Nag vs Ask - What's the difference?
nag | ask |
A small horse; a pony.
An old useless horse.
(obsolete, derogatory) A paramour.
* 1598 , , III. x. 11:
To repeatedly remind or complain to someone in an annoying way, often about insignificant matters.
To act inappropriately in the eyes of peers, to backstab, to verbally abuse.
To bother with persistent memories.
Other sorts of persistent annoyance, e.g.:
To request (information, or an answer to a question).
To put forward (a question) to be answered.
To interrogate or enquire of (a person).
* Bible, John ix. 21
To request or petition; usually with for .
* Bible, Matthew vii. 7
To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
* Addison
To invite.
To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
(figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.
*
An act or instance of asking.
* 2005 , Laura Fredricks, The ask :
Something asked or asked for; a request.
* 2008 , Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins, Speaking to Teenagers :
An asking price.
An eft; newt.
* 1876 , S. Smiles, Scottish Naturalist :
A lizard.
As nouns the difference between nag and ask
is that nag is a small horse; a pony or nag can be one who while ask is amplitude shift keying.As a verb nag
is to repeatedly remind or complain to someone in an annoying way, often about insignificant matters.nag
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) nagge'', cognate with Dutch ''neggeNoun
(en noun)- Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt – Whom leprosy o'ertake!
Synonyms
* (old useless horse) dobbin, hack, jade, plugCoordinate terms
* (old useless horse) bum (racing )Etymology 2
Probably from a (etyl) source; compare Swedish .Verb
(nagg)- The notion that he forgot something nagged him the rest of the day.
- A nagging pain in his left knee
- A nagging north wind
Anagrams
* * * * ----ask
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) asken, from (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- I asked her age.
- to ask a question
- I'm going to ask this lady for directions.
- He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
- to ask for a second helping at dinner
- to ask for help with homework
- Ask , and it shall be given you.
- What price are you asking for the house?
- An exigence of state asks a much longer time to conduct a design to maturity.
- Don't ask them to the wedding.
- (Fuller)
Usage notes
* This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See * Pronouncing ask as /æks/ is a common example of metathesis and a feature of some varieties of English, notably African American Vernacular English (AAVE). * The action expressed by the verb ask'' can also be expressed by the noun-verb combination ''pose a question'' (confer the parallel in German between ''fragen'' and ''eine Frage stellen ).Derived terms
* ask after * ask around * ask for * ask in * ask out * ask over * ask round * for the asking * no questions asked * outaskNoun
(en noun)- To ask for a gift is a privilege, a wonderful expression of commitment to and ownership of the organization. Getting a yes to an ask can be a rush, but asking for the gift can and should be just as rewarding.
- Communication researchers call this the foot-in-the-door syndrome. Essentially it's based on the observation that people who respond positively to a small “ask'” are more likely to respond to a bigger “' ask ” later on.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) aske, arske, from (etyl) .Alternative forms
*Noun
(en noun)- He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask .