hook en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /hʉk/ (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)
- ho͞ok sometimes in Northern England and Ireland, otherwise obsolete
- /hʊk/ (Australia, General-American, New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation)
- /hɵk/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- ho͝ok
- (US) audio
- /huːk/ sometimes in Northern England and Ireland, otherwise obsolete
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From Middle English hoke, from Old English hōc (“angle, point, hook”), from Proto-West Germanic *hōk, from Proto-Germanic *hōkaz, variant of *hakô (“hook”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kog-, *keg-, *keng- (“peg, hook, claw”). Cognates Cognate with Scots huke, huik (“hook”), West Frisian and Dutch hoek (“hook, angle, corner”), Low German Hook, Huuk, German Hook (“small cluster of farms”), Faroese høkja (“crutch”), Icelandic hækja (“crutch”), Norn hek (“crutch”), Finnish kuokka (“hoe, mattock”). Related to hake.
Meanings
-
A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment.
"If I were a pirate and lost my hand, I would ask them to replace it with a computer mouse rather than a hook. I use a computer mouse all day, and I only use a hook three to five times a day."¶ -Emma Stone¶ On hooks
2019 February 19, Clickhole, archived from the original on 14 Jul 2022, This quote is falsely attributed to Emma Stone for humorous effect:
- A barbed metal hook used for fishing; a fishhook.
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Any of various hook-shaped agricultural implements such as a billhook.
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep, / Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook / Spares the next swath and all its twinèd flowers: [...]
1819 September 19, John Keats, “To Autumn”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1820, →OCLC, stanza 2, page 138:
- The curved needle used in the art of crochet.
- The part of a hinge which is fixed to a post, and on which a door or gate hangs and turns.
- A loop shaped like a hook under certain written letters, for example, g and j.
- A tie-in to a current event or trend that makes a news story or editorial relevant and timely.
-
A snare; a trap.
A shop of all the qualities, that man Loues woman for, besides that hooke of Wiuing,
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:
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An advantageous hold.
“What makes you so sure that nobody knows you've got a hook into him?” Ward asked.
2020, Joel W. Barrows, Deep Red Cover:
- (in-plural) The projecting points of the thighbones of cattle; called also hook bones.
-
(informal) Removal or expulsion from a group or activity.
He is not handling this job, so we're giving him the hook.
- A field sown two years in succession.
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(informal) A grasp (of), an attachment (to).
Much of the Two in Twenty humor is insider stuff; this soap is clearly made for lesbians who have been around the city block, with a few road trips to Michigan. Gay men may love it as well, and others with a hook into contemporary urban dyke life.
1988 February 7, Elizabeth Pincus, “A Romp Through Lavender Land”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 29, page 7:If you're struggling to get a hook on the scale of it, that's the North Stand at Leicester Tigers, plus six Peter Crouches, or half a Clock Tower.
2022 September 12, leicsmiscellany, Twitter:
- A brief, punchy opening statement intended to get attention from an audience, reader, or viewer, and make them want to continue to listen to a speech, read a book, or watch a play.
-
A gimmick or element of a creative work intended to be attention-grabbing for the audience; a compelling idea for a story that will be sure to attract people's attention.
The hook of Good Boys, Hollywood's latest odyssey of comic adolescent mischief, is that the kids behaving badly are, for once, truly kids.
2019 August 14, A. A. Dowd, “Good Boys Puts a Tween Spin on the R-rated Teen Comedy, to Mostly Funny Effect”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 04 Mar 2021:
- (slang) A finesse.
- (slang) A jack (the playing card).
- A sharp bend or angle in the course or length of an object (e.g. a bend in a river, etc.).
- A spit or narrow cape of sand or gravel turned landward at the outer end, such as Sandy Hook in New Jersey.
-
A catchy musical phrase which forms the basis of a popular song.
Guitarist Jade Puget and vocalist Davey Havok have distilled AFI’s strengths (a ferocious, post-hardcore rhythmic backbone; goth-tinctured, post-punky guitars; and Havok’s desperate, dramatic croon) into 14 taut, hook-driven songs.
2017 January 20, Annie Zaleski, “AFI sounds refreshed and rejuvenated on its 10th album, AFI (The Blood Album)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 15 Apr 2017:The song's hook snared me.
