breadbasket
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A basket for holding or serving bread: A container, typically made of wicker or similar material, designed specifically for carrying or presenting bread at a meal. 2. The stomach: (Informal/Slang) A humorous or colloquial term for the human stomach, the muscular digestive organ. 3. A major grain-producing region: A geographic area that is a primary source of agricultural grain for a country or larger region.
Usage Examples
- Meaning 1 (Container):
- The waiter brought a woven breadbasket filled with warm rolls to the table.
- She placed the freshly baked loaf into the breadbasket.
- Meaning 2 (Stomach):
- After that huge meal, my breadbasket is feeling very full.
- He got punched right in the breadbasket.
- Meaning 3 (Geographic Region):
- The Midwest is often called the breadbasket of the United States.
- Ukraine was historically known as the breadbasket of Europe.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used metaphorically. When referring to a region, it implies not just production but also economic and strategic importance as a source of a staple food.
- The slang use for "stomach" is considered informal and is often used for humorous or slightly old-fashioned effect.
Variants and Related Words
- Basket: A general container.
- Stomach: The formal anatomical term.
- Tummy: A more common informal synonym for stomach.
- Granary: A storehouse for grain; can also refer metaphorically to a grain-producing region.
Synonyms
- For Meaning 1: Bread tray, serving basket.
- For Meaning 2: Belly, gut, tummy, midsection.
- For Meaning 3: Heartland, granary, agricultural core.
Related Idioms
- "Hit someone in the breadbasket": To punch someone in the stomach.
- The boxer aimed a blow at his opponent's breadbasket.
Noun
- a basket for serving bread
- an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion
- a geographic region serving as the principal source of grain