Part 191

Our minds are, as it were, checkered with truth and falsehood. Addison.

Check"er, n. [OF. eschequier. See Checker, v. t.]

1. A piece in the game of draughts or checkers.

2. A pattern in checks; a single check.

3. Checkerwork.

&fist; This word is also written chequer.

Check"er*ber`ry (-b&ebreve;r`r&ybreve;), n.; pl. Checkerberries (#). (Bot.) A spicy plant and its bright red berry; the wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens). Also incorrectly applied to the partridge berry (Mitchella repens).

Check"er*board (-bōrd`), n. A board with sixty-four squares of alternate color, used for playing checkers or draughts.

Check"ered (-&etilde;rd), a. 1. Marked with alternate squares or checks of different color or material.

Dancing in the checkered shade. Milton.

2. Diversified or variegated in a marked manner, as in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.

This checkered narrative. Macaulay.

Check"ers (ch&ebreve;k"&etilde;rz), n. pl. [See Checher, v.] A game, called also daughts, played on a checkerboard by two persons, each having twelve men (counters or checkers) which are moved diagonally. The game is ended when either of the players has lost all his men, or can not move them.

Check"er*work` (?), n. 1. Work consisting of or showing checkers varied alternately as to colors or materials.

2. Any aggregate of varied vicissitudes.

How strange a checkerwork of Providence is the life of man. De Foe.

Check"la*ton (?), n. 1. Ciclatoun. [Obs.]

2. Gilded leather. [Obs.] Spenser.

Check"less, a. That can not be checked or restrained.

Check"mate, n. [F. Úchec et mat, fr. Per. shāh māt ceckmate, lit., the king is dead, fr. Ar. māta he died, is dead. The king, when made prisoner, or checkmated, is assumed to be dead, and the game is finished. See Chess.] 1. The position in the game of chess when a king is in check and cannot be released, -- which ends the game.

2. A complete check; utter defeat or overthrow.

Check"mate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Checkmated; p. pr. & vb. n. Checkmating.] 1. (Chess) To check (an adversary's king) in such a manner that escape in impossible; to defeat (an adversary) by putting his king in check from which there is no escape.

2. To defeat completely; to terminate; to thwart.

To checkmate and control my just demands. Ford.

Check"rein` (?), n. 1. A short rein looped over the check hook to prevent a horse from lowering his head; -- called also a bearing rein.

2. A branch rein connecting the driving rein of one horse of a span or pair with the bit of the other horse.

Check"roll` (?), n. A list of servants in a household; -- called also chequer roll.

Check"string` (?), n. A cord by which a person in a carriage or horse car may signal to the driver.