~ 1
■ noun a dark, thick flammable liquid distilled from wood or coal, used in road-making and for coating and preserving timber.
↘a similar substance formed by burning tobacco or other material.
■ verb ( ~s , ~ring , ~red ) [usu. as adjective ~red ] cover with ~.
Phrases
beat (or whale ) the ~ out of N. Amer. informal beat or thrash severely.
~ and feather smear with ~ and then cover with feathers as a punishment.
~ people with the same brush consider specified people to have the same faults.
Origin
OE teru , teoru , of Gmc origin.
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~ 2
■ noun informal, dated a sailor.
Origin
C17: perh. an abbrev. of ~paulin , used as a nickname for a sailor at this time.