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parody lash pertinent straddle swerve

par·o·dy

par‧o‧dy1 /ˈpærədi/ ●○○ noun (plural parodies)

  1. [countable, uncountable] a piece of writing, music etc or an action that copies someone or something in an amusing way
    • parody of
      • a brilliant parody of classical dance
    • in a parody of something
      • He swung the door wide open in a parody of welcome.
      • Her performance contains a strong element of self-parody (=when someone makes fun of their own style).
  2. [countable] something that is not a correct or acceptable example of something
    • parody of
      • Although his comment was a parody of the truth, Diana was upset by it.
      • The trial was a parody of justice (=very unfair).

lash

lash1 /læʃ/ verb

  1. tie [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to tie something tightly to something else with a rope SYN bind
    • lash something to something
      • The oars were lashed to the sides of the boat.
  2. wind/rain/sea [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] if the wind, sea etc lashes something, it hits it with violent force
    • Giant waves lashed the sea wall.
    • lash against/down/across
      • The wind lashed violently against the door.
  3. hit [transitive] to hit a person or animal very hard with a whip, stick etc
    • Oliver lashed the horses to go faster.
  4. tail [intransitive, transitive] if an animal lashes its tail, or if its tail lashes, it moves it from side to side quickly and strongly, especially because it is angry
  5. criticize [intransitive, transitive] to criticize someone angrily – used especially in newspapers
    • Democrats lashed Republican plans, calling them extreme.
    • lash back
      • Gallins lashed back at those who accused him of corruption.

per·ti·nent

per‧ti‧nent /ˈpɜːtɪnənt $ ˈpɜːr-/ adjective formal

  • directly relating to something that is being considered SYN relevant

    • He asked me a lot of very pertinent questions.
    • pertinent to
      • The last point is particularly pertinent to today’s discussion.

  • pertinently adverb

  • pertinence noun [uncountable]

strad·dle

strad‧dle /ˈstrædl/ verb [transitive]

  1. to sit or stand with your legs on either side of someone or something
    • The photo shows him dressed in leather, straddling a motorbike.
  2. if something straddles a line, road, or river, part of it is on one side and part on the other side
    • straddle something between something
      • Mount Elgon straddles the border between Kenya and Uganda.
  3. to include different areas of activity, groups, time etc
    • Her research straddles mathematics and social sciences.
    • immigrants straddling two cultures

swerve

swerve /swɜːv $ swɜːrv/ verb [intransitive]

  1. to make a sudden sideways movement while moving forwards, usually in order to avoid hitting something
    • swerve violently/sharply
      • The car swerved sharply to avoid the dog.
    • swerve across/off/into etc
      • The bus swerved off the road.
  2. [usually in negatives] formal to change from an idea, course of action, purpose etc
    • swerve from
      • He would never swerve from the truth.
  • swerve noun [countable]