English dictionary for students. 2013.
Rube Goldberg — Refers to any device reminiscent of those drawn by American cartoonist Reuben (Rube) Goldberg (1883 1970). Each of Goldberg s inventions typically accomplished some task by an extraordinarily complicated and humorous means. Published as the… … Glossary of Art Terms
Rube Goldberg machine — A Rube Goldberg machine is a deliberately overengineered apparatus that performs a very simple task in a very indirect and convoluted fashion. Goldberg s drawings, for example, almost always included a live animal which was expected to perform… … Wikipedia
Rube Gold|berg — «ROOB GOHLD burg», (of an invention, device, or scheme) ridiculously complicated: »He called the three gun color tube used by present manufacturers, “a Rube Goldberg contraption if there ever was one” (Wall Street Journal). ╂[< Rue Goldberg,… … Useful english dictionary
device — [n1] instrument, tool accessory, agent, apparatus, appliance, arrangement, article, construction, contraption, contrivance, creation, doohickey*, equipment, expedient, gadget, gear, gimmick, implement, invention, machine, makeshift, material,… … New thesaurus
Rube Gold·berg — /ˈruːbˈgoʊldˌbɚg/ adj, always used before a noun US : doing something simple in a very complicated way that is not necessary a Rube Goldberg [=(Brit) Heath Robinson] contraption/device/machine ◇ Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist who was… … Useful english dictionary
contrivance — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. device, invention, construction, machine, apparatus, contraption (inf.); plan, scheme, trick, stratagem. See instrumentality, cunning. II (Roget s IV) n. 1. [A plan, especially an ingenious plan] Syn … English dictionary for students
gadget — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. contrivance, device, doohickey; invention, machine; thingamajig, whatchamacallit, contraption, doodad (all inf.). See plan, instrumentality. II (Roget s IV) n. Syn. device, contrivance, contraption,… … English dictionary for students
contraption — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n., informal, gadget, contrivance (see instrumentality). II (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) n. device, machine, contrivance, gadget, rig, mechanism, appliance, widget, *doohickey, *thingamajig, *Rube Goldberg … English dictionary for students
List of Animaniacs episodes — The following is an episode list for the Warner Bros. animated television series Animaniacs. The series premiered on Fox Kids on September 13, 1993[1], and then began airing on The WB as part of its Kids WB! afternoon programming block from 1995… … Wikipedia
gizmo — I (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) n. device, appliance, mechanism, tool, gadget, thingamajig, thingamabob, contraption, widget, machine, *Rube Goldberg device. II (Roget s Thesaurus II) also gismo noun Slang. A small specialized mechanical device:… … English dictionary for students
