ACID

/'æsid/
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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:

    • A chemical substance: Any of a large class of chemical substances, typically water-soluble, that have a sour taste, turn blue litmus paper red, and react with bases and some metals to form salts.
    • A specific psychoactive drug: (Slang) The street name for the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
  2. Adjective:

    • Having a sour taste: Sharp, tart, or sour to the taste, like vinegar or lemon juice.
    • Sharp or biting in tone or manner: Harsh, sharp, bitter, or critical in speech, expression, or wit.
Examples of Usage
  • Noun:

    • Vinegar contains acetic acid.
    • The scientist handled the acid with great care in the laboratory.
    • (Slang) He had a bad trip after taking acid.
  • Adjective:

    • The fruit had a pleasantly acid flavor.
    • She made an acid remark about his performance, leaving him speechless.
Advanced Usage
  • "Acid test": A decisive or critical test that proves the value or quality of something.

    • The new software's ability to handle massive data loads was the acid test for the development team.
  • "Acid tongue": A tendency to speak in a sharp, critical, or sarcastic manner.

    • He was known for his acid tongue during political debates.
Variants and Related Words
  • Acidic (adj): Having the properties of an acid; sour-tasting or sharp in manner.

    • The soil in this region is too acidic for those plants.
    • His acidic sense of humor wasn't appreciated by everyone.
  • Acidity (n): The level of acid in a substance; sourness.

    • The acidity of the wine balanced its sweetness perfectly.
  • Acidify (v): To make or become acid.

    • Industrial pollution can acidify rainwater.
Synonyms
  • Noun (Chemical): Corrosive, etchant.
  • Adjective (Taste): Sour, tart, sharp, vinegary.
  • Adjective (Manner): Acerbic, caustic, biting, vitriolic, sarcastic.
Related Phrases
  • Acid rain: Rain made acidic by atmospheric pollution, harmful to the environment.

    • The effects of acid rain on the forest were devastating.
  • Amino acid: Organic compounds that are the building blocks of proteins.

    • Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids.
Related Idioms
  • Put the acid on (someone): (Australian/NZ informal) To pressure someone strongly; to try to obtain something from someone by forceful persuasion.
    • He really put the acid on me to lend him the money.
Adjective
  1. having the characteristics of an acid
    • an acid reaction
  2. being sour to the taste
  3. harsh or corrosive in tone
    • an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose
    • a barrage of acid comments
    • her acrid remarks make her many enemies
    • bitter words
    • blistering criticism
    • caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics
    • a sulfurous denunciation
    • a vitriolic critique
Noun
  1. street name for lysergic acid diethylamide
  2. any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt