buck 1
/buk/ , n.
1. the male of the deer, antelope, rabbit, hare, sheep, or goat.
2. the male of certain other animals, as the shad.
3. an impetuous, dashing, or spirited man or youth.
4. Often Disparaging. a male American Indian or black.
5. buckskin.
6. bucks, casual oxford shoes made of buckskin, often in white or a neutral color.
adj.
7. Mil. of the lowest of several ranks involving the same principal designation, hence subject to promotion within the rank: buck private; buck sergeant.
[ bef. 1000; ME bukke, OE bucca he-goat, bucc male deer; c. D bok, G Bock, ON bukkr; def. 5, 6 by shortening; buck private (from ca. 1870) perh. as extension of general sense "male," i.e., having no status other than being male ]
buck 2
/buk/ , v.i.
1. (of a saddle or pack animal) to leap with arched back and come down with head low and forelegs stiff, in order to dislodge a rider or pack.
2. Informal. to resist or oppose obstinately; object strongly: The mayor bucked at the school board's suggestion.
3. (of a vehicle, motor, or the like) to operate unevenly; move by jerks and bounces.
v.t.
4. to throw or attempt to throw (a rider or pack) by bucking.
5. to force a way through or proceed against (an obstacle): The plane bucked a strong headwind.
6. to strike with the head; butt.
7. to resist or oppose obstinately; object strongly to.
8. Football. (of a ball-carrier) to charge into (the opponent's line).
9. to gamble, play, or take a risk against: He was bucking the odds when he bought that failing business.
10. to press a reinforcing device against (the force of a rivet) in order to absorb vibration and increase expansion.
11. buck for , to strive for a promotion or some other advantage: to buck for a raise.
12. buck up , to make or become more cheerful, vigorous, etc.: She knew that with a change of scene she would soon buck up.
n.
13. an act of bucking.
[ 1855-60; verbal use of BUCK 1 , influenced in some senses by BUCK 3 ]
buck 3
/buk/ , n.
1. a sawhorse.
2. Gymnastics. a cylindrical, leather-covered block mounted in a horizontal position on a single vertical post set in a steel frame, for use chiefly in vaulting.
3. any of various heavy frames, racks, or jigs used to support materials or partially assembled items during manufacture, as in airplane assembly plants.
4. Also called door buck . a doorframe of wood or metal set in a partition, esp. one of light masonry, to support door hinges, hardware, finish work, etc.
v.t.
5. to split or saw (logs, felled trees, etc.).
6. buck in , Survey., Optical Tooling. to set up an instrument in line with two marks.
[ 1855-60; short for SAWBUCK ]
buck 4
/buk/ , n.
1. Poker. any object in the pot that reminds the winner of some privilege or obligation when his or her turn to deal next comes.
2. pass the buck , to shift responsibility or blame to another person: Never one to admit error, he passed the buck to his subordinates.
v.t.
3. to pass (something) along to another, esp. as a means of avoiding responsibility or blame: He bucked the letter on to the assistant vice president to answer.
[ 1860-65; short for buckhorn knife, an object which served this function ]
buck 5
/buk/ , Brit. Dial.
n.
1. lye used for washing clothes.
2. clothes washed in lye.
v.t.
3. to wash or bleach (clothes) in lye.
[ 1350-1400; ME bouken (v.); cf. MLG buken, büken to steep in lye, MHG buchen, bruchen ]
buck 6
/buk/ , v.i., n. Anglo-Indian.
bukh.
buck 7
/buk/ , adv. Informal.
completely; stark: buck naked.
[ 1925-30, Amer.; of obscure orig. ]
buck 8
/buk/ , n. Slang.
a dollar.
[ 1855-60, Amer.; perh. BUCK 1 in sense "buckskin"; deerskins were used by Indians and frontiersmen as a unit of exchange in transactions with merchants ]