chare
Definition
Noun:
- A small household chore or odd job: "chare" refers to a minor, routine task or piece of work, especially within a domestic setting.
- A charwoman (informal): In colloquial usage, "chare" can mean a woman employed to do cleaning or other domestic work.
Verb:
- To do small household tasks: "chare" means to perform light, routine chores or odd jobs, typically for pay or as a service.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- She spent the morning doing the usual chares around the house. (She completed the typical small household tasks.)
- The old chare came in twice a week to tidy the rooms. (The cleaning woman visited regularly to do domestic work.)
Verb:
- He charred for an elderly neighbour every Saturday. (He did small household jobs for an older person living nearby.)
- They chare at the local inn to earn extra money. (They perform light cleaning duties at the inn.)
Advanced Usage
- "to chare for someone": to work as a domestic helper for a particular person.
- She chares for the family next door. (She does cleaning and odd jobs for the neighbouring family.)
Variants and Related Words
- Char (n, v): A variant spelling of "chare," with the same meanings.
- The char left the kitchen spotless. (The cleaning woman did an excellent job.)
- Chore (n): A routine task, especially a household one (related in meaning but distinct in spelling).
- Washing dishes is a daily chore. (It is a regular, often tedious, task.)
Synonyms
- Task: a piece of work to be done.
- Errand: a short journey to accomplish a specific job.
- Odd job: a small, occasional piece of work.
Phrasal Verbs
- Chare out: to assign or perform small tasks for others.
- She chares out her services to several families. (She offers her domestic help to multiple households.)
Related Idioms
- A char's work: a phrase describing low-paid, menial domestic labour.
- He was tired of doing a char's work for little money. (He was weary of performing low-status household jobs.)