WordNet

coil spring

  • noun a spring in the shape of a coil
    coil spring.
WordNet

colorado springs

  • noun a city in east central Colorado on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains; popular tourist center and site of the United States Air Force Academy
WordNet

Driving spring

  • a spring fixed upon the box of the driving axle of a locomotive engine to support the weight and deaden shocks. Eng. Weale.
Webster 1913

footsteps-of-spring

  • noun sanicle of northwestern United States and British Columbia having yellow flowers
    Sanicula arctopoides.
WordNet

Graduated spring

  • (Railroads), a combination of metallic and rubber springs.
Webster 1913

hot spring

  • noun a natural spring of water at a temperature of 70 F or above
    hot spring.
WordNet

hot springs

  • noun a town in west central Arkansas; a health resort noted for thermal springs
  • noun a natural spring of water at a temperature of 70 F or above
    hot spring.
WordNet

hot springs national park

  • noun a national park in Arkansas featuring ancient hot springs; bathing is said to have therapeutic effects
WordNet

Intermittent springs

  • springs which flow at intervals, not apparently dependent upon rain or drought. They probably owe their intermittent action to their being connected with natural reservoirs in hills or mountains by passages having the form of a siphon, the water beginning to flow when it has accumulated so as to fill the upper part of the siphon, and ceasing when, by running through it, it has fallen below the orifice of the upper part of the siphon in the reservoir.
Webster 1913

Jagger spring

  • a spring beneath a seat, and resting on cleats or blocks in the body of a vehicle.
Webster 1913

late-spring-blooming

  • adjective satellite of plants that bloom during the spring
    spring-blooming; late-spring-blooming; early-blooming; early-flowering.
WordNet

Latter spring

  • the last part of the spring of the year. Shak.
Webster 1913

leaf spring

  • noun long narrow spring consisting of several layers of metal springs bracketed together
WordNet

natural spring

  • noun a natural flow of ground water
    outpouring; spring; outflow; fountain.
WordNet

new-sprung

  • adjective satellite having just or recently arisen or come into existence
    newborn.
    • new nations
    • with newborn fears
WordNet

rock springs

  • noun a town of southwest Wyoming near the Utah border
WordNet

Salt spring

  • a spring of salt water.
Webster 1913

saratoga springs

  • noun a town in eastern New York State famed for its spa and its horse racing
WordNet

Sear spring

  • the spring which causes the sear to catch in the notches by which the hammer is held.
Webster 1913

Spiral spring

  • noun a spring that is wound like a spiral
WordNet
  • . See the Note under Spring, n., 4.
Webster 1913

Spring back

  • (Bookbinding), a back with a curved piece of thin sheet iron or of stiff pasteboard fastened to the inside, the effect of which is to make the leaves of a book thus bound (as a ledger or other account or blank book) spring up and lie flat.
Webster 1913

Spring balance

  • noun a balance that measure weight by the tension on a helical spring
    spring balance.
WordNet
  • a contrivance for measuring weight or force by the elasticity of a spiral spring of steel.
Webster 1913

Spring beam

  • a beam that supports the side of a paddle box. See Paddle beam, under Paddle, n.
Webster 1913

Spring beauty

  • noun small slender plant having one pair of succulent leaves at the middle of the stem and a loose raceme of white or pink or rose bowl-shaped flowers and an edible corm
    Clatonia lanceolata.
WordNet
  • . (a) (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Claytonia, delicate herbs with somewhat fleshy leaves and pretty blossoms, appearing in springtime . (b) (Zoöl.) A small, elegant American butterfly (Erora læta) which appears in spring. The hind wings of the male are brown, bordered with deep blue; those of the female are mostly blue.
Webster 1913

Spring bed

  • a mattress, under bed, or bed bottom, in which springs, as of metal, are employed to give the required elasticity.
Webster 1913

Spring beetle

  • (Zoöl.), a snapping beetle; an elater.
Webster 1913

Spring box

  • the box or barrel in a watch, or other piece of mechanism, in which the spring is contained.
Webster 1913

spring break

  • noun a week or more of recess during the spring term at school
WordNet

spring cankerworm

  • noun variably colored looper; larva of Paleacrita vernata
WordNet

spring chicken

  • noun a young person (especially a young man or boy)
    youth; young person; younker.
  • noun a young chicken having tender meat
WordNet

spring cleavers

  • noun annual having the stem beset with curved prickles; North America and Europe and Asia
    cleavers; clivers; catchweed; goose grass; Galium aparine.
WordNet

spring cress

  • noun small white-flowered cress common in wet places in eastern North America
    Cardamine bulbosa.
WordNet

spring equinox

  • noun March 21
    March equinox; vernal equinox.
WordNet

Spring fly

  • (Zoöl.), a caddice fly; so called because it appears in the spring.
Webster 1913

spring frog

  • noun similar to bullfrog; found in or near marshes and ponds; of United States and Canada
    Rana clamitans; green frog.
  • noun common North American green or brownish frog having white-edged dark oval spots
    leopard frog; Rana pipiens.
WordNet

Spring grass

  • (Bot.), a vernal grass. See under Vernal.
Webster 1913

Spring gun

  • noun a gun that is set to fire on any intruder that comes in contact with the wire that sets it off
    set gun.
WordNet
  • a firearm disharged by a spring, when this is trodden upon or is otherwise moved.
Webster 1913

spring heath

  • noun dwarf European shrub with very early blooming bell-shaped red flowers
    winter heath; Erica carnea.
WordNet

Spring hook

  • (Locomotive Engines), one of the hooks which fix the driving-wheel spring to the frame.
Webster 1913

