pitch-perfect
See also: pitch perfect
English
WOTD – 5 September 2024
Etymology
From pitch (“perceived frequency of a note or sound”, noun) + perfect (adjective).[1][2]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /pɪt͡ʃ ˈpɜːfɪkt/, /-fɛkt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /pɪt͡ʃ ˈpɜɹfək(t)/, /-fɪk(t)/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)fɪkt, -ɜː(ɹ)fɛkt
- Hyphenation: pitch-per‧fect
Adjective
pitch-perfect (not generally comparable, comparative more pitch-perfect, superlative most pitch-perfect)
- Of a person, able to exactly reproduce a musical note or tune, manner of speaking, etc.
- (figurative) Extremely accurate.
- Synonym: spot on
- 2021 July 3, Phil McNulty, “European Championship – Quarter-final: Ukraine 0 – 4 England”, in BBC Sport[1], archived from the original on 12 April 2023:
- [Luke] Shaw has been solid in defence while proving to be a potent creator of goals, setting up [Raheem] Sterling's vital opening goal against Germany then setting up two more here, first with pitch-perfect delivery from a free-kick and then a perfect cross.
- (figurative) Utterly flawless and suitable with respect to appearance, atmosphere or tone, expression, or other characteristics.
- Synonym: spot on
- 2009 September 4, Radhika Jones, “50 Things to See, Hear and Do this Fall”, in Time[2], New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 January 2021:
- Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go) has made his name as a pitch-perfect prose stylist, but in his youth he dreamed of a career as a singer-songwriter.
- 2012 April 27, Charlotte Williamson, “Mexico: Journey to the end of the earth”, in Tony Gallagher, editor, The Daily Telegraph[3], London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 20 February 2015:
- The food is first-class, with the emphasis on Italian dishes: delicious wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and a pitch-perfect fillet steak with delicious crinkle-cut chips.
- 2014 August 9, Dan Kennedy, “Book review: ‘Hack Attack’ by Nick Davies”, in The Boston Globe[4], Boston, Mass.: The Globe Newspaper Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2 December 2023:
- [Nick] Davies's tale […] even features a villain with the pitch-perfect name of Neville Thurlbeck.
- 2015 February 22, Robin Lempel, “Julianne Moore’s Oscar 2015 Dress Wows on Academy Awards Red Carpet before She Wins Best Actress Race for ‘Still Alice’”, in Hollywood Take[5], archived from the original on 13 August 2015, photograph caption:
- Julianne Moore's on a roll! […] [T]he fiery redhead flirted with fringe in a pitch-perfect gown at the 'Mockingjay – Part 1' premiere.
Alternative forms
Related terms
Translations
of a person: able to exactly reproduce a musical note or tune, manner of speaking, etc.
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utterly flawless and suitable with respect to appearance, atmosphere or tone, expression, or other characteristics
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See also
References
- ^ “pitch-perfect, adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2024.
- ^ “pitch-perfect, adj.”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.