chasing

Pluralchasings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of chase.

   Reporters were chasing the senator for a comment all week.

   Chasing every rumor rarely leads to solid reporting.

   Note

   A form that does double duty. After be it builds the progressive (they were chasing a lead), and on its own it names the activity (chasing rumors wears you out). Every meaning of chase that it carries is transitive, so it normally keeps its object: a thief, a goal, a romantic partner, an enemy ship, even whiskey chased with beer. The same spelling also serves the metalworker's noun for decoration.

2. 2
   nouncountable or uncountable

   Ornamental detail produced by engraving or embossing a design onto a surface.

   Like the raised design stamped into the face of a coin.

   The goldsmith's chasing turned a plain bowl into a striking display piece.

   Fine chasing covered every inch of the antique teapot.

   Similarengraving, embossing, tooling

   Note

   A metalworking word that works two ways. As a mass noun it names the decoration as a whole (fine chasing on a teapot). As a countable noun it names individual ornaments, as in gold with chasings of silver. The craft drives punches into the metal with a hammer. This pushes the surface into lines and relief instead of cutting it away, which sets chasing apart from engraving in the strict sense.

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