Lemons are yellow and oval. Limes are green, and rounder and smaller than lemons. Both lemons and limes are citrus, like oranges and grapefruit. Here below are words that come up when we talk about these fruits.
The nouns rind, skin, and peel all refer to the outside. Rind implies that the skin is thick or tough, so while we could say lemon rind or grapefruit rind, we probably wouldn't say lime rind! Also, when we talk about the peel, we are referring to the skin which has been removed from the fruit. Skin is a more general term referring to the outside.
Peel can also be used as a verb when talking about fruits or vegetables: I peel the grapefruit. He peeled the potatoes. We don't need to peel the apples.
You might find a recipe calls for lemon zest, or maybe the zest of another citrus fruit. This is the outermost part of the fruit that is colorful and contains oils that add a special flavor. To zest a citrus fruit, you can use a fruit peeler or a grater.
If you need the juice of a lemon, you need to squeeze it. There are two common lemon (or lime, or orange...) squeezers. For both types, you cut the fruit in half. Then, one lemon squeezer requires that you twist the fruit left and right to extract the juice. The other involves putting the fruit half between two round pieces of metal and pressing them together.
This week's high-level word taken from this list at The Britannica Dictionary is the verb "waive." Read these sentences to see if you understand the meaning through the context.
1. The company decided to waive the late fee for the customer because he had experienced technical difficulties with the online payment system.
2. In some cases, universities will waive certain prerequisites for courses if students demonstrate that they already have equivalent knowledge or experience.
3. The government decided to waive the visa requirements for citizens of certain countries to promote tourism and international relations.
4. As a gesture of goodwill, the manager decided to waive the minimum purchase requirement for the most loyal customers.
Now try taking a quick quiz to test your understanding of the word "waive":
1. What does it mean to waive a fee?
a) Pay it immediately
b) Postpone payment
c) Cancel the payment
d) Increase the payment
2. In a legal context, if someone waives their right to remain silent, what are they doing?
a) Choosing to remain silent
b) Giving up the right to remain silent
c) Enforcing the right to remain silent
d) Ignoring the right to remain silent
3. When a professor allows a student to waive a prerequisite for a course, what does the student typically do?
a) Complete the prerequisite
b) Request an extension for the prerequisite
c) Skip the prerequisite
d) Pay for the prerequisite
Answers to quiz on "waive":
1. c) Cancel the payment
2. b) Giving up the right to remain silent
3. c) Skip the prerequisite