Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of harvesting or gathering: "Picking" refers to the action of harvesting crops, fruits, or other produce by hand.
   • The yield or quantity harvested: "Picking" can also refer to the amount of a crop that is gathered in one session or season.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The picking of strawberries is hard work. (The act of harvesting strawberries is hard work.)
  • The first picking of apples was excellent this year. (The first harvest of apples was excellent this year.)
  • He sent the first picking of berries to the market. (He sent the first batch of harvested berries to the market.)

Advanced Usage

• "Picking and choosing": Selecting very carefully, often with excessive discrimination.
  • She spent hours picking and choosing the perfect outfit. (She spent hours carefully selecting the perfect outfit.)

Variants and Related Words

• Pick (verb): To select, gather, or harvest.
  • Please pick a book from the shelf.
• Pick (noun): A choice or selection; a tool for breaking hard surfaces.
  • Take your pick. (Make your choice.)
• Pickings (plural noun): Scraps, leftovers, or small profits gleaned with little effort.
  • After the festival, the poor searched for pickings in the trash. (They searched for leftover scraps.)

Synonyms

• Harvesting: The process of gathering a ripe crop.
• Gathering: Collecting things that have been produced or grown.
• Selecting: Choosing carefully from a group.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Pick out: To choose or select from a group.
  • Can you help me pick out a gift for her? (Can you help me select a gift for her?)
• Pick up: To lift or collect; to learn or acquire casually.
  • Please pick up your clothes from the floor. (Please lift your clothes from the floor.)
  • She picked up Spanish while living in Madrid. (She learned Spanish informally while living in Madrid.)

Related Idioms

• Pick someone's brain: To ask someone questions in order to obtain information or advice.
  • Can I pick your brain about this computer problem? (Can I ask you for your thoughts on this computer problem?)
• Pick up the pieces: To try to return to a normal state after a difficult or damaging event.
  • After the company failed, they had to pick up the pieces and start over. (They had to recover and begin again.)

Noun

1. the act of picking (crops or fruit or hops etc.)
2. the quantity of a crop that is harvested
   • he sent the first picking of berries to the market
   • it was the biggest peach pick in years