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An Appreciation of Difference Melinda Hinkson Digital
Instant Download
Author(s): Melinda Hinkson, Jeremy Beckett
ISBN(s): 9780855756604, 0855756608
Edition: Kindle
File Details: PDF, 2.78 MB
Year: 2008
Language: english
 Edited by
Melinda Hinkson
and Jeremy Beckett
First published in 2008
by Aboriginal Studies Press
© Melinda Hinkson and Jeremy Beckett in the collection, 2008
© in individual chapters is held by the contributors, 2008
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from
the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a
maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever
is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for
its education purposes provided that the educational institution
(or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Aboriginal Studies Press
is the publishing arm of the
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
GPO Box 553, Canberra, ACT 2601
Phone: (61 2) 6246 1183
Fax: (61 2) 6261 4288
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aiatsis.gov.au/aboriginal_studies_press
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-In-Publication data:
Author: Hinkson, Melinda.
Title: An appreciation of difference: WEH Stanner and Aboriginal
Australia
ISBN: 9780855756604 (pbk.)
ISBN 978 0 85575 685 7 (PDF ebook).
Notes: Includes index.
Subjects: Stanner, W. E. H. (William Edward Hanley), 1905-1981.
Anthropologists — Australia — Biography. Aboriginal Australians
— Social life and customs. Aboriginal Australians — Social
conditions.
Dewey Number: 301.092
Printed in Australia by BPA Print Group Pty Ltd
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are respectfully advised
that this publication contains names and images of deceased persons,
and culturally sensitive material. AIATSIS apologises for any distress
this may cause.
Cover images: (front) WEH Stanner in his room at University
House, Australian National University, c. 1958; (back, L–R) Major
WEH Stanner, 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit, c. 1942, AWM,
PO4393.001; Stanner at a campfire, Fitzmaurice River, c. 1958;
Stanner during fieldwork in the Daly River region, c. 1932.
 Foreword

Bill Stanner’s extraordinary career took him from the bureaucracy to the
academy. He had a distinguished career in the British colonial service, and
briefly in the Australian department of external affairs. He reached the rank
of lieutenant colonel in the Australian Army and commanded the North
Australian Observer Unit during World War II. He was a foundation member
of the Department of Anthropology at the Australian National University.
Bill Stanner was also a central figure in the establishment of what would
become the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Studies, an organisation I am proud to currently chair, and was, in fact, the
Institute’s first executive member.
Stanner had been a tireless critic of the treatment of Aboriginal people
since the 1930s, and of the policy of assimilation that dominated the state’s
relationship with Indigenous Australia from the 1940s. A result of the 1967
referendum was the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Affairs, a
key body advising on new government policies in relation to Aboriginal
people. The council rejected the policy of assimilation in favour of proper
recognition of a unique Aboriginal identity, cultural expression, and land
rights. Together with Nugget Coombs and Barrie Dexter as co-members,
Stanner played a unique role in overseeing reform in Aboriginal Affairs.
However, after three decades of bipartisan support for a broad policy
platform of choice that the council promoted, the last 10 years has seen
processes of attrition, combativeness and outright hostility in Indigenous
affairs. During its last term in office, the Howard government was
emboldened to implement its true intentions in Indigenous affairs, having
secured an unexpected majority in both the House of Representatives and

iii
 Foreword

the Senate. Each year from 2004 unveiled a further dismembering of key
institutions of indigenous Australia. In 2004 the government disestablished
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission; 2005 saw a renewed
attack on the iconic Northern Territory land rights legislation — the high-
water mark in Australia in rights for Indigenous people. In that same year the
then Minister for Indigenous Affairs Amanda Vanstone declared Aboriginal
outstations to be ‘cultural museums’. In 2006 the Aboriginal Land Rights Act
(Northern Territory) was amended, leading to a further weakening of land
councils, and the introduction of Section 19(a) head-leasing of townships as
a mechanism to deliver to Aboriginal people their citizenship entitlements
in return for the voluntary alienation of their land. In 2007, just months
before being voted out of office, the Howard government made its most
controversial act in Indigenous affairs with the declaration of the Northern
Territory ‘national emergency’ intervention. Under the Northern Territory
Emergency Response legislation the protections afforded under the Racial
Discrimination Act (the RDA) to Aboriginal people captured by the new law
were suspended and the government asserted that the steps taken under the
new law were to be characterised as ‘special measures’ for the purposes of
the RDA. For example, the permit system that provided traditional owners
with the authority to control who entered their lands was abolished and the
compulsory acquisition of all prescribed communities, for five years, was
introduced. These and other land-related measures had nothing to do with
the child sexual abuse reported by Anderson and Wild’s Little children are
sacred report, which provided the government’s stated rationale for launching
the intervention, and much to do with pre-conceived ideological positions.
It soon became clear that the overarching philosophical intent in the
intervention was mainstreaming. When visiting Hermannsburg in August
2007 prime minister Howard told residents that whilst respecting the ‘special
place of indigenous people in the history and life of this country, their
future can only be as part of the mainstream of the Australian community’
(Australian, 29 August 2007). A subtext of these debates has been about the
supposed unviability of remote townships and the possibility of voluntary
and involuntary shifting of Aboriginal people to ‘viable’ centres of economic
activity. For the first time since land rights was enshrined in Commonwealth
legislation, we have faced the spectre of Aboriginal people being forced to
leave their land.This is a policy reminiscent of the centralisation prescriptions
of the failed assimilation era.
Stanner would have found this state-driven, top-down policy-making
extraordinarily regressive and destined to fail. His work was exceptionally
important in conveying something about the distinctive nature of Aboriginal
people’s relationship to their country to a wider Australian audience. In 1968
Stanner delivered his Boyer Lectures, After the Dreaming, which are still well

iv
 Foreword

recognised today, forty years on. In the lecture titled ‘Confrontation’ (Stanner
1969, p. 44) there is a particularly beautiful passage:
No English words are good enough to give a sense of the links between
an Aboriginal group and its homeland. Our word ‘home’, warm and
suggestive though it may be, does not match the Aboriginal word that
means ‘camp’, ‘hearth’, ‘country’, ‘everlasting home’, ‘totem place’, ‘life
source’, ‘spirit centre’ and much else. Our term ‘land’ is too spare and
meagre. We can scarcely use it except without economic overtones
unless we happen to be poets.
Stanner was spot on. When Aboriginal people talk about ‘country’
we mean something very different from the conventional European
understandings. We might mean homeland or tribal or clan area. But we are
not necessarily referring to a place in a merely geographical sense. Rather,
the word ‘country’ is an abbreviation of all the values, places, resources,
stories and cultural obligations associated with that area. Certainly, to talk
of country is to talk of its resources: the uses to which these might be put,
and their proper distribution. In this sense, to understand country is also to
understand its crucial importance to the customary Indigenous economy
and governance. However, the word best describes the entirety of a people’s
ancestral inheritance. It is Place that gives meaning to creation beliefs. The
stories of creation form the basis of Indigenous law and explain the origins
of the natural world. To speak of country is to speak both of the economic
uses to which it may be put and of a fundamentally spiritual relationship
that links the past to the present, the dead to the living and the human and
non-human worlds. Country is centrally about identity.
Australia’s Indigenous peoples have fought hard to protect and preserve
our countries and our identities since the first white settlements emerged on
the NSW coast in the late 1780s. In the Northern Territory the persistent
struggles of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land culminated in
the Woodward inquiry whose findings and recommendations formed the
basis of the first legislative regime of land rights based on freehold title
in Australia. The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act of 1976 was
the first legislation in Australia to establish a land claim process by which
traditional owners could claim various areas of land not through petition but
as their right. Hence, the report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal
Deaths in Custody said of Northern Territory land rights that:
The result has been a fundamental shift in the position of Aboriginal
people. Despite many ongoing problems, Aboriginal people now have
an independent economic, political, and symbolic base for action.
They have moved at least in part to a position of negotiation with
the state. The importance of this is demonstrated in the growth of

˘
 Foreword

strong and effective Aboriginal organisations, and the extent to which

Aboriginal people now have to be taken seriously as a significant
group within Northern Territory society.
However, the ‘reforms’ of the Howard government have steadily chipped
away at these historic achievements, hard won over so many years by
Aboriginal people and their supporters.
Stanner predicted that a day would come when Aboriginal people might
want to sell their land. The main message to be drawn from his writings
on Aboriginal policy is that Aboriginal people should be allowed to make
informed and realistic choices about their futures, not have decisions thrust
upon them. The previous government sought to force changed land tenure
arrangements upon traditional owners through the implementation of the
99-year leasing arrangements. I and others have pointed out that these changes
were not required to enable the kinds of housing provision and economic
development opportunities the government sought to encourage.
Paradoxically, as we celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the referendum
in 2007, Indigenous affairs reached a nadir. Where does one go from a
nadir?
There is some cause for optimism that the new Rudd government will
take a more consultative approach. As I write there is much activity, much
reviewing and also considerable uncertainty in the field of Aboriginal affairs.
Since elected in November 2007 the Rudd government has announced it
will endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, it will
establish a new Indigenous representative body, it has launched a review of the
NT intervention, and a review of a key NT Aboriginal statutory authority
the North Land Council. A case sits before the High Court challenging
the Commonwealth’s compulsory acquisition of prescribed areas, possibly
without just compensation.
The outcomes of these various activities are far from assured: Will the
review of the intervention recommend that NT emergency response laws
pass the scrutiny of the RDA? Will the High Court find that the compulsory
acquisition of Aboriginal land to provide public housing and services is
unconstitutional? Will the government continue to support Aboriginal
people who aspire to continue living on their customary estates or will it
endorse the neo-liberal prescriptions of migration and mainstreaming?
Clearly much has changed in the last half century, but there are obvious
parallels between the assimilation policies of the mid-twentieth century
and the neo-liberal prescriptions of the present. Both impose a future
on Aboriginal people that seeks to speak on their behalf as to what best
represents their future prospects. Both have neither mechanism nor room
to hear from Aboriginal people as to what their aspirations might be, and
how they might differ from those of mainstream Australia.This seems a risky

vi
 Foreword

strategy for both remote-living Indigenous people and wider Australia alike.
At the very time when climate change looms as the major threat to the
very foundation of the neo-liberal paradigm, Aboriginal people are being
asked to walk away from activities and ways of life that can contribute
considerably to the maintenance of extremely biodiverse regions as well as
carbon abatement.
When Stanner was concerned with choice his focus was fixed firmly
on Aboriginal benefit, although he did identify the cost to the nation of
continued Indigenous disadvantage. But today the stakes are far higher than
Stanner could possibly have imagined. By allowing remote-living Aboriginal
people who wish to remain on and manage their country the choice to do so,
we can see that their environmental management regimes might have local,
national, and even global benefits.These benefits remain, as yet, unrecognised
and unimagined by the nation. Surely, in this time of great uncertainty, this is
the sort of choice we as a rich nation should be encouraging, for Aboriginal
people as well as for all Australians?

