twister

/'twistə/

Thân thiện

A child enjoys a sweet twister at the county fair.

Definition

Noun: 1. A localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land, characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground. This is the common term for a tornado. 2. A small, fried cake formed into twisted strips and fried. This is a type of pastry. 3. (Informal) A difficult problem or puzzle; a brain teaser. 4. (Informal, dated) A deceitful or tricky person.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Tornado):
  • The twister touched down just outside of town, causing significant damage.
  • Residents took shelter in their basements as the twister approached.
• Noun (Pastry):
  • For breakfast, she enjoyed a cinnamon twister with her coffee.
  • The bakery is famous for its apple-filled twisters.
• Noun (Difficult Problem):
  • The final question on the math test was a real twister.
  • Solving that logic puzzle was a twister, but I finally figured it out.

Advanced Usage

• The term "twister" for a tornado is most common in informal and journalistic contexts, particularly in the United States. In formal meteorological contexts, "tornado" is preferred.
• As a term for a tricky person, "twister" is now considered old-fashioned or regional.

Variants and Related Words

• Twist (verb/noun): The root word meaning to turn or wind something around itself. A tornado is a twisting column of air.
• Tornado (noun): The formal meteorological term for a violent, twisting windstorm; a synonym for "twister" in its primary sense.

Synonyms

• For the windstorm: Tornado, cyclone (in specific contexts), funnel cloud (when not touching the ground).
• For the difficult problem: Brain teaser, conundrum, puzzle, stumper.
• For the deceitful person: Trickster, swindler, cheat (these are more common modern terms).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Tongue twister: A sequence of words that is difficult to pronounce quickly and correctly.
  • "She sells seashells by the seashore" is a famous tongue twister.
• Arm twister: (Informal) A person who uses strong persuasion or pressure to make someone do something.
  • He's a real arm twister when he needs volunteers for the project.

Học thuật

Noun

1. small friedcake formed into twisted strips and fried; richer than doughnuts
2. a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cruller
• tornado