tartar

Everyday

1. Tartar is a hard yellowish coating that builds up on teeth if they are not cleaned well. tree →
2. Tartar sauce (also tartare) is a creamy sauce with pickles, often eaten with fish. tree →
3. Cream of tartar is a white powder used in baking. tree →
4. (history) A Tartar (more correctly Tatar) is a member of a Turkic people of Russia and Central Asia; Crimean Tatars are a people of Crimea in Ukraine. tree →
5. (old-fashioned) A tartar is a fierce, bad-tempered person. tree →

In the lessons

In health lessons tartar comes with brushing, flossing and the dentist; in cooking, fish and chips with tartar sauce; in history and news about Crimea, the Tatars; in old stories, a strict, fierce person.

Examples

• The dentist scraped the tartar off my teeth. tree →
• Brushing twice a day helps stop tartar building up. tree →
• I like tartar sauce with my fish fingers. tree →
• Add a pinch of cream of tartar to the egg whites. tree →
• Many Crimean Tatars were forced from their homes long ago. tree →
• The old housekeeper was a real tartar. tree →
• "Get me a surety," says the Tartar. tree →

Note

Uncountable for teeth and sauce. For the people, the modern, correct spelling is «Tatar»; «Tartar» is older and seen as less correct. Do not confuse with «tartan» (checked cloth) or «tart».