broach

noun

1. A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
2. A broad chisel for stone-cutting.
3. (alt-of, alternative)Alternative spelling of brooch.

   “Mr. S. had a large straw hat, and striped jacket and trousers, and his shirt fastened at the throat by a broach with Carry's hair, for he was always quite above wearing a neckcloth.”

   “She pinned a broach on her jacket. When Viv saw it, she laughed. “Is that the best you can do? A flower broach?””

4. A spit for cooking food.

   “He turned a broach that had worn a crown.”

5. An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers.

   “It [the straw] is laid on to a considerable thickness and firmly secured by ropes or twisted straw, and pinned down by sharpened sticks called 'broaches'”

6. (UK, dialectal)A spire rising from a tower.
7. A spit-like start on the head of a young stag.
8. The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping.
9. The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.

verb

1. (transitive)To make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid.

   “How often has the broached barrel proved not to be for joy and heart effusion, but for duel and head-breakage.”

2. (transitive)To open, to make an opening into; to pierce.

   “French knights at Agincourt were unable to broach the English line.”

3. (figuratively, transitive)To begin discussion about (something).

   “I broached the subject of contraceptives carefully when the teenager mentioned his promiscuity.”

   “Yet he was much too much scared of broaching any man, let alone one in a peaked cap, to dare to ask.”

   “I have tried on several occasions to broach the subject of my love to Lys; but she will not listen.”

   “THE POCKET ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF BRITISH STEAM LOCOMOTIVES. By O. S. Nock. Blandford Press. 18s. Mr. Nock, he remarks in his preface, was "incredulous" when the idea of this book of 192 colour gravure illustrations of a representative collection of British steam locomotives from Locomotion to BR's Evening Star was broached to him.”

   “Still, both [Kate] Spicer and [Anka] Radakovich think there are some subjects, even as the outrider of sexual openness, they can't broach.”

4. (intransitive)To be turned sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves.

   “The small boat broached and nearly sank, because of the large waves.”

5. (transitive)To cause to turn sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves (usually followed by to; also figurative).

   “18th C, Thomas Dibdin, Tom Bowling Here a sheer hulk lies poor Tom Bowling ... for death hath broached him to.”

   “Each time we came around into the wind, the sea broached our bow.”

6. (intransitive)To break the surface of the water.

   “The Politovskiy soared through the surface of the Atlantic like a broaching whale, coming three quarters of her length out of the water before crashing back.”

name

1. A surname.
2. (alt-of, obsolete)Obsolete form of Bharuch.