Originally a nautical term, found in lee-larches (“the sudden and violent rolls of a ship to the leeward in high seas”), of unknown origin. Possibly the same as lurch (“to move stealthily, evade by stooping”) (see below), or from French lâcher (“to let go”).
Meanings
A sudden or unsteady movement.
Yet I hoped by grouting at the earth below it to be able to dislodge the stone at the side; but while I was considering how best to begin, the candle flickered, the wick gave a sudden lurch to one side, and I was left in darkness. [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
The ship was driving rapidly towards the rocky coast, against which she must have been dashed to pieces had she kept afloat a few minutes longer, but she gave a lurch and went down, rose again for an instant, and with another lurch sank, and all was over,—and there were nearly two hundred and fifty human beings struggling with the waves. 1850, William O. S. Gilly, “The Tribune”, in Narratives of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy […] , London: John W. Parker:
the lurch of a ship, or of a drunkard
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lurches
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Translations (17)
cs zavrávorání (sudden or unsteady movement) · cs výkyv (sudden or unsteady movement) · it imbardata (sudden or unsteady movement) · de Ruck (sudden or unsteady movement) · bg клатушкане (sudden or unsteady movement) · nl hobbelen (sudden or unsteady movement) · cs cuknutí (sudden or unsteady movement) · it sbilanciamento (sudden or unsteady movement) · ru рыво́к (sudden or unsteady movement) · de Schlingern (sudden or unsteady movement) · es bandazo (sudden or unsteady movement) · nl slingeren (sudden or unsteady movement) · ga suaitheadh (sudden or unsteady movement) · cs zakymácení se (sudden or unsteady movement) · cmn 踉跄 (sudden or unsteady movement) · it barcollio (sudden or unsteady movement) · fr embardée (sudden or unsteady movement)
Originally a nautical term, found in lee-larches (“the sudden and violent rolls of a ship to the leeward in high seas”), of unknown origin. Possibly the same as lurch (“to move stealthily, evade by stooping”) (see below), or from French lâcher (“to let go”).
Meanings
To make such a sudden, unsteady movement.
Number One lurched forward, his arms outstretched toward the horror stricken girl. 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 3, in The Monster Men, published 1929:
The incident made it think, apparently, that the neighborhood was dangerous, for it slowly lurched off through the wood, followed by its mate and its three enormous infants. 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
It occurred to me there was no time to lose, and dodging the boom as it once more lurched across the deck, I slipped aft and down the companion stairs into the cabin. 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “I Strike the Jolly Roger”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
He was looking for trouble. He lurched against a table at which three soldiers were sitting and knocked over a glass of beer. 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter XLVII, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:
cs trhnout sebou (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · de torkeln (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · mi tūpou (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · cs zakymácet se (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · fi horjua (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · ru поша́тываться (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · de schlingern (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · uk похитну́тися (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · de ruckeln (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · cs zavrávorat (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · sv vingla (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · fr vaciller (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · fr chanceler (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · es tambalearse (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · bg накланям се (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · es sacudirse (hacia) (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · tr sendelemek (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · fr tituber (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · bg клатушкам се (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · it barcollare (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · fr faire une embardée (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · de taumeln (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · cs zmítat se (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · uk похи́туватися (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · uk хита́тися (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · sv kränga (to make a sudden, unsteady movement) · ru пошатну́ться (to make a sudden, unsteady movement)
From Middle English *lurchen (recorded only in Middle English lurcare, lurcard (“glutton”)), from Old French *lurcher, from Latin lurcō (“eat greedily, guzzle”), of uncertain origin. Compare Middle High German slurken (“to slurp”) (whence German schlurken).
Meanings
(obsolete) To swallow or eat greedily; to devour; hence, to swallow up.
Too far off from great cities, which may hinder business; too near them, which lurcheth all provisions, and maketh everything dear. 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
From Middle English lorchen, variant of Middle English lurken (“to lurk”). More at lurk.
Meanings
(dialectal, intransitive) To evade by stooping; to lurk; lie in wait; go about in a sneaking way.
(dialectal, intransitive) To take by surprise; to unexpectedly detain.
(obsolete, transitive) To rob.
And in the brunt of seventeen battles since / He lurched all swords of the garland. c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
From Middle English *lurche (implied in derivative lurching), from Old French lourche (“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”), from Proto-West Germanic *lort (“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”). Cognate to English lirt.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A predicament or difficult situation.
to leave someone in the lurch
(countable, uncountable) An old game played with dice and counters; a variety of the game of tables.
(countable, uncountable) A double score in cribbage for the winner when their adversary has not yet pegged their 31st hole.
August 14, 1784, Horace Walpole, letter to the Hon. H. S. Conway
Lady Blandford has cried her eyes out on losing a lurch.
From Middle English *lurche (implied in derivative lurching), from Old French lourche (“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”), from Proto-West Germanic *lort (“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”). Cognate to English lirt.
Meanings
(transitive) To defeat in the game of cribbage with a lurch (double score as explained under noun entry).
(obsolete, transitive) To leave someone in the lurch; to cheat.
Never deceive or lurch the sincere communicant. 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: