cast

cast¹ W3 [ka:st US kæst] v past tense and past participle cast

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1 cast light on/onto something

2 cast doubt(s) on something

3¦(light and shade)¦

4 cast a shadow/cloud over something

5¦(look)¦

6 cast an eye on/over something

7 cast a vote/ballot

8 cast a spell on/over somebody

9 cast your mind back

10 cast aspersions on something/somebody

11¦(metal)¦

12¦(acting)¦

13¦(describe)¦

14¦(throw)¦

15¦(fishing)¦

16¦(send away)¦

17 cast your net (far and) wide

18¦(skin)¦

19 cast a shoe

20 cast a horoscope

Phrasal verbs

　cast about/around for something

　cast somebody/something<=>aside

　cast away

　cast off

　cast on

　cast somebody/something<=>out

　cast something<=>up

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[Date: 1100-1200; : Old Norse; Origin: kasta]

1.) cast light on/onto sth

to provide new information about something, making it easier to understand

▪ research findings that cast new light on the origin of our universe

▪ The numerous biographies of Baldwin cast little light on the subject.

2.) cast doubt(s) on sth

to make people feel less certain about something

▪ Her documentary casts serious doubt on Gilligan's conviction.

3.) ¦(LIGHT AND SHADE)¦ [T]

literary to make light or a shadow appear somewhere

cast sth over/on/across sth

▪ The flames cast dancing shadows on the walls.

▪ the shade cast by low-hanging branches

4.) cast a shadow/cloud over sth

literary to make people feel less happy or hopeful about something

▪ The allegations cast a cloud over the Mayor's visit.

▪ Her father's illness cast a shadow over the wedding celebrations.

5.) ¦(LOOK)¦ [T]

literary to look quickly in a particular direction

cast a look/glance at sb/sth

▪ She cast an anguished look at Guy.

cast sb a glance/look

▪ The young tramp cast him a wary glance.

▪ She blushed, casting her eyes down .

6.) cast an eye on/over sth

to examine or read something quickly in order to judge whether it is correct, good etc

▪ Mellor cast an eye over the draft for inaccuracies.

cast a critical/expert etc eye

▪ Tonight,Tim Goodman casts a cynical eye on TV ads.

7.) cast a vote/ballot

to vote in an election

▪ Barely one in three will bother to cast a ballot on February 26th.

▪ To qualify, candidates must get at least 10% of the votes cast.

→↑casting vote

8.) cast a spell on/over sb

a) to attract someone very strongly and to keep their attention completely

▪ Hong Kong casts a spell over the visitor almost as soon as the aircraft touches down.

b) to use magic words or acts to change someone or something

▪ She's a witch, and she'll cast a spell on you if she catches you.

9.) cast your mind back

literary to try to remember something that happened in the past

cast your mind back to

▪ Cast your mind back to your first day at school.

cast your mind back over

▪ He frowned, casting his mind back over the conversation.

10.) cast aspersions on sth/sb

formal to suggest that someone is not as truthful, honest etc as they seem

▪ remarks that cast aspersions on the integrity of the jury

11.) ¦(METAL)¦ [T]

to make an object by pouring liquid metal, plastic etc into a ↑mould (=hollow container)

cast sth in/from sth

▪ a statue of a horse cast in bronze

12.) ¦(ACTING)¦ [T]

to choose which people will act particular parts in a play, film etc

cast sb alongside/opposite sb

(=choose people for the two main roles)

▪ Pfeiffer was expected to be cast alongside Douglas in Basic Instinct.

cast sb as sth

▪ Coppola cast him as Sodapop in The Outsiders.

cast sb in a role/a part/the lead

▪ The producer finally cast Finsh in the male lead.

13.) ¦(DESCRIBE)¦ [T]

to regard or describe someone as a particular type of person

cast sb as sth

▪ Clinton had cast himself as the candidate of new economic opportunity.

▪ Clarke's trying to cast me in the role of villain here.

