Sally

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sally \Sal"ly\ (s[a^]l"l[y^]), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Sallied}
     (-l[i^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Sallying}.] [F. saillir, fr. L.
     salire to leap, spring, akin to Gr. "a`llesqai; cf. Skr.
     s[.r] to go, to flow. Cf. {Salient}, {Assail}, {Assault},
     {Exult}, {Insult}, {Saltation}, {Saltire}.]
     To leap or rush out; to burst forth; to issue suddenly; as a


     body of troops from a fortified place to attack besiegers; to
     make a sally.
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           They break the truce, and sally out by night. --Dryden.
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           The foe retires, -- she heads the sallying host.
                                                    --Byron.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sally \Sal"ly\, n.; pl. {Sallies}. [F. saillie, fr. saillir. See
     Sally, v.]
     1. A leaping forth; a darting; a spring.
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     2. A rushing or bursting forth; a quick issue; a sudden
        eruption; specifically, an issuing of troops from a place
        besieged to attack the besiegers; a sortie.
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              Sallies were made by the Spaniards, but they were
              beaten in with loss.                  --Bacon.
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     3. An excursion from the usual track; range; digression;
        deviation.
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              Every one shall know a country better that makes
              often sallies into it, and traverses it up and down,
              than he that . . . goes still round in the same
              track.                                --Locke.
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     4. A flight of fancy, liveliness, wit, or the like; a
        flashing forth of a quick and active mind.
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              The unaffected mirth with which she enjoyed his
              sallies.                              --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
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     5. Transgression of the limits of soberness or steadiness;
        act of levity; wild gayety; frolic; escapade.
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              The excursion was esteemed but a sally of youth.
                                                    --Sir H.
                                                    Wotton.
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     {Sally port}.
        (a) (Fort.) A postern gate, or a passage underground, from
            the inner to the outer works, to afford free egress
            for troops in a sortie.
        (b) (Naval) A large port on each quarter of a fireship,
            for the escape of the men into boats when the train is
            fired; a large port in an old-fashioned three-decker
            or a large modern ironclad.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  sally
       n 1: witty remark [syn: {wisecrack}, {crack}, {quip}]
       2: a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from
          their position [syn: {sortie}]
       3: a venture off the beaten path; "a sally into the wide world
          beyond his home" [syn: {sallying forth}]
       [also: {sallied}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  152 Moby Thesaurus words for "sally":
     access, aggravated assault, aggression, amphibious attack,
     aphorism, apothegm, arise, armed assault, assailing, assailment,
     assault, attack, bail out, banzai attack, be off, blitz,
     blitzkrieg, bon mot, boutade, break cover, break forth,
     breakthrough, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, burst,
     burst forth, campaign, charge, circuit, come, come forth, come out,
     conceit, counterattack, counteroffensive, coup de main, course,
     crack, crippling attack, dead set at, debouch, descent on,
     disembogue, diversion, diversionary attack, drive, drollery,
     effuse, emanate, emerge, epigram, erupt, eruption, excursion,
     expedition, explosion, extrude, facetiae, flank attack, flare-up,
     flash of wit, flight of wit, frontal attack, gag, gas attack,
     get off, gibe, go forth, grand tour, gust, happy thought,
     head-on attack, infiltration, issue, issue forth, jape, jaunt,
     jest, journey, jump out, junket, lightning attack, lightning war,
     mass attack, megadeath, mot, mugging, nasty crack, offense,
     offensive, onset, onslaught, outing, outset, outstart, overkill,
     package tour, panzer warfare, peregrination, persiflage,
     pilgrimage, play of wit, pleasantry, pleasure trip, progress,
     protrude, push, put forth, quip, quips and cranks, repartee,
     retort, riposte, round trip, roundabout, rubberneck tour, run,
     run against, run at, rush, safari, sally forth, scintillation,
     set forth, set forward, set off, set out, shock tactics, shoot,
     smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback, sortie, stalk, start,
     start off, start out, strike, strike out, stroke of wit, surface,
     tour, trek, trip, turn, turn of thought, unprovoked assault,
     voyage, waggery, wisecrack, witticism