To whet on

To whet on
Whet Whet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whetted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whetting}.] [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. v["a]ttja, and AS. hw[ae]t vigorous, brave, OS. hwat, OHG. waz, was, sharp, Icel. hvatr, bold, active, Sw. hvass sharp, Dan. hvas, Goth. hwassaba sharply, and probably to Skr. cud to impel, urge on.] [1913 Webster] 1. To rub or on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening; to sharpen by attrition; as, to whet a knife. [1913 Webster]

The mower whets his scythe. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak. --Byron. [1913 Webster]

2. To make sharp, keen, or eager; to excite; to stimulate; as, to whet the appetite or the courage. [1913 Webster]

Since Cassius first did whet me against C[ae]sar, I have not slept. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{To whet on}, {To whet forward}, to urge on or forward; to instigate. --Shak. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Whet — Whet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whetted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whetting}.] [AS. hwettan; akin to D. wetten, G. wetzen, OHG. wezzen, Icel. hvetja, Sw. v[ a]ttja, and AS. hw[ae]t vigorous, brave, OS. hwat, OHG. waz, was, sharp, Icel. hvatr, bold, active, Sw …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whet´ter — whet «hweht», verb, whet|ted, whet|ting, noun. –v.t. 1. to sharpen by rubbing; hone: »to whet a knife. 2. Figurative. to make keen or eager; …   Useful english dictionary

  • whet — [ wet, hwet ] verb transitive if you whet a blade, you make it sharper: SHARPEN whet your appetite (for something) to increase the feeling that you want to have or do a particular thing: a TV program that will whet people s appetite for travel …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Whet — Whet, n. [1913 Webster] 1. The act of whetting. [1913 Webster] 2. That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer. Sips, drams, and whets. Spectator. [1913 Webster] {Whet slate} (Min.), a variety of slate used for sharpening cutting instruments; …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whet slate — Whet Whet, n. [1913 Webster] 1. The act of whetting. [1913 Webster] 2. That which whets or sharpens; esp., an appetizer. Sips, drams, and whets. Spectator. [1913 Webster] {Whet slate} (Min.), a variety of slate used for sharpening cutting… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whet — whet; whet·ten; whet·ter; …   English syllables

  • whet — [hwet, wet] vt. whetted, whetting [ME whetten < OE hwettan, to make keen < hwæt, sharp, keen, bold < IE base * kwed , to pierce, sharpen, whet > prob. L (tri)quetrus, (three )cornered] 1. to sharpen by rubbing or grinding (the edge of …   English World dictionary

  • whet your appetite (for something) — phrase to increase the feeling that you want to have or to do a particular thing a TV programme that will whet people’s appetite for travel Thesaurus: to make someone feel excited, enthusiastic or impressedsynonym Main entry: whet …   Useful english dictionary

  • whet — [wet] v past tense and past participle whetted present participle whetting [T] [: Old English; Origin: hwettan] 1.) whet sb s appetite (for sth) if an experience whets your appetite for something, it increases your desire for it ▪ The view from… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • whet — [v1] make sharp edge, file, finish, grind, hone, sharpen, strop; concepts 137,250 Ant. blunt, dull whet [v2] arouse, excite animate, awaken, challenge, enhance, incite, increase, kindle, pique, provoke, quicken, rally, rouse, stimulate, stir,… …   New thesaurus

  • whet-slate — whetˈ slate noun Novaculite • • • Main Entry: ↑whet …   Useful english dictionary

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