Words / C1

HINJ/hɪndʒ/

To hinge on something is to depend entirely on it: the case hinged on one witness; also a door hinges on its hardware. Depend is everyday; rest on is a cousin; a hinge (noun) is the metal joint. Do not treat a film crew as the condition of a lawful sitting.

Meaning

To depend entirely on one thing (hinge on); also, of a door, to turn on a hinge.

Examples

• “The sitting hinged on a second invigilator; the film crew was optional.”
• “Depend is everyday. Turn on is a close idiom. The hardware sense is the door. Optional is extra. Cover is the condition. Book the second name; the cameras can wait in the corridor — not in the doorway.”

Good to know

Depend entirely on (hinge on). Everyday: depend. Noun: the metal joint on a door. A film crew is not the condition of sitting.

Near in meaning

depend

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