- (informal) A ship's anchor.
-
Part of a system's operation that can be intercepted to change or augment its behaviour.
We've added hooks to allow undefined message types to be handled with custom code.
In lieu of those unneeded hooks, write code to fail fast and prevent gaps from becoming a problem.
2015, Rachel Alt-Simmons, Agile by Design, page 182:
-
An instance of playing a word perpendicular to a word already on the board, adding a letter to the start or the end of the word to form a new word.
Setup plays can also be made when you do not have the needed letter but believe your opponent doesn't know the hook owing to its obscurity.
2003, Andrew Fisher, David Webb, The Art of Scrabble, →ISBN, page 58:
- A diacritical mark shaped like the upper part of a question mark, as in ỏ.
-
(rare) A háček.
2004, Keesing’s Record of World Events L:i–xii, page unknown In detailing the proposed shortening of the Czech Republic to Česko…the hook (hacek) erroneously appeared over the letter “e” instead of the “C”.
In Czech, palatalization is normally indicated by the symbol ˇ, called haček or “hook.”
2003, David Adams, The Song and Duet Texts of Antonín Dvořák, page 168:Common diacritics in Slavonic language are the hook ˇ (as in haček – Czech for ‘hook’) and the stroke ´ (robić – Polish for ‘do/make’).
2003, Language Issues, XV-XVIII, page 36:
-
Senses relating to sports. ▸ A curveball.
He threw a hook in the dirt.
- Senses relating to sports. ▸ a basketball shot in which the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball with a sweeping motion of his arm in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over his head. Also called hook shot.
-
Senses relating to sports. ▸ A ball that is rolled in a curved line.
However, for pins on the bowler's right, such as the 3, 6, 9, or 10, move more toward the center of the foul line if you bowl a straight ball or slightly to the left of the center of the foul line if you bowl a hook.
1969, Harold Keith, Sports and Games, page 102:
-
Senses relating to sports. ▸ a type of punch delivered with the arm rigid and partially bent and the fist travelling nearly horizontally mesially along an arc
American Ward was too quick and too slick for his British rival, landing at will with razor sharp jabs and hooks and even bullying Froch at times.
2011 December 18, Ben Dirs, “Carl Froch outclassed by dazzling Andre Ward”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 10 Apr 2022:The heavyweight delivered a few powerful hooks that staggered his opponent.
- Senses relating to sports. ▸ A type of shot played by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc, hitting the ball high in the air to the leg side, often played to balls which bounce around head height.
- Senses relating to sports. ▸ A golf shot that (for the right-handed player) curves unintentionally to the left. (See draw, slice, fade.)
- Senses relating to sports. ▸ The amount of spin placed on a bowling ball.
- (Australia, Canada) Any of the chevrons denoting rank.
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(slang) A prostitute.
I was talkin' to a couple of the 'hooks' (female prostitutes) I know.
1983, G. W. Levi Kamel, Downtown Street Hustlers, page 160:
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(UK, obsolete, slang) A pickpocket.
He preceded me to Dartmoor, where I found his fame even more loudly trumpeted than ever, especially by Manchester “hooks” (pickpockets), who boast of being the rivals of the “Cocks,” or Londoners, in the art of obtaining other people's property without paying for it.
1885, Michael Davitt, Leaves from a Prison Diary, page 18:"Everybody's a tool over there. Everybody's a hook, except them four guys on the points of the compass. They are eight or ten strong over there." But all professional pickpockets, however expert or however clumsy, operate on the basis of the situation just outlined.
2003, David W. Maurer, Whiz Mob: A Correlation of the Technical Argot of Pickpockets with Their Behavior Pattern, page 58:
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Synonym of shoulder (“the part of a wave that has not yet broken”).
This maneuver involves a sharp turn, back into the hook of the wave.
