See Also: Double-Hearty, Double-Quick Veggie Chili(recipes)
Double-Skate Double-Pole - Skiing(gambling)
Double-Stride Double-Poling - Skiing(gambling)
Double-Double - Lotto(gambling)
Double top(money)
double-dip(dictionary)
double lip(medicine)
double(2)(dictionary)
double act(dictionary)
double bed(dictionary)

double(1) (iou)



double adjective & adverb. ME.
[Old French doble, duble (mod. double) from Latin duplus DUPLE.]
A. adjective.
Consisting of two members, things, layers, sets, etc.; twofold, forming a pair; occurring twice, repeated. ME.
Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream Like to a double cherry.., Two lovely berries moulded on one stem. Steele Is Dimpple spelt with a single or double P? Dickens Nickleby gave a double knock. L. Durrell The double burden of her own poor circumstances and illness.
b. Folded, doubled; bent, stooping forward, doubled up. LME.
W. Owen Bent double, like old beggars under sacks.
c. Having some essential part or feature present twice; (of a flower) having more than the usual number of petals, often owing to the conversion of stamens and sometimes carpels into petals; (of a domino) having the same number of pips in each half. LME.
Having a twofold relation or application; dual; ambiguous. ME.
T. Herbert The word..admitting a double construction, sheep and apple. F. Marryat He..is a double traitor.
Twice as much or as many; of twice the, or twice the, measure, amount, or capacity. (Formerly foll. by of, over, to.) ME.
A. De Morgan The average error of the first..is double of that of the second. Ld Macaulay His army..might easily have been increased to double the number.
Characterized by duplicity; false, deceitful. ME.
G. Burnet He was..either very double or very inconstant.
Of two or more times the usual size, value, strength, etc. LME.
V. Scannell Ten new pennies For a pint and a double gin.
b. Music. Lower in pitch by an octave. L17.
b. adverb.
After a numeral: times, -fold. ME-L17.
To twice the amount or extent; in two ways or respects; doubly. LME.
Keats Bright eyes were double bright.
b. In a pair or couple; two together; two at once. L16.
R. B. Sheridan Content to ride double, behind the butler.
With duplicity, deceitfully. rare. L16.
Phrases: double or quits colloq. the next game, throw, etc., will decide whether the stake is to be doubled or cancelled. see double (seem to) perceive two images of one object.
Special collocations & comb.: double acrostic: see ACROSTIC noun 1. double-acting adjective acting in two ways or directions; spec. (of an engine) in which pistons are pushed from both sides alternately. double agent a person who purports to spy for one country or organization while actually working for a hostile or rival one. double album two long-playing records or two cassettes packaged together and sold as a set. double axe an axe with two blades. double-bank verb (a) verb trans. provide or work with two sets of rowers, horses, etc., side by side; (b) verb intrans. & trans. (Austral. & NZ) ride two on (a horse or bicycle); carry (a second person) thus; cf. DOUBLE verb 17; (c) verb trans. & intrans. = double-park below. double-banked adjective & adverb designating, having, or with two (sets of) things side by side. double bar Music a pair of closely spaced bar-lines marking the end of a work or of a section of one. double-bar an Australian waxbill, Poephila bichenovii. double-barrel adjective & noun (a) adjective double-barrelled; (b) noun a double-barrelled gun; (a person with) a double-barrelled name. double-barrelled adjective (a) (of a gun) having two barrels; (b) serving a double purpose, twofold; (c) (of a surname) having two (usu. hyphenated) elements. double bassoon: see BASSOON 1. double bed a bed for two people. double bill a cinema or theatre show with two principal items. double bind (a) Psychology a situation in which contradictory attitudes are expressed towards a child or other person, or contradictory demands are made of him or her, so that he or she cannot avoid being at fault; (b) gen. a situation in which either of two possible courses will be wrong; a dilemma. double-bitted adjective1 having two bits. double-bitted adjective2 (Nautical) (of a cable) wound twice round the bitts or round two pairs of bitts. double blank: see BLANK noun 11. double-blind adjective & noun (designating) a test etc. in which neither tester nor subject has knowledge of identities or other factors that might lead to bias. double bluff a bluff in which a person deliberately emphasizes one course of action etc. to suggest that a contradictory course will be taken, and then takes the first course. double bogey Golf a score of two strokes over par. double-bogey verb trans. & intrans. (Golf) complete (a hole) in two strokes over par. double boiler a saucepan with a detachable upper compartment heated by boiling water in the lower. double bond Chemistry two covalent bonds between the same two atoms. double-book verb trans. & intrans. accept two mutually exclusive bookings for (the same room, seat, etc.); book (a person) into a room, seat, etc., also assigned to another. double-breasted adjective (of a jacket etc.) having a substantial overlap of material at the front, freq. fastened with two rows of buttons. double bridle a bridle comprising both curb and snaffle bits, each with its own set of reins. double century a score of 200, esp. in cricket; (a cycle ride of) 200 miles. double-check verb trans. verify twice or in two ways. double chin a chin with a fold of flesh under it. double-chinned adjective having a double chin. double-click verb intrans. & trans. press a mouse button twice in quick succession to select a file, program, or function: select (a file etc.) in this way. double-clutch verb intrans. (US) = double-declutch below. double coconut: see COCONUT 4. double CONCERTO. double cream thick cream containing a high proportion