chisel
/ˈtʃɪzl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃɪzl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchi-zᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtʃɪz.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃɪz.əl/ (ame, ipa)
chisel — noun
- chiselsingular
- chiselsplural
1. a hand tool whose strong, sharp metal blade is fixed onto a long handle; the car
a hand tool whose strong, sharp metal blade is fixed onto a long handle; the carpenter or sculptor strikes the end of the handle with a hammer to shape pieces of stone, hardwood, or soft metal.
Kenji sharpened the chisel before carving the old oak beam.
typical object: wood; sharpened + chisel
The sculptor's chisel slipped, leaving a deep mark on the marble block.
collocation: chisel slipped
Shanti chose a narrow chisel for the delicate lettering on the gravestone.
A row of chisels hung above the workbench in Cole's garden shed.
Strike the chisel with a wooden mallet, not a steel hammer.
- gouge
a chisel with a curved blade for hollowing out wood
- carving tool
general term covering chisels and similar shaping tools
文法句型
a chisel
with a chisel
用法筆記
Often paired with a verb of action plus a material: 'with a chisel' shows the instrument; 'into the stone' shows the surface being worked.
常見錯誤
chisel — verb
- chiselpresent simple I / you / we / they
- chisels3rd person singular
- chiselling-ing form
- chiseledpast simple
1. to shape, carve, or split a hard material such as wood, stone, or ice by strikin
to shape, carve, or split a hard material such as wood, stone, or ice by striking it with a chisel.
Élise chiselled her initials into the corner of the old wooden bench.
transitive: chisel something into something
The mason spent three days chiselling the family name onto the headstone.
chisel + onto a surface
Dewi carefully chiselled the rough edges off the granite slab.
Workers chiselled a small statue out of a single block of soapstone.
Hiro chiselled away at the frozen lock for almost an hour.
文法句型
chisel + object
chisel something out of / from something
chisel + adverb (away, off)
用法筆記
Object is usually the design or letters being cut (initials, a name, a shape), or the material being removed; the surface or source block appears with 'into', 'onto', 'out of', or 'from'.
常見錯誤
2. to obtain money or an advantage from someone by using small tricks, lies, or unf
to obtain money or an advantage from someone by using small tricks, lies, or unfair shortcuts, usually in amounts the victim may not even notice.
The contractor chiselled Salma out of nearly two thousand dollars on the kitchen renovation.
chisel someone out of money
Sofia accused her business partner of chiselling on every shared expense.
chisel on + noun (informal)
Tourists at the harbour complained that the taxi driver had chiselled them on the fare.
Soraya refused to chisel her elderly neighbour out of the change from the grocery run.
Yael discovered that the supplier had been chiselling the company for years through padded invoices.
- swindle
stronger; typically larger sums and clearer deception
- cheat
broader and neutral in register; chisel implies petty, sneaky amounts
- shortchange
specifically about giving less than is owed in a transaction
- compensate
to pay someone fairly for what they are owed
文法句型
chisel someone out of something
chisel on something
用法筆記
Informal and chiefly American English; the amounts involved are typically small or sneaky rather than dramatic, which distinguishes it from sense-equivalent verbs like 'defraud'. Often passive or progressive when describing repeated petty cheating.