:something that can be used for a particular purpose有益的事;有好处的事
Now that he's a writer, he regards his difficult childhood experiences as grist for the mill. [=he regards them as material that he can use as a writer]现在他成了作家,把儿时的苦难经历当成了自己的写作素材。
: the product obtained from a grist of grain including the flour or meal and the grain offals
2
: a required or usual amount
3
: matter of interest or value forming the basis of a story or analysis
4
: something turned to advantage or use—used especially in the phrase grist for one's mill
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThese close connections between Solana and the Chicago trading giant may provide further grist for critics who say Solana lacks the decentralization of Bitcoin or its rival Ethereum.Fortune, 16 Aug. 2022 Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the dire state of nursing has been grist for endless headlines, studies, and think pieces, as has the epidemic of clinician mental health problems. Danielle Bowie, STAT, 23 July 2022 This stellar entry makes one eager to learn not only what comes next for Hall but also how Yara the writer might use grist from the Palmdale mill in that series pilot percolating in the back of her mind. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022 Helping illustrate why this issue provides so much grist for both sides of the political divide, though, is the fact that Republicans can still point to something else. Andy Meek, BGR, 7 July 2022 And even the peculiar prejudices of the island became grist for the mill once Booster read Austen’s novel and realized that her story of social stratification would map neatly onto his own experiences.New York Times, 3 June 2022 The troubling episode between Smith and Rock provided more grist for some on social media who lambasted the show and Hollywood. Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2022 The property offers a unique opportunity to observe rural 19th century grist mill technology.Hartford Courant, 19 May 2022 The primary grist of Platt’s Q&A with Music Business Assn. Chris Willman, Variety, 11 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English grīst; akin to Old English grindan to grind
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of grist was before the 12th century