Wager, s. A bet, anything pledged upon a chance or performance.
Wager, v. To lay, to pledge as a bet.
Wagtail, s. A bird.
The species of this kind are few, and these are chiefly confined to the continent of Europe, where the individuals are numerous.
They are easily distinguished by their brisk and lively motions, as well as by the great length of their tails, which they jerk up and down incessantly, from which circumstance they derive their name. They do not hop but run along the ground very nimbly after flies and other insects, on which they feed: they likewise feed on small worms, in search of which they are frequently seen to flutter round the husbandman whilst at his plough, and follow the flocks in search of the flies which generally surround them. They frequent the sides of pools, and pick up the insects which swarm on the surface. They seldom perch; their flight is weak and undulating, during which they make a twittering noise.
In almost all languages the name of this bird is descriptive of its peculiar habits. In Latin, motacilla; in French, motteux, la lavandière, or washer; in England, they are sometimes called washers, from their peculiar motion; in German, brook-stilts; in Italian, shake-tail, &c. &c.—Bewick.
Wain, s. A carriage.
Walk, s. Act of walking for air or exercise; gait, step, manner of moving; a length of space, or circuit through which one walks; a fish: Walk is the slowest or least raised pace, or going of a horse.
Wall-eyed, a. Having white eyes.
Walnut, s. The name of a tree; the fruit and wood of the tree.