noun
definition
An incongruous mixture.
definition
A jester's multicoloured clothes.
definition
(by extension) A jester; a fool.
adjective
definition
Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity; heterogeneous.
definition
Having many colours; variegated.
Examples of motley in a Sentence
In size they are less than half that of a large wolf and are of a motley sandy colour.
From Japan a similar animal is obtained in smaller quantities with very good but longer fur, of yellowish motley light-brown shades.
Making for the fortress of Newark, Lincoln and Sir Thomas Broughton, at the head of their motley forces, and accompanied by Simnel, attacked the royal army near the village of Stoke-on-Trent on the 16th of June 1487.
As illustrative of this, it may be explained that any brown tone of fur such as sable, marten, mink, black marten, beaver, nutria, &c., will go well upon black or very dark-brown furs, while those of a white or grey nature, such as ermine, white lamb, chinchilla, blue fox, silver fox, opossum, grey squirrel, grey lamb, will set well upon seal or black furs, as Persian lamb, broadtail, astrachan, caracul lamb, &c. White is also permissible upon some light browns and greys, but brown motley colours and greys should never be in contrast.
Who dares take on the spirits of the motley crew?
The event really came into its own when in February 1967 Clown Smokey succeeded in gaining permission for Clowns to attend in full motley.
The Egyptian army, which was motley in character, was disbanded by the new sultan, whose troops were Kurds.
On the former lived a motley population of slaves, horse-boys, and mercenaries composed of broken men of other clans, many of whom were fugitives from justice, possessing no rights either in the sept or tribe and entirely dependent on the bounty of the lord, and consequently living about his fortified residence.
All of these added up to a rather motley spectrum and to an ambivalent score.
The force altogether was imposing, but at the same time of a somewhat motley character.
There seems little doubt, however, that it was really the work of the prince himself, with the help either of Languet (Groen van Prinsterer, Archives) or of Pierre de Villiers (Motley, Rise of the Dutch Republic; and Blok, History of the People of the Netherlands).
Motley acknowledges his indebtedness to Groen's Archives in the preface to his Rise of the Dutch Republic, at a time when the American historian had not yet made the acquaintance of King William's archivist, and also bore emphatic testimony to Groen's worth as a writer of history in the correspondence published after his death.
At the first reception, in 1858, of Motley at the royal palace at the Hague, the king presented him with a copy of Groen's Archives as a token of appreciation and admiration of the work done by the "worthy vindicator of William I., prince of Orange."
This copy, bearing the king's autograph inscription, afterwards came into the possession of Sir William Vernon Harcourt, Motley's son-in-law.
They really looked exactly what they are - a motley bunch of journeyman footballers only suited to lower league football.
Meanwhile, in a subplot, a motley group of local eccentrics have their own adventure.
Wherefore, leaving the motley, I rest, Madam, Your faithful friend and servant.
The Regimental History records A very motley crew they were, in every sort of civilian garment, not excluding bowler hats and shorts.
On the 3rd of July 1778, while a considerable number of the able-bodied men were absent in the Connecticut service, a motley force of about 400 men and boys under Colonel Zebulon Butler were attacked and defeated near Kingston in the "battle of Wyoming" by about I 100 British, Provincial (Tory) and Indian troops under Major John Butler, and nearly three-fourths were killed or taken prisoners and subsequently massacred.
The style is that of the classic school, that of Prescott and Motley, full of colour, characterization and spirit.
M de Stael (whose mission had been in abeyance and himself in Holland for three years) was accredited to the French republic by the regent of Sweden; his wife reopened her salon and for a time was conspicuous in the motley and eccentric society of the Directory.
Thus, for example, as generations succeed one another, nervous disorders appear in various guise; epilepsy, megrim, insanity, asthma, hysteria, neurasthenia, a motley array at first sight, seemed to reveal themselves as terms of a morbid series; not only so, but certain disorders of other systems also might be members of the series, such as certain diseases of the skin, and even peculiar susceptibilities or immunities in respect of infections from without.
