Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

fetch and carry

 - 3 dictionary results
fetch on Taigan.com
Online magazine for the true Taigan - lifestyle,elusive finds, the arts
fetch.taigan.com

fetch

1  [fech]
Use fetch and carry in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to go and bring back; return with; get: to go up a hill to fetch a pail of water.
2. to cause to come; bring: to fetch a doctor.
3. to sell for or bring (a price, financial return, etc.): The horse fetched $50 more than it cost.
4. Informal. to charm; captivate: Her beauty fetched the coldest hearts.
5. to take (a breath).
6. to utter (a sigh, groan, etc.).
7. to deal or deliver (a stroke, blow, etc.).
8. to perform or execute (a movement, step, leap, etc.).
9. Chiefly Nautical and British Dialect. to reach; arrive at: to fetch port.
10. Hunting. (of a dog) to retrieve (game).
–verb (used without object)
11. to go and bring things.
12. Chiefly Nautical. to move or maneuver.
13. Hunting. to retrieve game (often used as a command to a dog).
14. to go by an indirect route; circle (often fol. by around or about): We fetched around through the outer suburbs.
–noun
15. the act of fetching.
16. the distance of fetching: a long fetch.
17. Oceanography.
a. an area where ocean waves are being generated by the wind.
b. the length of such an area.
18. the reach or stretch of a thing.
19. a trick; dodge.
—Verb phrases
20. fetch about, Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to come onto a new tack.
21. fetch up,
a. Informal. to arrive or stop.
b. Older Use. to raise (children); bring up: She had to fetch up her younger sisters.
c. Nautical. (of a vessel) to come to a halt, as by lowering an anchor or running aground; bring up.
—Idiom
22. fetch and carry, to perform menial tasks.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME fecchen, OE fecc(e)an, var. of fetian to fetch (cf. ME feten, fetten, Brit. dial. fet; akin to OE -fat in sīthfat journey, G fassen to grasp)

Related forms:
fetcher, noun

Synonyms:
1. See bring.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fetch and carry
fetch on Taigan.com
Online magazine for the true Taigan - lifestyle,elusive finds, the arts
fetch.taigan.com
Word Origin & History

fetch 
O.E. feccan, apparently a variant of fetian, fatian "to fetch, bring, to marry," probably from P.Gmc. *fatojanan (cf. O.N. feta "to find one's way," O.H.G. sih faggon "to mount, climb"), related to O.E. fot "foot." Variant form fet, a derivation of the older O.E. version of the word, survived as a competitor until 17c. Fetching (adj.) appeared 1581 meaning "crafty, scheming;" the sense of "alluring, fascinating" is 1880.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

fetch and carry

Do errands and other menial tasks, as in She was hired as administrative assistant, but all she does is fetch and carry for the department's supervisor. This expression originally alluded to dogs that were taught to carry various objects for their masters. It has been applied to humans since the late 1700s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see fetch and carry on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way