chain reaction

Related to chain reaction: wiggle, Nuclear chain reaction

chain reaction

A series of events wherein the outcome of each instance specifically influences or causes the next. The phrase comes from the occurrence of such reactions in chemistry and physics. Deciding to take a course studying James Joyce in college set up a chain reaction that ultimately led me to move to Ireland. When one bookshelf fell, it caused a chain reaction that knocked over all the rest.
See also: chain, reaction
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

chain reaction

A series of events in which each influences or gives rise to the next event, as in If one person collects substantial damages by suing a company, you can expect a chain reaction of such lawsuits . The term originated in the physical sciences, first (1920s) chemistry and later (1940) physics; in the latter it denotes a process of nuclear fission. By the 1940s it had been transferred to more general use.
See also: chain, reaction
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • reaction
  • you're it
  • better late than never
  • a rum do
  • a rum go
  • rum
  • DOS
  • period
  • cooling-off period
  • to (one's) advantage
References in periodicals archive
Chain Reaction also has a partnership with Yamondo; the global leading marketing alliance, and it is providing its services to a group of high-end clients such as Samsung, LG, and Lenovo which gave this agency high creditability in the market by providing trustworthy campaigns and solutions.
Several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques have been developed for routine clinical malaria diagnosis, e.g.
We did not want Chain Reaction to be about "pedagogy" or "paradigms" or any other bit of academic jabberwocky.
RNA was subjected to 1-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (QuantiTect Probe RT-PCR kit, Qiagen) in a real-time PCR 7700/7900/7500 sequence detection system (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA).
You'll find Chain Reaction in John Lewis, Hamleys, The Entertainer, Gamleys etc., you can order online through Amazon.com or visit drumondpark.com For your chance to win one of 15 Chain Reaction games on offer, just answer the following question: Chain Reaction was a song for which Motown Diva
Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) VZV DNA results were negative both in the personal air samples and in saliva.
Techniques mastered during the program include agarose, polyacrylamide and protein gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencing, gene mapping, restriction enzyme cleavage of DNA, recombinant gene technology, cloning, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR), Southern and Western blotting, analysis of restriction fragment polymorhisms (RFLP), analysis of variable number tandem repeats (VNTR's), DNA fingerprinting for paternity and forensics analysis, protein analysis and bioprocessing.
Their histologic features are similar to those of papillomatous lesions in the airway, and polymerase chain reaction may identify human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in the specimen.
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry were used to quantify elevated cytokine production as an indicator of inflammatory responses to four commercial dental resins.
When you feel stressed out, your body kicks off a rapid chain reaction. First, a brain region called the amygdala detects "danger" and emits nerve impulses that switch on your fight-or-flight response (see p.
In order to examine the role of MOG in the CNS, the human MOG gene was spliced using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
At 36 months, 41 women from the placebo group had at least two consecutive positive polymerase chain reaction tests for HPV 16; the polymerase chain reaction tests were performed 4 months apart.
Subcritical nuclear tests are different from traditional nuclear experiments in that they are halted before nuclear materials reach ''criticality,'' in which a nuclear chain reaction is triggered.
Tyson's ill-tempered swaggering set off a chain reaction of punching and pushing that engulfed about 50 people.
Also decide this: should there be, to paraphrase Einstein, even more contact between the federal government and the health care administrators who could have a profound "chain reaction in America"?