(n.) A mystical word or collocation of letters written as in the figure. Worn on an amulet it was supposed to ward off fever. At present the word is used chiefly in jest to denote something without meaning; jargon.
Example Sentences:
(1) He has seen couples with very low numbers of eggs "and, abracadabra, they conceive naturally."
(2) There was an abracadabra moment when he announced that net debt was starting to fall, sooner than expected, but surprise immediately soured when the Office for Budget Responsibility tweeted that £20bn in asset sales were flattering the relevant figures.
(3) The Press Trust of India criticised the film for its "exotic India package – snake charmers in red turbans, magicians who say abracadabra and slum dwellers who speak pukka English".
Presto
Definition:
(a.) Quickly; immediately; in haste; suddenly.
(a.) Quickly; rapidly; -- a direction for a quick, lively movement or performance; quicker than allegro, or any rate of time except prestissimo.
Example Sentences:
(1) The long-awaited deal includes Ten taking a 24.99% stake in Foxtel’s advertising business Multi Channel Network (MCN) and the option to become a 10% shareholder in Foxtel’s subscription video on-demand service Presto TV.
(2) Sarah Presto , welfare rights advisor, Macmillan Cancer Support : From a benefits point of view, the main issue carers face is that benefit levels are very low and do not provide someone with a suitable income while they care for another person around the clock ...
(3) We can't just sit around our committee tables and say: Hey presto!
(4) I volunteered with a charity, made tentative enquiries about maybe, one day, possibly becoming a trustee and suddenly hey presto – within the year there I was in the annual report.
(5) It's easily attached - you cut away a bit of the pipe and hey presto.
(6) Choose an action and presto: the ad-supported app makes an animated show of donating that uneaten food to a food bank.
(7) Now they're the movements I most look forward to, while I can doze off during a jaunty presto.
(8) Now, hey presto, the present Labour leader Ed Miliband finds that the prime minister, having ripped his party conference speech apart at the time, has suddenly decided that there is something to be said for those who have revived Ted Heath's jibe about "the unacceptable face of capitalism": indeed, David Cameron is bending over backwards to share Miliband's concerns about "predatory capitalism".
(9) It dragged its feet in the hope that ECO would be relaxed – and hey presto, that bet paid off this week with the government halving ECO requirements by doubling the time it can take.
(10) A local video on-demand competitor to US-owned Netflix, Presto TV is a 50-50 joint venture between Foxtel and Seven West Media.
(11) The panel so far Neil Churchill , director of improving patient experience, NHS England Joseph De Souza cares for his wife Melita who was diagnosed with a tumour in her lung Nikki Hill looked after her mother who had breast and liver cancer Charlotte Argyle , carers support programme manager, Macmillan cancer support Sarah Presto , welfare rights adviser, Macmillan cancer support Steve McIntosh , policy and public affairs manager, Carers UK Eibhlin Inglesby , partnership and policy manager, Sunderland Carers' Centre
(12) Hey presto, that Spanish yield fell back below 7%, shedding almost half a percentage point, a huge move for one day.
(13) Then, hey presto, on Sunday the prime minister hints he might rule one in.
(14) Answer no and then yes, and hey presto – you’ll find yourself bent over a camera at all hours, or glaring hopelessly at hundreds of hours of footage.
(15) The panel ... Jo Salter , researcher, Demos Neil Shadbolt , customer diversity manager, HSBC Sarah Presto , welfare rights adviser, Macmillan Cancer Support Richard Exell , senior labour market expert, TUC Neal Southwick , financial support programme lead, Macmillan Cancer Support Paul Elkins was diagnosed with stage 3 Lymphoma in November 2010.
(16) Add in a suggestion that child benefit for young people over 16 will be withdrawn, too, and hey presto, George Osborne , in denying all these rumours today, can try to make it look as though Christmas has come early.
(17) You pay a small fee to have your house connected to it, and hey presto: a torrent of warm bolognese on tap 24 hours a day.
(18) Thus MacDonald advised 2016 Republican candidates: “If you want to eliminate poverty overnight, you can wipe it out by having stable, two-parent households.” (Note the weaseling inclusion of “stable.”) After all, we determine income inequality by households, so take two people living together in poverty, marry ‘em, and presto!
(19) Six share third place: three classical music specialists, Crotchet , MDT and Presto Classical .