Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A form of hygroscope, in the shape of a toy-house, which roughly indicates weather changes by the appearance or retirement of toy images.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word weather-box.

Examples

  • The elder and younger son of the house of Crawley were, like the gentleman and lady in the weather-box, never at home together — they hated each other cordially: indeed, Rawdon

    Vanity Fair 2006

  • In short, the Dutchman and his wife, in the old weather-box, had not less to do with each other than he and I.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 23, September, 1859 Various

  • The elder and younger son of the house of Crawley were, like the gentleman and lady in the weather-box, never at home together—they hated each other cordially: indeed, Rawdon Crawley, the dragoon, had a great contempt for the establishment altogether, and seldom come thither except when his aunt paid her annual visit.

    X. Miss Sharp Begins to Make Friends 1917

  • In short, the Dutchman and his wife, in the old weather-box, had not less to do with each other than he and I.

    If, Yes and Perhaps Four Possibilities and Six Exaggerations with Some Bits of Fact Edward Everett Hale 1865

  • The elder and younger son of the house of Crawley were, like the gentleman and lady in the weather-box, never at home together -- they hated each other cordially: indeed, Rawdon Crawley, the dragoon, had a great contempt for the establishment altogether, and seldom came thither except when his aunt paid her annual visit.

    Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray 1837

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "A form of hygroscope, in the shape of a toy-house, which roughly indicates weather changes by the appearance or retirement of toy images. In a common form a man advances from his porch in wet and a woman in dry weather—the movement being produced by the varying torsion of a hygroscopic string by which the images are attached."

    - Century Dictionary

    July 31, 2010