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GRAPPLES
Noun
grapples
plural of grapple
Verb
grapples
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of grapple
Source: Wiktionary
GRAPPLE
Grap"ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Grappled; p. pr. & vb. n. Grappling.] Etym: [F. grappiller, OF. graypil the grapple of a ship, fr. graper to pluck, prop., to seize, clutch; of German origin. See Grape.]
1. To seize; to lay fast hold of; to attack at close quarters: as, to grapple an antagonist.
2. To fasten, as with a grapple; to fix; to join indissolubly. The gallies were grappled to the Centurion. Hakluyt. Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel. Shak.
Grap"ple, v. i.
Definition: To use a grapple; to contend in close fight; to attach one's self as if by a grapple, as in wrestling; to close; to seize one another. To grapple with, to enter into contest with, resolutely and courageously. And in my standard bear the arms of York, To grapple with the house of Lancaster. Shak.
Grap"ple, n. Etym: [See Grapple, v. t., and cf. Crapple.]
1. A seizing or seizure; close hug in contest; the wrestler's hold. Milton.
2. (a) An instrument, usually with hinged claws, for seizing and holding fast to an object; a grab. (b) (Naut.)
Definition: A grappling iron. The iron hooks and grapples keen. Spenser. Grapple plant (Bot.), a South African herb (Herpagophytum leptocarpum) having the woody fruits armed with long hooked or barbed thorns by which they adhere to cattle, causing intense annoyance.
– Grapple shot (Life-saving Service), a projectile, to which are attached hinged claws to catch in a ship's rigging or to hold in the ground; -- called also anchor shot.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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19 April 2025
CATCH
(verb) grasp with the mind or develop an understanding of; “did you catch that allusion?”; “We caught something of his theory in the lecture”; “don’t catch your meaning”; “did you get it?”; “She didn’t get the joke”; “I just don’t get him”
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