tick

Everyday

1. A tick is a mark (✓) that shows something is right or done; Americans usually call it a check mark. tree →
2. A tick is the short sound a clock makes each second. tree →
3. A tick is a tiny eight-legged creature that bites animals and people and sucks their blood. tree →
4. To tick means to make a tick mark, or to make the ticking sound. tree →
5. «In a tick» (British) means in a moment. tree →
6. To tick can also mean to work or run well, as a machine or a person does. tree →

In the lessons

In school, the teacher ticks correct answers and children tick boxes on forms and checklists. In time lessons, a clock ticks once a second, 60 ticks in a minute. In nature and safety, ticks live in long grass and woods; after a walk, check your skin (especially behind knees and ears) and ask an adult to remove a tick carefully, because some ticks carry diseases like Lyme disease. Phrases: tick the box, tick off, tick-tock, in a tick, what makes someone tick.

Examples

• The teacher put a tick next to every right answer. tree →
• Tick the box if you agree. tree →
• I can hear the clock ticking. tree →
• Check for ticks after walking in long grass. tree →
• Dad removed a tick from the dog's ear. tree →
• I'll be ready in a tick! tree →
• Tick off each item on the list as you pack it. tree →
• A tick is not an insect; it has eight legs. tree →
• He ticked superbly, but with one unforeseen result. tree →

Note

In British English, a right answer gets a tick (✓) and a wrong one gets a cross (✗); in American English, a check mark. Ticks are related to spiders (eight legs), not insects (six legs). «What makes him tick» means what makes him behave as he does.