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chalk

Pronunciation: /tʃɔːk/
Translate chalk | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of chalk

noun

[mass noun]
  • a white soft earthy limestone (calcium carbonate) formed from the skeletal remains of sea creatures.
  • a chalk-like substance (calcium sulphate), made into sticks used for writing or drawing on a blackboard.
  • [count noun] Geology a series of strata consisting mainly of chalk.

verb

[with object]
  • 1write or draw with chalk:he chalked a message on the board
  • draw or write on (a surface) with chalk:blackboards chalked with Japanese phrases
  • rub the tip of (a snooker cue) with chalk.
  • 2British charge (drinks bought in a pub or bar) to a person’s account:he chalked the bill on to the Professor’s private account

Phrases

as different as (or like) chalk and cheese

British fundamentally different or incompatible: we’ll never get on—we’re like chalk and cheese

by a long chalk

British by far: she is, by a long chalk, the highest paid

chalk and talk

British teaching by traditional methods focusing on the blackboard and presentation by the teacher as opposed to more informal or interactive methods.

not by a long chalk

British by no means; not at all:they weren’t beaten yet, not by a long chalk
[with reference to the chalk used for marking up scores in competitive games]

Phrasal Verbs

chalk something off

British (in sport) disallow a goal for an infringement of the rules.

chalk something out

sketch or plan something:we have already chalked out the strategy for conducting raids

chalk something up

  • 1achieve something noteworthy:he has chalked up a box office success
  • 2ascribe something to a particular cause:I chalked my sleeplessness up to nerves

Origin:

Old English cealc (also denoting lime), related to Dutch kalk and German Kalk, from Latin calx (see calx)

chalk in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of chalk in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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