reel

Everyday

1. (noun) A round thing that thread, film, fishing line or wire is wound on. tree →
2. (noun) A fast lively folk dance from Scotland or Ireland, and its music. tree →
3. (verb) To pull something towards you by winding a line: reel in a fish. tree →
4. (verb) To walk unsteadily, as if about to fall; to stagger. tree →
5. (verb) To feel shocked or confused: "My head is reeling." tree →
6. (noun, social media) A short video on an app like Instagram. tree →
7. To reel can also mean to spin thread or wool into yarn on a spinning wheel. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life, a fishing rod has a reel, and old films were on reels. In Scotland and Ireland, children learn reels at ceilidhs and Irish dancing. In stories, a character reels from a punch or from shocking news. Phrases: reel in, reel off (say a long list quickly), reeling from the news, a cotton reel, highlights reel.

Examples

• Grandad reeled in a huge fish. tree →
• Pass me the reel of cotton, please. tree →
• At the ceilidh we danced a Scottish reel. tree →
• He reeled back after bumping his head. tree →
• I was still reeling from the news that we were moving. tree →
• She reeled off the names of all the planets. tree →
• My cousin posted a funny reel of her dog. tree →
• Reel away, reel away, Straw into gold!’ tree →

Note

Homophone: "real" (true, not fake) sounds almost the same — do not mix them up. Past form: reeled. "Reel off" means say quickly from memory; "reel in" means pull in. A cotton reel (UK) = a spool of thread (US).

In Jewish tradition

It means to stagger like a drunk.

Interpretation. The psalm shows sailors in a storm who stagger and lose all wisdom. Jeremiah's cup of wine pictures God's judgment that makes the nations stagger.

Examples

• He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall reel. (Writings PRO.5.23, JPS 1917) tree →
• They reeled to and fro, and staggered like a drunken man, and all their wisdom was swallowed up — (Writings PSA.107.27, JPS 1917) tree →
• And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be like madmen, because of the sword that I will send among them. — (Prophets JER.25.16, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Homophone: "real" (true, not fake) sounds almost the same — do not mix them up. Past form: reeled. "Reel off" means say quickly from memory; "reel in" means pull in. A cotton reel (UK) = a spool of thread (US).