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Chalk vs Calk - What's the difference?

chalk | calk |

As nouns the difference between chalk and calk

is that chalk is (uncountable) a soft, white, powdery limestone while calk is a pointed projection on a horseshoe to prevent it slipping.

As verbs the difference between chalk and calk

is that chalk is to apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue while calk is or calk can be to copy (a drawing) by rubbing the back of it with red or black chalk, and then passing a blunt stylus or needle over the lines, so as to leave a tracing on the paper or other thing against which it is laid or held.

chalk

English

Alternative forms

* chaulk (dated)

Noun

  • (uncountable) A soft, white, powdery limestone.
  • (countable) A piece of chalk, or, more often, processed compressed chalk, that is used for drawing and for writing on a blackboard.
  • Tailor's chalk.
  • (uncountable, climbing) A white powdery substance used to prevent hands slipping from holds when climbing, sometimes but not always limestone-chalk.
  • (US, military, countable) A platoon-sized group of airborne soldiers.
  • (US, sports, chiefly, basketball) The prediction that there will be no upsets, and the favored competitor will win.
  • * {{quote-news, 1982, March 22, Phil Musick, And the pick here is - Georgetown over Houston, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette citation
  • , passage=OK, let's get rid of the chalk' players right away. The ' chalk likes North Carolina. Dean Smith has taken Carolina to the Final Four six times.}}
  • * {{quote-news, 1995, April 6, , Notes on a Scorecard, Los Angeles Times citation
  • , passage=Excuse us for sticking with the chalk , but the predicted winners are Afternoon Deelites in the Derby, Oliver McCall over Larry Holmes, Nick Faldo in the Masters, and Al Unser Jr. in the Grand Prix.}}
  • * {{quote-news, 2008, March 24, Jason Bauman, Non-news of the week: Obama picks North Carolina, Beacon-News, city=Aurora, Illinois citation
  • , passage=Instead, he played the chalk and selected the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.}}

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To apply chalk to anything, such as the tip of a billiard cue.
  • To record something, as on a blackboard, using chalk.
  • To use powdered chalk to mark the lines on a playing field.
  • (figuratively) To record a score or event, as if on a chalkboard.
  • To manure (land) with chalk.
  • (Mortimer)
  • To make white, as if with chalk; to make pale; to bleach.
  • (Tennyson)
  • * Herbert
  • Let a bleak paleness chalk the door.

    Derived terms

    * chalk up to * chalky * different as chalk and cheese * chalk line * by a long chalk

    See also

    * (wikipedia) * *

    calk

    English

    Etymology 1

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A pointed projection on a horseshoe to prevent it slipping.
  • Verb

  • * 1915 April 1, in Gas Age , volume 35, page 328:
  • When a joint was calked , the bell piece was then separated,
  • To make an indentation in the edge of a metal plate, as along a seam in a steam boiler or an iron ship, to force the edge of the upper plate hard against the lower and so fill the crevice.
  • Etymology 2

    Ultimately from (etyl) (lena) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To copy (a drawing) by rubbing the back of it with red or black chalk, and then passing a blunt stylus or needle over the lines, so as to leave a tracing on the paper or other thing against which it is laid or held.
  • Anagrams

    *