How To Use Preen In A Sentence

In one hut he roomed with a resident tarantula and things that "sang, copulated, stank, ate each other, whirred, preened, and glowed. From Guyana to Guiana
Not that he is preening: he is careless about his blond good looks, a scruffy hipster beard giving maturity to his rather angelic face. Times, Sunday Times
Of course, it's not all about the image and the looks (except that, in the case of this particular preening bunch of fops in their heyday, it was almost entirely about the image and the looks).
Beach boys and babes stretch and preen and wait to catch the next, best wave.
Yet Pétain was no such thing; he was a lifelong soldier and a genuine war hero, rather than some preening sham in jackboots.

In a typical moment, Blanche, the vain Southern belle played by Rue McClanahan, preens, "One thing I know for sure, I have not lost my hourglass figure. Slate Magazine
No use prinking me mustache, the thing is preened to death. At Swim, Two Boys
As students primp and preen to wow their favorite colleges, there's one characteristic they can't control: their race.
If a painfully hip novel set in the European fashion industry didn't contain the requisite amount of preening egomania, airy-fairy posturing and general preposterousness, you would probably ask for your money back.
He was there last week, preening himself, powerful and proud as ever, but unmistakably a man who had overstayed his welcome.
There is the comically preening priest, his mouth a downturned kidney bean of pious pronouncement. Times, Sunday Times
Had he done so, Preen Chand would have kicked him off Hannibal even if it meant putting an unschooled oxherd aboard the beast. A different flesh
As part of the preening process, the birds rub a natural oil, which is secreted from a gland at the bottom of their tails, over their feathers.
Freshly preened, perhaps, but not very intelligent. Matthew Yglesias » David Petraeus, Jew-Hater
That's why the contestants spend so much time preening themselves in front of a mirror.
Rare birds preen themselves right in front of your camera.
You guys would rather preen in a moral mirror, than actually win. Matthew Yglesias » Sleep Deprivation
The edge of the ice had started to melt, creating a narrow stream where some of the birds were happily preening, flapping showers of droplets into the air.
In one hut he roomed with a resident tarantula and things that "sang, copulated, stank, ate each other, whirred, preened, and glowed. From Guyana to Guiana
It's not there to make it easier for them to strut and preen on Sunday morning televised gabfests.
It is just that the preening and pouting of the suited one has got to me. Times, Sunday Times
made herself conspicuous by her exhibitionistic preening
50% of men under 35 spend at least 20 minutes preening themselves every morning in the bathroom.
Which is better, post-haste posting or prior preparation and preening?
Thus a small canvas - "Seal" (2007) - depicting close-up a wax seal stamped with a Christogram makes it appear as huge as a manhole cover, while the couple preening through SFGate: Top News Stories
But on his end, the marriage plummets quickly from him preening about landing someone another character calls "luscious" to displays of intense, irrational jealousy. News - chicagotribune.com
And just think, if we ever achieve proper reform and a genuinely proportional system, we might see the splitting apart of the big old parties and perhaps a genuinely progressive, genuinely viable alternative to the preening, self serving, oleaginous Labour Party, which has failed everyone in this country who claims a leftist or liberal bent, will emerge. Constitutional reform: Alternative currents | Editorial
Rather, it is based on a return to the text of the Quran, preening away centuries of what I'd call masculinist readings. Nicholas D. Kristof
Apoiar e louvar dessa forma um massacre covarde a animais, é realmente, sem compreensão. Pesca ao tubarão em kayak/ Extreme Kayak Shark Fishing
They have been seen turning their head and preening their back while still flying. Times, Sunday Times
The dance floor is crowded with performers who are preening either with feminine realness or clownish flamboyance.
And remember, you can buy three or four classy reporters for the price of one preening senior backstabber. Times, Sunday Times
DRY skin on your feet may be a sign of stress - perhaps as busy lives mean less time for personal preening. The Sun
Ministers have grown used to preening themselves over Britain's unaccustomed role last year as the fastest grower among the Group of Seven leading world economies.
It is just that the preening and pouting of the suited one has got to me. Times, Sunday Times
We veer away towards the subway, through the bloated families and the preening mermaids and mermen.
