amusement
Definitions
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What Dad Expected of Me in the Way Of Amusement 230 -
WordNet 3.6
- n amusement an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention
- n amusement a feeling of delight at being entertained
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Additional illustrations & photos:
I amused myself by dropping gingerbread nuts over the seat
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Interesting fact: In 1986, a drunk fan got into a pace car at Talladega Superspeedway, and started joyriding on the track in front of a nationwide audience. The police cruisers who had to chase him around the track were not amused when they caught and arrested him
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- Amusement Deep thought; muse. "Here I . . . fell into a strong and deep amusement , revolving in my mind, with great perplexity, the amazing change of our affairs."
- Amusement The state of being amused; pleasurable excitement; that which amuses; diversion. "His favorite amusements were architecture and gardening."
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Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
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Interesting fact: Anagrams amused the ancient Greeks, Romans and Hebrews, and were popular during the Middle Ages.
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- n amusement Absorbing thought; meditation; musing; reverie.
- n amusement The state of being amused; mental enjoyment or diversion; moderate mirth or merriment due to an external cause.
- n amusement That which amuses, detains, or engages the mind; pastime; entertainment: as, to provide children with amusements.
- n amusement Synonyms Entertainment, Diversion, etc. (see pastime), sport.
- n amusement In music, a brief entertaining piece, often one intended to give variety to technical exercises.
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
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Interesting fact: At Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Florida, on June 26, 1985, organist Wilbur Snapp played "Three Blind Mice" following a call by umpire Keith O'Connor. The umpire was not amused, and saw to it that Mr. Snapp was ejected from the game.
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- n Amusement that which amuses: pastime
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Quotations
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“Perhaps one has to be very old before one learns to be amused rather than shocked.” -
“Young man, there is America, which at this day serves for little more than to amuse you with stories of savage men and uncouth manners.” -
“To a man of pleasure every moment appears to be lost, which partakes not of the vivacity of amusement.” -
“The English have a heavy hearted way of amusing themselves.” -
“A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind.” -
“To find recreation in amusement is not happiness.”
Etymology
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
Cf. F. amusement,
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
Fr. amuser.
Usage
In literature:
We arrived safe at Malines, and I was infinitely amused at the variety of astonishment in the five hundred thousand faces which we passed.
"Olla Podrida" by Frederick Marryat (AKA Captain Marryat)
Harry was lost sight of for a while, but turned up again with a chapter of adventures at his finger ends for their amusement.
"Janet's Love and Service" by Margaret M Robertson
Amusement has been made of so small account in our philosophy of life, that we are raw and unpractised in being amused.
"The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 107, September, 1866" by Various
He did a number of amusing things, and the audience stopped going out.
"A Little Girl of Long Ago" by Amanda Millie Douglas
Lord Shotover's confidences invariably amused her, and just now she welcomed amusement.
"The History of Sir Richard Calmady" by Lucas Malet
The amusements were still rather simple, neighborly affairs.
"A Little Girl in Old Boston" by Amanda Millie Douglas
Dick smiled, whether with amusement or with cordiality it would be impossible to say.
"Jewel Weed" by Alice Ames Winter
Old Hammerfeldt's face grew into a network of amused and tolerant wrinkles.
"The King's Mirror" by Anthony Hope
Effects of vicious amusements.+ Vicious amusements provoke all kinds of vicious passions.
"Folkways" by William Graham Sumner
Well, you shall have them willingly, old chap, if you keep us amused!
"Chatterbox, 1906" by Various
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In poetry:
Their chief amusement is to walk
Together with the Lamb — and talk
Along the borders of the stream —
His glorious praise their constant theme!
Together with the Lamb — and talk
Along the borders of the stream —
His glorious praise their constant theme!
"Concerning The New Jerusalem" by Rees Prichard
The boatswain's mate was very sedate,
Yet fond of amusement too;
And he played hopscotch with the starboard watch
While the captain tickled the crew.
Yet fond of amusement too;
And he played hopscotch with the starboard watch
While the captain tickled the crew.
"The Walloping Window Blind" by Charles Edward Carryl
The was a Young Lady of Bute,
Who played on a silver-gilt flute;
She played several jigs,
To her uncle's white pigs,
That amusing Young Lady of Bute.
Who played on a silver-gilt flute;
She played several jigs,
To her uncle's white pigs,
That amusing Young Lady of Bute.
"Limerick: The was a Young Lady of Bute" by Edward Lear
When idle, touch the harp's sweet string,
Or else those psalms, that follow, sing:
'Twill oft a good amusement be,
When thou art far from home, and me.
Or else those psalms, that follow, sing:
'Twill oft a good amusement be,
When thou art far from home, and me.
"Mr. Prichard's Advice To His Son Samuel" by Rees Prichard
'Twas Nickey Noodle, a simpleton,
Who raised the cry, "A witch, a witch!"
Then she was summoned to the court,
Amused, or grieved, she scarce knew which.
Who raised the cry, "A witch, a witch!"
Then she was summoned to the court,
Amused, or grieved, she scarce knew which.
"Goody Two-Shoes" by Clara Doty Bates
Drumming of the ancient tom-toms
sulky squaws that shuffle by tourists smoke in fine amusement
artists heave a wistful sigh
to see a windmill bot
the sky.
sulky squaws that shuffle by tourists smoke in fine amusement
artists heave a wistful sigh
to see a windmill bot
the sky.
"Jemez: Today" by Norman MacLeod
In news:
A new waterfront district at Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will be reminiscent of an early 20th century port city and amusement pier.
The "Baywatch" star is quite amused by a spree of robberies committed by fans dying for his face on a poster.
The most amusing part of it is watching presumably sane and occasionally rational people invoke irrelevant arguments to defend a badly written porn novel.
The early 20th century English philosopher G.K. Chesterton was always amused when the ruling class of his day fretted about what to do with the poor.
One of the amusing aspects of covering Albany politics is the increasingly bizarre shapes leaders come up with for Legislature districts during the decennial redistricting process.
I was going to take the kids to every amusement-type place we could find that was close and not outrageously expensive.
County Mum On Amusement Tax District Proposal.
That voice of private amusement and secret schemes.
"Beau Jest " a broad family comedy with tender, amusing notes.
"We," said Queen Victoria, employing the royal plural, "are not amused".
The winner and their guest will recieve front seats at the Hunter Hayes concert on Sunday at Delgrosso's Amusement Park.a backstage meet & greet with Hunter Hayes and a catered backstage meal.
Alone and Miserable, Killer Whale Lunges at Trainer – Another Amusement Park Failure.
Oshkosh—the event never fails to amuse, confound and surprise.
It is always amusing to go to a post office, stand in line and listen to people request stamps from the window clerk.
Neil Postman , author of "Technopoly, Amusing Ourselves to Death," and "The End of Education," debates the value of new technology.
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In science:
A number of amusing things are taking place in the p-brane matchings that gave these relations.
M Theory Extensions of T Duality
It is mildly amusing to see how the Wigner semicircle law emerges naturally.
Law of addition in random matrix theory
It is an amusing excercise to find the combinations of gates which perform elementary arithmatical operations such as binary addition and multiplication.
Quantum Computing
It is more amusing to see that they indeed correspond to T-duality relations between IIA and IIB when one goes to the D5/D6 picture.
Little Theories in Six and Seven Dimensions
Amusingly, these too can be traced back to the nature of the very early state of the Universe.
A Simple/Short Introduction to Pre-Big-Bang Physics/Cosmology
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