1963, Grant W. Kuhns, On Surfing, page 67:
- (historical) A knee-shaped wooden join connecting the keel to the stem (post forming the frontmost part of the bow) or the sternpost in cog-like vessels or similar vessels.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hooks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
spring hook · can hook · hook-up · on-hook · sister hook · hooklet · heddle hook · reaping hook · hookkeeper · dehook · hookmaking · fishing hook · overhook · on one's own hook · hooktip · spoon-hook · baithook · hook-and-bullet · junk-hook · fifi hook · rein hook · Welsh Hook · hook-nosed · hookish · boathook · cant hook · hook stock · hook it · hook switch · treble hook · check hook · rhotic hook · dog hook · cabin hook · closet hook · buttonhook · tenter-hook · ring off the hook · pre-hook · hook cross · lunch hook · deck hook · gut hook · fish hook · wad hook · hook-bill · hooktail · hookable · hook shot · clove hook · hooksetting · hook above · left hook · rave hook · butthook · coathook · pruning hook · Hook End · tailhook · nuthook · hooky · pole hook · Welsh hook · reaping-hook · slash hook · pot-hook · hook in · underhook · hookless · bill hook · hook, line and sinker · mudhook · webhook · eyehook · limerick hook · fish-hook theory · right hook · gorge hook · hooklike · palatal hook · hookmaker · pruning-hook · hookbill · bullhook · hook ladder · hookthorn · grasshook · off the hook · blue hook star · bid hook · hookman · hooknose · drawhook · unhook · hooktop · coat hook · shavehook · forehook · sling one's hook · nut-hook · by hook or by crook · sheephook · boat-hook · hookset · reaphook · bill-hook · eye hook · heel hook · Gedge hook · Brummel hook · breasthook · hook pin · bench hook · chimney hook · on the hook · hook and eye · switch hook · hook wrench · fleshhook · mousing hook · Aberdeen hook · microhook · tenterhook · take one's hook · sequel hook · hook-and-liner · draught hook · weed hook · hookswitch · narrative hook · hook-ups · tenter hook · retroflex hook · diacritical hook · hook turn · boothook · hook shop · foothook · S-hook · anal hook · spoon hook · hookgun · reap hook · text hook · Sandy Hook · hook maneuver · skyhook · shithook · pothook · switchhook · butcher's hook · grapplehook · warping hook · shave hook · meat hook · boat hook · f with hook · amnihook · snowhook · armhook · firehook · rehook · hook flash · with a hook · crochet hook · Bombay Hook · wad-hook · mouth hook · brush hook · traveler hook · wolf hook · hookworm
Descendants
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Synonyms
Translations (242)
sco heuk (rod bent into a curved shape) · mk кроше́ (type of boxing punch) · th หมัดเหวี่ยงสั้น (type of boxing punch) · th ตะขอ (rod bent into a curved shape) · sl kljuka (rod bent into a curved shape) · ja サビ (catchy musical phrase) · mk кука (software feature) · ur آنکڑا (rod bent into a curved shape) · ce мӏара (rod bent into a curved shape) · la uncus (rod bent into a curved shape) · gv croagane (rod bent into a curved shape) · es corvo (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi koukku (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · yi קרוק (rod bent into a curved shape) · ia croc (rod bent into a curved shape) · sv krok (rod bent into a curved shape) · sv krok (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · sh кро̀ше̄ (type of boxing punch) · sv skruv (baseball: curveball) · fi koukku (rod bent into a curved shape) · el άγκιστρο (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · ru крюк (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi hukki (golf shot that curves unintentionally) · nb krok (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru хук (golf shot that curves unintentionally) · mi aukume (catchy musical phrase) · uli hoa (rod bent into a curved shape) · ota قانجه (rod bent into a curved shape) · csb hôk (rod bent into a curved shape) · mic mgign (rod bent into a curved shape) · el άγκιστρο (rod bent into a curved shape) · fr agrafe (rod bent into a curved shape) · nl haak (rod bent into a curved shape) · eo hoko (rod bent into a curved shape) · da hook (type of cricket shot) · fr crochet (rod bent into a curved shape) · alt ыргак (rod bent into a curved shape) · mi pekapeka (rod bent into a curved shape) · ca ganxo (rod bent into a curved shape) · it uncino (rod bent into a curved shape) · bn হুক (rod bent into a curved shape) · sk hák (rod bent into a curved shape) · tr kroşe (type of boxing punch) · ja ホック (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi jätkä (playing cards, slang: jack) · bn অঙ্কুশ (rod bent into a curved shape) · it gancio (rod bent into a curved shape) · hi आंकड़ा (rod bent into a curved shape) · de Haken (type of boxing punch) · it ritornello (catchy musical phrase) · ta கொளுவி (rod bent into a curved shape) · bg импа́с (bridge, slang: finesse) · cmn 鉤 /钩 (rod bent into a curved shape) · pl kotwiczka (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru хук (type of boxing punch) · cs klička (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · uk па́стка (snare, trap) · km តំពក់ (rod bent into a curved shape) · es gancho (type of boxing punch) · ms kait (rod bent into a curved shape) · te కొక్కి (rod bent into a curved shape) · da hage (rod bent into a curved shape) · yi האָקן (rod bent into a curved shape) · tr çengel (rod bent into a curved shape) · ga dorn (type of boxing punch) · mk хо́рок (basketball shot that goes overhead) · my ချိတ် (rod bent into a curved shape) · is krókur (rod bent into a curved shape) · ko 후렴구 (catchy musical phrase) · sv hake (rod bent into a curved shape) · ca ganxo (basketball shot that goes overhead) · da krog (rod bent into a curved shape) · sv hook (golf shot that curves unintentionally) · hu kampó (rod bent into a curved shape) · ug ئىلگەك (rod bent into a curved shape) · lv ķeksis (rod bent into a curved shape) · ka კავი (rod bent into a curved shape) · cmn 鉤子 /钩子 (rod bent into a curved shape) · sip ལྕགས་སྐྱུ (rod bent into a curved shape) · bg кроше́ (type of boxing punch) · ru перехват (software feature) · ta கொக்கி (rod bent into a curved shape) · ky илмек (rod bent into a curved shape) · hu horog (type of boxing punch) · kw higen (rod bent into a curved shape) · cy bachyn (rod bent into a curved shape) · oc croquet (rod bent into a curved shape) · uk га́чок (rod bent into a curved shape) · tl bungkalo (hook bones) · crh ırğaq (rod bent into a curved shape) · he וָו (rod bent into a curved shape) · az qarmaq (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi potkut (removal or expulsion) · az çəngəl (rod bent into a curved shape) · pl sierpowy (type of boxing punch) · et konks (rod bent into a curved shape) · kk ілмек (rod bent into a curved shape) · kmr kulab (rod bent into a curved shape) · lt kablys (rod bent into a curved shape) · uz ilmoq (rod bent into a curved shape) · la hāmus (rod bent into a curved shape) · fr bras roulé (basketball shot that goes overhead) · eu kako (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru припев (catchy musical phrase) · fi kaaripallo (basketball shot that goes overhead) · bg капа́н (snare, trap) · ga crúca (catchy musical phrase) · ml കൊളുത്ത് (rod bent into a curved shape) · ia uncino (rod bent into a curved shape) · km ទំពក់ (rod bent into a curved shape) · ar لَكْمَة خُطَّافِيَّة (type of boxing punch) · pt volta (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · hu felső kérdőjel (typography: a diacritical mark shaped like the upper part of a question mark: ỏ) · ca ganxo (catchy musical phrase) · ur ہک (rod bent into a curved shape) · it parte orecchiabile (catchy musical phrase) · el γάντζος (rod bent into a curved shape) · nl stevenhaak (knee-shaped wooden join connecting the keel to the stem or the sternpost) · fa آکج (rod bent into a curved shape) · it gancio (type of boxing punch) · fi koukku (type of boxing punch) · non krókr (rod bent into a curved shape) · lv āķis (rod bent into a curved shape) · sq grep (rod bent into a curved shape) · fr hook (software feature) · hi हुक (rod bent into a curved shape) · fr crochet (type of boxing punch) · is krókhögg (type of boxing punch) · bg сърп (agricultural implement) · ky илчек (rod bent into a curved shape) · pt gancho (type of boxing punch) · bo ལྕགས་ཀྱུ (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru крючо́к (rod bent into a curved shape) · sh ку̏ка (rod bent into a curved shape) · bg завърту́лка (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · es gancho (catchy musical phrase) · ja フック (type of boxing punch) · da knage (rod bent into a curved shape) · km ថ្ពក់ (rod bent into a curved shape) · fa قلاب (rod bent into a curved