Mist hung over the water and the huge concourse of duck swam and ducked and preened.
50% of men under 35 spend at least 20 minutes preening themselves every morning in the bathroom.
Birds keep their plumage in good condition using a variety of main and subsidiary maintenance behaviors, including preening, scratching, bathing, dusting, sunning, anting, shaking, and ruffling of the feathers.
The contestants primp and preen, surrounded by clucking coteries of friends and parents.
A whole host of dandy dogs and preened pooches converged on Oulder Hill Community School over the weekend to strut their stuff.
Anatids spend copious amounts of time in the water and spend a great deal of time on preening and feather maintenance.
It was an age of excess, of overweening ambition, of greed, and phoniness, and sucking up, and the glorification of strange, obnoxious, preening, uninteresting people.
The furcot merely bunked, yawned, and started preening itself with a forepaw. Shopgirls
They showed Long, primping and preening in flimsy muscle shirts that hugged every ripple in the fifty-seven year-old's startlingly chiseled physique. Zandile Blay: Bishop Eddie Long: A Wolf in Chic Clothing?
50% of men under 35 spend at least 20 minutes preening themselves every morning in the bathroom.
A third factor is that subtle effects of preen oil may not be detectable in captive birds.
Smoothed a hand over her apron as if she preened in her best silk gown. Earl of Durkness
This band's falsetto preening, cat suits and uninventive instrumental tripe is not intended to be a joke but comes off as a really bad one.
The government is publicly preening itself on the latest trade figures.
He's the Premiership's favourite boo-boy; a lightning rod for trouble and a preening fop who revels in his rep as the man they love to hate.
This Chris Brown guy is yet another example of our culture and society being destroyed by overhyped, untalented cretins who pose and preen themselves into some kind of wannabe phenomena. Chris Brown Not Guilty Plea
Rare birds preen themselves right in front of your camera.
Kenneth Branagh preens himself amusingly as buttery fop, explorer and new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart; Jason Isaacs is disdain personified as the villainous Lucius Malfoy.
‘I want to be somebody,’ she says, tossing a marabou boa over her shoulder as she preens for the camera.
Birds use their beaks to keep their feathers in order; you know this action as preening.
The insect envoy lifted a hand, turned his head sideways, and preened his ommatidia. A Corridor in the Asylum
DRY skin on your feet may be a sign of stress - perhaps as busy lives mean less time for personal preening. The Sun
They wriggle their claws in the dirt, fluff out their feathers, and preen themselves.
The contestants primp and preen, surrounded by clucking coteries of friends and parents.
He strutted and preened and made the girls laugh while I drank beer at the bar and watched the swirling dancers, careful not to talk to or touch any of the girls. Reynolds and Me
In Prof. Patterson's class, which is must have a women to men ration of 10: 1, all of the gum smacking coeds are preening themselves in the mirror.
He enjoyed the applause, preening himself like a pop star.
Watch any bird for a while, and you will see that it spends a lot of time preening its feathers and bathing in water or dust.
50% of men under 35 spend at least 20 minutes preening themselves every morning in the bathroom.
In the aftermath of a victory on Election Day, the breast-beating and halo-preening exercises have intensified.
It is just that the preening and pouting of the suited one has got to me. Times, Sunday Times
Continuing in "preen mode" (we don't do it very often), we note, however, that The Sunday Telegraph – like the Telegraph and Argus the day before – failed to pick up on the EU link, and thus failed to remind us that the bulk of the petty restrictions stem from the implementation of EU law on landfill and recycling. The stench of hypocrisy
The interlocking hooks and barbules allow the feather to be ‘reset’ by the bird's preening action.
The purpose of the current study was to test the importance of preen oil in Rock Doves by removing the uropygial gland and quantifying plumage condition over a period of several months.
