Pluck vs Moxie - What's the difference?
pluck | moxie |
(lb) To pull something sharply; to pull something out
:
*1900 , , Ch.I:
*:The girl stooped to pluck a rose, and as she bent over it, her profile was clearly outlined.
To gently play a single string, e.g. on a guitar, violin etc.
:
(lb) To remove feathers from a bird.
*
*:Molly the dairymaid came a little way from the rickyard, and said she would pluck the pigeon that very night after work. She was always ready to do anything for us boys; and we could never quite make out why they scolded her so for an idle hussy indoors. It seemed so unjust.
(lb) To rob, fleece, steal forcibly
:
(lb) To play a string instrument pizzicato
:
(lb) To pull or twitch sharply.
:
To reject at an examination for degrees.
*1847 , , (Jane Eyre)
*:He went to college, and he got— plucked , I think they call it: and then his uncles wanted him to be a barrister, and study the law.
An instance of plucking
The lungs, heart with trachea and often oesophagus removed from slaughtered animals.
Guts, nerve, fortitude or persistence.
backbone, determination and fortitude
initiative or skill
* {{quote-book
, year=1971
, author=(John Updike)
, title=(Rabbit Redux)
, page=401
, pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=ohnQr0ij3S8C&pg=PA401&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1zfcUPbOEILrqAHV8YDIAQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAAv=onepage&q=moxie&f=false
, passage=As a girl she had speed and a knock-kneed moxie at athletics, and might have done more with it if she hadn't harvested all the glory already.
}}
* {{quote-video
, date = 2011-01-29
, title = (Phineas and Ferb)
, episode = : The Musical!
, season = 2
, number = 38
, people = (Dan Povenmire)
, role = Building Engineer
, at = “Aren't You a Little Young?” (song)
, passage = Yes it's true! / That you seem a little young to do the things that you do, / even with all that moxie you've got.
}}
As nouns the difference between pluck and moxie
is that pluck is an instance of plucking while moxie is backbone, determination and fortitude.As a verb pluck
is to pull something sharply; to pull something out.pluck
English
Verb
Derived terms
* plucker * plucking * pluck upNoun
(-)- ''Those tiny birds are hardly worth the tedious pluck
- He didn't get far with the attempt, but you have to admire his pluck .
