Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Notch for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Notch" — noun, pronounced /nɒtʃ/, with the stress on "notch".
Narrator: A notch is a small V-shaped cut in an edge or surface, or a level on a scale.
Narrator: In plain English, it is a little cut or step.
Narrator: It comes from old French oche, a notch.
Narrator: A common collocation is "turn it up a notch", which describes increasing a little.
Narrator: It differs from "scratch", because a notch is a deliberate cut.
Narrator: In a second sense, "notch up" means achieve, as in notch up a win, and a phone notch holds the camera.
Narrator: Engineering, sport, design and phones use the word.
Narrator: So remember: a notch is a cut or a step up.
Speaker A: Why is there a cut on the belt?
Speaker B: That's a NOTCH! From old French oche.
Speaker A: For the buckle?
Speaker B: Exactly.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Tighten your belt a notch", clothes. "They notched up a win", sport. "Take it up a notch", effort.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Spell it with "-tch", "notch".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Nick is its cousin, groove its twin, and level an alternative — yet notch keeps its sharp charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "notch" in AI prompts — useful for UI design and sports reporting.
Speaker A: How for UI?
Speaker B: Safe areas.
Prompt: Adjust this layout so content avoids the phone notch using safe area insets.
Speaker A: And sport?
Speaker B: Reports.
Prompt: Write a headline about a team notching up a fifth win.
Speaker A: Could it help sliders?
Speaker B: Yes, for steps.
Prompt: Build a volume slider with ten notches.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Motivation.
Prompt: Suggest ways to take my fitness routine up a notch.
Notch — meaning in Arabic & definition More N courses GL Dictionary