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Delve vs Rifle - What's the difference?

delve | rifle |

As verbs the difference between delve and rifle

is that delve is to dig the ground, especially with a shovel while rifle is .

As a noun delve

is a pit or den.

delve

English

Verb

  • To dig the ground, especially with a shovel.
  • * 1381 , John Ball
    • When Adam dalf and Eve span, / Who was then a gentleman?
  • * Dryden
    • Delve of convenient depth your thrashing floor.
  • *
    • I got a spade from the tool-house, and began to delve with all my might - it scraped the coffin; I fell to work with my hands; the wood commenced cracking about the screws; I was on the point of attaining my object, when it seemed that I heard a sigh from some one above, close at the edge of the grave, and bending down.
  • (ambitransitive) To search thoroughly and carefully for information, research, dig into, penetrate, fathom, trace out
  • * 1609-11 , Shakespeare, Cymbeline, King of Britain
    • I cannot delve him to the root.
  • * 1943 , Emile C. Tepperman, Calling Justice, Inc.!
    • She was intensely eager to delve into the mystery of Mr. Joplin and his brief case.
  • (ambitransitive) To dig, to excavate.
  • * ca. 1260 , Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend
    • And then they made an oratory behind the altar, and would have dolven for to have laid the body in that oratory ...
  • * 1891 , , The White Company , chapter IV
    • Let him take off his plates and delve' himself, if ' delving must be done.

    Synonyms

    * (to dig the ground) dig * (to search thoroughly) investigate, research

    Derived terms

    * delver * indelve

    Related terms

    * dolven

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A pit or den.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iii:
    • the wise Merlin whylome wont (they say) / To make his wonne, low vnderneath the ground, / In a deepe delue , farre from the vew of day [...].

    Anagrams

    * ----

    rifle

    English

    (wikipedia rifle)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A long firearm firing a single projectile, usually with a rifled barrel to improve accuracy.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
    • , title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=7 citation , passage=Still, a dozen men with rifles , and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride.}}
  • A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.

    • Derived terms

    * automatic rifle * rifled slug * rifling

    Verb

    (rifl)
  • to search with intent to steal; to ransack, pillage or plunder.
  • To scan many items (especially papers) in a set, quickly. (See also riffle[http://verbmall.blogspot.com/2008/05/riffle-or-rifle.html])
    • She made a mess when she rifled through the stack of papers, looking for the title document.
  • To add a spiral to the interior of a gun bore to make a fired bullet spin in flight to improve range and accuracy.
  • To strike something with great power.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2010 , date=December 28 , author=Marc Vesty , title=Stoke 0 - 2 Fulham , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Davies's cross was headed away from danger by Robert Huth, only for Baird to take the ball in his stride and rifle his right-footed effort towards the corner from the edge of the box.}}
  • To commit robbery.
    • (Bishop Hall)
  • To strip of goods; to rob; to pillage.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: / If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you.
  • To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Time shall rifle every youthful grace.
  • To raffle.

    • Anagrams

    * ----