| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| knock up | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | informal Also: knock together to assemble quickly; improvise: to knock up a set of shelves |
| 2. | informal (Brit) to waken; rouse: to knock someone up early |
| 3. | slang to make pregnant |
| 4. | informal (Brit) to exhaust: the heavy work knocked him up |
| 5. | cricket to score (runs) |
| 6. | (intr) tennis, squash, badminton to practise or hit the ball about informally, esp before a match |
| —n | |
| 7. | a practice session at tennis, squash, or a similar game |
"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 (so) up 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 up
Make pregnant, as in The young girl said she was afraid of getting knocked up. [Slang; early 1800s]
Injure or damage, as in This coffee table got all knocked up in the moving van.