| Front | lick |
|---|---|
| Back | verb, nounBrE /lɪk/NAmE /lɪk/verb 1 [transitive] to move your tongue over the surface of sth in order to eat it, make it wet or clean it~ sthHe licked his fingers. I'm tired of licking envelopes. The cat sat licking its paws.~ sth + adj. She licked the spoon clean.2 [transitive] ~ sth + adv./prep. to eat or drink sth bylicking itThe cat licked up the milk. She licked the honey off the spoon.3 [transitive, intransitive] (of flames) to touch sth lightly~ sthFlames were soon licking the curtains.~ at sth The flames were now licking at their feet.4 [transitive] ~ sb/sth (informal) to easily defeat sb or deal with sthWe thought we had them licked. It was a tricky problem but I think we've licked it.lick sb's ˈboots(also taboo, slang lick sb's ˈarse)(disapproving) to show too much respect for sb in authority because you want to please them crawllick your ˈwoundsto spend time trying to get your strength or confidence back after a defeat or disappointmentLeeds are still licking their wounds after their humiliating defeat by Grimsby. more at lick/smack your lips at lip, get/knock/lick sth/sb into shape at shape n.noun  word origin 1 [countable] an act of licking sth with the tongueCan I have a lick of your ice cream?2 [singular] a ~ of paint (informal) a small amount of paint, used to make a place look betterWhat this room needs is a lick of paint.3 [countable] (informal) a short piece of music which is part of a song and is played on a guitara guitar/blues licka lick and a ˈpromise (informal) the act of performing a task quickly and carelessly, especially of washing or cleaning sth quicklyat a (fair) ˈlick (informal) fast; at a high speed |
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