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What is "delicate"

Crossword clues for delicate

delicate
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
delicate
adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a delicate balance (=easily damaged)
▪ Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere upsets the delicate balance of gases.
a delicate subject (=one that may be embarrassing)
▪ She carefully avoided discussing the delicate subject of money.
delicate (=in which it would be very easy to upset people and cause the negotiations to fail)
▪ The company is about to start delicate negotiations with the union about next year's pay agreement.
delicate
▪ The plant produces delicate purple flowers.
delicate
▪ The flowers have a delicate perfume similar to cowslips.
delicate/subtle (=pleasant and not strong)
▪ The wine should be served cold so that it doesn’t lose any of its delicate flavour.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
▪ Emperor Tetras are a quiet, peaceful fish and not as delicate as is sometimes thought.
▪ Between these, a hundred jellyfish as delicate and as translucent as rose petals pulsate like butterflies.
▪ He was very light, and his bones felt as delicate as a bird's.
▪ But her infirmities had caused her to be thought of as delicate, to be treated as a bit of an invalid.
more
▪ In Essex, the position was more delicate and less secure for the District.
▪ For others, the balance between satisfaction and survival is more delicate.
▪ Daniele Audetto was out of the same mould as Luca, but his job was now infinitely more delicate and difficult.
▪ Queequeg is seen to be more delicate and civilized than most of the Christians that Ishmael has known.
▪ Its head is more delicate and its tail less bushy.
▪ A big dray horse might be suited to haul a coal wagon, a more delicate saddle horse to recreational riding.
▪ But here in the valley lies a completely different countryside, smaller and more delicate.
▪ Is there a more delicate way of putting it?
most
▪ Which means that even the most delicate of dishes will rise to the occasion.
▪ They have a mania for getting at the most delicate parts of the engine.
▪ Unfortunately they are not all able to survive in an aquarium and some of the most colourful varieties are the most delicate.
▪ But instead of admonishing him, they were handling his ego as if it were the most delicate of flowers.
▪ Here MacLeod is able to activate the past by the most delicate retrieval.
▪ How can I when I know that even this body is a most delicate piece of machinery?
▪ Unfortunately they are also some of the most delicate.
▪ Her somnolent black eyes and tenderly pursed pink lips intrude upon the eggshell delicacy of her face with the most delicate affection.
so
▪ There had been stone dragons, and jade dragons so delicate that they disintegrated at a puff of breath.
▪ Not surprisingly, she advocates a balance, but one so delicate as to require almost daily adjustment.
▪ Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to hot and dry conditions because their skins are so delicate and permeable to water.
▪ Being so delicate, it is not available in large quantities commercially.
▪ The bowl of Rostov's was so delicate that he felt that if he closed his hand too suddenly it would shatter.
▪ Who but Ashton would have thought of giving this country yokel so delicate a movement?
▪ You could not be afraid of it, you could not possibly fear something so delicate and so insubstantial.
too
▪ But the delicious food had been too delicate for their hearty taste.
▪ Louis plane was too delicate to dismantle and assemble for each stop.
▪ The issues may be too delicate to handle or too difficult to put your finger on precisely.
▪ Other aromatic varieties are either too delicate to cultivate in Champagne or too late ripening to bear fruit.
▪ Even when the forms of such things as halberds or hoe-blades were rendered in jade they were too delicate for functional use.
▪ Claudel is bringing your little trinket back for some adjustments. Too delicate for us to handle.
▪ McPherson's lay-off found McCall with an unobstructed view of goal but the final attempt was too delicate and Verlinden saved easily.
very
▪ Her designs are classical and very delicate, mainly in 18-carat gold jewellery and set with precious stones and pearls.
▪ He had Reacher and the gunner lean out to watch the very delicate tail rotor.
▪ Watercolours of a very delicate or atmospheric style will exhibit greater subtlety when painted on Hot Pressed surfaces.
▪ Octopuses are very delicate animals that are sensitive to nitrogenous and other waste products of fish.
▪ His speech was never very delicate but Matilda was used to it.
▪ It was very delicate and prone to break down.
▪ I hope they can throw some light on a very delicate matter?
▪ I did some very delicate checking.
■ NOUN
area
▪ He knew she was nervous and that this reporter was pressing the superintendent on the most delicate areas of the investigation.
▪ Here we come to a delicate area.
balance
▪ Again, that may not sound much but it's more than enough to disrupt the delicate balance of different gases.
▪ For these folks, temperature control is a delicate balance.
▪ This is a delicate balance to strike.
▪ Good proposal writing is a delicate balance of presenting your intentions in dealing with your research problem.
▪ Adenosine helps regulate the delicate balance between blood flow and urine output.
▪ This delicate balance had to be maintained.
▪ They upset the delicate balance of interests on which high organizational performance is so often based.
face
▪ He has a delicate face, like a woman's, and his eyes are dark.
▪ Her eyes were huge and green and almond shaped, surprisingly catlike in her delicate face.
