huk n. & v. --n. 1 a a
piece of
metal or
other material bent
back at an
angle or
with a
round bend,
for catching hold or for
hanging things
on. b (in full fish-hook) a bent piece of
wire, usu. barbed
and baited, for catching fish. 2 a curved
cutting instrument (reaping-hook). 3 a a
sharp bend, e.g. in a
river. b a projecting
point of
land (Hook of Holland). c a sand-spit with a curved
end. 4 a Cricket &
Golf a hooking
stroke (see
sense 5 of v.). b
Boxing a
short swinging blow with
the elbow bent and
rigid. 5 a trap, a
snare. 6 a a curved stroke in
handwriting,
esp. as
made in
learning to
write. b Mus. an added stroke
transverse to the stem in the
symbol for a
quaver etc. 7 (in pl.) sl. fingers. --v. 1 tr. a
grasp with a hook. b
secure with a hook or hooks. 2 (often foll. by on, up) a tr.
attach with or as with a hook. b intr. be or
become attached with a hook. 3 tr.
catch with or as with a hook (he
hooked a fish;
she hooked a husband). 4 tr. sl.
steal. 5 tr. a Cricket
play (the ball) round
from the
off to the on
side with an
upward stroke. b (also absol.) Golf
strike (the ball) so
that it deviates
towards the
striker. 6 tr.
Rugby Football secure (the ball) and pass it
backward with the
foot in the
scrum. 7 tr. Boxing strike (one's opponent) with the elbow bent and rigid. øbe hooked on sl. be
addicted to or captivated
by. by hook or by
crook by
one means or
another, by fair means or
foul. hook and
eye a
small metal hook and
loop as a fastener on a
garment. hook it sl.
make off,
run away. hook, line, and
sinker entirely. hook-nose an
aquiline nose. hook-nosed having an aquiline nose. hook-up a
connection, esp. an interconnection of broadcasting
equipment for
special transmissions. off the hook 1 colloq. no longer in
difficulty or
trouble. 2 (of a
telephone receiver)
not on
its rest, and so preventing
incoming calls. off the hooks sl.
dead. on one's
own hook sl. on one's own
account. sling (or take) one's hook sl. = hook
it. øøhookless adj. hooklet n. hooklike adj. [OE hoc: sense 3 of n. prob. influenced by Du. hoek corner]