Mick Dodson
August 2008

vii
 Contents

Foreword iii
Illustrations xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Contributors xv

‘Going more than half way to meet them’: On the life and 1
legacy of WEH Stannerâ•… Jeremy Beckett and Melinda Hinkson

part 1. diverse fields

1. ‘A chance to be of some use to my country’: Stanner 27

during World War IIâ•… Geoffrey Gray
2. Stanner and Makerere: On the ‘insuperable’ challenges 44
of practical anthropology in post-war East Africaâ•…
Melinda Hinkson
3. WEH Stanner and the foundation of the Australian Institute 58
for Aboriginal Studies, 1959–1964â•… John Mulvaney
4. Stanner: Reluctant bureaucratâ•… Barrie Dexter 76

part 2. in pursuit of transcendent value

5. Frontier encounter: Stanner’s Durmugamâ•… Jeremy Beckett 89

6. Journey to the source: In pursuit of Fitzmaurice rock art 102
and the High Cultureâ•… Melinda Hinkson
7. Stanner’s veil: Transcendence and the limits of scientific 115
inquiryâ•… Peter Sutton
8. ‘Religion’, ‘magic’, ‘sign’ and ‘symbol’ in Stanner’s approach 126
to Aboriginal religionsâ•… Ian Keen
9. ‘Joyous maggots’: The symbolism of Yolngu mortuary rituals 137
Howard Morphy
10. Indigenous songs as ‘operational structures of transactional 151
life’: A study of song genres at Wadeyeâ•… Alberto Furlan

part 3 . land and people

11. Stanner and Aboriginal land use: Ecology, economic 169

change, and enclosing the commonsâ•… Peter Sutton
12. ‘Too sociological’? Revisiting ‘Aboriginal territorial 185
organization’â•… Nicolas Peterson
13. Stanner, Milirrpum, and the Woodward Royal Commission 198
Nancy Williams
14. Counting the cost: Stanner and the Port Keats/Wadeye 217
populationâ•… John Taylor

part 4 . a public intellectual

15. WEH Stanner and the historiansâ•… Ann Curthoys 233

16. After the Dreaming: The Boyer lecturer as social critic 251
Tim Rowse
17. From ‘After the Dreaming’ to ‘After land rights’: 271
WEH Stanner’s legacy as Indigenous policy intellectual
Jon Altman

Index 283
 Illustrations

page
Bill Stanner during fieldwork in the Port Keats region, c. 1950s. 6
Bill Stanner at the SAS ‘Long Vigil’ exercise, north Australia, 1977 15
Major William Edward Hanley Stanner, c. 1942 36
Stanner outside the British consulate, South Pacific, c. 1947–53 49
Some members of the National Conference on Aboriginal 68
Studies, Canberra, 1961
Stanner at a meeting of the Council for Aboriginal Affairs 82
and state ministers, Adelaide 1968
Durmugam, Daly River region, c. 1950s. 95
Nym Bunduck, Providence Hill, c. 1954 109
Djanba dancing at Wadeye, c. 1950s 120
Stanner’s wet season camp, Port Keats region, c. 1935 132
A yingapungapu ground sculpture,Yilpara, 2000 141
The maggot dancers,Yilpara, 2004 142
Wangga dancing, Port Keats, c. 1950s 161
Bill Stanner and Peter Sutton, c. 1979 177
Mariwanda and Maringa men in dugout canoe, c. 1935 191
Aborigines who accompanied Stanner from Port Keats to Daly 201
River, 1935
Men tilling gardens, Port Keats, c. 1950s 220
Launch of the first issue of Aboriginal History, Canberra 1978 242
Stanner in his room at the Australian National University, c. 1958 261
Aborigines who accompanied Stanner from Port Keats to Daly 275
River, 1935

xi
 Illustrations

figures

Figure 1.â•… Counts and estimates of the Aboriginal population of 222

Port Keats Mission/Wadeye/Thamarrurr, 1947 to 2003.
Figure 2.â•… Aboriginal population of Port Keats and the 225
Thamarrurr region by age and sex, 1956 and 2003.

table

Table 1. â•… Murrinh-patha age divisions. 226

xii
 Acknowledgments

November 2005 marked the centenary of Bill Stanner’s birth. To celebrate

this occasion we organised a symposium WEH Stanner: Anthropologist and
Public Intellectual, held over two days at the Australian National University,
Canberra.We were drawn to do so on the basis of our different acquaintances
with Stanner’s work: Stanner had been Jeremy’s PhD thesis supervisor at
the ANU in the 1960s and sometime friend; Melinda never knew Stanner
but came to know some of his unpublished materials while working as a
research project officer at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Studies in 2001, and subsequently as a postdoctoral fellow at
the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research between 2001 and 2003.
The symposium was attended by more than 100 scholars, Stanner’s
colleagues, family and friends, as well as descendants of Aboriginal men
Stanner had worked with for more than four decades at Port Keats/Wadeye.
Most of the chapters in this volume received their first public airing at that
forum.
The symposium was sponsored by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the Australian National University
through the National Centre for Indigenous Studies, the Centre for Cross-
Cultural Research, the School of Archaeology and Anthropology, and
University House.
Presentations were also made at the symposium by Graeme Ward, Mark
Crocombe, Basil Dodd, the late Lawrence Kolumboort, Marcia Langton,
Max Charlesworth and David Nash. For various reasons these presen-
tations have not been included here. In developing the volume we invited
Tim Rowse to contribute an essay on the Boyer Lectures, and Melinda
Hinkson’s chapter on Stanner’s 1958 expedition to the Fitzmaurice region
was written to fill what we felt were two important gaps in the coverage of
Stanner’s career.

xiii
 Acknowledgments

For their roles in the book’s production we thank the following: the
contributors; Rhonda Black and the team at Aboriginal Studies Press;
Mark MacLean and Frances Morphy; and two anonymous readers whose
comments were helpful in the revision of the manuscript as a whole. We
also thank ANU for its contribution of a publishing subsidy. For permission
to produce images we thank ANU Archives, AIATSIS and the Australian
War Memorial. For her enthusiastic support for the project overall we are
particularly grateful to Mrs Patricia Stanner.
The contributors to the volume are mainly academics, including anthro-
pologists, prehistorians and historians who either worked with or knew
Stanner in various capacities.The reader will note that they broadly represent
a particular demographic. Consequently only three are women, and — apart
from Mick Dodson who wrote the book’s foreword — none are Aboriginal,
a fact that is regrettable but reflective of circumstances and the time that has
passed since Stanner’s death in 1981.
For younger generations of scholars Stanner is probably a remote and
intriguing figure. We hope these essays that trace some of the key moments
in his long and distinguished career and his contributions to Australian
intellectual and public life will prove illuminating and occasionally
provocative. The book’s title is taken from Stanner’s 1968 Boyer lectures,
After the Dreaming. It is being published at a time when his notion of ‘a great
Australian silence’ has perhaps been overcome by a great cacophony, one
that Stanner would regard as often poorly culturally informed.

Melinda Hinkson and Jeremy Beckett

August 2008

xiv
 Contributors

Jon Altman is Professor and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic
Policy Research at the Australian National University in Canberra. He has an
academic background in economics and anthropology. He has undertaken
research on Indigenous economic development and policy since 1977,
mainly in north Australia. Since 1979 he has retained strong collaborative
research relations with Indigenous organisations and their members in the
Maningrida region, Arnhem Land, especially from the Kuninjku language
community.

Jeremy Beckett is an anthropologist with a particular interest in the

place of Indigenous peoples in settler colonial society. He works among
Aborigines in far-west New South Wales, and with Torres Strait Islanders in
the Strait and in mainland Australia. Foremost among his many publications
are Torres Strait Islanders: custom and colonialism (Cambridge University Press,
1987), and the edited collection Past and present: the construction of Aboriginality
(Aboriginal Studies Press, 1994). As a graduate student, he had Bill Stanner
as one of his supervisors. He is currently Emeritus Associate Professor,
Department of Anthropology, Sydney University.

Ann Curthoys is Manning Clark Professor of History at the Australian

National University and an Australian Research Council Professorial
Fellow. She has written about many aspects of Australian history, including
Aboriginal–European relations; racially restrictive immigration policies;
the Chinese in colonial Australia; journalism; television; and ‘second wave’
feminism. She also writes about historical theory and historical writing. Her
books include Freedom Ride: a Freedom Rider remembers (Allen & Unwin,
2002), winner of the Stanner Prize, and, with John Docker, Is history fiction?
(University of New South Wales Press, 2005). Her latest book, Rights and
redemption: history, law, and Indigenous people, written with Ann Genovese and
Alexander Reilly, will be published by UNSW Press in 2008.

xv
 Contributors

Barrie Dexter, CBE, served from 1967 to 1976 with WEH Stanner and HC
‘Nugget’ Coombs as the Council for Aboriginal Affairs. During this time he
established and served as director/secretary of the Department of Aboriginal
Affairs. Over the course of this career he has held many senior diplomatic
posts, including positions in Lebanon, Cairo, Karachi, Washington DC. He
served as high commissioner/ambassador in Ghana and Laos, Yugoslavia/
Romania/Bulgaria and Canada. On his retirement Barrie contributed to the
re-establishment of CARE Australia, becoming vice president and Australian
representative on the board of CARE International until 1995.

Alberto Furlan graduated in Philosophy at Ca’Foscari University in Venice,

Italy and completed postgraduate studies in anthropology at the University
of Sydney. He lived and worked in Wadeye (2002–03) undertaking research
on traditional and popular Aboriginal music. Other areas of research
include Indigenous cosmology, performance, and continuity and change in
Aboriginal society. He is currently employed as regional anthropologist by
the Central Land Council in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory.

Geoffrey Gray is a Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal

and Torres Straight Islander Studies, Canberra. His most recent book is
A cautious silence: the politics of Australian anthropology (Aboriginal Studies
Press, 2007).

