ˈdʌbl adj., adv., n., & v. --adj. 1 a consisting of
two usu.
equal parts or things;
twofold. b consisting of two
identical parts. 2
twice as
much or
many (double
the amount; double the
number; double thickness). 3 having twice the
usual size,
quantity,
strength, etc. (double whisky). 4 designed
for two
people (double bed). 5 a having
some part double. b (of a flower) having
more than one circle of petals. c (of a domino) having the
same number of pips on
each half. 6 having two
different roles or interpretations,
esp. implying
confusion or
deceit (double
meaning; leads a double life). 7 Mus. lower in pitch by an
octave (double bassoon). --adv. 1 at or to twice the amount etc. (counts double). 2 two
together (sleep double). --n. 1 a a double quantity or
thing; twice as much or many. b colloq. a double
measure of spirits. 2 a a
counterpart of a
person or thing; a person
who looks
exactly like
another. b an
understudy. c a
wraith. 3 (in pl.)
Sport (in lawn tennis) a game
between two pairs of players. 4 Sport a
pair of victories
over the same
team, a pair of championships at the same game, etc. 5 a
system of
betting in
which the winnings
and stake
from the
first bet are transferred to a second. 6 Bridge the doubling of an opponent's
bid. 7 Darts a
hit on the
narrow ring enclosed by the two
outer circles of a
dartboard, scoring double. 8 a
sharp turn, esp. of the tracks of a hunted
animal, or the
course of a
river. --v. 1 tr. & intr.
make or
become twice as much or many;
increase twofold;
multiply by two. 2 tr. amount to twice as much
as. 3 a tr. fold or bend (paper,
cloth, etc.) over on
itself. b intr. become folded. 4 a tr. (of an actor)
play (two parts) in the same
piece. b intr. (often foll. by for) be understudy etc. 5 intr. (usu. foll. by as) play a twofold
role. 6 intr. turn sharply in flight or
pursuit;
take a
tortuous course. 7 tr. Naut.
sail round (a headland). 8 tr. Bridge make a
call increasing the
value of the points to be
won or
lost on (an opponent's bid). 9 Mus. a intr. (often foll. by on) play two or more
musical instruments (the clarinettist doubles on
tenor sax). b tr.
add the same
note in a higher or lower octave to (a note). 10 tr.
clench (a fist). 11 intr.
move at twice the usual
speed;
run. 12
Billiards a intr. rebound. b tr.
cause to rebound. øat the double
running, hurrying. bent double folded, stooping. double
acrostic see ACROSTIC. double
agent one who spies simultaneously for two
rival countries etc. double
axe an axe
with two blades. double
back take a
new direction opposite to the
previous one. double-banking 1 double-parking. 2
Austral. & NZ riding two on a
horse etc. double-barrelled 1 (of a gun) having two barrels. 2
Brit. (of a surname) having two parts joined by a
hyphen. 3 twofold. double-bass 1 the largest and lowest-pitched
instrument of the
violin family. 2
its player. double bill a
programme with two
principal items. double
bind a
dilemma. double-blind adj. (of a test or experiment) in which
neither the tester
nor the
subject has knowledge of identities etc.
that might lead to
bias. --n.
such a test or
experiment. double bluff an
action or
statement intended to
appear as a bluff, but in
fact genuine. double
boiler a
saucepan with a detachable upper
compartment heated by
boiling water in the lower one. double
bond Chem. a pair of bonds between two atoms in a
molecule. double-book
accept two reservations simultaneously for (the same
seat,
room, etc.). double-breasted (of a
coat etc.) having two fronts overlapping
across the
body. double-check
verify twice or in two ways. double
chin a chin with a fold of
loose flesh below it. double-chinned having a double chin. double
concerto a concerto for two
solo instruments. double
cream thick cream with a
high fat-content. double-cross v.tr.
deceive or
betray (a person one is
supposedly helping). --n. an
act of
doing this. double-crosser a person who double-crosses. double
dagger Printing = double
obelus. double-dealer a deceiver. double-dealing n. deceit, esp. in
business. --adj.
