English Dictionary (Humor) beta

bassoon A musical instrument played by blowing air through a reed into a conical bore, producing a low-pitched sound.  ■ "The bassoon section of the orchestra played so loudly that it could be heard from outside the concert hall."

saxophone A musical instrument that produces sound by the vibration of a single reed, played by blowing air across it. It is often associated with jazz music and has a distinctive, woody tone.  ■ "Why did the saxophone cross the road? To get to the other side, of course! But not before it played a few tunes on its way."

Adversaries A group of people who are opposing or trying to defeat each other.  ■ "The two teams were adversaries in the annual sports competition, but they put aside their differences and played with great sportsmanship."

Artillery The loud, explosive sounds made by heavy weapons, often used to intimidate or cause destruction.  ■ When the band played "Taps," the artillery went off and everyone saluted.

billiard A game played with eight large balls on a green table, in which one ball is struck into the other seven to score points.  ■ "I'm getting really good at billiard. Last night I sunk all my opponents!"

bongo A large, tubular musical instrument played with sticks or hands. Also used to refer to any kind of percussion device.  ■ "Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing bongo!"

Bongos A type of drum used in Latin American music. They are typically played with sticks and have a deep, resonant sound.  ■ "I can't believe how loud those bongos are!"

Casualties The people who have been killed or injured in a conflict.  ■ "There were 10,000 casualties in the war, which is too bad because they could have all just played hide and seek."

Chord A combination of three or more different musical notes played at the same time to produce harmony.  ■ "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to play that dissonant chord. It just sounded so... flat."

chords A group of three or more melodically related notes played together.  ■ "She had a beautiful voice, but her chords were always off-key."

Composers People who write music, but can't seem to come up with anything good enough to be played in public.  ■ "I don't know why they even bother calling themselves composers. Their music is as good as a rock.

Dominoes A game played with small black and white tiles that are laid in a long line, each tile touching the next.  ■ "When the last domino falls, it's game over."

fours A set of four players in a game of baseball.  ■ The outfield fours played well together, making it difficult for the opposing team to score any runs.

games A collection of amusing and competitive activities that are played for fun or to win prizes.  ■ "I can't believe I lost the video game tournament to a 6-year-old. He was a true gaming prodigy!"

guitar A large, six-stringed musical instrument played by plucking or strumming the strings.  ■ "I may not be able to play the guitar, but I can certainly make some noise with it!"

gusto A lively, enthusiastic spirit or behavior, often associated with an intense desire to participate in or enjoy something.  ■ "The band played with such gusto that the audience couldn't help but dance along."

Harmony A state of agreement and cooperation between two or more people, groups or entities.  ■ "The band played in perfect harmony during their performance."

Hokey A sport played with a small rubber ball on ice skates. Players use sticks to hit the ball into each other's goals.  ■ I can't believe you actually like playing hokey, it's so boring!

homer A person who is extremely lucky, or has an exceptional talent for something.  ■ "That guy is such a homer at golf - he's been on the hole in one every time he's played!"

juke A type of music played on a jukebox, characterized by its upbeat tempo and catchy rhythms.  ■ "I can't believe I have to listen to this jukebox crap for the rest of my shift!

Lukewarm An emotion that is neither hot nor cold, but somewhere in between.  ■ "I was feeling lukewarm about the concert until the band played my favorite song."

mariachi A group of Mexican musicians who play trumpets, violins, and guitars while wearing colorful costumes and hats.  ■ The mariachi band played a rousing version of "La Cucaracha" that had the whole audience dancing in the streets.

Match A game played with sticks and balls.  ■ If you want to see a hilarious match, just watch the ping-pong tournament at the county fair.

musicians A group of people who are skilled at playing instruments or singing.  ■ "The musicians played such a beautiful melody that the whole audience was moved to tears."

ole A loud, musical exclamation used to express excitement or enthusiasm.  ■ "The crowd went wild when the band played their favorite song - they were really getting into the ole!"

Playoffs A series of games played between teams in a championship tournament.  ■ "The Lakers won the NBA playoffs by defeating the Celtics in seven grueling games."

