marbles

See also: Marbles

English

Noun

marbles

1. plural of marble

   Marbles were among the treasures found buried in the ruins of Pompeii.

marbles pl (plural only)

1. Any of several children's games played with small glass balls.

   Egyptian boys played marbles before the days of Moses.

2. (usually in a limited number of expressions) Sanity.

   Grandpa's lost his marbles, but at least he still recognizes us.

   Granny's still got all her marbles.

   His lack of marbles is becoming ever more apparent. -adapted from Google Books, but scarce

   As fleet on her feet as she is lacking in marbles, Madeline eludes him and goes off. -adapted from Google Books, but scarce

   He's several marbles short of a full bag.

   Granny is a few marbles short of a Parthenon. -adapted from Google Books - but not this idiom

   The lady-tramp might be one or two marbles short of a set.

   • 2012, J. T. Petty, Bloody Chester, First Second, →ISBN, p. 63:

     —Her daddy's crazy. [...] Think she's looking for something?
     —Treasure, I expect. That or maybe her daddy's marbles.

3. Bits of rolled-up rubber shed by the tires of race cars that accumulate at the edges of the track, especially at the corners.
   • 2014, Amen Zwa, Going Nowhere Fast In Assetto Corsa (2015-05-01), →ISBN, page 395:

     Some corners are littered with marbles, off the racing line.

Derived terms

• all one's marbles
• lose one's marbles

Translations

game

• French: billes (fr) f pl
• Italian: marmi (it)

• Maori: hītimi

Verb

marbles

1. Third-person singular simple present indicative form of marble

Anagrams

• Amblers, amblers, blamers, lambers, rambles