Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter I - Page 4
Idiot (n.) An unlearned, ignorant, or simple person, as distinguished from the educated; an ignoramus. [Obs.]
Christ was received of idiots, of the vulgar people, and of the simpler sort, while he was rejected, despised, and persecuted even to death by the high priests, lawyers, scribes, doctors, and rabbis. -- C. Blount.
Idiot (n.) A human being destitute of the ordinary intellectual powers, whether congenital, developmental, or accidental; commonly, a person without understanding from birth; a natural fool. In a former classification of mentally retarded people, idiot designated a person whose adult level of intelligence was equivalent to that of a three-year old or younger; this corresponded with an I.Q. level of approximately 25 or less.
Life . . . is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. -- Shak.
Idiot (n.) A fool; a simpleton; -- a term of reproach.
Weenest thou make an idiot of our dame? -- Chaucer.
Idiot (n.) A person of subnormal intelligence [syn: {idiot}, {imbecile}, {cretin}, {moron}, {changeling}, {half-wit}, {retard}].
Idiot (n.) A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling. The Idiot's activity is not confined to any special field of thought or action, but "pervades and regulates the whole." He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable. He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line.
Idiot (n.), Persons. A person who has been without understanding from his nativity, and whom the law, therefore, presumes never likely to attain any. Shelf. on Lun. 2.
Idiot (n.) It is an imbecility or sterility of mind, and not a perversion of the understanding. Chit. Med. Jur. 345, 327, note s; 1 Russ. on Cr. 6; Bac. Ab. h.t. A; Bro. Ab. h.t.; Co. Litt. 246, 247; 3 Mod. 44; 1 Vern. 16; 4 Rep. 126; 1 Bl. Com. 302. When a man cannot count or number twenty, nor tell his father's or mother's name, nor how old he is, having been frequently told of it, it is a fair presumption that, he is devoid of understanding. F. N. B. 233. Vide 1 Dow, P. C. now series, 392; S. C. 3 Bligh, R. new series, 1. Persons born deaf, dumb, and blind, are, presumed to be idiots, for the senses being the only inlets of knowledge, and these, the most important of them, being closed, all ideas and associations belonging to them are totally excluded from their minds. Co. Litt. 42 Shelf. on Lun. 3. But this is a mere presumption, which, like most others, may be rebutted; and doubtless a person born deaf, dumb, and blind, who could be taught to read and write, would not be considered an idiot. A remarkable instance of such an one may be found in the person of Laura Bridgman, who has been taught how to converse and even to write. This young woman was, in the year 1848, at school at South Boston. Vide Locke on Human Understanding, B. 2 c. 11, Sec. 12, 13; Ayliffe's Pand. 234; 4 Com. Dig. 610; 8 Com. Dig. 644.
Idiot (n.) Idiots are incapable of committing crimes, or entering into contracts. They cannot of course make a will; but they may acquire property by descent.
Vide, generally, 1 Dow's Parl. Cas. new series, 392; 3 Bligh's R. 1; 19 Ves. 286, 352, 353; Stock on the Law of Non Compotes Mentis; Bouv. Inst. Index, h.t.
IDIOT, (n.) A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling. The Idiot's activity is not confined to any special field of thought or action, but "pervades and regulates the whole." He has the last word in everything; his decision is unappealable. He sets the fashions and opinion of taste, dictates the limitations of speech and circumscribes conduct with a dead-line.
Idiotcy (n.) Idiocy. [R.]
Idioted (a.) Rendered idiotic; befooled. [R.] -- Tennyson.
Idiothermic (a.) Self-heating; warmed, as the body of animal, by process going on within itself. Idiotic
Idiotic (a.) Alt. of Idiotical.
Idiotical (a.) Common; simple. [Obs.] -- Blackwall.
Idiotical (a.) Pertaining to, or like, an idiot; characterized by idiocy; foolish; fatuous; as, an idiotic person, speech, laugh, or action.
