Manipulation poke E.g. He poked at the spaghetti with a knife, separating the congealed orange-and-white mess. prod E.g. Rosheen was alarmed to see Sheldukher prodding at Postine's body experimentally. pull E.g. Silver pulled at the rope that held me. tug E.g. She tugged at her hand, but he wouldn't let go. yank E.g. He yanked at the toggle that released the cockpit hood, but it was stuck fast. pluck E.g. He plucked at his uniform as if meaning to tear it off. nibble E.g. Ruth nibbled at her coloured pencil. nip E.g. Something nipped at her neck, and she pitched forward into blackness. peck E.g. Chicks feed by pecking at small grains of food. Ingestion suck E.g. He sucked at the end of his pen again. Grinding chew E.g. The Prince chewed at a fingernail as he stared at the map. gnaw E.g. Employers constantly gnawed at the high level of wages which had been built up during the First World War. Cause_harm stab E.g. Rolando stabbed at the fried chicken on the plate in front of him.