Antarctic Circle |
an imaginary line drawn around the earth parallel to the equator and north of the South Pole. |
Arctic Circle |
an imaginary line drawn around the earth parallel to the equator and south of the North Pole. |
center of a circle |
the fixed point that is equidistant from all points that form a circle. |
crop circle |
an area in a field of crops where plants have been systematically flattened into a circle or other geometric pattern, esp. when such flattening occurs mysteriously. |
dress circle |
the first tier of seats above the ground floor in an opera house, theater, or the like. |
equinoctial circle |
see "celestial equator." |
great circle |
a circle on a sphere that is in a plane passing through the center of the sphere. [2 definitions] |
half-circle |
one half of a circle; semicircle. |
inner circle |
a small, exclusive group of influential people. |
polar circle |
either the Arctic Circle or the Antarctic Circle. |
quality circle |
any small group of workers in a factory or the like that meets regularly to discuss production improvements. |
sewing circle |
a group of women who meet regularly to sew, often for a charitable cause such as a church sale. |
traffic circle |
a circular roadway or street, in which traffic moves in one direction only, that is situated at a busy intersection to facilitate traffic flow. |
vertical circle |
an imaginary circle on the celestial sphere that passes through the zenith and nadir and is thus perpendicular to the horizon. |
vicious circle |
a situation in which the solution to a problem gives rise to another, which can be worse or may bring back the first with greater complications, thereby increasing the difficulty of solving any of them. [2 definitions] |
winner's circle |
a small, usu. circular area at a racetrack where the winning horse, its jockey, and its owner receive recognition and awards. |