To chew means ‘to crush with the teeth,’ as when eating, and ‘to tear something by chewing,’ mostly like dogs do with things around the house. Figuratively, to chew, usually with the adverb over, means…
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December 2022
Ginger is a plant, originally from Asia, with a strong smelling and spicy root used for cooking and medicine. It’s also the name for a yellow-brownish color, similar to the color of the plant. In British English, we call red-haired people ginger and you’d also call a cat with orange fur ginger. As an adjective, ginger refers to everything that tastes like ginger or that is made with ginger…
To vault means ‘to leap, from place to another or over something.’ Figuratively, it means ‘to achieve something quickly,’ as though you have leapt past others or over obstacles to do so. A vault, as a noun, is the leap of a horse or any act of leaping in general. However, a vault is also an arched structure that forms a ceiling,…
Whole is an adjective that means ‘entire, full’ and ‘complete, with all its parts.’ It’s also used to emphasize how much an amount is. Whole also means ‘not broken or injured.’ A whole number is a number that is not a fraction. As a noun, a whole is an assembly of things considered as one thing or a thing that is complete in itself…
To commit yourself or to commit to something is ‘to declare your opinion on a matter’ or ‘to place yourself under an obligation to do something.’ If you commit something to somebody or something means you are entrusting it to that person or entity. In addition, to commit means ‘to put something in place’ and more specifically ‘to send someone or something to battle’…
A quiz is an informal and short test for students or a series of questions. Its also an archaic word for a practical joke or someone odd or eccentric. As a verb, to quiz means to examine students by asking them questions and also to question really closely and in detail. Another archaic meaning of quiz is ‘to make fun or mock someone or something’…
A fiddle is a violin. As a verb, to fiddle means not only ‘to play the violin,’ but also ‘to make fussy movements with your hands.’ Figuratively, to fiddle means ‘to manipulate something in order to adjust it.’ Colloquially, and often followed by the preposition around, to fiddle means ‘to waste time’…