acme
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
acme
n 1: the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage
of development; "his landscapes were deemed the acme of
beauty"; "the artist's gifts are at their acme"; "at the
height of her career"; "the peak of perfection"; "summer
was at its peak"; "...catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle
of fame"; "the summit of his ambition"; "so many highest
superlatives achieved by man"; "at the top of his
profession" [syn: {acme}, {height}, {elevation}, {peak},
{pinnacle}, {summit}, {superlative}, {meridian}, {tiptop},
{top}]
2: the highest point (of something); "at the peak of the
pyramid" [syn: {vertex}, {peak}, {apex}, {acme}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
acme \ac"me\ ([a^]k"m[-e]), n. [Gr. 'akmh` point, top.]
1. The top or highest point; the culmination.
[1913 Webster]
The very acme and pitch of life for epic poetry.
--Pope.
[1913 Webster]
The moment when a certain power reaches the acme of
its supremacy. --I. Taylor.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Med.) The crisis or height of a disease. AS
[1913 Webster]
3. Mature age; full bloom of life. --B. Jonson.
[1913 Webster]
from
Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)
Acme
n.
[from Greek akme highest point of perfection or achievement] The
canonical supplier of bizarre, elaborate, and non-functional gadgetry
-- where Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson (two cartoonists who
specialized in elaborate contraptions) shop. The name has been
humorously expanded as A (or American) Company Making Everything. (In
fact, Acme was a real brand sold from Sears Roebuck catalogs in the
early 1900s.) Describing some X as an "Acme X" either means "This is
{insanely great}", or, more likely, "This looks {insanely great} on
paper, but in practice it's really easy to shoot yourself in the foot
with it." Compare {pistol}.
This term, specially cherished by American hackers and explained here
for the benefit of our overseas brethren, comes from the Warner
Brothers' series of "Road-runner" cartoons. In these cartoons, the
famished Wile E. Coyote was forever attempting to catch up with, trap,
and eat the Road-runner. His attempts usually involved one or more
high-technology Rube Goldberg devices -- rocket jetpacks, catapults,
magnetic traps, high-powered slingshots, etc. These were usually
delivered in large wooden crates labeled prominently with the Acme
name -- which, probably not by coincidence, was the trade name of the
animation rotation board used by cartoonists since forever. Acme
devices invariably malfunctioned in improbable and violent ways.
from
U.S. Gazetteer (1990)
Acme, LA
Zip code(s): 71316
Acme, PA
Zip code(s): 15610
Acme, WA
Zip code(s): 98220
Acme, WY
Zip code(s): 82839
from
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)
Acme, WA -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Washington
Population (2000): 263
Housing Units (2000): 88
Land area (2000): 9.805551 sq. miles (25.396260 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 9.805551 sq. miles (25.396260 sq. km)
FIPS code: 00275
Located within: Washington (WA), FIPS 53
Location: 48.715402 N, 122.209954 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 98220
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Acme, WA
Acme
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
127 Moby Thesaurus words for "acme":
Olympian heights, acme of perfection, aerial heights, all, apex,
apogee, apotheosis, authority, authorization, be-all and end-all,
beau ideal, best type, blue ribbon, brow, cap, capstone, ceiling,
championship, climax, cloud nine, command, consummation, control,
crest, crown, culmen, culmination, cynosure, directorship,
dizzy heights, dominion, edge, effectiveness, ego ideal, elevation,
eminence, end, ether, extreme, extreme limit, extremity,
first place, first prize, headship, heaven, heavens, hegemony,
height, heights, hero, high noon, highest, highest degree,
highest pitch, highest point, ideal, imperium, influence,
jurisdiction, kingship, last word, leadership, lift, limit,
lordship, management, mastership, mastery, maximum, meridian,
mirror, most, mountaintop, ne plus ultra, new high,
no place higher, noon, nth degree, palms, paragon, paramountcy,
peak, perfection, pink, pink of perfection, pinnacle, pitch, point,
pole, power, presidency, primacy, raise, record, ridge, rise,
rising ground, rule, say, seventh heaven, shining example, sky,
sovereignty, spire, steep, stratosphere, summit, supremacy, sway,
the whole, tip, tip-top, top, top spot, ultimate, upmost,
upper extremity, uppermost, uprise, utmost, utmost extent,
uttermost, vantage ground, vantage point, vertex, very top,
zenith
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