Pronunciations
-
/ʌnˈstɹɪŋ/
Verb
To remove the string or strings from.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
-
Unstring the bows before storing them.
When he looked at her neck he was reminded of how difficult it was to unstring a turkey.
More examples (2)
When you unstring the bow and it snaps right back to its unstrung profile, you probably have a nice piece of wood that's properly dry.
I learned that music is expectancy and must be formed to the purpose for which it is played. People listen to it, pedagogues do not, and if they can't smile or hum or tap a foot to it, then, brother, you'd better unstring the Balalaika.
To shake the nerves of; to cause anxiety or panic in.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
-
More examples (1)
[T]he monſter, rouſed by the noiſe, ſtarted forward, preſented ſuch a viſage of horror, and raiſed ſuch a hideous roar, that the hearts of the bold were contracted, and the nerves of the valiant unſtrung.
The sight of his scared face, his starts and pallors and sudden harkenings, unstrung me […]
A fire is the only thing that unstrings me entirely, I feel so helpless to combat it. I'm afraid of snakes, but I can kill them.
More examples (2)
It took less than a single day to change these hairs from a jetty black to white, to weaken my limbs, and to unstring my nerves, so that I tremble at the least exertion, and am frightened at a shadow.
They look at the same events that unstring those less capable ... and see something useful.
To defuse or relax.
- Examples
-
More examples (2)
In the mean time, the same, or a similar end, may be attained, in the 2d PLACE, By splitting a duty on a commodity, so as to unstring the stimulus to smuggle, while we preserve the same, or perhaps require a greater amount, from the same subject than we had before.
Society can unstring the tension of sublimation only by lifting the barrier completely, that is, by abandoning the idea that illicit eros must not be gratified; society does not unstring the tension by silently countenancing individual gratifications.
She took a deep, slow breath in an effort to settle her heart and unstring her muscles.
To remove from a string; to release something that has been strung up or strung together.
- Examples
-
"Poke a hole in the tops and bottoms of these eggs, blow out the yolks and whites, unstring the diamonds and stick them through the holes..."
Look at them for 10 seconds, and then unstring them and try to put the beads back in their right order.
More examples (2)
After pelting unstring the carcase.
When it came time to cook the smelly corned fish, Momma would unstring the ones she wanted and boil them several times in hot water to draw off the heavy laver of salt and tenderize the fish.
To untie.
- Examples
-
Invaded thus, for want of better bands, His garland they unstring, and bind his hands
He is now e'en trying to unstring the tie of virtue, in yon poor cottager's daughter!
More examples (2)
“So, James, should we unstring it first for ease of handling?” The ties were simple, as one might use without bothering about the intricacies of binding, merely to make sure that the pages stayed together and in the correct order.
It was time to lead these horses out somewhere off the desert and unstring them.
To split (a text string) into smaller strings by separating on a delimiter.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
-
More examples (1)
It is also possible to save the delimiters (this might prove useful if the delimiters were also some sort of text identifier) and to count the length of the data items we are unstringing.
Verb
remove the strings from
- Antonyms
- Examples
-
unstring my guitar