Idiotic (a.) Insanely irresponsible; "an idiotic idea" [syn: crackbrained, idiotic].
Idiotic (a.) Incongruous;inviting ridicule; "the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework"; "that's a cockeyed idea"; "ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer"; "a contribution so small as to be laughable"; "it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion"; "a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history"; "her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous" [syn: absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous].
Idiotic (a.) Having a mental age of three to seven years [syn: imbecile, imbecilic, idiotic].
Idiotically (adv.) In a idiotic manner.
Idiotically (adv.) In an idiotic manner; "what arouses the indignation of the honest satirist is not the fact that people in positions of power or influence behave idiotically".
Idioticon (n.) A dictionary of a peculiar dialect, or of the words and phrases peculiar to one part of a country; a glossary.
Idiotish (a.) Like an idiot; foolish.
Idiotism (n.) An idiom; a form, mode of expression, or signification, peculiar to a language.
Scholars sometimes give terminations and idiotisms, suitable to their native language, unto words newly invented. -- M. Hale.
Idiotism (n.) Lack of knowledge or mental capacity; idiocy; foolishness.
Worse than mere ignorance or idiotism. -- Shaftesbury.
The running that adventure is the greatist idiotism. -- Hammond.
Idiotize (v. i.) To become stupid. [R.]
Idiotry (n.) Idiocy.
Idle (a.) 不工作的；閒置的；空閒的；懶惰的；無所事事的；無根據的；無理由的；無目的的；無益的；無聊的；空轉的；空載的 Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. "Deserts idle." --Shak.
Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. -- Matt. xii. 36.
Down their idle weapons dropped. -- Milton.
This idle story became important. -- Macaulay.
Idle (a.) Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.
The idle spear and shield were high uphing. -- Milton.
Idle (a.) Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen.
Why stand ye here all the day idle? -- Matt. xx. 6.
Idle (a.) Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow.
Idle (a.) Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] -- Ford.
Idle pulley (Mach.), A pulley that rests upon a belt to tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not used to transmit power.
Idle wheel (Mach.), A gear wheel placed between two others, to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction of revolution.
In idle, In vain. [Obs.] "God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle." -- Chaucer.
Syn: Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent; sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile; frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant.
Usage: Idle, Indolent, Lazy. A propensity to inaction is expressed by each of these words; they differ in the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of movement or effort; idle is opposed to busy, and denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.
Idled (imp. & p. p.) of Idle.
Idling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Idle.
Idle (v. i.) 無所事事；閒混；閒逛；（機器）空轉 To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business.
Idle (v. t.) 虛度（光陰）[（+away）]；使空閒；使空轉 To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.
Idle (a.) Not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind" [ant: {busy}].
Idle (a.) Without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy" [syn: {baseless}, {groundless}, {idle}, {unfounded}, {unwarranted}, {wild}].
Idle (a.) Not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands" [syn: {idle}, {unused}].
Idle (a.) Silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter" [syn: {idle}, {light}].
Idle (a.) Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue" [syn: {idle}, {loose}].
Idle (a.) Not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds" [syn: {dead}, {idle}].
Idle (a.) Not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work" [syn: {idle}, {jobless}, {out of work}].
Idle (n.) 空轉 The state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling; "the car engine was running at idle". [syn: {tick over}].
Idle (v.) Run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling" [syn: {idle}, {tick over}] [ant: {run}].
Idle (v.) Be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning" [syn: {idle}, {laze}, {slug}, {stagnate}] [ant: {work}].
Idle-headed (a.) Foolish; stupid.
Idle-headed (a.) Delirious; infatuated.
Idleness (n.) The condition or quality of being idle (in the various senses of that word); uselessness; fruitlessness; triviality; inactivity; laziness.
Idle-pated (a.) Idle-headed; stupid.
Idler (n.) One who idles; one who spends his time in inaction; a lazy person; a sluggard.
