Mawson, C.O.S., ed. (1870–1938). Roget’s International Thesaurus. 1922.
NOUN:CONSUMPTION, expenditure, exhaustion; dispersion [See Nonassemblage. Dispersion]; ebb; leakage (exudation) [See Egress]; loss [See Loss]; wear and tear; waste; prodigality [See Prodigality]; misuse [See Misuse]; wasting &c. v.; rubbish (useless) [See Inutility].VERB:CONSUME, spend, expend, use, swallow up; exhaust; impoverish; spill, drain, empty, deplete; disperse [See Nonassemblage. Dispersion].
cast -, fool -, muddle -, throw -, fling -, fritter- away; burn the candle at both ends, waste; squander [See Prodigality].
LABOR IN VAIN (useless) [See Inutility]; “waste its sweetness on the desert air” [Gray]; cast pearls before swine; employ a steam engine to crack a nut, waste powder and shot, break a butterfly on a wheel; cut blocks with a razor, pour water into a sieve, tilt at windmills.
RUN TO WASTE; ebb; leak (run out) [See Egress]; melt away, run dry, dry up; spoil.
ADJECTIVE:WASTED &c. v.; gone to waste, useless, rendered useless, made unavailable; run to seed; dried up; at a low ebb.
WASTEFUL (prodigal) [See Prodigality]; penny wise and pound foolish.
QUOTATIONS:
- Magno conatu magnas nugas.
- Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle.
- Idly busy rolls their world away.—Goldsmith
- Time wasted is existence, used is life.—Young
- O, call back yesterday, bid time return.—Richard II