An old term for vomiting, from casting in the sense of "throwing out or up," as in dice or a fishing line.

from francis bacon's last letter, in which he talks of the effects of stuffing a hen with snow to see if it would slow down rotting, an experiment from which he caught the pneumonia that killed him:

As for the experiment itself, it succeeded excellently well; but in the journey I was taken with such a fit of casting as I know not whether it were the stone, or some surfeit, or cold, or indeed a touch of them all three.

Casting, as it applies to golf, is the most disastrous act a golfer can perform while swinging a golf club. It refers to the motion made when one casts a fishing rod, and happens when the wrist cock set during the backswing is released prematurely. Golfers call this "coming over the top" or "starting the downswing with the hands and arms". The start of the downswing should start with the hips, and the torsional stress in the swing should pull on the shoulders. The triangle formed between the shoulders and arms should not be disturbed by unconnected arm/hand movement. The hands must stay "in front of" the shoulders at all times. One should attempt to keep the wrist cock established at the top-of-swing until centrifugal force naturally uncocks the wrists.

A swing key that Sam Snead relied on to avoid casting was that the start of the downswing feels like it's originating from the pinky and ring finger of the left hand. Imagine pulling on the club with those two fingers, and you'll see how focusing on that eliminates any tendancy to "hit" at the ball with the right hand. It is this overemphasis on the dominant hand that causes the cast to occur. The golf swing requires patience due to the angular inertia of the clubhead. One cannot start it moving at 100 mph by making a hard move at the start of the downswing. The result of trying to apply too much power too early will be that of 90% of those who try too hard to hit from the top of the downswing: a wicked slice. The other 10% of those who hit from the top will be cursed with something almost as bad: a big pull. Neither of these is a desirable result, and both can be eliminated by being patient and allowing the power to flow to the clubhead in a smooth, on-plane fashion.

Casting is also a sport, much influenced by fishing. The
contestant has a fishing rod (actually a spinning rod with a weight instead of a lure at
the end of the line) and the aim is to score points by hitting
targets at various distances. Although some
enthusiasts take this sport very seriously, it is largely
unknown by the general public.

A worm casting, or worm castings, is the pile of little pieces of dirt outside an earthworm's burrow. So, basically, earthworm shit.

Castings are extremely good fertilizer -- this is why worms are great to have in your garden or compost heap. They are high in phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, and potassium, and also in bacteria that are helpful to the soil.

Cast"ing (?), n.

1. The act of one who casts or throws, as in fishing.

2. The act or process of making cast or impressions, or of shaping metal or plaster in a mold; the act or the process of pouring molten metal into a mold.

3. That which is cast in a mold; esp. the mass of metal so cast; as, a casting in iron; bronze casting.

4. The warping of a board.

Brande & C.

5. The act of casting off, or that which is cast off, as skin, feathers, excrement, etc.

Casting of draperies, the proper distribution of the folds of garments, in painting and sculpture. -- Casting line Fishing, the leader; also, sometimes applied to the long reel line. Casting net, a net which is cast and drawn, in distinction from a net that is set and left. -- Casting voice, Casting vote, the decisive vote of a presiding officer, when the votes of the assembly or house are equally divided. "When there was an equal vote, the governor had the casting voice." B. Trumbull. -- Casting weight, a weight that turns a balance when exactly poised.

 

© Webster 1913.

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