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to lift

to lift

1 9.9
To remove a person's scalp often as a violent act
  • verb
  • /lɪft/
  • Offensive
: arrancar el cuero cabelludo
  • "D'Cey went down on one knee, and a grinning Kazak lifted Alexis's head by the hair.
  • lift the scalp

Examples

  • Then Hoag lifts Archer's face off of his skull.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • He lifts her by the hair.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • No wonder Snakes and Sheyenna tried to lift this boy's hair.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • In ancient battles, some tribes would lift their enemies' scalps as trophies of war to show their strength.

  • The young warriors participated in a ritual where they would lift the scalps of their fallen foes as a mark of honor.

  • Historical accounts reveal that some Native American groups would lift the scalp of their enemies after a victory in battle.

Synonyms

to scalp
vsto lift
  • Offensive
20 9.9

Remove the skin and hair from the top of a person's head in a violent act

is more specific and focuses on human victims in historical cultural contexts

Idioms

to lift a finger
  • Informal
19 5.1

To make no effort to help

To make someone feel happier when they are sad

To reveal information that was previously hidden

To make someone feel happier

Phrasal Verbs

111 1.1

To raise someone or something to a higher place

22 3.7

To make someone feel happier and more hopeful

20 3.9

To rise into the air from the ground like a plane or rocket

16 2.7

To take something out by picking it up, often carefully or with a tool

Raise heavy objects to make your muscles stronger

6.1

Try to do better to meet higher standards

Compounds

face lift
  • Specialized
15 4.4

Surgery that tightens the skin on the face and removes extra tissue to make someone look younger

12 4.0

A small change to the look of something to make it more modern or attractive

5 3.8

A cosmetic update to a building or place that makes it look newer

4 2.7

A machine with seats on a moving cable that carries skiers up a slope

3 3.4

Seats hanging from a moving overhead cable that carry people up a mountain

3 6.8

A difficult task that needs a lot of effort

lift bridge
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A bridge with a section that rises so ships can pass under it

lift capacity
  • Specialized
1 4.5

The most weight that a crane can raise safely

aerodynamic lift
  • Specialized
1 5.8

An upward force from moving air that holds a wing up

lift pump
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A machine that moves water from a lower place to a higher place

surface lift
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A machine that pulls skiers up a slope while they stay on the ground

1 5.1

A ski lift with a T-shaped bar that pulls skiers or snowboarders uphill as they hold it

1 5.5

A moving bar on a slope that pulls people up while they keep their skis or snowboard on

top lift
  • Specialized
8.9

The bottom part of a shoe heel that often wears away and needs replacing

Surface Forms

lift infinitive
lifted past
lifted past participle
lifting present participle
lifts third person singular

Etymology

Lift in the violent old sense of taking a scalp means 'to pull up' or 'take away', using the same root 'take up'. That's why stories say enemies would lift a scalp as a trophy.