Melinda Hinkson is a lecturer in social anthropology and visual culture

in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Research School
of Humanities, the Australian National University. She has undertaken
research with Aboriginal people in central Australia, north Australia and
metropolitan Sydney. Her recent publications include Coercive reconciliation:
stabilise, normalise, exit Aboriginal Australia (co-edited with Jon Altman, Arena
Publications, 2007).

Ian Keen studied anthropology at University College London and at the

Australian National University. He has carried out research on kinship, social
organisation and religion in north-east Arnhem Land, and on Aboriginal
relations to land in several locations including the Alligator River region and
McLaren Creek in the Northern Territory, and Gippsland in Victoria. His
publications include Knowledge and secrecy in an Aboriginal religion (Clarendon
Press, 1994), and Aboriginal economy and society (Oxford University Press,
2004). He lectured in anthropology at the University of Queensland and the
Australian National University, where he is currently a visiting fellow.

xvi
 Contributors

Howard Morphy is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the

Research School of Humanities at the Australian National University. He
has published widely in the anthropology of art, aesthetics, performance,
museum anthropology, Aboriginal social organisation, the history of
anthropology, visual anthropology and religion. His current focus is on
the use of digital media in anthropological research and publication. His
books include Ancestral connections: art and an Aboriginal system of knowledge
(University of Chicago Press, 1991), Rethinking visual anthropology (Yale
University Press, edited with Marcus Banks, 1997), Aboriginal art (Phaidon,
1998) and Becoming art: exploring cross-cultural categories (Berg 2007).

John Mulvaney was the first university-trained pre-historian to make

Australia his subject. From 1971 until his retirement in 1985 he was professor
in pre-history in the Faculty of Arts at the ANU, and his Prehistory of Australia
has been published in three editions. He served 18 years on the executive
of the (then) Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, including a term as
chairman, and also on the Committee of Inquiry on Museums in 1974–75
which preceded the establishment of the National Museum of Australia.

Nicolas Peterson is Professor of Anthropology in the School of Archaeology

and Anthropology at the Australian National University. His doctoral field-
work focused on territorial organisation and ecology in Arnhem Land with
self-supporting groups. Subsequently he has worked in central Australia on
Warlpiri territorial organisation, ceremonial life and song cycles. As a result
of his interest in territorial organisation he was appointed research officer
to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Land Rights in 1973–74, and as
a consequence has had a long involvement in preparing land and native title
claims, including the test case for native title in the sea with Jeannie Devitt.

Tim Rowse is a Senior Research Fellow in the History Program, Research

School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. Researching his
book Obliged to be difficult (Cambridge University Press, 2000) brought
him into close contact with Stanner as a policy intellectual. Tim researches
and teaches Australian Indigenous history, and he comments on current
developments in Indigenous policy. His most recent book is Divided nation?
Indigenous affairs and the imagined public (Melbourne University Press 2007,
co-authored with Murray Goot). €

Peter Sutton is an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow at the

University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum. An anthropologist

xvii
 Contributors

and linguist, he has worked with Aboriginal people since 1969. His books
include Art and land: Aboriginal sculptures of the Lake region (with Philip Jones,
South Australian Museum and Wakefield Press, 1986), Dreamings: the art of
Aboriginal Australia (George Braziller Publishers in association with the Asia
Society Galleries, New York, 1988), and Native title in Australia: an ethnographic
perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2003). He is currently writing a
book on Wik ceremonial sculptures of Cape York Peninsula.

John Taylor is a Senior Fellow and Deputy Director at the Centre for
Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University, and
a member of the Australian Population Association. For the past 20 years
his major research interests have focused on the measurement and policy
implications of demographic and socioeconomic change among Australia’s
Indigenous peoples. He has worked on these issues with people at Wadeye
since 2003.

Nancy Williams is currently Honorary Reader in Anthropology, School of

Social Science, University of Queensland. Her research with Yolngu clans in
north-eastern Arnhem Land since 1969 has focused on land and sea tenure
and resource management. Her book, The Yolngu and their land: a system of
land tenure and the fight for its recognition (Australian Institute of Aboriginal
Studies, 1986), is based on the Yolngu preparation for and participation in
the Milirrpum case. Nancy is also author of Two laws: managing dispute in a
contemporary Aboriginal community (Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies,
1987).

xviii
 ‘Going more than half way to meet them’:
On the life and legacy of WEH Stanner
jeremy beckett and melinda hinkson

WEH Stanner is one of Australia’s best known and most highly regarded
anthropologists. He died in 1981, but more than a quarter of a century after
his death his writings and ideas on Aboriginal culture and affairs continue to
be cited by observers from a range of perspectives, both within and outside
the academy. It seems there is still much in his work that commands attention
and stimulates thought. This abiding interest in Stanner’s work suggests that
he had grasped something unresolved at the core of the encounter between
Aborigines and those who came after, which even now remains at the heart
of the debate over what it means to be Australian. This collection of essays
reviews his intellectual legacy and a career that was variously significant: in
the public domain there is his 1968 Boyer Lectures which alerted a wide
audience to the situation of Australia’s Aborigines, and there is his work with
HC ‘Nugget’ Coombs and Barrie Dexter on the Council for Aboriginal
Affairs; among anthropologists, there is his writings on Aboriginal religion,
social organisation, and his expert witness in the first legal case on Aboriginal
land rights. But Stanner’s career is itself interesting because it reminds us of
what it was like to have to make one’s way in an Australia that was very much
smaller and academically less developed than it is now, and moreover to have
one’s career plans interrupted by a world war. It is also interesting because
Stanner was a particular kind of man, one whose qualities both contributed
to — and perhaps also at times inhibited — his achievements.
Recalling his early career, Bill Stanner explained to Jeremy Beckett that
when he went to the University of Sydney in 1928 it was something that
few Australians did, and he felt it incumbent upon him to make a significant
contribution to the life of a country that still numbered less than seven
million people. How he was to do so was not immediately clear to him; had
he simply been driven by material ambition he might have gone for one of

