skull
/skʌl/ (bre, ipa) · /skʌl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈskəl/ (ame, mw)
skull — noun
- skullsingular
- skullsplural
1. the hard bony case at the top of the body that holds and shields the brain
the hard bony case at the top of the body that holds and shields the brain
The archaeologist held up an ancient skull that had been buried for more than two thousand years.
collocation: ancient skull
After falling off the ladder, Zola went to the hospital to check if her skull was fractured.
collocation: fractured skull
The human skull is made up of several bones that are firmly joined together by special joints.
Maja could feel the winter wind cut through her hair right down to her skull.
Doctors used a CT scan to create a three-dimensional image of Tariq's skull before the surgery.
用法筆記
Skull refers specifically to the bone, not the whole head. For soft-tissue injuries, use 'head' or 'scalp' instead.
常見錯誤
2. the head or brain considered as the place where thinking, understanding, or memo
the head or brain considered as the place where thinking, understanding, or memory happens — often used in expressive or fixed phrases
Can't you get it into your thick skull that smoking is really bad for your health?
idiom: get it into your thick skull
Theo's skull was pounding after three hours of standing near the loudspeakers at the rock concert.
After three years of studying law, Hoa felt that every legal term was permanently lodged inside her skull.
Sometimes you need to let the idea sink into your skull before you can truly understand it.
用法筆記
This figurative sense appears mostly in fixed expressions such as 'out of one's skull' (crazy or very drunk), 'a thick skull' (slowness to understand), and 'get it into one's skull' (finally accept or understand something).
常見錯誤
skull — verb
- skullpresent simple I / you / we / they
- skulls3rd person singular
- skulling-ing form
- skulledpast simple
1. to strike someone forcefully on the head, usually with a heavy blunt object
to strike someone forcefully on the head, usually with a heavy blunt object
The thief skulled the security guard with a metal pipe and fled through the back door.
informal: used with a blunt object; pattern skull + person + with + object
In the old gangster film, one thug skulls his rival with the butt of a gun.
During the brawl outside the bar, a man was skulled by a flying bottle and lost consciousness.
Lan warned the attacker that she would skull him with the lamp if he came any closer.
文法句型
skull + someone
skull + someone + with + object
用法筆記
This sense is informal and carries violent connotations. It is most common in crime fiction, gangster contexts, or informal storytelling. 'Skull' used this way is much less common than general verbs like 'hit' or 'strike'.
常見錯誤
2. to accidentally strike a golf ball using the lower metal rim of the club head ra
to accidentally strike a golf ball using the lower metal rim of the club head rather than the face, making it shoot out low and fast
Mauricio skulled his approach shot on the 18th hole, and the ball rolled straight across the green into a trap.
golf terminology: approach shot; consequence: ball rolls into hazard
Even professional golfers occasionally skull a chip shot when they look up too early during the swing.
Aylin felt embarrassed when she skulled the ball off the first tee in front of other waiting players.
The golf coach told Dylan to relax his wrists, because tension is what makes amateurs skull the ball.
文法句型
skull + a/the + golf_shot
skull + ball
用法筆記
This is a golf-specific term not used outside the sport. It describes a particular type of mishit where the club's leading edge or sole contacts the ball's equator or upper half, producing a thin, low trajectory. Do not confuse with 'shanking' (hitting with the club's hosel).