▪ He had large dark eyes, like pears set in port wine aspic, deep pools in a thin, delicate face.
▪ Hearing the noise of the car she turned and he saw a peaked, delicate face framed with red-gold hair.
▪ Marilyn Krnkka was a black-haired woman with a thin, delicate face.
▪ This was his supreme moment; yet his delicate face and sombre eyes remained impassive, showed no vestige of emotion.
▪ A blur of fair hair, a delicate face, young.
flavour
▪ Their skin is rough and sometimes striped, with a sweet and scented delicate flavour.
▪ Formosa Oolong A semi-fermented or oxidised tea with a delicate flavour.
▪ After centuries of crumbling gently before exciting our taste buds with your delicate flavour you have finally departed your origins.
hand
▪ She placed a small delicate hand on it and bade Miriam good-night.
▪ His face seemed so pale against the dark of her graceful, delicate hand.
▪ Her delicate hands began to shake.
▪ The macaques' delicate hands look remarkably human and are well adapted for grasping and holding objects.
▪ He sat quite still, his delicate hands folded in his lap.
▪ He saw her white, delicate hands.
▪ Small and soft, with little bones and delicate hands and feet.
issue
▪ Difficult as it may be, he should attempt to settle more delicate issues.
▪ On his list of things to do, these delicate issues hung suspended like icicles from a limb.
▪ There is also the associated and delicate issue of contact between internal reformers and reforming pressure groups.
▪ Flexibility can be a delicate issue, particularly in a work unit with an inflexible boss.
matter
▪ I hope they can throw some light on a very delicate matter?
▪ Given that we have victims, we come to the delicate matter of breeding.
▪ Let us settle these delicate matters between ourselves.
negotiation
▪ Eurotunnel's prospects will only become apparent once the delicate negotiations with the banks and contractors have been completed.
▪ Five o'clock is the blessed hour after work and before decisions, the delicate negotiation on a public phone.
operation
▪ Security codes covering delicate operations have - even as we stand here - been altered.
▪ But that is a delicate operation.
▪ This can be a delicate operation since it is desirable that this card fill most of its allotted area.
▪ Friends have chipped in to raise £7,000 to pay for the delicate operation.
question
▪ These developments face the churches and theology with a whole series of difficult and delicate questions.
▪ The delicate question of which divinity is absorbing which is not always clear.
▪ The solution turns on delicate questions of the textual criticism of a few texts.
▪ No answer was immediately forthcoming to the delicate question but investigations will now doubtless continue amid fears of a Government cover-up.
▪ The controversy ran contemporaneous with a delicate question of authority.
▪ I raise the delicate question he's been avoiding.
skin
▪ The sun can easily damage a child's delicate skin.
▪ Stephen lurched and pushed against her, bumping painfully on her, grinding his pelvis into the delicate skin of her crutch.
task
▪ His hand stung and his head hurt and he felt in no shape to begin the delicate task of restarting their relationship.
▪ I had the immense and delicate task of restoring confidence in Kambawe.
▪ Harvesting is a delicate task requiring deft fingers and precision, for which women are supposed by nature to be peculiarly suited.
▪ Unravelling these consequences and deciding which merit assessment is an exceptionally delicate task.
touch
▪ Pascoe noticed how nimble his hands were: long fingers, a delicate touch.
▪ Smooth as oiled silk, his skin excited her delicate touch.
▪ She squirmed at the delicate touch and even the wall at her back felt sensuous.
▪ He had a surprisingly delicate touch and the silver star was going to look beautiful when it was finished.
work
▪ He says that it's been very delicate work, but they think that they have found all the bones.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ delicate pinks and blues
▪ a delicate gold necklace
▪ Clare was more active than her brother, who had always been a delicate child.
▪ I am seeking your professional advice on a very delicate matter.
▪ Madeline was wondering how to approach the delicate question of her salary with her new boss.
▪ Mr Humphreys wife was delicate - the doctor was called in once or twice a week.
▪ Mrs. Archer extended her delicate hand.
▪ Salmon has quite a delicate flavour, and it should not be over-cooked.
▪ The delicate blossoms resemble lace.
▪ The delicate operation took more than six hours.
▪ The delicate scent of roses hung in the air.
▪ The china has a delicate pattern of leaves.
▪ The fish was served with a delicate mushroom sauce.
▪ The tea was served in delicate china cups.
▪ This soup has a marvellous, delicate fragrance and a slightly sweet taste.
▪ Troy was a delicate child who spend most of his time indoors.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Matched brass florets mark the corners of the three leather volumes that contain them, and delicate brass chains fasten their bindings.
▪ Sabine sampled the soup, and found the flavour surprisingly delicate.
▪ The delicate glasses had felt thick and awkward in her hands, soft as putty but covered in cutting edges.
▪ The story of that day unfolds in a way that is delicate, deliberate and emotionally telling.
▪ This must come by the delicate interaction of her own willed effort and the creative understanding which Hilton calls grace.
▪ Unfortunately they are not all able to survive in an aquarium and some of the most colourful varieties are the most delicate.
▪ We need to be aware, however, that the school environment is a delicate ecosystem, highly sensitive to political whim.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Delicate

