spider UK /ˈspaɪ̯də/US /ˈspaɪ̯dɚ/noun 20verb 3forms 3 noun20 •a hunting creature with eight legs, most kinds of which make a web to trap the small animals they eatLittle Miss Muffet, She sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a little spider, Who sat down beside her, And frighted Miss Muffet away. — 1805 •(Internet) A program which follows links on the World Wide Web in order to gather information.Crawler-based search engines have three major elements. The first is the spider, also called the crawler, which visits a web page, reads it, and then follows links to other pages within the site. — 2008 •A part of a crank, to which the chainrings are attached. •Part of a resonator instrument that transmits string vibrations from the bridge to a resonator cone at multiple points. •A skeleton or frame with radiating arms or members, often connected by crosspieces, such as a casting forming the hub and spokes to which the rim of a fly wheel or large gear is bolted; the body of a piston head; or a frame for strengthening a core or mould for a casting. •A support for a camera tripod, preventing it from sliding.The spider is very useful for shooting in the studio or on locations with smooth floors where tripod legs tend to slide. — 1927 •A spider graph or spider tree. •Implement for moving food in and out of hot oil for deep frying, with a circular metal mesh attached to a long handle; a spider skimmerIf you are deep-frying your falafel, use a spider or basket to place them gently into the hot oil, which should be preheated to a temperature of 175°C (330°F). — 1996 •(slang) A man who persistently approaches or accosts a woman in a public social setting, particularly in a bar. •(slang) A spindly person. •A stick with a convex arch-shaped notched head used to support the cue when the cue ball is out of reach at normal extension. •(Australia, New-Zealand) A float (drink) made by mixing ice-cream and a soda or fizzy drink (such as lemonade).2002, Katharine Gasparini, Cranberry and vanilla ice cream spider, recipe in Cool Food, page 339. — 2002 •The network of wires separating the areas of a dartboard. •(dialect, US) A cast-iron frying pan with three legs, once common in open-hearth cookery.Cut slices and lay them in cold water in the spider; boil them up two or three minutes, then pour off the water and set the spider again on the coals and brown the slices on each side. — 1846 •(slang) Heroin. •A soft-hackle fly. •A bit for turning fasteners with 8-pointed heads. •A competition in which several participants are spread evenly around the edges of the green, who all make one bowl towards the central jack at the same time; the winner being the person whose bowl ends up closest to the jack. •(Australia, no longer used) An alcoholic drink made with brandy and lemonade or ginger beer. •(no longer used) A type of light phaeton. verb3 •To move like a spider.A year later she returned to El Cap and spidered up the wall again — this time in 23 hours. — 2001 •(Internet) To follow links on the World Wide Web in order to gather information.The online dictionary is regularly spidered by search engines. •To cover a surface like a cobweb.High walls surrounded it on all sides, each one covered with the skeletal stems of climbing plants that spidered across the stones, and the ground was cobbled between patches of frozen grass. — 2011 formsspidered · spidering · spiders
