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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: frill

In clothing, a frill is a strip of cloth or lace, gathered at one edge and left loose on the other, used to trim a piece of clothing or fabric. Something that resembles such a trimming is also called a frill. Informally, a frill is something that is desirable but not at all essential or an affectation in style or manner. As a verb, to frill means ‘to trim with a frill or…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: feed

Obviously, to feed means ‘to give food’, ‘to provide as food,’ and, especially of animals, ‘to eat.’ Figuratively, ‘to provide with what’s necessary for mantainence or operation’ and ‘to satisfy or gratify’ is also to feed. But did you know that feed has other specific meanings? In theater, it means ‘to provide cues or lines to an actor’ and, in broadcasting, ‘to distribute a local broadcast via satellite network.’ As a noun, feed is not only the food given or the material supplied, but also a line…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: steer

To steer means ‘to guide the course of something in motion,’ especially a vehicle, and also ‘to follow a particular course.’ Figuratively, to direct the course of anything is also to steer. As a noun, it is used informally, mainly in US English, to mean ‘a suggestion about a course of action.’ In US and Australian English, a steer is a male animal of the cattle family that has been…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: botch

To botch means ‘to spoil something by doing poor or clumsy work’ and also ‘to do or say something clumsily.’ As a noun, a botch is a clumsy piece of work or a mess. Unrelatedly, a botch is a swelling on the skin of an animal. More rarely, botch is a synonym of…

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Intermediate+ Word of the Day: clip

You might know that a clip is a a metal or plastic clasp that holds papers or other things together or a jewelery piece used as a decoration for clothing. Related to this sense the verb clip means ‘to fasten with, or as if with a clip.’ But clip has another meaning, ‘to cut off, trim or give shape to something,’ as you might do with scissors or shears. Figuratively it means…

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