undercraft

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A sly trick, or subterfuge in general.

   • Mrs. Lambert believed this, and Ivon would not permit himself to doubt it; for to a generous and noble character like his, the undercraft and meanness of a small nature is simply incomprehensible.
2. 2

   Witchcraft or sorcery.

   • Under-craft, witchcraft, call it what you will, but it is indeed poisonous.
   • He arrives at Ambrose's home in Tarceny and lets loose the “Heron Man,” Ambrose's uncle, who, for three hundred years, has used “undercraft” to maintain his evil power.
3. 3

   An apprentice or journeyman.

   • These principles are to organize the undercrafts for justice and humanity, for better wages and diminished poverty, the reduction of hours of toil and the abolishment of Sunday slavery in so far as possible.
4. ›+ 5 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To outwit

      To outwit; to outmaneuver.

      • In mock obeisance bow him low And he succumbs your slave: a show Of high respect will undercraft His cunning wit!
   2. 5

      To make with insufficient craftsmanship.

      • "I'd infinitely rather fall into the trap of overcrafting an ad than undercrafting it,” confesses Graham Warsop, “though clearly a healthy balance is preferable. […]"
   3. 6

      A submarine.

      • But effective as mine-fields and cable nettings may be against hostile "undercraft" – as in the case of the channel where not a single troop-ship or supply-ship has yet been lost – they can be said to be only a deterrent, little more.
      • Before considering the ways of combatting "undercraft," analyze the characteristics of this class of sea-fighters.
      • How many of you know that before the war was over the dreadnaught which cost $8,000,000 was at the mercy of the submarine undercraft ?
   4. 7

      An underground crypt.

      • His Body was first buried in the Undercraft of his own Cathedral-Church, whence, shortly after, it was taken up, put into a goodly Shrine beset with costly Jewels and precious Stones, and plac'd at the East end of the same Church.
      • According to the plans of the second Arthur, an undercraft was to be hewn out beneath the whold of the new building, and this was to be reserved for a sepulchre or mausoleum.
      • Here in this dim and scanty undercraft is an epitome of the English art of four centuries, precious and beautiful beyond the power of words to describe.
   5. 8

      Beneath a craft (water, air, or space vehicle).

      • All models are recording instruments, instantaneously charting undercraft conditions on a permanent record.
      • Eight hard points are provided with landing pads, and these extend below the bottom of the buoyancy tank and protect the undercraft structure from local projections on the ground.
      • The sidespin is intended to compensate for the, umm, gravitational deficiencies, but of course I should have activated the tripswitch to alter the undercraft sensor system .

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