WordReference Word of the Day

When your skin itches, it means that you feel a tingling irritation that makes you want to scratch. Everything that causes that feeling, like clothes for example, also itches. A bit confusing perhaps, but, informally, to itch also means to…

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You might have heard that crap is used as an interjection when something goes wrong. This is because, colloquially and somewhat vulgarly, crap means ‘excrement’ or ‘the act of defecation,’ and ‘junk or litter.’ Also very colloquially, crap can means…

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To boost means ‘to lift something or someone by pushing from below’ and ‘to increase.’ It also means ‘to speak well of someone or something in order to help.’ As a US slang term, to boost means ‘to shoplift.’ As a noun, a boost is an upward raise, an increase, and a remark that helps someone…

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A peg is a wooden or plastic pin driven into something and used for fastening or support. In British English, a pin used to fasten washing to a line is a peg (in US English, this is called a clothespin). A peg is also a degree or level and, in US English, it is a hard throw, especially in…

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A buck is the male of an antelope, deer, rabbit and other animals and, in US English, the skin of buck deer used as leather (in UK English, this would be “buckskin,” which can also be used in US English). Figuratively, we can call a young and spirited man a buck, although…

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