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touch

touch

4 9.9
An informal request to someone for money, often as a gift
  • noun
  • /tʌtʃ/
  • Informal
: 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

75 2.3

A small amount of something added to improve or change it

26 3.0

A small extra detail that makes something look or feel better

to touch a nerve
  • Informal
11 7.7

Make someone feel upset or defensive by mentioning a sensitive subject

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

Midas touch
  • Informal
5 8.1

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

Make someone feel strong emotion or sympathy

to touch a chord
  • Informal
2 5.8

To make a person feel a strong emotion

2 6.1

A natural ability to do something well

1 9.3

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

1 8.3

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

1 9.1

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

Ask an important person for help or a blessing

To become less good at something you used to do well

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

Compounds

A last small detail that makes something look or feel complete

27 2.7

A screen you touch to control a phone or tablet

touch-and-go
  • Informal
20 7.2

A situation that is dangerous or uncertain until the last moment

13 3.9

A small repair to make something look better

11 3.9

A gentle, brief contact made with little force

9 3.2

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

9 3.7

A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects

A small amount of care that makes something special

The ability to feel things through the skin

A small extra detail that makes something feel nicer

3 4.6

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

golden touch
  • Informal
2 5.2

A skill for making projects succeed easily

bad touch
  • Offensive
2 9.0

Unwanted physical contact that makes someone feel scared or uncomfortable

1 3.6

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

two touch
  • Jargon
1 6.2

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

1 4.1

Used for small repairs that make something look better

1 4.6

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

1 5.4

A person who uses a keyboard without looking at the keys

touch-me-not
  • Specialized
1 8.6

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

soft touch
  • Offensive
1 7.0

A person who easily agrees and can be taken advantage of

A small detail that makes something look beautiful and special

touch sensation
  • Specialized
1 3.9

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

1 9.8

A tendency to make everything a person touches fail

touch perception
  • Specialized
1 4.5

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

1 3.7

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

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

touch modality
  • Specialized
7.0

The sense that lets you feel objects through physical contact

touch-me-not
  • Specialized
9.5

A plant with leaves that fold together when you touch them

5.5

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

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.