of fat. double-crop verb trans. cultivate (land) under a system of double cropping. double cropping the cultivation of two crops from the same land in a single season. double cube Architecture a room of which the breadth is equal to the height and the length is double it. double dagger: see DAGGER noun1. double date colloq. a social engagement involving two couples. double-date verb intrans. colloq.) go on a double date. double-dealer a cheat, a deceiver. double-dealing deceit, treachery. double-dealing adjective deceitful, treacherous. double-deck, double-decked adjectives having two decks or layers. double-decker noun & adjective (designating) something with two decks or layers; spec. (designating) a bus, ship, etc., with an upper and a lower deck for passengers. double-declutch verb intrans. release and re-engage the clutch twice when changing gear in a motor vehicle. double decomposition Chemistry the simultaneous decomposition of two compounds in a reaction with the formation of two new ones. double-dig verb trans. dig two spits deep, as in double digging. double digging digging in which one spit of soil is taken off and the underlying second spit broken up before being covered again. double-digit adjective = double-figure below. double digits = double figures below. double-dink verb intrans. & trans. (Austral. & NZ slang) carry (a person) as a second rider on a bicycle or horse. double dip N. Amer. an ice-cream cone with two scoops of ice-cream. double-dipper N. Amer. & Austral. a person who practises double-dipping. double-dipping N. Amer. & Austral. the practice of commuting an occupational pension to a lump sum and then drawing a State pension that would not otherwise be due, or of receiving an income from two jobs, esp. a pension from a former job and a salary from a current one. double door(s) (a) a pair of doors side by side in one opening, meeting in the middle; (b) two doors situated one close behind the other. double dot Music two dots placed side by side after a note to lengthen it by three-quarters of its value. double-dot verb trans. & intrans. (Music) mark with or employ double dots (chiefly as double-dotted ppl adjective, double-dotting verbal noun). double dummy whist or bridge with two hands exposed, allowing every card to be located by the players. double Dutch: see DUTCH noun1. double-dye verb trans. dye twice; fig. imbue or stain deeply with guilt; (chiefly as double-dyed ppl adjective). double eagle (a) a figure of an eagle with two heads; (b) Golf = ALBATROSS 3; (c) a former US coin worth twenty dollars. double-edged adjective having two cutting edges; fig. acting both ways; damaging to the user as well as an opponent. double-ender something with both ends alike. double entry a method of bookkeeping in which each transaction is entered twice, once to the credit of one account and once to the debit of another. double event the winning of two events at the same meeting or in the same season; a dual success or occurrence. double exposure Photography the action or result of exposing the same frame, plate, etc., on two occasions, either accidentally or deliberately. double fault Tennis two consecutive faults in serving, together resulting in the loss of a point. double-fault verb intrans. commit a double fault. double feast Roman Catholic Church = DOUBLE noun 4b. double feature a cinema programme with two full-length films. double fertilization Botany the mode of fertilization in angiosperms, in which one sperm nucleus fuses with an egg nucleus to produce the embryo and the other fuses with the two polar nuclei to produce the endosperm. double-figure adjective equal in quantity, rate, etc., to a number, esp. a percentage, between 10 and 99 inclusive. double figures (a quantity, score, etc., equal to) a number between 10 and 99 inclusive. double first (a person gaining) first-class honours in two subjects or examinations at university. double flat Music a sign () placed before a note to indicate that it is to be lowered two semitones; a note so marked or lowered. double fleece Austral. & NZ a fleece from a sheep that has missed a shearing. double-fronted adjective having two fronts or faces; (of a house) having the principal windows on either side of the front door. double FUGUE. double glazing (the provision of) two sheets of glass fixed one behind the other in a window to reduce heat loss, noise, etc. double Gloucester (cheese) [made at Berkeley, Gloucestershire] a firm cheese similar to Cheddar but milder. double-handed adjective (a) made to be lifted or held with two hands, two-handled; (b) capable of a double use, application, or action (lit. & fig.). double harness harness for two horses etc.; fig. matrimony, close partnership. double harp: see HARP noun. double-head verb (a) verb intrans. (of a train) be pulled by two locomotives; (b) verb trans. (of two locomotives) jointly pull (a train) (usu. in pass.). double-headed adjective having a double head or two heads; double-ended; (of a train) pulled by two locomotives. double header (a) US (rare) a kind of firework; (b) a train pulled by two locomotives; (c) N. Amer. two games or matches in succession between the same opponents. double-hearted adjective (arch.) deceitful, dissembling. double-heartedness noun (arch.) double-hearted nature. double helix a pair of helices intertwined about a common axis, esp. in the structure of the DNA molecule. double-hung adjective (of a window) consisting of two sliding vertical sashes. double hyphen a mark consisting of one hyphen above another, sometimes used at the end of a line to show that a hyphen would be there even if it were not a line-end. double image (a) duplicate images of an object seen simultaneously, as when the eyes fail to focus; (b) Art an image, representation, etc., which allows two irreconcilable interpretations simultaneously. double indemnity US the