thrasher

/'θræʃə/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A type of large, open-ocean shark: A large pelagic shark found in warm seas, characterized by a very long, whiplike tail that it uses to herd and stun small fish, making them easier to catch and eat.
    • A type of songbird: A thrush-like American songbird known for its vigorous foraging behavior (often thrashing through leaf litter) and its ability to mimic the songs of other bird species.
    • A type of agricultural machine: A farm machine, also historically called a threshing machine, designed to separate valuable seeds or grain from the inedible husks and straw.
Usage Examples
  • Noun (Shark):
    • The thrasher uses its long tail to corral schools of fish.
    • We saw a thrasher while diving in the tropical waters.
  • Noun (Bird):
    • The brown thrasher is a common sight in eastern North American thickets.
    • A thrasher was singing a complex song from the top of the bush.
  • Noun (Machine):
    • The old thrasher in the barn hasn't been used in decades.
    • Before combines, farmers used a thrasher to separate wheat from the chaff.
Advanced Usage
  • "The thrasher's tail": Specifically refers to the distinctive, elongated caudal fin of the shark species.
    • The thrasher's tail can be as long as its body.
  • "To work like a thrasher": An idiom (less common) implying intense, repetitive, or vigorous activity, drawing an analogy to the machine's function.
    • In the final week, the team worked like a thrasher to finish the project.
Variants and Related Words
  • Thresh (verb): The action of beating cereal plants to separate the grain, which is the function performed by a thresher/thrasher machine.
    • They used flails to thresh the rice.
  • Thresher (noun): A more common modern spelling for the agricultural machine. "Thrasher" is a variant spelling.
  • Thrashing (noun/gerund): A severe beating or defeat; also, the sound or action of moving violently.
    • The waves gave the boat a terrible thrashing.
Synonyms
  • For the shark: Thresher shark (the more precise common name).
  • For the bird: Mimic thrush (refers to the bird family's mimicry ability).
  • For the machine: Thresher, threshing machine.
Related Phrases
  • "Separate the wheat from the chaff": An idiom meaning to distinguish valuable things from worthless ones, directly related to the function of a thresher/thrasher machine.
    • The interview process helps us separate the wheat from the chaff.
Noun
  1. large pelagic shark of warm seas with a whiplike tail used to round up small fish on which to feed
  2. thrush-like American songbird able to mimic other birdsongs
  3. a farm machine for separating seeds or grain from the husks and straw

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