~ 1
■ verb
1》 strike with the fist.
2》 press (a button or key on a machine).
↘( ~ in or out ) N. Amer. (of an employee) clock in (or out).
3》 N. Amer. drive (cattle) by prodding them with a stick.
■ noun
1》 a blow with the fist.
2》 informal effectiveness; impact.
Phrases
~ above one's weight informal engage in an activity perceived as beyond one's abilities.
~ the clock N. Amer. (of an employee) clock in or out.
Derivatives
~er noun
Origin
ME (in the sense 'puncture, prod'): var. of pounce 1 .
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~ 2
■ noun
1》 a device or machine for making holes in materials such as paper and metal.
2》 a tool or machine for impressing a design or stamping a die on a material.
■ verb pierce a hole in (a material) with or as if with a ~.
↘pierce (a hole) in this way.
Origin
C16: perh. an abbrev. of ~eon 1 , or from ~ 1 .
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~ 3
■ noun a drink made from wine or spirits mixed with water, fruit juices, spices, etc.
Origin
C17: appar. from Sanskrit pañca 'five, five kinds of' (because the drink had five ingredients).
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~ 4
■ noun
1》 ( Punch ) a grotesque, hook-nosed humpbacked buffoon, the chief male character of the Punch and Judy puppet show.
2》 (also Suffolk ~ ) a draught horse of a short-legged thickset breed.
Phrases
as pleased (or proud ) as Punch feeling great delight or pride.
Origin
C17: abbrev. of Punchinello ; sense 2 derives from a dialect term denoting a short, fat person.