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tap ~ tap
[the same pronunciation]
a tap
“Tap”, as a noun, is ‘a device/a piece of equipment for controlling the flow of liquid/water or gas from a pipe or container {‘faucet’ is the word used in American English}; the act of hitting someone lightly and quickly, usually on the shoulder or arm or back, in order to get their attention; a kind of dance – tap dance; the act of beating one’s fingers on something or feet on the floor lightly and quickly in tune with a piece of music’; as a verb, it is ‘to hit somebody lightly and quickly in order to get their attention; to beat one’s fingers or feet lightly in tune with some music’,
(tapping on somebody’s shoulder)
e.g.
The tap in the kitchen sink is dripping.
He washed his hands and face under the tap in the garden.
She stopped talking when she felt a tap on her shoulder and looked round to see who tapped her on the shoulder.
The music was so rocking that even grandma started to tap her feet.
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“Tap”, as a verb, is ‘to make good use of some available resource, knowledge, information, etc.; to cut into a tree, making small grooves (shallow cuts) on the trunk, such as palm, rubber, in order to get the juice (sap) which is used by people and/or animals; to fit a device to a telephone in order to listen to others’ conversation secretly (and as a noun, in this sense, it is ‘the act of fitting a device on a telephone in order to listen to others’ conversation secretly)’; to try very hard to convince somebody to get some help, usually money’,
(tapping a rubber tree)
e.g.
The developing countries must try harder to tap the human resource they have in plenty instead of depending on the machinery they buy from the developed countries.
There is a separate caste which is licensed to tap the palm trees for toddy in some Asian countries. [i.e. the people of that caste cut grooves into the palm trees to get the liquid (juice) called ‘palm toddy’ drunk by people as a stimulant]
(telephone tapping device)
The smuggler understood that the police had tapped all his telephones, so he used the pay phones.
She tried to tap me for a loan, but I tactfully avoided her.
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