Both of them scorned the falsities of university life: the preening of dons, the careerism, the universal dullness. Times, Sunday Times
Resolutely unglamorous, Chadsey's young men, no hunks, preen and pose, sometimes grotesquely transformed by superimpositions that seem to be materialized projections of their fantasies, like the vulpine shadow in "Portrait (Pink Beak)," the black mud luchador mask (or terrorist balaclava) in "Blackface Rod," the dangling penis in the standing/spread-eagled protagonist of "Marines," or the extra sets of arms in the androgynous "Red Head (Shift). ArtScene: This Month's Top Exhibitions in the Western United States
Inevitably we're running late Mardi Gras morning (all that preening takes time), but fortunately, Zulu is also always running late, so we did manage to catch the rest of it. Zulu
A whole host of dandy dogs and preened pooches converged on Oulder Hill Community School over the weekend to strut their stuff.
The birds preened
A bird preened its feathers.
“I love it,” she said, and love was “loave,” and, of course, as a preening male, I was deeply pleased. The Double Life is Twice as Good
Preening popinjays, in love with the sound of their voice and the rightness of their opinions, how I hate them all.
The penguins ingest the oil as they preen their feathers, which changes the birds' immune systems, making them more vulnerable to disease.
It would be hard, for example, for someone playing Bottom (John Ramm, in this case) to preen and swagger, when showing off his hammy acting, if he is barefoot, as was the entire cast here.
In the Maya forest, the rare ocellated turkey cocks its head from side to side, as if preening.
Though the thing weighs three tons and preens itself on containing every word jotted in English since the language first dragged itself out of the primordial alphabet soup, peripolitan is not there. Alan Coren RIP
The acting, though amateurish, is energetic and delivered with gusto, and the awkward, theatrical dialogue becomes oddly appropriate (if somewhat stiff) in the affected presence of preening Alan. Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things | BuyZombie.com
‘As you wish, Captain,’ Tyrr replied simply, mentally preening himself for the accomplishment.
He primped and preened for the cameras like a Hollywood diva.
They start cramming the barricades, the ladies start primping and preening themselves in their compact mirrors.
Perhaps Godfrey got sight of him, preening himself as he strutted up Paternoster Row, and that's what drove him away. THE RIVAL QUEENS: A COUNTESS ASHBY DE LA ZOUCHE MYSTERY
I suppose there are places in America where such a show might still jolt its viewers, but to see "The Scottsboro Boys" on Broadway is to witness a nightly act of collective self-congratulation in which the right-thinking members of the audience preen themselves complacently at the thought of their own enlightenment. A Perilous Page of History to Turn
Resultado: amanhã terei de madrugar, para tentar apanhar consulta e conseguir que o papel fique finalmente preenchido. Maldição da múmia, V
The logic of these morally obtuse but deeply sentimental preenings of high-office holders is disturbing on many levels, but principally because it dramatizes something real: liberals, long sundered from the lineaments of any majoritarian politics, have succumbed to the worship of getting and holding power for its own sake. The Feel Good Presidency
We were preening ourselves on having won another victory.
The government is publicly preening itself on the latest trade figures.
He preened himself on the praise he had received.
Humans are like animals: when they stop preening themselves, you've got to worry.
Unable to summon up the courage to venture inside and make myself a cup of tea, I returned to the lounge where Amy was still preening herself.
All we saw them do was sit in restaurants preening themselves and getting drunk on wine.
This means they don't know when to stop preening themselves.
But sister bronze outsmiled her, preening for him her richer hair, a bosom and a rose. Ulysses
When preening, birds nibble and stroke their feathers, returning them to correct position.
The moggies bound off surfaces in super slo-mo as classy piano music plays; they preen, they paw, they nuzzle, then snuggle into shelf space like their species 'very existence depends on it. The Hard Sell: Ikea
On a dance floor crowded with drag performers who are preening either with feminine realness or clownish flamboyance, Aviance is a unique creature.
Which is better, post-haste posting or prior preparation and preening?
Increased plumage abrasion caused by a higher rate of preening could break feather barbules, leading to a reduction in plumage condition.
Time we'd got home and I'd put our lunch together, the afternoon was well under way and so we decided I should absent myself again while Graham dashed round to primp and preen the place and see the visitors through.
If these substances come into contact with bird feathers they are impossible for the bird to preen or wash out.
