laddern.
/ˈladə/, U.S. /ˈlædər/ 1. † b. esp. The steps to a gallows. Chiefly in to bring to the ladder. groom of the ladder (jocular): a hangman. Obsolete.
a. An appliance made of wood, metal, or rope, usually portable, consisting of a series of bars (‘rungs’) or steps fixed between two supports, by means of which one may ascend to or descend from a height.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [noun]
ladder971
staira1400
stya1400
scale1412
Jacob1708
971 Blickl. Hom. 209 Þær wæs gewuna þæm folce..þæt hie æfter hlæddrum up to ðæm glæsenum fæte astigon.
c1000 Ælfric Genesis xxviii. 12 Þa geseah he on swefne standan ane hlædre fram eorðan to heofenan.
a1100 Gerefa in Anglia (1886) 9 263 Hlædre, horscamb and sceara.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 3103 Hii..cables vette ynowe & laddren & leuours.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1607 He..sag..Fro ðe erðe up til heuene bem A leddre stonden.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 3779 In slepe a ladder him þoȝt he seyghe fra þe firmament riȝt to his eyghe.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) x. 647 Yai set yar ledder [1487 St. John's Cambr. ledderis] to ye wall.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 4761 Þai wonyn on the wallis lightly with ladders.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. clix The Emperour goynge forth as farre as the ladder of the shippe to mete him, receaueth him in.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1356/1 A lather of fourteene staues would but reach to the top of hir backe.
1626 G. Sandys tr. Ovid Metamorphosis xiv. 298 [He] oft a lather tooke To gather fruit.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. i. 12 That several Ladders should be applyed to my Sides, on which..the Inhabitants mounted.
1741 Churchwardens' Accts. in C. Wordsworth Rutland Words (1891) 21 For two Rounds for ye uper lether, 2d.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. xl. 14 Kit mounted half-way up a short ladder.
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society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > [noun] > gallows > parts of
ladderc1515
yardarm?a1554
tramc1650
drop1796
drop-bolt1890
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lix. 204 [Iuoryn] commaundyd a .xxx. men to lede hym to ye galows &..they causyd the mynstrell to mount vp on ye ladder.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. L2 I..should haue been hanged, was brought to the ladder,..and yet for all that scap'd dancing in a hempen circle.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. M2 Casting mee off the ladder.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. O3v A fidler cannot turne his pin so soone, as he [sc. the executioner] would turn a man of the ladder.
1601 A. Dent Plaine Mans Path-way to Heauen 336 Many..haue bene brought to the gallowes, and haue confessed vppon the Ladder, that [etc.].
a1634 J. Day Peregrinatio Scholastica (Sloane 3150) f. 29v A kinsman of myne, that is grome of the ladder, and yeoman of the Corde.
1658 W. Gurnall Christian in Armour: 2nd Pt. 647 The offer of a pardon comes too late, to him that hath turn'd himself off the Ladder.
c. figurative. Also in †to draw up the ladder after itself [compare French après lui il faut tirer l'échelle] : to be unapproachable. to see through a ladder: to see what is obvious. to kick down the ladder: said of persons who repudiate or ignore the friendships or associations by means of which they have risen in the world.
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the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [noun] > object of desire > means of achieving
to draw up the ladder after itselfc1175
the mind > emotion > pride > haughtiness or disdainfulness > be haughty or disdainful [verb (intransitive)] > specifically by ignoring prior friendships
to kick down the ladder1794
society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > elevation or exaltation in rank > means towards achieving
to draw up the ladder after itself1974
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 129 Ðis is sunfulla monna leddre.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 261 Forþi þet dauid hefde þe twa steolen of þis laddre þach he king were þe [read he] clomb upwart.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 246 (MED) Þis is þe laste stape of þe lheddre of perfeccion.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xvi. 44 The Fende..leith a laddre there-to, of lesynges aren the ronges.
1477 Earl Rivers tr. Dictes or Sayengis Philosophhres (Caxton) (1877) lf. 39 Men sette moche store by the foresayde sciences and was their opynion that it was the laddre to go vp into alle other sciences.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. i. 55 Northumberland, thou ladder wherewithall The mounting Bullingbrooke ascends my throne. View more context for this quotation
a1625 W. Cope Apol. R. Cecil in J. Gutch Collectanea Curiosa (1781) I. 133 It is not the true way..for men to raise themselves by ladders of detraction.
