Crossword clues for strained
strained
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Strain \Strain\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Strained; p. pr. & vb. n. Straining.] [OF. estraindre, estreindre, F. ['e]treindre, L. stringere to draw or bind tight; probably akin to Gr. ? a halter, ? that which is squeezwd out, a drop, or perhaps to E. strike. Cf. Strangle, Strike, Constrain, District, Strait, a. Stress, Strict, Stringent.]
To draw with force; to extend with great effort; to stretch; as, to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship; to strain the cords of a musical instrument. ``To strain his fetters with a stricter care.''
--Dryden.(Mech.) To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it.
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To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously.
He sweats, Strains his young nerves.
--Shak.They strain their warbling throats To welcome in the spring.
--Dryden. -
To stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in the matter of intent or meaning; as, to strain the law in order to convict an accused person.
There can be no other meaning in this expression, however some may pretend to strain it.
--Swift. To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship.
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To injure in the muscles or joints by causing to make too strong an effort; to harm by overexertion; to sprain; as, to strain a horse by overloading; to strain the wrist; to strain a muscle.
Prudes decayed about may track, Strain their necks with looking back.
--Swift. -
To squeeze; to press closely.
Evander with a close embrace Strained his departing friend.
--Dryden. -
To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
He talks and plays with Fatima, but his mirth Is forced and strained.
--Denham.The quality of mercy is not strained.
--Shak. -
To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation.
Note, if your lady strain his entertainment.
--Shak. -
To press, or cause to pass, through a strainer, as through a screen, a cloth, or some porous substance; to purify, or separate from extraneous or solid matter, by filtration; to filter; as, to strain milk through cloth.
To strain a point, to make a special effort; especially, to do a degree of violence to some principle or to one's own feelings.
To strain courtesy, to go beyond what courtesy requires; to insist somewhat too much upon the precedence of others; -- often used ironically.
--Shak.
Strained \Strained\, a.
Subjected to great or excessive tension; wrenched; weakened; as, strained relations between old friends.
Done or produced with straining or excessive effort; as, his wit was strained.
Wiktionary
1 Forced through a strainer. 2 Under tension; tense. v
(en-past of: strain)
WordNet
adj. lacking natural ease; "a labored style of debating" [syn: labored, laboured]
under great stress; "her voice was strained as she asked the question"
lacking spontaneity; not natural; "a constrained smile"; "forced heartiness"; "a strained smile" [syn: constrained, forced]
struggling for effect; "agonistic poses" [syn: agonistic]
Wikipedia
Usage examples of "strained".
They were gradually adapting to living off algae they strained out of seawater.
I strained to see across the waters and catch a glimpse of distant Alba, but we were too far, here.
She lifted her chin, raising strained aquamarine eyes to meet a gaze as stormy as the threatening glow inside a volcano about to erupt.
Of an arthritic little islander, whose French and African blood had strained its way into the Jamaican aristocracy and MI5 by way of Eton and Oxford.
Immense asses strained neon pink and chartreuse capris to the awful bursting point.
Chapter 12 John the Baptist, the mighty prophet of Israel, strained his vision toward the last rays of sunset which leaked through the solitary aperture in his dungeon wall.
Zigzagging to avoid large stars which could disrupt a blink generator and send a ship and its contents into limbo for eternity, the ship blinked and rested, bunked and rested, traveling the Orion Arm in seven-league boots, covering distances which strained the imagination in an instant, held back only by the need to rest, to recharge, to build for the next jump.
Misseltoe, bruised and strained into oyle and drunken, hath presently and forthwith rid a grievous and sore stitch.
Across the Atlantic an officinal tincture is made from the Tomato for curative purposes by treating the apples, and the bruised fresh plant with alcohol, and letting this stand for eight days before it is filtered and strained.
She strained against Ki, her arms clutching him tightly around his back, while inside, Ki could feel his urgency burgeoning with every surge of her satiny sheath.
Add one half cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, a teaspoonful each of made mustard and sugar, and salt and cayenne to season highly.
Indeed, that was what had happened to her, although I strained desperately and successfully to block out the clairvoyant images of her actual death.
But her native armor crumbled, strained beyond tolerance, and she flung herself onto her cot, curled up in a ball and gave in to gut wrenching sobs.
Caught in the rubble, Dex strained to reach the ray gun, but his fingers only grazed it.
In worming against her warmth he has pulled her dress up from her knees, and their repulsive breadth and pallor, laid bare defenselessly, superimposed upon the tiny, gamely gritted teeth the boy exposed for him, this old whiteness strained through this fine mesh, make a milk that feels to Eccles like his own blood.