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trick ; esp., a feat so dexterous that the way it is executed is not
perceived. 3. Dexterity ; skill. sleight of hand, a trick or tricks
requiring skillful manipulation ; legerdemain ; also, expertness in
such tricks. Slen'der (slen'der), a. [OD. slinder.~\ 1. Small or narrow
in circumference or width in proportion to the length or height; slim.
2. Weak ; feeble; slight; as, slender hope. 3. Moderate ;
inconsiderable ; meager ; small ; as, a slender income. 4. Spare ;
abstemious ; frugal ; as, a slender diet. — slen'der-ly, adv. —
slen'der-ness, to. Syn. Slender, slim, as applied to material objects,
are often interchangeable, but slim often implies the greater
slightness or fragility. See thin. Slept (slept), pret. & p. p. of sleep.
sleuth (slobth ; 86), n. 1. The track of man or beast, esp. as
followed by scent. Obs. 2. A bloodhound. 3. Hence, a detective.
Colloq., U. S. sleuth'hound' (-hound'), to. A hound that tracks
animals by the scent ; bloodhound. Slew (slob ; 86), n. [See slough
a wet place.] A wet or marshy _place ; a river inlet. See 2d slough,
n., 2. Slew (sloo ; 86), pret. of slay ; also, var. of slue. Sley (sla), to.
[AS. siege."] A weaver's reed. Slice (slis), n. [OF. esclice, fr. esclicier,
esclichier, to break to pieces.] 1. A thin, broad piece, esp. one cut
off. 2. A knife with a broad blade, as for serving fish ; a spatula for
spreading anything, as paint or ink. — v. t.; sliced (sllst) ; slic'ing
(slls'ing). 1. To cut into slices ; cut a slice or slices from. 2. To cut
into parts ; divide. 3. To clear by means of a slice bar, as a fire, or
grate bars. 4. To remove as a slice ; cut off ; — usually used with off.
5. Golf. To strike (the ball) so that the face of the club draws across
the face of the ball and deflects it (with a righthanded player, to the
right). — slic'er (slTs'er), n.^ Slice bar. A kind of poker with a broad,
flat end, for stirring a fire, clearing out ashes from the bars of a
furnace, etc. Slick (slik), a. Sleek. Chiefly Dial, or Colloq. — adv.
Smoothly ; plausibly ; smartly. Colloq. — v. t. To make sleek ; sleek ;
Slang, to make trim ; — often with up. Chiefly Dial, or Colloq. — n.
1. Joinery. A wide paring chisel. 2. A smooth and slippery surface or
place ; esp., a smooth area on the surface of the water, usually
caused by the Bresence of oil, as from a school of fish. U. S. Ck'ens
(slik'enz ; -inz), to. Mining. The pulverized material (pulp) from a
quartz mill, or the lighter soil of hydraulic mines. U. S. Slick'en-Side'
(slik^n-sid'), to. \_slicken smooth + side, n.] Geol. A smooth, usually
striated, polished surface of rock, produced by friction ; — usually in
pi. — v. t. ; -sro'ed (-sid'ed ; 24) ; -sk/inc To form slickensides upon.
slick'er (slik'er), n. A long, loose waterproof coat. U. S. slid (slid),
pret. & p. p. of slide. slid'den (slid''n), p. p. of slide. Slide (slid), v. i.;
pret. slid (slid) ; p. p. slid'den (slTd''n), slid ; p. pr. & vb. to. slid'ing
(slid'ing). [AS. slidan.~] 1. To move along a surface, as on snow or
ice, without intermission of contact; slip; glide. 2. To pass without
observing or being observed or heeded ; — often, Now Colloq., used
with let. 3. To pass smoothly or gently onward ; glide ; as,_a boat
slides through the water. 4. To move or go easily, quietly, quickly^ or
secretly ; — often used with out, away, etc. 5. To slip in walking or
standing. Obsolescent. Syn. Slide, slip, glide. Slide commonly
suggests esp. contact with the surface ; slip, entire absence of
friction or obstruction ; glide, the smoothness or ease of the
movement. — v. t. 1. To cause to slide along a surface. 2. To pass or
put quietly or imperceptibly ; slip ; as, the thief slid his hand into the
bag. — n.t 1. Act of sliding. 2. That on which anything moves by
sliding. 3. That which operates by sliding, as a cover for an aperture.
4. The descent of a mass of earth, rock, or snow down a declivity ;
as, a landslide. 5. A plate of glass on which is a picture to be
projected by a stereopticon or the like ; also, a plate on which is an
object to be examined with a microscope. 6. Music, a A grace of two
or more smaU notes moving by conjoint degrees and leading to a
principal note, b A portamento. C In the trumpet and trombone, a U-
shaped section of tube pushed out and in to produce the tones
between the fundamental and its harmonics. — slid'er (slid'er), to.
Slide bar. 1. A bar serving as a slide or guideway for something, as
in a crosshead. 2. A bar that can be slid into, or out of, position.
Slide knot. A kind of slipknot. See knot, Illust. slide valve. Mech. Any
valve which opens and closes ar passageway by sliding oyer a port ;
specif., a kind of slidin valve often usi in steam engines for admitting
steam to the piston and releasing it, alternately. sliding scale, a A
scale for raising or lowering imposts in proportion to the fall or rise
of prices, b Econ. A scale of workmen's wages un- Slide Valve. C
Cylinder of a steamengine ; der which the P Piston P; b Steam
Chest; i. Steam wages depend, Pipe; s Slide Valve shown admitting
more or less, steam through the Port e, and opening upon the
selling communication between the Exhaust price of the prod-
Passage / and the Port c. uct, the rate of pay rising and falling with
the price according to a certain scale. Slight (sllt)_, a. [ME. slijt,
sleght, orig., smooth, flat.] 1. Slender ; slim ; frail ; as, a slight
figure. 2. Not strong in intellect or character ; foolish ; silly. 3.
Unimportant ; paltry ; mild ; weak ; feeble ; scant ; as, a slight
effort, impression, pain. — v. t. To disregard as insignificant ; make
light of ; as : a To treat (a person) with intentional neglect, b To
perform carelessly and inadequately. — Syn. See neglect. — n. A
slighting ; esp., an intentional neglect of courtesy due ;
manifestation of moderate contempt. — Syn. Disregard, negligence,
inattention, contempt, indignity. Slight'ing, p. a. Characterized by
disregard or disrespect ; disparaging ; as, a slighting remark. —
slight'ing-ly, adv. Slight'ly, adv. In a slight manner or degree.
Slight'ness, to. Quality or state of being slight, inconsiderable,
slender, or the like ; also, formerly, negligence. sli'ly (sli'lT). Var. of
slyly. Slim (slim), a. ; slim'mer (-er) ; -mest. [D. slim crafty, bad,
awry.] 1. Bad ; worthless ; mean. Scot. & Dial. 2. Frail ; slight ;
unsubstantial ; poor ; as, a slim structure ; a slim chance. 3. Of
small diameter or thickness in proportion to the height or length ;
slender. 4. Small in numbers, amount, etc. ; sparse ; as, a slim
attendance. — Syn. See slender. Slime (slim), to. [AS. slim.'] 1. Soft,
moist earth or clay ; viscous mud. 2. Any dirty substance that is
moist, soft, and adhesive. 3. Bitumen. Archaic. 4. The mucous or
mucuslike secretion of the skin of slugs, land snails, etc. — v.t.;
slimed (sllmd); slim'ing (slim'ing). 1. To smear K = ch in G. ich, ach
(50); boN; yet; zh = z in azure. Numbers refer to Sections in Guide
to Pronunciation. Explanations of Abbreviations used In this work.
Signs, etc., precede Vocabulary. || Foreign Word. + combined with.
= equals.
 N SLIME FUNGUS 906 SLOT R or cover with slime ; make
slimy. 2. To remove slime from, as fish for canning. slime fungus. A
slime mold. slime mold or mould. Any myxomycetous organism.
Slim'i-ly (sllm'i-li), adv. In a slimy manner. Slim'i-ness, n. Quality or
state of being slimy. Slim'ly (slim'lT), adv. In a slim manner ; thinly.
slim'ness, n. Quality or state of being slim. slim'sy (slim'zi ; -si), a.
Flimsy ; frail, as a fabric or structure. Colloq., U. S. Slim'y (sllm'i), a.;
slim'i-er (-i-er) ; -i-est. Of or pert, to or like slime ; also, covered
with or yielding slime. Sling (sling), n. A drink of spirit and water
sweetened. Sling, v. t.; pret. slung (slung), Archaic slang (slang); p.
p. slung ; p. pr. & vb. n. sling'ing. [AS. slingan to wind, twist.] 1. To
throw with a sling. 2. To throw ; hurl ; cast. 3. To place in a sling or
slings for hoisting or lowering; also, to move, hoist,. etc., by slings;
as, to sling a cask. 4. To suspend by a sling ; as, to sling a rifle. ■—
n. 1. An instrument, as a short strap with two strings fastened to the
ends, for throwing stones, etc., by centrifugal force. 2. Act or motion
of hurling with or as with a sling ; a throw ; fig., a stroke. 3. A
contrivance to suspend something ; as : a A bandage put round the
neck to support the arm or hand, b A loop, as of rope or chain, etc.,
to suspend something. C Naut. A chain or rope to support a yard or
to lower or hoist a boat ; — usually in pi. Sling'er (-er), n. One who
slings, or uses a sling. Slink (slink), v. t. To cast, or bring forth,
prematurely; — said of beasts. — a. Produced prematurely. — n.
The prematurely born young (esp. a calf) of a beast. Slink (slink), v.
i.; pret. slunk (slunk), Archaic slank (slank) ; p. p. slunk ; p. pr. & vb.
n. slink'ing. [AS. slincan.'] To steal off or away ; sneak. — Syn. See
lurk. Slip (slip), v. i., slipped (slTpt) ; slip'ping. [ME. slippen, and ME.
slipen.~\ 1. To slide ; hence : to move smoothly and with little
friction ; glide. 2. To lose one's footing or one's hold by reason of
sliding. 3. To err ; fall into error. 4. To move or start out of place with
a sliding motion ; — of■ ten used with out, off, etc. ; as, the tool
slipped and cut me. 5. To go, come, pass, move, etc., in a quiet,
furtive manner ; steal ; — used with off, away, etc. ; as, time slipped
by. 6. To pass away or escape without notice or through inattention,
neglect, etc. ; as, he let his opportunities slip. — Syn. See slide. — v.
t. 1. To cause to slip ; slide ; put, pass, or the like, quickly, quietly, or
secretly. 2. To omit to seize or utilize, as an advantage ; pass over. 3.
To cause to slip or slide off or out of place ; as, a dog slips his collar.
4. To let loose, as in pursuit of game ; as, to slip a hound. 5. To slink
(young) ; — said of beasts. — n. 1. Act of slipping ; fig., a sudden
mishap. 2. An inadvertent fault ; error ; blunder ; as, a slip of the
tongue. 3. A slight transgression or offense ; a false step. 4. Geol. &
Mining. Any slight movement dislocating the parts of a rock mass ;