1670 S. Wilson Lassels's Voy. Italy (new ed.) i. 87 After the Domo, I saw the Church of the Annunciata, which draweth vp the Ladder after it for neatness.
1794 Ld. Nelson in Disptches & Lett. (ed. 2) I. 449 Duncan is, I think, a little altered; there is nothing like kicking down the ladder a man rises by.
1843 G. W. Le Fevre Life Trav. Physician I. i. iv. 74 With these two houses alone I have worked up the medical ladder of my life.
1847 P. J. de Smet Oregon Missions 31 It was on this occasion he conceived the idea of the Catholic ladder—‘a form of instruction which represents on paper the various truths and mysteries of religion in their chronological order’.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs vii. 31 She has struggled so gallantly for polite reputation that she has won it; pitilessly kicking down the ladder as she advanced, degree by degree.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. vi. 71 Can't ye see through a ladder, ye black nigger?
1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) II. vii. 73 He now began to climb the ladder of preferment afresh.
1910 Daily Chron. 24 Jan. 8/3 Some kind of ladder of subjects..would be a great gain.
1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 18 Apr. 15 Knowledge that would serve as a ladder to further research.
1951 R. Firth Elements Social Organization i. 29 Special attention was..given to such important matters as the breadth of the educational ladder.
1974 ‘W. Haggard’ Kinsmen x. 98 When he'd made a great fortune Duncan Gregg had gone up the ladder a little. But not very much, he was still in trade.
2. With qualifying words indicating its use, construction, position, etc., as fire ladder, extension ladder, rope ladder, scaling ladder, stepladder, etc. Also Nautical, as accommodation ladder, bowsprit ladder, entering ladder, gallery ladder, quarter ladder, stern ladder. Also Jacob's ladder n.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > other equipment of vessel > [noun] > ladder or gang-plank
ship-ladderc1050
fall-bridge1487
way-shide1535
gallery ladder1706
side ladder1724
gangboard1769
gangway ladder1778
gangplank1785
stern-ladder1794
race board1808
gangway1846
brow1867
boarding-bridge1878
passerelle1989
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 13 An entring ladder or cleats.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Ladders The Bolt-sprit-ladder, at the Beak-head, made fast over the Bolt-sprit, to get upon it.
1758 Sharp in Naval Chron. 8 154 He..got into a boat from the stern ladder.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Ladder Accommodation-ladder, is a sort of light stair-case, occasionally fixed on the gangway of the admiral, or commander in chief, of a fleet.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarter-ladders, two ladders of rope, depending from the right and left side of a ship's stern.
3.
a. Applied to things more or less resembling a ladder. Often with qualifying words, as cheese ladder n. at cheese n.1 Compounds 2, cooper's ladder, paring ladder (see quots.); fish ladder (see fish n.1 Compounds 2b).
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1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 318/2 The paring Ladder, or Coopers Ladder..By the help of this all Barrel Staves or Boards are held fast and sure while the Work-man is paring or shaving them.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 339/2 The Cart Lathers are the Crooked peeces set over the Cart wheels to keepe Hay and Straw loaden off them.
1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. II. 376 Scotch cart..with ladders complete, so as to be used as a dung or harvest cart.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Ladder, a notched cleat or stick in a bookcase, for supporting shelves.
1883 Official Catal. Internat. Fisheries Exhib. (ed. 4) 90 Two Salmon Ladders, One Jumping Ladder, One Swimming Ladder.
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. Ladder, a series of mud buckets which are carried up and down in an oblique direction, for emptying and refilling in dredging operations.
1890 Wesleyan Methodist's Mag. Mar. 162 A woven-ladder tape for Venetian blinds, in lieu of hand-made ladders.
1892 Daily News 25 Jan. 3/3 The flowers are formed into ruches, which trim the skirt and are carried up the sides, with a ladder of ribbons between the lines.
