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Sam : Writing, IELTS
Professional Teacher* Sam's Word of the Day! *
'Dry heave' - verb, noun
'To dry heave' literally means to attempt to throw up / vomit, but no liquids or solids come out, i.e. it's dry!
Really gross word I know, but I just came across a really cool metaphorical use of it!
--
A 'dry heave' can mean you are so completely exhausted by your creative or professional work that you try to produce new results, but absolutely nothing comes out because your energy and ideas are totally empty.
"I stared at the canvas for three hours, but my artistic inspiration just dry heaved and refused to paint anything."
"After designing ten logos in one day, opening the graphic software gave me a creative dry heave."
"When the manager asked for a sales strategy on Friday afternoon, my tired brain just dry heaved in response."
Sep 11, 2026 3:46 PM
Sam : Writing, IELTS
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English, Persian (Farsi), Thai
Learning Language
Chinese (Mandarin), Persian (Farsi), Thai
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