quick
The sensitive skin under a fingernail or toenail. It can also describe the most sensitive or central part of a person's feelings.
Exemples
3 sur 5I cut my fingernail too short and hit the quick.
I cut the nail and touched the sensitive skin underneath.
The surgeon must be careful not to damage the quick of the nail bed.
The doctor must not hurt the sensitive skin under the nail.
Ouch! I bit my nail right down to the quick.
It hurts because I bit my nail to the skin.
Famille de mots
Astuce mémo
Think of your 'quick' nail—it is the 'alive' part of your finger that feels pain very 'quickly'!
Quiz rapide
He was so nervous that he bit his nails to the ____.
Correct !
La bonne réponse est : quick
Exemples
I cut my fingernail too short and hit the quick.
everydayI cut the nail and touched the sensitive skin underneath.
The surgeon must be careful not to damage the quick of the nail bed.
formalThe doctor must not hurt the sensitive skin under the nail.
Ouch! I bit my nail right down to the quick.
informalIt hurts because I bit my nail to the skin.
Research indicates that the quick contains many nerve endings.
academicStudies show there are many nerves in the sensitive nail skin.
His harsh feedback cut the manager to the quick.
businessHis mean words deeply hurt the manager's feelings.
Famille de mots
Collocations courantes
Phrases Courantes
cut to the quick
to cause deep emotional pain
the quick and the dead
a phrase referring to all people, living and deceased
bite your nails to the quick
to bite your nails very short because of stress
Souvent confondu avec
Fast is an adjective or adverb for speed, while quick as a noun refers to a part of the nail.
Notes d'usage
As a noun, 'quick' is almost always used in phrases about fingernails or emotional pain. It is rarely used to mean speed in noun form.
Erreurs courantes
Learners often think 'quick' is only an adjective; they may not recognize it as a noun in the phrase 'cut to the quick'.
Astuce mémo
Think of your 'quick' nail—it is the 'alive' part of your finger that feels pain very 'quickly'!
Origine du mot
From the Old English word 'cwic', which meant 'alive' or 'living'.
Modèles grammaticaux
Contexte culturel
The phrase 'the quick and the dead' is a famous biblical reference often used in English literature.
Quiz rapide
He was so nervous that he bit his nails to the ____.
Correct !
La bonne réponse est : quick
Grammaire lie
Expressions liées
Vocabulaire associé
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