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Hitch vs Ditch - What's the difference?

hitch | ditch |

In transitive terms the difference between hitch and ditch

is that hitch is to attach, tie or fasten while ditch is to throw into a ditch.

In intransitive terms the difference between hitch and ditch

is that hitch is to move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or steps; said of something obstructed or impeded while ditch is to dig ditches.

As a proper noun Hitch

is {{surname|from=given names}.

hitch

English

Noun

(es)
  • A sudden pull.
  • Any of various knots]] used to attach a rope to an object other than another rope Knots and Splices by Cyrus L Day, Adlard Coles Nautical, 2001. See [[w:List of hitch knots, List of hitch knots in Wikipedia .
  • A fastener or connection point, as for a trailer.
    • His truck sported a heavy-duty hitch for his boat.
  • (informal) A problem, delay or source of difficulty.
    • The banquet went off without a hitch . (Meaning the banquet went smoothly.)
  • A hidden or unfavorable condition or element; a catch.
    • The deal sounds too good to be true. What's the hitch ?
  • A period of time. Most often refers to time spent in the military.
    • She served two hitches in Vietnam.
    U.S. TROOPS FACE LONGER ARMY HITCH ; SOLDIERS BOUND FOR IRAQ, ... WILL BE RETAINED
  • :: Stephen J. Hedges & Mike Dorning, Chicago Tribune; Orlando Sentinel; Jun 3, 2004; pg. A.1;

    • Synonyms

    * catch

    Derived terms

    * unhitch * unhitched

    Verb

  • To pull with a jerk.
  • To attach, tie or fasten.
  • *, chapter=8
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Philander went into the next room, which was just a lean-to hitched on to the end of the shanty, and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm. Then he put the coffee pot on the stove and rummaged out a loaf of dry bread and some hardtack.}}
  • (informal) To marry oneself to; especially to get hitched .
  • (informal) contraction of hitchhike, to thumb a ride.
  • To become entangled or caught; to be linked or yoked; to unite; to cling.
  • * South
    • atomswhich at length hitched together
  • To move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or steps; said of something obstructed or impeded.
  • * (Alexander Pope)
    • Slides into verse, and hitches in a rhyme.
  • * Fuller
    • To ease themselves by hitching into another place.
  • (UK) To strike the legs together in going, as horses; to interfere.
    • (Halliwell)

    References

    ditch

    English

    Etymology 1

    From earlier deche, from (etyl) dechen, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (es)

    • Noun

    (en-noun)

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) dich, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (es)
  • A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for irrigation or drainage.
    • Digging ditches has long been considered one of the most demanding forms of manual labor.
    Derived terms
    * ditchdigger * ditch weed * ditcher * ox is in the ditch
    See also
    * fosse * moat

    Verb

  • To discard or abandon.
    • Once the sun came out we ditched our rain-gear and started a campfire.
  • To deliberately crash-land an airplane on the sea.
    • When the second engine failed, the pilot was forced to ditch ; their last location was just south of the Azores.
  • To deliberately not attend classes; to play hookey.
    • The truant officer caught Louise ditching with her friends, and her parents were forced to pay a fine.
  • To dig ditches.
    • Enclosure led to fuller winter employment in hedging and ditching .
  • To dig ditches around.
    • The soldiers ditched the tent to prevent flooding.
  • To throw into a ditch.
    • The engine was ditched and turned on its side.
    Synonyms
    * abandon * discard * dump * jettison * lose * shed * See also