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   Tack

   /tak/

   

   noun

   • 1. a small, sharp broad-headed nail: "tacks held the remaining rags of carpet to the floor" Similar pinnailstaplespikerivetstuddrawing pintin tackthumb tack
   • ▪ a thumbtack: North American "here are some tacks—put up a notice"
   • 2. a long stitch used to fasten fabrics together temporarily, prior to permanent sewing.
   • 3. a method of dealing with a situation or problem; a course of action or policy: "as she could not stop him from going she tried another tack and insisted on going with him" Similar approachwaymethodprocesspolicyproceduretechniquetacticplanstrategystratagemprogramline of attackcourse of actionline of actionpathlineangledirectioncourse
   • 4. an act of changing course by turning a vessel's head into and through the wind, so as to bring the wind on the opposite side.
   • ▪ a boat's course relative to the direction of the wind: "the brig bowled past on the opposite tack" Similar headingbearingdirectioncoursetrackpathline
   • ▪ a distance sailed between changes of course: "it's a shame to see a yacht drop her sails and start the diesel just because she has to make a few short tacks"
   • 5. a rope for securing the weather clew of a course.
   • ▪ the weather clew of a course, or the lower forward corner of a fore-and-aft sail.
   • 6. the quality of being sticky: "cooking the sugar to caramel gives tack to the texture"

   verb

   • 1. fasten or fix in place with tacks: "he used the tool to tack down sheets of fiberboard" Similar pinnailstaplefixfastenattachsecureaffixput upput down
   • ▪ fasten (pieces of cloth) together temporarily with long stitches: "when the dress was roughly tacked together, she tried it on" Similar stitchbastesewbindhem
   • ▪ add or append something to something already existing: "long-term savings plans with some life insurance tacked on" Similar attachaddappendjointagannex
   • 2. change course by turning a boat's head into and through the wind: "their boat was now downwind and they had to tack"
   • ▪ alter the course of (a sailboat): "I tacked the ship shortly after midnight"
   • ▪ make a series of changes of course while sailing: "she spent the entire night tacking back and forth" Similar change coursechange directionchange headingswervezigzagveer off/awaygo aboutcome aboutbeatsail into the wind

   Word Origin Middle English (in the general sense ‘something that fastens one thing to another’): probably related to Old French tache ‘clasp, large nail’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. tacker noun

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • T

     1

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • K

     5

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