~ 1
■ noun
1》 a paid position of regular employment.
2》 a task or piece of work.
↘a responsibility or duty.
↘ informal a crime, especially a robbery.
↘ Computing an operation or group of operations treated as a distinct unit.
3》 informal a procedure to improve the appearance of something: a nose ~.
4》 informal a thing of a specified nature: the car was a fast ~.
■ verb ( ~s , ~bing , ~bed )
1》 [usu. as adjective ~bing ] do casual or occasional work.
2》 buy and sell (stocks) as a broker-dealer, especially on a small scale.
3》 N. Amer. informal cheat or betray.
4》 archaic turn a public office or a position of trust to private advantage.
Phrases
be (or have ) a ~ be or have a difficult task.
a good ~ informal, chiefly Brit. a fortunate fact or circumstance.
~s for the boys Brit. the practice of giving paid employment to one's friends, supporters, or relations.
just the ~ Brit. informal exactly what is needed.
on the ~
1》 while working; at work.
2》 Brit. informal engaged in sexual intercourse.
Derivatives
~less adjective
~lessness noun
Origin
C16: of unknown origin.
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~ 2
archaic
■ verb ( ~s , ~bing , ~bed ) prod or stab.
■ noun a prod or stab.
Origin
ME: appar. symbolic of a brief forceful action (cf. jab ).