prep·a·ra·tion (pr p  -r  shn)n. 1. The act or process of preparing. 2. The state of having been made ready beforehand; readiness. 3. A preliminary measure that serves to make ready for something. Often used in the plural: preparations for the wedding. 4. A substance, such as a medicine, prepared for a particular purpose. 5. Music a. The anticipation of a dissonant tone by means of its introduction as a consonant tone in the preceding chord. b. The dissonant tone so anticipated. |
preparation [ˌprɛpəˈreɪʃən]
Preparation
(See also READINESS.)
batten down the hatches To prepare for adversity, to ready one’s defenses. The expression is of nautical origin: battens are narrow strips of wood nailed down to secure the edges of the tarpaulin over the hatchways during rough weather at sea. The phrase is commonly used figuratively for the precautions necessary to prepare a dwelling against a literal storm of any sort; and by further extension, to take defensive precautions when faced with any upcoming trial or ordeal.
bite the bullet See ENDURANCE.
boots and saddle A U. S. Army bugle call for mounted drill and formation. This expression denoting a cavalry trumpet sound is a corruption of the French boutes la selle ‘put on the saddle,’ and consequently has no semantic relationship with boots. However, since boots are logically associated with horsemen, whether cavalry or cowboys, boots and saddle has come to carry connotations of the American West more than of the military.
get one-self in gear To ready one-self to take whatever action is necessary; to stop lazing about and get ready to go. This expression may derive from the use of gear, as in put in gear, gear up, or get in gear, all of which in literal use refer to the harnessing of an animal. Another possibility is a more modern use of gear. In this latter sense, in gear applies to the state of parts in which they are connected or meshed with each other. Both possibilities involve the idea of preparation and are plausible explanations for the current use of get one-self in gear. A variant expression is gear one-self up which refers to preparing one-self psychologically, or psyching one-self up to do something demanding or distasteful.
get up steam To get up energy, gear one-self up, psych one-self up, motivate one-self. The allusion is to the steam-operated engines formerly used to propel riverboats and locomotives. These engines were powered by boiler-generated steam, a certain amount of which had to be produced before the boat or locomotive could begin moving forward. Because of its use as a power source for engines, steam has come to be used figuratively to mean energy, vigor, drive. The expression appeared in Francis Francis Jr.’s Saddle and Mocassin (1887):
“And he [the bull] came for you?”
“When he got up the steam he did.”
gird up one’s loins To prime one-self for a test of endurance or preparedness; to ready one-self for scrutiny. The expression appears in Proverbs 31:17:
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
The phrase may have derived from the loose-fitting clothes of ancient people, which needed to be tucked in or “girdled,” usually about the loins, in preparation for work.
It was necessary, therefore, to gird up our loins and walk. (Leitch Ritchie, Wanderings by the Loire, 1833)
The expression is the literary equivalent of the modern get psyched up, a colloquialism for putting one-self into a state of readiness.
grit one’s teeth To steel one-self to do what has to be done, to ready one-self for an unpleasant task or experience; to clench or grind one’s teeth in anger or determination; also to set one’s teeth. This expression, which dates from the late 18th century, is an allusion to the involuntary, reflexive clenching of one’s teeth in moments of extreme anger or stress.
The duellist gritted his teeth as he cocked the gun a second time. (The Southern Literary Messenger, 1840)
pave the way To prepare the way for, to lead up to; to smooth the way, to facilitate or make easier; to be the first step toward. Literal paved roads are, of course, much smoother to travel on than those of dirt and gravel. A variant of the expression was in use as early as the 16th century.
It was Einstein who paved the way for the big-bang theory. (Newsweek, March, 1979)
screw one-self up to concert pitch To prepare for a particularly challenging task; to ready one-self for superior performance; to psych one-self up. This expression is an extension of the literal meaning of concert pitch, i.e., the slightly higher-than-usual pitch to which instruments are tuned for a concert in order to heighten the effect and brilliance of the music.
square off See CONFRONTATION.
