hose down
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To spray or drench with water using a hose: The action of applying water, typically from a flexible tube, to clean, cool, or water something.
Usage
- This verb is transitive and requires a direct object (the thing being sprayed with water).
- It is often used in contexts involving cleaning vehicles, outdoor surfaces, or watering plants/lawns.
- The phrasal verb can be used with the particle separated from the verb (e.g., "hose it down").
Examples
- Verb:
- After playing in the mud, I had to hose down the children.
- Please hose down the patio; it's covered in dust.
- The firefighters hosed down the smoldering debris.
Advanced Usage
- "to hose down a situation": (Informal/Idiomatic) To calm or defuse a tense or volatile situation, often through forceful intervention or by applying a solution.
- The manager had to hose down the argument between the two employees.
Variants and Related Words
- Hose (verb): To water, wash, or spray with a hose.
- I need to hose the car.
- Hosing (noun): The act of using a hose.
- The hosing of the garden took an hour.
Synonyms
- Rinse down: To wash with a stream of water.
- Wash down: To clean by flushing with water.
- Spray down: To direct a spray of liquid onto something.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Hose off: Very similar to "hose down," often implying cleaning a surface by removing loose material.
- Hose off the dirt from your boots before coming inside.
Related Idioms
- "to take a hose to something": To deal with a problem in a direct, forceful, or simplistic manner, often involving a lot of effort or resources.
- The new policy is like taking a hose to a candle flame—it's an overreaction.
Verb
- water with a hose
- hose the lawn