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Re: dict - phrase challenged



On 4/30/14, Darac Marjal <mailinglist@darac.org.uk> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 30, 2014 at 05:22:50PM +1000, Zenaan Harkness wrote:
>> Anyone know why my giyf searches and man page readings are failing to
>> determine how to search the gnu/linux dictionaries for a phrase?
>>
>> I am not only phrase challenged, but simple search challenged it seems too
>> :)
>>
>> For example "coup d'etat" appears in the definition for "coup", as a
>> sub-definition.
>>
>> The OED has various phrases, not just single words. I used to have
>> good examples of two word phrases which are primary dictionary
>> entries.
>>
>> NOTE: hyphenated phrases do work as expected eg:
>> dict helter-skelter
>>
>> Some non-hyphenated phrases from dictionary dot com's word of the day:
>> coup d'etat
>> lese majesty
>> ad rem
>
> I suspect (I don't have dict installed, so I'm only reading
> manpages.debian.net) that the solution it to specify a different
> "strategy" (`dict -s foo "phrase"`, see `dict -S` for available
> strategies). The dictd package (if you're using a local server) claims
> to support useful strategies such as "exact", "prefix", "re"/"regexp"
> and "substring".

Thank you.

A little further testing resulted in a hand-in-forehead moment. Here
is the solution:

dict ad\\\ rem

A backslash needs to get through to dict ("of course").

I had been trying only combinations which did not work.

So I assume also this would work, for example:
dict "ad\ rem"

Thanks again
Zenaan


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