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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Tease \Tease\, noun One who teases or plagues. [Colloq.]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Tease \Tease\ (t[=e]z), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Teased}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Teasing}.] [AS. t?san to pluck, tease; akin to OD. teesen, MHG. zeisen, Dan. t[ae]se, t[ae]sse. [root]58. Cf. {Touse}.]
1. To comb or card, as wool or flax. ''Teasing matted wool.'' --Wordsworth.
2. To stratch, as cloth, for the purpose of raising a nap; teasel.
3. (Anat.) To tear or separate into minute shreds, as with needles or similar instruments.
4. To vex with importunity or impertinence; to harass, annoy, disturb, or irritate by petty requests, or by jests and raillery; to plague. --Cowper.
He . . . suffered them to tease him into acts directly opposed to his strongest inclinations. --Macaulay.
Syn: To vex; harass: annoy; disturb; irritate; plague; torment; mortify; tantalize; chagrin.
Usage: {Tease}, {Vex}. To tease is literally to pull or scratch, and implies a prolonged annoyance in respect to little things, which is often more irritating, and harder to bear, than severe pain. Vex meant originally to seize and bear away hither and thither, and hence, to disturb; as, to vex the ocean with storms. This sense of the term now rarely occurs; but vex is still a stronger word than tease, denoting the disturbance or anger created by minor provocations, losses, disappointments, etc. We are teased by the buzzing of a fly in our eyes; we are vexed by the carelessness or stupidity of our servants.
Not by the force of carnal reason, But indefatigable teasing. --Hudibras.
In disappointments, where the affections have been strongly placed, and the expectations sanguine, particularly where the agency of others is concerned, sorrow may degenerate into vexation and chagrin. --Cogan.
{Tease tenon} (Joinery), a long tenon at the top of a post to receive two beams crossing each other one above the other.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
tease
noun
1: someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity) [syn: {teaser}, {annoyer}, {vexer}]
2: a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men [syn: {coquette}, {flirt}, {vamp}, {vamper}, {minx}, {prickteaser}]
3: the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances; "he ignored their teases"; "his ribbing was gentle but persistent" [syn: {teasing}, {ribbing}]
verb
1: annoy persistently; "The children teased the boy because of his stammer" [syn: {badger}, {pester}, {bug}, {beleaguer}]
2: harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie" [syn: {razz}, {rag}, {cod}, {tantalize}, {tantalise}, {bait}, {taunt}, {twit}, {rally}, {ride}]
3: to arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them; "The advertisement is intended to tease the customers"; "She has a way of teasing men with her flirtatious behavior"
4: tear into pieces; "tease tissue for microscopic examinations"
5: raise the nap of (fabrics)
6: disentangle and raise the fibers of; "tease wool" [syn: {tease apart}, {loosen}]
7: separate the fibers of; "tease wool" [syn: {card}]
8: mock or make fun of playfully; "the flirting man teased the young woman"
9: ruffle (one's hair) by combing towards the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect [syn: {fluff}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
210 Moby Thesaurus words for "tease": Artful Dodger, Casanova, Don Juan, Machiavel, Machiavelli, Machiavellian, actor, aggravate, annoy, annoyer, appeal, apply pressure, attract, badger, badgerer, baffle, bafflement, bait, balk, bamboozler, banter, be at, be attractive, beckon, bedevil, befuddler, beguiler, beleaguer, beset, besiege, betrayed hope, bilk, blandish, blasted expectation, blighted hope, blow, bother, bristle, brown off, buffet, bug, bully, bullyrag, burn up, buttonhole, cajole, cast down, chaff, charmer, chivy, coax, comedown, counterfeiter, cross, cruel disappointment, dash, dashed hope, deceiver, defeat, defeat expectation, deluder, devil, disappoint, disappointment, discomfiture, discompose, disillusion, disillusionment, dissatisfaction, dissatisfy, dissembler, dissimulator, distemper, disturb, dodger, dog, double-dealer, drive mad, dun, duper, enchanter, engage, entrancer, exasperate, exercise, exert pressure, failure, faker, fallen countenance, fash, fetch, fiasco, fizzle, foil, foiling, fooler, forger, forlorn hope, frustrate, frustration, gay deceiver, get, gnaw, goad, gripe, guy, harass, harasser, harrier, harry, haze, heckle, heckler, hector, hoaxer, hope deferred, hound, hypnotizer, importune, interest, invite, irk, irritate, jape, jest, jilt, jilter, jive, joke, joker, jokester, jolly, josh, kid, kidder, leg-puller, let down, letdown, manipulate, mesmerizer, miff, mirage, misleader, molest, nag, nag at, needle, nettle, nudnik, nudzh, peeve, persecute, persecutor, pest, pester, pesterer, pick on, pique, plagiarist, plagiarizer, plague, plaguer, playactor, pluck the beard, ply, pother, practical joker, press, pressure, provoke, push, put on, rag, ragger, rally, razz, rib, ride, rile, roast, roil, role-player, ruffle, sadist, seducer, setback, sore disappointment, spoofer, summon, tantalization, tantalize, taunt, teaser, tempt, thwart, tickle, titillate, torment, tormentor, try the patience, tweak the nose, twit, urge, vex, wheedle, whet the appetite, winkle, work, work on, worry
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