Pike….
I noticed that the word of the day is “pike,” and my first thought was….I wonder which definition? A LOT of them!
I thought of:
1. A freshwater game and food fish
2. A long spear formerly used by the infantry
3. A mid-air position in sports such as gymnastics or diving in which the
athlete bends to touch the feet or grab the calves or back of thighs
while keeping the legs straight
4. A turnpike, or a toll gate
5. Zebulon Montgomery Pike for whom “Pike’s Peak” is named
These are the ones which weren’t familiar:
6. A hill with a pointed summit (chiefly British)
7. A spike, or a pointed head
8. A hay fork
9. A pick
10. A haycock
11. A toll bar
I also read a definition of pike that suggested it was a broad road intended for ultra fast travel. I tend to think of the pikes that were around in the 1700s in Pennsylvania, although I’ve ridden on the Pennsylvania turnpike. So, the definition must have evolved as the roads did.
That’s a pretty amazing group of definitions for a small word.