the result of such a movement. 5. Hort. A cutting or scion. 6. A long
and narrow piece ; strip ; a slender or slim person, esp. such a boy
or girl. 7. A leash for a dog ; — because it can be quickly slipped. 8.
Any covering easily slipped on ; as : a An underwaist or dress lining,
b A child's pinafore or frock. C A case for a pillow, etc. 9. Mach. =
creep. See creep,©, i.,5. 10. A long seat or narrow pew. U.S. 11.
Naut. a An artificial slope made for a landing, as at a ferry. Eng. b An
inclined plane on which a vessel is built or repaired. C A space for
vessels to lie in between wharves or in a dock. U S. d The difference
between a vessel's actual speed and the speed she would have if the
propelling instrument acted upon a solid. 12. Potter's clay in a very
liquid state, used for decoration or as a cement. 13. A whetstone
having a cross-section in general like that of a wedge or of two
wedges back to back. 14. Cricket. The position of a fielder, or the
fielder himself, on the off side of the wicket and behind the wicket
keeper. Slip'knot' (slip'nof), n., or slip knot. A knot which slips along
the rope around which it is made. See knot, Illust. Slip'page
(slTp'aj), n. Act or amount of slipping ; specif., Mach., loss in
working, as in transmission of power. Slip'per (stfp'er), a. [AS.
slipur.J Slippery. 06s. or Scot. & Dial. Eng. Slip'per, n. 1. One who, or
that which, slips. 2. A kind of light shoe, easily slipped on or off.
Slip'pered (-erd), a. Wearing, or provided with, slippers. slip'per-i-
ness, n. Quality or state of being slippery. Slip'per-y (-er-i), a. [See
slipper, a.] 1. Allowing or causing anything to slip ; smooth. 2. a
Untrustworthy ; tricky ; sly ; also, fickle ; undependable ; as, a
slippery person, b Unstable ; uncertain ; not to be counted on ; as,
slippery promises. 3. Not easily held ; liable or apt to slip away ; as,
a slippery savage. 4. Wanton ; unchaste. Slippery elm. An American
elm (Ulmus fulva) with mucilaginous inner bark ; also, the bark, used
as a demulcent. Slip'py (slTpT),^. ; -pi-er ; -pi-est. [AS. slipig."]
Slippery. Slip'shod' (-shod'), a. 1. Wearing shoes or slippers down at
the heel. 2. Careless in dress, manners, etc. ; slovenly. slip'slop' (-
slop'), n. Colloq. 1. Weak, poor, or flat liquor ; slops. 2. Weak,
profitless talk ; twaddle. Slipt (slipt). Slipped. Rare. Slit (slit), v. t. ;
pret. & p. p. slit or slit'ted ; p. pr. & vb. n. slit'ting. [AS. slltan to
tear.] 1. To cut ; sever. Obs. 2. To cut lengthwise ; cut into long
strips. 3. To make a slit or long fissure in or on. — n. A long cut ;
narrow opening. — slit'ter (sllt'er), n. Slith'er (slith'er), v. i. & t. To
slide ; slip ; glide. Sliv'er (sliv'er), v. t. [AS. slifan to split.] To cut into
long, thin pieces or very small pieces ; slit. — v. i. To split ; have
slivers split off. — n. 1. A sharp, slender fragment ; splinter. 2. A
strand, as of cotton, ready for roving ; also, wool, in a ribbonlike
form, from the combing machine. Sliv'er-er, n. One who slivers ;
esp., one who slivers fish. Slob (slob), n. 1. Mud, esp. of the
seashore or sea bottom ; ooze. Chiefly Irish or with reference to
Ireland. 2. A shiftless, untidy person ; — a vulgar term of contempt.
slob'ber (slob'er), v. i. To let saliva or liquid fall or dribble from the
mouth ; slaver ; slabber ; drool. — v. t. To wet and foul by
slobbering. — n. Saliva or liquid dribbling from the mouth ; slabber ;
drool. — slob'ber-er, n. slob'ber-y (-1), a. Wet ; sloppy, as land. sloe
(slo), n. [AS. sla.'] 1. The astringent fruit of the blackthorn (Prunus
spinosa) ; also, the tree. 2. Any of various American wild plums (P.
americana, P. allegheniensis, etc.). slog (slog), v. t. & i.; slogged
(slogd) ; slog'ging. To hit hard, esp. with little attention to aim or the
like as in cricket or boxing ; slug ; also, to drive with blows. —
slog'ger (slog'er), n. Both Cant or Colloq. Slo'gan (slo'gan), n. [Gael,
sluagh-ghairm ; sluagh army + gairm a call.] The war cry, or
gathering word, of a Scottish Highland clan ; any rallying cry or
battle cry. Sloid, slojd (sloid). Vars. of Sloyd. sloop (sloop), n. [D.
sloep.2t 1. Naut. A vessel having one mast and a fore-and-aft rig
consisting of at least a boomand-gaff mainsail and a jib. 2. Naval. A
sloop of war, formerly, a vessel rigged either as a ship, brig, or
schooner, and mounting from ten to thirtytwo guns ; later, any war
vessel larger than a gunboat, carrying guns on one deck only ; now,
a small, armed vessel, equipped with sails as well as steam. Now
Only Eng. slop (slop), n. [AS. slop (in comp.) frock, overgarment.] 1.
Any outer or loose garment. Obs. 2. Loose breeches ; — chiefly in
pi. 3. In pi. Cheap ready-made clothes ; also, often, among seamen,
clothing, bedding, etc. Slop, n. 1. A puddle. Obs. 2. Liquid spilled or
thrown about ; a spot soiled or wet with spilled liquid. 3. Mean, esp.
weak, drink or liquid food ; — usually in pi. 4. In pi. Dirty refuse
water; water in which anything has been washed or rinsed. 5. A
watery food for animals, or watery waste, esp. containing nutritive
matter ; as, distillery slop. — v.t.& i. ; slopped (slopt) ; slop'ping. 1.
To spill or be spilled, as a liquid, esp. by the motion of the vessel
containing it. 2. To soil with a liquid spilled. Slope (slop), n. [Prob. fr.
AS. slupan to slip, p. p. slopen."] 1. An oblique direction ; a line or
direction inclining from a horizontal ; slant. 2. Any sloping ground ;
an incline ; acclivity ; declivity. 3. The part of a continent descending
toward a particular ocean ; as, the Pacific slope. — a. Sloping ;
slanting. Obs. or Archaic — v. t.&i. /sloped (slopt) ; slop'ing
(slop'ing). To incline, esp. from the horizontal ; slant. — Syn. See
slant. — slop'er (slop'er), n. Slop'ing (slop'ing), a. Inclining or
inclined; oblique; slanting. — slop'ing-ly, adv. slop'py (slop'i), a. ; -pi-
er (-i-er) ; -pi-est. 1. Wet so as to spatter easily ; wet as if spattered.
2. Slovenly ; careless. Colloq. — slop'pi-ly (-1-11), adv. — slop'pi-
ness, n. Slop'shop', n. A shop where slops (cheap clothes) are sold.
slop'work' (-wtirk'), n. The manufacture of slops, or cheap clothing ;
also, such clothing ; slovenly work. Slosh (slosh), v. i. To wallow,
flounder, or move with splashing, through water, mire, or a wet
place. Slot (slot), n. [LG. & D. slot a lock.] 1. A slat. Dial, or Rare. 2.
A bolt or bar to fasten a door. Dial. Eng. Sloop Yacht. 1 Club Topsail;
2 Mainsail ; 3 Balloon Jib ; 4 Spinnaker. ale, senate, care, am,
account, arm, ask, sofa; eve, event end, recent, maker; Ice, HI; old,
obey, 6rb, odd, soft, connect; use, unite, urn, up, circus, menu;
food, foot; out, oil; chair; go; sing, ink; (hen, thin; na(jjre, ver
 SLOT 907 SLUMP Slot (slot), n. [Prob. fr. OF. esclot.J The
track of a deer ; hence, any track or trail. Slot, n. A narrow aperture
or depression as in or through some object or part, esp. for the
reception of some moving or sliding piece or part or for some object
to pass through. — v. t. To cut a slot in. Sloth (sloth ; sloth ; 62), n.
[From slow.'] 1. Slowness ; tardiness. Archaic. 2. Disinclination to
action ; sluggishness ; laziness; indolence. 3. Any of several slow-
moving arboreal edentate mammals of tropical forests of South and
Central America, consisting of three-toed sloths (genus Bradypus),
having three n claws on each front foot, 2fl and two-toed sloths
(genus Cholmpus), having the front feet two-clawed. Sloth'ful (-
fool), a. Addict- Two-toed Sloth (Cholcepw hoffed to sloth ; lazy ;
indolent. manni)— Syn. See idle. — sloth'ful-ly, adv. ful-ness, n. Slot
machine. A machine the operation of which is started by dropping a
coin into a slot. Slot'ter (slot'er), n. One who, or that which, makes
slots. Slouch (slouch), n. 1. A hanging of the head ; drooping
attitude; ungainly gait. 2. An awkward, clownish fellow. 3. A hanging
down or drooping, as of a hat brim. — v. i. 1. To droop, as the head.
2. To walk, stand, or sit in a careless, ungainly manner. — v. t. To
cause to droop. Slouch'y (slouch'i), a.; slouch'i-er (-T-er) ; slouch'i-
est. Slouching, esp. in gait or attitude. — slouch'i-ly (-i-li), adv. —
slouch'i-ness, n. Slough (sliif), n. 1. The skin, esp. the cast-off skin,
of a serpent, etc. ; cast. 2. Med. The dead mass separating from a
foul sore or from gangrenous tissues. — v. i. 1. Med. To separate as
dead matter from living tissues ; — often used with off or away. 2.
To be shed or cast off, as the skin ; also, of the animal, to shed or
cast its skin ; molt. — v. t. To cast off, as the skin or slough ; hence,
fig., to discard. Slough (slou), n. [AS. sloh, slog, a hollow.] 1. A place
of deep mud or mire. 2. (sloo) Also slew, Slue. A marshy place ; a
side channel or inlet from a river. Local, U. S. Slough'y (slou'f), a.
Full of sloughs; miry. slough'y (sluf 'J) , a. Resembling, or of the
nature of, a slough, or the dead matter which separates from living
flesh. Slo-vak' (slo-vak'; slo'vak), n. [Bohem. Slowdk, orig., a Slav.]
One of a Slavic people of northwestern Hungary ; also, their
language. — Slo-vak'i-an (slo-vak'i-on ; -va'ki-an), a. & n. Slov'en
(sluv''n), n. [Prob. fr. D. slof careless, a sloven.] One habitually
negligent of neatness or cleanliness, esp. in dress or person ; one
lazy and slipshod. Slo-vene' (slo-ven'), n. [G. Slowene.] One of a
Slavic people of Carinthia,.Carniola, and Styria in Austria-Hungary. —
Slo-vene', a. — Slo-ve'ni-an (-ve'nT-an), a. & n. Slov'en-ly (sliiv''n-
li),a. Having the habits of a sloven; characteristic of a sloven ;
slipshod. — slov'en-li-ness, n. Syn. Untidy, slatternly, dowdy, frowzy,
blowzy, disorderly, frumpish. — Slovenly, slatternly, dowdy, frowzy,
blowzy. Slovenly implies lack of neatness or order, strictly as
displayed by a man ; slatternly applies esp. to a woman. Dowdy
(commonly of women) suggests lack of taste or style in dress ;
frowzy implies utter unkemptness, blowzy, a coarse and red
complexion ; but frowzy and blowzy are sometimes interchanged.
Slov'en-ly, adv. In a slovenly manner. Slov'en-ry (-rf),n. Slovenliness.
Slow (slo), a. [AS. slaw.'] 1. Moving at a low speed ; not swift or
rapid. 2. Not happening in a short time ; lingering ; gradual ; as,
