from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Cobweb \Cob"web`\, n. [Cob a spider + web.]
1. The network spread by a spider to catch its prey.
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2. A snare of insidious meshes designed to catch the ignorant
and unwary.
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I can not but lament thy splendid wit
Entangled in the cobwebs of the schools. --Cowper.
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3. That which is thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and
worthless; rubbish.
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The dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age. --Sir P.
Sidney.
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4. (Zool.) The European spotted flycatcher.
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{Cobweb lawn}, a fine linen, mentioned in 1640 as being in
pieces of fifteen yards. --Beck. Draper's Dict.
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Such a proud piece of cobweb lawn. --Beau. & Fl.
{Cobweb micrometer}, a micrometer in which threads of cobweb
are substituted for wires.
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