conker

Everyday

1. A conker is the shiny brown seed of a horse chestnut tree, found inside a spiky green case. tree →
2. Conkers is a children's game, mainly in the UK and Ireland, where you put a conker on a string and try to break the other player's conker. tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons in the UK and Ireland, children collect conkers in autumn and learn about horse chestnut trees and seeds. Conkers is a traditional playground game. Phrases: play conkers, collect conkers, a conker case.

Examples

• We collected conkers in the park in autumn. tree →
• The conker was shiny and brown. tree →
• Grandpa showed me how to play conkers. tree →
• My conker broke on the first hit. tree →
• Conkers grow inside spiky green cases. tree →
• Don't eat conkers; they are poisonous. tree →
• I put a hole in the conker and threaded a string through it. tree →

Note

Countable: a conker, conkers. Mainly British and Irish; in the USA and Canada people say horse chestnut or buckeye. Conkers are not sweet chestnuts and must not be eaten; they can make people and dogs ill. Spelling: conker, not conquer (to defeat).