QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about peel
keep one's eyes peeled, Informal. to watch closely or carefully; be alert: Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station.
Origin of peel
1First recorded before 1100; Middle English pilen, pillen, pilien “to strip off, remove,” Old English pilian “to strip, skin” (unrecorded), or Old French pillier, peler, from Latin pilāre “to remove hair, pluck, scalp,” derivative of pilus “hair”; see pill2
synonym study for peel
1. Peel, pare agree in meaning to remove the skin or rind from something. Peel means to pull or strip off the natural external covering or protection of something: to peel an orange, a potato. Pare is used of trimming off chips, flakes, or superficial parts from something, as well as of cutting off the skin or rind: to pare the nails; to pare a potato.
OTHER WORDS FROM peel
peel·a·ble, adjectiveun·peel·a·ble, adjectiveun·peeled, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH peel
peal, peelWords nearby peel
peegee hydrangea, peek, peekaboo, peekapoo, Peekskill, peel, peel-and-stick, Peele, peeler, peeling, peel-off
Other definitions for peel (2 of 4)
peel2
[ peel ]
/ pil /
noun
a shovellike implement for putting bread, pies, etc., into the oven or taking them out.
Metallurgy. a long, shovellike iron tool for charging an open-hearth furnace.
Origin of peel
2First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pele, pale, pile “baker's shovel,” from Old French pele, pale, from Latin pāla “long-handled spade, shoulder blade”; see palette
Other definitions for peel (3 of 4)
peel3
or pele
[ peel ]
/ pil /
noun
a small fortified tower for residence or for use during an attack, common in the border counties of England and Scotland in the 16th century.
Other definitions for peel (4 of 4)
Peel
[ peel ]
/ pil /
noun
Sir Robert, 1788–1850, British political leader: founder of the London constabulary; prime minister 1834–35; 1841–46.
a seaport on W Isle of Man: castle; resort.
a river in N Yukon Territory and NW Northwest Territories, Canada, flowing E and N to the Mackenzie River. 425 miles (684 km) long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use peel in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for peel (1 of 4)
peel1
/ (piːl) /
verb
noun
the skin or rind of a fruit, etc
See also peel off
Word Origin for peel
Old English pilian to strip off the outer layer, from Latin pilāre to make bald, from pilus a hair
British Dictionary definitions for peel (2 of 4)
peel2
/ (piːl) /
noun
a long-handled shovel used by bakers for moving bread, in an oven
Word Origin for peel
C14 pele, from Old French, from Latin pāla spade, from pangere to drive in; see palette
British Dictionary definitions for peel (3 of 4)
peel3
/ (piːl) /
noun
(in Britain) a fortified tower of the 16th century on the borders between England and Scotland, built to withstand raids
Word Origin for peel
C14 (fence made of stakes): from Old French piel stake, from Latin pālus; see pale ², paling
British Dictionary definitions for peel (4 of 4)
Peel
/ (piːl) /
noun
John, real name John Robert Parker Ravenscroft . 1939–2004, British broadcaster; presented his influential Radio 1 music programme (1967–2004) and Radio 4's Home Truths (1998–2004)
Sir Robert. 1788–1850, British statesman; Conservative prime minister (1834–35; 1841–46). As Home Secretary (1828–30) he founded the Metropolitan Police and in his second ministry carried through a series of free-trade budgets culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), which split the Tory party
Derived forms of Peel
Peelite, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with peel
peel
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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