Sometimes I’m struck by the richness of the English language, by how one word can have so many different meanings, arriving as it does by a variety of linguistic routes over the years across Europe and beyond. One such word is chuck which I discover has numerous meanings both as a noun and as a verb.

Chuck as a verb means to throw something carelessly or casually:

• The family was frightened when someone chucked a brick through their window.
• Some people can make a living out of stuff other people chuck away.
• He asked her to chuck him another piece of bread to save him stretching across the table.

It can be used figuratively as in:

• It’s a mistake to think that chucking money at a problem will solve it.
• Mary chucked him for another guy.
• Richard chucked in his course because he could see no prospect of a job at the end of it.

It can be used in particular phrases such as:

• They decided to stay indoors because it was chucking it down outside.
• Their landlord chucked them out on the street without notice.
• She drank so much on an empty stomach that she almost chucked up.

It has a special meaning as in to touch someone playfully under the chin:

• It annoyed her when passers-by chucked her baby under the chin.

Chuck as a noun has a variety of meanings, many not connected with the idea of throwing:

Dismissal or rejection:

• The other employees were relieved when the overbearing supervisor got the chuck.

A device for holding a workpiece in a lathe or a tool in a drill, typically having three or four jaws that move radially in and out:

• She showed him how to adjust the chuck on the drill to accommodate the right sized bit.

A cut of beef from the neck to the ribs, typically used for stewing:

• I find that chuck steak is economical and very tasty if cooked slowly and for a long time.

A friendly form of address, particularly in the north of England:

• Can I help you at all, chuck?