1. Heightened fuss or concern; to-do
2. Time-wasting bother over trivial details
3. Trouble, difficulty
1. (Architecture) Solid exterior angle of a building; especially one formed by a cornerstone; SYN. quoin.
2. The point where two lines meet or intersect.
3. A place off to the side of an area.
4. A projecting part that is corner-shaped.
5. An interior angle formed be two meeting walls; SYN. nook.
6. The intersection of two streets; SYN. street corner, turning point.
7. The point where three areas or surfaces meet or intersect.
8. A remote area.
9. A predicament from which a skillful or graceful escape is impossible; SYN. box.
10. A temporary monopoly on a kind of commercial trade.
ETYM Latin, cross, torture, trouble.
The most important point; SYN. crux of the matter.
1. A puzzling or difficult problem; an unsolved question.
2. An essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome.
3. A main or central feature (as of an argument).
Something that cumbers; especially; hindrance
Water having a great depth; serious trouble, great misfortune
ETYM Latin difficultas, from difficilis difficult; dif- = dis- + facilis easy: cf. French difficulté. Related to Facile.
1. A factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result.
2. A situation or condition almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome.
3. The quality of being difficult; SYN. difficultness.
ETYM Old Fren. desconfort, French déconfort. Related to Discomfort.
1. An uncomfortable feeling in some part of the body; SYN. soreness, irritation, tenderness.
2. The state of being tense and feeling pain; SYN. uncomfortableness.
ETYM French embarrassement.
1. Some event that causes someone to be embarrassed.
2. The shame one feels when one's inadequacy or guilt is made public.
3. The state of being embarrassed (usually by some financial inadequacy).
Something that causes or entails suffering.
ETYM Old Eng. knot, knotte, as. cnotta; akin to Dutch knot, Old High Germ. chnodo, chnoto, German knoten, Icel. knotr, Swed. knut, Dan. knude, and perh. to Latin nodus. Related to Knout, Knit.
In navigation, unit by which a ship's speed is measured, equivalent to one nautical mile per hour (one knot equals about 1.15 miles per hour). It is also sometimes used in aviation.Intertwinement of parts of one or more ropes, cords, or strings, to bind them together or to other objects. It is constructed so that the strain on the knot will draw it tighter. Bends or hitches are knots used to fasten ropes together or to other objects; when two ropes are joined end to end, they are spliced. The craft of macramé uses knots to form decorative pieces and fringes.
(Homonym: naught, not).
1. Any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a rope (or cord) upon itself or to another rope or to another object.
2. A hard cross-grained round piece of wood in a board where a branch emerged.
3. Something twisted and tight and swollen; SYN. gnarl.
4. A tight cluster of people or things.
ETYM French, from Latin obstaculum, from obstare to withstand, oppose; ob (see Ob-) + stare to stand. Related to Stand. and cf. Oust.
1. An object that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented).
2. Something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; SYN. obstruction.
ETYM Latin perplexitas: cf. French perplexité.
1. Trouble or confusion resulting from complexity.
2. Something that perplexes.
3. Entanglement.
ETYM Cf. French prédicament, Latin praedicamentum. Related to Predicate.
A situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one; SYN. quandary, plight.
ETYM Cf. w. rhwb. Related to Rub, v,t.
1. The act of rubbing or wiping; SYN. wipe.
2. The application of friction with pressure.
1. A harsh noise made by scraping; SYN. scraping, scratch, scratching.
2. A deep bow with the foot drawn backwards (indicating excessive humility); SYN. scraping.
ETYM From Try.
1. (Sports) A preliminary competition to determine qualifications.
2. An annoying or frustrating event; SYN. tribulation, visitation.
3. Trying something to find out about it; SYN. test, tryout.
1. The quality or state of being uneasy; restlessness; disquietude; anxiety.
2. The quality of making uneasy; discomfort.