Delicate \Del"i*cate\, n.

  1. A choice dainty; a delicacy. [R.]

    With abstinence all delicates he sees.
    --Dryden.

  2. A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.

    All the vessels, then, which our delicates have, -- those I mean that would seem to be more fine in their houses than their neighbors, -- are only of the Corinth metal.
    --Holland.

Delicate

Delicate \Del"i*cate\, a. [L. delicatus pleasing the senses, voluptuous, soft and tender; akin to deliciae delight: cf. F. d['e]licat. See Delight.]

  1. Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.

    Dives, for his delicate life, to the devil went.
    --Piers Plowman.

    Haarlem is a very delicate town.
    --Evelyn.

  2. Pleasing to the senses; refinedly agreeable; hence, adapted to please a nice or cultivated taste; nice; fine; elegant; as, a delicate dish; delicate flavor.

  3. Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful; as, ``a delicate creature.''
    --Shak.

  4. Fine or slender; minute; not coarse; -- said of a thread, or the like; as, delicate cotton.

  5. Slight or smooth; light and yielding; -- said of texture; as, delicate lace or silk.

  6. Soft and fair; -- said of the skin or a surface; as, a delicate cheek; a delicate complexion.

  7. Light, or softly tinted; -- said of a color; as, a delicate blue.

  8. Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; -- said of manners, conduct, or feelings; as, delicate behavior; delicate attentions; delicate thoughtfulness.

  9. Tender; not able to endure hardship; feeble; frail; effeminate; -- said of constitution, health, etc.; as, a delicate child; delicate health.

    A delicate and tender prince.
    --Shak.

  10. Requiring careful handling; not to be rudely or hastily dealt with; nice; critical; as, a delicate subject or question.

    There are some things too delicate and too sacred to be handled rudely without injury to truth.
    --F. W. Robertson.

  11. Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.

  12. Nicely discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite; as, a delicate taste; a delicate ear for music.

  13. Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes; as, a delicate thermometer.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
delicate

late 14c., "self-indulgent, loving ease; delightful; sensitive, easily hurt; feeble," from Latin delicatus "alluring, delightful, dainty," also "addicted to pleasure, luxurious, effeminate;" which is of uncertain origin; related by folk etymology (and perhaps genuinely) to deliciae "a pet," and delicere "to allure, entice" (see delicious). Meaning "easily broken" is recorded from 1560s.

Wiktionary
delicate

a. Easily damaged or requiring careful handling. n. 1 A delicate item of clothing, especially underwear or lingerie. 2 (context obsolete English) A choice dainty; a delicacy. 3 (context obsolete English) A delicate, luxurious, or effeminate person.