14.) ¦(THROW)¦ [T always + adverb/preposition]

literary to throw something somewhere

= ↑toss

▪ Sparks leapt as he cast more wood on the fire.

15.) ¦(FISHING)¦ [I and T]

to throw a fishing line or net into the water

▪ There's a trick to casting properly.

16.) ¦(SEND AWAY)¦ [T always + adverb/preposition]

literary to force someone to go somewhere unpleasant

cast sb into prison/Hell etc

▪ Memet should, in her opinion, be cast into prison.

17.) cast your net (far and) wide

to consider or try as many things as possible in order to find what you want

▪ We cast our net wide to get the right person for the job.

18.) ¦(SKIN)¦

when a snake casts its skin, the top layer of skin falls off slowly

= ↑shed

19.) cast a shoe

if a horse casts a shoe, the shoe falls off by accident

20.) cast a horoscope

to prepare and write a ↑horoscope for someone

→the die is cast at ↑die² (3), throw in/cast your lot with sb/sth at ↑lot² (8), cast pearls before swine at ↑pearl

cast about/around for [cast about/around for sth] phr v

to try hard to think of the right thing to do or say

▪ She cast about frantically for an excuse.

▪ Telecoms companies are casting around for ways of recouping huge losses.

cast aside [cast sb/sth<=>aside] phr v

to remove or get rid of someone or something because you no longer want or need them

▪ When Henry became King, he cast aside all his former friends.

cast aside inhibitions/doubts etc

▪ Cast aside your fears.

cast away phr v

to be left alone on a lonely shore or island because your ship has sunk

▪ If you were cast away on a desert island, what would you miss most?

cast off phr v

1.) to untie the rope that fastens your boat to the shore so that you can sail away

2.) cast sb/sth<=>off

literary to remove or get rid of something or someone that you no longer want or need

▪ His family had cast him off without a penny.

3.) to finish a piece of ↑knitting by removing the stitches from the needle to make an edge that will not come undone

cast sth<=>off

▪ Cast off four stitches.

cast on phr v

to start a piece of ↑knitting by making the first stitches on the needle

cast sth<=>on

▪ Cast on 132 stitches.

cast out [cast sb/sth<=>out] phr v

literary to force someone or something to leave a place

▪ God has cast out the demons from your soul.

cast up [cast sth<=>up] phr v

if the sea casts something up, it carries it onto the shore

▪ A body had been cast up on the rocks.

cast ²

cast² n

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1¦(actors)¦

2¦(on arm/leg)¦

3¦(for making a shape)¦

4 somebody's cast of mind

5¦(fishing)¦

6¦(colour)¦

7¦(eye)¦

8¦(earth)¦

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1.) ¦(ACTORS)¦

all the people who perform in a play, film etc

cast of

▪ Films like 'Ben Hur' have a cast of thousands.

▪ the entire cast of 'Les Miserables'

▪ an all-star cast

▪ a strong supporting cast (=everyone except the main actors)

▪ a member of the cast

2.) ¦(ON ARM/LEG)¦ also plaster cast

a hard protective case that is put over your arm, leg etc because the bone is broken

▪ Murray has his leg in a cast .

3.) ¦(FOR MAKING A SHAPE)¦

a ↑mould (=hollow container) into which you pour liquid metal, plastic etc in order to make an object of a particular shape, or the object made in this way

cast of

▪ Make a cast of the statue.

4.) sb's cast of mind

formal the way that a person thinks and the type of opinions or mental abilities they have

▪ Mary was of a far less intellectual cast of mind.

5.) ¦(FISHING)¦

the act of throwing a fishing line into the water

6.) ¦(COLOUR)¦

literary a small amount of a particular colour

▪ Sage leaves have a silvery cast.

7.) ¦(EYE)¦

old-fashioned a problem with your eye which causes it to look sideways

8.) ¦(EARTH)¦

a small pile of earth that a ↑worm produces on the surface of the ground