Idler (n.) (Naut.) One who has constant day duties on board ship, and keeps no regular watch. -- Totten.
Idler (n.) (Mach.) An idle wheel or pulley. See under Idle. Idless
Idler (n.) Person who does no work; "a lazy bum" [syn: idler, loafer, do-nothing, layabout, bum].
Idless (n.) Alt. of Idlesse.
Idlesse (n.) Idleness. [Archaic] "In ydlesse." -- Spenser.
And an idlesse all the day Beside a wandering stream. -- Mrs. Browning.
Idlib (Arabic: إدلب, also spelled Edlib or Idleb) (n.) 伊德利卜（阿拉伯語：ادلب）是敘利亞西北部城市，伊德利卜省省會。地處阿勒頗與拉塔基亞之間肥沃的盆地地帶，是敘利亞重要的農業和紡織業中心。主要農產品包括棉花、穀物、橄欖、無花果、葡萄、番茄、芝麻、小麥和杏仁等 [1] 2015年3月，征服軍攻佔伊德利卜市。2015年4月，有人提議敘利亞臨時政府把總部遷到伊德利卜市。[2]2017年7月，沙姆解放組織全面控制伊德利卜市。[3]
Is a city in northwestern Syria, capital of the Idlib Governorate, 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Aleppo. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Idlib had a population of 98,791 and in 2010 the population was around 165,000. Before the Civil War, the inhabitants were mostly Sunni Muslims, [2] although there was a significant Christian minority. Idlib is divided into six main districts: Ashrafiyeh (the most populous), Hittin, Hejaz, Downtown, Hurriya, and al-Qusur.
A major agricultural center of Syria, the Idlib area is also historically significant, containing many "dead cities" and man-made tells. Idlib contains the ancient city of Ebla, once the capital of a powerful kingdom. [3] The ancient kingdoms of Nuhašše and Luhuti flourished in the Governorate during the Bronze and Iron ages. [4]
Idly (adv.) In a idle manner; ineffectually; vainly; lazily; carelessly; (Obs.) foolishly.
Idocrase (n.) Same as Vesuvianite.
Idol (n.) 偶像；受崇拜之人（或物）；紅人，寵兒 An image or representation of anything.
Idol (n.) An image of a divinity; a representation or symbol of a deity or any other being or thing, made or used as an object of worship; a similitude of a false god.
Idol (n.) That on which the affections are strongly (often excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a person or thing greatly loved or adored.
Idol (n.) A false notion or conception; a fallacy.
Idolastre (n.) An idolater.
Idolater (n.) A worshiper of idols; one who pays divine honors to images, statues, or representations of anything made by hands; one who worships as a deity that which is not God; a pagan.
Idolater (n.) An adorer; a great admirer.
Idolatress (n.) A female worshiper of idols.
Idolatrical (a.) Idolatrous.
Idolatrized (imp. & p. p.) of Idolatrize.
Idolatrizing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Idolatrize.
Idolatrize (v. i.) To worship idols; to pay idolatrous worship.
Idolatrize (v. t.) To make in idol of; to idolize.
Idolatrous (a.) Of or pertaining to idolatry; partaking of the nature of idolatry; given to idolatry or the worship of false gods; as, idolatrous sacrifices.
Idolatrous (a.) Consisting in, or partaking of, an excessive attachment or reverence; as, an idolatrous veneration for antiquity.
Idolatrously (adv.) In a idolatrous manner.
Idolatries (n. pl. ) of Idolatry.
Idolatry (n.) 偶像崇拜；盲目崇拜；過度崇信 [U] [C] The worship of idols, images, or anything which is not God; the worship of false gods.
His eye surveyed the dark idolatries Of alienated Judah. -- Milton.
Idolatry (n.) Excessive attachment or veneration for anything; respect or love which borders on adoration. -- Shak.
Idolatry (n.) Religious zeal; the willingness to serve God [syn: {idolatry}, {devotion}, {veneration}, {cultism}].