1902 Daily Chron. 10 Dec. 9/2 Navigation is provided for by a ‘ladder’ of four locks, each 260 ft. long by 32 ft. wide.
b. In knitted garments or stockings: a longitudinal strip of unravelled fabric, so called from the appearance of the threads.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > manufactured in specific way > knitted > tear in
ladder1838
runner1916
run1931
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and feet > [noun] > stocking > parts of > tear in
ladder1838
run1887
runner1916
1838 A. Mathews Mem. C. Mathews II. xi. 246 He had been diverted by observing a fracture (or what a sempstress would term a ladder) in the back part of His Majesty's black-silk stockings.
1875 L. S. Floyer Plain Needlework 10 A crochet needle (to pick up the ladders in stockings).
1908 Daily Chron. 31 Dec. 4/6 Silk tights are fragile things, sadly given to ‘ladders’ on the least provocation.
1919 ‘C. Dane’ Legend 128 Someone ought to see that his socks were mended properly, for there was a great ladder down one ankle.
1957 M. Spark Comforters iv. 76 There was a ladder in her stocking.
1973 J. Cleary Ransom vii. 158 Sylvia looked up from examining the ladders in her stockings.
c. Naval gunnery. A series of range-finding shots up to or back from the target.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > [noun] > an artillery shot > patterns of shot or ranging shot
pattern1859
bracket1899
brace-shot1914
straddle1915
ladder1922
1922 Grand Fleet Gunnery & Torpedo Memoranda on Naval Actions 1914–18 (Admiralty) vii. 57 The procedure generally found best by the control officers when the shot should have been straddling but nothing could be seen was to ladder down with a 200 ladder till shorts were clearly seen, and then ladder up till shorts were not seen, when the process was repeated... Although this blind ladder is extravagant in ammunition, it appears that no other course is open under similar conditions of visibility.
4. In names of plants, as Christ's ladder (see Christ n. and int. Compounds 3). Ladder to Heaven (see quots.). Also Jacob's ladder n.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > lily and allied flowers > Solomon's seal or star of Bethlehem
whitewort?c1400
Solomon's seal1543
dog's onion1548
white root1548
ornithogalum1562
Our Lady's cowslip1565
St John's seal1567
star of Bethlehem1573
ornithogal1578
field onion1582
Polygonatum1597
star of Bethlehem1629
Ladder to Heaven1640
Star of Naples1722
smilacina1808
seal-wort1837
lady's seal1870
peep of day1882
morning star1890
chinkerinchee1926
1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum 699 Wee in English [call it] Salomons Seale most usually, but in some countries the people call it Ladder to Heaven,..from the forme of the stalke of leaves, one being set above another.
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 306/2 Ladder to Heaven, Convallaria.
1879 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Ladder to Heaven. (1) Polemonium cæruleum, L. (2) Polygonatum multiflorum.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.† ladder stale n. Obsolete
ladder foot n.
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a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Trial of Fox l. 1094 in Poems (1981) 45 Syne furth him led, and to the gallowis gais, And at the ledder fute his leif he tais.
ladder rung n.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [noun] > rung or step
stepc1000
gangOE
stavec1175
tine?c1225
ladder stalea1250
degreec1290
rungc1300
staffc1325
stairc1400
ladder stavec1440
scalec1440
roundc1450
stakec1450
sprang1527
staver1534
rundle1565
rave1566
roundel1585
rondel1616
ladder rung1620
rowel1652
spokea1658
stower1674
stale1714
rim1788
tread1838
through1899
step iron1912
1620 in H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 171 For a peece of Timber to make Ladder Rungs, 12d.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [noun] > rung or step
stepc1000
gangOE
stavec1175
tine?c1225
ladder stalea1250
degreec1290
rungc1300
staffc1325
stairc1400
ladder stavec1440
scalec1440
roundc1450
stakec1450
sprang1527
staver1534
rundle1565
rave1566
roundel1585
rondel1616
ladder rung1620
rowel1652
spokea1658
stower1674
stale1714
rim1788
tread1838
through1899
step iron1912
a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 160 Þeos two [þinges]. scheome. and pine..beoð þe two leddre stalen [?c1225 Cleo. leaddre steolen]. þet beoð upriht to þe heouene.
ladder stave n.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [noun] > rung or step
stepc1000
gangOE
stavec1175
tine?c1225
ladder stalea1250
degreec1290
rungc1300
staffc1325
stairc1400
ladder stavec1440
scalec1440
roundc1450
stakec1450
sprang1527
staver1534
rundle1565
rave1566
roundel1585
rondel1616
ladder rung1620
rowel1652
spokea1658
stower1674
stale1714
rim1788
tread1838
through1899
step iron1912
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 293/1 Leddyr stafe, scalarium.
1608 A. Willet Hexapla in Exodum 606 As ladder staues they were equally distant one from another.
b. Objective.
ladder-climber n.
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society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > social mobility > social climbing or status seeking > person
ladder-climber1870
social climber1894
status seeker1944
1870 Evening Standard 17 Sept. The ladder-climbers, who now direct the affairs of Paris.
c. Instrumental.
(a)
ladder-travelling n.
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1855 J. R. Leifchild Cornwall: Mines & Miners 156 The ladder-travelling is rendered less fatiguing, by being varied and broken up into short journeys.
(b)
ladder-bridged adj.
ΚΠ
1898 Westm. Gaz. 26 Aug. 8/2 The ladder-bridged crevasse.
d. Similative.
(a)
ladder-path n.
ΚΠ
1814 S. Rogers Jacqueline in Poems (1839) 26 Up many a ladder-path he guided.
ladder road n.
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1828 H. D. Best Italy 30 We had descended many steps of the ladder-road.
(b)
ladderwise adv.
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1593 Queen Elizabeth I tr. Boethius De Consolatione Philosophiæ in Queen Elizabeth's Englishings (1899) i. pr. i. 7 Betwine bothe lettars, ladarwise, certain steps wer marked.
C2. Special combinations.
ladder-back n. (also ladder-back chair) a chair in which the back is formed of horizontal pieces of wood, suggestive of a ladder.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > seat > chair > [noun] > chair with back > of specific type
wainscot chair1663
Windsor chair1724
slat-back1891
comb-back1901
Windsor1901
wheel-back1902
hoop-back1905
ladder-back1908
spoon-back1909
Mendlesham chair1935
1908 Daily Report 24 Aug. 8/3 Three ladder-back chairs, with cherubs and a crown, brought £46.
1923 Daily Mail 11 Jan. 11 Let the table be of the gate-leg variety and the chairs of the style known as ladder-backs.
1966 A. W. Lewis Gloss. Woodworking Terms 51 Ladder back, chairs made at the end of the seventeenth century with horizontal slats across the back like a ladder.
1973 J. Burrows Like Evening Gone i. 14 Greta was sitting on a ladderback chair by the kitchen table.
ladder-back woodpecker n. (also ladder-backed woodpecker) U.S. one of several North American species of woodpecker with black and white, barred markings, esp. Dendrocopos scalaris.
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the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Piciformes > [noun] > family Picidae > member of genus Picoides
witwall1668
pianet1706
hairy woodpecker1731
sap-sucker1805
ladder woodpecker1870
ladder-back woodpecker1884
1884 E. Coues Key to N. Amer. Birds (ed. 2) 485 Picoïdes americanus..Ladder-backed Three-toed Woodpecker.
1917 T. G. Pearson Birds Amer. II. 149/1 The Ladder-back Woodpeckers are divisible into three regional varieties, the American, the Alaska.., and the Alpine.
1964 A. Wetmore et al. Song & Garden Birds N. Amer. 92/1 Ladder-backed woodpecker. Dendrocopos scalaris. Vast stretches of hot, treeless desert seem a curious habitat for a woodpecker. Yet to the ladderback such country is home.
ladder-braid n. a kind of braid made on the lace-pillow.
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1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 43 Ladder braid.
ladder-carriage n. one for conveying fire-ladders (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 1875).
ladder company n. Military (see quot.).
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1884 Instr. Mil. Engin. (ed. 3) I. ii. 87 The men told off to one ladder (4 files or more, according to length of ladder) form a ‘ladder detachment’ and the detachments for one line of ladders form a ‘ladder company’, or ‘ladder double company’.
ladder-dance n. (see quot.).
