ratchet
/ˈɹæt͡ʃɪt/noun
Middle School
1
A pawl, click, or detent for holding or propelling a ratchet wheel, or ratch, etc.
2
A mechanism composed of a ratchet wheel, or ratch and pawl.
3
A ratchet wrench.
4
A procedure or regulation that goes in one direction, usually up.
5
A mechanism for generating a new unique key for each message by moving forward in a sequence.
6
A noisemaker or musical instrument where sound is generated by a board striking against a rotating gear.
7
Ellipsis of full ratchet.
Sound Patterns & Rhymes
Alliteration
Words starting with the same consonant sound — used in poetry and prose to create rhythm, emphasis, and memorable phrasing (e.g. “Peter Piper picked”)
Assonance
Words sharing similar vowel sounds regardless of starting letter — creates internal melody in writing