rock

rock¹ W2S2 [rɔk US ra:k] n

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(stone)¦

2¦(music)¦

3 (as) solid/steady as a rock

4 be on the rocks

5 scotch/vodka etc on the rocks

6¦(sweet food)¦

7¦(drug)¦

8 be (stuck) between a rock and a hard place

9 get your rocks off

10¦(jewel)¦

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[Sense: 1, 3-10; Date: 1300-1400; : Old North French; Origin: roque, from Vulgar Latin rocca]

[Sense: 2; Date: 1900-2000; Origin: ROCK²]

1.) ¦(STONE)¦

a) [U]

the hard substance that forms the main surface of the Earth

→↑stone

▪ To build the tunnel, they had to cut through 500 feet of solid rock .

▪ Most of the country is desert and bare rock .

▪ massive rock formations (=shapes made naturally from rock)

▪ ancient dark volcanic rock

b)

a piece of rock, especially a large one that sticks up from the ground

▪ Jack stood on a rock for a better view.

▪ During the storm a ship had been driven onto the rocks (=a line of rocks under or next to the sea) .

2.) ¦(MUSIC)¦[U]

also rock music

a type of popular modern music with a strong loud beat, played using ↑guitars and drums

rock band/group

▪ Komuro formed a rock band with some friends while in college.

▪ the late rock star, Freddie Mercury

▪ The stadium has hosted numerous rock concerts .

→↑hard rock,punk rock at ↑punk

3.) (as) solid/steady as a rock

a) very strongly built or well supported and not likely to break or fall

▪ a large sofa, solid as a rock

b) someone who is as solid or steady as a rock is very strong and calm in difficult situations and you can depend on them

→↑rock-solid

4.) be on the rocks informal

a relationship or business that is on the rocks is having a lot of problems and is likely to fail soon

= ↑in trouble

▪ I'm afraid Tim's marriage is on the rocks.

5.) scotch/vodka etc on the rocks informal

an alcoholic drink that is served with ice but no water

6.) ¦(SWEET FOOD)¦[U]

BrE a hard sweet made in long round pieces

▪ a stick of rock

7.) ¦(DRUG)¦

a) [U]

a very pure form of the illegal drug ↑cocaine that some people use for pleasure

b)

a small amount of this drug

8.) be (stuck) between a rock and a hard place

to have a choice between two things, both of which are unpleasant or dangerous

9.) get your rocks off

informal not polite if a man gets his rocks off, he has sex

10.)¦(JEWEL)¦ [C usually plural]

old-fashioned informal a ↑diamond or other jewel

rock ²

rock² v

[: Old English; Origin: roccian]

1.) [I and T]

to move gently backwards and forwards or from side to side, or to make something do this

→↑sway

▪ She covered her face, rocking to and fro in her grief.

▪ The waves rocked the boat from side to side .

▪ Paul sat gently rocking the child in his arms.

▪ Jim rocked with laughter when he heard what had happened.

2.) [T]

a) to make the people in a place or organization feel very shocked - used in news reports

= ↑shake

▪ The scandal rocked the nation.

b) to make the future of something seem less certain or steady than it was before, especially because of problems or changes

= ↑shake

▪ Another financial blow has rocked the industry.

▪ The theory rocked the foundations of social and moral life.

3.) rock the boat informal

to cause problems for other members of a group by criticizing something or trying to change the way something is done

▪ He kept his feelings to himself, not wanting to rock the boat.

4.) [T]

if an explosion or ↑earthquake rocks an area, it makes it shake

▪ Residents had only a few minutes to escape before the blast rocked their houses.

5.) sb/sth rocks

spoken informal said to show that you strongly approve of someone or something

6.) rock sb's world informal

to cause someone to think about something or someone in a completely new way