Saying

saying
    n 1: a word or phrase that particular people use in particular
         situations; "pardon the expression" [syn: {saying},
         {expression}, {locution}]
    

Saying \Say"ing\, n.
   That which is said; a declaration; a statement, especially a
   proverbial one; an aphorism; a proverb.
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         Many are the sayings of the wise,
         In ancient and in modern books enrolled. --Milton.
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   Syn: Declaration; speech; adage; maxim; aphorism; apothegm;
        saw; proverb; byword.
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Say \Say\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Said} (s[e^]d), contracted from
   sayed; p. pr. & vb. n. {Saying}.] [OE. seggen, seyen, siggen,
   sayen, sayn, AS. secgan; akin to OS. seggian, D. zeggen, LG.
   seggen, OHG. sag[=e]n, G. sagen, Icel. segja, Sw. s[aum]ga,
   Dan. sige, Lith. sakyti; cf. OL. insece tell, relate, Gr.
   'e`nnepe (for 'en-sepe), 'e`spete. Cf. {Saga}, {Saw} a
   saying.]
   1. To utter or express in words; to tell; to speak; to
      declare; as, he said many wise things.
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            Arise, and say how thou camest here.  --Shak.
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   2. To repeat; to rehearse; to recite; to pronounce; as, to
      say a lesson.
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            Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated
            In what thou hadst to say?            --Shak.
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            After which shall be said or sung the following
            hymn.                                 --Bk. of Com.
                                                  Prayer.
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   3. To announce as a decision or opinion; to state positively;
      to assert; hence, to form an opinion upon; to be sure
      about; to be determined in mind as to.
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            But what it is, hard is to say.       --Milton.
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   4. To mention or suggest as an estimate, hypothesis, or
      approximation; hence, to suppose; -- in the imperative,
      followed sometimes by the subjunctive; as, he had, say
      fifty thousand dollars; the fox had run, say ten miles.
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            Say, for nonpayment that the debt should double,
            Is twenty hundred kisses such a trouble? --Shak.
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   {It is said}, or {They say}, it is commonly reported; it is
      rumored; people assert or maintain.

   {That is to say}, that is; in other words; otherwise.
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96 Moby Thesaurus words for "saying":
      Parthian shot, adage, address, affirmance, affirmation, allegation,
      ana, analects, announcement, annunciation, answer, aphorism,
      apostrophe, apothegm, assertion, asseveration, averment,
      avouchment, avowal, axiom, byword, catchword, collected sayings,
      comment, conclusion, crack, creed, current saying, declaration,
      dictate, dictum, distich, enunciation, epigram, exclamation,
      expression, gnome, golden saying, greeting, interjection,
      ipse dixit, manifesto, maxim, mention, moral, mot, motto, note,
      observation, oracle, phrase, pithy saying, position,
      position paper, positive declaration, precept, predicate,
      predication, prescript, proclamation, profession, pronouncement,
      proposition, protest, protestation, proverb, proverbial saying,
      proverbs, question, reflection, remark, saw, say, say-so, sentence,
      sententious expression, sloka, stance, stand, statement,
      stock saying, subjoinder, sutra, teaching, text, thought, truism,
      utterance, verse, vouch, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying,
      witticism, word, words of wisdom