butterfly
/'bʌtəflai/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A flying insect with large, often brightly colored wings: A butterfly is a diurnal insect characterized by a slender body, knobbed antennae, and broad, colorful wings.
- A swimming stroke: A swimming stroke in which both arms are moved simultaneously in a circular motion forward out of the water while the legs perform a dolphin kick.
Verb:
- To split open and flatten: To cut something, especially meat or seafood, almost in half and spread it open so it resembles the shape of a butterfly's wings.
- To behave flirtatiously: To talk or act in a playful, romantic, or amorously suggestive manner without serious intent.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Insect):
- A beautiful butterfly landed on the flower.
- The garden is full of butterflies in the summer.
- Noun (Swimming Stroke):
- She won the race with a powerful butterfly.
- The butterfly is considered one of the most difficult swimming strokes.
- Verb (To split open):
- The chef will butterfly the chicken breast before grilling it.
- For this recipe, you need to butterfly the shrimp.
- Verb (To behave flirtatiously):
- He spent the evening butterflying from one guest to another. (Note: This usage is less common; "flirt" is more typical.)
Advanced Usage
- "To have butterflies in one's stomach": To feel nervous, especially before an important event.
- I always have butterflies in my stomach before a big presentation.
- "Social butterfly": A person who enjoys and is very active in social situations, moving easily from one group to another.
- She's a real social butterfly, always at parties and events.
Variants and Related Words
- Butterflied (adj): Describes something that has been cut and spread open.
- We ordered butterflied prawns.
- Butterfly effect (n): A concept in chaos theory where a small change in one state can result in large differences in a later state.
- The lecture explained the butterfly effect in weather systems.
Synonyms
- Insect: Lepidopteran (scientific term for butterflies and moths).
- Swimming stroke: Fly (informal abbreviation).
- Verb (to split): Split, open, flatten.
- Verb (to flirt): Flirt, chat up, philander.
Related Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "Butterfly" is not commonly used to form standard phrasal verbs. The actions are typically expressed with the verb alone or in specific phrases.)
Related Idioms
- "Break a butterfly on a wheel": To use excessive force or resources to solve a minor problem; to make a mountain out of a molehill.
- Firing him for a small mistake is like breaking a butterfly on a wheel.
Noun
- a swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down
- diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings
Verb
- talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
- The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries
- My husband never flirts with other women
- cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking
- butterflied shrimp
- flutter like a butterfly