Make Your Point > Archived Issues > QUAIL
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connect this word to others:
Here's a quail, looking mighty well-fed. (Thanks for the picture, Wikipedia!)
Say the word quail slowly, along with its Latin etymon quaccola, and you'll hear how these words likely arose in imitation of the sound that quails make. (Hear them here.) In other words, the word quail is ono____poetic: it's based on a real sound, like the words bubble and zoom.
Because quail are shy, skittish, often-hunted birds, and because the verb "to quail" means to pull back in a pained or fearful way, I always thought that the verb arose from the bird: you know, like how to ape people is to copy them like an ape would, or how to worm your way into something is to wriggle into it like a worm would.
But nope. Quail, to fearfully withdraw, and quail, the shy bird, appear to have totally separate origins.
I'm shocked. Aren't you?
Okay, I'm over it. Let's draw some other connections: to quail is to shake or quake with pain or fear, to be tre___ous, or shaky due to fear, weakness, or nervousness.
When you quail, you might also blanch: turn white. And speaking of blanch, see if you can recall a related term that literally means "white paper" but today means "the freedom to do anything you want:" _____ blanche.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"QUAIL"
To quail is to flinch, to shake, or to draw back--as if you're afraid.
To quail can also mean to lose your courage, as if you're flinching, shaking, or drawing back in fear.
Pronunciation:
KWALE
Part of speech:
Verb, usually the intransitive kind: "she quailed," "he quails at the idea."
Other forms:
quailed, quailing, quailer(s)
How to use it:
"Quail" is a pithy, powerful verb.
Talk about someone quailing, often someone quailing in fear of something, quailing at some scary thought or possibility, or even quailing over or about something: "But quailing about awesome robots is like refusing to get into... an elevator without an operator" (Garry Kasparov for The Wall Street Journal). To sound dramatic or old-fashioned, talk about someone quailing before (in front of) someone or something: "he quailed before the beast," "they quailed before the inquisitors."
Although it's usually people who quail, it can also be bodies, eyes, voices, postures, moods, hearts, spirits, etc.
examples:
"There were Nine Riders at the water's edge below, and Frodo's spirit quailed before the threat of their uplifted faces."
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954
"Investors quailed at times, sending stocks down by as much as 10 percent."
— Matthew Phillips, New York Times, 24 August 2018
has this page helped you understand "quail"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "quail" without saying "shrink back" or "lose heart."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) will (do something courageous) without hesitation, but the (sight, sound, smell, or thought) of _____ makes (him or her) quail."
Example: "Chad will fend off a snake or a scorpion without hesitation, but the thought of his little girl pedaling off on her bike, sans training wheels, makes him quail."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Quintessential TV Quotes!
Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it.
From the previous issue:
From Friends, which quote below illustrates offal?
Quote A:
Ross: And you had rambled on for eighteen pages. FRONT AND BACK! And by the way, Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E means "you are". Y-O-U-R means "your"!
Quote B:
Ross: You know how you throw your jacket on a chair at the end of the day? Well, like that, only, instead of a chair, it's a pile of garbage. And instead of a jacket, it's a pile of garbage. And instead of the end of the day, it's the end of time and garbage is all that has survived!
Quote C:
Ross: Monica categorizes her towels. How many categories are there?
Joey: [thinking] Everyday Use.
Chandler: Fancy.
Joey: Guest.
Chandler: Fancy Guest.
Joey: Uh... Eleven?
Ross: [clicking time] Eleven. Unbelievable. Eleven is correct.
Answer: In quote B, Ross deplores the offal accumulating in a home.
Try this one today:
From Downton Abbey, which quote below illustrates fervency?
Quote A:
Robert: I thought you didn't like him?
Violet: So what? I have plenty of friends I don't like.
Quote B:
Robert: I don't know why you're making such a fuss, Mama. You'd visit Denker if she were locked up.
Violet: Only to check if the locks were sound.
Quote C:
Robert: I've given my life to Downton. I was born here, and I hope to die here. I claim no career beyond the nurture of this house and the estate. It is my third parent, and my fourth child. Do I care about it? Yes, I do care!
review this word:
1. A near opposite of QUAILING is
A. IRKING.
B. RALLYING.
C. DEEPENING.
2. We're introverts: we duck phone calls and quail _____.
A. at brief texts
B. in silent bookstores
C. when someone hands us the microphone
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
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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.
"QUAIL" To quail is to flinch, to shake, or to draw back--as if you're afraid.
"There were Nine Riders at the water's edge below, and Frodo's spirit quailed before the threat of their uplifted faces."
Explain the meaning of "quail" without saying "shrink back" or "lose heart."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) will (do something courageous) without hesitation, but the (sight, sound, smell, or thought) of _____ makes (him or her) quail."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of QUAILING is
|