When birds "preen" and try to remove the oil, they can swallow it and be poisoned. Scientists watch for environmental effects of Gulf of Mexico oil spill
There is a want of something done, or shown, to preengage the feeling, or raise a favoring prejudice in it; so that, when advance is made, on God’s The Vicarious Sacrifice, Grounded in Principles of Universal Obligation.
Then she lashed her tail around and commenced preening it.
The politically (and anatomically) correct term is pygostyle -- literally rump post -- for the structure of fused vertebra that anchors the turkey's magnificent tail feathers (rectrices) and also harbors the uropygial gland, source of preen oil, the yummy fat the bird uses to groom its plumage. Cold Turkey
The video stream is a slideshow-esque montage of natural scenery, such as birds in flight, sweeping clouds, sunrises and sunsets, preening herons, and other such postcard standbys.
Of course, the criticism at Blographia Literaria remains stiff with jargon “Realistic scene-dressing is the provision of quotidian details which, because of their superfluity or excessiveness, demonstrate at least the authorial intention of anchoring the action in reality”, but at least Seal has given up moral preening for a bit. Archive 2010-02-01
Television stars had been preening themselves for the red carpet at Claridges, where some of the hottest designers, make-up artists, jewellers and hair stylists had taken up residence.
Bill preened his beard.
It's not a minuscule scrap of faded black cotton, it's my Preen skirt - which, incidentally, looks great with the Gucci boots I bought while a taxi waited outside en route to a lunch.
Small, roll-up curtains reveal four colorful rooms behind the facade, one each for the preening stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe downstairs, and two upstairs for their harrumphing father Don Magnifico, the down-at-heel Baron of Montefiascone, while sweet and sprightly Angelina gets the cinders and the scullery in the middle. 'La Cenerentola' Sparkles on the Paris Stage
The moggies bound off surfaces in super slo-mo as classy piano music plays; they preen, they paw, they nuzzle, then snuggle into shelf space like their species 'very existence depends on it. The Hard Sell: Ikea
We're always expected to be preening ourselves, so it was a pretty nice opportunity not to have to think about that stuff for a while.
They found that a progressive virus "sticking" on feathers occurs because AIV-contaminated waters interact with the preen oil gland secretion.
Peering through the windows at the spectacles hosted by white planters, enslaved blacks would then prance and preen in imitation of whites at their own dances, using exaggerated movements, curtsys and bows to and adopting “high-toned” clothing to mock. The Cakewalk | Edwardian Promenade
His hair and beard were testimony to his fastidious nature and obsessive preening.
So the platform suddenly filled with around 700 prime cuts of jailbait, jostling and pouting, preening and throwing disparaging glances and mumbled bitchy comments, at anyone who didn't in their opinion, look as good as them.
The moon over Miami was crescent, a warm breeze ruffled multi-lighted coconut palm fronds, dogs with hats yapped under the tables and around splashing fountains, long-legged Latinas and buff fellas, tourists and druggies and varied genders preened in an endless paseo. Lea Lane: South Beach: Then and Now
Martha Plimpton at least adds some ballsiness to Claire's preening and posturing.
We preened ourselves for reaching the quarter-finals of soccer's World Cup, and now it doesn't matter so much if we don't bring home the Ashes, just as long as we don't get battered in every game.
They strut for the cheerleaders, perform one-arm push-ups for the crowd, and preen for the cameras.
Saturday was breakfast and more chat until car-picking up and the eventual drive back to Oxford -- arrived in plenty of time to shower and prink / preen before the Kellogg College formal hall. Stuff and more stuff
In fact, he's crowing and preening in the spotlight that he's brought to bear on his actions.
For almost 10 years, I have preened myself on this single modest benefaction.
As Kerry preens as a hero, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's challenge to his medals is not being heard.
They were the ones for which she would preen herself for every night for what seemed like bloody hours (hair, makeup, clothes).
The egg carton explained that this egg came from the Columbian Blacktail hen, whose life inside a henhouse with ‘natural bedding and scratching materials encourage preening and dust bathing’.
Silver-coated mime artists, preening pipers and flaming fire-eaters clog every city thoroughfare.
Bartlett drew from the old-fashioned uniforms of the virile football player and the preening perfection of the city dweller.
We were preening ourselves on having won another victory.
