grit

noun8

1. •
   A collection of hard small materials, such as dirt, ground stone, debris from sandblasting or other such grinding, or swarf from metalworking.

   • The flower beds were white with grit from sand blasting the flagstone walkways.
2. •
   Sand or a sand–salt mixture spread on wet and, especially, icy roads and footpaths to improve traction.
3. •
   Small, hard, inedible particles in food.

   • These cookies seem to have grit from nutshells in them.
4. •
   Strength of mind; courage or fearlessness; fortitude.

   • That kid with the cast on his arm has the grit to play dodgeball.
5. •
   A measure of the size of abrasive grains, such as those on sandpaper, and thus their relative coarseness or fineness; the smaller the number, the coarser the abrasive: thus, 60 is rough, 600 is fine, and 3000 is ultrafine.

   • I need a sheet of 100 grit sandpaper.
6. •
   [usually plural] Husked but unground oats.
7. •
   [usually plural] Coarsely ground corn or hominy used as porridge.

   • grits and eggs
   • ham and grits
8. •
   A hard, coarse-grained siliceous sandstone; gritstone. Also, a finer sharp-grained sandstone, e.g., grindstone grit.

verb3

1. •
   To clench (one's teeth), particularly in reaction to pain or anger.

   • We had no choice but to grit our teeth and get on with it.
   • He has a sleeping disorder and grits his teeth.
2. •
   To cover with grit.
3. •
   (no longer used) To give forth a grating sound, like sand under the feet; to grate; to grind.

adjective1

1. •
   Of or belonging to the Liberal Party of Canada.

noun1

1. •
   A member or supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada or one of its provincial wings (except for the Quebec provincial wing).