tʃɔ:k n. & v. --n. 1 a
white soft earthy limestone (calcium carbonate) formed
from the skeletal
remains of
sea creatures. 2 a a
similar substance (calcium sulphate),
sometimes coloured, used
for writing or
drawing. b a
piece of
this (a box of chalks). 3 a
series of
strata consisting
mainly of chalk. 4 =
French chalk. --v.tr. 1 rub, mark,
draw, or
write with chalk. 2 (foll. by up) a write or
record with chalk. b
register (a
success etc.). c
charge (to an account). øas
different as chalk
and (or from) cheese fundamentally different. by a long chalk
Brit. by
far (from the
use of chalk to mark the
score in games). chalk and
talk traditional teaching (employing
blackboard, chalk, and interlocution). chalk
out sketch or
plan a
thing to be
accomplished. chalk-pit a quarry in
which chalk is dug. chalk-stone a
concretion of urates like chalk in tissues and joints
esp. of hands and
feet. chalk-stripe a
pattern of
thin white stripes on a
dark background. chalk-striped having chalk-stripes. [OE cealc ult. f. WG f. L CALX]
