tart´ness

tart´ness
tart1 «tahrt», adjective, verb.
–adj.
1. having a sharp taste; biting, acid, or sour: »

tart plums. Some apples are tart.

2. Figurative. sharp; irritable or biting; mildly cutting or sarcastic: »

Her reply was too tart to be polite. A Federal judge, using some tart language,…threw out the $1,000,000 libel suit brought against the A.F.L.-C.I.O. (New York Times).

 SYNONYM(S): acrimonious, caustic. See syn. under sour. (Cf. ↑sour)
–v.t.
tart up, Especially British. a) to add flavor or interest to: »

Joseph Landon has tarted up Dudley Nichols' script (Canadian Saturday Night).

 b) to improve the appearance of: »

galleries and pubs tarted up with driftwood and fishnet (Atlantic).

╂[Old English teart painful, sharp (of punishment). Probably related to tear1. (Cf. ↑tear)]
–tart´ly, adverb.
–tart´ness, noun.
tart2 «tahrt», noun.
1. U.S. and Canada. a small pie for an individual serving, filled with fruit, jam, or custard, and without a top crust.
2. British. any fruit pie.
╂[< Old French tarte; origin uncertain]
tart3 «tahrt», noun.
Informal. a prostitute.
╂[special use of tart2; originally, a girl or woman of loose morals]

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • ness — ness·ber·ry; ness·ler·iza·tion; ness·ler·ize; ness·ler s; new·fan·gled·ness; new·ness; news·i·ness; nice·ness; nig·gard·li·ness; nig·gard·ness; nigh·ness; nip·pi·ness; no·ble·ness; nois·i·ness; non·cha·lant·ness; north·er·li·ness; north·ness;… …   English syllables

  • tart — tart·ish; tart·let; tart·ly; tart·ness; van·sit·tart·ism; tart; tart·ish·ly; …   English syllables

  • tart — I [[t]tɑrt[/t]] adj. 1) to the taste; sour or acid: tart apples[/ex] 2) sharp in character, spirit, or expression: a tart remark[/ex] • Etymology: bef. 1000; ME; OE teart sharp, rough tart′ly, adv. tart′ness, n. II tart [[t]tɑrt[/t]] n. 1) coo a… …   From formal English to slang

  • tart´ly — tart1 «tahrt», adjective, verb. –adj. 1. having a sharp taste; biting, acid, or sour: »tart plums. Some apples are tart. 2. Figurative. sharp; irritable or biting; mildly cutting or sarcastic: »Her reply was too tart to be polite. A Federal judge …   Useful english dictionary

  • sour´ness — sour «sowr», adjective, verb, noun, adverb. –adj. 1. having a taste like that of vinegar or lemon juice; sharp and biting: »Most green fruit is sour. SYNONYM(S): acid, acidulous, tart. 2. fermented; acid as a result of fermentation; spoiled. Sour …   Useful english dictionary

  • ac´id|ness — ac|id «AS ihd», noun, adjective. –n. 1. a) a chemical compound with a sour or bitter taste that usually unites with a base to form a salt. Acids have a pH value of less than 7. They change blue litmus paper to red and yield hydrogen ions in a… …   Useful english dictionary

  • tartness — tart·ness …   English syllables

  • Tartness — Tart ness, n. The quality or state of being tart. [1913 Webster] Syn: Acrimony; sourness; keenness; poignancy; severity; asperity; acerbity; harshness. See {Acrimony}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ish — ish·er·wood; ish·kash·mi; ish·kyl·dite; ish·ma·el; ish·ma·el·ite; ish·ma·el·it·ish; ish·ma·el·it·ish; is·land·ish; ivory tower·ish; jad·ish; jew·ish·ness; jin·go·ish; kent·ish; kent·ish·man; kick·ish; kit·ten·ish; knav·ish; knav·ish·ly;… …   English syllables

  • Game One — Création 6 septembre 1998 Propriétaire MTV Networks Slogan La chaîne télé des jeux vidéo » (1998 2002) « La chaîne des jeux vidéo » (2002 2004) « …   Wikipédia en Français

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