Do you plant fruit trees at home? Well, not that it matters in this post. When the fruits are about to ripen, Malaysians would almost always say: “We’re able to pluck the mangoes in a few days.” That’s incorrect.
That’s right. The word that we have been using so often have been wrongly used. It should be: “We’re able to pick the mangoes in a few days.”
What’s the difference then? Both mean “to remove”; however, they’re used in different contexts. There are other meanings as well, but we’ll focus on only one in this post:
- pluck (v.)* – to pull something with a sudden movement in order to remove it
- pick (v.) – to remove or separate something small with your fingers
Here are some other examples:
- We’re going to the orchard to pick apples.
- Don’t pick your nose; it’s impolite.
- You cannot use tweezers to pluck feathers.
- Thomas plucks his eyebrows to make him look better.
For teeth, the correct word to use is “extract (pull)”. So, please don’t tell your dentist not to pluck your teeth.