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tar and feather

tar and feath·er
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [tahr and feth -er]
    • /tɑr ænd ˈfɛð ər/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [tahr and feth -er]
    • /tɑr ænd ˈfɛð ər/

Definitions of tar and feather words

  • noun tar and feather any of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood. 1
  • noun tar and feather coal-tar pitch. 1
  • noun tar and feather smoke solids or components: cigarette tar. 1
  • verb with object tar and feather to smear or cover with or as if with tar. 1
  • adjective tar and feather of or characteristic of tar. 1
  • adjective tar and feather covered or smeared with tar; tarred. 1
See all 11 definitions of tar and feather

Information block about the term

Origin of tar and feather

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (noun) Middle English tarr(e), ter(re), Old English teru; cognate with Dutch, German teer, Old Norse tjara; akin to tree; (v.) Middle English terren, Old English tierwian, derivative of the noun

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Tar and feather

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Tar and feather

tar and feather popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% 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".

tar and feather usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for tar and feather

verb tar and feather

  • attainted — Law. to condemn by a sentence or a bill or act of attainder.
  • dis-favored — unfavorable regard; displeasure; disesteem; dislike: The prime minister incurred the king's disfavor.
  • disfavored — unfavorable regard; displeasure; disesteem; dislike: The prime minister incurred the king's disfavor.
  • disgrace — the loss of respect, honor, or esteem; ignominy; shame: the disgrace of criminals.
  • disrespected — lack of respect; discourtesy; rudeness.
All 5 Synonyms of tar and feather

See also

Matching words

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