👜 A narrow band 🔒 To fasten 🔗 A whip ⚡ To whip 🚍 A hanging loop 🪒 To sharpen

to strap

1 7.4

To sharpen a razor by rubbing it on a leather band

verb
/stræp/

: afilar

Examples

How it's gonna feel when I strap this straight to your tongue.

The Power of Few (2013)
As many abandoned ship, Flores remained behind and used his belt to strap the door to the locker open so more life jackets would float to the surface as the ship was swallowed into the watery depths of Tampa Bay.

Blog text (9)
He used a leather strap to strap the razor before shaving.
To achieve a perfect edge, you need to strap the knife regularly on a leather belt.
Before the ceremony, he made sure to strap the straight razor securely against the leather for fine sharpening.

Synonyms

to sharpen

vsto strap

35 2.1

To make the edge or tip of something thin and able to cut, like a knife

refers specifically to doing this by rubbing on a leather strip

to set

vsto strap

2 8.4

To give a sharp edge to a knife or razor

focuses on achieving that edge by rubbing on a leather strip

to whet

vsto strap

1 8.8

To make a blade or tool sharper by rubbing it on a stone

uses a leather strip rather than a stone for finishing the edge

to strop

vsto strap

8.6

To rub a blade on leather to make its edge smooth and sharp

is the same action but uses a different name for the leather tool

Phrasal Verbs

to strap on a pair

Slang

9.9

To be brave enough to do something difficult

Compounds

shoulder strap

5 1.3

A band that goes over the shoulder to hold a bag or dress

chin strap

2 3.2

A strap that goes under the chin to hold a hat or helmet in place

Central American strap fern

9.1

A fern with narrow, strap-like leaves that grows from Florida to Argentina

Florida strap fern

Specialized

8.8

A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or the ground in warm, wet places

flat strap

5.5

A thin smooth band of material used to hold or carry things like bags

narrow-leaved strap fern

9.9

A fern with thin leaves that grows from Florida to Argentina

strap hinge

6.6

A metal joint of two long narrow plates that lets a door or lid turn

strap fern

8.2

A fern with long narrow leaves that grows in humid shade

How Sharp

to strap

1 7.4

to hone

8 5.5

to sharpen

35 2.1

Surface Forms

strap infinitive

strapped past

strapped past participle

strapping present participle

straps third person singular

Etymology

Strap is closely linked to the leather strop that barbers used to sharpen razors by rubbing the blade on a strip of leather. A helpful way to remember this sense is: to strap a blade is to 'sharpen' it on a leather band.