Idolatry (n.) The worship of idols; the worship of images that are not God [syn: {idolatry}, {idol worship}].
Idolatry, () Image-worship or divine honour paid to any created object. Paul describes the origin of idolatry in Rom. 1:21-25: men forsook God, and sank into ignorance and moral corruption (1:28).
The forms of idolatry are, (1.) Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.
(2.) Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature.
(3.) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, or of heroes.
In Scripture, idolatry is regarded as of heathen origin, and as being imported among the Hebrews through contact with heathen nations. The first allusion to idolatry is in the account of Rachel stealing her father's teraphim (Gen. 31:19), which were the relics of the worship of other gods by Laban's progenitors "on the other side of the river in old time" (Josh. 24:2). During their long residence in Egypt the Hebrews fell into idolatry, and it was long before they were delivered from it (Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:7). Many a token of God's displeasure fell upon them because of this sin.
The idolatry learned in Egypt was probably rooted out from among the people during the forty years' wanderings; but when the Jews entered Palestine, they came into contact with the monuments and associations of the idolatry of the old Canaanitish races, and showed a constant tendency to depart from the living God and follow the idolatrous practices of those heathen nations. It was their great national sin, which was only effectually rebuked by the Babylonian exile. That exile finally purified the Jews of all idolatrous tendencies.
The first and second commandments are directed against idolatry of every form. Individuals and communities were equally amenable to the rigorous code. The individual offender was devoted to destruction (Ex. 22:20). His nearest relatives were not only bound to denounce him and deliver him up to punishment (Deut. 13:20-10), but their hands were to strike the first blow when, on the evidence of two witnesses at least, he was stoned (Deut. 17:2-7). To attempt to seduce others to false worship was a crime of equal enormity (13:6-10). An idolatrous nation shared the same fate. No facts are more strongly declared in the Old Testament than that the extermination of the Canaanites was the punishment of their idolatry (Ex. 34:15, 16; Deut. 7; 12:29-31; 20:17), and that the calamities of the Israelites were due to the same cause (Jer. 2:17). "A city guilty of idolatry was looked upon as a cancer in the state; it was considered to be in rebellion, and treated according to the laws of war. Its inhabitants and all their cattle were put to death." Jehovah was the theocratic King of Israel, the civil Head of the commonwealth, and therefore to an Israelite idolatry was a state offence (1 Sam. 15:23), high treason. On taking possession of the land, the Jews were commanded to destroy all traces of every kind of the existing idolatry of the Canaanites (Ex. 23:24, 32; 34:13; Deut. 7:5, 25; 12:1-3).
In the New Testament the term idolatry is used to designate covetousness (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13; Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5).
Idolatry (n.) [ U ] (Often disapproving) 偶像崇拜，邪神崇拜，過度崇拜，盲目的崇拜，醉心 Very great admiration or respect for someone, often too great.
// The youngster makes no attempt to conceal his idolatry of his team-mate.
// Newton was revered to the point of idolatry.
Idolatry (n.) [ U ] The act of praying to a picture or object as part of a religion.
// Father Brown considers the notes and flowers left near the statue to be close to idolatry.
Idolish (a.) Idolatrous. [Obs.] -- Milton.
Idolism (n.) The worship of idols. [Obs.]
Idolist (n.) A worshiper of idols. [Obs.] -- Milton.
Idolized (imp. & p. p.) of Idolize.
Idolizing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Idolize.
Idolize (v. t.) To make an idol of; to pay idolatrous worship to; as, to idolize the sacred bull in Egypt.
Idolize (v. t.) To love to excess; to love or reverence to adoration; as, to idolize gold, children, a hero.
Idolize (v. i.) To practice idolatry. [R.]
To idolize after the manner of Egypt. -- Fairbairn.
Idolize (v.) Love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol; "Many teenagers idolized the Beatles" [syn: idolize, idolise, worship, hero-worship, revere].
