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pour oil on troubled waters

pour oil on trou·ble Wa·ters
P p

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [pawr, pohr oil on, awn truhb-uh l waw-terz, wot-erz]
    • /pɔr, poʊr ɔɪl ɒn, ɔn ˈtrʌb əl ˈwɔ tərz, ˈwɒt ərz/
    • /pɔː(r) ɔɪl ɒn ˈtrʌb.l̩d ˈwɔː.tər/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [pawr, pohr oil on, awn truhb-uh l waw-terz, wot-erz]
    • /pɔr, poʊr ɔɪl ɒn, ɔn ˈtrʌb əl ˈwɔ tərz, ˈwɒt ərz/

Definitions of pour oil on troubled waters words

  • noun pour oil on troubled waters any of a large class of substances typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether or alcohol but not in water: used for anointing, perfuming, lubricating, illuminating, heating, etc. 1
  • noun pour oil on troubled waters a substance of this or similar consistency. 1
  • noun pour oil on troubled waters refined or crude petroleum. 1
  • noun pour oil on troubled waters Painting. oil color. oil painting. 1
  • noun pour oil on troubled waters Informal. unctuous hypocrisy; flattery. 1
  • noun pour oil on troubled waters an oilskin garment. 1
See all 20 definitions of pour oil on troubled waters

Information block about the term

Origin of pour oil on troubled waters

First appearance:

before 1125
One of the 6% oldest English words
1125-75; Middle English olie, oile < Old French < Latin oleum, olīvum (olive) oil < *oleivum (cf. Deus) < dialectal Greek *élaiwon (Attic élaion), derivative of *elaíwā olive

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Pour oil on troubled waters

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Pour oil on troubled waters

pour oil on troubled waters popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

pour oil on troubled waters usage trend in Literature

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