cuttle
cuttle — noun
1. a sea animal with a soft oval body, ten short arms, and a hard internal shell, r
a sea animal with a soft oval body, ten short arms, and a hard internal shell, related to squid and octopus, that shoots a dark liquid to hide from hunters
A diver near Kaohsiung watched a cuttlefish change its skin color to match the coral reef.
cuttlefish + change skin color for camouflage
Nguyen's grandmother kept a dried cuttlebone in the bird cage for her parakeet to sharpen its beak.
cuttlebone is the internal shell of the cuttlefish
Local fishermen avoid that reef in spring because cuttlefish gather there to lay their eggs.
A frightened cuttlefish squirted a dark cloud of ink and vanished behind a rock before the eel could attack.
In the market Sofia pointed at the fresh cuttlefish and asked the seller how to prepare it for stew.
- cuttlefish
the full, more formal name for the same animal
用法筆記
Often shortened to just 'cuttle' in casual speech, though 'cuttlefish' is more common in writing.
常見錯誤
2. a person who uses threats or physical force to frighten or control other people,
a person who uses threats or physical force to frighten or control other people, especially in a rough or violent way
In old London taverns, a local cuttle would demand coins from newcomers and threaten anyone who refused.
archaic British slang for bully or ruffian
Historical court records from 1780 describe that cuttle as a feared highwayman who robbed travelers.
The magistrate's notes mention a notorious cuttle who terrorized the docks near Bristol for years.
Novels about eighteenth-century London often show a cuttle lurking in dark alleys by the river Thames.
用法筆記
This sense is archaic and rarely found outside historical novels or old legal documents. Modern English uses 'bully' or 'thug' instead.
常見錯誤
cuttle — transitive verb
1. to arrange finished cloth into regular, even folds or pleats as the final step b
to arrange finished cloth into regular, even folds or pleats as the final step before storing or shipping it
Workers at the textile factory carefully cuttle the finished linen before packing it for shipment.
transitive: cuttle + object (fabric type)
To cuttle this silk properly, the craftsman first measured each fold against a bamboo ruler.
The master weaver taught her apprentice how to cuttle cotton fabric after the dyeing process finished.
In traditional Japanese textile workshops, artisans still cuttle kimono cloth by hand using wooden tools.
文法句型
cuttle + object (cloth/fabric)
用法筆記
This textile term is highly specialised and rarely used outside the fabric industry. The noun form 'cuttling' refers to the process itself.