Make Your Point: DEFANG

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pronounce DEFANG:

dee FANG

connect this word to others:

English can be dark. It has so many figurative verbs for specific kinds of bodily maiming.

Like defang: if you defang something, you weaken it, as if by removing its fangs.

And ham_____g: if you ham_____g: something, you cripple it, as if by slicing the tendons at the back of its knees.

And ex___iate: if you ex___iate someone, you injure them with criticism, as if stripping off their skin.

And de___ebrate: if you de___ebrate something, you stun it, as if removing its brain.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "fang" comes from Old English, and around the year 1555, it came to mean "a long, sharp tooth."

It took us until about1915 to invent the word "defang." To defang an animal is to remove its fangs.

And to defang something else, like a weapon, a program, or a law, is to make it weak or powerless, as if you're removing its fangs.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb, the transitive kind: "They've defanged this snake;" "They've defanged this once-powerful metaphor."

Other forms:

Defanged, defanging.

how to use it:

The word "defang" is clear, colorful yet violent, and somewhat rare yet easy to understand. It's a more concrete alternative to vaguer terms like "tame" and "subdue."

When you talk about how people or actions defang something, you're comparing that thing to an animal with fangs: a predator with powerful jaws, like a dog, a wolf, or a snake.

For example, you might say that someone or something has defanged a law, a weapon, a curse word, a racial slur, an insult, a rumor, a dictator, a mob, etc.

"Defanged" is also handy as an adjective. You might talk about defanged fairy tales: the kind with all the brutality removed. Or defanged songs: the kind with all the vicious lyrics bleeped out or replaced.

examples:

"What better way to defang a secret society than to make public its most secret information?"
— Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics, 2005

"Others have argued that sheer repetition is the way to defang [the n-word]. Professor Todd Boyd of UCLA writes: 'To me, hip-hop has redefined the word… The more you say it, the more you desensitise it.'"
— David Cox, The Guardian, 14 January 2013

has this page helped you understand "defang"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "defang" without saying "disarm" or "render toothless."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) defangs the more ferocious elements of (something)."

Example 1: "Disney movies defang the more ferocious elements of fairy tales."

Example 2: "I only wish the owners wouldn't defang the more ferocious elements of [Ethiopian] cuisine, whether tamping down the heat or limiting the menu to more American-friendly plates."
— Tim Carman, Washington Post, 12 October 2016

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Eddie Izzardisms!"

Consider a quote from Eddie Izzard's delightful stand-up comedy, and decide which of three given terms you can most easily connect it to. You can see my suggested answer by scrolling to the bottom of the issue. But yours doesn't need to match mine.

Try this one today:

"Cats leap up walls! Six foot walls, they just go–fwang!"

Antithetical, frenetic, or onomatopoetic?

review this word:

1. A near opposite of DEFANG is

A. FACE: to tackle an issue head-on.
B. ARM: to equip something with a weapon.
C. EYE: to gaze at something, perhaps greedily.

2. In an interview, Eric Drooker described a metropolis that was "once so _____" as "defanged."

A. wild and teeming with life
B. filthy and teeming with roaches
C. artistic and teeming with culture

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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