leftadj.1n.adv.
/lɛft/, U.S. /lɛft/ Opposed to right.
A. adj.1
1.
a. Designating a thing or part of a thing that is situated on the left-hand side (see sense A. 1b) from the perspective of an observer.Occasionally also used with reference to something situated on the left-hand side of a person observed (as e.g. in quot. a12002).Earliest in left half n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [adjective] > situated at the side > left
winstereOE
lefta1200
car1279
wrong?a1400
left hand1440
sinister1483
sinistral1534
left-hand side1581
nar1607
sinistrous1646
nigh1722
left-handed1757
larboard1781
leftward1791
sinistrine1792
left-sided1801
toward1866
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 37 A domes dai sulle buckes..stonden an ure louerd ihesu cristes lift hond.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 67 He setteð þe synfulle on his lifthalf.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 141 Þer stod a richt halue and a luft alse an castel wal.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 64 By þe left way men gase by Damasc and by þe flum Iordan.
?1558 H. Baker tr. O. Fine Rules Vse of Almanackes (new ed.) sig. A.viiiv The mouementes of the sayd planets whiche are noted in the lefte face of the said Ephemerides with this sillable Re.
1637 H. Hexham True Relation Famous Seige of Breda 32 The French gallery was to be put ouer to the right face, and the English to the left face of Ginnekens Bulwarke.
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis 124 Note When I speak of the Right or Left Lip of a Shell, I mean, as it is held with the Mouth downward.
1735 tr. A. de Pas Mem. Hist. & Mil. II. xxxiv. 221 The left flank extends to the Summit of the Mountain, whose Reverse might be easily rendered impracticable.
1797 W. Young Instr. Armed Yeoman 33 If the right horse reins back whilst the left horse comes round..the man reining back must shorten his outward rein.
1840 J. Gaugain Lady's Assistant 13 Slip a stitch having wool in front, then pass the wool to the back under the left pin.
1905 G. Le Strange Lands Eastern Caliphate viii. 125 The left road of the bifurcation Furḍah went straight across the desert.
1935 N.Y. Times 23 Oct. 8/2 Evidence here indicates these people knew the left engine was running rich and having carburetor trouble.
1985 P. W. On & C. H. Persell in P. W. Cookson & C. H. Persell Preparing for Power iv. 75 A..collection of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer that includes the original middle English on the left page and a modern English translation on the right.
2012 J. Ludrup Feng Shui iii. 46 The building on the left side as you look forward should be higher than the building on the right side.
b. Designating that side of the human body which is to the west when a person is facing north, and which contains the hand which is less likely to be favoured in use over the other (right) hand by the majority of humans. Also: designating the parts of the body (and clothing worn) on that side. Opposed to right adj. 14. Cf. left hand n., left side n.Also sometimes applied to other animals (cf. quot. 1895).Widespread historical cultural assumptions that the left hand was weaker and therefore inferior, and that use of the left hand as the dominant hand was to be disfavoured (or even regarded as unnatural), have informed many uses of the word left. Cf. uses at Phrases 1, and also e.g. left hand n. 2, left hand adj. 1, left-handed adj. 2, left-eyed adj. 1, left-footer n. 3, left-sided adj. 1. See further note in etymology section.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > positions or directions in body > [adjective] > specific
rightOE
lefta1200
lowera1400
furtherc1400
lateral?a1425
sinistera1500
upper1528
anterior?1541
inferior1563
superior1566
oblique1578
high1588
ascendant1611
prone1646
peripherial1653
internal1657
supine1661
peripherical1690
gawk1703
ascending1713
adducent1722
submental1722
adductory1752
subdorsal1783
syntropic18..
atlantal1803
mesiad1803
mesial1803
proximal1803
sternal1803
distal1808
peripheral1808
peripheric1818
ventripetal1819
submedial1825
anteriormostc1826
subvertebral1827
afferent1828
sinistral1828
rostral1834
interganglionic1835
submedian1836
mesian1837
haemal1839
supravaginal1844
neural1846
symmetrical1851
suprameatal1853
paraxial1861
posterial1866
hypaxial1873
postaxial1873
preaxial1873
transmedial1876
transmedian1876
mediad1878
horizontal1881
mesal1881
prosomatic1882
dextrad1883
paramedian1890
prorsal1890
ventro-dorsal1895
midsagittal1898
ventro-axial1902
ventro-posterior1903
ipsilateral1907
parasagittal1907
ventromedial1908
homolateral1910
suprasellar1912
supratemporal1975
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 199 Ure left eare we ditteð..and noh[t] ne hercnið here gal.
a1250 Lofsong Louerde in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 213 Mi leofmonnes luft erm halt up min heaued..and his riht erm schal biclupen me abuten.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13822 [He] smat Leir þene eorl sære. a þa lift [c1300 Otho luft] side þurh-ut þa heorte.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 50 And nou þe stole a-fongeþ hy Ope here scholder lefte.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 981 Hit watz lusty Lothes wyf þat over he[r] lyfte schulder Ones ho bluschet to þe burȝe.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 530 Thei baren scrowis in her forehedis and in her lift arme.
1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 27 Orions left foote.
1610 A. Browne tr. St. Bonaventure Life Father S. Francis xvi. 178 In the palme of his left hand..he felt himselfe to be grievously wonded.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost viii. 465 Who stooping op'nd my left side, and took From thence a Rib. View more context for this quotation
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 127. ⁋1 With his Hat under his Left Arm.
1758 J. Mounsey in Philos. Trans. 1757 (Royal Soc.) 50 20 The scene soon began again with lancing pain in the left eye.
1835 W. Irving Tour on Prairies xxvii. 244 Baring his left arm, he showed it warped and contracted by a former attack of rheumatism.
1892 A. Conan Doyle Adventures Sherlock Holmes in Strand Mag. Feb. 143/1 I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of your left glove.
1895 Punch 108 49/1 The peculiar striping of his [a tiger's] left shoulder.
1932 A. Huxley Brave New World xiii. 222 With a round white cap rakishly tilted over her left ear, stood Lenina.
1960 E. S. Higham & W. J. Higham High Speed Rugby iii. 38 The take-off is from the right foot and consists of a vigorous push-off, so that the left foot can take a fairly generous step diagonally to the left.
1980 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 15 Nov. 1323/2 This patient's symptoms were unequivocally the result of a functioning vipoma of the left kidney.
2014 New Yorker 30 June 30/2 I noticed a rubber bracelet on her left wrist.
2. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a person, group, or political party which favours progressive or reformist policies intended to achieve greater social and economic equality; belonging to that part of the political spectrum identified as the left (see sense B. 6); (also) of, relating to, or characteristic of the more liberal or reformist section of any religious, philosophical, social, etc., group. Cf. left wing adj., and also right adj. 15 and centre n.1 15. [Originally after French le côté gauche, lit. ‘the left side’, with reference to the seating positions of the 1789 French National Assembly. See quot. 1837.]
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [adjective] > left
left1794
red1848
left wing1873
leftist1895
leftish1899
left-wingish1926
left-wingy1936
lefty1937
left-leaning1938
1794 tr. C. Desmoulins Hist. Brissotins 40 La Source, the least corrupted of those who voted with the left, and dined with the right side of the Convention.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. vi. ii. 307 There is a Right Side (Coté Droit), a Left Side (Coté Gauche); sitting on M. le President's right hand, or on his left: the Coté Droit conservative; the Coté Gauche destructive.
1882 F. W. Farrar Early Days Christianity II. 111 (note) The Zealots formed the ‘extreme left’ division of the Pharisees politically, as the Essenes did religiously.
1919 T. E. Lawrence Let. 27 Sept. (1938) 293 So long as we are the more liberal (‘left’ in the Parliamentary sense) we call the tune... Our remedy and safeguard will be to trend continually ‘left’.
1962 J. Braine Life at Top x. 135 I asked the Warden who Graffham was. ‘He's very Left,’ the Warden said.
2010 T. Blair Journey vii. 202 His basic pitch was that we had trimmed to the right, betrayed our class, forgotten our left roots, etc.
3. Boxing. Designating a punch delivered with the left hand. Frequently in left cross, left hook, left uppercut, etc.
ΚΠ
1865 Bell's Life in London 15 Apr. 7/1 After Collins had been short with the left, a very fine left counter on the eye and cheek was exchanged.
1889 Daily Gaz. (Burlington, Iowa) 27 Apr. 1/2 He attempted to rush Jackson, when he received a fearful left upper cut.
1892 Fitchburg (Mass.) Daily Sentinel 1 June 1/5 John ducked a right swing and scored left hook.
1920 Times 16 Dec. 6/1 Dempsey nearly dropped his man with a left cross to the jaw.
1986 G. Chesbro Veil (1987) xiii. 90 Veil pushed away the hand, then blocked the left uppercut.
2011 F. Benzel Force of Joy 64 A stiff left jab followed by a crushing right hand to the head has sent many opposing challengers to the canvas of a boxing ring.
4. Mathematics. Designating a mathematical structure whose defining relations are expressed in such a way that certain distinguished elements appear to the left of the elements upon which they act or which act upon them. Frequently contrasted with right.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > algebra > [adjective] > relating to expressions
interscendent1796
symmetrical1816
zeta-ic1840
associative1844
discriminantal1852
symmetric1853
discriminant1870
idempotent1870
interscendental1873
bilinear1886
non-trivial1901
left1926
right1930
1926 Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 32 587 If every left ideal is principal, every pair of integral numbers has a greatest common right divisor, and conversely.
1943 Ann. Math. 44 455 The set of left cosets of H is made into a space (decomposition space) by means of the natural topology.
1965 J. J. Rotman Theory of Groups i. 7 Define a function Ta : G → G by Ta(x) = a*x; (Ta is called left translation by a).
1972 A. G. Howson Handbk. Terms Algebra & Anal. v. 28 We..denote Ex by xS and refer to it as a left coset of S in G.
2014 A. Zimmerman Representation Theory i. 37 Let A be an artinian algebra. Then a left ideal I of A either contains an idempotent element or is nilpotent.
B. n.† 2. A wicked or contemptible person. Obsolete. [With allusion to Matthew 25:41. Compare quot. c1384 at left half n. 1, and also left-sided adj. 1.]
1.
a. The left-hand side, part, or direction. Used chiefly with reference to local position from the point of observation, though also with reference to relative position from the perspective of the object observed. Frequently with the or possessive adjective, and in on (also to) the (also my, your, etc.) left. Cf. left hand n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [noun] > fact of having distinct sides > one or other side or hand > the left
left handa1200
leftc1225
left side1562
left half1625
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > alongside [phrase] > on the right or left
leftward?c1475
on (also to) the (also my, your, etc.) left1594
rightward1801
c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 22 Þe middel sti bituhhe riht & luft þet lut cunnen halden.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 157 Ȝef ani seið wel oðer deð wel. ne maȝen hanan weis loken þiderwart wið richt echȝe Of god heorte. ach winkeð on þet half & bi halt o luft. ȝef þer is eawet to edwiten.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2463 Queder þou ches, on right or left, I sal ta me þat þou haues left.
a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Gen. xxiv. 49 If forsothe other thing plesith, and that seie ȝee, that Y go to the ryȝt or to the left [a1425 L.V. the riȝt side ethir to the left side].
1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne iv. 141 Part on the right, part on the left this band Siedgeth it selfe.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 558 Vangard, to Right and Left the Front unfould. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis ix, in tr. Virgil Wks. 489 Jove..thunder'd on the left.
1745 R. Pococke Descr. East II. ii. i. xix. 76 I saw on the left a hill, which seemed to have been improved by art into a fortress.
1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere i, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 7 The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the Sea came he.
1855 Ld. Tennyson Charge Light Brigade ii, in Maud & Other Poems 152 Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them,..Volley'd and thunder'd.
1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 12 We see a wire railway to the left.
1927 F. B. Young Portrait of Clare i. iii. 34 The black dome of the Mawne Road spoil-heap fell away on her left into the tree-softened contours of Mawne Bank.
1963 Times 26 Apr. 16/6 On my left tumbles the brook at the bottom of a deep gully.
2013 Daily News (New Plymouth, N. Z.) (Nexis) 11 Jan. 12 The first tree on the left as you enter the carpark is a handsome whiteywood.
b. Military. The left wing or flank of an army; the left-hand side of a military formation. Also in plural: the soldiers whose place is on the left.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > part of army by position > [noun] > wing or flank
wingc1400
horn1533
out-wingc1540
flank1548
point1550
sleeve1574
left1693
right1694
pivot flank1786
reverse flank1792
wheeling flank1796
1693 G. Story Contin. Impartial Hist. Wars Ireland 128 Our Right might have the easier Passage over to Attack their Left, and then our whole Army might have opportunity to engage.
1707 London Gaz. No. 4334/4 Our Right was then at Louvignies, and our Left at Naast.
1780 A. Hamilton Let. 6 Sept. in Papers (1961) II. 421 We see the consequence. His left ran away and left his right uncovered.
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 248 The left's go about by three's.
1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry ii. 33 Their Centres and Lefts move up.
1881 G. A. Henty Cornet of Horse xvi. 165 He formed..a heavy column of attack opposite the French left.
1922 J. Buchan Hist. Great War II. xxvii. 49 The much-tried 3rd Brigade..could no longer keep its place. Its left fell back well to the south-west of St. Julien.
1996 S. C. Tucker European Powers in First World War 460/2 Schlieffen even planned to allow the German left and center to withdraw before the anticipated French offensive.
2014 L. W. Eysturlid in D. T. Zabecki Germany at War 623/2 The Austrian left and most of the center collapsed as Grouchy's men followed Ney.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > worthlessness > worthless person > [noun]
ribalda1250
brethelingc1275
filec1300
waynouna1350
waster1352
lorel1362
losel1362
land-leaper1377
javelc1400
leftc1400
lorerc1400
shackerellc1420
brethel1440
never-thrift1440
ne'er-thrifta1450
never-thrivinga1450
nebulona1475
breelc1485
naughty pack?1534
brathel1542
unsel155.
pelf1551
wandrel?1567
land-loper1570
scald1575
baggage1594
arrant1605
good-for-nothing1611
hilding1611
vauneant1621
idle-pack1624
thimble-maker1654
never-do-well1664
ne'er-be-good1675
shack1682
vagabond1686
shag-bag1699
houndsfoot1710
blackguard1732
ne'er-do-well1737
trumpery1738
rap1742
good-for-naught1773
rip1781
mauvais sujet1793
scamp1808
waffie1808
loose fish1809
ne'er-do-good1814
hard bargain1818
vaurien1829
sculpin1834
shicer1846
wastrel1847
scallywag1848
shack-bag1855
beat1865
rodney1877
git1939
no-hoper1944
piss artist1962
society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > [noun] > worthlessness > good-for-nothing person
brethelingc1275
filec1300
dogc1330
ribald1340
waynouna1350
waster1352
lorel1362
losel1362
land-leaper1377
triflera1382
brothelc1390
javelc1400
leftc1400
lorerc1400
shackerellc1420
brethel1440
never-thrift1440
vagrant1444
ne'er-thrifta1450
never-thrivinga1450
nebulona1475
breelc1485
naughty pack?1534
brathel1542
carrion1547
slim1548
unsel155.
pelf1551
shifterc1562
rag1566
wandrel?1567
land-loper1570
nothing-worth1580
baggage1594
roly-poly1602
bash-rag1603
arrant1605
ragabash?1609
flabergullion1611
hilding1611
hard bargain1612
slubberdegullion1612
vauneant1621
knick-knacker1622
idle-pack1624
slabberdegullion1653
thimble-maker1654
whiffler1659
never-do-well1664
good-for-nought1671
ne'er-be-good1675
shack1682
vagabond1686
shabaroon1699
shag-bag1699
houndsfoot1710
ne'er-do-well1737
trumpery1738
rap1742
hallion1789
scamp1808
waffie1808
ne'er-do-good1814
vaurien1829
sculpin1834
shicer1846
good-for-nothing1847
wastrel1847
scallywag1848
shack-bag1855
beat1865
toe-rag1875
rodney1877
toe-ragger1896
low-lifer1902
punk1904
lowlife1909
ringtail1916
git1939
no-hoper1944
schlub1950
piss artist1962
dead leg1964
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. iv. l. 62 Conscience hym tolde, Þat wronge was a wikked luft [a1450 Cambr. Dd.1.17 lyft].
a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Claud.) (2009) 6 Þen schal he horybuly rebuke rych men þat han don no mercy and say to ham spytously þus: ‘Go ȝe cursed leftes, into þe peyne of helle.’
3. A glove, boot, etc., for the left hand or foot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for hands > [noun] > glove > types of > other
left1657
beaver1816
manakin1824
nipper1840
right1884
mousquetaire1889
slip-on1949
1657 A. B. tr. J. Buxtorf Jewish Synagogue iv. 75 He must put on his right foot shooe first, but in tying of them begin with the left.
1759 tr. M. -J. de Staal Mem. 179 The Keeper of the Seals..bid me sit down, and then pull off my Glove. I pulled off the Left.
1846 Dublin Univ. Mag. Apr. 489/1 He called for a new pair of gloves, and..discovered that his blundering valet had given him two lefts!
1864 F. Locker My Mistress's Boots vii Cinderella's lefts and rights To Geraldine's were frights.
1948 Rotarian Aug. 53/2 Their father had taken an extra pair of black shoes as planned, but both were for the right foot. The quick-thinking boys met the crisis by air-mailing two lefts to Rio.
1998 M. E. Jones Daily Life 19th Cent. Amer. Frontier 224 Boots..were so inexpertly crafted that rights and lefts were almost indistinguishable.
2014 G. Oppenheim Boxing in Philadelphia v. 108 Elbaum quickly shoved the gloves in a box before anyone could examine them. And when somebody finally did, he found either two rights or two lefts.
4. A road, lane, way, etc., on the left; (also) a left turn. Frequently in to take a left.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > [noun] > deviation from straight course
turna1400
circuit1483
circumferencea1549
wrying1592
extravagation1611
extravagancya1616
extravagance1644
deviation1646
outstepping1656
left1675
detour1738
1675 J. Ogilby Britannia Introd. 8 You come to the May-Pole, and 7 Poles farther to the Division of the Ways, the Left to Camerwel, the Right to Lambeth.
1735 J. Kirby Suffolk Traveller 15 At 1 m. 3 f. the left goes into Ipswich being the Coach Road.
1804 Western Missionary Mag. Oct. 224 We..resolved to take the left, as we supposed we had come past the path that led to Upper Sandusky.
1867 E. Schuyler tr. I. Turgenev Fathers & Sons xxii. 167 The coachman..asked if he must take the right or the left.
1927 Appleton (Wisconsin) Post-Crescent 25 Aug. 2/1 The left lane should be taken by autoists planning to make a left.
1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 20 June (advt.) ¾ mile past the single bridge over the Yellowstone, take a left.
2004 M. Lucas & ‘D. Walliams’ Little Brit. 1st Ser. Episode 3. 91 When you see the hanging tree, take a left.
5. Chiefly Boxing. The left hand, with which a punch or blow is delivered (with possessive adjective); a punch or blow delivered with the left hand.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > with the hand > right or left
right1804
left1806
left-hander1816
right-hander1823
left and right1896
1806 Sporting Mag. Oct. 29/2 He stopped the right-handed hits of Lord, and..put one through the opening with his left.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 419/2 Stop for lead-off at body with the left.
1930 Daily Express 8 Sept. 1/6 Siki fell to a left on the body and was counted out.
1967 G. F. Fiennes I tried to run Railway i. 5 Out shot a telescopic left, and I had the shiner of all time for weeks.
1998 Boxing Monthly Apr. 34/3 Mosley..stuck a straight left into the middle of Ceballos's face.
2008 Independent 25 June 11/1 He followed with a left to the ribs and a couple of shots on the chin.
6. Frequently with the and capital initial. (a) Those members holding comparatively radical or reformist opinions in a European legislature, by custom seated on the left of the president (now historical); the views and aims of such members; (b) any political party or group which advocates greater social and economic equality and adopts progressive or reformist policies designed to achieve this; those who hold such views considered collectively, esp. as a part of the political spectrum (frequently modified as centre left, extreme left, etc.); (also) the more liberal or reformist section of any religious, philosophical, social, etc., group. Cf. New Left n., far left n. and adj. at far adj. Additions, right n. 16c, centre n.1 15.The use originates with the seating positions of the 1789 French National Assembly: see note at sense A. 2.The political left is generally regarded as covering a very wide range of positions, from social democracy and social liberalism (cf. centre-left n. and adj. at centre n.1 and adj. Compounds 3), to revolutionary socialism or communism, although the latter (and some less extreme positions) are more commonly qualified as far left or extreme left. Trade unions are often closely affiliated with the political left.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [noun] > the left
left1821
left wing1844
Broad Left1973
1821 Spirit of Eng. Mag. (Boston, Mass.) 15 Jan. 286/2 He will be as impartial as it is possible to be in a capital where one party pulls to the right and the other to the left.
1848 E. C. Gaskell Let. 2 Nov. (1966) 60 I never can ascertain what I am in politics; and veer about from extreme Right,—no, I don't think I ever go as far as the extreme Left.
1898 J. E. C. Bodley France II. 327 The combats between the Moderates and the Extreme Left.
1950 W. Theimer & P. Campbell Encycl. World Politics 260/2 The communists are referred to as the ‘extreme’ or ‘far’ left.
1971 W. Z. Laqueur Dict. Politics 310 Popularly the Left has favoured rapid social change... During the thirties, Left was associated with opposition to fascism.
1994 Washington Post 19 July a17/3 We of the Christian left also read and love the Word of God.
2010 Independent 16 Sept. 15/3 She's against disability cuts..and she invented all-women shortlists—the left of the party likes that.
7. A shot fired at game with the left barrel of a double-barrelled shotgun; a creature hit by such a shot. Chiefly in left and right n. 1, right and left n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animals hunted > [noun] > shot with left barrel
left1833
the world > food and drink > hunting > shooting > [noun] > a shot at game
snapshot1808
left1833
right and left1833
pot-shot1843
snap1851
body shot1857
left and right1886
pot1986
1833 P. Hawker Instr. Young Sportsmen (ed. 7) 238 You are enabled to..have a right and left at them with your popgun as they come up after diving.
1886 Punch 18 Dec. 289/2 He blew both the Rector's legs off with a cheerful left and right.
1905 Western Field Jan. 440/2 Bang! Bang! Good boy!! A left and right.
1958 M. Brander Roughshooter's Sport xx. 217 When..a covey of grouse was flushed.., I only managed to drop one bird. The others, however, performed more than adequately, each bringing down a right and left.
1990 Field Feb. 69/1 I shot a left and a right at two pike.
2012 J. M. Remmer Bang Bang 245 Ed had the first success pulling off a right and left. Frances hadn't even loaded her gun.
8.
a. Baseball. = left field n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball ground > [noun] > outfield
centre field1835
left field1857
left1867
garden1868
backfield1911
outside1913
1867 Ball Players' Chron. 8 Aug. 6/3 We hazard the assertion that the nine will be as follows:..Devyr, short; Waterman, left; Dick Hunt center.
1883 Sporting Life (Philadelphia) 24 Sept. 5/1 Reilly sent Carpenter home by a safe one to left.
1915 Frederick (Maryland) Post 13 Oct. 5/1 Bancroft was passed. Paskert fanned. Cravath out on a fly to left.
1994 T. Boswell Cracking Show ix. iii. 214 Chili Davis flared a..handle-hit single to left to score two runs.
2014 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News (Nexis) 30 Sept. Manager Bob Melvin had a slight surprise in setting his lineup against the Royals... Brandon Moss..was the D.H. and Sam Fuld played in left.
b. Sport. With the. The left side or wing of the field of play. Also: a player occupying this position.inside, outside left: see at first word.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > [noun] > area for play > specific part
left1877
sidelines1894
forecourt1921
1877 Lancing College Mag. 2 362/1 After some pretty play on the left between Green and Rooke, Hammond again put the ball through.
1890 D. D. Bone Sc. Football Reminisc. 48 He [sc. William Sellar] played from the left in a style never excelled by any forward.
1937 Life 1 Nov. 52/3 (caption) Left Guard Robert Mehring..is 24, a senior, graduate of Grand Island High.
1998 K. Sampson Extra Time 30 Walsh swings over a hopeful ball from the left and..Elliott strolls through a watchful defence and prods home.
2003 O. Shine Lang. Tennis 62 Inside out groundstrokes are shots hit diagonally away from the body..for a right-hander, a forehand aimed to the right or a backhand aimed to the left.
9. Surfing. A wave which breaks from right to left from the perspective of the surfer, or from left to right when viewed from the beach.
ΚΠ
1968 W. Warwick Surfriding in N.Z. 17/3 Calculate where the waves are shaping up the best for your style of riding. Obviously..goofy footers will favour lefts.
1970 Surf '70 (N.Z.) 17/2 Wayne Charlton was one of the best goofy footers to ever surf the left at Fitzroy.
1988 Sun Herald (Sydney) (Nexis) 3 Jan. 115 Avalon's northern point produces classic long lefts in a northerly swell.
2012 S. Bleakley & J. S. Callahan Surfing Trop. Beats 115 Powerful long lefts peel down the point.
C. adv.
On or towards the left; anticlockwise. See also left and right adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [adverb] > on the left
lefta1400
leftward?c1475
sinister1675
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > sideways movement or a sideways movement > [adverb] > to the left
leftsomesa1398
lefta1400
leftward1579
leftwards1585
leftwise1830
sinistrally1838
left-handed1909
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in sideways direction > to right and left > towards the left
aleftc1330
leftsomesa1398
lefta1400
leftward1579
leftwards1585
toward1711
sinistrally1838
left-handed1851
leftwardly1892
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [adverb] > towards the left
leftwards1868
left1918
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21639 Ouer and vnder, right and left, In þis compas godd all has left.
1629 J. Achesone Mil. Garden 17 (heading) The great turne left about to the reare.
1792 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum IV. 389 She's twisted right she's twisted left.
1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry ii. 35 Rear Divisions left incline.
1884 Times 3 Mar. 5/3 ‘Troops, left about’, was sounded immediately.
1918 Daily Chron. 2 Dec. 3/2 In Kiel..where the revolution started, matters appear to be going ‘Left’ with a vengeance.
1944 Handbk. Japanese Mil. Forces (U.S. War Dept.) ix. 243/2 The driver sits left, while the hull gunner sits right, in the forward compartment.
1972 Times 7 Oct. 15/2 The electorate as well as the Labour Party may be moving left.
2008 S. M. Thomas Criminal's Paradise 161 You go over the toll bridge and turn left.
Phrases
P1. In phrases reflecting cultural associations of the left-hand side with inferiority or dishonesty (cf. note at sense A. 1b).† a. In various expressions implying inferior ability or performance, or insincere or dishonest intent, as to see (also read) with the left eye to work with the left hand, and variants. Obsolete.† b. † c. to take by the left ear: to choose or concentrate on something which is wrong or negative. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 161 Now children of gramer scole comeþ [read conneþ] na more Frensche þan can hir lift heele. [No corresponding sentence in the Latin original.]
a1475 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Cambr. Gg.1.16) (1997) iii. xliii. 113 Þat biholden þinges transitorye with þe lyfte yie [L. sinistro oculo], and hevonly þinges with þe right yie.
1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius iii. f. 280v But with what eyes doth he see this? with that left eye [L. læuo..ocello] I thinke, which is couered with a pynne and webbe of desire to slaunder.
1650 N. Ward Discolliminium 14 Some of our new Architectors, have read some Authors about alterations of States with their left eyes, which makes them work with their left hands, so sinisterly.
1696 C. Ness Compl. Hist. & Myst. Old & New Test. II. 244 That Old Serpent Satan would put out our Right-Eye of Faith, and leave us only the left Eye of Reason.
(a) over the left: used to imply that what has been said is insincere, untrue, or the opposite of what is meant. Originally more fully over the left shoulder. Chiefly colloquial. Obsolete. [Compare earlier over the shoulder at shoulder n. 2b.]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > [adverb] > expressing the opposite
over the left shoulder1705
over the left1837
1640 Womens Sharpe Revenge 180 Some oppressing inhospitable Great Man, or to a Begging-making Project-monger (whom a Commonwealth is bound to pray for over the left shoulder).
1705 Rec. Hartford County Court (U.S.) 4 Sept. in Newcastle Daily Jrnl. 28 July 1891 The said Waters, as he departed from the table, he said, ‘God bless you over the left shoulder’.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xli. 450 Each gentleman pointed with his right thumb over his left shoulder. This action, imperfectly described in words by the very feeble term of ‘over the left’..; its expression is one of light and playful sarcasm.
1849 New Monthly Mag. 87 237 ‘All over the left,’ said Frosty..‘He's come gammonin' down here that he's a great man..but it's all my eye.’
1906 Lippincott's Monthly Mag. Apr. 454 ‘Plenty of 'em!’ he answered offhand. ‘Over the left!’ he added aside, with a private wink.
(b) to go over the left shoulder and variants: to be wasted or squandered. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > relinquishing > squandering or prodigality > squander or be prodigal [verb (intransitive)] > be squandered
to go over the left shoulder1747
1685 in A. Cook Titus Britannicus Advt. sig. d The great Arts of Life and Death, which are no such easie and trivial matters, as to be thrown over the left Shoulder.
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. xxxii. 218 With t'other, perhaps, you'll have an account to keep, too—But an account of what will go over the left shoulder: only of what he squanders, what he borrows, and what he owes, and never will pay.
ΚΠ
?1679 C. Blount Anima Mundi xxxvi. 99 In answer thereunto (Reason for the most part being like a Pitcher with two ears, that may be taken on either side) the Philosophers have adventur'd in this Subject, to take the Pitcher by the left ear.
a1684 R. Leighton Pract. Comm. 1st Epist. Peter (1693) I. 225 Taking all things by the left Ear, for (as Epictetus sayes) Every thing hath two handles.
d. to have two left feet (also hands) and variants: to be clumsy or awkward. [Compare earlier ambilevous adj.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > unskilfully or inadequately [phrase] > extremely clumsy
one's fingers are all thumbs1546
to have two left feet (also hands)1857
1857 G. A. Sala in Househ. Words 31 Jan. 119/1 I am naturally modest, not to say awkward, clumsy, and born with two left hands and two left feet.
1873 T. Hughes Mem. of Brother i. 7 One often meets with people who seem as if they had been born..with two left hands, and two left feet, and rarely with a few who have two right hands.
1915 P. G. Wodehouse Psmith, Journalist xviii. 132 Mr. Dawson..gave it as his opinion that one of the lady dancers had two left feet.
1975 D. Ramsay Descent into Dark iii. 92 Clumsy..you've got two left feet.
2010 Wall St. Jrnl. 6 July d7/3 The man who would later win two Golden Shoes—the annual award given to the leading scorer in European soccer—looked like he had two left feet during a disastrous spell in England.
P2. left, right, and centre: everywhere; in all directions; (in extended use) freely, with abandon; cf. right, left, and centre at right adv. Phrases 7.
ΚΠ
1886 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 23 Oct. 6/6 The police were charging up and down the street, and the mob was stoning furiously left, right, and centre.
1940 N.Y. Times 2 July 19/3 Here he rakes the President left, right, and center, fore and aft and up and down.
1974 P. Wright Lang. Brit. Industry xi. 95 I got ballocked left, right and centre.
2008 C. Newkey-Burden in J. Burchill & C. Newkey-Burden Not in my Name 14 I just wish they'd stop finger-wagging at others in public while shagging left, right and centre in private!
Compounds
C1. Compounds of the noun.
left–right adj. (a) of or between the left and the right (in various contexts); frequently with reference to reflective symmetry; (b) of, between, or concerning left-wing and right-wing politics or political parties.
ΚΠ
1901 E. B. Titchener Exper. Psychol. I. ix. 271 The plan of the instrument is less simple, even when full weight is given to the left-right reversal of the stereograms in the reflecting stereoscope.
1940 Washington Post 25 Feb. 2/1 (heading) Left-right axis: To the amazement of the House,..Congressmen John Schafer..and Vito Marcontonio..were on their feet simultaneously, agreeing that the Navy bill ought to be slashed.
1979 Sci. Amer. May 63 (caption) Polarization is monitored..by polarimeters that measure the left-right asymmetry in scattering events.
1992 D. Butler & D. Kavanagh Brit. Gen. Election 1992 61 Labour was now perhaps divided less on traditional left-right lines than between old Labour and new Labour.
2011 L. Wolpert Developmental Biol: Very Short Introd. ii. 20 The mechanisms by which left-right symmetry is initially broken are still not fully understood, but the subsequent cascade of events that leads to organ asymmetry is better understood.
2014 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 11 Nov. The broader challenge—how to improve the human capital of the country through healthier eating..—could transcend left-right divisions.
left-to-right adj. designating or characterized by movement from the left to the right; (of writing) interpreted by reading from left to right.
ΚΠ
1842 W. Sheldon Comment Twenty-third Chapter Prophet Isaiah 157 The left-to-right movement invariably occurred, however often the experiment was made.
1855 R. G. Latham Eng. Lang. (ed. 4) II. vi. 83 Remember the different possible and actual varieties of direction [of a line of writing]..noticing the left-to-right, the right-to-left, and the bustrofedon forms.
1960 Times 14 May 18/7 Steel began to be troubled by the left-to-right wind.
2005 T. M. Gay Tris Speaker (2007) vi. 101 It took the rotary camera a couple of minutes to finish its left-to-right sweep.
C2. Compounds of the adjective.
a. Parasynthetic, with the sense ‘having the left limb, organ, etc., or the left side of a limb or organ more efficient than the right’. Cf. also left-brained adj. and left-handed adj.
(a)
left-eared adj.
ΚΠ
1884 Sullivan (Indiana) Democrat 8 Feb. 1/4 An English scientist has discovered the Americans are ‘right-legged’, and a Buffalo reporter has found that we are ‘left-eared’.
1970 R. C. Wunderlich Kids, Brains & Learning (1971) viii. 425 Position him so the ear on the dominant side is closest to the parent's voice. If this is not done, a left-eared, right-handed child often results.
2008 Townsville (Queensland) Bull. (Nexis) 7 Aug. 24 [The doctor] discussed the advantages of being left-handed and..how to tell if you are also left-eyed, left-legged and left-eared.
left-footed adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > [adjective] > favouring one side
right-handeda1398
left-handeda1425
left hand1440
left-legged1606
sinister1818
katy-handed1822
left-footed1832
right-sided1850
cack-handed1854
dextral1871
sinistral1871
left-sided1875
lefty1886
southpaw1886
handed1910
molly-dook1941
1832 Belfast News-let. 8 May It [sc. a Carolina parrot] always employed its left foot to hold the bur... I began to think that..the whole tribe..were.., if I may use the expression, left-footed.
1891 D. Wilson Right Hand 169 I am myself left-footed.
1964 M. Critchley Developmental Dyslexia viii. 51 Mixed laterality was then imagined to be a factor of special importance in dyslexics who might, for example, prove to be left-eyed, right-handed and left-footed.
2003 Rev. Econ. Stud. 70 399 There is a perfect symmetry between left-footed and right-footed kickers.
left-legged adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > [adjective] > favouring one side
right-handeda1398
left-handeda1425
left hand1440
left-legged1606
sinister1818
katy-handed1822
left-footed1832
right-sided1850
cack-handed1854
dextral1871
sinistral1871
left-sided1875
lefty1886
southpaw1886
handed1910
molly-dook1941
1606 E. Duncon Copy of Let. 33 Galen setteth Physicke, as a perfect man vpon two legges; Learning, and Experience: therefore the best Empirike is but a lame and left-legged Physician.
1743 A. Pope Dunciad (rev. ed.) ii. 68 Bernard..left-legg'd Jacob seems to emulate.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer II. vi. 184 He was left-legged as well as left-handed.
1992 Black Belt Apr. 12/1 The reason why I'm a left-legged kicker is because I tore the medial collateral ligament in my right knee in 1966 during a judo training session.
2010 J. Padilla Golden Dream 27 Darren played midfield and he, Brian, and Yusef were the only left legged players on the team.
(b)
left-footedness n.
ΚΠ
1880 Leisure Hour 31 Jan. 78/2 Left-footedness has not been much noticed, but I can remember certain Devonshire practitioners in the ungentle art of shin-kicking who in the days of my boyhood were notorious and redoubtable as ‘left-leggers’.
1891 D. Wilson Right Hand 169 Right and left-footedness prevailed about equally.
2001 Jrnl. Sports Sci. 19 856/2 It is plausible that practice effects and/or selection biases for two-footedness (or left-footedness) will be most evident at the highest levels in soccer.
left-leggedness n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > [noun] > favouring one side
left-handednessa1631
dextrality1646
right-handedness1730
left-handiness1749
right-sidedness1837
sinistrality1852
sinisterity1854
left-leggednessa1861
dexteritya1882
mancinism1890
handedness1915
a1861 C. G. F. Gore Ambassador's Wife (1863) v. 59 I am not sure, however, that I do not prefer his left-handedness and left-leggedness to the self-possessed provinciality of my cousin Wilhelm, who is not so much as sensible of his own manifold deficiencies.
1916 Forest & Stream Aug. 1107/2 Left-leggedness complements the right-handedness of the majority of the race.
1998 Guardian (Nexis) 7 Oct. 15 Newcastle's Literary and Philosophical Society..was a club founded in 1791 by a group of gentlemen to discuss such subjects as left-leggedness, the history of teeth and why the colour green is so diffuse in the plant kingdom.
b. Sport. In team sports (as football, hockey, hurling, etc.): designating various positions on the left-hand side of a field of play (relative to the attacking direction of the team); (also) designating the player who fills such a position. See also left-centre n. 1d, left half n. 3, left wing n. 3a, left winger n., left tackle n. at Compounds 2c.
left-back n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1873 Notts. Guardian 14 Mar. 8/1 J. Taylor, Queen's Park, Glasgow (right back); R. W. Ker, Queen's Park, Glasgow (left back).
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 419/2 [Assoc. Football] The left back and half-back deal with the opposing right wing.
1955 Times 9 May 14/3 Eckersley, the Blackburn Rovers left-back, who has not played for England since November, 1953, has been selected to accompany the Football Association party.
1960 B. Liddell My Soccer Story xvi. 98 The tragedy of Munich robbed England of one of her finest post-war left-backs in Roger Byrne.
1974 Guardian 18 May 19/2 Willie Ormond, the Scotland manager, has..kept Danny McGrain..at left-back.
2006 FIFA Mag. Oct. 22/1 Left-back Roberto Carlos and midfielder Juninho Pernambucano announced their international retirement.
left corner-back n.
ΚΠ
1958 Tucson (Arizona) Daily Citizen 29 Oct. 22/2 Guarding the left cornerback spot..kept the 13-19 score from mounting.
1966 Ebony Nov. 126/2 Rickie Harris has replaced Johnny Sample at left corner back.
2015 Corkman (Nexis) 27 Aug. (Sport section) 36 Noel Galvin..was listed as left corner-back.
left corner-forward n.
ΚΠ
1934 Irish Times 17 Dec. 13/7 The left corner forward shot promptly for a second goal.
1958 Irish Digest Mar. 92/1 That day he scored four goals and six points when playing left corner forward.
2011 News of World (Ireland ed.) (Nexis) 10 July (Sport section) 52 The Limerick hitman was superb at left corner-forward as he regained his best form.
left end n.
ΚΠ
1884 C. M. Green Friend of All 1134/2 The two opposing sides line up according to the diagram seen below... L. E. Left End, L. H. Left Half Back, [etc.].
1963 Boys' Life Nov. 29/1 He's the left end. Can do the hundred in ten seconds flat and has good hands for a pass.
2015 Washington Post (Nexis) 11 Mar. (Sports section) d4 Jarvis Jenkins, who started at left end last season..has yet to re-sign.
left guard n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > types of player
side tackle1809
nose guard1852
rusher1877
goalkicker1879
quarterback1879
runner1880
quarter1883
full back1884
left guard1884
snap-back1887
snapper-back1887
running back1891
tackle1891
defensive end1897
guard1897
interferer1897
receiver1897
defensive back1898
defensive tackle1900
safety man1901
ball carrier1902
defensive lineman1902
homebrew1903
offensive lineman1905
lineman1907
returner1911
signal caller1915
rover1916
interference1920
punt returner1926
pass rusher1928
tailback1930
safety1931
blocker1935
faker1938
scatback1946
linesman1947
flanker1953
platoon player1953
corner-back1955
pulling guard1955
split end1955
return man1957
slot-back1959
strong safety1959
wide receiver1960
line-backer1961
pocket passer1963
tight end1963
run blocker1967
wideout1967
blitzer1968
1884 C. M. Green Friend of All 1134/2 The two opposing sides line up according to the diagram seen below... L. G. Left Guard, [etc.].
1905 N.Y. Times 5 Oct. 11/3 The defensive work of the eleven is fairly good now except at left guard.
2015 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 5 Sept. (Alberta ed.) s10 The Titans traded veteran left guard Andy Levitre to the Atlanta Falcons.
left half-back n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions
wing-back1734
goalkeeper1789
outfielder1855
quarter1857
centre fielder1865
outfield1867
quarterback1867
right1867
centre1868
left wing1871
left-back1873
left half-back1873
centre forward1874
left-centre1877
right-centre1877
centre back1878
centre half-back1879
forward1879
back1880
right wing1880
right half-back1881
goaltender1882
right-winger1882
wing1882
centre half1884
left winger1884
inside1886
half1887
custodian1888
left half1888
midfielder1888
left wing1889
right half1889
centreman1890
midfield1890
outside right1890
outfieldsman1891
goalie1894
winger1896
infield1897
inside forward1897
inside right1897
outside forward1897
outside1898
outside left1900
rearguard1904
pivot1911
wing-man1942
keeper1957
link1958
linkman1963
midfield1976
1873 Bell's Life in London & Sporting Chron. 15 Mar. 8/5 W. Gibb, Clydesdale Club (right half-back), R. Smith (South Norwood, left half-back).
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 418/2 [Assoc. Football] Three half-backs are played nowadays... They are called..the right, centre and left half-back.
1944 T. S. C. Dagg Hockey in Ireland viii. 196 The Rev. F. C. Stocks, the great English left half back.., was a master at the school.