slow growth. 3. Not ready ; not prompt or quick ; sluggish ; as, slow
of speech. 4. Not hasty or precipitate ; deliberate ; as, slow to wrath.
5. Behind in time, as a watch. 6. Stupid ; dull ; as, a. slow evening.
7. Of such a nature or in such a condition as to hinder rapid
progress, movement, etc. ; as, a slow track. Syn. Slow, late, tardy,
dilatory. Slow (opposed to fast) may denote either inertness or lack
of rapidity ; that is late (opposed to early) which comes after the
due or proper time ; as, a slow train, intellect ; the train was late.
That is tardy (opposed to prompt, punctual) which is sluggish or late
or behindhand ; one is dilatory who is a habitual laggard, or inclined
to procrastinate ; as, a tardy pupil ; dilatory in action. — adv. Slowly.
— v. t. To render slow ; also, to retard ; delay. — v. i. To go slower ;
— often with up or down. Slow'hound' (-hound'), n. A sleuthhound.
Obs. or Archaic. Slow'ly, adv. In a slow manner ; tardily. Slow match.
A match, or fuse, made so as to burn slowly and evenly, used for
firing blasting charges, etc. Slow'ness, n. Quality or state of being
slow. Slow'worm' (-wurm'), n. The blindworm. sloyd (sloid), n. [Sw.
slojd skill, dexterity, esp. skilled labor.] Lit., skilled mechanical work,
such as that of wood carving ; hence, a system (sloyd system) of
training in the use of tools and materials. Slub (slub), n. 1. A roll of
wool, cotton, or silk that is slightly twisted ; roving. 2. In pi. Thick
places in cotton rovings, slivers, and yarns. — v. t. ; slubbed (slubd)
; slub'bing. To draw out and twist slightly (slivers of wool). Slub'ber
(slub'er), v. t. Obs. or R. or Dial. 1. To do in a slovenly way ; botch,
scamp. 2. To daub ; stain ; darken. Sludge (sluj), n. 1. Mud ; mire ;
slush ; sleet. 2. Something resembling mud or slush ; as : a A
muddy or slimy deposit from sewage, b Mud from a drill hole in
boring. 3. Small floating pieces of ice. sludg'y (sluj'i), a. Miry ; slushy
; consisting of sludge. Slue (sloo ; 86), v. t. & i. ; slued (slood) ;
slu'ing (sloo'ing). Also Slew. [E. dial, slew to turn round.] To turn
about a fixed point, usually the center or axis ; twist. — n. Act or
process of sluing a body ; also, the position when slued. Slue, n. A
slough. slug (slug), n. [ME. slugge sluggard, sluggen to be slothful.]
1. A sluggard. Archaic. 2. Any of numerous terresSlug (.Limax
agrestis) . Nat. size, trial pulmonate gastropods (esp. genus Limax)
related to ordinary land snails, but having the shell rudimentary and
often buried in the mantle or wanting entirely. 3. Any smooth, soft
larva of a sawfly or moth which creeps like a gastropod. 4. A rough
piece of metal, esp. one used as a missile, as in old-time muskets ;
hence, a small bullet for air guns, etc. 5. Print, a A thick strip of
metal less than typehigh, b A type-high strip, as one with a figure,
letter, etc., for temporary use, or a line of type in one piece. 6. A
heavy blow, esp. with the fist. Slang. — v. t.; slugged (slugd) ;
slug'ging (-ing). 1. To make sluggish. 06s. 2. To strike heavily, esp.
with the fist. Cant or Slang. — v. i. To become changed in shape by
passing through the bore ; — used of the projectile of a firearm.
Slug'gard (sliig'drd), n. [slug -f -ard.] One habitually lazy, idle, and
inactive ; a drone. — a. Sluggish ; lazy. slug'ger (-er), n. One who
strikes hard or with heavy blows ; hence, a boxer ; a prize fighter.
Slang. slug'gish (slug'Tsh), a. 1. Idle and lazy, esp. habitually;
slothful ; dull. 2. Slow ; having little motion ; inert ; as, a sluggish
stream ; a sluggish liver, pulse, etc. 3. Characteristic of a sluggard ;
dull ; stupid ; tame. — Syn. Indolent, dronish, drowsy, inactive. See
INERT. — slug'gish-ly, adv. — slug'gish-ness, n. sluice (sloos; 86), n.
[OF. escluse, LL. exclusa, sclusa, prop., a shutting out, fr. L.
excludere, -clusum. See exclude.] 1. An artificial passage for water,
fitted with a gate to regulate the flow ; also, a water gate or
floodgate. 2. A channel through which anything flows. 3. The stream
flowing through a floodgate ; also, a body of water pent up behind a
floodgate. 4. A long, inclined trough, or flume, for washing
auriferous earth, floating down logs, etc. ; specif., Gold Mining, such
a contrivance paved with riffles, etc., to hold the quicksilver for
catching the gold. — v. t. ; sluiced (sloost) ; sluic'ing (sldos'ing). 1.
To draw off by or as by a sluice. 2. To let water upon through a
sluice ; wet copiously. 3. To wash with or in a stream running
through a sluice ; as, to sluice earth in mining. 4. To transport or
float through a sluiceway, as logs. — v. i. Tt pour, as from a sluice.
[sluice. I sluice gate. The sliding gate of al Sluice' way' (-wa'), n. An
artificial channel into which water is let by a sluice. Specif. : = sluice,
n., 4. Slum (slum), n. A foul street of a city, esp. one with a slovenly,
often vicious, population ; a low neighborhood; — usually in pi. — v.
i.; slummed (slumd) ; slum'ming. To visit or frequent slums. Colloq.
Sluice Gate. slum'ber (slum'ber), v. i. [AS. slumerian, fr. sluma
slumber.] 1. To sleep ; doze ; drowse. 2. To be in a state of
negligence or inactivity. — n. Sleep, esp. light sleep ; doze. —
slum'ber-er, n. — slum'ber-less, a. slum'ber-ous (-us), a. Also
slum'brous (-brtis). 1. Soporific. 2. Sleepy ; drowsy. — Syn. See
sleepy. slum'ber-y (-1), a. Somnolent ; sleepy ; occurring in sleep.
Slum'gum' (slum'gum'), n. The impure residue, consisting of
cocoons, propolis, etc., remaining after the wax is extracted from
honeycombs. Slum'mer (-er), n. One who slums. slump (slump), n.
1. A boggy place. Scot. 2. A falling or declining, esp. suddenly and
markedly ; a falling off ; as, a slump in prices. Colloq. — v. i. 1. To
fall or sink suddenly, k = ch in G. ich, ach (50); boN; yet; zh = z in
azure. Numbers refer to Sections in Guide to Pronunciation.
Explanations of Abbreviations used In this work. Signs, etc, precede
Vocabulary. 1| Foreign Word. + combined with. = equals.
 N 0 SLUNG 908 SMEARY R as through ice, in a bog, etc. 2.
To undergo a slump, or sudden decline. Colloq. Slung (slung), pret.
& p. p. of SLING. slung shot, a small mass of metal or stone fixed on
a flexible handle, strap, or the like, for use as a weapon. Slunk, pret.
& p. p. of slink. Slur (slur), v. t.; slurred (slurd) ; slur'ring (-ing). 1.
To soil, as by smearing ; sully ; contaminate. 2. To disparage ;
asperse. 3. To pass over lightly or with little notice ; slight ; also, to
make vague, obscure, or indefinite by slight treatment ; as, to slur
facts. 4. To pronounce indistinctly ; as, to slur a syllable. 5. Music, a
To perform (two or more successive tones of different pitch) in a
legato manner, b To mark with a slur in order to indicate such
performance. — n. 1. A mark or stain ; hence : a slight reproach or
disgrace ; stigma. 2. A slighting intimation ; innuendo. 3. Music, a A
curved line [^~-' or s~
 SMELL 909 SMOOTH smell (smel), v. t. [ME. smellen,
smitten, smullen.'] 1. To perceive by the olfactory nerves, or organs
of smell ; get the scent of. 2. To detect, perceive, or investigate as if
by the sense of smell ; scent out ; — often used with out. — v. i. 1.
To have an odor or scent ; have a particular odor ; — often used
with of. 2. To savor or smack of any quality. 3. To exercise the sense
of smell ; — formerly used with to, now, Colloq., with of or at. 4. To
pry or make investigations ; nose ; — usually used with the adverb
about. — n. 1. The sense by which certain qualities of substances
are perceived through the instrumentality of the olfactory nerves. 2.
Any sensation of odor, scent, perfume, etc. ; also, the quality of a
thing which affects the olfactory organs. 3. An act or instance of
smelling ; sniff. 4. A reprei sentation or suggestion of a smell, esp. a
subtle suggestion. Syn. Smell, odor, scent, fragrance, perfume,
aroma. j Smell, the most general word, and odor may suggest either
a pleasant or an unpleasant impression. Scent often implies less
strength than smell or odor; fragrance is a f^esh and pleasant odor.
Perfume may be either natural or artificial, and either light or heavy.
Aroma suggests a dis' tinctive, often delicately spicy, odor. See
redolent. smell'er (-er), n. 1. One who smells (in any sense). 2. A
tactile bristle, as one of a cat's whiskers ; a feeler. smell'-f east', n. A
parasite ; a sponger. smell'ing salts. An aromatic preparation of
carbonate of ammonia and, often, some scent, to avoid or relieve
faintness, headache, etc. smell'y (smel'i), a. Odorous; esp.,
unpleasantly odorous. smelt (smelt), pret. & p. p. of smell. smelt
(smelt), n. [AS.] Any of certain small fishes (of the f a m i 1 y _
Afgentinidae, esp. and orig. O s m e r u s ep erlanus) closely
resembling the trout in general structure. Smelt (Osmerus mordax).
smelt, v. t. To melt or fuse, as ore, in order to separate and refine
the metal ; hence : to reduce ; refine. — v. i. To smelt a metal ; be
smelted or fused. smelt'er (smel'ter), n. One who, or that which,
smelts; a smeltery, or a man who owns or runs one. smelt'er-y (-1),
n.; pi. -eries. A smelting establishment. smew (smu), n. A merganser
(Mergus albellus) of northern Europe and Asia. The male has a large
white crest. smi'la-ca'ceous (sml'ld-ka'shus), a. [See smilax.] Bot.
Belonging to a family (Smilacacese) of herbs or somewhat woody
vines, having leaves with one to five prominent parallel veins,
dioecious flowers, and globose berries. Smi'lax (sml'laks), n. [L.,
bindweed, Gr.
 N SMOOTHBORE 910 SNAPPING TURTLE R glossy foliage.
Fig., these words imply speciousness or plausibility. See level. — adv.
Smoothly. — n. 1. Act of making smooth ; a stroke which smooths.
2. That which is smooth ; a smooth part. — v. t. 1. To make smooth
or even. 2. To make easy ; free from obstruction or difficulties. 3. To
free from harshness ; make flowing ; as, to smooth the voice. 4. To
palliate ; gloze ; as, to smooth over a fault. 5. To quiet, soften, esp.
with blandishments ; also, to make agreeable or bland ; as, to
smooth an angry person. 6. To remove or reduce ; — usually used
with away ; as, to smooth away a hillock. smooth/bore', or smooth'-
bore', a. Firearms. Having a bore of smooth surface ; — disting. from