| Noun | 1. |  preparation - the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose; "preparations for the ceremony had begun"fire control - preparation for the delivery of shellfire on a target activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity" deployment - the distribution of forces in preparation for battle or work groundwork - preliminary preparation as a basis or foundation; "we are prepared today because of groundwork that was done ten years ago" makeready - final preparation and adjustments priming - the act of making something ready planning - an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action; "the planning was more fun than the trip itself" turnround, turnaround - act or process of unloading and loading and servicing a vessel or aircraft for a return trip |
| 2. | preparation - a substance prepared according to a formula; "the physician prescribed a commercial preparation of the medicine" chemical compound, compound - (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight glycerinated gelatin - a gelatinous preparation made from gelatin and glycerin and water; used as a base for ointments and suppositories nebula - a medicinal liquid preparation intended for use in an atomizer polish - a preparation used in polishing starch - a commercial preparation of starch that is used to stiffen textile fabrics in laundering smelling salts - a pungent preparation of ammonium carbonate and perfume; sniffed as a stimulant to relieve faintness | |
| 3. | preparation - the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening; "his planning for retirement was hindered by several uncertainties" cerebration, intellection, mentation, thinking, thought process, thought - the process of using your mind to consider something carefully; "thinking always made him frown"; "she paused for thought" arrangement, agreement - the thing arranged or agreed to; "they made arrangements to meet in Chicago" applecart - the planning that is disrupted when someone `upsets the applecart' malice aforethought, mens rea - (law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials calculation, deliberation - planning something carefully and intentionally; "it was the deliberation of his act that was insulting" forethought, premeditation - planning or plotting in advance of acting | |
| 4. | preparation - the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action); "putting them in readiness"; "their preparation was more than adequate" state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker" ready - poised for action; "their guns were at the ready" | |
| 5. | preparation - (music) a note that produces a dissonant chord is first heard in a consonant chord; "the resolution of one dissonance is often the preparation for another dissonance" music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner musical harmony, harmony - the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords resolution - (music) a dissonant chord is followed by a consonant chord | |
| 6. |  preparation - activity leading to skilled behavioractivity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity" athletic training - the course of practice and exercise and diet undertaken by an athlete discipline - training to improve strength or self-control drill - (military) the training of soldiers to march (as in ceremonial parades) or to perform the manual of arms practice session, practice, drill, exercise, recitation - systematic training by multiple repetitions; "practice makes perfect" military training - training soldiers in military procedures retraining - training for a new occupation schooling - the training of an animal (especially the training of a horse for dressage) skull practice, skull session - teaching strategy to an athletic team toilet training - training a young child to use the toilet | |
| 7. |  preparation - preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home)school assignment, schoolwork - a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher didactics, education, educational activity, instruction, pedagogy, teaching - the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill; "he received no formal education"; "our instruction was carefully programmed"; "good classroom teaching is seldom rewarded" | |
| 8. |  preparation - the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife"change of state - the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics baking - cooking by dry heat in an oven toasting, browning - cooking to a brown crispiness over a fire or on a grill; "proper toasting should brown both sides of a piece of bread" broil, broiling, grilling - cooking by direct exposure to radiant heat (as over a fire or under a grill) fusion cooking - cooking that combines ingredients and techniques and seasonings from different cuisines braising - cooking slowly in fat in a closed pot with little moisture poaching - cooking in simmering liquid roasting - cooking (meat) by dry heat in an oven (usually with fat added); "the slow roasting took several hours" tenderisation, tenderization - the act of making meat tender by pounding or marinating it percolation - the act of making coffee in a percolator seasoning - the act of adding a seasoning to food cuisine, culinary art - the practice or manner of preparing food or the food so prepared challah, hallah - (Judaism) a loaf of white bread containing eggs and leavened with yeast; often formed into braided loaves and glazed with eggs before baking Jewish rye, Jewish rye bread - (Judaism) bread made with rye flour; usually contains caraway seeds curry - (East Indian cookery) a pungent dish of vegetables or meats flavored with curry powder and usually eaten with rice brown sauce, Chinese brown sauce - a sauce based on soy sauce caramelise, caramelize - convert to caramel caramelise, caramelize - be converted into caramel; "The sugar caramelized" alcoholise, alcoholize - make alcoholic, as by fermenting; "alcoholize prunes" alcoholise, alcoholize - treat or infuse with alcohol; "alcoholize the fruit and let them sit in the refrigerator" conserve - preserve with sugar; "Mom always conserved the strawberries we grew in the backyard" pickle - preserve in a pickling liquid salt - preserve with salt; "people used to salt meats on ships" brine - soak in brine fortify - add nutrients to; "fortified milk" boil down, concentrate, reduce - cook until very little liquid is left; "The cook reduced the sauce by boiling it for a long time" boil down, decoct, concentrate, reduce - be cooked until very little liquid is left; "The sauce should reduce to one cup" bake - cook and make edible by putting in a hot oven; "bake the potatoes" ovenbake - bake in an oven; "ovenbake this chicken" brown - fry in a pan until it changes color; "brown the meat in the pan" coddle - cook in nearly boiling water; "coddle eggs" fire - bake in a kiln so as to harden; "fire pottery" baste - cover with liquid before cooking; "baste a roast" souse - cook in a marinade; "souse herring" micro-cook, microwave, nuke, zap - cook or heat in a microwave oven; "You can microwave the leftovers" shirr - bake (eggs) in their shells until they are set; "shirr the eggs" |
preparation
few things distracted him from the preparation of his lectures → pocas cosas le distraían de la preparación de sus clases
the person responsible for food preparation → la persona encargada de preparar la comida
education should be a preparation for life → la educación debería servir de preparación para la vida
her latest novel has been four years in preparation → lleva cuatro años preparando su última novela
he is learning French in preparation for his new job → está aprendiendo francés para prepararse para su nuevo trabajo
to make preparations (for sth/to do sth) → hacer preparativos(para algo/para hacer algo)
he'll have to make preparations for the funeral → tendrá que hacer los preparativos del or para el funeral
It's a good recipe but there's a lot of preparation involved → C'est une bonne recette mais qui implique beaucoup de préparation.
preparation for sth → préparation à qch
Education should be a preparation for life → L'éducation devrait être une préparation à la vie.
food preparation → la préparation de la nourriture
in preparation for → en préparation de
preparations for sth → les préparatifs de qch, les préparatifs pour qch
to make preparations for sth → faire des préparatifs pour qch
in preparation for sth → in vista di qc
to be in preparation → essere in (corso di) preparazione
to make preparations → fare i preparativi
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