totem, totam

[See extract.] Anthrop.: Some entity, usually an animal or a plant, with which the members of a tribe connect themselves, calling themselves by its name, and deriving a mythic pedigree from it. Thus among the Algonquin Indians of North America, the name Bear, Wolf, Tortoise, Deer, or Rabbit, serves to designate each of a number of clans into which the race is divided, a man belonging to such clan being himself actually spoken of as a bear, a wolf, ., and the figures of these animals indicating the clan in the native picture-writing. "The name symbol of an Algonquin clan animal is called 'dodaim,' and this word, in its usual form of totem , has become an accepted term among ethnologists to describe similar customary surnames over the world." Tylor : Prim . Cult . (ed. 1871), ii. 213. totem-animal, s. Anthrop.: An animal which gives its name to a tribe or family, of which it is usually regarded as the ancestor and protector. marine; gō, pòt, IMG:content-1263.png:[blocks in formation] "That government had fallen; and whatever had leaned upon the ruined fabric began to totter ." -Macaulay: Hist. Eng ., ch. xviii. *B. Trans.: To shake out of a steady position. "From the castle's tottered battlements." "How happy could I be with either, Were tother dear charmer away." tot-ter-er, s. [Eng. totter ; -er.] One who tot- tot-ter-ing, pr . par . or a. [TOTTER, v.] tot-ter-Ing-ly, adv . [Eng. tottering ; -ly .] In Geog.: A parish in the county of Bedford, near Duns table, England. tot-tle, v. i. [See def.) A variant of toddle (q. v.). ( Prov .) tot-tlish, tot-lish, adj . [Eng. tottl (e); -ish.] Tottering, trembling, shaking, unsteady. ( Amer .) tot-tý, tot-tie, a. [For tolty , i. e., tilty , from tilt , v. (q. v.)] Unsteady, dizzy, tottery. "I was somewhat totty when I received the good knight's blow."- Scott : Ivanhoe , ch. xxxiii. tō-ty, s . [Etym. doubtful.] A name given in some parts of the Pacific to a sailor or fisherman, ( Simmonds .) tou-cạn, tôu'-can, subst . [Fr., from Sp. & Port. tucano, from the cry of the bird.] Ornith.: The popular name of any bird of the genus Rhamphastos, often applied to the whole family Rhamphastide (q. v.). They are all natives of tropical America, and are easily distinguished by their enormous bill, irregularly toothed along the margin of the mandibles. All the species live in pairs in the shade of the forests, occasionally congregating in small parties, but never approach ing the human habitations. In the true Toucans [RHAMPHASTOS] the ground color of the plumage is generally black; the throat, breast, and rump adorned with white, yellow, and red; the body is short and thick; tail rounded or even, varying in length in the different species, and capable of being turned up over the back when the bird goes to roost. Toucans have been described as carnivorous; in captivity they will readily devour small birds, but probably in a state of nature their diet consists almost exclusively of fruit. They are remarkable among birds for a regurgitation of food, which, after being swallowed, is brought up to undergo mastication, an operation somewhat analogous to the chewing of the cud among ruminants. They are easily tamed, and bear confinement well, even in cold climates. "Then with his sceptre that the deep controls, He touched the chiefs, and steeled their manly souls." Pope: Homer's Iliad , xiii. 88. 4. To meddle or interfere with; to handle. "No son of Mars descend, for servile gains, To touch the booty, while a foe remains." IMG:content-1264.png:[blocks in formation] "O agony! the utmost I can do Touches him not." touch *18. To move, to stir up, to excite, to rouse, to kindle. "Which touched the very virtue of compa ion in thee." Shakesp.: Tempest , i. 2. 19. To render crazy or partially insane; to affect with a slight degree of insanity. (Seldom used except in the pa. par.) *20. To censure; to animadvert upon. "Doctor Parker, in his sermon before them, touched them for their living so near, that they went near to touch him for his life."- Hayward . 21. To lay the hand on for the purpose of curing of a disease. Said especially of the disease called the king's evil. "Walked round the fortifications, touched some scrofulous people, and then proceeded in one of his yachts to Southampton."-Macaulay: Hist . Eng ., ch. viii. 22. To handle in a skillful manner: (1) To play on, as a musician; to perform, as a piece of music. "He had not ceased to touch The harp or viol which himself had framed." Words worth: Excursion, bk. vii. (2) To discourse of; to write about; to treat of. (3) To paint or form as an artist. "Such heavenly touches n'er touched earthly faces." Shakesp.: Sonnet 17. *23. To mark or delineate slightly or finely; to add a slight stroke or strokes to, as with a pen, pencil, brush, . "The lines, though touch'd but faintly, are drawn right." Pope: E ay on Criticism, 22. II. Geom.: To meet without cutting; to be in contact with. A straight line is said to touch a circle when it meets the circle, and, being produced, does not cut it. Two circles are said to touch each other when they meet but do not cut each other. A straight line can touch a circle or curve in only one point. Two circles or spheres can touch each other in only one point, and a sphere can touch a plane in only one point. [CONTACT, TANGENT.] IMG:content-1265.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-1266.png:[blocks in formation] *5. Proof; tried qualities. "My friends of noble touch , when I am forth, Bid me farewell." Shakesp.: Coriolanus , iv. 1. *6. Stone of the kind used as touchstones. A term often applied to any costly marble, but properly to the basanites of the Greeks, a very hard, black granite. "A new monument of touch and alabaster."