Make Your Point: RATCHET

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RATCHET

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

pronounce RATCHET:

RATCH ut

connect this word to others:

As we check out the word ratchet, let's recall some other words for hand tools that also make great metaphors:

1. Literally a saw that two people use at once, to w___saw things or people is to jerk them back and forth, or hurt them in two different ways.

2. Literally a pair of tools for blacksmithing, to do something h___er and t___s is to do it with force and determination.

3. Literally a tool to help you slide your foot into a shoe, to shoe____ something is to shove it in awkwardly, even though it doesn't fit properly.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

(Source)

The word "ratchet" comes from a French one, rochet, meaning "a bobbin, or a spindle." As you can see above, a ratchet is a tool for tightening and loosening things, little by little. So if you ratchet a bolt or some other object, you move it in one direction a little bit at a time.

And if you ratchet something abstract up (or down), like stress, heat, excitement, or charm, you increase (or decrease) it little by little. That's the common abstract meaning that we'll focus on here.

"Ratchet" is also a somewhat rude slang term meaning "the opposite of classy: nasty, gross, trashy, or low-class." Why? I'm guessing that literal ratcheting, the jerky, ungraceful movement, inspired the slang term. Another theory, probably a better one, comes from Andrew, a reader who noted that "the word 'wretched' is being mispronounced to sound like 'ratchet.'"

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb, often the transitive kind ("They ratchet up the tempo") and sometimes the intransitive kind ("The tempo ratchets up").

Also a noun, the countable kind: "a ratchet on prices," "a ratchet of interest rates."

Other forms:

The plural noun is "ratchets."

The other verb forms are "ratcheted" and "ratcheting."

how to use it:

When you want to emphasize how some quality is increasing (or decreasing) degree by degree, in one direction, as if someone is controlling it with a handheld tool, then you can say that it's ratcheting up (or down), or say that someone is ratcheting it up or down.

Often it's financial stuff that gets ratcheted up (or down), like prices, fees, interest rates, inflation, budgets, and the overall cost of living.

It can also be moods, feelings, and other abstract things that get ratcheted up (or down): interest, enthusiasm, energy, ambition, effort, commitment, intensity, pressure, tension, criticisms, and so on.

examples:

"The flavor [of this black bean dip] is ratcheted up with the smoky spice of a chipotle chile in adobo, as well as earthy cumin and coriander."
— Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 15 March 2018

"A venerable tradition, dating back to the ancient Greek orators, teaches that if you don't know what you're talking about, just ratchet up the level of difficulty and no one will ever know."
— Patricia T. O'Conner, Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, 1996

has this page helped you understand "ratchet"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "ratchet" without saying "ramp up" or "move by small degrees."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(At some point in time), (something) ratcheted up."

Example 1: "This year, the beauty industry ratcheted things up. 'Look, women, you have facial hair. You need to shave it off with an electric razor.'"

Example 2: "In 1793, the Reign of Terror, already intense, ratcheted up to a higher gear."
— Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, 2003

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "The LOL Is In the Details."

I'll give you a vague version of a quote from a funny writer or speaker, then prompt you to liven it up with detail. To see the original quote, scroll all the way down.

Here's an example:

"Don't order any of the faerie food… It tends to make humans a little crazy. One minute you’re snacking, the next minute you’re doing something insane."

Snacking on what? Doing what?

You might say, "One minute you’re sampling a mushroom tart, the next minute you’re doing the Macarena."

And the writer's original version was "One minute you're munching on a faerie plum, the next minute you're running naked down Madison Avenue with antlers on your head."
— Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, 2007

Try this one today:

"'I — I've been away for me health,' he said.

'For your health,' said Umbridge. Her eyes traveled over Hagrid’s damaged face and clothing. 'I see.'"

How is Hagrid's face damaged? How is his clothing damaged?

review this word:

1. Opposites of the verb RATCHET in the abstract sense that we most commonly use today include

A. ANNEAL and UNITE.
B. NETTLE and BOTHER.
C. PLATEAU and HOLD STEADY.

2. The heat ratchets up, _____.

A. gently and imperceptibly
B. from 80 degrees to 85 to 90 to 95
C. as if a switch has suddenly been flipped

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RATCHET Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to "Make Your Point" for a daily vocabulary boost.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RATCHET

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.