toothpick
part of speech
noun (a toothpick, toothpicks)
meaning for a pupil
1) A toothpick is a small thin stick of wood or plastic with a point, used to remove bits of food from between your teeth. tree →
2) Toothpicks are also used to hold small pieces of food together or to test whether a cake is cooked. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life toothpicks hold sandwiches and party snacks together, and a cook pokes a toothpick into a cake: if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. In school, toothpicks and clay or marshmallows are used to build shapes like cubes and pyramids, and to count. Safety: they are sharp, so do not put them in ears or leave them for small children. Phrases: «stick a toothpick in», «toothpick bridge».
examples
- Mum pushed a toothpick into the cake to see if it was done. tree →
- Each mini sandwich had a toothpick through the middle. tree →
- We built a cube from toothpicks and marshmallows. tree →
- A cube needs twelve toothpicks, one for each edge. tree →
- Grandpa used a toothpick after dinner. tree →
- Keep toothpicks away from the baby. tree →
- Our class made a bridge out of toothpicks and glue. tree →
note
Countable noun, plural toothpicks; one word. In maths building tasks, count toothpicks as edges and marshmallows as vertices (corners). Using a toothpick at the table can seem impolite in some places.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «toothpick» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.