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Marbles vs Cantankerous - What's the difference?

marbles | cantankerous |

As a noun marbles

is .

As a verb marbles

is (marble).

As an adjective cantankerous is

given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.

marbles

Noun

(head)
  • Egyptian boys played marbles before the days of Moses, and marbles are among the treasures found buried in the ruins of Pompeii.
  • (plural only) Any of several children's games played with small glass balls.
  • Egyptian boys played marbles before the days of Moses, and marbles are among the treasures found buried in the ruins of Pompeii.
  • (plural only, usually, in a limited number of expressions) Sanity.
  • Grandpa's lost his marbles , but at least he still recognizes us.
    Granny's still got all her marbles .
  • * 2012 , , Bloody Chester , First Second, ISBN 978-1-59643-100-3, p. 63:
  • —Her daddy's crazy. [...] Think she's looking for something?
    —Treasure, I expect. That or maybe her daddy's marbles .

    Derived terms

    * all one's marbles * lose one's marbles

    Verb

    (head)
  • (marble)
  • Anagrams

    *

    cantankerous

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
  • * 1839 , Fraser's magazine for town and country, Volume 20, p618
  • she is a cantankerous old maid fretting and snarling over the loss of her beauty.
  • * 1866 Every Saturday, Volume 2, p355
  • The great principle on which the privileges of cantankerous folly and ill-nature found is this: that as we go on through life we grow somewhat cowardly; and if a thing be disagreeable, we just keep out of its way: sometimes by rather shabby expedients.
  • * 1947 , John Courtenay Trewin, Plays of the year: Volume 47, 195
  • I am being cantankerous'''. Some days I feel so '''cantankerous I could take a machine-gun into the streets and shoot down the whole population of Hendon Central; I don't know why.
  • * 1998 , Pauline Chazan, The moral self, 80
  • By contrast, cantankerous and churlish people are contemptuously independent of others’ opinions, not caring enough about others and their views.
  • * 2004 , 386 F. 3d 192 - Jacques v. Dimarzio Inc
  • The cantankerous are those "marked by ill humor, irritability, and determination to disagree." Webster's New International Dictionary 328 (3d ed.1986).
  • * 2004 , 386 F. 3d 192 - Jacques v. Dimarzio Inc
  • All things being equal, a cantankerous person or a curmudgeon would be more secure by becoming more unpleasant.
  • * 2007 , Linda Francis Lee, The Devil in the Junior League, p44
  • Nina was thrilled, muttering her cantankerous joy that I was getting out of the house.
  • * from where is this quotation?
  • The cantankerous landlord always grumbled when asked to fix something.
  • * 2010 ,
  • Unfortunately, as Great-Aunt Bert could be a bit cantankerous , they were having to be creative
    Note: Cantankerous is generally used to describe an unpleasant elderly person in a slightly pejorative manner. However, the term can be used to people in general, livestock, and machinery as well.