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# cur

noun (a cur, curs)

«cur» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (old) A cur is a dog of no special breed, especially a bad-tempered or dirty one. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#m1)
2. (old, insulting) Calling a man a cur means he is mean, cowardly or worthless. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#m2)

### In the lessons

In old stories and Shakespeare-free classics, curs are snapping village dogs, and «You cur!» is a hero's insult to a villain. In The Wind in the Willows and Alice, old-fashioned insults like this make the speech sound grand or angry. In Alice, the Mouse's tale tells of a dog called Fury who is like a cruel cur.

### Examples

- A mangy cur barked at the beggar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#x1)
- «Out of my way, you cowardly cur!» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#x2)
- The village curs chased the cart. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#x3)
- The cur snarled and showed its teeth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#x4)
- Only a cur would hit someone smaller. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#x5)
- Fury, the dog in the Mouse's tale, acts as judge and jury. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/#x6)

### Note

Countable: curs. Old-fashioned; today «mongrel» (mixed-breed dog). As an insult it is rude. Sounds like «cur» in «curtain» (rhymes with «fur»).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «cur» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cur/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«cur» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cur.html) on Mova free.