2001 M. Breheny & D. Keenan Ultimate Encycl. Gaelic Football & Hurling 24/3 Martin Newell was at left half-back in all three All-Ireland successes.
left half-forward n.
ΚΠ
1888 S. Austral. Reg. (Adelaide) 6 July 7/1 The following nineteen men will comprise the English team on Saturday..left half forward, Seddon; [etc.].
1964 J. Lennon Coaching Gaelic Football for Champions iv. 93 The left half-forward should be waiting for a loose ball, while the left mid-field jumps to catch.
2015 Daily Mirror (N. Ireland ed.) (Nexis) 27 Apr. (Sport section) 42 The 2010 All-Ireland finalist was meant to play at left half-forward but was hit in the face by a ball minutes before throw in.
c. † left-witted adj. Obsolete stupid, foolish.Cf. note at sense A. 1b.
left-arm adj. Cricket a left-handed bowler; (also) a ball bowled with the left arm.
ΚΠ
1871 Bell's Life in London & Sporting Chron. 1 July 4/3 Dart cut Freeman for three; he next cut the left-arm bowler for a similar amount.
1974 Times 11 Nov. 8/2 Titmus chopped Bright's orthodox left-arm spin into his stumps.
2007 Hindustan Times 28 May 21/2 Left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan grabbed a match-haul of seven wickets as India thumped Bangladesh by an innings and 239 runs.
left-armer n. Cricket a left-handed bowler.
ΚΠ
1912 Daily Mail 2 May 2/5 Carter..bowls slow to medium left arm, with the usual left armer's leg break.
1960 E. W. Swanton W. Indies Revisited 277 New bowling talent will have to be unearthed, for instance..a slow left-armer.
2011 S. Karunatilaka Chinaman 12 Who could the genius spinner be?.. A left-armer like Bedi or Underwood?
left-click v. Computing (a) intransitive to press the leftmost button of a mouse or similar device, typically in order to select an item or activate a program function in a graphical user interface; to make such a click on a particular area or element of a graphical user interface; (b) transitive to click the leftmost button of (a mouse); to make such a click on (a particular area or element of a graphical user interface).Left-clicking is the usual default mouse action in most applications and hence is often referred to simply as clicking (cf. click v.1 7). Cf. right-click vb. at right adj. and int. Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1986 Re: Emacs Mouse Support in net.emacs (Usenet newsgroup) 16 Jan. Left clicking once in the Current Window will place the Emacs cursor where the mouse cursor is.
1990 E. N. Houstis et al. Intelligent Math. Software Syst. 192 Left-click the mouse on each required plotting feature.
1997 Infoworld 8 Sept. 32/3 Left-click the .eml folder to select it.
2008 M. Shipman Big Money, Little Effort xv. 79 Scroll down to select the market you wish to monitor and left-click on the name.
Left Coast n. North American colloquial the West coast of the United States, esp. the state of California; (also) the West coast of Canada.Occasionally with reference to the reputation of the Left Coast as leaning towards the left politically.
ΚΠ
1977 ‘Wet Willie’ (title of album) Left Coast Live.
1987 N.Y. Times 11 June d23/1 Some people think Riley is more of a Left Coast pretty boy than a basketball coach out of Schenectady, N.Y.
1994 Financial Post (Canada) (Nexis) 8 Feb. 15 This is Vancouver on a February weekend, the Left Coast where strange things happen.
2003 National Jrnl. (U.S.) 12 July 2217/3 Clinton visited California more than 50 times as president..and remains wildly popular among Left Coast voters.
2014 Washington Post (Nexis) 8 Oct. a17 Before Obama heads to the left coast, he was raising money in Manhattan.
left deviationism n. [after Russian levyj uklonizm (1930 or earlier)] (in a Communist party or society) the policies or practices of left deviationists; cf. right deviationism n. at right adj. and int. Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1943 R. P. Smith Journey vii. 66 The happy Socialist children screamed with Stalinist delight as they found their prize, a three-color lithograph pamphlet on left deviationism.
1960 Far Eastern Surv. 29 31/1 Stalin had..accused the Indonesian Communist leadership of ‘left deviationism’ in 1925.
1997 K. Boyle & J. Sheen Freedom Relig. & Belief (2003) 180 With ‘left deviationism’ strengthening.., the ‘Four Clean-ups’ became the excuse for mobilising believers to criticise themselves.
2015 J. Batinić Women & Yugoslav Partisans iv. 194 The period of the so-called left deviationism in early 1942—when party activists launched revolutionary terror.
left deviationist n. (and adj.) [after Russian levyj uklonist (1926 or earlier)] (in a Communist party or society) an advocate of departure or divergence from orthodox principles or policies towards more anarchistic or revolutionary ones; also as adj.; cf. right deviationist n. at right adj. and int. Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1931 Manch. Guardian 8 Aug. 8/5 Opportunists, with right deviationists, left deviationists,..are the present enemies of the Revolution.
1980 Hour (Fairfield County, Connecticut) 25 Mar. 4/5 Its [sc. the Nicaraguan newspaper's] left-deviationist editors veered too far beyond the current official line and have been sentenced to two years in jail.
1990 R. Mann tr. W. Meissner Philos. & Politics China xviii. 165 According to Mao, the thought of the ‘left deviationists’ as well as that of the ‘right opportunists’ is detached from ‘practice’.
2010 R. Wolin Wind from East 157 Badiou considered the Gauche prolétarienne ‘left deviationists’ due to their surfeit of revolutionary voluntarism.
left-eye adj. of or relating to the left eye of a person or animal.
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1853 J. Hogg Elem. Exper. & Nat. Philos. 240 These diagrams are constructed to represent what may be termed right and left eye views of objects, as we should actually see them with the left or right eye alternately.
1934 Elem. School Jrnl. 34 388 Pupils with left-eye dominance show relatively greater speed in writing from right to left than do pupils with right-eye dominance.
1995 G. W. Cibis & M. A. Crandall in G. Lennerstrand Update Strabismus & Pediatric Ophthalmol. iv. 209 He has remarkably good left eye vision.
2013 Washington Post (Nexis) 28 Feb. (Style section) c1 [He] recognized an unmet market niche: what about..shooters who, like him, were left-eye dominant?
left jabber n. Boxing a boxer whose characteristic punch is the left jab.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > boxing > [noun] > boxer > using specific action
weaver1829
stopper1840
counterer1889
left jabber1905
southpaw1910
counterpuncher1932
1905 Defiance (Ohio) Weekly Express 28 Apr. 4/8 With a straight left jabber as an opponent,..ducking under the coming blow was once popular as a means of getting close to an opponent.
1950 J. Dempsey Championship Fighting xxii. 144 The right cross, deadliest of all counterpunches, is used when a left-jabber becomes careless.
2005 P. Myler Ring of Hate xii. 128 The gloves..would give Louis, a noted left jabber, an advantage.
left-leaning adj. sympathetic to or tending towards the left in politics.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > groups or attitudes right to left > [adjective] > left
left1794
red1848
left wing1873
leftist1895
leftish1899
left-wingish1926
left-wingy1936
lefty1937
left-leaning1938
1938 D. C. Peattie Prairie Grove xxxv. 247 A perilously popular and left-leaning president was..responsible for the way that this succulent ham of a country was hurtling to the jaws of Cerberus.
1961 Times 23 Jan. 13/6 The left-leaning Captain Kong Lae was, moreover, partly educated in Siam.
1966 T. Pynchon Crying of Lot 49 iii. 50 Peter Pinguid was really our first casualty. Not the fanatic our more left-leaning friends..chose to martyrize.
2010 Jewish Chron. 8 Oct. 31/2 A number of activists in the UK were trying to establish a left-leaning Israel group, which would support Israel but not shy away from criticising its government.
left of centre adj. of, relating to, or characterized by left-wing political views.
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1934 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl. Times 5 Dec. 3/2 Roosevelt's associates certain he will maintain ‘left of center’ course.
1957 J. Osborne Entertainer viii. 62 A chap at my school..managed to get himself in to the Labour Government, and they always said he was left of centre.
1962 Listener 19 July 87/1 A left-of-centre party not unlike the British Labour Party.
1972 Times 4 Aug. 13/4 The constitution of..the Donovan Commission, was on any showing a fair way left of centre.
1991 M. Valverde Age Light, Soap, & Water: Moral Reform in Eng. Canada, 1885–1925 i. 18 As defined by Allen, Cook, and others, ‘social gospel’ refers to the attempts to humanize and/or Christianize the political economy of urban-industrial capitalism. Its prophets were generally moderately left of centre.
2006 Prospect Aug. 32/2 Washington would no longer be able to accuse any left of centre regime in the region of being a ‘Soviet beachhead’.
left side tool n. now somewhat rare a cutting tool which cuts from left to right; (also) a tool which acts on the left side of its object; cf. right side tool n. at right adj. and int. Compounds 2 and side tool n. at side n.1 Compounds 3.
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1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 68 A left side tool..is useful in smoothing the left external surface of spheres, and other rotund figures.
1884 J. J. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. V. ii. 59 The right side and the left side tools, so called from their cutting from the right and from the left.
1912 F. D. Jones Operation Machine Tools (ed. 2) vi. 34 The first tool is known as a right-side tool because it operates on the right end or side of a shaft or collar, whereas the left-side tool..is used on the opposite side.
1969 Tool & Manufacturing Engineer Aug. 26/3 The left side tool and right side tool have advanced together to bend the two ends of the strip around the bottom of the centerform.
left tackle n. American Football the position outside the guard on the left-hand side of the offensive line, viewed from the perspective of the quarterback; the player in this position; see tackle n. 9b.
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1887 Syracuse (N.Y.) Standard 20 Nov. 1/4 Yale put the following team in the fray: Corbin, center rush..; Gill, right tackle; Cross, left tackle.
1920 Boston Globe 10 Nov. 10/3 He is a roving player. He will be ready to shift from left tackle to center should the occasion arise.
1978 J. Updike Coup (1979) i. 7 The crunched leg of the unhome-team left tackle.
2013 E. Huang Fresh off Boat v. 79 Kwame, Dave, and this other big guy who played left tackle started the cheer.
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a1637 B. Jonson tr. Horace Art of Poetrie 19 in Wks. (1640) III O I left-witted [L. o ego lævus], that purge every spring For choller!
1658 T. Long Exercitation Frequent Use Lords Prayer 49 He that considers the design of that left-witted heathen, cannot devise what else he should mean.
1880 R. Comfort Nero iii. ii. 44 You poor patch of faculties, left witted fool.
1905 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 26 167 (note) Left-handed=awkward, unskilful; left-witted=dull, stupid.
Derivatives
ˈleftness n. the fact, quality, or condition of being on or towards the left (in various senses).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [noun] > fact of having distinct sides > one or other side or hand > the left > condition of being on
leftness1530
sinistrality1852
sinistration1877
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 238/1 Leftnesse, gavcheté.
1884 W. James in Mind Apr. 282 Neither rightness nor leftness, except through bi-laterality.
1926 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 37 164 Judgments of ‘rightness’ or ‘leftness’ are most immediately and most precisely made.
1976 Times 25 Nov. 16/8 These battles don't just relate to leftness or rightness.
2005 D. Kisatsky United States & European Right p. x The ideological rightness or leftness of prospective allies ultimately mattered less than did their political pliancy.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
leftadj.2
/lɛft/, U.S. /lɛft/ That has or have been left (in various senses of leave v.1).
1. With preceding adverb or following adverb or adjectival phrase. Often in isolated uses when not corresponding to a phrasal verb.See also left-behind adj. and n., left-off adj. and n., left-out adj. and n., leftover adj. and n., well-left adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > [adjective] > left by will
bequeathed1619
left1622
willeda1825
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. John x. f. lxxiiiv Doe not beleue that I shall willingly geue my selfe vnto death, except I take agayn that willingly left lyfe [L. vitam sponte depositam], euen of myn own power, when I will.
1622 T. May Heire i. sig. B I must expresse a griefe Not vsuall, not like a well left heire For his dead father.
1832 J. Galt Howdie in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 705 Among other regimental clanjamphrey that were around this left-to-hersel' damsel, was a Mrs. Gooseskin.
1893 R. S. Surtees Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour (rev. ed.) xxix. 166 Our left-in-the-lurch friends.
1928 N. Coward Lorelei 9 Every new ship Gives them the slip... Pity the languid, left alone Lorelei.
1986 J. Hobhouse November 99 We think of you and miss you..: Karen and Maggie, the left-at-homes.
1998 Independent 12 Mar. ii. 2/1 Guests A and B saying how wonderful it must be to live without a man—..no deafening shouts at the TV on Saturday, no left-up loo seats.
2006 New Yorker 13 Mar. 77/2 One felt as if one were seeing a well-wrought play rather than witnessing a piece of left-to-chance reality.
2. Without adverb or adverbial phrase. Now chiefly in left luggage n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > that which is left or remainder > [adjective]
remanent1443
remainant1445
remainingc1475
remnant1550
remainder1567
leftc1595
residual1609
residuous1626
reliqued1628
restant1663
good1684
reversionary1816
relict1898
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lix. 6 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 63 They babling prate how my left life extinguish may their deadly hate.
1623 E. Dalton Πολεως ναω δαϕνη 171 What care will it not worke in men for the good and right of his left and liuing Image?
1661 O. Felltham Resolves (rev. ed.) 307 How often does the lavish Gamester squander away a large left Patrimony.
1724 A. Ramsay Wife of Auchtermuchty in Ever Green 141 The twa left Gaislings gat a Clank.
a1750 A. Hill Wks. (1753) III. 135 The soul..from its left body flies.
1825 A. C. Hutchison in London Med. & Physical Jrnl. 54 89 He uniformly every night made a hearty repast from the left provisions.
1867 People's Mag. 6 Apr. 272/2 Those poor but honourable people collected and published all his left scraps of writing.
1889 Rep. Supreme Court Illinois 127 603 After the passengers had left, one of the defendant's agents whose duty it was to look after ‘left baggage’, found three boxes on the deck marker ‘Rothgerber’.
2007 J. Hocutt Cold Calling for Cowards 96 A left message..might be reported like this. ‘Some salesman..called and wanted to ask you about..uh..something to do with..uh..our copiers.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1n.adv.a1200
adj.21548