west

proverb Said of two things are too different to ever be agreeable or harmonious. The phrase comes from a Rudyard Kipling poem. If you learn young that East is East and West is West, you won't waste time trying to convert people to your views. A: "I just feel so much pressure to be like my perfect sister." B: "Hey, it's OK to be different. East is East and West is West, and there's a certain beauty in that." Can we just agree to disagree on this? What's wrong with "East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet"?

proverb Home is the best or most ideal place to be, regardless of its physical location. No matter how exhilarating my travels are, I'm always thrilled to come home. East or West, home's best. There's nothing better than sinking into your own cozy bed. Truly, East or West, home's best. Trust me, you'll get sick of traveling for work real fast. East or West, home's best.

proverb Home is the best or most ideal place to be, regardless of its physical location. No matter how exhilarating my travels are, I'm always thrilled to come home. East, West, home's best. There's nothing better than sinking into your own cozy bed. East, West, home's best—for real. Trust me, you'll get sick of traveling for work real fast. East, West, home's best.

slang To put into a state of chaos or unconsciousness. Primarily heard in US. I got knocked galley-west by that last punch—where am I? Any time my mother visits, my life gets knocked galley-west!

slang An inflatable life jacket. Refers to 20th-century American actress Mae West, who was well known for her large bosom. Put on your Mae West, quick! The chopper's going down! Thank God I had on my Mae West—it's the only thing that kept me from drowning.

In the western part, portion, or region of a country. I'm going to spend Christmas out West with my parents. With the rents in Dublin getting so high, many people are seeking cheaper accommodation out West.

slang To put on an inflatable life jacket. Refers to 20th-century American actress Mae West, who was well known for her large bosom. Put on your Mae West, quick! The chopper's going down! Thank God I put on my Mae West before we hit the water—it's the only thing that kept me from drowning.

The western United States of America as typified during the period of American expansion in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This old-timey saloon aims to recreate the authentic atmosphere and aesthetics of the wild and woolly West. This part of the country truly remains the wild and woolly West—dirty, dangerous, and almost completely outside the purview of the law.

That which is characterized by a lack of law, order, and regulations; that which is totally untamed and unfettered. A reference to the American frontier, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Often capitalized. Back in the Wild West of the early Internet, websites could publish just about whatever they wanted, and the only restriction one faced was the speed of one's dial-up connection. The massive deregulation of the banking industry in this country has turned it into the wild west of the financial markets.

Prov. Two things are so different that they can never come together or agree. (From Rud-yard Kipling's poem, "The Ballad of East and West.") I had hoped that Andrew and I could be friends in spite of our political differences. But, in our case, I'm afraid that East is East and West is West.

Prov. Home is the best place to be no matter where it is. You may think that traveling all the time is fun, but eventually you'll discover that east or west, home is best.

in the western part of the United States. We lived out West for nearly ten years. Do they really ride horses out West?

Die, as in He declared he wasn't ready to go west just yet. This expression has been ascribed to a Native American legend that a dying man goes to meet the setting sun. However, it was first recorded in a poem of the early 1300s: "Women and many a willful man, As wind and water have gone west."

The untamed, wide open western United States. The term dates from the late nineteenth century, popularized by a book title, Adair Welcker’s Tales of the “Wild and WoollyWest” (1891). A publisher’s note on the book said “wild and woolly” referred to the rough sheepskin coats worn by cowboys and farmers, but Franklin P. Adams said “wild, woolly and full of flies” was a cowboy’s expression for a genuine cowboy. Owen Wister’s The Virginian (1902) stated, “I’m wild, and woolly and full of fleas,” which was later picked up in the cowboy ditty, “Pecos Bill and the Wilful Coyote” (ca. 1932) by W. C. White: “Oh, I’m wild and woolly and full of fleas, Ain’t never been curried below the knees.”