tack
part of speech
noun (a tack, tacks); verb (tack, tacks, tacked, tacking); noun (tack — uncountable, for horses)
meaning for a pupil
1) A tack is a small nail with a flat head; a drawing pin or thumbtack holds paper on a board. tree →
2) To tack something is to fix it with tacks, or to sew it loosely with big temporary stitches. tree →
3) (sailing) To tack is to change a sailing boat's direction by turning its front through the wind, so it can zigzag against the wind. tree →
4) A tack is a way or plan of doing something: try a different tack. tree →
5) Tack is the saddle, bridle and other equipment for riding a horse. tree →
6) To tack something on is to add it at the end, often as an afterthought. tree →
7) Tack can also be the sharp ticking sound a clock makes. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday school life, notices are tacked to the noticeboard with thumbtacks (US) or drawing pins (UK). In sailing lessons and stories, a boat tacks to sail upwind. In horse riding, cleaning the tack is a chore at the stables. In problem-solving, "try a different tack" means try another method.
examples
- Pin the poster up with a tack. tree →
- Mum tacked the hem before sewing it properly. tree →
- The sailors had to tack back and forth against the wind. tree →
- That didn't work, so let's try a different tack. tree →
- She cleaned the saddle and the rest of the tack. tree →
- He tacked a joke on to the end of his speech. tree →
- Ouch, I stepped on a tack! tree →
- Use a thumbtack to hold the map on the wall. tree →
- The clock said “tick! tack!” and the finger moved round; but as they entered, they remarked that they were now grown up. tree →
note
Safety: tacks are sharp; keep them away from small children. "Thumbtack" (US, Canada), "drawing pin" (UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ). "Blu Tack" (UK, Australia) is a sticky putty. "Tacky" can mean sticky or, informally, cheap-looking and tasteless.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «tack» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.