crotch
/krɒtʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /krɑːtʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkräch/ (ame, mw)
crotch — noun
- crotchsingular
- crotchesplural
1. the area at the very top of the inside of your legs, where they meet your body,
the area at the very top of the inside of your legs, where they meet your body, or the matching part of trousers, shorts, or underwear that sits over this area.
Mayumi tore the crotch of her jeans while climbing over the fence.
the crotch of [garment] — possessive of frame
The cyclist felt sore in the crotch after riding ninety kilometres without padded shorts.
sore in the crotch — common collocation
Caleb crouched too quickly and split the crotch of his old grey trousers.
These swimming trunks are too tight around the crotch and need replacing.
Emre kicked the goalkeeper in the crotch by accident during the corner kick.
- groin
more clinical; usually the body part, rarely the garment part
- private parts
euphemism; refers to the genitals, not the surrounding region
用法筆記
Refers both to the body part and to the garment region that covers it; context decides which reading applies. Often appears in injury or fit contexts (kicked in the crotch, tight in the crotch).
常見錯誤
2. the Y-shaped point on a tree where the main trunk divides into two large branche
the Y-shaped point on a tree where the main trunk divides into two large branches.
A barn owl had built its nest in the crotch of the old oak by the pond.
in the crotch of [tree] — locative frame
Sana wedged the ladder into the crotch of the apple tree to pick the top fruit.
wedge into the crotch — placement verb
Lightning had split the maple right at the crotch, leaving two blackened limbs.
Tamar found a small green snake curled in the crotch of the fig tree.
The treehouse rested on three planks nailed across the crotch of a tall beech.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by context: here the noun is always followed by 'of the [tree name]' or stands in a landscape/garden setting. Common in arboriculture and rural writing.