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tuck

 - 13 dictionary results

tuck

1[tuhk]
–verb (used with object)
1. to put into a small, close, or concealing place: Tuck the money into your wallet.
2. to thrust in the loose end or edge of (a garment, covering, etc.) so as to hold closely in place (usually fol. by in, up, under, etc.): Tuck in your blouse. Tuck the edge of the sheet under the mattress.
3. to cover snugly in or as if in this manner: She tucked the children into bed.
4. to pull up into a fold or folds; draw up into a folded arrangement (usually fol. by in, up, etc.): to tuck up one's skirts; to tuck one's knees under one's chin.
5. Needlework. to sew tucks in.
6. to pass (a strand) above or below another one.
7. Informal. to eat or drink (usually fol. by in, away, etc.): He tucked away a big meal.
–verb (used without object)
8. to draw together; contract; pucker.
9. Needlework. to make tucks.
10. to fit securely or snugly: a bed that tucks into the corner.
–noun
11. something tucked or folded in.
12. Sewing. a fold, or one of a series of folds, made by doubling cloth upon itself and stitching parallel with the edge of the fold, used for decoration or for shortening or fitting a garment.
13. Diving, Gymnastics. a body position in which the head is lowered and the thighs held against the chest with the knees bent and the arms locked around the shins. Compare layout (def. 10), pike 7 .
14. Skiing. a crouch in which the ski poles are held close to the chest, extending back under the arms and parallel to the ground, as to maximize speed downhill.
15. Informal. a plastic surgery operation: a tummy tuck.
16. Nautical. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the outside planking or plating unite at the sternpost.
17. (in tying knots) the operation of passing one strand above or below another.
18. British Slang. food.
19. tuck into, to eat with gusto: We tucked into a roast beef dinner.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME t(o)uken to stretch (cloth), torment, OE tūcian to torment; akin to MLG tucken to tug, G zucken to jerk. See tow 1

tuck

2[tuhk]
–noun Informal.
tuxedo.

Origin:
by shortening and resp.

tuck

3[tuhk] ,
–noun Archaic.
a rapier or estoc.

Origin:
1500–10; earlier tocke, appar. sandhi var. of obs. stock sword < It stocco < G Stock stick; c. stock

tuck

4[tuhk] ,
–noun Chiefly Scot.
a drumbeat or the sound of one beat on a drum.

Origin:
1300–50; ME tukken to beat, sound (said of a drum) < MF (north) toker to strike, touch. See touch

tux

[tuhks]
–noun Informal.
tuxedo.
Also, tuck.


Origin:
1920–25; by shortening
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tuck
tuck 1   (tŭk)   
v.   tucked, tuck·ing, tucks

v.   tr.
  1. To make one or more folds in: tucked the pleats before sewing the hem.

  2. To gather up and fold, thrust, or turn in so as to secure or confine: She tucked her scarf into her blouse.

    1. To put in a snug spot.

    2. To put in an out-of-the-way, snug place: a cabin that was tucked among the pines.

    3. To store in a safe spot; save: tuck away a bit of lace; tuck away millions.

    4. To draw in; contract: He tucked his chin into his chest.

    5. Sports To bring (a body part) into a tuck position.

    1. To draw in; contract: He tucked his chin into his chest.

    2. Sports To bring (a body part) into a tuck position.

v.   intr.
To make tucks.
n.  
  1. The act of tucking.

  2. A flattened pleat or fold, especially a very narrow one stitched in place.

  3. Nautical The part of a ship's hull under the stern where the ends of the bottom planks come together.

  4. Sports

    1. A bodily position used in some sports, such as diving, in which the knees are bent and the thighs are drawn close to the chest, with the hands often clasped around the shins.

    2. A position in skiing in which the skier squats while holding the poles parallel to the ground and under the arms.

  5. Chiefly British Food, especially sweets and pastry.

Phrasal Verb(s):
tuck away/into Informal To consume (food) heartily.
tuck inTo make (a child, for example) secure in bed for sleep, especially by tucking bedclothes into the bed.

[Middle English tukken, possibly from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch tocken, tucken.]
tuck 2   (tŭk)   
n.  A beat or tap, especially on a drum.

[From Middle English tukken, to beat a drum, from Old North French toquer, to strike, from Vulgar Latin *toccāre.]
tuck 3   (tŭk)   
n.   Archaic
A slender sword; a rapier.

[Perhaps from French dialectal étoc, from Old French estoc, of Germanic origin.]
tuck 4   (tŭk)   
n.  Energy; vigor.

[Origin unknown.]
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
tux [təks]

  1. n.
    a tuxedo. : Rent your tux well in advance.
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

tuck  (v.)
c.1385, "to pull or gather up," earlier "to pluck, stretch" (1273, implied in tucker), probably from M.L.G. or M.Du. tucken "pull up, draw up, tug" (cognate with O.E. tucian "mistreat, torment," and related to O.E. togian "to pull," Ger. zucken; see tow). Sense of "thrust into a snug place" is first recorded 1587. Slang meaning "to consume, swallow" is recorded from 1784. The noun is first attested 1387.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tuck
Pronunciation: 't&k
Function: noun
: a cosmetic surgical operation for the removal of excess skin or fat from a body part —see TUMMY TUCK
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

tuck

In addition to the idioms beginning with tuck, also see nip and tuck.

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