kɑ:st v. & n. --v. (past
and past part. cast) 1 tr.
throw,
esp. deliberately or forcefully. 2 tr. (often foll. by
on, over) a
direct or
cause to
fall (one's eyes, a glance,
light, a
shadow, a spell, etc.). b express (doubts, aspersions, etc.). 3 tr. throw
out (a fishing-line)
into the water. 4 tr. let down (an
anchor or sounding-lead). 5 tr. a throw
off,
get rid of. b shed (skin etc.) esp. in the process of
growth. c (of a horse)
lose (a shoe). 6 tr.
record,
register, or
give (a vote). 7 tr. a
shape (molten
metal or
plastic material) in a mould. b
make (a product) in
this way. 8 tr.
Printing make (type). 9 tr. a (usu. foll. by as)
assign (an actor) to
play a
particular character. b
allocate roles in (a play,
film, etc.). 10 tr. (foll. by
in, into)
arrange or
formulate (facts etc.) in a specified
form. 11 tr. & intr.
reckon,
add up,
calculate (accounts or figures). 12 tr. calculate and record details of (a horoscope). --n. 1 a the throwing of a
missile etc. b the
distance reached by this. 2 a throw or a
number thrown at
dice. 3 a throw of a
net, sounding-lead, or fishing-line. 4
Fishing a
that which is cast, esp. the
gut with hook and fly. b a
place for casting (a
good cast). 5 a an
object of metal,
clay,
etc.,
made in a mould. b a moulded mass of solidified
material, esp.
plaster protecting a
broken limb. 6 the actors
taking part in a play, film, etc. 7 form,
type, or
quality (cast of features; cast of mind). 8 a
tinge or
shade of
colour. 9 a (in full cast in the eye) a
slight squint. b a
twist or
inclination. 10 a a mass of
earth excreted by a
worm. b a mass of
indigestible food thrown up by a hawk,
owl, etc. 11 the form into which
any work is thrown or arranged. 12 a a
wide area covered by a
dog or pack to
find a
trail. b
Austral. & NZ a wide
sweep made by a
sheepdog in mustering
sheep. øcast
about (or
around or round) make an
extensive search (actually or mentally) (cast about for a solution). cast
adrift leave to
drift. cast
ashore (of waves etc.) throw to the shore. cast
aside give up using;
abandon. cast
away 1
reject. 2 (in passive) be shipwrecked (cf. CASTAWAY). cast one's
bread upon the waters see BREAD. cast down
depress,
deject (cf. DOWNCAST). casting
vote a deciding vote usu.
given by the
chairperson when the votes on
two sides are
equal. °From an
obsolete sense of cast =
turn the scale. cast
iron a
hard alloy of iron,
carbon, and
silicon cast in a mould. cast-iron adj. 1 made of cast iron. 2 hard,
unchallengeable,
unchangeable. cast
loose detach; detach
oneself. cast lots see
LOT. cast-net a net thrown out and
immediately drawn in. cast off 1 abandon. 2
Knitting take the stitches off the
needle by looping
each over the
next to
finish the
edge. 3 Naut. a set a
ship free from a
quay etc. b
loosen and throw off (rope etc.). 4 Printing
estimate the
space that will be taken in
print by
manuscript copy. cast-off adj.
abandoned, discarded. --n. a cast-off
thing, esp. a
garment. cast on Knitting make the
first row of loops on the needle. cast out
expel. cast up 1 (of the sea)
deposit on the shore. 2 add up (figures etc.). [ME f. ON kasta]