sharp

sharp¹ W2S3 [ʃa:p US ʃa:rp] adj comparative sharper superlative sharpest

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1¦(able to cut easily)¦

2¦(turn)¦

3¦(increase/change)¦

4¦(difference)¦

5¦(pain/feelings)¦

6¦(disapproving)¦

7¦(intelligent)¦

8 keep a sharp eye on somebody

9¦(pencil)¦

10¦(sound)¦

11¦(taste)¦

12¦(clothes)¦

13¦(shape)¦

14¦(image/picture)¦

15¦(good at noticing things)¦

16¦(music)¦

17¦(weather)¦

18 sharp practice

19 be on the sharp end (of something)

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[: Old English; Origin: scearp]

1.) ¦(ABLE TO CUT EASILY)¦

having a very thin edge or point that can cut things easily

≠ ↑blunt

▪ Make sure you use a good sharp knife.

▪ Its teeth are razor sharp (=very sharp) .

2.) ¦(TURN)¦

a sharp turn or bend changes direction suddenly

▪ We came to a sharp bend in the road.

sharp left/right

▪ Take a sharp left after the church.

3.) ¦(INCREASE/CHANGE)¦

a sharp increase, rise, fall etc happens suddenly and is great in amount

= ↑steep

▪ a sharp increase in prices

▪ a sharp fall in unemployment

4.) ¦(DIFFERENCE)¦

sharp differences are very big and very noticeable

▪ sharp differences of opinion

▪ There is a sharp distinction between domestic and international politics.

▪ His honesty is in sharp contrast (=very different) to some other politicians.

5.) ¦(PAIN/FEELINGS)¦

a sharp pain or feeling is sudden and severe

≠ ↑dull

▪ I felt a sharp pain in my back.

▪ I was left with a sharp sense of disappointment.

6.) ¦(DISAPPROVING)¦

speaking in a way that shows you disapprove of something or are annoyed

≠ ↑mild

▪ a sharp rebuke

▪ John's tone was sharp.

▪ The boss can be very sharp with people when she's busy.

sb has a sharp tongue

(=they speak in a very disapproving way which often upsets people)

7.) ¦(INTELLIGENT)¦

able to think and understand things very quickly, and not easily deceived

≠ ↑dull, stupid ↑stupid

▪ a journalist with an extremely sharp mind

8.) keep a sharp eye on sb

to watch someone very carefully, especially because you do not trust them

▪ Keep a sharp eye on the kids at all times!

9.) ¦(PENCIL)¦

having a very thin point that can draw an exact line

≠ ↑blunt

▪ Make sure your pencils are sharp before we begin the test.

10.)¦(SOUND)¦

a sharp sound or cry is loud, short, and sudden

▪ a sharp cry of pain

▪ a sharp intake of breath

▪ The branch broke with a sharp crack.

11.) ¦(TASTE)¦

having a slightly bitter taste

≠ ↑mild

▪ sharp cheddar cheese

▪ Add mustard to give the dressing a sharper taste.

12.) ¦(CLOTHES)¦

attractive and fashionable

British Equivalent: smart

▪ Tod looked really sharp in his tux.

▪ a sharp suit

13.) ¦(SHAPE)¦

not rounded or curved

▪ sharp features

▪ Her mother had a sharp little nose.

14.) ¦(IMAGE/PICTURE)¦

if an image or picture is sharp, you can see all the details very clearly

≠ ↑fuzzy

▪ The outlines of the trees were sharp and clear.

15.) ¦(GOOD AT NOTICING THINGS)¦

able to see and notice details very well

sharp eye for detail

(=the ability to notice and deal with details)

16.) ¦(MUSIC)¦

a) F sharp/D sharp/C sharp etc

a musical note that is sharp has been raised by one ↑semitone from the note F, D, C etc

b) if music or singing is sharp, it is played or sung at a slightly higher ↑pitch than it should be

→↑flat¹ (9)

→↑natural¹ (10)

17.) ¦(WEATHER)¦

sharp wind/frost

a very cold wind or a severe ↑frost

▪ A sharp wind blew across the lake.

18.) sharp practice

BrE behaviour, especially in business, that is dishonest but not illegal

▪ He's been guilty of sharp practice in the past.

19.) be on the sharp end (of sth)

BrE informal to experience the worst effects of something

▪ We were always on the sharp end of clients' complaints.

>sharpness n [U]

→↑sharply

sharp ²

sharp² adv

1.) at ten-thirty/2 o'clock etc sharp

at exactly 10.30, 2.00 etc

▪ We're meeting at one-thirty sharp.

2.) sharp left/right

BrE if you turn sharp left or right, you make a sudden change of direction to the left or right

▪ You turn sharp right at the crossroads.

3.) look sharp

BrE old-fashioned used to tell someone to do something quickly

▪ If you look sharp you might catch him before he leaves for London.

4.) played or sung at a slightly higher ↑pitch than is correct

→↑flat

sharp ³

sharp³ n

1.) a musical note that has been raised one ↑semitone above the note written

2.) the sign (\#) in a line of written music used to show that a musical note should be raised

→↑flat² (3)