tangle

tangle
    n 1: a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven; "they
         carved their way through the tangle of vines"
    2: something jumbled or confused; "a tangle of government
       regulations" [syn: {tangle}, {snarl}, {maze}]
    v 1: force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of
         action; "They were swept up by the events"; "don't drag me
         into this business" [syn: {embroil}, {tangle}, {sweep},
         {sweep up}, {drag}, {drag in}]
    2: tangle or complicate; "a ravelled story" [syn: {ravel},
       {tangle}, {knot}] [ant: {ravel}, {ravel out}, {unknot},
       {unpick}, {unravel}, {unscramble}, {untangle}]
    3: disarrange or rumple; dishevel; "The strong wind tousled my
       hair" [syn: {tousle}, {dishevel}, {tangle}]
    4: twist together or entwine into a confusing mass; "The child
       entangled the cord" [syn: {entangle}, {tangle}, {mat},
       {snarl}] [ant: {disentangle}, {straighten out}, {unsnarl}]
    

Tangle \Tan"gle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tangled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Tangling}.] [A frequentative fr. tang seaweed; hence, to
   twist like seaweed. See {Tang} seaweed, and cf. {Tangle}, n.]
   1. To unite or knit together confusedly; to interweave or
      interlock, as threads, so as to make it difficult to
      unravel the knot; to entangle; to ravel.
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   2. To involve; to insnare; to entrap; as, to be tangled in
      lies. "Tangled in amorous nets." --Milton.
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            When my simple weakness strays,
            Tangled in forbidden ways.            --Crashaw.
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Tangle \Tan"gle\, v. i.
   To be entangled or united confusedly; to get in a tangle.
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Tangle \Tan"gle\, n.
   1. [Cf. Icel. [thorn]["o]ngull. See {Tang} seaweed.] (Bot.)
      Any large blackish seaweed, especially the {Laminaria
      saccharina}. See {Kelp}.
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            Coral and sea fan and tangle, the blooms and the
            palms of the ocean.                   --C. Kingsley.
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   2. [From {Tangle}, v.] A knot of threads, or other thing,
      united confusedly, or so interwoven as not to be easily
      disengaged; a snarl; as, hair or yarn in tangles; a tangle
      of vines and briers. Used also figuratively.
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   3. pl. An instrument consisting essentially of an iron bar to
      which are attached swabs, or bundles of frayed rope, or
      other similar substances, -- used to capture starfishes,
      sea urchins, and other similar creatures living at the
      bottom of the sea.
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   {Blue tangle}. (Bot.)See {Dangleberry}.

   {Tangle picker} (Zool.), the turnstone. [Prov. Eng.]
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159 Moby Thesaurus words for "tangle":
      Chinese puzzle, Gordian knot, Rube Goldberg contraption,
      a outrance, absorb, allure, bag, bait the hook, ball up,
      bandy with, battle, battle it out, birdlime, bump heads, burden,
      can of worms, catch, catch out, catch up, catch up in, coil,
      come up against, complex, complexity, complicate, complication,
      concern, confound, confuse, confusion, contend with, cope with,
      cramp, cripple, cross swords with, cumber, decoy, disagree with,
      dispute, draw in, embarrass, embrangle, embroil, encumber, engage,
      engage with, enmesh, ensnare, ensnarl, entangle, entanglement,
      entoil, entrammel, entrap, entwine, enweb, exchange shots, fetter,
      fight against, fight like devils, fight with, foul, foul up, gin,
      gnarl, go to loggerheads, grapple with, hamper, hamstring,
      handicap, harpoon, have it out, hobble, hook, hook in, impede,
      implicate, interest, interlace, intertwine, intertwist, interweave,
      inveigle, involve, jam, jumble, jungle, kink, knot, labyrinth,
      lame, land, lasso, lime, lock horns, louse up, lumber, lure, maze,
      meander, measure swords with, medley, mesh, mess, mess up,
      mishmash, mix up, mix-up, morass, muck, muck up, muddle, nail, net,
      noose, perplex, press down, puzzle, ramify, ravel, rope, sack,
      saddle with, scramble, screw up, settle it, shackle, shuffle,
      skein, snafu, snag, snake pit, snare, snarl, snarl up, sniggle,
      spear, spread the toils, strive with, struggle with, suck into,
      take, tangle up with, tangle with, tangled skein, tilt with, toil,
      trammel, trap, trip, try conclusions with, twist, web, webwork,
      weigh down, wheels within wheels, wilderness, wind, wrestle with