Dope is any narcotic or illegal drug (especially cannabis). More specifically, it is a narcotic used on race horses to improve or hold back their performance in a race. In technical use, dope is any thick liquid or pasty preparation used in preparing a surface, particularly a varnish for coating airplane wings. As a slang term, dope can mean ‘stupid person’ or, mainly in…
If something is damp, it means that it’s slightly wet. Figuratively, damp also means ‘unenthusiastic or depressed.’ Damp, as a noun, is moisture or humidity. Figuratively, it is a depression of spirits or a discouraging thing, although these meanings are now dated. As a verb, it means ‘to moisten or make slightly wet’ or, if we are talking about a fire, ‘to extinguish’ or ‘to stifle,’ so that it burns very slowly. Figuratively, it can…
A ram is a male sheep and also a device for battering, crushing, or forcing something. Related to this last sense, to ram means ‘to strike with force,’ ‘to stuff or cram,’ or, figuratively, ‘to force or push firmly.’ Unrelatedly, the acronym RAM, in computing, stands for random access memory, and it is the computer memory available to…
A bog is an area of wet, moist, and spongy ground and the verb to bog, usually followed by down, means ‘to sink in or as if in such an area.’ In UK slang, bog means ‘toilet’ and, if you are talking about a public toilet or the toilet facilities in a establishment open to the public, like a bar or restaurant, then the word is often…
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…
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…
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…
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…