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society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > acrobatic dancing > [noun]
tumblinga1400
ladder-dance1801
pedestal dance1880
adagio1928
limbo1948
1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod iii. v. 173 The Ladder-dance; so called, because the performer stands upon a ladder, which he shifts from place to place, and ascends or descends without losing the equilibrium, or permitting it to fall.
ladder-dancer n.
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society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > acrobatic dancing > [noun] > dancer
ladder-dancer1709
ladder-walker1711
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 12. ⁋18 Ladder~dancers, Rope-dancers, Jugglers.
ladder detachment n. Military (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1884 Mil. Engineering I. ii. 87 The men told off to one ladder (4 files or more, according to length of ladder) form a ‘ladder detachment’ and the detachments for one line of ladders form a ‘ladder company’, or ‘ladder double company’.
ladder-dredge n. a dredge having buckets carried round on a ladder-like chain ( Cent. Dict.).
ladder fern n. a fern of the genus Nephrolepis, which spreads by creeping rhizomes, producing new crowns.
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the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > other ferns
mountain parsley1578
female fern1597
rock parsley1597
spleenwort1597
marsh fern1686
prickly fern1764
parsley fern1777
sensitive fern1780
lady fern1783
stone-brake1796
mountain fern1800
rock brake1802
walking leaf1811
todea1813
shield-fern1814
Woodsia1815
mangemange1817
cinnamon fern1818
climbing fern1818
bladder-fern1828
king fern1829
filmy fern1830
ostrich fern1833
New York fern1843
mokimoki1844
rhizocarp1852
film-fern1855
nardoo1860
gymnogram1861
holly-fern1861
limestone-polypody1861
elk-horn1865
Gleichenia1865
lizard's herb1866
cliff brake1867
kidney fern1867
Christmas fern1873
Prince of Wales feathers1873
Christmas shield fern1878
buckler-fern1882
crape-fern1882
stag-horn1882
ladder fern1884
oleander fern1884
stag fern1884
resam1889
lip-fern1890
coral-fern1898
bamboo fern1930
pteroid1949
fern-gale-
1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 222/2 Nephrolepis cordifolia, Ladder Fern, of New Zealand.
1893 G. Schneider Bk. Choice Ferns II. xliii. 583 Nephrolepis... Ladder Ferns... This genus..belts the world in the Tropics, passing a little beyond them both north and south.
1951 Dict. Gardening (Royal Hort. Soc.) III. 1365/2 Nephrolepis,.. Ladder fern. A genus of about 35 species of handsome ferns, widely dispersed over the tropics.
1969 Coast to Coast 1967–8 49 Beyond that was the swamp—tea-trees, paperbarks, huge ladder ferns.
ladder-like adj. resembling a ladder, gradational; also adv.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [adjective] > resembling ladder
laddery1852
ladder-like1859
1859 K. Cornwallis Panorama New World I. 21 A ladder-like flight of steps.
1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 303 Parallel bundles,..connected in a ladder-like manner by transverse branches.
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 565 The great parallel terraces over which, ladderlike, the neighbouring Congo has cut its bed.
1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. x. 181 A gradual ladder-like rise [of temperature].
ladder-man n. ‘in a fire-brigade, a member of a hook-and-ladder company’ ( Cent. Dict.).
ladder network n. an electrical network having two pairs of terminals and consisting of impedances that are alternately in series and in parallel, so that the circuit diagram has the form of a ladder.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > circuit > short-circuit > [noun] > circuit network
ladder network1930
lattice network1931
lattice1934
1930 A. C. Bartlett Theory Electr. Artificial Lines iii. 41 The theory of a general ladder network, in which all the elements may have arbitrary values, will first be considered, and..from it will be derived a class of symmetrical ladder artificial lines, of which the T and Π section lines are but simple cases.
1966 H. J. Reich et al. Theory & Applic. Active Devices xviii. 543 Ladder-network oscillators..consist of a voltage-inverting amplifier and a ladder-type resistance-capacitance feedback network that usually has three or more similar sections.
ladder party n. = ladder company n.
