putty

Everyday

1. A soft grey or white paste that is pressed into gaps, for example to hold glass in a window frame, and that goes hard as it dries. tree →
2. Any soft stuff that can be pressed and shaped easily, like the stretchy toy "silly putty". tree →
3. (idiom) "Putty in someone's hands" means a person who is easily persuaded or controlled by someone else. tree →
4. (verb, rare) To fill or fix something with putty. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and DIY, putty seals windows and fills holes in wood or walls before painting. In science, putty is a good example of a material that can change shape (it is "malleable") and then set hard. In stories, "he was putty in her hands" tells the reader that a character is easily won over, often by charm. Phrases: window putty, wood putty, silly putty, putty knife, putty in someone's hands.

Examples

• Dad pressed fresh putty around the new pane of glass. tree →
• Fill the nail holes with putty before you paint the shelf. tree →
• My little brother stretched his silly putty across the table. tree →
• The putty takes a day to go hard. tree →
• The puppy looked up with big eyes, and Gran was putty in his hands. tree →
• We used a putty knife to scrape away the old putty. tree →
• In art club we shaped putty into tiny animals. tree →
• When he could see clearly he made out a mountain-like dragon whose heavy breast crushed the stones beneath it into putty. tree →

Note

Usually uncountable: "some putty", not "a putty" (but "a putty" can mean a kind of putty). The colour "putty" means a pale greyish-brown. "Putty in your hands" is a fixed phrase, not about real putty. Do not mix up with "puddle" or "pudding".