weed

A slang term for marijuana. I think those boys out in the park are smoking crying weed—can't you smell it?

rude slang A male who is stupid, foolish, or inept. Of course Stan blew the big game—what a dickweed.

slang Marijuana that produces an exceptionally intense effect in those who smoke it. This strain of monster weed will make you hear music in a way you never have before. My roommate must have loaded the joint with some kind of monster weed, because I was almost catatonic after just one puff!

Illegal, immoral, or illicit schemes will only every yield bad outcomes. While sentencing the three CEOs following their conviction, the judge said he wanted to make it clear to the whole country that the weed of crime bears bitter fruits.

informal A tool that uses a motor to spin a thin, flexible plastic cable at the end of a long handle in order to cut grass or other plants in hard-to-reach locations or at irregular angles. Technically known as a "string trimmer," but more commonly known as a "weed-whacker"; sometimes hyphenated. You really need to start using the weed eater to cut the grass along the fence that the mower can't reach.

To remove one or multiple undesirable things from a group. A noun or pronoun can be used between "weed" and "out." The military uses stringent standards to weed out unqualified enlistees. We need to weed all of these bugs out before we go live.

slang Someone who frequently or habitually uses marijuana. I was a pretty big weedhead when I was in college, but I gave the stuff up once I started working full-time. My brother and his friends are all total weedheads, so if you're looking to toke up, they're the right ones to talk to.

The black dress and veil traditionally worn by a widow while mourning the death of her husband. The formidable matriarch remained in her widow's weeds for years after the death of her husband, the late Don Salvatore.

Fig. to remove someone or something unwanted or undesirable from a group or collection. (Fig. on removing weeds from the soil.) We had to weed the less productive workers out one by one. The auditions were held to weed out the actors with the least ability. I'm going through my books to weed out those that I don't need anymore.

Eliminate as inferior, unsuited, or unwanted, as in She was asked to weed out the unqualified applicants. This expression transfers removing weeds from a garden to removing unwanted elements from other enterprises. [First half of 1500s]

No good will come from criminal schemes. The Shadow was a very popular radio detective series that began in the early 1930s. Its hero, playboy Lamont Cranston, had “the power to cloud men's minds,” a form of hypnosis by which he appeared off to the side of where people thought he stood (contrary to popular belief, the Shadow did not make himself invisible). After the credits at the end of every episode, the Shadow intoned, “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay! The Shadow knows,” and then utter a sardonic laugh. Another famous Shadow-ism was “Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men?—The Shadow knows!”

Female mourning costume. The word “weed” comes from an Old English word for “garment.” As a phrase to wear widow's weeds simply means to be in mourning. Many cultures have had or still have a custom of wearing distinctive clothing to mark a husband's death. In Victorian England, for example, a widow wore black for the first year and a day, then moved through dark purple and other somber colors to lighter shades. However, the queen who gave her name to the era wore no other color than black after the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert. Many widows in many Mediterranean countries, most notable Greece and southern Italy, wear black for the rest of their lives.