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Interchangeable vs Needle - What's the difference?

interchangeable | needle |

As an adjective interchangeable

is freely substitutable may be swapped at will.

As a noun needle is

a long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections etc.

As a verb needle is

to pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.

interchangeable

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Freely substitutable. May be swapped at will.
  • Eli Whitney's development of interchangeable parts was a breakthrough for modern manufacturing. Prior to that each part had to be made custom.
  • * 2014 , Ian Jack, " Is this the end of Britishness", The Guardian , 16 September 2014:
  • The English, until relatively recently, seem to have imagined “English” and “British” to be interchangeable , as if Britain was just a bigger England.

    Derived terms

    * interchangeably

    needle

    English

    (wikipedia needle)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A long, thin, sharp implement usually for piercing such as sewing, or knitting, acupuncture, tattooing, body piercing, medical injections etc.
  • The seamstress threaded the needle to sew on a button.
  • Any slender, pointed object resembling a needle, such as a pointed crystal, a sharp pinnacle of rock, an obelisk, etc.
  • A long, thin device for indicating measurements on a dial or graph, e.g. a compass needle .
  • The needle on the fuel gauge pointed to empty.
  • A sensor for playing phonograph records, a phonograph stylus.
  • Ziggy bought some diamond needles for his hi-fi phonograph.
  • A long, pointed leaf found on some conifers.
  • * 1994 , , ch. 2:
  • At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth.
  • (informal, usually preceded by the) The death penalty carried out by lethal injection.
  • Derived terms

    * compass needle * knitting needle * needlenose * needlenose pliers * on pins and needles * move the needle * packing needle * pine needle * pins and needles * needle in a haystack * needlepunch * needle-sharp * needlewise

    See also

    * acerate * eye * pin

    Verb

    (needl)
  • To pierce with a needle, especially for sewing or acupuncture.
  • * 1892 , H. Lindo Ferguson, "Operation on Microphthamlmic Eyes", Ophthalmic Review? , volume 11, page 48
  • the eyes were once more beginning to show the old nystagmus; so I decided to needle' the cataracts, and on Jan. 31 I ' needled the right eye.
  • * 2000 , Felix Mann, Reinventing Acupuncture , page 109
  • Possibly the greatest effect is achieved in the hand by needling the thumb, the index finger and the region of the 1st and 2nd metacarpal.
  • To tease in order to provoke; to poke fun at.
  • Billy needled his sister incessantly about her pimples.
  • * 1984 , Leopold Caligor, Philip M. Bromberg, & James D. Meltzer, Clinical Perspectives on the Supervision of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy? , page 14
  • FRED: Well, I teased her to some extent, or I needled' her, not teased her. I ' needled her about—first I said that she didn't want to work, and then I think that there were a couple of comments.
  • To form in the shape of a needle.
  • to needle crystals

    Synonyms

    * (to tease) goad, tease