gentle spank
- noun
- /ˈdʒɛn.təl spæŋk/
- Informal
:
nalgada suave
- She gave her brother a gentle spank on the arm to get his attention.
Examples
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Don't worry, it was just a gentle spank to get her attention.
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Sometimes a gentle spank is all that's needed to stop mischief.
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The trainer gave the puppy a gentle spank to correct its behavior.
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He gave the child a gentle spank on the bottom.
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She gave her brother a gentle spank on the arm to get his attention.
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Don't worry, it was just a gentle spank to get her attention.
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Sometimes a gentle spank is all that's needed to guide a child's behavior.
Synonyms
110
1.0
A quick sharp hit with the flat part of the hand
6
4.8
A quick hit on a child's bottom with an open hand as punishment
4
3.9
A gentle, brief contact made with little force
1
3.7
A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects
1
7.8
A mild punishment that is too small for what someone did
1
5.1
A light spanking with a flat board used as punishment
A quick light hit with the hand given in a friendly way
A quick light slap given in play
A short kiss or quick light slap given suddenly
A light squeeze on someone's skin to tease or show affection
Antonyms
How Hard
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'gentle' (mild) modifies 'spank' (a smack), so the combined meaning of a light, mild slap is directly derivable from the parts. The construction follows a common, cross-linguistic modifier pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase gentle spank comes from the image of a soft, quick slap on the arm or bottom. The word gentle shows it is light and spank is the quick tap, so the phrase means 'a light slap to get attention or correct small mischief'.