quicksand
Wet sand that appears firm but in which things readily sink, often found near rivers…Wet sand that appears firm but in which things readily sink, often found near rivers or coasts.
» Tom pulled Mary out of the quicksand.
Том вытащил Мэри из зыбучего песка.
Meaning
2 senses(countable, uncountable)Wet sand that appears firm but in which things readily sink, often found near rivers or coasts.
My feet were firmly lodged in the quicksand, and the more I struggled the more I sank into it.
Treibsand
зыбу́чие пески́zybúčije peskí, зыбучий песокzybučij pesok, зыбунzybun
a pit filled with loose wet sand into which objects are sucked down
(countable, figuratively, uncountable)Anything that metaphorically pulls one down or buries one; a treacherous, risky danger
the quicksands of youth
Examples
8 sentencesTom pulled Mary out of the quicksand.
ruТом вытащил Мэри из зыбучего песка.
Yanni's house is built on quicksand.
Tom could talk his way out of quicksand.
deTom könnte sich selbst aus einer Treibsandgrube herausreden.
If you find yourself in quicksand you'll sink more slowly if you don't move.
deWenn du in Treibsand gerätst, sinkst du langsamer, wenn du dich nicht bewegst.
I stepped into quicksand.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand”), equivalent to quiFrom Middle English quyksande, from Old English cwecesand (“quicksand”), equivalent to quick (“living”) + sand. Cognate with Swedish kvicksand (“quicksand”), Icelandic kviksandur, kviksyndi (“quicksand”). More at quick, sand.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: quicksands| Singular | quicksand |
|---|---|
| Plural | quicksands |
regular
Synonyms
2 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable