masher

Everyday

1. A kitchen tool with a handle and a flat head with holes or a wavy wire, used to crush cooked potatoes or other food into a soft mush (a potato masher). tree →
2. (old-fashioned slang) A man who made unwanted advances to women in public; this sense is old and rarely used now. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking lessons and at home, a potato masher is used to make mashed potatoes, mashed swede or mashed banana for baby food. Sometimes «masher» is a machine for crushing fruit or grain. In history, a German WWII grenade was nicknamed «potato masher» because of its shape. Phrases: «potato masher».

Examples

• Pass me the potato masher, please. tree →
• Mum used the masher to make fluffy mashed potatoes. tree →
• We mashed the bananas with a masher for banana bread. tree →
• The masher has a wavy metal head. tree →
• Use the masher until there are no lumps left. tree →
• Our masher is made of plastic so it won't scratch the pan. tree →
• Grandad calls me the best potato masher in the family. tree →
• A masher crushes; a whisk mixes air in. tree →

Note

Countable: one masher, two mashers. From the verb «mash» (to crush into a soft mass). The old slang sense (a man pestering women) is outdated. Not a maths word.