The Many Meanings of Grate

Long ago in medieval times, young Naomi worked in the castle kitchen. She loved helping

the cook prepare meals for the king and his knights. One morning, the cook pointed

to a metal grid sitting over the fire. "Naomi, we need to grate

this hard cheese for the king's soup," he said, handing her a chunk of golden cheese.

Naomi looked confused. "What does 'grate' mean?" The cook smiled and showed her how

to rub the cheese against the metal bars. "See these rough holes?

When you scrape the cheese across them, it breaks into tiny pieces.

That's called grating!" Naomi tried it herself. Scrape, scrape, scrape!