Nicholas preened himself as he sat there; he would tell Mary how he had bearded his Majesty, and what a diplomatist was her husband. The King's Achievement
Birds may not resume normal pecking or preening for as long as six weeks after debeaking, and in some cases profuse bleeding and death from shock occurs.
Hens enjoy scratching, preening and dustbathing and the deep straw covered floor encourages these social activities.
There's a reporter who has no idea the cam is on and he's rehearsing and primping and preening.
The penguins ingest the oil as they preen their feathers, which changes the birds' immune systems, making them more vulnerable to disease.
And as for what preening churchmen think we ought to drive, well, my sentiments are unprintable.
They strut for the cheerleaders, perform one-arm push-ups for the crowd, and preen for the cameras.
They then spend several hours preening and drying their feathers.
To show the animal at its best in full wool involves a good cut and long hours preening the fleece free of straw, twigs and debris.
They are plucked, preened and pouting – and wouldn't raise a carefully groomed eyebrow at the notion of spending their pay cheque on a Comme des Garçons blazer. Why grooming is the fashionable way to make a real man of you
The government is publicly preening itself on the latest trade figures.
Not that I was the only one: I noticed how all the women preened themselves when he walked into the room, flirting with him and laughing outrageously at his jokes.
You primp, you preen, you eat just right enough to get that bathing suit to hang just so.
Before I knew it, he was right in front of me, head atilt again, and preening for me.
It is just that the preening and pouting of the suited one has got to me. Times, Sunday Times
We spend hours preening and dressing in fashionable clobber, and still look like a tired old sack of spuds.
Accordingly, even though birds without uropygial glands preened at the same rate as birds with glands, the former may have suffered more breakage of feather barbules.
Yes, like the swan who is supposed to mate for life, the Prince will be flying the nest, an outcast from the flock, left to preen his ruffled feathers and wish he had some vital organ he could reclaim like that sad bloke in America. Prince Philip To Divorce
Ernesto is seen as preening and shallow, almost sadistically delighting in his uncle Pasquale's discomfort, for all the ardency of his love.
Cassidy crouched down by the water and grinned at the comical looking ducks as they paddled and preened themselves in the clear crystal water.
Instead, we allow members of Congress to posture and preen for the cameras. Daniel Hough Jones: Compel Congress to Work
Instead of practising, yesterday the Towie star spent his time preening himself in front of a mirror. The Sun
Hens enjoy scratching, preening and dustbathing and the deep straw covered floor encourages these social activities.
Finally, if specialised teeth could be shown to have no important function in foraging or feeding behaviour it might then be logical to infer that preening was their primary function -- but, how on earth would you show that they had ‘no function’ in foraging or feeding behaviour? The war on parasites: an oviraptorosaur’s eye view
With hundreds of new feathers regenerating, the bird must preen constantly.
Reduced to a joke, a historical sight gag, with their silly uniforms and shiny boots, inevitably, every last strutting, preening one of them (including George W. Bush) will matriculate through the university of higher humiliation known as the vastness of life. Baby George In The Land Of The Bubble People
Whether it's aiming for zany hilarity or astute satire, this show needs to stop preening and sharpen its claws. Times, Sunday Times
“You weel come parrty weeth us, you are the preencess.” Get Laid or Die Trying
He disappeared for a while and then I found him at the dressing table, preening himself before the mirror.
• Preening hereditary pundit Giles Coren has joined the Jeremy Clarkson-led backlash in defence of Sky Sport's martyred masculinist, Andy Gray. Michael White's diary
In idyllic seclusion he is watched over by preening geishas and the resort's manager, Mr Komatsu, as he samples many dishes, including the vilest of all abominations - the Mountain Potato.
They stand there, glum and gloomy, surrounded by Raphaels, Bronzinos and Goyas, staring morosely at the carpet or up at the ceiling, trying to pay attention to the preening weenie on the art phone. Three Tips for Surviving the Art Museum
Sargent is portrayed as modest, self-denying and unambitious, the antithesis of the preening Oxford peacocks.
50% of men under 35 spend at least 20 minutes preening themselves every morning in the bathroom.