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1884 Instr. Mil. Engin. (ed. 3) I. ii. 98 It is always advisable to have officers and non-commissioned officers..with ladder parties.
1891 A. H. Craufurd Gen. Craufurd & Light Div. 230 Fleming..fell leading the ladder party..at Badajoz.
ladder point n. a form of ladder stitch.
ΚΠ
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 186 Ladder stitch, there are two kinds of this stitch, the open, called Ladder Point, or Point d'Echelle, in which the bars forming the stitch are taken across an open space, and the closed, known as Jacob, and Ship Ladder, in which the bars are worked on to the material itself.
ladder polymer n. a polymer in which pairs of long straight-chain molecules are joined by recurring cross-links.
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the world > matter > chemistry > polymer chemistry > polymers > [noun] > types (by structure) > cross-linked
ladder polymer1971
1971 New Scientist 24 June 761/2 The use of conventional straight-chain polymers seems to be restricted by an upper temperature limit of about 550°C, but the ladder polymers (so-called because of their integral cross-linked structure) offer more exciting possibilities.
1974 Sci. Amer. Mar. 66/3 Ladder polymers, or double chains, are found in amphibole minerals, such as one form of asbestos.
ladder-proof adj. of fabrics: not liable to ladder.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric with specific qualities > [adjective] > resistant to damage
mothproof1847
uncrushable1873
ladder-proof1927
1927 Observer 3 Apr. 25 Celanese cami-bockers... In Ladder~proof Self Stripe.
1962 Economist 2 June 897/1 The new answers to feminine prayer [sc. a new type of seamless stockings] are said..to be ladderproof, although not hole~proof.
Categories »
ladder shell n. a marine shell of the genus Scalaria, a staircase-shell, wentletrap.
ladder stitch n. a crossbar stitch in embroidery.
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1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 186 Ladder stitch, there are two kinds of this stitch, the open, called Ladder Point, or Point d'Echelle, in which the bars forming the stitch are taken across an open space, and the closed, known as Jacob, and Ship Ladder, in which the bars are worked on to the material itself.
ladder-stop n. at the top and toe of a stocking, a band of open-work designed to prevent a ladder.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and feet > [noun] > stocking > parts of > other
shanka1547
heelc1571
heeling1591
stocking-sole1607
scogger1615
calfa1658
stocking top1664
seama1825
rig1838
ladder-stop1931
1931 Daily Express 15 Oct. 12/7 (caption) Pair of Lady's Artificial Silk Hose with ladder-stop tops.
1962 Which? Apr. 114/1 Most of the leading firms sell a style with a band of open-work knitting at the welt, known as a ladder-stop.
ladder-truck n. a vehicle for carrying fire-ladders and hooks.
ladder-walker n. = ladder-dancer n.
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society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > acrobatic dancing > [noun] > dancer
ladder-dancer1709
ladder-walker1711
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 258. ⁋3 Why should not..Ladder-walkers, and Posture-makers appear again on our Stage?
ladder way n. a ‘way’ by which one descends or ascends by means of a ladder, (a) in the deck of a ship, (b) in the shaft of a mine.
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1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 128 Ladder~ways, the openings in the decks wherein the ladders are placed.
1874 J. H. Collins Princ. Metal Mining (1875) xiii. 77 A shaft..large enough to allow of ample pumping space, a good ladder-way [etc.].
ladder woodpecker n. = ladder-back woodpecker n.
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the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Piciformes > [noun] > family Picidae > member of genus Picoides
witwall1668
pianet1706
hairy woodpecker1731
sap-sucker1805
ladder woodpecker1870
ladder-back woodpecker1884
1870 Amer. Naturalist 3 474 The resident species not found westward [of the Colorado Valley] were the Ladder Woodpecker (Picus scalaris), the White-bellied Wren, [etc.].
ladder-work n. work done with the help of a ladder, e.g. house-painting, etc. (Simmonds Dict. Trade 1858).
Derivatives
ˈladderless adj. having no ladder.Apparently an isolated use.
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1897 ‘P. Warung’ Tales Old Regime 78 They were separated from the surface by sixty feet of ladderless shaft.
