November 2023

If something is bare, it means that it has nothing covering it. When we are talking about parts of the human body, it means they are not covered by clothes. If a room in a house is bare, it means that it doesn’t have the usual furnishings. Figuratively, we use it to talk about…

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In US English, drapes, most commonly in the plural form, are a type of curtain (in the UK, we only use “curtains” for this). It is also the way in which a piece of fabric or clothing hangs. As a verb, to drape means ‘to cover or adorn with cloth,’ ‘to adjust a piece of fabric into graceful folds,’ or…

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If something is shallow, it is not deep. It can also be used figuratively to mean that some issue lacks depth or seriousness or to talk about someone who is superficial. When we breathe, shallow breathing means we take just a small amount of air with each inhalation. In baseball,…

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A dent is a hollow or depression in a surface and, figuratively, an effect that is highly noticeable, especially one related to reduction. As a verb, to dent means ‘to make a dent in a surface’ or ‘to become dented,’ as well as ‘to have a reducing or harmful effect’…

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To hurl is a verb that means ‘to throw with great force’ and also ‘to throw something down.’ If what you hurl are words and not objects, then hurl means ‘to say with vehemence and often shouting.’ In sports, such as baseball, it means ‘to pitch.’ As a noun, a hurl is a violent throw…

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