This sort of structure where a hard but brittle material is mated with a softer but elastic substrate is also one of humankind’s great innovations. Through trial and error bladesmiths learned to work steel in a way such that the edge of a tool or weapon blade would harden and better keep its sharpness, while the spine would be made flexible and shatter-resistant. These opposite properties are now known to arise from different crystalline phases, or allotropes, of (carbon-alloyed) iron, in particular martensite and austenite.
To see off piranha this fish has strong armour
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Re: To see off piranha this fish has strong armour
#12As an English as a second language speaker, this is the first time in years that a sentence has stumped me. Is this a common construction? Thanks to a dictionary I now know that "to see off" means "to fend off".
It's a British idiom rather than a general English construct.
By ”general English” I assume you are meaning American English?
Re: To see off piranha this fish has strong armour
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a British idiom rather than a general English construct.
It's definitely not common in America, where it's more commonly used in, e.g., a parting of ways with a close friend or relation for a journey ("see Johhny off [to the airport for college]").
That's the sense I understood this in. That the fish doesn't defeat the piranhas or "fight them off", but it can ignore them until they give up because of the armor, and then bid them goodbye.
Re: To see off piranha this fish has strong armour
#14Re: To see off piranha this fish has strong armour
#15As an English as a second language speaker, this is the first time in years that a sentence has stumped me. Is this a common construction? Thanks to a dictionary I now know that "to see off" means "to fend off".
It would be easier to read as " To see off piranha, this fish has strong armour" or "this fish has strong armour, in order to see off Piranha"
Re: To see off piranha this fish has strong armour
#16As an English as a second language speaker, this is the first time in years that a sentence has stumped me. Is this a common construction? Thanks to a dictionary I now know that "to see off" means "to fend off".
As a data point, the term seems to be in use in the UK, as I came across it now and again while there.
It's not in common use in Australia though.