- Fuller . 7. Any single act in the exercise of an art; as, (1) A stroke of a pen, pencil, or the like. IMG:content-1267.png:[blocks in formation] smell, sight, taste, or hearing, which are called the special senses; even these, however, are held by modern biologists to be highly specialized forms of touch, which is often called the mother of all the senses.' In a more limited application, touch is " applied to that modification of general sensibility which is restricted to the tegumentary surface or to some special portion of it, and which serves to convey definite ideas as to the form, size, number, weight, temperature, hardne , softne , ., of objects brought within its cognizance. These sensations are received by the terminations of the cutaneous nerves, and thence conveyed to the brain. The sense of touch is distributed over the surface of the body, but is much moro acute in some parts than in others, e. g., in the hand. It is also capable of great improvement and development; and the blind, who have to depend largely on the sense of touch for guidance, acquire extraordinarily delicate and accurate powers of perception with the fingers; difference of form, size, consistence, and other characters, being readily recognized that are quite inappreciable to those who po e good vision, without special education. (2) Compar .: The lower Anthropide have both the hands and feet thickly set with tactile papillæ (q. v.), and the surface of the prehensile tail which some po e is furnished with them in abundance. Other organs of touch exist in the vibri e, or whiskers, of the cat, and of certain rodents. In the Ungulata, the lips and nostrils are probably the chief seat of tactile sensibility, and this is especially so with the Proboscidea. In Birds, tactile papillæ have been discovered in the feet, and they are also present in some lizards. A papillary apparatus appears to be absent from Serpents, Chelonians, and Fishes, though in many of these its want is compensated by tentacles, having a high degree of sensibility. Descending still lower in the scale of animal life, organs of touch are found in the tentacles of the Cephalopod a and Gasteropod a, the palpi and antenne of insects, and the palpi of the Arachnid a. 6. Ship build.: The broadest part of a ship's plank worked top and but. 1. A near (or close ) touch : A narrow escape; a tion. "No beast so fierce but knows a touch of pity." Shakesp.: Richard III., 1. 2. 10. Trait, characteristic. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." Shakesp.: Troilus and Cre ida , iii. 3. 11. A small quantity or degree; a dash, a spice, a smack. "A touch of frost."- Field , Jan. 22, 1886. 12. A stroke; a succe ful effort or attempt. "One meets sometimes with very nice touches of rail lery." Add is on: On Medals. *13. The extent to which a person is interested or affected. ( Slang .) "Print my preface in such a form as, in the booksellers' phrase, will make a sixpenny touch."-Swift. *14. A hint, a suggestion; slight notice or intimation. "A slight touch will put him in mind of them."- Bacon. *15. Animadversion, censure, reproof. "I never bare any touch of conscience with greater regret."-King Charles: Eikon Basilike. *16. Particular application of anything to a per son; personal reference or application. "Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly used."- Bacon : E ays; Of Discourse. *17. Euphemistically, sexual intercourse. "Free from touch or soil with her." Shakesp.: Measure for Measure, v. IMG:content-1268.png:[blocks in formation] 1. Fine Arts : The peculiar handling usual to an artist, and by which his work may be known. 2. Foot - ball : The ground behind a line drawn in a line with the goal-posts. "Withers nearly scored by a splendid run at the top side, but was pushed into touch ."- Field , Dec. 6, 1884. 3. Music : (1) The resistance made to the fingers by the keys of a pianoforte or organ. (2) The peculiar manner in which a player pre es the keyboard, whether light, pearly, heavy, clumsy, firm, . 4. Obstetrics: The examination of the mouth of the womb by actual contact of the hand or fingers. 5. Physiology : (1) Human : The sense through which man takes cognizance of the palpable properties of bodies. In a wide application, it is sometimes called the gen eral sense, because by it we become conscious of all sensory impre ions which are not the objects of 2. To be in touch with others: To be in sympathy with them, so as to understand their feelings, ideas, . 3. To keep touch: [KEEP, (17).] 4. To lose touch: (1) Mil .: To cease to maintain communication with. (2) Fig .: To lose knowledge of and sympathy with. 5. To maintain touch : *(1) Ord. Lang .: To be steady or true to appointment; to fulfill duly a part or function. (2) Mil .: To maintain communication with each other; to keep touch. 6. Touch and go : A phrase used either as a substantive or adjective, and denoting something, as an accident, which had almost happened; a state of imminent explosion or danger; a close shave. Also used adjectively, as in the example. "Herr Ludwig had a touch-and-go journey before he caught the Servia."- St . James's Gazette , Oct. 25, 1887. *7. True as touch: Completely true. touch-back, Football: The act of touching a ball to the ground by a player behind his own when the impetus that sent the ball acro the line came from an opponent. touch-body, s. [TACTILE-CORPUSCLE.] touch-down, s. Football: A touch-down is made when the ball is carried, kicked, or pa ed acro the goal line and there held either in goal or touch-in-goal.