cotton on to

Variant of cotton

cotton definition

cot·ton (kät′'n)

noun

  1. the soft, white seed hairs filling the seedpods of various shrubby plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family, originally native to the tropics
  2. a plant or plants producing this material
  3. the crop of such plants
  4. thread or cloth made of cotton
  5. a downy, cottonlike substance growing on other plants

Etymology: ME cotoun < OFr coton < (? via It cotone) Ar quṭun < ? Egypt

adjective

of cotton
cotton Idioms

cotton to

Etymology: ? < notion of cotton mixing well with wool, etc.

Informal
  1. to become drawn to; take a liking to
  2. Chiefly Brit. to become aware of (a situation)
    also cotton on to

cotton up to

Informal to try to ingratiate oneself, or make friends, with

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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