Crossing the Potomac, he marched eastward, and, defeating a motley force (action of the Monocacy)which General Lew Wallace had collected to oppose him, appeared before the lines of Washington.
They permeate his controversial and political writings and historical studies, of which his Handbook of Dutch History (in Dutch) and Maurice et Barnevelt (in French, 1875, a criticism of Motley's Life of Van Olden-Barnevelt) are the principal.
As a member of the council he took an active share in the affairs of the colony, ably seconding the efforts of John Smith to introduce order, industry and system among the motley array of adventurers and idle "gentlemen" of which the little band was composed.
But there were no dealers with voices of ingratiating affability inviting customers to enter; there were no hawkers, nor the usual motley crowd of female purchasers--but only soldiers, in uniforms and overcoats though without muskets, entering the Bazaar empty-handed and silently making their way out through its passages with bundles.
However, in the 1980's, when heavy metal was the music of the day, Motley Crew's Girls, Girls, Girls video featured nothing but strippers in birthday suits sliding down dance poles.
In 1995, Pamela made headlines when she married Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee.
When Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and VH1 were shopping schools for the rocker's short-lived Tommy Lee Goes to College, they were also met with a resounding "No" by the University of Central Florida.
But there is also Megadeth and Motley Crue to keep everyone happy.
Do you love heavy metal and want to find free Motley Crue bass tabs?
Motley Crue was one of the most popular bands in the world during the heyday of hair metal.
Find out where to locate the best free Motley Crue bass tabs on the Internet tabs.
The following is a list of Internet sites that post tabs of Motley Crue songs.
This list has over four-hundred versions of Motley Crue songs tabbed out.
Before you know it, you'll be able to rock along with Motley Crue and impress all your friends with your bass guitar chops.
There are many helpful online calculators to use, including CGI-CNN Money, Bloomberg, Principal, and Motley Fool.
Basically the Earth is in danger, and it is up to Goku, his son Gohan, and the motley crew of warriors they hang around with to defeat the villains and save all of mankind.
These include "Black Magic Woman" by Santana, "Miss Murder" by AFI, "Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins, "Shout at the Devil" by Motley Crue, and "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by Scorpions.
The Motley Fool also has good online calculators.
Boys Brandon (10) and Dylan (8) are products of her former marriage to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee.
The Betsey Johnson Anchors Away hobo is just one example of this motley madness.
The world of hard rock is certainly not a stranger to ink, with artists such as Tommy Lee of Motley Crue being heavily inked and Motorhead's Lemmy boasting a couple of well-aged tattoos.
She is divorced and currently dating Nikki Sixx from the heavy metal band Motley Crue.
Read the novel for yourself to find out what Louis Wu (and his motley crew) discovered when they got there.
Buckskin and cotton shirts, cocked hats, beaver-skins, cowhide, moccasins, boots, long stockings, knee breeches, jackets, belt knives, axes, clubs, handguns, and blades were merely some components in their motley of outfits.
In 1870 he was nominated by President Grant, and confirmed by the senate, as United States minister to England to succeed John Lothrop Motley, but declined the mission.
In history, Winthrop and Bradford laid the foundations of her story in the very beginning; but the best example of the colonial period is Thomas Hutchinson, and in later days Bancroft, Sparks, Palfrey, Prescott, Motley and Parkman.
To the visitor from Europe the attraction of Tunis lies in the native city, where, in the Rue al Jezira, along which runs electric trams, he can see hundreds of camels in the morning bearing charcoal to market; where he may witness the motley life of the bazaars, or, by the Bab-Jedid, watch the snake-charmers and listen to the Moorish storytellers.
Crossing the Potomac, he marched eastward, and, defeating a motley force which General Lew Wallace had collected to oppose him, appeared before the lines of Washington.