Ray Cummings
See first quotes from Ray Cummings
32 Quotations from Ray Cummings
| antigravity adj. | 1941 Coming of Giant Germs Apr. 14/1 Twenty years ago, there had been talk that he was working on an anti-gravity principle—the secret of spaceflight…Then apparently he had given it up. |
| artificial gravity n. | 1930 Brigands of Moon in Astounding Stories Mar. 345/2 The magnetizer control under the chart-room was altered, our artificial gravity cut off. I felt the sudden lightness; I gripped the window casement and clung. |
| automatics n. | 1932 Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories May xxii. 254 Snap and I were in control of the ship. For temporary periods the automatics would handle the gravity-shifters. I could operate them here from the turret. |
| beam weapon n. | [1931 White Invaders in Astounding Stories Dec. 348 The green light-beam weapons were merely another application of the same principle…. The light-beams were swift and violent in their action.] |
| braintape n. | 1954 He Who Served in Fantastic Universe Sept. 111/2 Everywhere Toory was admired…. Toory glowed inwardly. His brain-tapes received the warmth. |
| countergravity adj. | 1942 Rain of Fire in Future Aug. 65/1 I'll turn a countergravity ray on you. You'll have a nice, long trip—until you starve to death! |
| earthgirl n. | 1930 Brigands of the Moon in Astounding Stories of Super-Science June 367/2 The girls of all the Universe have no charm for me. There is only one, for me—an Earth[-]girl. |
| earth people n. | 1930 Brigands of Moon in Astounding Stories Mar. 315/1 The passengers coming aboard seemed a fair representation of what we usually had for the outward voyage to Ferrok-Shahn. Most were Earth people—and returning Martians. |
| earth people n. | 1922 Fire People in Argosy-Allstory Weekly 28 Oct. 706/2 Miela promised them that she would use all possible precautions, in the event of her having any choice in the matter, to prevent the earth people learning anything about it. |
| earth person n. | 1922 Fire People in Argosy All-Story Weekly 21 Oct. 496/1 The girl’s memory was extraordinarily retentive, far more retentive than is the case with any normal earth person. |
| earthwoman n. | 1930 Brigands of Moon in Astounding Stories 324/2 An Earth woman and child and a small Venus man were in sight, but not within earshot. |
| glassite n. | 1930 Brigands of Moon in Astounding Stories of Super-Science Mar. 314/2 The dome roof, with the glassite windows rolled back now, rose in a mound-peak to cover this highest middle portion of the vessel. |
| gravity plate n. | 1936 Earth-Venus 12 in Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 104/2 An hour’s ascent, with our rocket-tails streaming like a comet behind us; then we shut them off, with the gravity plates set for Earth repulsion and the Moon to pull us on the first leg of the flight. |
| gravity plate n. | 1932 Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories 201/1 The bow gravity-plates slid into the repulsive-force positions. |
| gravity plate n. | 1930 Brigands of the Moon in Astounding Stories of Super Science Mar. 343/2 The Planetara was turning. The heavens revolved in a great round sweep of movement, then settled as we took our new course. Hahn at the turret controls had swung us. The earth and the sun showed over our bow quarter. The sunlight mingled red-yellow with the brilliant starlight. Hahn’s signals were sounding; I heard them answered from the mechanism rooms down below. Brigands there—in full control. The gravity plates were being set to the new positions; we were on our new course. Headed a point or two off the Earth-line. |
| Lunite n. | 1941 Space-Flight of Terror in Science Fiction Jan. 15/1 No more than a dozen passengers, this flight; Earth people, a few Martians—a Lunite or two. |
| Mercurian n. 2 | 1923 Around the Universe in Science and Invention Sept. v. 434/2 The place was crowded; its gallery above, open to the public, was thronged with those curious to see these strange visitors from another world. Sir Isaac, who, fortunately, was fairly fluent in the Mercurian tongue, explained their mission. He was earnest and eloquent. And when he had finished, having done his very best, the King, after a whispered conference with his councillors, made his speech of condolence! Sir Isaac was aghast. |
