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rock the boat

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rock

2  [rok]
Use rock the boat in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to move or sway to and fro or from side to side.
2. to be moved or swayed powerfully with excitement, emotion, etc.
3. Mining. (of sand or gravel) to be washed in a cradle.
4. to dance to or play rock music.
5. (of popular music) to have the driving beat characteristic of rock.
–verb (used with object)
6. to move or sway to and fro or from side to side, esp. gently and soothingly.
7. to lull in security, hope, etc.
8. to affect deeply; stun; move or sway powerfully, as with emotion: Everyone in the courtroom was rocked by the verdict.
9. to shake or disturb violently: A thunderous explosion rocked the waterfront.
10. Graphic Arts. to roughen the surface of (a copperplate) with a rocker preparatory to scraping a mezzotint.
11. Mining. cradle (def. 22).
–noun
12. a rocking movement: the gentle rock of the boat.
13. rock-'n'-roll (def. 1).
–adjective
14. rock-'n'-roll (def. 3).
—Idiom
15. rock the boat, Informal. to disrupt the smooth functioning or routine of something: Don't rock the boat by demanding special treatment from management.
Origin:
bef. 1100; ME rocken, OE roccian; c. MD rocken; akin to G rücken; ON rykkja to jerk

Related forms:
rock⋅a⋅ble, adjective
rock⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. roll, shake. See swing 1 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rock 2   (rŏk)   
v.   rocked, rock·ing, rocks

v.   intr.

  1. To move back and forth or from side to side, especially gently or rhythmically.

  2. To sway violently, as from a blow or shock. See Synonyms at swing.

  3. To be washed and panned in a cradle or in a rocker. Used of ores.

  4. Music To play or dance to rock 'n' roll.

v.   tr.

  1. To move back and forth or from side to side, especially in order to soothe or lull to sleep.

  2. To cause to shake or sway violently. See Synonyms at agitate.

  3. To disturb the mental or emotional equilibrium of; upset: News of the scandal rocked the town.

  4. To wash or pan (ore) in a cradle or rocker.

  5. In mezzotint engraving, to roughen (a metal plate) with a rocker or roulette.

n.  

    1. A rocking motion.

    2. The act of rocking.

  2. Music Rock 'n' roll.


[Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian.]
rock'ing·ly adv.
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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Slang Dictionary
rock

  1. n.
    and rock candy. crack, a crystallized form of cocaine. (Drugs. See also rocks.) : Some call it rock candy, and some call it crack.
  2. n.
    a crystallized form of heroin used for smoking. (Drugs.) : Max is hooked on rock—the kind that you smoke. , Powder is everywhere, but you can hardly find rock anymore.
  3. n.
    a diamond or other gemstone. : Look at the size of that rock in her ring.

  4. Go to rocks. :
  5. n.
    a baseball; a basketball. : Michael passed the rock to Scottie, who turned and dropped it in the basket.
  6. in.
    to be really great. : The concerts didn't rock, but we had a good time throwing chairs.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

rock  (v.2)
"to dance to popular music with a strong beat," 1948 (first attested in song title "We're gonna rock"), from rock (v.1), in earlier blues slang sense of "to cause to move with musical rhythm" (1922); often used at first with sexual overtones (cf. 1922 song title "My Man Rocks Me (with One Steady Roll)"). Sense developed early 1950s to "play or dance to rock and roll music." Noun sense of "musical rhythm characterized by a strong beat" is from 1946, in blues slang. Rocksteady, Jamaican pop music style (precursor of reggae), is attested from 1969.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: rock
Pronunciation: 'räk
Function: noun
1 : a small crystallized mass of crack cocaine
2 : CRACK called also rock cocaine
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Rock (rŏk), John. 1890-1984.

American gynecologist and obstetrician who helped develop (1954) the first effective oral contraceptive.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
rock   (rŏk)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A relatively hard, naturally occurring mineral material. Rock can consist of a single mineral or of several minerals that are either tightly compacted or held together by a cementlike mineral matrix. The three main types of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

  2. A piece of such material; a stone.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

rock the boat

Disturb a stable situation, as in An easygoing manager, he won't rock the boat unless it's absolutely necessary. This idiom alludes to capsizing a small vessel, such as a canoe, by moving about in it too violently. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

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