Mushroom

Definitions

1. Any of the fleshy fruiting bodies of fungi typically produced above ground on soil or on their food sources (such as decaying wood).
2. A fungus producing such fruiting bodies.
3. Champignon or Agaricus bisporus, the mushroom species most commonly used in cooking.
4. Any of the mushroom-shaped pegs in bar billiards.
5. A concrete column with a thickened portion at the top, used to support a slab.
6. One who rises suddenly from a low condition in life; an upstart.
   figuratively, obsolete
7. Something that grows very quickly or seems to appear suddenly.
   figuratively
8. Ellipsis of mushroom cloud.
   abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

Equivalents

Examples

“Some mushrooms are edible and taste⟳ good, while others are poisonous and taste⟳ foul.”

“Arabs consider⟳ the eating of mushrooms as an aphrodisiac aid.”

“upstarts […]call⟳ in reproach mushrooms”

“The craze [hula hoops] began in the U.S.A., and in October the boom crossed the Atlantic and 40 firms sprang into being, some being overnight mushrooms.”

CEFR level