grist

/ɡrɪst/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡrɪst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrist/ (ame, mw)

grist — noun

1. Any piece of information, experience, or material that can be put to productive

1.名詞C1
釋義

Any piece of information, experience, or material that can be put to productive use, especially as something that fuels an argument, a creative project, or a discussion.

例句

The gossip about the mayor became grist for the mill at dinner parties across town.

fixed phrase 'grist for the mill' in figurative use

Mei-Lin saved every rejection letter as grist for the motivational speech she planned to give.

同義詞
  • fuel

    stronger emphasis on energising or driving something forward

  • ammunition

    specifically material used to attack or criticise someone in a debate

  • fodder

    suggests large quantities of material consumed or processed without much refinement

文法句型

grist for the + noun

grist to the + noun

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'grist for the mill' (North America) or 'grist to the mill' (Britain). The phrase means that even unpleasant or trivial things can be turned into something useful. The literal sense (grain for grinding) is extremely rare in everyday English outside historical or industrial writing.

常見錯誤

❌The report is grist for improving our process.
✅The report is grist for the mill when it comes to improving our process.
💡'grist' almost always requires the full fixed phrase 'for the mill' (or 'to the mill').
❌I collected grist from many sources.
✅I collected material from many sources to use as grist for the mill.
💡'grist' is not a countable standalone noun; use it as part of the idiom.

2. Whole grain that is ready to be ground into flour or meal, or the resulting grou

2.名詞C2
釋義

Whole grain that is ready to be ground into flour or meal, or the resulting ground product before it has been sifted.

例句

The old mill still receives deliveries of grist from local wheat farmers every autumn.

concrete literal usage of grist

The miller inspected each sack of grist before hoisting it onto the grinding platform.

同義詞
  • grain

    a broader and more common term for cereal crops

  • corn

    used in British English to mean any cereal grain, including wheat or barley

用法筆記

This literal sense is very rare in modern English. Most contemporary speakers encounter 'grist' only in the figurative idiom 'grist for the mill'. The literal meaning survives mainly in historical descriptions of milling or in agricultural writing.

常見錯誤

❌We bought grist from the supermarket.
✅We bought flour from the supermarket.
💡'grist' refers to unground or coarsely ground grain, not the fine flour sold in shops.