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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.

Search results for 'tease':

tease verb (teased, teasing) 1 to annoy or irritate someone deliberately or unkindly. 2 to laugh at or make fun of someone playfully or annoyingly. 3 (usually tease someone into something) to persuade them to agree to it, especially by continual coaxing. 4 to arouse someone sexually without satisfying that desire. 5 to comb (wool, flax or hair, etc) to remove tangles and open out the fibres. 6 to raise a nap on (cloth) by scratching or brushing, especially with teasels. 7 to backcomb (hair). noun 1 someone or something that teases. 2 an act of teasing.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon tæsan to card.

tease something out 1 to separate it from something in which it is entangled. 2 to clarify (an obscure point) by discussion, etc.