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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

nuthook en · NOUN

Etymology

From nut + hook.

Meanings

  1. A hook on a pole to pull down boughs for gathering nuts.
  2. (obsolete) A thief who steals by means of a hook.
  3. (obsolete) A bailiff who metaphorically hooks or seizes malefactors; a policeman; a constable.
    • Nuthook, nuthook, you lie. c. 1596–1599, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, act 5, scene 4:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
nut-hook alternative lexicographic
nuthooks Number=Plur lexicographic

Hypernyms

thief (thief)

Relateds

gaff (hook on a pole) · panking pole (hook on a pole)

Synonyms

angler (thief) · hooker (thief) · police officer (policeman)