■ verb
1》 run or travel in a great hurry.
2》 strike or fling with great force.
3》 destroy or frustrate (hopes or expectations).
4》 ( ~ something off ) write something hurriedly and without much thought.
■ exclamation Brit. informal used to express mild annoyance.
■ noun
1》 an act of ~ing.
↘ chiefly N. Amer. a sprint.
2》 a small quantity of a substance that is added to something else.
↘a small amount of a particular quality adding distinctiveness to something: a ~ of sophistication.
3》 a horizontal stroke in writing, marking a pause or to represent omitted letters or words.
↘the longer signal of the two used in Morse code.
↘ Music a short vertical mark placed above or beneath a note to indicate that it is to be performed staccato.
4》 vigour and confidence; panache.
5》 informal short for ~board .
Derivatives
~er noun
Origin
ME: prob. symbolic of forceful movement.