Crossword clues for spectacle
spectacle
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Spectacle \Spec"ta*cle\, n. [F., fr. L. spectaculum, fr. spectare to look at, to behold, v. intens. fr. specere. See Spy.]
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Something exhibited to view; usually, something presented to view as extraordinary, or as unusual and worthy of special notice; a remarkable or noteworthy sight; a show; a pageant; a gazingstock.
O, piteous spectacle? O, bloody times!
--Shak. -
A spy-glass; a looking-glass. [Obs.]
Poverty a spectacle is, as thinketh me, Through which he may his very friends see.
--Chaucer. pl. An optical instrument consisting of two lenses set in a light frame, and worn to assist sight, to obviate some defect in the organs of vision, or to shield the eyes from bright light.
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pl. Fig.: An aid to the intellectual sight.
Shakespeare . . . needed not the spectacles of books to read nature.
--Dryden.Syn: Show; sight; exhibition; representation; pageant.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
mid-14c., "specially prepared or arranged display," from Old French spectacle "sight, spectacle, Roman games" (13c.), from Latin spectaculum "a public show, spectacle, place from which shows are seen," from spectare "to view, watch, behold," frequentative form of specere "to look at," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (see scope (n.1)).
Wiktionary
n. 1 An exciting or extraordinary exhibition, performance or event. 2 An embarrassing situation 3 (context usually in the plural English) An optical instrument consisting of two lenses set in a light frame, and worn to assist sight, to obviate some defect in the organs of vision, or to shield the eyes from bright light. 4 (context figuratively English) An aid to the intellectual sight. 5 (context obsolete English) A spyglass; a looking-glass. 6 The brille of a snake.
WordNet
n. something or someone seen (especially a notable or unusual sight); "the tragic spectacle of cripples trying to escape"
an elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale
a blunder that makes you look ridiculous; used in the phrase `make a spectacle of' yourself
Wikipedia
In general, spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates. Derived in Middle English from c. 1340 as "specially prepared or arranged display" it was borrowed from Old French spectacle, itself a reflection of the Latin spectaculum "a show" from spectare "to view, watch" frequentative form of specere "to look at." The word spectacle has also been a term of art in theater dating from the 17th century in English drama.
A spectacle is an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates.
Spectacle or spectacles may also refer to:
- Glasses (eyeglasses)
- Spectacle (band), a 1990s indie pop band
- Spectacle (critical theory), a central notion in the Situationist theory developed by Guy Debord
- Brille, a glassy covering of the eye found in some animals
- Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..., a music show starring Elvis Costello, appearing on the Sundance Channel (United States)
- Spectacle is the toolset for packaging maintenance of MeeGo
- "Spectacle", a song by Velvet Revolver from Contraband
- Spectacles, the autobiography of Sue Perkins
- Spectacle, a screenshot software by KDE
The spectacle is a central notion in the Situationist theory, developed by Guy Debord in his 1967 book, The Society of the Spectacle. In its limited sense, spectacle means the mass media, which are "its most glaring superficial manifestation." Debord said that the society of the spectacle came to existence in the late 1920s.
The critique of the spectacle is a development and application of Karl Marx's concept of fetishism of commodities, reification and alienation, and the way it was reprised by György Lukács in 1923. In the society of the spectacle, the commodities rule the workers and the consumers instead of being ruled by them. The consumers are passive subjects that contemplate the reified spectacle.
Spectacle, originally The Cherry Smash, was an alternative indie pop rock band from California during the 1990s fronted by Blake Miller (later of Moving Units). Their sound was characterized as "sunny, melodic, jangling folk-rock." Other Spectacle members included Alex Crain, Brad Laner (formerly of Medicine), and Brent Rademaker (later of Further and Beachwood Sparks). The band was formed as a trio called The Cherry Smash, which released a 7-inch titled West Coast Rip Off, and made an appearance on the compilation album Pure Spun Sugar (both on Candy Floss Records). After this the band changed their name to Spectacle and released one album, Glow in the Dark Soul, on June 23, 1998. Spectacle briefly toured with The Brian Jonestown Massacre as an opening act. Although their debut album received positive reviews, it was not commercially successful.
Usage examples of "spectacle".
It was a magnificent spectacle, affording one of the most gorgeous and glorious displays of naval power ever presented to the eyes of even a British sovereign.
We seemed to view the matter through allopathic spectacles, they through homoeopathic lenses.
After a signal victory over the Franks and Alemanni, several of their princes were exposed by his order to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre of Treves, and the people seem to have enjoyed the spectacle, without discovering, in such a treatment of royal captives, anything that was repugnant to the laws of nations or of humanity.
Radiating annoyance, Gerard was cleaning his spectacles with his handkerchief in a way that could only be described as aggressive.
Van Buskirk of Montreal exotic reflective glasswares and glass-blowing hardware and broom and ordnance and survivalist cookware and hip postcards and black-lather gag soap and cheesy old low-demand InterLace 3rd-Grid cartridges and hand-buzzers and fraudulent but seductive X-ray spectacles and they were sent through the remains of Provincial Autoroute 557 U.
In due time a pair of sober, business-like spectacles bestrides the nose.
Sermon sprang in pursuit, grabbed him by the collar and threw him sideways on top of the blameless Bateman, whose face was rammed down against his own desk-lid with such violence that his spectacles snapped at the bridge and a lens flew in each direction.
He spilt the browst in the brewhouse, and made a spectacle of himself with pease-meal in the girnel.
While the others worked, Brewster supervised and drew up plans and concentrated on making a suitable pair of spectacles for Bob.
Catherine, who caused her to tremble with fear every time she found herself compelled to trust the ring to the mystic curiosity of the elderly nuns, who, in order to see the likeness better through their spectacles, brought it close to their eyes, and rubbed the enamel.
They could ease the passage of a terrified passenger lifter, or ensure that nosy busybodies were made into asteroid sandwich, but he enjoyed the spectacle of seeing something as big and vain as the Time-span negotiating this potentially fatal dance.
Short and round-faced, with longish, wispy white hair and neutral gray eyes set off by old-fashioned tortoiseshell, round-framed spectacles, Hoskinson presented a lot more of Bob Cratchit than he did James Bond.
Bruenor and Wulfgar felt ridiculous carrying their mounts, but Drizzt accepted it with a smile and Regis thoroughly enjoyed the whole outrageous spectacle, having learned on his first visit that Longsaddle was a place to be taken lightly, appreciating the idiosyncrasies and unique ways of the Harpells purely for the sake of amusement.
The cages of those trusty guards were always placed near the bed-chamber of Valentinian, who frequently amused his eyes with the grateful spectacle of seeing them tear and devour the bleeding limbs of the malefactors who were abandoned to their rage.
Captain Marlinspike Werner poked his head in the door, looking at me with surprise through his steel-rim spectacles.