ˈladdery adj. resembling a ladder.Apparently an isolated use.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > [adjective] > resembling ladder
laddery1852
ladder-like1859
1852 Fraser's Mag. 46 455 Short flights of abrupt laddery steps.
Draft additions 1997
figurative. A route leading to benefit or advantage, as in the children's board game snakes and ladders.
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the world > action or operation > advantage > [noun] > route leading to benefit or advantage
ladder1933
1933 N. Streatfeild Tops & Bottoms xii. 146 Felicity thought that bringing up Beaty was rather like playing Snakes and Ladders, through no fault of your own stepping on the head of a snake and sliding to the bottom again; in this case, with no ladder in view up which to shoot to regain lost ground.
1971 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Doctor Bird xii. 166 With him..was my friend Wallace Brady: up one ladder and down two possible snakes.
1985 A. Price Here be Monsters i. 22 Here was a snake or a ladder, and she could choose whether to go up or down.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
ladderv.
/ˈladə/, U.S. /ˈlædər/ 1. transitive. To scale with a ladder; to furnish with a ladder or with ladders. Also absol.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > ladder > furnish with ladder [verb (transitive)]
laddera1578
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > ascend (something) [verb (transitive)] > climb up or scale > scale with a ladder
laddera1578
a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1728) 191 His friends came rushing forward to ladder the walls.
c1600 Hist. & Life James VI (1825) 105 The men of Leyth..luiking for na uther thing bot..to have ledderit and wyn the hous.
1643 Session Rec. in Hist. Brechin (1867) 232 To Alexander Talbert for laddering the church 3s. 4d.
1665 J. Webb Vindic. Stone-Heng (1725) 188 They came from their Stations..by Planks laid from His unto their Stones, and otherwise they could not, without laddring up and down.
1901 J. Black Illustr. Carpenter & Builder Ser.: Scaffolding 67 The stack was laddered from the bottom to the top with a series of ladders.
1901 Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 585/2 When Mr. Grant..laddered the Moriston falls.., the Crown claimed and gained the new fishings.
1923 Daily Mail 22 June 5 Having just laddered the spire of Truro Cathedral, he found every crevice crammed with jackdaws' nests.
2. intransitive. Of garments, esp. stockings: to develop ladders as the result of the breaking of a thread or threads. Also transitive.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [verb (intransitive)] > develop tears
ladder1927
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and feet > [verb (intransitive)] > of stockings: ladder
ladder1927
1927 W. Deeping Doomsday viii. 78 At the last moment a stocking had ‘laddered’.
1963 A. J. Hall Student's Handbk. Textile Sci. iii. 152 The demand for excessive sheerness and transparency in ladies' stockings is the root cause of the tendency to ladder.
1973 ‘S. Woods’ Enter Corpse 171 Her dress [was] crumpled, and both her stockings were laddered.
3. Naval gunnery. To fire shots in a ladder (sense 3c).
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1922 Grand Fleet Gunnery & Torpedo Memoranda on Naval Actions 1914–18 (Admiralty) vii. 57 The procedure generally found best by the control officers when the shot should have been straddling but nothing could be seen was to ladder down with a 200 ladder till shorts were clearly seen, and then ladder up till shorts were not seen, when the process was repeated... Although this blind ladder is extravagant in ammunition, it appears that no other course is open under similar conditions of visibility.
1959 Chambers's Encycl. VI. 662/2 In the case of surface vessels, finding the accurate gun range, which is done by ‘laddering’ i.e. increasing or decreasing the range of successive salvoes until the target is crossed, is not difficult if the enemy maintains his course and speed.
Derivatives
ˈladdering n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > defects or irregularities in > developing
laddering1922
pilling1952
1922 Daily Mail 14 Nov. 12 (advt.) Your stockings cannot ladder. Laddering and damage to stockings..are entirely obviated.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.971
v.a1578- figureflinging
- figurehead
- figureheadless
- figureheads
- figureheadship
- figurehugging
- figureincident
- figureless
- figuremaker
- figurement
- figurepainter
- figurepainting
- figurepicture
- figurepiece
- figurer
- figurers
- figures
- figures in
- figures out
- figuresculpture
- figureservant
- figuresix
- figureskater
- figureskating
- figuresome