WordNet
delicate

  1. adj. exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury; "a delicate violin passage"; "delicate china"; "a delicate flavor"; "the delicate wing of a butterfly" [ant: rugged]

  2. marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique; "a surgeon's delicate touch"

  3. easily broken or damaged or destroyed; "a kite too delicate to fly safely"; "fragile porcelain plates"; "fragile old bones"; "a frail craft" [syn: fragile, frail]

  4. easily hurt; "soft hands"; "a baby's delicate skin" [syn: soft]

  5. developed with extreme delicacy and subtlety; "the satire touches with finespun ridicule every kind of human pretense" [syn: finespun]

  6. difficult to handle; requiring great tact; "delicate negotiations with the big powers"; "hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter" [syn: ticklish]

  7. of an instrument or device; capable of registering minute differences or changes precisely; "almost undetectable with even the most delicate instruments"

Wikipedia
Delicate

Delicate may refer to:

  • Delicate (album), a 2010 album by Martha & The Muffins
  • "Delicate" (song), a 1993 single by Terence Trent D'Arby featuring Des'ree
  • "Delicate", a song by Damien Rice from O
  • "Delicate", a song by Operator from Soulcrusher
Delicate (song)

"Delicate" is a song by Terence Trent D'Arby featuring Des'ree, released as a single in 1993. The song was written, arranged and produced by D'Arby. The song reached #14 in the UK charts.

Delicate (album)

Delicate is the eighth studio album from Canadian new wave band, Martha & The Muffins. It was produced by Mark Gane, Leo Valvassori and Martha Johnson, and mixed by David Bottrill. The first single from the album was "Mess". The album was the band's first full-length release of new material in 18 years.

Usage examples of "delicate".

As for his initial concern that the rigors of Congress might be too much for someone of such delicate appearance, Adams had learned better.

Ailinon and Ashnilam rose near by in the west, with the delicate white peak of Akra Garsh showing between them.

Their delicate forms, that of a stag and a doe, looked out of place in the modern, heartily built Alaskan house.

Raised by her parents from Mahon on a small farm in the Sahel, she was very young when she married a slender and delicate man, also of Mahon origin, whose brothers had already settled in Algeria by 1848, after the tragic death of the paternal grandfather, a sometime poet who composed his verses mounted on a donkey and riding around the island between stone walls that bordered vegetable gardens.

There was further discussion of the sort Aman indulges in when carrying out these quasi-poetic analogies of his, about soft feathers and delicate coloring but even when he is being smooth-tongued and soft-headed he can be acute.

It shone on the high cheekbones that hinted at Amerind heritage, on the delicate features almost eclipsed by those protruding structures.

My toes curled and my foot flexed, reveling in the delicate touch of the thumb that traced its way from the ball of my foot down the high arch and up into the hollow below my anklebone, managing to stimulate an entire plexus of sensation.

Softly he traced a blue vein that started under the delicate anklebone and disappeared up a curvaceous calf.

Nevertheless, the constant feasting and orgies of the rude Gallic troops at the sacrificial banquets were an ongoing scandal to the refined and delicate Antiochians, who night after night suffered drunken, carousing foreign soldiers rampaging through their streets, and were unable to hide their resentment.

There is that marble where Papias of Aphrodisias has outlined a body tenderly nude, with the delicate resilience of narcissus.

Our assignment this evening was to verify the observation made three centuries ago by the physician Apion, that the human body contains a delicate nerve that starts from the left ring finger and travels to the heart.

I allowed myself a moment to savor her unaccustomed elegance and realized she was enticing the knot of eager and noble youth around her to wager on the fall of a delicate set of applewood runes, tucking silver and gold coin discreetly into the little velvet bag on a ribbon at her waist.

Reaching out, he drew a finger along the delicate line of her collarbone, setting her nerves atingle with the pleasure of his touch.

The room was beautiful, with a lofty ceiling adorned with delicate plaster work, a polished wood floor almost covered by an Aubusson tapestry-weave carpet in dim blues and greens and pinks, and a Regency striped paper.

I saw reflected in his eyes, not them, no, nor the bright green fairway fringed in dark pine, nor the city of Baguio misty and lost in the distance, none of these, but the long delicate snout of that mythic Lincoln.