tip

Tip

Have you heard of these uses of 'tip'?

I gave the taxi driver a £2 tip. (If you tip a waiter, taxi driver or hotel porter, you give them a little bit of money to thank them for good service.)

Just a moment, I'm trying to remember his name...oh it's on the tip of my tongue..I'm sure I'll remember his name in a minute or two. (The tip of your tongue is literally the end of your tongue but if a name of something is 'on the tip of one's tongue' you are are expecting to recall very soon a name that you know.

We use 'tip' to mean to mean the end point of something which is long. For example:

He cut his finger tip
The southern tip of Malaysia 

An iceberg also has a tip... it is the part that you can see above the water. We use it in an expression that means a small part of a bigger problem. Eg This situation is only the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure we'll hear much more about this scandal.  

A 'tip' can also be a small piece of advice Eg. I'll give you a tip: the best restaurants are outside the city centre.

As a verb 'tip' can mean to move something so that it is not horizontal Eg The teacher was not pleased when the schoolboys tipped their chairs against the wall.

If something 'tips over' it turns over completely Eg In the strong winds, the little boat tipped over.