cradle
Noun:
- A small bed for a baby, often on rockers: A piece of furniture designed to hold and gently rock an infant to sleep.
- The place of origin or early development: The location or context where something begins or is nurtured in its initial stages.
- A supporting framework or structure: A device or framework that holds or supports something, often in a protective or gentle manner.
Verb:
- To hold gently and protectively: To hold something or someone, especially a baby, in a careful and tender way.
- To place or hold in or as if in a cradle: To support something as if it were resting in a cradle.
- To wash (e.g., auriferous earth) in a miner's cradle: To separate gold from earth by rocking it in a trough with water.
Noun:
- The baby slept peacefully in the wooden cradle.
- Ancient Greece is often called the cradle of Western civilization.
- He carefully placed the telephone receiver back on its cradle.
Verb:
- She cradled the injured bird in her hands.
- He cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear while typing.
- The old miner taught him how to cradle for gold.
"From the cradle to the grave": Referring to the entire duration of a person's life, from birth to death.
- The welfare state aims to provide support from the cradle to the grave.
"The cradle of civilization": A phrase used to describe a region where civilization is understood to have emerged.
- Mesopotamia is known as the cradle of civilization.
"To rob the cradle" (idiom, informal): To have a romantic relationship with someone who is much younger.
- People gossiped that the famous actor was robbing the cradle when he married his young co-star.
- Cradle-snatcher (n, informal, often derogatory): A person who has a romantic relationship with someone much younger.
- Cradle cap (n): A common, harmless skin condition causing scaly patches on a baby's scalp.
- Cat's cradle (n): A children's game played by making string figures between the fingers.
- Noun (for bed): Bassinet, cot.
- Noun (for origin): Birthplace, source, fountainhead, wellspring.
- Verb (to hold): Nestle, hold, support, cushion.
(Note: "Cradle" is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its verb form is typically used transitively.)
"Stolen from the cradle": Used to describe someone who seems to have had a particular talent or quality from a very early age.
- She plays the piano so beautifully; it's as if her talent was stolen from the cradle.
"To hand someone something on a cradle" (less common): To give someone something very easily, requiring no effort on their part. (A variant of "on a plate" or "on a silver platter").
- a trough that can be rocked back and forth; used by gold miners to shake auriferous earth in water in order to separate the gold
- birth of a person
- he was taught from the cradle never to cry
- where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence
- the birthplace of civilization
- a baby bed with sides and rockers
- run with the stick
- wash in a cradle
- cradle gold
- cut grain with a cradle scythe
- hold or place in or as if in a cradle
- He cradled the infant in his arms
- bring up from infancy
- hold gently and carefully
- He cradles the child in his arms