A clod is a lump or a mass of soil or earth and it can also be used to mean ‘soil or earth’ in general. Clod can also be used figuratively to refer to the human body, as a literary term, in reference to humans having been created by God from the dust of the ground. Informally, you can call a stupid person a clod. Unrelatedly, a clod is a meat cut…
A prop is a support, and to prop means ‘to support and prevent from falling with or as with a prop’ or ‘to rest a thing against a wall or other means of support.’ Usually followed by up, it also means ‘to support or sustain something.’ Unrelatedly, a prop is a movable object used on stage or in a movie to enrich a performance; in this sense it is short for…
A gimmick is an ingenious or novel device or scheme designed to attract attention. It is also a concealed aspect or feature of a plan or deal. A gimmick is also a hidden mechanical device by which a magician works a trick or a gambler controls a game of chance. In US English, gimmick can also be used as a verb, often followed by up, meaning…
To whizz means ‘to make a humming, buzzing, or hissing sound,’ as might be made by an object flying or moving quickly through air. To move or go quickly making that sound is also to whizz. As a noun, a whizz is both the sound of a whizzing object and a quick movement that produces that sound. Informally, a very skillful person in a particular field is…
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…