- His ears are wide at the base, tapering gradually to rounded tips.
- The tips of her slender fingers were revealed at the openings of the sleeves, her bare feet small but slim.
- But my favourite Goan destination lies at the other end of the state, at the extreme northern tip.
- At first glance, it's a cleaning rod with a rubber tip and a funny-looking patch.
- A vertical aluminum rod with mounting hardware and black rubber tips at each end holds the construction together.
- This two-piece telescoping staff also has a rubber tip which removes to reveal a steel point used for rough terrain.
verb (tips, tipping, tipped)[with object] Back to top
- Forests covered the planet with natural formations of mighty mountains tipped with snow.
- Nectar feeding species are small and have long muzzles and extremely long tongues tipped with a brush-like structure.
- The most common tools used by farmers were metal tipped ploughs for turning over the soil and harrows to cover up the soil when seeds had been planted.
- The edges of the trees are tipped with orange and red, invoking not only a time of day but also a time of year: late August or early September.
- I still don't like certain sorts of plants much because of the fear of that programme - red tipped slimy looking specimens terrify me!
- Somehow I hadn't noticed that his hair was tipped in red.
late Middle English: from Old Norse typpi (noun), typpa (verb), typptr 'tipped'; related to top1.
on the tip of one's tongue
- Almost but not quite brought to mind or spoken: his name’s on the tip of my tongue!More example sentences
- I was vaguely aware of Deo and a name, a word on the tip of my tongue that I couldn't quite say.
- There was a line-up of Late Review personalities along one wall, among them several very well-known playwrights whose names remain forever on the tip of your tongue.
- Blocking refers to those times when you have a word or name on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't recall it.
the tip of the iceberg
- see iceberg.
verb (tips, tipping, tipped)
- In at least one seminar, the inevitable happened and she tipped over backwards on to the floor.
- He looked up at the tall man with curiosity, tipping back his head to view him, nearly tipping over backwards in his effort.
- Soon, a pile of the creatures had accumulated and the bridge tipped over and she fell in, clinging the way Jackson had done, but there were too many of them.
- He wore hats, tipped slightly to the side, he had the easiest laugh of anybody, he was fluent in English and Japanese and spoke to me like a peer.
- He had not awaken when the car almost tipped upon its side and rolled, and he had not awaken when Lucas and Brooke raised their voices earlier.
- I nodded, wiping my dry mouth on the back of my hand before I bent at the waist to pick up my bag and my text book, tilting my head when it tipped dizzily to the side.
- Then he pulled an large Elastoplast of his left forearm and opening a small plastic film container tipped the contents onto the Elastoplast and stuck it onto an inside page in the paper.
- When the rigmarole of having a bath was over, the bath had to be emptied, dragging the bath to the back door and tipping the contents out into the yard.
- He'd been through the ground floor of the house, tipping the contents of my handbag into a flower bed and taking the cash, swiftly going through desk drawers.
- We were told it would be just right, not too hot, but it was bitterly cold for the first two weeks we were there and then when we went to see a wildflower garden it was tipping down with rain.
- It's tipping down with rain, Poland are kicking from right to left and Portugal get proceedings underway after Hugh blows his big blue whistle.
- It's tipping down with rain at The Riazor and the pitch is perfect for football.
- It was an unusual goal, the forward meeting his own rebounded shot - the ball had been tipped onto the crossbar by Craig Hinchcliffe - to head home from close range.
- A right-footed shot from the edge of the area was brilliantly tipped around the post by the keeper.
- Lee Douglas had the chance but his well struck right-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area was somehow tipped around the post by the athleticism of the keeper.
- The usual teams were picked and Emily quickly gained possession of the ball at tip off.
- Well, right before the game, and I mean right before the tip off, I filled out the book and made sure I handed it to Tom, the ref.
nounBack to top
- Red-faced environment chiefs today pledged there will be no repeat of the Hampshire scandal which saw tons of recyclable waste dumped in rubbish tips.
- It's bulk that fills up the rubbish tips, and plastic bottles are the bulkiest component by weight that we have to dispose of.
- The pictures are mostly industrial landscapes like gas works or junk yards and rubbish tips.
- Aye, the whole house, it was a real tip, with dirty greasy plates and cups littered all over the place because he somehow couldn't get himself organised tee wash a few things up now and again.