Idolizer (n.) One who idolizes or loves to the point of reverence; an idolater.
Idolizer (n.) A lover blind with admiration and devotion [syn: idolizer, idoliser].
Idolizer (n.) A person who worships idols [syn: idolater, idolizer, idoliser, idol worshiper].
Idoloclast (n.) A breaker of idols; an iconoclast.
Idolographical (a.) Descriptive of idols. [R.] -- Southey.
Idolous (a.) Idolatrous. [Obs.] -- Bale. Idolum
Idoneous (a.) Appropriate; suitable; proper; fit; adequate. [R.]
An ecclesiastical benefice . . . ought to be conferred on an idoneous person. -- Ayliffe.
Idorgan (n.) (Biol.) A morphological unit, consisting of two or more plastids, which does not possess the positive character of the person or stock, in distinction from the physiological organ or biorgan. See Morphon. Idrialine
Idrialine (n.) Alt. of Idrialite.
Idrialite (n.) (Min.) A bituminous substance obtained from the mercury mines of Idria, where it occurs mixed with cinnabar.
Idumean (a.) Of or pertaining to ancient Idumea, or Edom, in Western Asia.
Idumean (n.) An inhabitant of Idumea, an Edomite.
Idyl (n.) A short poem; properly, a short pastoral poem; as, the idyls of Theocritus; also, any poem, especially a narrative or descriptive poem, written in an eleveted and highly finished style; also, by extension, any artless and easily flowing description, either in poetry or prose, of simple, rustic life, of pastoral scenes, and the like. [Written also idyll.]
Wordsworth's solemn-thoughted idyl. -- Mrs. Browning.
His [Goldsmith's] lovely idyl of the Vicar's home. -- F. Harrison.
Idyl (n.) A musical composition that evokes rural life [syn: pastorale, pastoral, idyll, idyl].
Idyl (n.) A short poem descriptive of rural or pastoral life [syn: eclogue, bucolic, idyll, idyl].
Idyllic (a.) Of or belonging to idyls.
Idyllic (a.) Excellent and delightful in all respects; "an idyllic spot for a picnic."
Idyllic (a.) Suggestive of an idyll; charmingly simple and serene; "his idyllic life in Tahiti."
I. e. () Abbreviation of Latin id est, that is.
If (conj.) In case that; granting, allowing, or supposing that; -- introducing a condition or supposition.
If (conj.) Whether; -- in dependent questions.
I' faith () In faith; indeed; truly.
Ifere (a.) Together.
Igasuric (a.) Pertaining to, or obtained from, nux vomica or St. Ignatius's bean; as, igasuric acid.
Igasurine (n.) An alkaloid found in nux vomica, and extracted as a white crystalline substance.
Igloo (n.) An Eskimo snow house.
Igloo (n.) A cavity, or excavation, made in the snow by a seal, over its breathing hole in the ice.
Ignatius bean () See Saint Ignatius's bean, under Saint.
Igneous (a.) 火的；【地】（指岩石）火成的 Pertaining to, having the nature of, fire; containing fire; resembling fire; as, an igneous appearance.
Igneous (a.) (Geol.) Resulting from, or produced by, the action of fire; as, lavas and basalt are igneous rocks.
Igneous (a.) Produced under conditions involving intense heat; "igneous rock is rock formed by solidification from a molten state; especially from molten magma"; "igneous fusion is fusion by heat alone"; "pyrogenic strata" [syn: igneous, pyrogenic, pyrogenous].
Igneous (a.) Produced by the action of fire or intense heat; "rocks formed by igneous agents" [syn: igneous, eruptive] [ant: aqueous, sedimentary].
Igneous (a.) Like or suggestive of fire; "a fiery desert wind"; "an igneous desert atmosphere" [syn: fiery, igneous].
Ignescent (a.) Emitting sparks of fire when struck with steel; scintillating; as, ignescent stones.
Ignicolist (n.) A worshiper of fire.
