Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hook       (hŏŏk)  Pronunciation Key  n.   A curved or sharply bent device, usually of metal, used to catch, drag, suspend, or fasten something else. A fishhook. A curved or barbed plant or animal part. A short angled or curved line on a letter. A sickle. A sharp bend or curve, as in a river. A point or spit of land with a sharply curved end. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement: a sales hook. Music A catchy motif or refrain: "sugary hard rock melodies [and] ear candy hooks" (Boston Globe). A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm. The course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player. A stroke that sends a ball on such a course. A ball propelled on such a course. In surfing, the lip of a breaking wave. Something shaped like a hook, especially: A curved or barbed plant or animal part. A short angled or curved line on a letter. A sickle. A sharp bend or curve, as in a river. A point or spit of land with a sharply curved end. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement: a sales hook. Music A catchy motif or refrain: "sugary hard rock melodies [and] ear candy hooks" (Boston Globe). A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm. The course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player. A stroke that sends a ball on such a course. A ball propelled on such a course. In surfing, the lip of a breaking wave. A sharp bend or curve, as in a river. A point or spit of land with a sharply curved end. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement: a sales hook. Music A catchy motif or refrain: "sugary hard rock melodies [and] ear candy hooks" (Boston Globe). A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm. The course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player. A stroke that sends a ball on such a course. A ball propelled on such a course. In surfing, the lip of a breaking wave. A means of catching or ensnaring; a trap. Slang A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement: a sales hook. Music A catchy motif or refrain: "sugary hard rock melodies [and] ear candy hooks" (Boston Globe). A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm. The course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player. A stroke that sends a ball on such a course. A ball propelled on such a course. In surfing, the lip of a breaking wave. Sports A short swinging blow in boxing delivered with a crooked arm. The course of a ball that curves in a direction away from the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the left of a right-handed player. A stroke that sends a ball on such a course. A ball propelled on such a course. In surfing, the lip of a breaking wave. Baseball A curve ball. Basketball A hook shot. v.   hooked, hook·ing, hooks v.   tr. To catch, suspend, or connect with a hook. Informal To snare. Slang To steal; snatch. See Synonyms at steal. To take strong hold of; captivate: a novel that hooked me on the very first page. To cause to become addicted. To hit with a hook in boxing. To hit (a golf ball) in a hook. To fasten by or as if by a hook. To pierce or gore with or as if with a hook. Slang To take strong hold of; captivate: a novel that hooked me on the very first page. To cause to become addicted. To hit with a hook in boxing. To hit (a golf ball) in a hook. To make (a rug) by looping yarn through canvas with a type of hook. Sports To hit with a hook in boxing. To hit (a golf ball) in a hook. Baseball To pitch (a ball) with a curve. Basketball To shoot (a ball) in a hook shot. Sports To impede the progress of (an opponent in ice hockey) by holding or restraining the player with one's stick, in violation of the rules. v.   intr. To bend like a hook. To fasten by means of a hook or a hook and eye. Slang To work as a prostitute. Phrasal Verb(s): hook up To assemble or wire (a mechanism). To connect a mechanism and a source of power. Slang To meet or associate: We agreed to hook up after class. He hooked up with the wrong crowd. To become romantically or sexually involved with someone. To marry or get married. Idiom(s): by hook or by crook By whatever means possible, fair or unfair. Idiom(s): get the hook Slang To be unceremoniously dismissed or terminated. Idiom(s): hook, line, and sinker Informal Without reservation; completely: swallowed the excuse hook, line, and sinker. Idiom(s): off the hook Informal Freed, as from blame or a vexatious obligation: let me off the hook with a mild reprimand. Idiom(s): on (one's) own hook By one's own efforts. [Middle English hok, from Old English hōc; see keg- in Indo-European roots.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hook 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

hook
noun
1.	a catch for locking a door
2.	a sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook
3.	anything that serves as an enticement [syn: bait]
4.	a mechanical device that is curved or bent to suspend or hold or pull something
5.	a curved or bent implement for suspending or pulling something
6.	a golf shot that curves to the left for a right-handed golfer; "he took lessons to cure his hooking"
7.	a short swinging punch delivered from the side with the elbow bent
8.	a basketball shot made over the head with the hand that is farther from the basket [syn: hook shot]
verb
1.	fasten with a hook [ant: unhook]
2.	rip off; ask an unreasonable price [syn: overcharge] [ant: undercharge]
3.	make a piece of needlework by interlocking and looping thread with a hooked needle; "She sat there crocheting all day" [syn: crochet]
4.	hit a ball and put a spin on it so that it travels to the left
5.	take by theft; "Someone snitched my wallet!"
6.	make off with belongings of others
7.	hit with a hook; "His opponent hooked him badly"
8.	catch with a hook; "hook a fish"
9.	to cause (someone or oneself) to become dependent (on something, especially a narcotic drug) [syn: addict]
10.	secure with the foot; "hook the ball"
11.	entice and trap; "The car salesman had snared three potential customers"
12.	approach with an offer of sexual favors; "he was solicited by a prostitute"; "The young man was caught soliciting in the park"

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

hook

In addition to the idioms beginning with hook, also see by hook or crook; off the hook; on one's own account (hook).

