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3. description

description

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beyond description

To a great degree. My poor car is wrecked beyond description. It just looks so awful.

See also: beyond, description

answer to the description (of)

To match a description of physical appearance. We had to release that suspect—he didn't answer to the description the witnesses gave us. She answers to the description of the missing girl.

See also: answer, description

answer to the description of someone

Fig. to match a particular set of physical or facial characteristics. Chuck answers to the description his sister gave us. The man in police custody answers to the description of the burglar.

See also: answer, description, of

beggar (all) description

to defy description; to be unable to be described. The house was a horrible mess. The place beggared description. Our reaction to the proposal beggars description. We were deeply disturbed for days.

See also: beggar, description

blow-by-blow account

 and blow-by-blow description

Fig. a detailed description (of an event) given as the event takes place. (This referred originally to reporting on boxing.) I want to listen to a blow-by-blow account of the prizefight. The lawyer got the witness to give a blow-by-blow description of the argument.

See also: account

play-by-play description

a description of an event given as the event is taking place. (Usually in reference to a sporting event.) And now here is Bill Jones with a play-by-play description of the baseball game. John was giving me a play-by-play description of the argument going on next door.

See also: description

beggar description

Defy or outdo any possible description, as in The stage set was so elaborate, it beggared description. This term, alluding to the idea that words are insufficient to do something justice, was already used by Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra (2:2), "For her own person It beggared all description."

See also: beggar, description