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out at the elbows

 - 6 dictionary results
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el⋅bow

  [el-boh]
–noun
1. the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
2. the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped.
3. something bent like an elbow, as a sharp turn in a road or river, or a piece of pipe bent at an angle.
4. Architecture. crossette.
5. Also called ell, el. a plumbing pipe or pipe connection having a right-angled bend.
–verb (used with object)
6. to push with or as if with the elbow; jostle.
7. to make (one's way) by so pushing.
–verb (used without object)
8. to elbow one's way: He elbowed through the crowd.
—Idioms
9. at one's elbow, within easy reach; nearby: A virtue of the cottage is that the ocean is at your elbow.
10. bend, lift, or crook an elbow, Informal. to drink alcoholic beverages.
11. give the elbow, shove aside, get rid of, or reject.
12. out at the elbows,
a. poorly dressed; shabby.
b. impoverished.
Also, out at elbows.
13. rub elbows with, to mingle socially with; associate with: a resort where royalty rubs elbows with the merely rich.
14. up to one's elbows, very busy; engrossed: I am up to my elbows in answering mail. Also, up to the elbows.
Use out at the elbows in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME elbowe, OE el(n)boga; c. MD elle(n)bōghe, OHG el(l)inbogo (G Ellenbogen), ON ǫl(n)bogi; lit., “forearm-bend.” See ell 2 , bow 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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el·bow   (ěl'bō')   


(click for larger image in new window)
n.  

    1. The joint or bend of the arm between the forearm and the upper arm.

    2. The bony outer projection of this joint.

    3. A length of pipe with a sharp bend in it.

    4. A sharp bend in a river or road.

  2. A joint, as of a bird or quadruped, corresponding to the human elbow.

  3. Something having a bend or angle similar to an elbow, especially:

    1. A length of pipe with a sharp bend in it.

    2. A sharp bend in a river or road.

v.   el·bowed, el·bow·ing, el·bows

v.   tr.

  1. To push, jostle, or shove with the elbow: elbowed me in the ribs to get me to stop laughing.

  2. To open up (a means of passage, for example) by or as if by use of the elbow: elbowed her way through the crowd.

v.   intr.

  1. To make one's way by pushing with the elbow.

  2. To turn at an angle; bend: The lane elbows to the left.


[Middle English elbowe, from Old English elnboga; see el- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

elbow 
O.E. elnboga, from ell "length of the forearm" + boga "bow, arch," from W.Gmc. *alinobogan, from P.Gmc. *elino-bugon, lit. "bend of the forearm." Second element related to O.E. bugan "to bend;" first element from *alina "arm," from PIE *el- "elbow, forearm" (see ell). The verb meaning "thrust with the elbow" is from 1605; fig. sense is from 1863. Phrase elbow grease "hard rubbing" is attested from 1672, from jocular sense of "the best substance for polishing furniture."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: el·bow
Pronunciation: 'el-"bO
Function: noun
1 : the joint between the human forearm and the upper arm that supports the outercurve of the arm when bent called also elbow joint
2 : a joint in the anterior limb of a lower vertebrate corresponding to the elbow
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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elbow el·bow (ěl'bō')
n.

  1. The joint or bend of the arm between the forearm and the upper arm. Also called cubitus.

  2. The bony outer projection of this joint.

  3. Something having a bend or an angle similar to an elbow.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

out at the elbows

Also, out at the heels or knees. Wearing clothes that are worn out or torn; poor. For example, When we last saw Phil he was out at the elbows. These expressions, dating from the late 1500s and early 1600s, can refer to clothes worn through at these points as well as to a person too poor to replace them.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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