Dictionary

whiskery en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From whisker + -y.

Meanings

1. Having whiskers.
   • I looked at Dr Grene and tried to imagine him altered by the moon, more whiskery, a werewolf possibly. 2008, Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture, London: Faber & Faber, Part One, Chapter Eight, page 81:
   • At a corner table two whiskery ranch hands were playing checkers. 1966, Truman Capote, “Chapter 2”, in In Cold Blood, New York: Modern Library, published 1992, page 179:
   • "Don't you my-dear me," she sniffed. "I don't like you." / "Why?" / "Cos …" She ladled the punch carefully into the mugs and meditated. "Cos you chew tobacco. Cos you're whiskery. Wot I take to is smooth-faced young chaps." 1902 October, Jack London, chapter XX, in A Daughter of the Snows, Philadelphia, Pa.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC, page 209:
   • [T]he old lady is as ugly as any woman in the parish, and as tall and whiskery as a Grenadier. 1846 February 28 – 1847 February 27, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “Snobs and Marriage”, in The Book of Snobs, London: Punch Office, […], published 1848, →OCLC, pages 129-130:
2. Having protrusions resembling whiskers.
   • The whiskery batfish (a kind of anglerfish) is covered with outgrowths of skin that resemble bits of seaweed. 2005, Martha L Crump, Alan Crump, Headless males make great lovers:
   • Smiling, he gave us a salute, turned his horse and rode down the trail, through the high hairy weeds and whiskery flowers thriving among the rocks and faded ruts of the road. 1962, Edward Abbey, “Chapter 2”, in Fire on the Mountain, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, published 1978, page 73:
3. Resembling whiskers.
   • He nodded his head toward an ancient armchair spewing out its whiskery stuffing. 1981, Wendy Simons, chapter 20, in Odd Woman Out, New York: St. Martin’s Press, page 184:
   • […] all the white trees, tall like poles, that went up and up to where, right at the top, among whiskery branches, were bits of blue that were the sky. 1929, Henry Handel Richardson, Ultima Thule, New York: Norton, Part One, Chapter 7, page 72:
   • At first, all he sees is a harmless-looking blob, a microscopic single-cell organism sporting a couple of whiskery flagella. 2017 April 3, Stephanie Zacharek, “In Life, the blob from Mars is small and very scary”, in Time:
4. Involving or caused by whiskers.
   • 2002, Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex, New York: Picador, Book Three, “Flesh and Blood,” p. 373, Despite my lightheadedness, I could feel everything. The shocking wetness of his mouth. The whiskery feel of his lips. His barging tongue.
   • He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. 1997 June 26, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], chapter 1, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter; 1), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:
5. (UK, humorous) Old.
   • I checked it out, and there were some good—if whiskery—stories. 2009 January 14, Simon Hoggart, “Simon Hoggart’s Sketch: Short-selling sermons as God takes on Mammon”, in The Guardian:
   • It is, of course, the most whiskery old cliché, but clichés usually have their basis in fact, and this one certainly does: Historically, the French have paid extraordinary—some would say excessive—attention to what they eat and how they eat it. 2001, Peter Mayle, “The Inner Frenchman”, in French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew, New York: Knopf, page 8:

Forms

Synonyms

whiskered (having whiskers) · bewhiskered (having whiskers)

whiskery en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From whiskey/whisky + -ery.

Meanings

1. (rare) A whiskey distillery.
   • Long synonomous^([sic]) with top-drawer talent, first-rate eateries, top-shelf whiskeries, Our Town has worn the crunchy fruit like a medal. 1976 November 11, Daily News, volume 58, number 119, New York, N.Y., page 4:
   • Even today, Devin’s story is told and retold in the local whiskeries and his critics secretly wish he would come swaggering back with another bombastic plan to enhance their wealth. 1968, Bob Davis, The Dingle War, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., page 1:
   • Honda still has the reputation of being overrun by whiskeries and brothels. 2008, V!VA Travel Guides Colombia, Viva Publishing Network, →ISBN, page 193:
   • […]where the house of God was hidden by whiskeries, wineries, and breweries that were built against it. 1915 June 10, Parliamentary Debates, published 1917, page 3925:

Forms