At a low ebb
At a low point, in a state of decline or depression. For example, The current recession has put our business at a low ebb. This idiom transfers the low point of a tide to a decline in human affairs. [ Mid-1600s ]
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- Cast
to throw or hurl; fling: The gambler cast the dice. to throw off or away: He cast the advertisement in the wastebasket. to direct (the eye, a glance, etc.), especially in a cursory manner: She cast her eyes down the page. to cause to fall upon something or in a certain direction; send forth: to […]
- At a stretch
Also, at one stretch . At one time, during one period. For example, Working quickly, she hoped to finish all the drawings at a stretch . In contrast to the nearly synonymous at a sitting , this idiom, first recorded in 1774, does not imply being seated while engaging in a single continuous activity. Rather, […]
- At a sitting
At one time, during one period. For example, The cruise ship could feed about 500 passengers at a sitting, or We read the entire poem at a sitting. Since the word sitting implies just that posture, the term means “during a period when one is seated and engaged in a single continuous activity.”
- At a time
see: at one time , def. 1.
- At a word
a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Words are composed of one or more morphemes and are either the smallest units susceptible of independent use or consist of two or three such units combined under certain linking conditions, as […]