hopscotch
/'hɔpskɔtʃ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
A child tosses a small stone onto a hopscotch grid drawn with chalk on a sidewalk.
Definition
Noun: A children's game in which a player tosses a small object (like a stone or beanbag) into numbered squares or rectangles drawn on the ground and then hops or jumps through the spaces to retrieve it, following a specific pattern.
Usage
"Hopscotch" is used as a singular, uncountable noun to refer to the game itself. * The children drew a hopscotch grid with chalk on the sidewalk. * She is teaching her younger sister how to play hopscotch. * Hopscotch is a classic playground game.
Examples
- We spent the afternoon playing hopscotch in the driveway.
- The simple rules of hopscotch have been passed down for generations.
- A faded hopscotch pattern was still visible on the old pavement.
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical Use: The word can be used metaphorically to describe a course of action involving a series of prescribed or challenging steps.
- Navigating the new government regulations was a bureaucratic hopscotch.
Variants and Related Words
- Hopscotch (verb): Rarely used as a verb meaning to move or travel by making a series of short jumps or stops, often in an irregular pattern.
- The small bird hopscotched across the lawn.
Synonyms
- Game
- Children's game
- Playground game
Related Idioms or Phrases
- (To be) out of the hopscotch: This is not a standard idiom. However, one might creatively say "to play hopscotch with (something)" to imply dealing with something in a non-linear, skipping, or unpredictable manner.
- The documentary plays hopscotch with the timeline of events.
A child tosses a small stone onto a hopscotch grid drawn with chalk on a sidewalk.
Noun
- a game in which a child tosses a stone into an area drawn on the ground and then hops through it and back to regain the stone