student asking question

What does "shot out" mean? Does it have the same meaning as "exposed"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

The base verb is "to shoot out," which means that something has extended out or thrust outward very quickly. In this case, the speaker wishes to express that the cat extended out its claws very quickly, so "shot out" has been used here. Ex: The police car shot out of the garage to chase down the suspect. Ex: The runner shot out like a bullet, he was incredibly fast.

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