peach1
/piːtʃ
/noun
1A round stone fruit with juicy yellow flesh and downy pinkish-yellow skin.They are based on many different kinds of summer fruit, particularly stone fruits such as peaches and plums; and pears, apples, and quinces....
- Popular fillings include stone fruits, like peaches and plums.
- To skin the peaches, dunk them in simmering water for 10 seconds, remove and peel under cold running water.
1.1 [mass noun] A pinkish-yellow colour like that of a peach: the sky began to change from grey to peach [as modifier]: a peach satin nightdress...
- The blend of colours like peach, red and pink makes them look almost real at a first glance.
- She got the same shades as I did last year, a browny colour and peach.
- The key colours are bright coral, various shades of purple, peach and green.
2 (also peach tree) The Chinese tree which bears peaches.
- Prunus persica, family Rosaceae: many cultivars, including the nectarine.
- The traditional recommendation is to prune enough off a peach tree so that a bird can fly right through the branches.
- And my friend told me that you can graft an apple branch into a peach tree, but the branch will still grow apples.
3 [in singular] informal An exceptionally good or attractive person or thing: it was another peach of a day...
- This is a peach of a site that deserves the application of real genius, not dull commercialism.
- But for his sheer industry, his perseverance and a peach of a goal - at a crucial time - Garrymore's star corner-forward gets the nod.
- And when given the whole 90 minutes against the Germans, he scored one - a peach of a free-kick - and set up the other for Baros.
Phrases
peaches and cream
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French pesche, from medieval Latin persica, from Latin persicum (malum), literally 'Persian apple'.
Peach is from Old French pesche, from medieval Latin persica, a shortening of persicum (malum), literally ‘Persian apple’. Peaches are natives of China, but were introduced to Europe by way of the Middle East.
Rhymes
peach2
/piːtʃ/verb [no object] (peach on) informal
Inform on: the other members of the gang would not hesitate to peach on him...
- When, just before dawn, Sikes arrives to drop off some swag, Fagin plies him with a series of hypothetical questions about what he would do to someone who ‘peached’ on him.
- Wilmore would not have peached against her to Glavely.
- If both keep silent, both go free; the one who peaches gets clemency, the one who does not gets the shaft.
Origin
Late Middle English: shortening of archaic appeach, from Old French empechier 'impede' (see impeach).