rifled. [smooth. smooth'en (smooth/'n), v. t. & i. To make or
become| smooth'er (-er), n. One who, or that which, smooths.
smooth'-faced' (-fast7), a. 1. Beardless ; clean-shaven. 2. Smooth,
or bland, in expression. smoothly, adv. In a smooth manner.
smooth'ness, n. Quality or state of being smooth. smote (smot),
pret. (
 SNAPPISH 911 SNOW snap'pish (-Tsh), a. 1. Apt to snap at
persons or things. 2. Apt to speak sharply or testily ; also, tart ;
peevish. — snap'pish-ly, adv. — snap'pish-ness, n. snap'py (-1), a. ; -
pi-er (-i-er) ; -pi-est. 1. Snappish. Colloq. 2. Full of snap, or life and
briskness. Colloq., U. S. Snap'shoV (-shot'), n. 1. [Commonly snap
shot.] a A quick offhand shot, b Act of taking a snapshot (sense 2).
2. An instantaneous photograph, taken usually with a hand camera,
without formal posing of the subject. — v.t.& i. To photograph by a
snap shot. Snare (snir), n. [AS. sneare string, snare.] 1. A
contrivance, often consisting of a noose, for catching birds, etc. ; a
trap ; gin. 2. Anything by which one is entangled and brought into
trouble. 3. A gut string of a snare drum. Syn. Snare commonly
suggests a noose ; trap, a spring or other mechanical device. Fig.,
snare implies entanglement or inveiglement ; trap, ambush or
surprise. — v. t.; snared (snard); snar'ing (snar'Tng). To catch with a
snare; insnare; entangle. — snar'er (snar'er),n. snare drum. The
smaller common military double-headed drum, which, for greater
resonance, has a catgut string or strings (snares) stretched across
its lower head. Snarl (snarl), v. t. To form raised work on the outer
surface of (thin metal ware) by repercussion. snarl, v. t. & i. [From
snare, v. t .] To involve in knots ; to entangle or become entangled ;
hence : complicate ; embarrass. — n. A knot of hair, thread, or the
like, difficult to disentangle ; tangle. Snarl, v. i. 1. To growl, as a dog
; grumble. 2. To talk in rude, surly terms. — v. t. To utter or express
with a snarl or by snarling. — n. Act of snarling ; a growl ; also, a
surly or peevish expression or angry contention. — snarl'er, n. —
snarl'ing, a. & n. — snarl'ing-ly, adv. snarl'y (snar'li), a. Snarling ; ill-
natured ; peevish. snatch (snach), v. t. To seize abruptly, or without
ceremony. — Syn. Twitch, pluck, grab, catch, grasp, gripe. — v. i. To
try to seize something suddenly ; — often with at. — n. 1. A hasty
catching or seizing ; a grab. 2. A short period of vigorous action ; as,
to work by fits and snatches. 3. A brief spell, as of sleep. 4. A small
piece or fragment ; a broken part ; a scrap ; as, a snatch of song. —
snatch'er, n. snatch block. Naut. A block which can be opened on
one side to receive the bight of a rope. See block, Must. snatch/y
(snach'i), a. Interrupted ; spasmodic. snath (snath), n. Also snathe
(snath). [AS. snxd, fr. snlSan to cut.] The handle of a scythe. Sneak
(snek), v. i. [AS. snican to creep.] 1. To creep or steal (away or
about) furtively. 2. To act furtively and cowardly. — Syn. See lurk. —
n. 1. A sneaking fellow. 2. Act of sneaking. 3. In pi. — sneakers,
shoes. Slang. sneak'er (snek'er), n. 1. One who, or that which,
sneaks. 2. In pi. Noiseless shoes with soft soles, esp. such shoes as
are worn in games, as tennis. Colloq. or Cant. U. S. sneaking, p. a.
1. Cowardly ; furtive ; underhand. 2. Of feelings, tastes, etc.,
concealed ; shamefaced ; as, a sneaking sympathy for a rascal. —
sneak'ing-ly, adv. sneak'y (snek/i), a. Like, or characteristic of, a
sneak. sneer (sner), v. i. [ME. sneren.'] 1. To grin ; grimace. 06s. 2.
To show contempt by curling the lip, etc. 3. To speak >
contemptuously or derisively. — Syn. Gibe, jeer, fleer. See scoff. — v.
t. 1. To utter with a sneer. 2. To affect (in some specified way) by
sneering ; to drive or force, or to express, by or with a sneer or
sneers. — n. 1. Act of sneering. 2. A change of countenance
indicative of contempt. 3. A verbal insinuation of contempt. —
sneer'er, n. — sneer'ing-ly, adv. sneeze (snez), v. i.; sneezed (snezd);
sneezing. [ME. snesenJ] To make a sudden, violent, spasmodic, and
audible expiration of breath, chiefly or wholly through the nose. -* n.
Act or fact of sneezing. — sneez'er, n. Sneeze'weed' (-wed'), n. A
yellow-flowered asteraceous plant of the eastern United States
(Helenium autumnale) the odor of which is said to cause sneezing.
Also, any of several other species of the same genus. Sneeze'wort' (-
wurt'), n. A strong-scented European plant ( Achillea ptarmica)
resembling yarrow. snell (snel), n. A short line, as of horsehair, gut,
etc., by which a fishhook is attached to a longer line. U. S. Snick
(snik), v. t. 1. To cut slightly ; nick. 2. Cricket. To hit (a ball) a light
glancing blow. — n. 1. A nick ; notch. 2. Cricket. A snicking blow.
snick and snee, v. To thrust and cut. — a. Used for cutting and
thrusting ; as, a snick and snee knife ; — in this sense also snick-
and-snee or snick-a-snee. Snick'-a-snee', n. 1. A combat with snick
and snee knives. 2. A knife for cutting and thrusting. snick'er
(sntk'er), v. i. To laugh in a partly suppressed manner, with audible
catches of the voice ; giggle. — v. t. To utter with, or express by, a
snicker. Colloq. — ». A half -suppressed, broken laugh ; giggle.
snick'er-snee' (-sne'), n. A large knife ; a snick-a-snee. sniff (snif), v.
i. [ME. sneven.'j To draw air audibly up Wilson's Snipe. the nose ;
snuff, as in contempt. — v. t. 1. To draw in with the breath through
the nose. 2. To perceive as by sniffing ; scent ; smell ; as, to sniff
danger. — n. Act or sound of sniffing ; also, that which is sniffed. [To
snuffle. I sniffle (-'1), v. i.; -fled (-'Id) ; -fling. [Freq. of sniff. ]\ sniffy
(snif'I), a. Inclined to sniff, or manifest contempt or disdain ;
supercilious. Colloq. & Dial. snig'ger (snig'er), v. i. &t.&n. Snicker. —
snig'ger-er, n. snig'gle (smg'Tj, v. i.; -gled (-'Id) ; -gling (-ling).
[From dial. Eng. snig an eel.] To fish for eels by thrusting the baited
hook into their holes. — v. t. To catch, as an eel, by sniggling ; hook
; insnare. snip (snip), v. t.; snipped (snYpt) ; snip'ping. [D. snippen.']
To cut off at one stroke, as with shears. — n. 1. A single cut, as with
shears ; a clip. 2. A bit cut off ; hence, any small or insignificant
object. Colloq. 3. Small hand shears for cutting sheet metal ; —
usually in pi. snipe (snip), n. (See plural, Note.) Any of certain
limicoline birds (genus Gallinago) related to the woodcocks. They
frequent bogs and marshes and are valued as game. The whole
snipe (G. gallinago) and Wilson's snipe (G. delicata) are larger than
the half snipe or jacksnipe ( Limnocryptes gallinula). — v.i. & t.;
sniped ; snip'ing. 1. To shoot or hunt snipe. 2. To shoot at
(individuals of an enemy's forces) esp. at long range or from cover.
snip'er (snlp'er), n. One who snipes. snip'pet (snip'et ; 24), n. A
small part or piece. snip'pet-y (-1), a. Ridiculously small ; petty, [cut
short.] snip'py (snip'i), a.; -pi-er (-I-er) ; -pi-est. Fragmentary ;|
sniv'el (sniv''l), v. %.; -eled (-'Id), -elled; -el-ing, -elling. 1. To run at
the nose. 2. To snuffle. 3. To cry or whine with snuffling ; hence, to
lament whiningly. — n. 1. Mucus from the nose. 2. Act of crying,
whining, etc., with sniveling. — sniv'el-er, sniv'el-ler, n. snob (snob),
n. [E. dial., a cobbler, a tailor (in contempt).] One who meanly
admires station and material possessions, esp. such a one who
regulates his attitude toward persons or matters according to
wealth, station, etc. snob'ber-y (-er-T), n. Snobbish conduct ;
snobbishness. snob'bish (-ish), a. Of, pert, to, characteristic of, or
befitting a snob. — snob'bish-ly, adv. — snob'bish-ness, n. snood
(snood), n. [AS. snod.] A fillet worn round the hair by a young
woman, sometimes, esp. in Scotland, emblematic of maidenhood. —
v. t. To bind or braid up, as the hair, with a snood. snoop (snoop), v.
i. To pry into others' affairs in a sneaking way. — n. _One who
snoops. — snoop'er, n. All U. S. snooze (snooz), n. A nap.— v. %.;
snoozed (snoozd); snooz'ing. To doze ; drowse. Both Colloq. or Dial.
snore (snor; 57), v. i.j snored (snord); snor'ing. To breathe during
sleep with a rough, hoarse, vibratory noise. — v. t. To pass in, or
effect by, snoring ; — often used with away. — n. Act or noise of
snoring. — snor'er (snor'er), ». snort (snSrt), v. i. 1. To force air
audibly through the nose, so as to make a noise, as do high-spirited
horses. 2. To laugh loudly. Colloq. & Dial. — v. t. 1. To expel with or
as with a snort. 2. To utter with, or express by, a snort. — n. Act or
sound of snorting. — snort'er, n. snot'ter (snot'er), n. Also snorter.
Naut. a A flat rope secured to a yardarm, to which a tripping line is
bent, used in sending down topgallant and royal yards, b A loop or
ring of rope or metal for receiving the lower end of a sprit. snout
(snout), n. 1. The long, projecting nose of a beast, as of a swine ;
muzzle ; also, the anterior prolongation of the head of various
animals, as of a weevil ; a rostrum. 2. The nose of a person. 3. The
nozzle of a pipe, hose, etc. snout beetle. Any of a group
(Rhynchophora) of beetles consisting of the curculios, or true
weevils ; — so called because the head is usually prolonged to form
a snout or beak. snow (sno), n. [LG. sanue, or D. snaauw.] A
squarerigged vessel, now rare, differing slightly from a brig. snow, n.
[AS. snaw.~] 1. Ice in the form of white or transparent crystals or
flakes congealed in the air from particles of water, and falling or
fallen to the earth. 2. Any of various congealed substances of
snowlike appearance ;as, acetylene snow. 3. A fall of snow or of
something resembling snow. ( — v. i. To fall in or as snow ; — used
impersonally ; as, it snows. — v. t. 1. To shower down like snow. 2.
To cover, obstruct, imprison, shut in, etc., with snow ; — used with
in, up, under, or over. Crystals of Snow. i K = ch in G. ich, ach (50);
don; yet; zh = z in azure. Numbers refer to Sections in Guide to
Pronunciation. Explanations of Abbreviations used In this work.
Signs, etc., precede Vocabulary. || Foreign Word. + combined with.
= equals.
 N SNOWBALL 912 SOBER R snow'ball' C-bSl'), n. 1. A round
mass of snow pressed or rolled together. 2. Any of certain cultivated
