| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| knock down | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to strike to the ground with a blow, as in boxing |
| 2. | (in auctions) to declare (an article) sold, as by striking a blow with a gavel |
| 3. | to demolish |
| 4. | to dismantle, for ease of transport |
| 5. | informal to reduce (a price, etc) |
| 6. | slang (Austral) to spend (a cheque) |
| 7. | slang (Austral) to drink |
| —adj | |
| 8. | overwhelming; powerful: a knockdown blow |
| 9. | chiefly (Brit) cheap: I got the table at a knockdown price |
| 10. | easily dismantled: knockdown furniture |
| —n | |
| 11. | slang (US), (Austral) an introduction: will you give me a knockdown to her? |
"Knocked up in the United States, amongst females, the phrase is equivalent to being enciente, so that Englishmen often unconsciously commit themselves when amongst our Yankee cousins." [John Camden Hotten, "The Slang Dictionary," London, 1860]
knock definition
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knock (sth) definition
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knock (sth) off definition
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"Though Orientals are very jealous of their privacy, they never knock when about to enter your room, but walk in without warning or ceremony. It is nearly impossible to teach an Arab servant to knock at your door. They give warning at the outer gate either by calling or knocking. To stand and call is a very common and respectful mode. Thus Moses commanded the holder of a pledge to stand without and call to the owner to come forth (Deut. 24:10). This was to avoid the violent intrusion of cruel creditors. Peter stood knocking at the outer door (Acts 12:13, 16), and the three men sent to Joppa by Cornelius made inquiry and 'stood before the gate' (10:17, 18). The idea is that the guard over your privacy is to be placed at the entrance." Knocking is used as a sign of importunity (Matt. 7:7, 8; Luke 13:25), and of the coming of Christ (Luke 12:36; Rev. 3:20).
knock down
Take apart for storage or shipping, as in We need to knock down this chest to ship it safely overseas. [Mid-1900s]
Declare sold at an auction, as by striking a blow with a gavel. For example, That was the last bid, and the first edition was knocked down for only three hundred. [Mid-1700s]
Reduce the price of, as in They knocked it down by another hundred dollars, or An overabundant harvest will knock down corn prices. [Colloquial; mid-1800].
Earn as wages, as in She knocks down a hundred grand a year. [Slang; 1920s]
Steal, embezzle, as in He was caught knocking down the box-office receipts. This usage may be obsolescent. [Slang; mid-1800s] Also see knock over, def. 2.