食い付く

くいつく
to bite at
to nibble
to hold with the teeth

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くいつく【食い付く】

1 〔かみつく〕 bite 《at…》; fasten [sink] one's teeth into sth; have [take] a bite 《at [of, out of]…》.

●(魚が)えさに食いつく take [rise to] the bait; snap [nibble] at the bait

・(犬などが)食いつこうとする snap at sb

・のど笛に食いつく bite sb's windpipe; bite sb by the windpipe

・犬に足を食いつかれた. A dog bit me on the leg. | I was bitten on the leg by a dog.

・食いつくような目で私を見た. He looked at me with piercing eyes.

2 〔かたく取りつく〕 hold on to…; stick to…; cling to 《a belief》; persist; fasten oneself on sth.

●食いついて離れない stick fast [like a leech]; hold like a vice.

3 〔うまい話などにとびつく〕 get one's teeth into 《a project》; get one's hands on…; snap up.

●もうけ話に食いつく snap up a chance to make money.

●彼は簡単にえさに食いついてきた. He soon took the bait.

4 〔文句を言う〕 complain; bicker.

●彼は社長にしつこく食いついた. He argued stubbornly with the boss.