pick

pick
pick1
verb
1》 take hold of and remove (a flower or fruit) from where it is growing.
    ↘(often pick someone/thing up) take hold of and lift or move.
    ↘(pick up) Golf take hold of and lift up one's ball, especially when conceding a hole.
2》 choose from a number of alternatives.
    ↘(pick one's way) walk slowly and carefully.
3》 (often pick at) repeatedly pull at something with one's fingers.
    ↘eat in small amounts or without much appetite.
    ↘criticize someone in a niggling way.
4》 remove unwanted matter from (one's nose or teeth) with a finger or a pointed instrument.
5》 pluck the strings of (a guitar or banjo).
noun
1》 an act or the right of selecting something.
    ↘(the pick of) informal the best person or thing in a particular group.
2》 Basketball an act of blocking or screening a defensive player from the ball handler.
Phrases
pick and choose select only the best from among a number of alternatives.
pick someone's brains informal obtain information by questioning someone well informed.
pick a fight provoke an argument or fight.
pick holes in find fault with.
pick a lock open a lock with an instrument other than the proper key.
pick someone's pockets steal something surreptitiously from another person's pocket.
pick someone/thing to pieces (or apart) criticize someone or something severely.
Phrasal verbs
pick someone/thing off shoot a member of a group from a distance.
pick on repeatedly single out for unfair criticism or unkind treatment.
pick someone/thing out distinguish or select someone or something from a group.
pick something out highlight something by painting or fashioning in a contrasting colour or medium.
pick something over (or pick through) sort through a number of items carefully.
pick up improve or increase.
pick someone up
1》 go somewhere to collect someone.
2》 informal casually strike up a relationship with someone as a sexual overture.
3》 return to a point or remark made by someone in order to criticize it.
pick something up
1》 collect something that has been left elsewhere.
2》 obtain, acquire, or learn something.
    ↘catch an illness or infection.
3》 detect or receive a signal or sound.
4》 resume something.
5》 (also pick up on) refer to or develop a point or topic mentioned earlier.
    ↘become aware of or sensitive to something.
6》 N. Amer. tidy a room or building.
Derivatives
pickable adjective
picker noun
Origin
ME (orig. as pike): of unknown origin.
————————
pick2
noun
1》 a tool headed by a curved bar with a point at one end and a chisel edge or point at the other, used for breaking up hard ground or rock.
2》 an instrument for picking.
    ↘informal a plectrum.
Origin
ME: var. of pike2.

English new terms dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:
, , , , , / , , , , , , / (as a lock), , / , , , , , , , , / , / , , , / ,


Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Pick — (p[i^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Picked} (p[i^]kt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Picking}.] [OE. picken, pikken, to prick, peck; akin to Icel. pikka, Sw. picka, Dan. pikke, D. pikken, G. picken, F. piquer, W. pigo. Cf. {Peck}, v., {Pike}, {Pitch} to throw.] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • Pick — Pick, n. [F. pic a pickax, a pick. See {Pick}, and cf. {Pike}.] 1. A sharp pointed tool for picking; often used in composition; as, a toothpick; a picklock. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mining & Mech.) A heavy iron tool, curved and sometimes pointed at… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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