To whirl means ‘to spin quickly, turning around or aside very fast.’ To travel or to be carried along very quickly is also to whirl and, if your head whirls, it means that you’re feeling dizzy. As a noun, a whirl is the…
Clobber is a very colloquial word. As a verb, it means ‘to hit or beat severely’ and, figuratively, in games or competitions, it means ‘to defeat completely.’ Also very colloquially, to clobber means ‘to criticize harshly.’ As a noun, in UK and Australian English, clobber means…
Literally, to dazzle means ‘to blind temporarily with a very bright light’ and, of lights or anything that sparkles, ‘to shine brightly.’ Figuratively, to dazzle means ‘to impress deeply’ or ‘to excite admiration.’ As a noun, dazzle is something that…
To peel means ‘to take the skin or rind out of something,’ such as vegetables or fruits. If skin or paint comes off on its own, that’s also to peel, and so is ‘to strip something away from something else.’ Figuratively, and usually followed by off, peel can also mean…
To taper means ‘to become thinner towards the end’ and also ‘to make thinner towards the end’ or ‘to reduce gradually.’ Always followed by off, taper means ‘ to decrease’ or ‘to be reduced by degrees.’ As a noun, a taper is a…