provision for payment of double the face amount of an insurance policy when death occurs as a result of an accident. double jeopardy (the immunity which prevents) the prosecution of a person twice for the same offence. double-jointed adjective having joints that allow an unusual bending and flexibility of fingers, limbs, etc. double-jointedness double-jointed condition. double knitting (a) knitting that is tubular, for ties, belts, etc.; (b) knitting with yarn of double thickness; (more fully double knitting wool, double knitting yarn) yarn for knitting that is double the usual thickness. double life a life in which two different characters (and careers) are sustained simultaneously, of which usu. one is virtuous and one not. double-lock verb trans. lock by a double turn of the key. double meaning (possession of) two meanings; (use of) an ambiguous expression; spec. = DOUBLE ENTENDRE. double-meaning adjective having or employing a double meaning. double-minded adjective (a) in two minds, uncertain, wavering; (b) having two meanings. double-mindedness double-minded quality or state. double negative Grammar a construction containing two negative elements (esp. where one is redundant, now considered ungrammatical in standard English); loosely, either of the two negatives in such a construction. double nelson: see NELSON noun2. double obelisk: see OBELISK noun 2. double OXER. double paddle a paddle with a blade at each end. double-park verb trans. & intrans. park (a vehicle) alongside another vehicle already parked at the roadside etc. double play Baseball a play in which two runners are put out. double PNEUMONIA. double precision Computing the use of twice the usual number of bits or words to represent a number. double-precision adjective (Computing) having double precision. double-queued adjective (Heraldry) (of an animal) having two tails. double-quick adjective, adverb, noun, & verb (a) adjective (Military) designating the fastest marching time next to the run; (b) adverb in double-quick time; very quickly, smartly; (c) noun double-quick time; (d) verb intrans. (Military) march in double-quick time. double reed a wind instrument reed with two slightly separated blades, as in the oboe and bassoon. double-reef verb trans. (Nautical) reduce the spread of (a sail) by two reefs. double refraction the refraction of unpolarized light into two rays or beams going in different directions, producing a double image of an object; the property of causing this, exhibited by some crystals. double rhyme rhyme involving two syllables in each rhyming line. double room a bedroom for two people. double salt Chemistry a salt which when crystalline is composed of two simple salts (which it usu. yields in solution) and has different properties from either. double saucepan = double boiler above. double sharp Music a sign () placed before a note to indicate that it is to be raised two semitones; a note so marked or raised. double shuffle a dance in which each foot in turn makes two shuffles. double-shuffle verb intrans. dance a double shuffle. double-shot verb trans. load (a gun) with a double quantity of shot. double-space verb trans. lay out (a text) with double spacing. double spacing spacing in which a line is left empty between successive lines of a (esp. typewritten) text. double-speak language or talk that is (usu. deliberately) ambiguous or obscure. double standard (a) bimetallism; (b) (the application of) a standard, principle, etc., applied more strictly to some people or situations than others. double star a pair of stars that appear as one until viewed in a telescope, esp. a binary star. double steal Baseball a play in which two base-runners each steal a base. double-stopping Music the sounding of two strings at once on an instrument to give an interval. double summertime daylight saving in which clocks are two hours ahead of standard winter time. double take a delayed and usu. contradictory reaction to an occurrence or situation immediately after one's first reaction. double-talk = double-speak above. double team: see TEAM noun 5a. double-team verb (US) (a) verb intrans. combine two teams into one; (b) verb intrans. bring double pressure to bear on a person; (c) verb trans. block (an opposing player) with two players. double tertian: see TERTIAN noun 1. doublethink the mental capacity to accept as equally valid two entirely contradictory opinions or beliefs; the practice of doing this. double tides adverbial phr. twice as long or as hard, as hard or as much as possible; (chiefly in work double tides). double time (a) Military a marching pace in which approximately twice as many steps per minute are made as in slow time; (b) Music a rhythm made twice as fast as an earlier rhythm; (c) a rate of pay equal to twice the standard rate (given for working extra on holidays etc.). double-time verb intrans. march or play in double time. double-tongued adjective saying contradictory or inconsistent things; deceitful or insincere in speech. double tonguing Music tonguing in which two alternating movements of the tongue are made (usually as in sounding t and k), to facilitate rapid playing of a wind instrument. double top Darts (a throw into) the double-scoring segment of the top (20) space of a dartboard, worth 40 points. doubletree [after singletree s.v. SINGLE adjective & adverb] a crossbar of a wagon with a swingletree at each end, enabling two horses to draw. double vision the simultaneous perception of two images of one object. double wedding a wedding of two couples at the same time. double-wide noun & adjective (US) (designating) a semi-permanent mobile home consisting of two separate units connected on site. double yellow: see YELLOW noun. double yellow line: see YELLOW adjective.
doublefold adjective & adverb twofold ME.
doubleness noun the quality or state of being double; duplicity, deceitfulness: LME.