prick The word "prick" is used as a verb when a small amount of blood is drawn from a person: - The nurse pricked the man’s finger for a blood sample.
- Diabetics prick their fingers when testing their blood for sugar levels.
- Would you feel comfortable pricking your own finger for blood?
- Charlene accidentally pricked her finger with a small knife while making dinner.
- A thorn on a rose stem is sharp enough to prick a person’s finger.
This is a kit for testing blood sugar. The word "prick" is also a form of slang. In this case, it’s a vulgar word and it has the same meaning as "jerk." - Why is he acting like a prick?
- That guy is a prick.
- Don’t be such a prick.
- Rhonda’s boyfriend is a prick whenever he’s around her.
The word "prickly" is an adjective: - A cactus is a prickly plant. (It has sharp needles.)
- Wendy got a prickly response from her supervisor this morning when she said good morning to him. (prickly = irritated; unhappy)
- Those weeds are all prickly. You’ll need gloves to pull them out of the ground.
cactus Click here to go to the Word of the Day page. November 19, 2015 | 
cactus