cat's cradle
A children's game of forming string into various shapes around one's fingers.
cradle
UK /ˈkɹeɪdəl/ US /ˈkɹeɪdəl/
noun 5verb 5
Definitions
noun
1
A bed or cot for a baby, oscillating on rockers or swinging on pivots.
No sooner was I crept out of my cradle / But I was made a king, at nine months old.
the cradle that received thee at thy birth
2
The place of origin, or in which anything is nurtured or protected in the earlier period of existence.
a cradle of crime
the cradle of liberty
3
Infancy, or very early life.
from the cradle to the grave
from their cradles bred together
4
An implement consisting of a broad scythe for cutting grain, with a set of long fingers parallel to the scythe, designed to receive the grain, and to lay it evenly in a swath.
5
A tool used in mezzotint engraving, which, by a rocking motion, raises burrs on the surface of the plate, so as to prepare the ground.
verb
1
To contain in or as if in a cradle.
2
To rock (a baby to sleep).
3
To wrap protectively, to hold gently and protectively.
cradling the injured man’s head in her arms
The little girl was left alone in her tiny bedroom, cradling her dead hamster.
4
To lull or quieten, as if by rocking.
5
To nurse or train in infancy.
He that hath been cradled in majesty will not leave the throne to play with beggars.
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