Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- preposition From one side to the other of; across.
- preposition Contrary to; against.
- preposition Nautical Across the course, line, or length of.
- adverb From side to side; crosswise or transversely.
- adverb So as to thwart, obstruct, or oppose; perversely.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Crosswise; from side to side; transversely.
- In opposition to the proper or expected course; in a manner to cross and perplex; crossly; wrongly; wrongfully.
- Across; from side to side of.
- Nautical, across the line of a ship's course.
- In opposition to; against; contrary to.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- preposition Across; from side to side of.
- preposition (Naut.) Across the direction or course of.
- preposition across the stem of another vessel, whether in contact or at a small distance.
- preposition across the ship from side to side, or in that direction; -- opposed to
fore and aft . - adverb Across, especially in an oblique direction; sidewise; obliquely.
- adverb Across the course; so as to thwart; perversely.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb archaic From side to side;
across . - adverb archaic Across the path (of something).
- preposition archaic From one side to the other side of.
- preposition nautical
Across the line of a ship's course or across its deck. - preposition archaic Across the path or course of; opposing.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb at right angles to the center line of a ship
- adverb at an oblique angle
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I call it athwart parking rather than parallel parking.
Fatal Error J.A. Jance 2011
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I call it athwart parking rather than parallel parking.
Fatal Error J.A. Jance 2011
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Then Sir Guy rose gently and laid his sword athwart the stream from bank to bank; so the weasel passed over the sword, as it had been a bridge, and having made his way to a hole at the foot of the hill on the other side, went in thereat.
Legends That Every Child Should Know; a Selection of the Great Legends of All Times for Young People Hamilton Wright Mabie 1880
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William F. Buckley's upstart conservative magazine, National Review, made its debut in 1955 with the now-famous opening line that it "stands athwart history, yelling Stop."
The Non-Economist's Economist James Grant 2010
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At high noon the sun, without raising its rim above the southern horizon, threw a suggestion of fire athwart the heavens, then quickly drew it back.
The White Silence 2010
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Not coincidentally, this rift is deepening even as Gujarat booms economically, with brand-new malls, multi plexes, highways, and private ports transforming it into a pulsing region-state athwart Indian Ocean trade routes.
India’s New Face 2009
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-The purpose of conservatism is to stand athwart history--William F. Buckley, Jr.
Paul Abrams: 3 Key Strategic Ingredients for the President's Get America Working Plan Paul Abrams 2011
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It was a little like John Kerry's anti-Vietnam protest at the Capitol in 1971, utilizing the most stilted Pentagonese jargon to describe demonstrations "athwart hostile infiltration" of the Congress, and so forth.
Conrad Black: My Manifesto For the Occupy Movement Conrad Black 2011
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-The purpose of conservatism is to stand athwart history--William F. Buckley, Jr.
Paul Abrams: 3 Key Strategic Ingredients for the President's Get America Working Plan Paul Abrams 2011
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The White Silence, for the moment driven to the rimming forest, seemed ever crushing inward; the stars danced with great leaps, as is their wont in the time of the Great Cold; while the Spirits of the Pole trailed their robes of glory athwart the heavens.
The Son of the Wolf 2010
chained_bear commented on the word athwart
"'Such tales have I heard of Captain Bentinck's palls, or rather shrouds, and his triangular courses, of Captain Pakenham's newly-discovered rudder, of Captain Bolton's jury-mast, of improved iron-horses, dogs, dolphins, mouses — or mice as some say — puddings...'
"'Puddings, my dear sir?' cried Graham.
"'Puddings. We trice 'em athwart the starboard gumbrils, when sailing by and large.'
"'The starboard gumbrils ... by and large,' said Graham, and with a passing qualm Stephen recalled that the Professor had an unusually good memory..."
--Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission, 76
February 11, 2008
yarb commented on the word athwart
"In this latter end of autumn, with a sparse remnant of yellow leaves falling slowly athwart the dark evergreens in a stillness without sunshine, the house too had an air of autumnal decline..."
- George Eliot, Middlemarch
February 14, 2008
milosrdenstvi commented on the word athwart
"...if NATIONAL REVIEW is superfluous, it is so for very different reasons: It stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it."
-- Wm. F. Buckley
I always thought that was a neat turn of phrase.
August 19, 2008
bilby commented on the word athwart
"Hassan Abd al-Hassad, an Agha Khan, basks at an ashram - a Taj Mahal that has grand parks and grass lawns, all as vast as parklands at Alhambra and Valhalla. Hassan can, at a handclap, call a vassal at hand and ask that all staff plan a bacchanal - a gala ball that has what pagan charm small galas lack. Hassan claps, and (tah-dah) an Arab lass at a swank spa can draw a man's bath and wash a man's back, as Arab lads fawn and hang, athwart an altar, amaranth garlands as fragrant as attar - a balm that calms all angst. A dwarf can flap a palm branch that fans a fat maharajah. A naphtha lamp can cast a calm warmth."
- Christian Bok, 'Eunoia'.
October 30, 2008