| Mercutian n. 1 | 1922 Fire People in Argosy All-Story Weekly 21 Oct. ii. 486/1 ‘This light I conceive to be the chief weapon of warfare of the Mercutians,’ the professor went on. ‘There has been some talk of those two meteors being signals. That’s all nonsense. They were not signals—they were missiles. It was an act of aggression.’ |
| Mercutian n. 1 | 1941 Aerita of the Light Country in Super Science Novels Magazine Aug. iii. 22/2 He was a young Viking Earthman; six feet four; obviously a strange sight here to these little Mercutians... In one of the upper halls he and Aerita encountered three of four little men. They were perhaps five and a half feet tall; some of them shorter—grey-skinned men with black and silver streaked hair, bushy to the base of the neck. Flowing, glistening fabric-robes of gaudy colors enveloped them. |
| Mercutian n. 2 | 1941 Aerita of the Light Country in Super Science Novels Magazine Aug. iii. 22/2 It was weird. He felt as though with a leap he could sail twenty feet or more. Aerita was drawing him toward stairs where a winding flight went down into the palace. The interior sounds were floating up—running footsteps; men’s excited, frightened voices in the strange Mercutian language. |
| Mercutian n. 2 | 1922 Fire People in Argosy All-Story Weekly 28 Oct. xii. 710/2 I wondered what curious sort of metal this might be—so like copper in appearance. I doubted if it were copper, since even in this hot, moist air it seemed to have no property of oxidation. I asked Miela about it, and she gave me its Mercutian name at once; but of course that helped me not a bit. |
| Mercutian adj. | 1922 Fire People in Argosy All-Story Weekly 21 Oct. vi. 496/1 After a time they reached the Mercutian vehicle. It was a cubical box, with a pyramid-shaped top, some thirty feet square at the base, and evidently constructed of metal, a gleaming white nearer like silver than anything else Alan could think of. He saw that it had a door on the side facing him, and several little slitlike windows, covered by a thick, transparent substance which might have been glass. |
| moon base n. | 1932 Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories May 249/2 It was for this the hovering Wandl fleet was waiting—holding off from conflict until this Moon base was ready. |
| needle-beam n. | 1930 Brigands of the Moon in Astounding Stories of Super-Science Mar. 347/1 Miko was bending over him. Miko with a heat-cylinder no longer than a finger. Its needle-beam played upon Snap’s naked chest. I could see the gruesome little trail of smoke rising. |
| ray projector n. | [1922 Fire People in Argosy All-Story Weekly 28 Oct. 700/1 Mercer had been killed by a tiny light-ray projector, with a short, effective radius, aimed probably like a revolver.] |
| space force n. | 1932 Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories May 244 The masters of Wandl immediately recognized the paramount importance of the coming battle in space, and promptly sent more space-forces off. |
| space gun n. 2 | 1932 Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories Apr. 251/2 A haze like glowing stardust, or the radiance from a comet’s tail, was spread…no doubt the released electrons and the dissipating gases of the space guns and exploding projectiles. |
| space vehicle n. | 1928 Giant World in Weird Tales Mar. 393/1 Mart Gryce and his sister Frannie…voyage to a distant world to rescue Brett Gryce, traveling in a space-vehicle that can go through space and time. |
| starway n. | 1936 Earth-Venus 12 in Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 103/2 From the forward turtle deck, under the glassite dome of the Starlight Arrow, I peered down to the landing stage where the arriving passengers were crowding. It was Interplanetary Starways, Earth-Venus Voyage Twelve. |
| starway n. | 1932 Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories May 247/2 The terror of the starways, your worlds called me. |
| time-travelling adj. | 1931 Exile of Time in Astounding Stories Apr. 33/1 That cage is a Time-traveling vehicle. It is traveling back and forth through Time. |
| warship n. | 1932 Wandl, The Invader in Astounding Stories May 249/1 The Earth warship went back to its squadron and the Wandl vessel rejoined its fellows. |