Unknown quantity
An unpredictable person or thing, as in We don’t know how the new pitcher will do—he’s an unknown quantity. This expression comes from algebra, where it signifies an unknown numerical value. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.
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- Unknown-soldier
noun 1. an unidentified soldier killed in battle and buried with honors, the tomb serving as a memorial to all the unidentified dead of a nation’s armed forces. The tomb of the American Unknown Soldier, commemorating a serviceman killed in World War I, was established in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in 1921. In […]
- Unkosher
adjective 1. Judaism. fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws: kosher meat; kosher dishes; a kosher tallith. adhering to the laws governing such fitness: a kosher restaurant. 2. Informal. proper; legitimate. genuine; authentic. noun 3. Informal. kosher food: Let’s eat kosher tonight. verb (used with object) 4. […]
- Unlabeled
noun 1. a slip of paper, cloth, or other material, marked or inscribed, for attachment to something to indicate its manufacturer, nature, ownership, destination, etc. 2. a short word or phrase descriptive of a person, group, intellectual movement, etc. 3. a word or phrase indicating that what follows belongs in a particular category or classification: […]
- Unlabored
adjective 1. done or made with difficulty; heavy: labored breathing. 2. exhibiting a great deal of effort; lacking grace, fluency, or spontaneity: a labored prose style.
- Unlace
verb (used with object), unlaced, unlacing. 1. to loosen or undo the lacing or laces of (a pair of shoes, a corset, etc.). 2. to loosen or remove the garments of (a person) by or as if by undoing laces. verb (transitive) 1. to loosen or undo the lacing of (shoes, garments, etc) 2. to […]