Words / B2

LASH/læʃ/

To lash is to hit hard (rain lashes; a whip) or to attack in words (lash out): rain lashed the path; lash out at critics. Beat is everyday for weather; criticise is cooler. Fieldwork was called off. Mix-up: leash is a dog lead (already in the dictionary). Do not write lash for a mild complaint.

Meaning

To hit with a whip or with force (rain lashes); also to criticise angrily (lash out).

Examples

• “Rain lashed the coastal path, so the fieldwork was called off.”
• “He lashed out at the inspector in the minutes, which is the verbal sense.”

Good to know

rain / wind lashes; lash out at. Weather: beat. Trap: leash. Geography, news, and orals. Force or a verbal attack, not a dog lead.

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