white-flowered viburnums, as the guelder-rose, or cranberry tree. —
v. t . To pelt with snowballs. — v. i. To throw snowballs. snow
banner. A bannerlike stream of snow blown into the air from a
mountain peak, often having a pinkish color and extending
horizontally for several miles across the sky. snow'ber-ry (sno'ber-i),
n. Any of various shrubs (esp. Symphoricarpos racemosus and
Chiococca racemosa) bearing white berries. snow'bird' (-burd'), n. 1.
= snowflake, 2. 2. A junco. snow'-blind7 (-blind'), a. Having
defective vision caused by the glare of the sunlight reflected from
snow. Snow'-bound', a. Shut in or blockaded by snow. snow'-broth',
n. Snow and water mixed, or snow just melted ; hence, very cold
liquor. snow bunting. See snowflake, 2. snow'bush' (-bd6sh'),n. Any
of several white-flowered ornamental shrubs (esp. the Californian
Ceanothus velutinus). snow'drift' (sno'drift'), n. A drift of snow.
snow'drop' (-drop'), n. A bulbous plant (Galanthus nivalis) of the
amaryllis family, bearing nodding white flowers, which often appear
while the snow is still on the ground ; also, a flower or bulb of this
plant. snow'falF (-fol'), n. A fall of snow ; specif., the amount of
snow that falls in a single storm or in a given period. snow'flake' (-
flak'), n. 1. A flake or crystal of snow. 2. A finch (Passerina nivalis) of
northern regions which often appears in flocks during snowstorms ;
— called also snow bunting. 3. Any of a genus (Leucojum, esp. L.
vernum) of bulbous plants resembling the snowdrop. snow'i-ly (-1-
I1), adv. In a snowy manner. snow'i-ness, n. State or quality of being
snowy ; whiteness. snow line or limit. The lowest limit of perpetual
snow. snow'plow', snow'plough' (sno'plou'), n. Any of various
contrivances used to clear away snow from roads, etc. snow'shed' (-
shed'), n. A shelter to protect from snow, as a long structure over an
exposed part of a railroad. snow'shoe' (-shoo'), n. A slight frame of
wood, strung like a tennis racket, worn under the shoe ^ Snowshoe.
to prevent sinking in soft snow. snow'slide' (-slid'), ^ n. A snow
avalanche ; snowslip. snow'slip' (-slip'), n. A large mass or avalanche
of snow which slips down the side of a mountain, etc. Snow'storm' (-
st6rm'), n. A storm with falling snow. snow'y (-1), a. ; snow'i-er (-i-
er) ; -i-est. 1. Abounding or covered with snow. 2. White like snow.
3. Pure ; spotless. Snub (snub), v. t.; snubbed (snubd) ; sntjb'bing.
1. To check or rebuke with a tart, sarcastic remark ; reprimand. 2. To
treat or affect with contempt or neglect ; slight designedly ; also, to
affect in a specified way by such treatment ; as, snubbed into
silence. 3. To check the motion of (a running line or cable) suddenly
; also, to check or stop short by a suddenly tautened line. — n. 1. A
sudden check given to a running rope or cable. 2. A check or rebuke
; an intended slight. — o. Short, somewhat flat, and turned up at the
end ; — said of the nose. — snub'ber, n. [by nose.) snub'by (-1), a. ;
-bi-er (-i-er) ; -bi-est. Snub ; as, a snub-\ snub'-nosed' (-nozd'), a.
Having a snub nose. snuff (snuf), n. The charred part of a candle
wick. — v. t. To crop the snuff of, as a candle. snuff, v. t. 1. To draw
in, or inhale, forcibly through the nose ; sniff. 2. To perceive by
smelling ; scent ; smell. 3. To sniff in order to examine ; — said of
dogs, horses, etc. — v. i. 1. To inhale through the nose noisily and
forcibly ; to sniff or smell inquiringly, as a horse, dog, etc. 2. To sniff
in or as in disgust. Obs. 3. To take snuff, esp. habitually. — n. 1. Act
of snuffing ; often, a sniff of contempt or disdain. 2. Tobacco
pulverized and prepared to be taken into the nose ; also, the amount
taken at once ; a pinch. snuffbox' (-boks'), n. A small box for holding
snuff. snuff'er (-er), n. 1. One who snuffs. 2. A porpoise. 3. In pi. A
device for cropping and holding the snuff of a candle. snuff i-ness (-
i-nes), n. State of being snuffy. snuffle (snuf'l), v. i.; -fled (-'Id) ; -
fling (-ling). [Freq. of snuff, .] To breathe or inhale through the nose
noisily, as in whimpering ^r when the nose is partially stopped up ;
also, to speak through or as through the nose ; speak nasally ; —
often said of hypocritical, canting persons. — n. 1. Act or fact or
sound of snuffing. 2. In pi. A stoppedup condition of the nose,
causing one to snuffle. 3. An affected nasal twang ; hence : cant ;
hypocrisy. — snuf 'fler (-ler), n. snuffy (snuf'l), a. 1. Like snuff. 2.
Soiled with snuff. snug (snug), a.; snug'ger (-er) ; -gest (-est). 1.
Trim; tidy; compact; by extension, sheltered or protected, as against
poverty or intrusion ; cozy. 2. Close ; concealed ; as, he lay snug. 3.
Fitting closely, but not too tight, as a coat ; close and smooth ; as, a
snug fit. Syn. Snug, cozy. Snug implies trimness, closeness, or
security ; cozy suggests warmth, shelter, and ease ; as, a sra«0-
fitting coat ; a cozy armchair ; cozy talk by the fireside ; a snug little
crib. — v. i. ; snugged (snflgd) ; snug'ging. To lie close ; snuggle ; —
often used with up or together. — v. t. 1. To place in a snug position.
Rare. 2. To arrange neatly and smoothly. snug'ger-y (snug'er-i ), n.;
pi. -ies ( -iz ). A snug, cozy place ; esp., a small room or den. Colloq.
snug'gle (-'1), v. z.; -gled (-'Id) ; -gling (-ling). [Freq. of snug.] To
move one way and the other to get close ; cuddle ; nestle. — v. t. To
draw close, as for comfort ; cuddle. snug'ly (sniig'li), adv. In a snug
manner. snug'ness, n. Quality or state of being snug. SO (so), adv.
[ME. so, sa, swa, AS. swa.] 1. In that manner, degree, or state ; as
indicated or implied, or as supposed to be known ; as, why did he
come so late ? 2. In like manner or degree ; in such manner ; to
such degree ; — used esp. as correlative of as in negative assertions
and in questions implying a negative answer. Thus, "he is not so rich
as Croesus" is preferred to "he is not as rich as Croesus." 3. Very ; in
a high degree ; as, he is so good. Chiefly Colloq. 4. For that reason ;
for like reason ; by this or that means ; thus ; as, obey the laws, so
shalt thou prosper. 5. The case being such ; therefore ; — used as
both an adverb and a conjunction ; as, so they sent him away. 6.
[Equivalent to so be it.'] It is well ; let it be ; — expressing assent. 7.
Well ; the fact being as stated ; — an expletive ; as, so the work is
done, is it ? 8. [Equivalent to is it so ? ] Is it thus ? — with upward
inflection ; as, " So ? " Colloq. 9. Thereabouts ; more or less ; —
used after or ; as, I have read only a page or so. — Syn. See
therefore. — conj. 1. Provided or on condition that ; if ; as, I am
content so you are satisfied. 2. So that ; in such a way that ; hence :
accordingly ; therefore ; — used with a clause of purpose or result ;
as, he was sick, so they were quiet. — inter -j. Be as you are ! stand
still ! that will do ! soak (sok), v. t. [AS. socian.] 1. To saturate in a
fluid; steep. 2. To drench ; wet thoroughly. 3. To draw in by pores or
interstices ; as, a sponge soaks up water. 4. To penetrate by
percolation ; as, the water soaked his shoes. — Syn. See saturate. —
v. i. 1. To become saturated. 2. To enter (into something) by pores
or interstices ; as, water soaks into the earth. 3. To drink
intemperately or gluttonously. Slang. — n. 1. Act or process of
soaking; also, state of being soaked. 2. The liquid in which anything
is soaked. soak'er (-er), n. One that soaks. soak'age (-aj), n. Act of
soaking, or state of being soaked ; also, the amount entering or
issuing by soaking. soap (sop), n. [AS. sape.] A cleansing agent
made, usually, by the action of alkali on fat, and consisting
essentially of sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids ; by extension,
any salt of such an acid. — v. t. To rub or wash over with soap.
soap'bark', n., or soapbark tree. 1. The quillai. 2. Any of several
tropical American mimosaceous shrubs (genus Pithecolobium)
having saponaceous bark ; also, the bark. soap'ber-ry (sop'ber-i), n.,
or soapberry tree. Any of a genus (Sapindus, esp. »S. saponaria),
typifying a family (Sapindacese) , of trees bearing saponaceous fruit
; also, the fruit, used in the West Indies for cleaning clothes. soap'i-
ness (-I-nes) , n. Quality or state of being soapy. Soap plant. Any
plant some part of which may be used in place of soap ; specif., a
Californian liliaceous plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) .
soap'stone', n. Steatite, a soft stone with a soapy feel. soap'suds' (-
siidz'), n. pi. Suds made with soap. SOap'worf (-wurt'), n. A
European silenaceous plant (Saponaria officinalis ) widely naturalized
in the United States. The bruised leaves are detergent. soap'y (-1),
a.; soap'i-er (-i-er) ; -i-est. Like soap; soft and smooth ; smeared
with soap. soar (sor; 57), v. i. [OF. essorer, F. s'essorer to soar,
essorer to expose to the air (for drying) ; L. ex out + aura air.] 1. To
fly aloft, as a bird ; mount on or as on wings ; specif., to progress
upward by taking advantage of air currents ; glide indefinitely
without loss of altitude, as a bird, or an aeroplane. 2. To be exalted
in thought, spirits, or imagination. — Syn. See float. — n. Act of
soaring ; upward flight. — soar'er, n. sob (sob), v. i. /sobbed (sobd) ;
sob'bing. 1. To sigh with a sudden heaving of the breast ; weep with
a convulsive catching of the breath. 2. To make a sound suggestive
of a sob or sigh ; sough ; as the wind sobs. — v. t. To utter with a
sob or sobs ; also, usually reflexive, to bring to a certain state by
sobbing ; as, to sob one's self to sleep. — n. Act or sound of
sobbing. sob'bing (-ing), n. Act of one who, or that which, sobs.
SO'ber (so'ber), a. [F. sobre, fr. L. sobrius.*] 1. Not so influenced by
liquor as to have one's faculties materially impaired ; not drunk ;
also, temperate in the use of liquor. 2. Temperate or moderate in
thought or action ; self-conale, senate, care, am, account, arm, ask,
sofd; eve, event end, recent, maker; Ice, 111; old, obey, 6rb, odd,
soft, connect; use, unite, tarn, up, circus, menu; food, foot; out, oil;
chair; go; sing, ink; (hen, thin; na(ure, verdure (87);
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