hiccough
part of speech
noun (a hiccough, hiccoughs); verb (hiccough, hiccoughs, hiccoughed, hiccoughing)
meaning for a pupil
1) An old spelling of «hiccup»: a sudden, sharp «hic» sound when a muscle under your lungs (the diaphragm) jerks and makes you breathe in. tree →
2) (hiccoughs / hiccups) A short spell of these sounds one after another. tree →
3) A small problem or delay: «a hiccough in our plans». tree →
sense in the lessons
The spelling «hiccough» is found in older books; today most people write «hiccup». In science, hiccups come from the diaphragm tightening suddenly; they usually stop by themselves. Myths say a fright cures them – not proven. Phrases: «have (the) hiccups», «a slight hiccough».
examples
- I got hiccoughs after drinking my fizzy drink too fast. tree →
- He hiccoughed all through the school assembly. tree →
- The old book spells hiccup as «hiccough». tree →
- My little brother tried to scare away my hiccoughs. tree →
- There was a small hiccough with the bus, but we arrived on time. tree →
- Hiccoughs happen when your diaphragm jerks. tree →
note
Spelling trap: «hiccough» is said exactly like «hiccup» («HIK-up»), not like «cough». Prefer «hiccup» in your own writing. Plural: hiccoughs/hiccups.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «hiccough» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.