Beat all hollow

hol·low

[hol-oh] adjective, hol·low·er, hol·low·est, noun, verb, adverb
adjective
1.
having a space or cavity inside; not solid; empty: a hollow sphere.
2.
having a depression or concavity: a hollow surface.
3.
sunken, as the cheeks or eyes.
4.
(of sound) not resonant; dull, muffled, or deep: a hollow voice.
5.
without real or significant worth; meaningless: a hollow victory.
6.
insincere or false: hollow compliments.
7.
hungry; having an empty feeling: I feel absolutely hollow, so let's eat.
noun
8.
an empty space within anything; a hole, depression, or cavity.
9.
a valley: They took the sheep to graze in the hollow.
10.
Foundry. a concavity connecting two surfaces otherwise intersecting at an obtuse angle.
00:10
Beat all hollow is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
verb (used with object)
11.
to make hollow (often followed by out ): to hollow out a log.
12.
to form by making something hollow (often followed by out ): to hollow a place in the sand; boats hollowed out of logs.
verb (used without object)
13.
to become hollow.
adverb
14.
in a hollow manner: The politician's accusations rang hollow.
15.
beat all hollow, to surpass or outdo completely: His performance beat the others all hollow. Also, beat hollow.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English holw(e), holow, Old English holh a hollow place; akin to hole

hol·low·ly, adverb
hol·low·ness, noun
half-hol·low, adjective
un·hol·low, adjective
un·hol·lowed, adjective


5. vain, empty, futile, pointless.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
hollow (ˈhɒləʊ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  having a hole, cavity, or space within; not solid
2.  having a sunken area; concave
3.  recessed or deeply set: hollow cheeks
4.  (of sounds) as if resounding in a hollow place
5.  without substance or validity
6.  hungry or empty
7.  insincere; cynical
8.  a hollow leg, hollow legs the capacity to eat or drink a lot without ill effects
 
adv
9.  informal (Brit) beat someone hollow to defeat someone thoroughly and convincingly
 
n
10.  a cavity, opening, or space in or within something
11.  a depression or dip in the land
 
vb (often foll by out, usually when tr)
12.  to make or become hollow
13.  to form (a hole, cavity, etc) or (of a hole, etc) to be formed
 
[C12: from holu, inflected form of Old English holh cave; related to Old Norse holr, German hohl; see hole]
 
'hollowly
 
adv
 
'hollowness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hollow
O.E. holh (n.) "hollow place, hole," from P.Gmc. *holhwo-, related to hol "hole" (see hole). The noun sense of "lowland, valley, basin" is 1553. The verb is from M.E. holowen. The figurative sense of "insincere" is attested from 1529. To carry it hollow "take it completely"
is first recorded 1668, of unknown origin or connection.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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