foil

(foil)
tr.v., foiled, foil·ing, foils.

1. To prevent from being successful; thwart.
2. To obscure or confuse (a trail or scent) so as to evade pursuers.

n. Archaic

1. A repulse; a setback.
2. The trail or scent of an animal.

[Middle English foilen, to trample, defile, variant of filen, to defile. See file³.]

foil² (foil)
n.

1. A thin, flexible leaf or sheet of metal: aluminum foil.
2. A thin layer of polished metal placed under a displayed gem to lend it brilliance.
3. One that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another: "I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me" (Charlotte Brontë).
4. The reflective metal coating on the back of a glass mirror.
5. Architecture. A curvilinear, often lobelike figure or space formed between the cusps of intersecting arcs, found especially in Gothic tracery and Moorish ornament.
6. 1. An airfoil.
   2. Nautical. A hydrofoil.

tr.v., foiled, foil·ing, foils.

1. To cover or back with foil.
2. To set off by contrast.

[Middle English, from Old French foille, from Latin folia, pl. of folium, leaf.]

foil³ (foil)
n.

1. A fencing sword having a usually circular guard and a thin, flexible four-sided blade with a button on the tip to prevent injury.
2. The art or sport of fencing with such a sword. Often used in the plural: a contest at foils.

[Origin unknown.]

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verb

To prevent from accomplishing a purpose: baffle, balk, check, checkmate, defeat, frustrate, stymie, thwart. Informal cross, stump. Idioms: cut the ground from under. See allow/prevent.

v

Definition: circumvent, nip in the bud
Antonyms: abet, advance, aid, assist, further, help

n. each of the structures fitted to a hydrofoil's hull to lift it clear of the water at speed.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

foil, a character whose qualities or actions serve to emphasize those of the protagonist (or of some other character) by providing a strong contrast with them. Thus in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, the passive obedience of Jane's school‐friend Helen Burns makes her a foil to the rebellious heroine.

1. In tracery, any of several rounded lobes that meet each other in points called cusps; widely used in Gothic architecture, Gothic Revival architecture, and Collegiate Gothic; see trefoil (three lobes), quatrefoil (four lobes), cinquefoil (five lobes), and multifoil (usually greater than five lobes).
2. A metallic substance formed into very thin sheets, usually by a rolling process.

foils

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IN BRIEF: Prevent from carrying out. Also: a very thin sheet of metal.

The police department will try to foil the next bank robbery by posting guards at every bank.

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i. A form of metal rolled into a very thin sheet with a thickness less than 0.006 in (0.15 mm).
ii. The spanwise-trailing-edge members forming an integral part of a compound wing.

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n

A very thin, flexible sheet of metal, usually gold, platinum, or tin.

For a list of words related to foil, see:

• Blades, Clubs, and Projectiles - foil: blunt or button-pointed fencing sword with four-sided blade
• Devices, Techniques, and Elements - foil: one character serving as contrast to another
• Actors, Characters, and Theater People - foil: role that provides contrast or opposition to hero
• Hunting Practice and Techniques - foil: (vb) Chiefly Brit. obscure scent with another scent
• Strategy and Tactics - foil: (vb) keep from succeeding; thwart

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See words rhyming with "foil."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Foil.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
v. tr. - forpurre, skuffe, komme på tværs af
n. - skuffelse, nederlag

2.
n. - folie, bæreplan
v. tr. - beklæde med folie, foliere

idioms:

• aluminum foil    alufolie

3.
n. - fleuret, fægtekårde

Nederlands (Dutch)
folie, draagvleugel (boot), boog rondom figuur, floret, contrast, schermsport, verijdelen, met folie bedekken, verbeteren door contrast

Français (French)
1.
v. tr. - déjouer, contrecarrer
n. - repoussoir

2.
n. - papier aluminium, (abrév) de hydroptère
v. tr. - emballer dans du papier aluminium

idioms:

• aluminium foil    papier aluminium

3.
n. - fleuret (escrime)

Deutsch (German)
1.
v. - vereiteln, durchkreuzen
n. - Niederlage, Fehlschlag

2.
n. - Folie
v. - mit Metallfolie belegen

idioms:

• aluminium foil    Aluminiumfolie

3.
n. - Florett

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - ανατρέπω ή ματαιώνω σχέδια, προλαμβάνω
n. - λεπτό έλασμα, φύλλο (κν. πάφιλας), αλουμινόχαρτο, αντίθεση, ελαφρό ξίφος

idioms:

• aluminum foil    αλουμινόχαρτο

Italiano (Italian)
sventare, fioretto, carta stagnola

idioms:

• aluminum foil    foglio di alluminio

Português (Portuguese)
v. - laminar, frustar (plano ou tentativa)
n. - folha (f) fina de metal, florete (m) (esgrima)

idioms:

• aluminum foil    folha (f) de alumínio

Русский (Russian)
фольга, станиоль, контраст, рапира, срывать, расстраивать, подводное крыло

idioms:

• aluminum foil    алюминиевая фольга

Español (Spanish)
1.
v. tr. - prevenir, frustrar
n. - retroceso, contrariedad

2.
n. - papel de estaño, papel de plata, chapa, abrev. de hidrofoil
v. tr. - envolver con papel de aluminio

idioms:

• aluminium foil    papel de aluminio

3.
n. - florete

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - foliera, bilda bakgrund åt, omintetgöra, korsa (jakt)
n. - folie, bladornament (arkitekt.), spår (jakt)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 在...上贴箔, 给...铺箔, 箔, 金属薄片, 陪衬者, 陪衬物, 银箔

idioms:

• aluminum foil    铝箔

2. 鬣兽逃跑的足迹, 挫败, 使受挫折, 阻扰, 击退

3. 钝头剑, 轻剑, 花剑, 花剑运动, 花剑剑术

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
v. tr. - 在...上貼箔, 給...鋪箔
n. - 箔, 金屬薄片, 陪襯者, 陪襯物, 銀箔

idioms:

• aluminum foil    鋁箔

2.
n. - 鈍頭劍, 輕劍, 花劍, 花劍運動, 花劍劍術

3.
n. - 鬣獸逃跑的足跡
v. tr. - 挫敗, 使受挫折, 阻擾, 擊退

한국어 (Korean)
1.
v. tr. - 좌절 시키다, 헛되게 하다, 막다, ~을 물리치다
n. - (사냥 중에) 도망 간 발자국의 격퇴

2.
n. - 박, 거울 뒤에 입힌 박, 보석 밑에 까는 박
v. tr. - ~박을 입히다, 돋보이게 하다

3.
n. - 연습용 펜싱 칼

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 薄片, はく, 引き立てるもの, フルーレ
v. - 裏をかく, 挫く

idioms:

• aluminum foil    アルミ箔

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يحبط , يمنع (الاسم) رقاقه معدنيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮סיכל, הפר, הביס‬
n. - ‮תבוסה (מיושן), מסלול של חיה בורחת בעת ציד‬
n. - ‮ריקוע, נייר אלומיניום, ניגוד‬
v. tr. - ‮כיסה או חיזק בריקוע מתכת, יצר ניגוד‬
n. - ‮סיף - חרב עם כפתור בקצה לסיוף‬

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