- The house is an absolute tip with a fridge that makes Old Mother Hubbard look good but there's not much new in that.
- ‘My own kitchen is very small, and, well, an absolute tip.’
late Middle English: perhaps of Scandinavian origin, influenced later by tip1 in the sense 'touch with a tip or point'. Current senses of the noun date from the mid 19th century.
tip one's hand
- North American informal Reveal one’s intentions inadvertently.More example sentences
- Collecting stories across the political spectrum, he never tips his hand to reveal his views or prejudices.
- He doesn't tip his hand and reveal why he knows, but he tells Clark that he knows the story about his rescue is not quite true.
- But that will be carefully parsed by all of the economists on Wall Street to see - and if you're familiar with the way that Alan Greenspan speaks, he's almost rarely, rarely tips his hand.
- Raise or touch one’s hat or cap as a way of greeting or acknowledging someone: the doorman tipped his hat with a smileMore example sentences
- On our way back to the car, a couple of guys walked by, and one of them, wearing a cowboy hat, tipped his hat - yes he did!
- Robert Mitchum's unforgettable performance as Powell is one forged from the purest vein of evil; even as he tips his hat and drawls a neighbourly greeting, malice wafts off the screen.
- Kiley tips his hat to those loyal listeners, acknowledging that it's the audience, not the venue, that can make or break any performance.
tip (or turn) the scales (or balance)
- Be the deciding factor; make the critical difference: her current form tips the scales in her favourMore example sentences
- Depending on the extent of the difference in rank, however, other factors can tip the balance.
- This was, probably, the over-riding factor that finally tipped the scales and made him decide to make the trip at last.
- A large enrolment - of 95 students - for French immersion kindergarten next September was one factor that tipped the balance.
tip (or turn) the scales at
- Have a weight of (a specified amount): the phone tips the scales at only 150 gMore example sentences
- He did make the weight and tipped the scales at 121 after being overweight by four pounds the day before.
- At almost 6-5, Smith gained weight to tip the scales at 217 pounds on Friday morning.
- He now tips the scales at perhaps one third of his full adult weight, which makes him something like one fifth of Dolly's massive bulk.
- A former agricultural engineer, he makes more money now in tips handing out towels.
- Certainly in America you will need money for tips very quickly, on arrival for the taxi or coach driver, and then the porter.
- French restaurants often add up to 15%, but the waiters will still expect a tip if service has been good.
- The nutritionist will provide practical advice and helpful tips on how to eat healthily, lose weight, and work more exercise into our already busy lives.
- This self-help book offers plenty of useful advice and tips which are common sense to all those who enjoy a healthy and positive in-law relationship.
- Practical advice and tips are set out in a straightforward layout, laced with quizzes of self discovery.
- There will be tips and predictions from top racing experts ahead of the meeting.
- My tip for the race was a big disappointment.
- They'll talk a good race and they'll have good runs from time to time, but it's no reason to follow their tips for the next race.
verb (tips, tipping, tipped)[with object] Back to top
- After she's had enough, she refuses my money and shyly tips me five bucks.
- I described to the alleged bagpipes man what I'd be wearing the next day, and said I'd tip him some money - but he had to make sure he said g'day to me.
- I paid the cabbie, tipping him five dollars in my good mood.
- If anything, this whimsically acoustic five-piece are more likely to be tipped as the next Belle & Sebastian.
- The band landed a contract with music giant Sony Records and was tipped to achieve mainstream success.
- The date of county council elections across England, the first Thursday in May, has long been tipped as the most likely date for the poll.
- An informant tipped me off as to where he was seen last, and I was sure that he would still be there.
- She had remained out of sight as ordered, until their inside information had tipped her off as to the arrival of the target.
- So they had this informant befriend me and tip me off that I was being monitored.
early 17th century (in the sense 'give, hand, pass'): probably from tip1.
tip someone the wink
- British informal Give someone private information.More example sentences
- ‘So even though the Foreign Office will tell you, ‘Oh, we have condemned torture in Uzbekistan’, it doesn't mean anything, because by accepting the intelligence you are tipping them the wink to carry on.’
- Keep tipping me the wink and all will go swimmingly.
- In the old days the uncertainty provided a lucrative source of supplemental income for town-hall bureaucrats who would tip you the wink for a little discreet baksheesh.