whiskers

Everyday

1. Whiskers are the long, stiff hairs that grow near the mouth and nose of animals such as cats, dogs, mice and seals, used for feeling things around them. tree →
2. Whiskers can also mean the hair growing on a man's face. tree →
3. «By a whisker» means by a tiny amount: «we won by a whisker». tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons whiskers are a sense adaptation: a cat's whiskers feel tiny movements in the air and help it judge whether it can fit through a gap; seals use whiskers to find fish in murky water. In everyday talk «by a whisker» means only just. In stories, characters may stroke their whiskers when thinking.

Examples

• The cat's whiskers twitched when it heard the mouse. tree →
• Cats use their whiskers to feel if they fit through a gap. tree →
• Seals find fish with their whiskers. tree →
• Grandad's whiskers tickled when he kissed me. tree →
• We won the race by a whisker. tree →
• Never cut a cat's whiskers. tree →
• The mouse had long whiskers and a pink nose. tree →
• The Cat was laughing also, but tried to hide it by stroking his long whiskers. tree →

Note

Usually plural «whiskers»; singular «a whisker». Whiskers are not just decoration — cutting them can confuse an animal. «The cat's whiskers» (old-fashioned slang) means something excellent.