tack
/tæk/ (bre, ipa) · /tæk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtak/ (ame, mw)
tack — noun
- tacksingular
- tacksplural
1. a short nail or pin with a wide flat head, pushed in by hand or hammered into wo
a short nail or pin with a wide flat head, pushed in by hand or hammered into wood or board to hold paper, fabric, or carpet in place.
Tara pressed a brass tack through the corner of the poster to hold it on the wall.
press a tack through [thing]
The carpet layer kept a row of tacks between his lips while he worked.
noun: 'a row of tacks'
Eli stepped on a loose tack and yelped, hopping toward the bathroom.
Felix bought a small box of upholstery tacks for the old wooden chair.
- thumbtack
American English for the pin used on boards
- drawing pin
British English equivalent of thumbtack
用法筆記
Common in compounds: 'thumb tack' (BrE drawing pin), 'carpet tack', 'upholstery tack'. Subject of 'press' or 'hammer' when the tack is being inserted.
常見錯誤
2. a large, loose stitch sewn by hand to join pieces of cloth in a rough way before
a large, loose stitch sewn by hand to join pieces of cloth in a rough way before the final sewing is done.
Rin held the lining in place with a few quick tacks before fitting the dress.
noun: 'a few quick tacks'
Élise used long white tacks along the hem so she could try the skirt on first.
'tacks along the hem'
The tailor pulled out the tacks once the seam was machine-sewn and tidy.
Lan added a row of tacks at the shoulder to test how the jacket would hang.
- basting stitch
more technical sewing term
- tacking stitch
British English term for the same thing
用法筆記
Treated as countable: 'a tack', 'a few tacks'. Removed after the final stitch is sewn — distinct from a permanent stitch.
3. the saddle, bridle, and other equipment used when riding a horse.
the saddle, bridle, and other equipment used when riding a horse.
Rachel cleaned the tack every Sunday morning before she rode out.
uncountable: 'cleaned the tack'
The stable kept all the tack in a small room beside the barn.
'kept the tack'
Minh polished the leather tack until it shone in the afternoon sun.
Old tack hung from hooks along the wall of the riding school.
用法筆記
Uncountable — say 'the tack', never 'a tack' for this sense. Often appears in 'tack room' (the storage room for it) and 'clean the tack'.
常見錯誤
4. the angle that a sailing boat takes against the wind, or the distance it travels
the angle that a sailing boat takes against the wind, or the distance it travels on that angle before turning.
Jason chose a long tack to the south before the wind shifted.
'a long tack to [direction]'
The skipper called for another tack as the boat neared the rocks.
'call for a tack'
On the next tack we crossed the bay in under twenty minutes.
Reuben held a steady starboard tack until the lighthouse came into view.
- leg
informal sailing term for one tack of a course
用法筆記
Sailing register only. Pairs with 'port' (left) and 'starboard' (right) to name which side the wind hits.
5. a way of dealing with a problem or situation — for example, a salesperson trying
a way of dealing with a problem or situation — for example, a salesperson trying a friendly tack with a difficult customer, or a lawyer changing tack mid-trial when one argument is not working.
When polite emails failed, Tariq tried a sharper tack and called the manager directly.
'try a sharper tack'
Rafael took a friendly tack with the angry customer and slowly calmed him down.
'take a friendly tack'
Halfway through the meeting Rachid changed tack and asked the team for their ideas.
If this argument fails we may have to try a different tack with the judge tomorrow.
用法筆記
Frequently with verbs 'take', 'try', 'change'. Distinguish from sense 4 (the sailing angle) — this sense is metaphorical and now far more common in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
tack — verb
- tackpresent simple I / you / we / they
- tacks3rd person singular
- tacking-ing form
- tackedpast simple
1. to fix a piece of paper, cloth, or carpet to a surface using small nails or pins
to fix a piece of paper, cloth, or carpet to a surface using small nails or pins.
Tara tacked the new poster to the kitchen door so everyone would see it.
tack [thing] to [place]
Eli tacked a piece of fabric over the broken window until the glass arrived.
'tack [thing] over [place]'
Rin tacked the carpet down along the edges of the dusty old room.
Notices about the school play had been tacked up all over the corridor.
文法句型
tack [something] to [place]
tack [something] up/down
用法筆記
Common with directional particles: 'tack up' (a notice), 'tack down' (a carpet). The thing tacked is the direct object; the surface follows 'to', 'on', or 'over'.
常見錯誤
2. to join two pieces of cloth with long, loose hand stitches as a temporary hold,
to join two pieces of cloth with long, loose hand stitches as a temporary hold, before machine sewing the final seam.
Élise tacked the two halves of the skirt together before her customer arrived.
tack [things] together
The tailor tacked the sleeves to the body of the jacket for a quick fitting.
'tack [thing] to [thing]'
Rachel tacked the lining in place and then pulled the stitches out after sewing.
Minh learned to tack the hem first so the dress would hang straight on the model.
文法句型
tack [cloth] together
用法筆記
Sewing register. Distinguish from sense 1: here the joining is by thread, not by metal tacks. Often paired with 'together' or 'in place'.
3. (of a boat or its crew) to turn the front of the boat through the wind so that t
(of a boat or its crew) to turn the front of the boat through the wind so that the sails fill on the opposite side, often as part of a zigzag path against the wind.
Jason tacked twice before he could clear the line of buoys near the harbour.
intransitive: 'tack twice'
The little yacht tacked steadily across the bay all morning.
'tack across [place]'
We had to tack into the wind for an hour before reaching the island.
Reuben taught his daughter how to tack the small dinghy on her own.
- come about
more conversational sailing term for the same maneuver
- run before the wind
sail with the wind directly behind
文法句型
[boat] tack against the wind
用法筆記
Mostly intransitive: the boat or the crew tacks. A skipper may also 'tack the boat' (transitive). Strongly tied to sailing register.
4. to add something extra and small to what is already there, often as an afterthou
to add something extra and small to what is already there, often as an afterthought or in a hurry — for example, tacking a short note onto an email or tacking a new charge onto a bill.
The waiter tacked a service charge onto the bill without telling Lakan.
tack [thing] onto [thing]
Felix tacked a quick apology onto the end of the long email.
'tack onto the end of'
The teacher tacked an extra question on at the bottom of the exam paper.
Christopher tacked a few more songs onto the playlist before the party started.
文法句型
tack [thing] on/onto [thing]
用法筆記
Almost always with 'on' or 'onto'; the added thing is usually small and not central. Suggests the addition feels last-minute or unplanned.
常見錯誤
5. to change one's opinion, plan, or political position quite suddenly, especially
to change one's opinion, plan, or political position quite suddenly, especially in order to gain support or react to events.
After losing two votes, the senator tacked to the centre on the housing bill.
tack to the centre
The new manager tacked away from the cost-cutting plan once the strike began.
'tack away from'
William tacked toward a softer line on tax after meeting the small business owners.
Critics said the party had tacked too far to the right since the election.
- stand firm
refuse to change one's position
文法句型
tack to the left/right
tack toward [position]
用法筆記
Borrows from the sailing sense (sense 3). Common in political and business writing. The direction or position changed to follows a preposition: 'to', 'toward', 'away from'.