Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
five-by-five en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
From radio communications phrase dating from the 1950s. The first five referred to a rating of signal clarity, the other to reception strength. See Signal strength and readability report on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Meanings
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(idiomatic, informal, not-comparable) Loud and clear.
"Hon, are you getting good data from us?" "Five-by-five." "Any sign of hostiles?" "Nope." "Can I get a few more syllables from you?"
2019 December 13, Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2025:McInnis nodded, and Carter keyed the mic. "CAONCI-Site-43 calling Overwatch Command," he intoned in his best radio voice. Veiksaar smirked. "CAONCI-Site-43, Overwatch Command. Do you read?"
The response came immediately, to the visible relief of all nine of them. Even Wettle. "Five by five, CAONCI-Site-43. Five by five."
2024 September 28, Harry Blank, “Not Ready for Prime Time”, in Deadlined, →ISBN, page 602:
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(idiomatic, informal, not-comparable) Fine; OK.
Forms
Translations (1)
fr cinq sur cinq (loud and clear)
five-by-five en · NOUN · etymology 2
Pronunciation
Meanings
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A performance in which a player accumulates five points in each of five statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) in a single game.
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(figuratively, slang) Someone whose body is roughly shaped like a square; a short and fat person.
"Yeah? No stuff? You, a date? Wad yuh know. What is she, a five-by-five?"
1953, Warren Eyster, Ear From the Customary Skies, New York, N.Y.: Random House, page 335:"The muscle was Oscar Huong, a real Mr. five-by-five. Father supposedly a black Marine boxing champion. The brains was Nguyen Trinh—or 'Nugey,' for short. He had no idea who his daddy was."
1998, Jeremiah Healy, The Only Good Lawyer: A John Francis Cuddy Mystery, New York, N.Y. […]: Pocket Books, →ISBN, page 71:
Forms
Synonyms
chunky monkey · chubster · fatso · tub of lard · landwhale · salad dodger · fat fuck · fussock · gorbelly · swagbelly · fat · whale · fatty boombalatty · fatass · chodder · chod · tubbalard · fatty bom bom · porker · pig · fatfuck · fat-ass · roly-poly · lardbucket · fatshit · tubbo · pudge · heffalump · All are derogatory unless otherwise labeled · podge · lardo · fatty · chunker · elephant · chubbs · hamplanet · obeast · lardass · fattie · butterball · thunder thighs · oinker · tub of guts · tubba lard · hambeast
Translations (2)
tr beşte beş (basketball term) · nb fem-av-fem (basketball term)