deceitful; practising deceit. double-decker 1 esp. Brit. a
bus having an upper and lower
deck. 2 colloq.
anything consisting of two layers. double-declutch see
DECLUTCH. double decomposition Chem. a
chemical reaction involving
exchange of radicals between two reactants:
also called
METATHESIS. double
density Computing designating a
storage device, esp. a
disk, having twice the
basic capacity. double
dummy Bridge play with two hands exposed, allowing
every card to be located. double
Dutch Brit. colloq.
incomprehensible talk. double-dyed deeply
affected with
guilt. double
eagle 1 a
figure of a two-headed eagle. 2 US
Golf =
ALBATROSS. 3 US a
coin worth twenty dollars. double-edged 1 having two functions or (often contradictory) applications. 2 (of a
knife etc.) having two cutting-edges. double
entry a system of bookkeeping in which each
transaction is entered as a
debit in one
account and a
credit in another. double
exposure Photog. the
accidental or
deliberate repeated exposure of a
plate,
film, etc. double-faced 1
insincere. 2 (of a
fabric or material) finished on
both sides so that
either may be used as the
right side. double
fault (in lawn tennis) two
consecutive faults in
serving. double
feature a
cinema programme with two full-length films. double figures the numbers from 10 to 99. double first Brit. 1 first-class honours in two subjects or examinations at a
university. 2 a person achieving this. double-fronted (of a house) with principal windows on either side of the
front door. double-ganger = DOPPELGïNGER. double
glazing 1 a
window consisting of two layers of
glass with a
space between
them, designed to
reduce loss of
heat and
exclude noise. 2 the
provision of this. double
Gloucester a kind of
hard cheese orig.
made in Gloucestershire. double
header 1 a
train pulled by two locomotives coupled together. 2 US two games etc. in
succession between the same opponents. 3 Austral. colloq. a coin with a
head on both sides. double
helix a pair of
parallel helices with a
common axis, esp. in the
structure of the
DNA molecule. double-jointed having joints that
allow unusual bending of the fingers, limbs, etc. double-lock
lock by a double turn of the key. double
negative Gram. a negative statement containing two negative elements (e.g. didn't
say nothing). °Considered
ungrammatical in
standard English. double obelus (or obelisk) Printing a
sign used to
introduce a
reference. double or
quits a
gamble to
decide whether a player's loss or
debt be doubled or cancelled. double-park
park (a vehicle)
alongside one that is
already parked at the
roadside. double play
Baseball putting
out two runners. double
pneumonia pneumonia affecting both lungs. double-quick
very quick or quickly. double
refraction Optics refraction forming two
separate rays from a
single incident ray. double
rhyme a rhyme including two syllables. double
salt Chem. a salt composed of two
simple salts and having different
crystal properties from either. double saucepan Brit. = double boiler. double
shuffle Dancing a shuffle executed twice with one
foot and
then twice with the
other. double standard 1 a
rule or
principle applied more
strictly to some people than to others (or to oneself). 2
bimetallism. double
star two stars
actually or apparently very close together. double-stopping Mus. the
sounding of two strings at
once on a violin etc. double take a delayed reaction to a
situation etc.
immediately after one's first reaction. double-talk
verbal expression that is (usu. deliberately)
ambiguous or
misleading. double-think the
mental capacity to accept
contrary opinions or beliefs at the same
time esp. as a
result of
political indoctrination. double time 1
payment of an
employee at twice the
normal rate. 2
Mil. the
regulation running-pace. double-tonguing
rapid articulation in playing a wind instrument. double top Darts a
score of double twenty. double up 1 a bend or
curl up. b cause to do this, esp. by a blow. 2 be
overcome with
pain or
laughter. 3 share or
assign to a room, quarters,
etc., with another or others. 4 fold or become folded. 5
use winnings from a bet as stake for another. øødoubler n. doubly adv. [ME f. OF doble, duble (n.), dobler, dubler (v.) f. L duplus DUPLE]