Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A form of hygroscope, in the shape of a toy-house, which roughly indicates weather changes by the appearance or retirement of toy images.
Etymologies
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Examples
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The elder and younger son of the house of Crawley were, like the gentleman and lady in the weather-box, never at home together — they hated each other cordially: indeed, Rawdon
Vanity Fair 2006
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In short, the Dutchman and his wife, in the old weather-box, had not less to do with each other than he and I.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 23, September, 1859 Various
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The elder and younger son of the house of Crawley were, like the gentleman and lady in the weather-box, never at home togetherthey hated each other cordially: indeed, Rawdon Crawley, the dragoon, had a great contempt for the establishment altogether, and seldom come thither except when his aunt paid her annual visit.
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In short, the Dutchman and his wife, in the old weather-box, had not less to do with each other than he and I.
If, Yes and Perhaps Four Possibilities and Six Exaggerations with Some Bits of Fact Edward Everett Hale 1865
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The elder and younger son of the house of Crawley were, like the gentleman and lady in the weather-box, never at home together -- they hated each other cordially: indeed, Rawdon Crawley, the dragoon, had a great contempt for the establishment altogether, and seldom came thither except when his aunt paid her annual visit.
Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray 1837
ruzuzu commented on the word weather-box
"A form of hygroscope, in the shape of a toy-house, which roughly indicates weather changes by the appearance or retirement of toy images. In a common form a man advances from his porch in wet and a woman in dry weather—the movement being produced by the varying torsion of a hygroscopic string by which the images are attached."
- Century Dictionary
July 31, 2010