Pith vs Chaff - What's the difference?
pith | chaff |
The soft, spongy substance in the center of the stems of many plants and trees.
The spongy interior substance of a feather.
The spinal cord; the marrow.
(figuratively) The essential or vital part.
* Shakespeare
To extract the pith from (a plant stem or tree).
To kill (especially cattle or laboratory animals) by cutting or piercing the spinal cord.
The inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.
* Dryden
By extension, any excess or unwanted material, resource, or person; anything worthless.
* Shakespeare
Loose material dropped from aircraft specifically to interfere with radar detection.
Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.
* Wyatt
Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.
To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.
To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz.
In lang=en terms the difference between pith and chaff
is that pith is to kill (especially cattle or laboratory animals) by cutting or piercing the spinal cord while chaff is to make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz.As nouns the difference between pith and chaff
is that pith is the soft, spongy substance in the center of the stems of many plants and trees while chaff is the inedible parts of a grain-producing plant.As verbs the difference between pith and chaff
is that pith is to extract the pith from (a plant stem or tree) while chaff is to use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.pith
English
Noun
(-)- The pith of my idea is truth.
- enterprises of great pith and moment
Synonyms
* (essential or necessary part) core, essence, general tenor, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, quintessence, soul, spirit, stuff, substanceVerb
(en verb)chaff
English
Noun
(-)- To separate out the chaff , early cultures tossed baskets of grain into the air and let the wind blow away the lighter chaff.
- So take the corn and leave the chaff behind.
- There are plenty of good books on the subject, but take care to separate the wheat from the chaff .
- the chaff and ruin of the times
- By adding chaff' to his corn, the horse must take more time to eat it. In this way ' chaff is very useful.