Services here are several times cheaper than in Nablus, and as the checkpoints had been closed, it is the best alternative for those who can still afford the luxuries of preening themselves but can't reason with the soldiers to wiggle their way out of their open-air prison of a village. Thursdays with my sisters
I don't cite Ernesto to brag well, maybe to "preen". Archive 2007-03-01
Then it preened its scaly breast feathers with a wide beak.
‘Why are you preening and prinking?’ says I. ‘I am ready to do anything to please you, Tit Vassilitch!’ Crime and Punishment
Peering through the windows at the spectacles hosted by white planters, enslaved blacks would then prance and preen in imitation of whites at their own dances, using exaggerated movements, curtsys and bows to and adopting “high-toned” clothing to [...] 2009 February | Edwardian Promenade
Birds use their beaks to keep their feathers in order; you know this action as preening.
Instead of practising, yesterday the Towie star spent his time preening himself in front of a mirror. The Sun
I was worried because the Democrats are horribly inept and factional - they have a proven inability to get things done; from the outset, rather than focusing on governing effectively and with dignity, they strutted and preened like unattractive peacocks. Integrity
The tall white birds preen, squawk, and soar majestically, like snowy B - 52s.
To try and sum up a potential candidate in 10 minutes is a waste of time for you and even more of a waste of time for the candidate who has to swot up on the company, preen themselves, find your office and then wait for you to decide to show.
Here is Unmitigated Local England, local people enjoying local pleasures - sheep tweeked and preened for the sheepwalk (one judging category reads: Three Threaves Mule or Masham), foxhounds snuffling for the biscuits in a huntsman's coat. Show Sunday
Not that he is preening: he is careless about his blond good looks, a scruffy hipster beard giving maturity to his rather angelic face. Times, Sunday Times
This louse is the only common parasite on satin bowerbirds, and it is found mainly around the head and eyes where birds cannot easily preen.
On the wires overhead a cheerful community of young swallows were chattering and performing their evening ablutions, stretching one wing out at a time, as far as it would reach, and preening the feathers.
Cinderella did the dirty work while her sisters preened themselves
Once there he would preen himself and settle down quite quietly, giving my hair an affectionate tweak from time to time.
Inside, in one of the mirrored and gilded rooms that glitter and preen like a self-conscious jewel casket, is warmer.
What could be a nicer way to spend an idle day - and being career leftists, it is safe to assume most of their days are unproductive - than preening and posturing in the dock while reporters take down their every egomaniacal word?
The company preened itself for having taken on so many new employees last year.
Accordingly, even though birds without uropygial glands preened at the same rate as birds with glands, the former may have suffered more breakage of feather barbules.
These lads out-diet, out-exercise and out-preen even the most dedicated Hollywood starlet in their bid for the biggest muscles, leanest bods and the most well-defined six pack.
A rescue worker feeds a northern gannet bird from the Gulf of Mexico region a dose of Pepto-Bismol today to combat complications from oil ingested when the bird tried to preen its feathers.
Juvenile king penguins preen on the shore.
The politically (and anatomically) correct term is pygostyle -- literally rump post -- for the structure of fused vertebra that anchors the turkey's magnificent tail feathers (rectrices) and also harbors the uropygial gland, source of preen oil, the yummy fat the bird uses to groom its plumage. Cold Turkey
HM Treasury famously preens itself as having a collection of the very finest minds Oxbridge can produce – a pity then their principal activity seems to be devising spiv-like ways of deceiving the punters. Society daily 26.10.2010
It merely would have ensured that the real deal-making took place somewhere else off camera, while everyone on camera feigned politeness and common cause and preened for the audience. Matthew Yglesias » Franken Hits Obama Over CSPAN Promise
Rare birds preen themselves right in front of your camera.
Kingfishers generally preen frequently, and anting has been observed in at least one species of kookaburra.
The moon over Miami was crescent, a warm breeze ruffled multi-lighted coconut palm fronds, dogs with hats yapped under the tables and around splashing fountains, long-legged Latinas and buff fellas, tourists and druggies and varied genders preened in an endless paseo. Lea Lane: South Beach: Then and Now

How To Use Preen In A Sentence

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