showy orchis

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noun

a wild orchid, Orchis spectabilis, of eastern North America, having a spike of showy flowers, each with purple, pink, or white sepals and petals united into a galea and a white lip.

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

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Origin of showy orchis

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Words nearby showy orchis

show trial, show up, show window, showy, showy crab apple, showy orchis, shoyu, shp, shpt., shr., shraddha

Example sentences from the Web for showy orchis

But that category is full of showy performances, and George is not the showboating role in that play.
A Tony Voter on Bryan Cranston’s Overrated LBJ, Neil Patrick Harris’s Underwhelming Hedwig|Michael Musto|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The showy accoutrements of state power have replaced the vestments of resistance.
Kosovo's Frightening Example To Syria|David Frum|August 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Oh, and I had a traditionally showy headdress out of the same fabric.
Crisis Group and Hillary Clinton Honor Women in Pursuit of Peace|Swanee Hunt|December 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The category gives actors the chance to do showy, attention-grabbing work, stepping into ready-made characters.
Good Actors, Bad Movies, and the Oscars|Richard Rushfield|November 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST

It is an archetypal Leigh Fermor anecdote: beautifully written, fabulously romantic and just a little showy.
Goodbye to My Hero|William Dalrymple|June 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Among these showy and high-bred soldiers, the hours passed delightfully.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The leaf is small and light green, and it is quite (p. 384) a showy plant when in blossom.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It is to genuine politeness and good breeding, what the showy paste is to the pure diamond.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
The flowers do not have the showy colored bracts which forms so prominent a feature in those of many other plants.
Philippine Mats|Hugo H. Miller
There is a showy boot shop now where the Business College used to be; the new place is in Kingsway.
In Accordance with the Evidence|Oliver Onions

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