waterworks
part of speech
noun (waterworks, plural form, used with a singular or plural verb)
meaning for a pupil
1) A building or system that cleans water and sends it through pipes to people's homes. tree →
2) (informal) Tears; "turn on the waterworks" means to start crying, often to get sympathy. tree →
3) (UK, euphemism) The body's system for making and passing urine (wee): "trouble with the waterworks". tree →
sense in the lessons
In geography and history lessons, the waterworks of a town supply clean, safe drinking water. In everyday family talk, "here come the waterworks!" is said, sometimes unkindly, when someone starts to cry. Older people and doctors in the UK may say "the waterworks" politely instead of naming the bladder. Phrases: "turn on the waterworks", "the town waterworks".
examples
- The town's waterworks clean river water so we can drink it. tree →
- We visited the old Victorian waterworks on our school trip. tree →
- As soon as she lost the game, she turned on the waterworks. tree →
- Here come the waterworks; my little brother has dropped his ice cream. tree →
- Grandad went to the doctor about his waterworks. tree →
- A new waterworks was built to supply the growing city. tree →
note
Ends in -s even when it means one building: "The waterworks is by the river" or "are by the river" are both heard. Teasing someone for crying ("turning on the waterworks") can be unkind; everyone cries sometimes.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «waterworks» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.