shape) · ug ئىلمەك (rod bent into a curved shape) · ko 갈고리 (rod bent into a curved shape) · be крук (rod bent into a curved shape) · fa چنگک (rod bent into a curved shape) · te గాలము (rod bent into a curved shape) · bg кука (basketball shot that goes overhead) · grc ἀγκυλίς (rod bent into a curved shape) · da hook (golf shot that curves unintentionally) · fi saranakoukku (part of a hinge) · pl hak (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi vesuri (agricultural implement) · ru крючо́к (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · cy bach (rod bent into a curved shape) · es garfio (rod bent into a curved shape) · ca ganxo (type of boxing punch) · mn хуукууд (rod bent into a curved shape) · ca garfi (rod bent into a curved shape) · lo ຂໍ (rod bent into a curved shape) · cs hák (rod bent into a curved shape) · gl gancho (rod bent into a curved shape) · eu mako (rod bent into a curved shape) · ro cârlig (rod bent into a curved shape) · sv böj (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · ru хво́стик (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · ga húc (type of boxing punch) · gl cambito (rod bent into a curved shape) · th เบ็ด (rod bent into a curved shape) · es garabito (rod bent into a curved shape) · gd cromag (rod bent into a curved shape) · pt gancho (catchy musical phrase) · sa अङ्क (rod bent into a curved shape) · lt kabliukas (rod bent into a curved shape) · ja 鉤 (rod bent into a curved shape) · sv krok (type of boxing punch) · kw bagh (rod bent into a curved shape) · pox oťai (rod bent into a curved shape) · be кручо́к (rod bent into a curved shape) · uk хук (type of boxing punch) · fo krókur (rod bent into a curved shape) · am መንጠቆ (rod bent into a curved shape) · zza çengal (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi kierrepallo (baseball: curveball) · hu horog (rod bent into a curved shape) · mk опашка (loop shaped like a hook under certain letters) · uk хук (software feature) · fa جا لباسی (rod bent into a curved shape) · ba ырғаҡ (rod bent into a curved shape) · cs hák (type of boxing punch) · lt vąšelis (rod bent into a curved shape) · ar خَطَّاف (rod bent into a curved shape) · ota چنگل (rod bent into a curved shape) · uz ilgak (rod bent into a curved shape) · hy կարթ (rod bent into a curved shape) · is haki (rod bent into a curved shape) · ca ganxo (golf shot that curves unintentionally) · mk кука (rod bent into a curved shape) · ja フック (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru хук (software feature) · alt илмек (rod bent into a curved shape) · lo ເບັດ (rod bent into a curved shape) · ja 留め金 (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru хук (catchy musical phrase) · tr kanca (rod bent into a curved shape) · non haki (rod bent into a curved shape) · fi ansa (snare, trap) · sh kȕka (rod bent into a curved shape) · lv kāsis (rod bent into a curved shape) · kmr çengal (rod bent into a curved shape) · ms cangkuk (rod bent into a curved shape) · es raño (rod bent into a curved shape) · tyz bết (rod bent into a curved shape) · vi móc (rod bent into a curved shape) · it gancio (basketball shot that goes overhead) · kmr çenqel (rod bent into a curved shape) · it gancetto (rod bent into a curved shape) · bg ку́ка (rod bent into a curved shape) · id kait (rod bent into a curved shape) · ru гак (rod bent into a curved shape) · el άγκιστρο (software feature) · fi kierrepallo (bowling: ball that is rolled in a curved line) · pt gancho (rod bent into a curved shape) · de Hookline (catchy musical phrase) · de Haken (rod bent into a curved shape) · kk ілгек (rod bent into a curved shape) · ota قلاب (rod bent into a curved shape) · cmn 摆拳 (type of boxing punch) · mk хо́рог (basketball shot that goes overhead) · zza qance (rod bent into a curved shape) · goh krāpho (rod bent into a curved shape) · ga crúca (rod bent into a curved shape) · hi अंकुश (rod bent into a curved shape) · gv dooan (rod bent into a curved shape) · uk гак (rod bent into a curved shape) · ca croc (rod bent into a curved shape) · ka კაუჭი (rod bent into a curved shape) · es gancho (rod bent into a curved shape) · tk çeňňek (rod bent into a curved shape) · tg чангак (rod bent into a curved shape) · lo ງ່ຽງ (rod bent into a curved shape) · sh kròšē (type of boxing punch) · gd dubhan (rod bent into a curved shape) · da hook (type of boxing punch)