Poker A card game played with a standard deck of 52 cards and involving bluffing, bets, and folding.  ■ "I lost my entire bankroll at poker last night because I kept chasing losses."

polo A game played with horses and a small ball, in which players attempt to score by hitting the ball into the opposing team's goal.  ■ "I can't believe I lost at polo. Those guys were riding circles around me!"

Rewind To turn a cassette tape backwards, so that it can be played again from the beginning.  ■ "I accidentally skipped over the best part of my favorite song, so I had to rewind and listen to it again."

riff A series of short phrases or melodies played together to create a musical theme.  ■ When the jazz musicians started playing the riff, the crowd went wild!

roles The parts that a person plays in a theatrical production or real-life scenario.  ■ "I played the role of Hamlet in our school play, but I think my role as the class clown was much more entertaining."

Sendoff A final farewell or goodbye, often with some fanfare or excitement.  ■ "The band played a lively tune to send off the graduating class as they left the stadium."

Softball A ball that is slightly smaller than a regular baseball, used in a game played with bats and gloves.  ■ "I can't believe I struck out on a softball! That's like hitting a home run with a tennis ball."

Stock A type of game played with balls and bats in a diamond-shaped field.  ■ The Yankees won the game because their pitcher had great stock.

Streak A series of successful events, especially in a particular area or for a particular person.  ■ "John has been on a sports streak for the past month, winning every game he's played."

Toy An inanimate object, typically designed to be played with by children.  ■ She couldn't decide between the toy robot and the toy dinosaur.

travesty A complete and utter disaster; a terrible failure.  ■ "That concert was a total travesty. The band barely played any songs, and the lead singer's voice was absolutely horrendous."

Trumpet A small, portable instrument with a long, narrow tube and a cup-shaped mouthpiece, played by blowing air through it and producing a high-pitched sound.  ■ "I accidentally blew my own trumpet when I tried to play the song."

tuba A large, cylindrical instrument played with a mouthpiece and used to produce low-pitched sounds.  ■ "I can't believe I forgot my tuba at home!

tune a series of notes played in order to produce a particular musical sound or melody.  ■ I need to tune my guitar before I can play it properly.

Virtuoso A person who is extremely skilled and talented in a particular area, such as music or acting.  ■ "The virtuoso pianist played such a fast and complex piece that the audience couldn't keep up."

Werewolf A person who transforms into a wolf or wolves, usually during the full moon.  ■ "I had a werewolf Transformers action figure when I was a kid. It would howl at the moon every time I played with it!"

ante A type of card played in poker that is usually worth 2 or 3, but can be worth more depending on the circumstances.  ■ I knew I should have folded when I saw my opponent's ante. It was way too big for a 2 and I didn't want to risk losing all my chips.

Arena A large, open space used for spectator sports and other events.  ■ The football team played in a packed arena on Sunday night., An arena is the perfect place to watch a lumberjack competition or a rodeo.  ■ My favorite part of the rodeo was watching the bull riders in the arena.

audio A type of sound that can be recorded and played back, often in the form of music or other audio recordings.  ■ "I accidentally dropped my phone into the toilet, but luckily I had an audio recording of my favorite song on it."

badminton A sport in which players use small, lightweight balls and small rackets to hit the ball back and forth over a net. It is often played indoors.  ■ John's dad tried to teach him how to play badminton, but he kept accidentally hitting himself in the face with his racket.

banjo A musical instrument that produces a deep, resonant sound and is played by plucking or strumming the strings. It typically has a wooden body with a drum-shaped head covered in skin, and is used to play folk music.  ■ "I can't believe I forgot my banjo at home! Now all I have is this sad, out-of-tune ukelele."

Baseball A sport played with a ball and two bats, where the objective is to hit the ball and score points by running around four bases on a diamond-shaped field.  ■ "I may not be good at baseball, but I sure do love watching those players run around like crazy!"

Checkers A board game played by two players using black and white pieces on a square board, where the objective is to capture all of the opponent's pieces.  ■ "I may be bad at checkers, but I'm pretty good at making silly faces while playing it."