assay

in a sentence

The first sentence of "Hypnosis and Mind Control" was "Hypnosis is an efficacious yet precarious methodology and should not be assayed by neophytes," and it was every bit as difficult and boring as the first sentence of the whole book.†  (source) Lemony Snicket, The Miserable Mill, 2000

But then a tall man stepped down from the train caboose platform like a captain assaying the tidal weathers of this inland sea.†  (source) Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes, 1962

Even assays for adrenal hormones and things like partial thromboplastin times.†  (source) Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain, 1969

ASSAY.†  (source) David Wroblewski, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, 2008

The terrible father assayed then to steam the boys to death in an overheated sweatlodge.†  (source) Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, 1949

He had a wife and young child back in Japan, whose attractive portraits on his desk had been steady witness to scores of bloody procedures and assays and mortal extinguishments, and I thought surely that any other man would have long retired them to the confines of a drawer or private cabinet.†  (source) Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999

"Now—the first man in the parish that I hear prophesying bad of our mistress, why" (here the fist was raised and let fall as Thor might have done with his hammer in assaying it)—"he'll smell and taste that—or I'm a Dutchman."†  (source) Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd, 1874

Thrice he the sword assay'd, and thrice the flood; But Juno, mov'd with pity, both withstood.†  (source) Virgil, The Aeneid, -19 B.C.

But here, as we are about to attempt a description hitherto unassayed either in prose or verse, we think proper to invoke the assistance of certain aerial beings, who will, we doubt not, come kindly to our aid on this occasion.†  (source) Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749

But the world is complicated, and whenever we see a silver bullet we try to conduct an assay test.†  (source) Nicholas D. Kristof, Half the Sky, 2009

David's mother assayed a few vague remarks.†  (source) Henry Roth, Call It Sleep, 1934

In such assays thy blameless worth is known, And every art of dangerous war thy own.†  (source) Homer, The Iliad, -850 B.C.

He, now, assaying with his hand the bow, 470 Made curious trial of it ev'ry way, And turn'd it on all sides, lest haply worms Had in its master's absence drill'd the horn.†  (source) Homer, The Odyssey, -850 B.C.