pretzel

Everyday

1. A baked snack made from dough twisted into a loose knot shape, usually salty; it can be hard and crunchy or big and soft. tree →
2. (informal) Something bent or twisted into a strange shape: «He twisted himself into a pretzel». tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life pretzels are a popular snack from Germany and are common in the USA. In maths problems they are counted, shared or bought: «A bag holds 12 pretzels». The knot shape is used to talk about twists. Phrases: «soft pretzel», «pretzel sticks», «twisted like a pretzel».

Examples

• I had a salty pretzel at the fair. tree →
• There are 36 pretzels shared between 4 friends. tree →
• A soft pretzel costs $2. tree →
• The yoga pose made me feel like a pretzel. tree →
• Pretzels come from Germany. tree →
• The rope was tied like a pretzel. tree →
• Dad bought a bag of pretzel sticks for the trip. tree →

Note

Countable: pretzels. Spelling: pre-T-Z-el. Pronounced PRET-sel. Watch out for salt if someone must eat less salt.