noun
- a slip, usually of paper or cardboard, serving as evidence that the holder has paid a fare or admission or is entitled to some service, right, or the like: a railroad ticket; a theater ticket.
- a summons issued for a traffic or parking violation.
- a written or printed slip of paper, cardboard, etc., affixed to something to indicate its nature, price, or the like; label or tag.
- a slate of candidates nominated by a particular party or faction and running together in an election.
- the license of a ship’s officer or of an aviation pilot.
- Banking. a preliminary recording of transactions prior to their entry in more permanent books of account.
- Informal. the proper or advisable thing: That’s the ticket! Warm milk and toast is just the ticket for you.
- Archaic. a placard.
- Obsolete. a short note, notice, or memorandum.
verb (used with object)
- to attach a ticket to; distinguish by means of a ticket; label.
- to furnish with a ticket, as on the railroad.
- to serve with a summons for a traffic or parking violation.
- to attach such a summons to: to ticket illegally parked cars.
Idioms
- have tickets on oneself, Australian Slang. to be conceited.
noun
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- a piece of paper, cardboard, etc, showing that the holder is entitled to certain rights, such as travel on a train or bus, entry to a place of public entertainment, etc
- (modifier)concerned with or relating to the issue, sale, or checking of ticketsa ticket office; ticket collector
- a piece of card, cloth, etc, attached to an article showing information such as its price, size, or washing instructions
- a summons served for a parking offence or violation of traffic regulations
- informal the certificate of competence issued to a ship’s captain or an aircraft pilot
- mainly US and NZ the group of candidates nominated by one party in an election; slate
- mainly US the declared policy of a political party at an election
- British informal a certificate of discharge from the armed forces
- informal the right or appropriate thingthat’s the ticket
- have tickets on oneself or have got tickets on oneself Australian informal to be conceited
verb -ets, -eting or -eted (tr)
- to issue or attach a ticket or tickets to
- informal to earmark for a particular purpose
n.1520s, “short note or document,” from a shortened form of Middle French etiquet “label, note,” from Old French estiquette “a little note” (late 14c.), especially one affixed to a gate or wall as a public notice, from estiquer “to affix, stick on, attach,” from Frankish *stikkan, cognate with Old English stician “to pierce” (see stick (v.)). Meaning “card or piece of paper that gives its holder a right or privilege” is first recorded 1670s, probably developing from the sense of “certificate, license, permit.” The political sense of “list of candidates put forward by a faction” has been used in American English since 1711. Meaning “official notification of offense” is from 1930; parking ticket first attested 1947. Big ticket item is from 1970. Slang the ticket “just the thing, what is expected” is recorded from 1838, perhaps with notion of a winning lottery ticket. v.1610s, from ticket (n.). Related: Ticketed; ticketing. see just the ticket; meal ticket; split ticket; straight ticket; write one’s own ticket.