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

brushback

1 8.1
An action that warns or scares someone to stop doing something
  • noun
  • /ˈbrʌʃbæk/
  • US
: advertencia
  • 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
22 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
1 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
827 1.9
brushback
  • US
1 8.1
warning
738 1.0
admonition
16 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.