■ noun
1》 a piece of curved metal or other hard material for catching hold of things or hanging things on.
↘(also fish ~ ) a bent piece of metal, typically barbed and baited, for catching fish.
2》 a thing designed to catch people's attention.
↘a catchy chorus or repeated passage in a pop or rock song.
3》 a curved cutting instrument.
4》 a short swinging punch made with the elbow bent and rigid.
5》 a ~ing stroke in sport.
6》 Music an added stroke transverse to the stem in the symbol for a quaver or other note.
7》 a curved promontory or sand spit.
■ verb
1》 attach or fasten or become attached with a ~.
2》 bend or be bent into a curved shape.
3》 ( ~ up ) link or be linked to electronic equipment.
4》 catch with a ~.
5》 ( be ~ed ) informal be captivated or addicted.
6》 Rugby secure (the ball) and pass it backward with the foot in the scrum.
7》 Cricket hit (the ball) round to the on side with an upward swing of the bat at shoulder height.
↘(in sport) strike (the ball) so that it deviates in the direction of the follow-through.
8》 Boxing punch one's opponent with the elbow bent and rigid.
9》 ( ~ it ) Brit. informal, dated run away.
Phrases
by ~ or by crook by any possible means.
get one's ~s into informal get hold of.
get (or give someone ) the ~ N. Amer. informal be dismissed (or dismiss someone) from a job.
~, line, and sinker entirely: he fell ~, line, and sinker for the joke.
off the ~
1》 informal no longer in difficulty.
2》 (of a telephone receiver) not on its rest.
on the ~ for N. Amer. informal (in a financial context) responsible for.
sling one's ~ Brit. informal leave.
Derivatives
~less adjective
~let noun
~-like adjective
Origin
OE hōc , of Gmc origin.