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

HOOK
? Object Oriented Kernel. Delphia. An object-oriented extension of Delphia Prolog.
[The Jargon File]

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

hook programming
A software or hardware feature included in order to simplify later additions or changes by a user.
For example, a simple program that prints numbers might always print them in base 10, but a more flexible version would let a variable determine what base to use; setting the variable to 5 would make the program print numbers in base 5. The variable is a simple hook. An even more flexible program might examine the variable and treat a value of 16 or less as the base to use, but treat any other number as the address of a user-supplied routine for printing a number. This is a hairy but powerful hook; one can then write a routine to print numbers as Roman numerals, say, or as Hebrew characters, and plug it into the program through the hook.
Often the difference between a good program and a superb one is that the latter has useful hooks in judiciously chosen places. Both may do the original job about equally well, but the one with the hooks is much more flexible for future expansion of capabilities.
Emacs, for example, is *all* hooks.
The term "user exit" is synonymous but much more formal and less hackish.
(1997-06-25)

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Red Hook, NY (village, FIPS 60895) Location: 41.99565 N, 73.87663 W
Population (1990): 1794 (760 housing units)
Area: 2.8 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 12571

Sandy Hook, CT Zip code(s): 06482

Sandy Hook, MS Zip code(s): 39478

Sandy Hook, VA Zip code(s): 23153

India Hook, SC (CDP, FIPS 35635) Location: 35.01182 N, 81.03967 W
Population (1990): 1506 (642 housing units)
Area: 7.2 sq km (land), 2.3 sq km (water)

Marcus Hook, PA (borough, FIPS 47344) Location: 39.81275 N, 75.41637 W
Population (1990): 2546 (987 housing units)
Area: 2.9 sq km (land), 1.3 sq km (water)

Sandy Hook, KY (city, FIPS 68556) Location: 38.09279 N, 83.12331 W
Population (1990): 548 (263 housing units)
Area: 2.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hook

Hook\, n. [OE. hok, AS. h[=o]c; cf. D. haak, G. hake, haken, OHG. h[=a]ko, h[=a]go, h[=a]ggo, Icel. haki, Sw. hake, Dan. hage. Cf. Arquebuse, Hagbut, Hake, Hatch a half door, Heckle.]

1. A piece of metal, or other hard material, formed or bent into a curve or at an angle, for catching, holding, or sustaining anything; as, a hook for catching fish; a hook for fastening a gate; a boat hook, etc.

2. That part of a hinge which is fixed to a post, and on which a door or gate hangs and turns.

3. An implement for cutting grass or grain; a sickle; an instrument for cutting or lopping; a billhook.

Like slashing Bentley with his desperate hook. --Pope.

4. (Steam Engin.) See Eccentric, and V-hook.

5. A snare; a trap. [R.] --Shak.

6. A field sown two years in succession. [Prov. Eng.]

7. pl. The projecting points of the thigh bones of cattle; -- called also hook bones.

By hook or by crook, one way or other; by any means, direct or indirect. --Milton. "In hope her to attain by hook or crook." --Spenser.

Off the hooks, unhinged; disturbed; disordered. [Colloq.] "In the evening, by water, to the Duke of Albemarle, whom I found mightly off the hooks that the ships are not gone out of the river." --Pepys.

On one's own hook, on one's own account or responsibility; by one's self. [Colloq. U.S.] --Bartlett.

To go off the hooks, to die. [Colloq.] --Thackeray.

Bid hook, a small boat hook.

Chain hook. See under Chain.

Deck hook, a horizontal knee or frame, in the bow of a ship, on which the forward part of the deck rests.

Hook and eye, one of the small wire hooks and loops for fastening together the opposite edges of a garment, etc.

Hook bill (Zo["o]l.), the strongly curved beak of a bird.

Hook ladder, a ladder with hooks at the end by which it can be suspended, as from the top of a wall.

Hook motion (Steam Engin.), a valve gear which is reversed by V hooks.

Hook squid, any squid which has the arms furnished with hooks, instead of suckers, as in the genera Enoploteuthis and Onychteuthis.

Hook wrench, a wrench or spanner, having a hook at the end, instead of a jaw, for turning a bolthead, nut, or coupling.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hook

Hook\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hooked; p. pr. & vb. n. Hooking.]

1. To catch or fasten with a hook or hooks; to seize, capture, or hold, as with a hook, esp. with a disguised or baited hook; hence, to secure by allurement or artifice; to entrap; to catch; as, to hook a dress; to hook a trout.

Hook him, my poor dear, . . . at any sacrifice. --W. Collins.

2. To seize or pierce with the points of the horns, as cattle in attacking enemies; to gore.

3. To steal. [Colloq. Eng. & U.S.]

To hook on, to fasten or attach by, or as by, hook.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hook

Hook\, v. i. To bend; to curve as a hook.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hook

Hook\, v. i. To move or go with a sudden turn; hence [Slang or Prov. Eng.], to make off; to clear out; -- often with it. "Duncan was wounded, and the escort hooked it." --Kipling.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hook

(1.) Heb. hah, a "ring" inserted in the nostrils of animals to which a cord was fastened for the purpose of restraining them (2 Kings 19:28; Isa. 37:28, 29; Ezek. 29:4; 38:4). "The Orientals make use of this contrivance for curbing their work-beasts...When a beast becomes unruly they have only to draw the cord on one side, which, by stopping his breath, punishes him so effectually that after a few repetitions he fails not to become quite tractable whenever he begins to feel it" (Michaelis). So God's agents are never beyond his control. (2.) Hakkah, a fish "hook" (Job 41:2, Heb. Text, 40:25; Isa. 19:8; Hab. 1:15). (3.) Vav, a "peg" on which the curtains of the tabernacle were hung (Ex. 26:32). (4.) Tsinnah, a fish-hooks (Amos 4:2). (5.) Mazleg, flesh-hooks (1 Sam. 2:13, 14), a kind of fork with three teeth for turning the sacrifices on the fire, etc. (6.) Mazmeroth, pruning-hooks (Isa. 2:4; Joel 3:10). (7.) 'Agmon (Job 41:2, Heb. Text 40:26), incorrectly rendered in the Authorized Version. Properly a rush-rope for binding animals, as in Revised Version margin.