~ 1
■ verb ( ~s , ~ming , ~med )
1》 squeeze or pack tightly into a space.
↘push roughly and forcibly into a position.
↘crowd on to (a road or area) so as to block it.
2》 become or make unable to move or work due to a part becoming stuck.
3》 ( ~ something on ) apply something forcibly: he ~med on the brakes.
4》 make (a radio transmission) unintelligible by causing interference.
5》 informal (in jazz or blues) improvise with other musicians.
■ noun
1》 an instance of ~ming.
2》 informal an awkward situation or predicament: I'm in a ~.
3》 Climbing a handhold obtained by ~ming a part of the body into a crack in the rock.
4》 informal an improvised performance by a group of musicians, especially in jazz or blues.
Derivatives
~mer noun
Origin
C18: prob. symbolic; cf. jag 1 and cram .
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~ 2
■ noun
1》 chiefly Brit. a spread or conserve made from fruit and sugar.
2》 Brit. something easy or pleasant.
■ verb ( ~ , ~ming , ~med ) make (fruit) into ~.
Phrases
~ tomorrow a desirable thing that is promised but rarely materializes. [phr. from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass (1871).]
Origin
C18: perh. from ~ 1 .