A hawk is a relatively large bird that hunts small animals. Hawks tend to surprise their prey, swooping down on it from above.

Among birds of prey, hawks are medium-sized, with long tails and curved wings. Hawks use their high intelligence and sharp eyes for hunting smaller birds and mammals. You can also use the word hawk to mean a pro-war politician or political advisor, a term that's often contrasted with "dove," someone who almost always opposes war. This metaphorical hawk has been around since the 1960s.

Being formal is all about being taken seriously. If you're invited to the White House, you'll want to make a good impression, so it's a good idea to adopt a generally formal demeanor. No jeans or trash talking allowed.

In our casual world, there are still many times we need to be formal, like at weddings or funerals. Adopting a formal manner — i.e., dressing up and not eating with your hands — will help you make a good impression on job interviewers or future in-laws. Being formal doesn't have to mean being stiff or unnatural; it's basically just using good manners and following the rules.

Use the word horde to describe a large crowd: “A horde of people followed the pop star as he left the airport in Helsinki.”

The noun horde is not for the sedate — the word typically is used to describe a group that is in motion, maybe even a little unruly, such as a horde of fans pursuing a film star or a horde of ants invading a picnic. If you are describing a calm, orderly gathering, the word group or crowd may be a better choice. You can save horde for the next time you need to describe, for example, your experience at a pre-Christmas sale (“A horde of holiday shoppers rushed toward the last discounted television set”).

A pincer is the claw-like appendage on an insect or crustacean that allows it to grab things, particularly food. Your crab will never be a cuddly pet, because of those pincers you have to watch out for. Ouch!

If someone catches lobsters for a living, she'll have to be very careful of all of those pincers — in fact, when you buy live lobsters, their pincers are usually restrained with rubber bands. The danger with pincers is that they'll pinch, and these words share a root, the Old French pincier, "to pinch." There's also a tool called pincers that's modeled on animal pincers and used to grip, pull, or cut something.