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touch

touch

14 9.9
An informal request to someone for money, often as a gift
  • noun
  • /tʌtʃ/
  • Informal
translation icon : ayuda
  • Listen, I'm a soft touch, too.

Examples

  • Give us a touch, Poldy.

  • - I didn't know you were such a soft touch.

  • - You were always an easy touch.

  • Toney, being a soft touch sometimes, gave training camp tickets even to the ones he turned down.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You're really a soft touch, Jon, you know?

  • My Korean mother and I regularly keep in touch through weekly Skype video calls.

    Blog text (21)
  • 50 cents a touch!

  • Can I borrow a little touch for my lunch today?

  • She always knows when to ask for a touch to help her out.

  • He gave her a quick touch for the taxi fare after dinner.

Synonyms

solicitation
vstouch
  • Formal
19 5.8

Asking others for money or help in a formal way

is an informal personal request for money as a gift or loan

Idioms

92 4.9

Not aware of recent events or people's feelings

66 2.3

A small amount of something added to improve or change it

46 3.0

A small extra detail that makes something look or feel better

No longer have the skill you once had to do something well

to touch a nerve
  • Informal
7 7.7

Make someone feel upset or defensive by mentioning a sensitive subject

3 9.3

To tell viewers or listeners to keep watching and not change the channel during a break in the show

To become less good at something you used to do well

Make someone feel strong emotion or sympathy

Midas touch
  • Informal
3 8.1

A special ability to make money or do well in many things

to touch a chord
  • Informal
2 5.8

To make a person feel a strong emotion

1 6.1

A natural ability to do something well

1 9.1

Tell someone not to change the radio or television channel before a show returns

Refuse to be involved with people or things that seem dangerous and dishonest

A rude slang way to say someone shows small signs of autism and may offend people

8.3

You say it to try to stop bad luck after saying something good

Ask an important person for help or a blessing

Compounds

A last small detail that makes something look or feel complete

19 2.7

A screen you touch to control a phone or tablet

touch-and-go
  • Informal
9 7.2

A situation that is dangerous or uncertain until the last moment

8 3.2

A version of American football where players touch the player with the ball to stop them instead of tackling

8 3.9

A small repair to make something look better

4 3.9

A gentle, brief contact made with little force

The ability to feel things through the skin

2 4.6

A way of connecting with ordinary people that makes them feel understood

A small extra detail that makes something feel nicer

golden touch
  • Informal
1 5.2

A skill for making projects succeed easily

1 3.7

A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects

1 4.6

A form of football where another player stops someone by touching them with both hands

bad touch
  • Offensive
1 9.0

Unwanted physical contact that makes someone feel scared or uncomfortable

A small detail that makes something look beautiful and special

1 3.6

A way to use all fingers on a keyboard without looking at it

touch-me-not
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A plant with seed pods that burst when you touch them and release seeds

1 4.1

Used for small repairs that make something look better

1 5.4

A person who uses a keyboard without looking at the keys

A small detail that makes something look brighter and happier

game of two touch
  • Australian
8.4

Touch football where another player touches someone twice to tackle them

9.8

A tendency to make everything a person touches fail

touch perception
  • Specialized
4.5

Ability to feel pressure, heat, or pain on the skin

touch modality
  • Specialized
7.0

The sense that lets you feel objects through physical contact

A small amount of care that makes something special

touch sensation
  • Specialized
3.9

A feeling on the skin when something presses or rests on it

To type by pressing keys without looking, using trained finger positions

touch-me-not
  • Specialized
9.5

A plant with leaves that fold together when you touch them

soft touch
  • Offensive
7.0

A person who easily agrees and can be taken advantage of

5.5

A practice where soccer players control and pass the ball using two touches

two touch
  • Jargon
6.2

A football exercise where each player may touch the ball only twice before passing

Surface Forms

touch singular
touches plural

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the slang touch for a small request for money is to think of a quick physical 'touch' as a brief contact where someone asks you for cash, which is how this informal meaning likely grew.