acid
/ˈæsɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈæsɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈa-səd/ (ame, mw) · /ˈæs.ɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈæs.ɪd/ (ame, ipa)
acid — noun
1. a chemical that tastes sharp, has a low pH, and in strong forms can eat into met
a chemical that tastes sharp, has a low pH, and in strong forms can eat into metal, skin, or fabric.
Lemon juice contains a mild acid that gives the fruit its sharp taste.
subject is a real-world food/liquid containing acid
A drop of strong acid burned a small hole through Ben's cotton shirt.
collocation: strong acid + burn through
The factory must store its acids in thick glass bottles for safety.
Stomach acid helps the body break down food after each meal.
Workers wore thick rubber gloves to protect their hands from the acid.
用法筆記
Common in both countable and uncountable use: 'an acid' for one specific kind, 'acid' as a substance in general. Often paired with strength words like 'strong', 'mild', 'weak', 'concentrated'.
常見錯誤
2. a slang word for the powerful illegal drug LSD, which makes the user imagine sig
a slang word for the powerful illegal drug LSD, which makes the user imagine sights and sounds that aren't real.
Police arrested two students for selling acid at a music festival in Brighton.
informal noun for LSD; uncountable
Eitan said he had tried acid only once during his college years.
collocation: try acid
Some musicians in the late 1960s wrote songs while taking acid.
The documentary explained how acid spread quickly through 1970s youth culture.
- LSD
the formal scientific name for the same drug
用法筆記
Always uncountable in this sense and limited to informal speech and writing. Not used with 'an' or in plural form. Distinguish from sense 1, which is countable and refers to chemical substances.
常見錯誤
acid — adjective
1. tasting sharp and slightly sour, in the way that lemon juice or vinegar does; or
tasting sharp and slightly sour, in the way that lemon juice or vinegar does; or, in chemistry, holding the qualities of an acid.
The green apples were so acid that Nadia's mouth puckered after one bite.
describing food taste: very acid
Vinegar gives the salad dressing a pleasantly acid flavor.
collocation: acid flavor / acid taste
Blueberry plants grow best in cool, acid soil with good drainage.
Rainwater can become acid after passing through polluted city air.
用法筆記
Covers two related uses: the everyday taste sense ('an acid lemon') and the scientific sense ('acid soil', 'acid rain'). The taste use overlaps strongly with 'sour'; the scientific use means a measured low pH.
常見錯誤
2. describing words, a tone, or a sense of humor that is sharp and unkind, meant to
describing words, a tone, or a sense of humor that is sharp and unkind, meant to hurt someone or to mock them.
The novelist was famous for her acid wit and biting reviews of bad poetry.
collocation: acid wit / acid tongue
Carla's acid reply silenced everyone around the dinner table.
collocation: an acid reply / remark
The mayor faced an acid attack from local newspapers after the scandal.
Mr. Davies has an acid sense of humor that makes new staff uneasy.
用法筆記
Typically used before a noun describing speech or writing: 'acid tongue', 'acid wit', 'acid comment', 'acid reply'. Less natural after a linking verb ('the comment was acid' is rare; prefer 'sharp' or 'cutting' there).
常見錯誤
3. in geology, describing volcanic rock that holds a large amount of silica, such a
in geology, describing volcanic rock that holds a large amount of silica, such as granite; the opposite of basic rock.
Granite is the most familiar example of an acid rock found across Scotland.
collocation: acid rock (geology)
Geologists tested the cliff and confirmed that the stone was acid in nature.
predicative use in technical writing
Acid lava cools slowly and forms thick, light-colored mountain rock.
The professor showed her class a map of Britain's acid rock regions.
用法筆記
Almost only used in geology textbooks and scientific writing, mostly before a noun ('acid rock', 'acid lava'). Do not confuse with 'acid rock' as a music genre (a separate idiomatic use).