laddering

Pluralladderings (some meanings)

1. 1
   verb

   The -ing form of ladder. Use it after am, is, are, was or were, or to name the action.

   Many savers are laddering their CDs to keep some cash free each year.

   She is laddering her savings across several accounts.

   Note
2. 2
   noununcountable

   A way to invest money by splitting it across savings or bonds that pay out at different times.

   Like planting seeds at different times so something is always ready to pick.

   Laddering helped her get money back at regular times without big risk.

   He used laddering to spread his savings across five bonds.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   A way of asking questions where you keep digging for more detail with each answer.

   Like peeling an onion, taking off one layer at a time to reach the center.

   The researcher used laddering to find out why people really liked the brand.

   Laddering turned a short answer into a long, detailed reply.

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable

   A way of pressing down soil to break up lumps and make a field flat.

   The farmer gave the field a good laddering before planting.

   One laddering was enough to flatten the rough ground.

   Similarharrowing

   Note
5. 5
   noununcountable

   A regular pattern of DNA pieces seen on a test gel when a cell is dying.

   Like the evenly spaced rungs of a ladder, the pieces line up at regular sizes.

   The scientist saw clear laddering on the gel, a sign the cells were dying.

   Laddering on the test showed that the cells had died in an orderly way.

   Note
6. 6
   noununcountable

   An uneven set of cracks that forms when something dries out at different rates.

   Like the cracks that appear in dried mud at the bottom of an empty pond.

   Laddering showed up across the dried clay as it cracked unevenly.

   The potter noticed laddering on the bowl after it dried too fast.

   Similarcracking, crazing

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