touche
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touch (oneself)
euphemistic slang To masturbate. My ultra-religious aunt scared us silly when we went through puberty with all sorts of myths about what would happen if we touched ourselves.
See also: touch
touch a (raw) nerve
To evoke a strong emotional reaction, such as anger, sadness, or disgust, upon being encountered, heard, read, etc. Your column must have touched a nerve, because we are getting slammed with feedback from readers—and they're not happy. I could tell he was touching a raw nerve when he brought up Jane's former employer and Jane went silent for a moment.
touch down
To land; to make contact with the ground. We couldn't touch down due to ice on the runway. The storm is expected to touch down sometimes around 2 AM.
touch (something) up
To fix minor flaws in or make minor changes to something I'd just like to touch up my makeup before we leave. All you need to do is touch the wall up with a bit of spackle and paint, and it will be as good as new!
finishing touch
The last detail added or change made to something to make it complete. Let's not spend too much longer on this. Let's just put the finishing touch on it and get it ready for production. He's been putting the finishing touches on that painting for so long now, I'm starting to think he'll never be satisfied with it.
touch (on) all (the) bases
To include, make reference to, or take action on every desired or required element or aspect (of something). The essay touches all bases, but it doesn't do much to elaborate on them or introduce any new insights. For fans of the genre, the film touches on all the bases.
touch (one) on the raw
To evoke a strong emotional reaction in someone, especially anger, sadness, or disgust. Your column must have touched the mayor on the raw, because we've been served with a defamation lawsuit from his office. I could tell he was touching Jane on the raw when he brought up her former employer and Jane went silent for a moment.
touch (one's) forelock
To show excessive deference toward someone in a superior position. An allusion to the former act of pulling one's frontmost hair in lieu of having a hat to tip. I hate being in meetings with the CEO because then I have to witness all of the regional managers touching their forelocks like fawning sycophants.
finishing touch(es)
a final adjustment of something; some effort or action that completes something. Norm is in his workshop putting the finishing touches on his latest project.
touch down
[for an airplane] to come in contact with the ground; to land. Flight twelve is due to touch down at midnight. When will this plane touch down?
finishing touch
A small change or addition that serves to complete something. For example, The room still needed a few finishing touches, such as a flower arrangement. This expression is sometimes put as a finishing stroke. [c. 1700]
touch down
Land on the ground, as in The spacecraft touched down on schedule. This idiom was first recorded in 1935.
touch down
v.
To make contact with the ground; land: The tornado touched down in a remote area.