broad•side
Pronunciation: (brôd'sīd"), [key]
— n., adv., v., -sid•ed, -sid•ing.
—n.
- the whole side of a ship above the water line, from the bow to the quarter.
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- all the guns that can be fired from one side of a warship.
- a simultaneous discharge of all the guns on one side of a warship.
- any strong or comprehensive attack, as by criticism.
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- a sheet of paper printed on one or both sides, as for distribution or posting.
- any printed advertising circular.
- any broad surface or side, as of a house.
- Also calleda song, chiefly in 16th- and 17th-century England, written on a topical subject, printed on broadsides, and sung in public, as on a street corner, by a professional balladeer.
—adv.
- with the side, esp. with the broader side, facing toward a given point or object: The truck hit the fence broadside.
- in a wide-ranging manner; at random: to attack the President's policies broadside.
—v.i.
- to proceed or go broadside.
- to fire a broadside or broadsides.
—v.t.
- to collide with or run into the side of (a vehicle, object, person, etc.): We got broadsided on the freeway.
- to make concerted verbal attacks on: The President was broadsided by the opposition.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.