Igniferous (a.) Producing fire. [R.] -- Blount.
Ignifluous (a.) Flowing with fire. [Obs.] -- Cockerman.
Ignified (imp. & p. p.) of Ignify.
Ignifying (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Ignify.
Ignify (v. t.) To form into fire. [R.] -- Stukeley.
Ignigenous (a.) Produced by the action of fire, as lava. [R.]
Ignipotence (n.) Power over fire. [R.]
Ignipotent (a.) Presiding over fire; also, fiery.
Vulcan is called the powerful ignipotent. -- Pope.
Ignes fatui (n. pl. ) of Ignis fatuus.
Ignis fatuus () A phosphorescent light that appears, in the night, over marshy ground, supposed to be occasioned by the decomposition of animal or vegetable substances, or by some inflammable gas; -- popularly called also Will-with-the-wisp, or Will-o'-the-wisp, and Jack-with-a-lantern, or Jack-o'-lantern. It is thought by some to be caused by phosphine, PH3, a sponaneously combustible gas.
Will o'the Wisp -- which also rejoices in the names of Ignis Fatuus or Jack o'Lantern -- is not, as some of you may think, a cartoon character. In mediaeval times this chemical phenomenon struck terror into travellers and, very likely, lured some of them to their deaths in a stinking and marshy grave. I have never seen this Will o'the Wisp; nor am I likely to do so. It is a flickering flame seen over marshes; marshes are not now common in London, nor indeed anywhere else in Britain. In any case the ephemeral nature of the phenomenon and the enormous amount of ambient light [ldqo]pollution[rdqo] found in most areas means that most of us will never see it.
What is this Will o'the Wisp? Popular chemical lore has it that it is marsh gas, or methane, which catches fire when it hits the air because of the presence of either phosphine ({PH3) or diphosphine ({P2H4) in the gas, both of which are spontaneously flammable in air. Methane is certainly formed in marshes, and bubbles up if the mud is disturbed in a pond, say. It is the same reaction that enables organic materials to produce biogas, methane from the decomposition of sewage, which can be profitably used. But is it this that is burning in Will o'the Wisp?
Almost certainly not. At this point I will say that I have thought for some years off and on as to how one might set up an experiment to test the hypotheses, since the sporadic and rare nature of the natural version renders its investigation a highly intractable problem. However: the combustion of methane under the conditions in a marsh would give a yellow flame, and heat. Will o'the Wisp is not like this, so it is said. Firstly the flame is bluish, not yellow, and it is said to be a cold flame. The colour and the temperature suggests some sort of phosphorescence; since organic material contain phosphorus, the production of phosphine or diphosphine is scarcely impossible, and maybe it does oxidise via a mainly chemiluminescent reaction. The exact nature of the Will o'the Wisp reaction nevertheless remains, to me at any rate, a mystery. Similar phenomena have been reported in graveyards and are known as corpse candles. If anyone knows anything more, I would love to hear of it. A warning that if you look for it on the Web, you will get a great deal of bizarre stuff. You will also get the delightful picture from a Canadian artist which decorates the top of this page, and a couple of poems at least. One is also by a Canadian, Annie Campbell Huestis, the other by the prolific fantasy poet Walter de la Mare. The preparation of phosphine in the laboratory (by the teacher!) is fun, and perfectly safe in a fume cupboard. White phosphorus is boiled with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution in an apparatus from which all air must have been removed by purging with, say, natural gas. The phosphine will form marvellous smoke rings if allowed to bubble up through water in a pneumatic trough. This is an experiment for the teacher, needless to say. The experiment is described in Partington J.R., [ldqo]A Textbook of Inorganic Chemistry[rdqo], 6th ed, Macmillan 1957, p 572. (So, inter alia, is a great deal of other interesting chemistry.)
Ignis fatuus () Fig.: A misleading influence; a decoy.
Scared and guided by the ignis fatuus of popular superstition. -- Jer. Taylor.