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⚾ A warning pitch 💇 Hair brushed back ⚠️ A warning
brushback

brushback

8.1
An action that warns or scares someone to stop doing something
  • noun
  • /ˈbrʌʃbæk/
  • US
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  • The senator's speech was a clear brushback to critics questioning her policies.

Examples

  • He received a brushback for his careless remarks.

  • The team's early success received a brushback from rivals who warned them not to get overconfident.

  • After the mistake, his supervisor gave him a gentle brushback to remind him of the rules.

  • Don't take that brushback personally; it's just business.

  • The coach gave the player a stern brushback after he argued with the referee.

  • Her sarcastic remark was a clear brushback, discouraging others from voicing their opinions.

  • His latest criticism served as a brushback, warning the team to rethink their strategy.

Synonyms

deterrence
vsbrushback
23 7.5

The act of stopping people from doing something by making them afraid of the result

works as a direct threat to intimidate and stop behavior
admonishment
vsbrushback
4 7.0

A firm warning that tells someone to change their behavior

uses a menacing warning aimed to frighten rather than correct
determent
vsbrushback
8.5

Something that makes people avoid doing something by showing possible bad results

aims to intimidate directly to discourage continued behavior

Compounds

brushback pitch
  • Jargon
1 8.6

A ball thrown close to the batter to make them move away from home plate or feel scared

How Intimidating

threat
∞ 1.9
brushback
  • US
8.1
warning
∞ 1.0
admonition
17 7.4

Surface Forms

brushback singular
brushbacks plural

Morphology

brushback = brush (semi-transparent) = back + brush

The idiomatic sense (a warning or action intended to intimidate or discourage) is a metaphorical extension of forcing someone back and may not be immediately clear to learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'back' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

In general use, brushback keeps that 'push back' image: from brush + back, it means a short action or remark that 'pushes' or warns someone to stop, so it is meant to discourage or intimidate.