digging
挖掘
Dig v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dug or Digged p. pr. & vb. n. Digging. -- Digged is archaic.]
1. To turn up, or delve in, (earth) with a spade or a hoe; to open, loosen, or break up (the soil) with a spade, or other sharp instrument; to pierce, open, or loosen, as if with a spade.
Be first to dig the ground. --Dryden.
2. To get by digging; as, to dig potatoes, or gold.
3. To hollow out, as a well; to form, as a ditch, by removing earth; to excavate; as, to dig a ditch or a well.
4. To thrust; to poke. [Colloq.]
You should have seen children . . . dig and push their mothers under the sides, saying thus to them: Look, mother, how great a lubber doth yet wear pearls. --Robynson (More's Utopia).
To dig down, to undermine and cause to fall by digging; as, to dig down a wall.
To dig from, To dig out of, To dig out, To dig up, to get out or obtain by digging; as, to dig coal from or out of a mine; to dig out fossils; to dig up a tree. The preposition is often omitted; as, the men are digging coal, digging iron ore, digging potatoes.
To dig in, (a) to cover by digging; as, to dig in manure. (b) To entrench oneself so as to give stronger resistance; -- used of warfare or negotiating situations.
to dig in one's heels To offer stubborn resistance.
Dig·ging n.
1. The act or the place of digging or excavating.
Syn: -- excavation, dig.
2. pl. Places where ore is dug; especially, certain localities in California, Australia, and elsewhere, at which gold is obtained. [Recent]
3. pl. Region; locality. [Low]
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dig
n 1: the site of an archeological exploration; "they set up camp
next to the dig" [syn: excavation, archeological site]
2: an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and
intended to have a telling effect; "his parting shot was
`drop dead'"; "she threw shafts of sarcasm"; "she takes a
dig at me every chance she gets" [syn: shot, shaft, slam,
barb, jibe, gibe]
3: a small gouge (as in the cover of a book); "the book was in
good condition except for a dig in the back cover"
4: the act of digging; "there's an interesting excavation going
on near Princeton" [syn: excavation, digging]
5: the act of touching someone suddenly with your finger or
elbow; "she gave me a sharp dig in the ribs" [syn: jab]
v 1: turn up, loosen, or remove earth; "Dig we must"; "turn over
the soil for aeration" [syn: delve, cut into, turn
over]
2: create by digging; "dig a hole"; "dig out a channel" [syn: dig
out]
3: work hard; "She was digging away at her math homework";
"Lexicographers drudge all day long" [syn: labor, labour,
toil, fag, travail, grind, drudge, moil]
4: remove the inner part or the core of; "the mining company
wants to excavate the hillsite" [syn: excavate, hollow]
5: poke or thrust abruptly; "he jabbed his finger into her
ribs" [syn: jab, prod, stab, poke]
6: get the meaning of something; "Do you comprehend the meaning
of this letter?" [syn: get the picture, comprehend, savvy,
grasp, compass, apprehend]
[also: dug, digging]
digging
n : the act of digging; "there's an interesting excavation going
on near Princeton" [syn: excavation, dig]