Spring latch

  • a latch that fastens with a spring.
Webster 1913

Spring lock

  • a lock that fastens with a spring.
Webster 1913

Spring mattress

  • noun a mattress containing springs in a rigid frame
WordNet
  • a spring bed.
Webster 1913

Spring of an arch

  • (Arch.) See Springing line of an arch, under Springing.
Webster 1913

Spring of pork

  • the lower part of a fore quarter, which is divided from the neck, and has the leg and foot without the shoulder. Obs. Nares.
    Sir, pray hand the spring of pork to me. Gayton.
Webster 1913

spring onion

  • noun a young onion before the bulb has enlarged; eaten in salads
    green onion; scallion.
WordNet

spring peeper

  • noun a small brown tree toad having a shrill call heard near wetlands of eastern United States and Canada in early spring
    Hyla crucifer.
WordNet

Spring pin

  • (Locomotive Engines), an iron rod fitted between the springs and the axle boxes, to sustain and regulate the pressure on the axles.
Webster 1913

spring roll

  • noun minced vegetables and meat wrapped in a pancake and fried
    egg roll.
WordNet

Spring rye

  • a kind of rye sown in the spring; in distinction from winter rye, sown in autumn.
Webster 1913

spring scale

  • noun a balance that measure weight by the tension on a helical spring
    spring balance.
WordNet

spring squill

  • noun European scilla with small blue or purple flowers
    sea onion; Scilla verna.
WordNet

Spring stay

  • (Naut.), a preventer stay, to assist the regular one. R. H. Dana, Jr.
Webster 1913

Spring tide

  • the tide which happens at, or soon after, the new and the full moon, and which rises higher than common tides. See Tide.
Webster 1913

spring to mind

  • verb be remembered
    come to mind.
    • His name comes to mind when you mention the strike
WordNet

spring training

  • noun preseason training during the spring
WordNet

spring up

  • verb come into existence; take on form or shape
    originate; develop; rise; uprise; arise; grow.
    • A new religious movement originated in that country
    • a love that sprang up from friendship
    • the idea for the book grew out of a short story
    • An interesting phenomenon uprose
WordNet

spring vetch

  • noun herbaceous climbing plant valuable as fodder and for soil-building
    Vicia sativa.
  • noun bushy European perennial having nodding racemose violet-blue flowers
    spring vetch; Lathyrus vernus.
WordNet

spring vetchling

  • noun bushy European perennial having nodding racemose violet-blue flowers
    spring vetch; Lathyrus vernus.
WordNet

Spring wagon

  • a wagon in which springs are interposed between the body and the axles to form elastic supports.
Webster 1913

spring water

  • noun underground water that is held in the soil and in pervious rocks
    well water; ground water.
  • noun water from a spring
WordNet

Spring wheat

  • any kind of wheat sown in the spring; in distinction from winter wheat, which is sown in autumn.
Webster 1913

spring-blooming

  • adjective satellite of plants that bloom during the spring
    spring-blooming; late-spring-blooming; early-blooming; early-flowering.
WordNet

spring-clean

  • verb thoroughly clean the entire house, often done only once a year
    spring-clean.
    • she started spring-cleaning on April 1
WordNet

spring-cleaning

  • noun the activity of cleaning a house thoroughly at the end of winter
  • verb thoroughly clean the entire house, often done only once a year
    spring-clean.
    • she started spring-cleaning on April 1
WordNet

spring-flowering

  • adjective satellite of plants that bloom during the spring
    spring-blooming; late-spring-blooming; early-blooming; early-flowering.
WordNet

spring-loaded

  • adjective containing a compressed spring that presses one part against another
WordNet

springing cow

  • noun a cow about to give birth
    springer.
WordNet

sprung rhythm

  • noun a poetic rhythm that imitates the rhythm of speech
WordNet

thermal spring

  • noun a natural spring of water at a temperature of 70 F or above
    hot spring.
WordNet

To spring a mast ∨ spar

  • (Naut.), to strain it so that it is unserviceable.
Webster 1913

To spring a butt

  • (Naut.), to loosen the end of a plank in a ship's bottom.
Webster 1913

To spring a leak

  • to open or crack so as to let in water; to begin to let in water; as, the ship sprung a leak.
  • (Naut.), to begin to leak.
Webster 1913

To spring a rattle

  • to cause a rattle to sound. See Watchman's rattle, under Watchman.
  • to cause it to sound.
Webster 1913

To spring an arch

  • (Arch.), to build an arch; a common term among masons; as, to spring an arcg over a lintel.
Webster 1913

To spring at

  • to leap toward; to attempt to reach by a leap.
Webster 1913

To spring forth

  • to leap out; to rush out.
Webster 1913

To spring in

  • to rush in; to enter with a leap or in haste.
Webster 1913

To spring onupon

  • to leap on; to rush on with haste or violence; to assault.
Webster 1913

To spring the luff

  • (Naut.), to ease the helm, and sail nearer to the wind than before; said of a vessel. Mar. Dict.
Webster 1913

Trailing spring

  • a spring fixed in the axle box of the trailing wheels of a locomotive engine, and so placed as to assist in deadening any shock which may occur. Weale.
Webster 1913

Vintage spring

  • a wine fount.
Webster 1913

virginia spring beauty

  • noun small cormous perennial grown for its low rosette of succulent foliage and racemes of pink-tinged white flowers; eastern North America
    Claytonia virginica.
WordNet

volute spring

  • noun a spring in the shape of a coil
    coil spring.
WordNet

Wall spring

  • a spring of water issuing from stratified rocks.
Webster 1913

Weeping spring

  • a spring that discharges water slowly.
Webster 1913