A pledge is promise to do or to stop doing something. It is also something that you leave with someone, as proof that you will pay them back a debt or that you’ll keep a promise, as well as anything given as proof of love or friendship. In US English, a person accepted into a club but not formally initiated is also a pledge…
A rod is long straight stick, staff, or wand, or a slim bar or tube, such as you might use for hanging curtains from or draping towels over. You might have heard the term fishing rod, which is a long stick used for fishing. A rod is also a stick with measurements on it used for measuring. It is also a…
A fin is the wing-like part of the body of fishes and water mammals such as whales used for moving, steering, and balancing. Any part that resembles this is also called a fin, like the ones aircraft or boats have. Fins, usually in the plural, are the rubber devices that some swimmers or divers use on their feet when swimming underwater. As a verb, fin is…
A buzz is a low humming sound, like the ones bees make. Lively and excited activity is also a buzz and, informally, a phone call can be called buzz too. As a slang term, a buzz is a feeling of excitement or exhilaration or of slight intoxication. As a verb, to buzz means ‘to make a buzzing sound,’ ‘to whisper or gossip,’ or, often followed by around or, in UK English, about, ‘to move busily from…
To shear means ‘to remove hair or wool from an animal by cutting’ or ‘to cut through something with a sharp instrument.’ It also means ‘to progress as by cutting,’ often with the preposition through, and, usually followed by off, ‘to break as the result of pressure.’ Followed by of, it means ‘to deprive or strip.’ As a noun, shears, usually in the plural, are…
A coaster is a person or thing that coasts, that is, that slides or glides down a hill or slope, and also, in US English, a sled used for coasting. A coaster is also a small dish or mat used under a glass or cup to protect the surface of the table. As a nautical term, a coaster is a ship engaged in trade around the…
Mainly historical now, as the trade has died out, a tinker is a person who fixes pots and pans and wanders from place to place looking for customers or, in US English, a person skilled in many minor kinds of work, especially mechanical or manual work. It also means ‘a clumsy or unskillfull worker.’ In Scottish and Irish English, it is the standard word for…
