to pass the tongue over the surface of, as to moisten, taste, or eat (often fol. by up, off, from, etc.): to lick a postage stamp; to lick an ice-cream cone.
2.
to make, or cause to become, by stroking with the tongue: to lick a spoon clean.
3.
(of waves, flames, etc.) to pass or play lightly over: The flame licked the dry timber.
4.
Informal.
a.
to hit or beat, esp. as a punishment; thrash; whip.
b.
to overcome or defeat, as in a fight, game, or contest.
c.
to outdo or surpass.
–verb (used without object)
5.
to move quickly or lightly.
–noun
6.
a stroke of the tongue over something.
7.
as much as can be taken up by one stroke of the tongue.
a small amount: I haven't done a lick of work all week.
10.
Usually, licks.a critical or complaining remark.
11.
Usually, licks.JazzSlang. a musical phrase, as by a soloist in improvising.
—Verb phrase
12.
lick up, to lap up; devour greedily.
—Idioms
13.
last licks, a final turn or opportunity: We got in our last licks on the tennis court before the vacation ended.
14.
lick and a promise, a hasty and perfunctory performance in doing something: I didn't have time to clean thoroughly, so I gave the room a lick and a promise.
lick into shape, Informal. to bring to completion or perfection through discipline, hard work, etc.: They needed another rehearsal to lick the production into shape.
O.E. liccian "to lick," from P.Gmc. *likkon (cf. Du. likken, Ger. lecken, Goth. bi-laigon), from PIE imitative base *leigh- (cf. Skt. ledhi "he licks," Arm. lizum "I lick," Gk. leikhein "to lick," L. lingere "to lick," O.Ir. ligim "I lick," Welsh llwy "spoon"). Fr. lecher is a Gmc. loan word. Sense of "a blow, stroke" first recorded 1678 from verb sense of "to beat," first attested 1535, which may be from its use in the Coverdale bible that year in sense of "defeat, annihilate" (an enemy's forces) in Num. xxii.4:
"Now shal this heape licke up all that is about vs, euen as an oxe licketh vp the grasse in the field."
But to lick (of) the whip "taste punishment" is attested from c.1460. Lickspittle "sycophant" is attested from 1825. To lick (someone or something) into shape (1612) is in ref. to the supposed ways of bears:
"Beres ben brought forthe al fowle and transformyd and after that by lyckyng of the fader and the moder they ben brought in to theyr kyndely shap." ["The Pylgremage of the Sowle," 1413]
"an act of licking," 1603, from lick (v.). Meaning "small portion" is 1814, originally Scottish; hence U.S. colloquial sense. Sense of "place where an animal goes to lick salt" is from 1747. Lickety-split is 1859 in Amer.Eng. (earlier lickety-cut, lickety-click, and simply licketie, 1817) from dial. meaning of lick "very fast sprint in a race" (1809). The jazz music sense of "short figure or solo" is from 1920s.
a salt deposit that animals regularly lick [syn: salt lick]
2.
touching with the tongue; "the dog's laps were warm and wet"
3.
(boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose" [syn: punch]
verb
1.
beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight; "We licked the other team on Sunday!" [syn: cream]
2.
pass the tongue over; "the dog licked her hand"
3.
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem" [syn: solve]
4.
take up with the tongue; "The cat lapped up the milk"; "the cub licked the milk from its mother's breast" [syn: lap]
Black Lick, PA (CDP, FIPS 6744) Location: 40.46497 N, 79.18795 W Population (1990): 1100 (436 housing units) Area: 3.9 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 15716
French Lick, IN (town, FIPS 25972) Location: 38.54723 N, 86.62017 W Population (1990): 2087 (948 housing units) Area: 4.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 47432
Knob Lick, KY Zip code(s): 42154
Mays Lick, KY Zip code(s): 41055
Paint Lick, KY Zip code(s): 40461
Salt Lick, KY (city, FIPS 68160) Location: 38.11948 N, 83.61609 W Population (1990): 342 (161 housing units) Area: 2.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 40371
E*lec"tu*a*ry\ (?; 135), n.; pl. Electuaries. [OE. letuaire, OF. lettuaire, electuaire, F. ['e]lectuaire, L. electuarium, electarium. prob. fr. Gr. ?, ? a medicine that is licked away, fr. Gr. ? to lick up; ? out + ? to lick. See Lick, and cf. Eclegm.] (Med.) A medicine composed of powders, or other ingredients, incorporated with some convserve, honey, or sirup; a confection. See the note under Confection.
Lech"er\, n. [OE. lechur, lechour, OF. lecheor, lecheur, gormand, glutton, libertine, parasite, fr. lechier to lick, F. l['e]cher; of Teutonic origin. See Lick.] A man given to lewdness; one addicted, in an excessive degree, to the indulgence of sexual desire, or to illicit commerce with women.
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