Jerk
[dʒɜːk] or [dʒɝk]
Definition
(noun.) an abrupt spasmodic movement.
(noun.) raising a weight from shoulder height to above the head by straightening the arms.
(noun.) a dull stupid fatuous person.
(noun.) (mechanics) the rate of change of acceleration.
(verb.) throw or toss with a quick motion; 'flick a piece of paper across the table'; 'jerk his head'.
(verb.) move with abrupt, seemingly uncontrolled motions; 'The patient's legs were jerkings'.
Checked by Karol--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t.) To cut into long slices or strips and dry in the sun; as, jerk beef. See Charqui.
(v. t.) To beat; to strike.
(v. t.) To give a quick and suddenly arrested thrust, push, pull, or twist, to; to yerk; as, to jerk one with the elbow; to jerk a coat off.
(v. t.) To throw with a quick and suddenly arrested motion of the hand; as, to jerk a stone.
(v. i.) To make a sudden motion; to move with a start, or by starts.
(v. i.) To flout with contempt.
(n.) A short, sudden pull, thrust, push, twitch, jolt, shake, or similar motion.
(n.) A sudden start or spring.
Editor: Percival
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. [1]. Yerk, twitch, pull suddenly.[2]. Throw suddenly.
n. [1]. Twitch, sudden pull.[2]. Sudden throw.
Edited by Hugh
Definition
n. meat cut into thin pieces and dried in the sun.—Also Jerk′y.
v.t. to search as a vessel for concealed or smuggled goods—also Jerque.—ns. Jerk′er Jerqu′er; Jerqu′ing.
v.t. to throw with a quick effort: to give a sudden movement.—n. a short sudden movement: a striking against with a sudden motion: an involuntary spasmodic contraction of a muscle.—ns. Jerk′er; Jerk′iness.—adj. Jerk′y moving or coming by jerks or starts spasmodic; capricious impatient.
Editor: Terence
Examples
- Jerk the tinkler. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- This consisted of mechanical means for throwing the shuttle across the web by a sudden jerk of a bar--one at each side--operated by pulling a cord. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- I suppose,' with a jerk, 'you have sometimes plucked a pear before it was ripe, Master Copperfield? Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- The child in speaking gave to his motion the jerk and limp of an invalid. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- He saw the girl's cropped head disappear with a jerk under the robe and then he saw the horseman coming through the trees. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- Oh, don't leave me--don't leave me, Goodwin,' murmured Mrs. Pott, clutching at the wrist of the said Goodwin with an hysteric jerk. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Only to jerk their tails up and down. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- The gypsy aimed carefully and fired and as he jerked the bolt back and ejected the shell Robert Jordan said, Over. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- The flag drops and covers the eyes of the animal so that he is at a loss what to do; it is jerked from him and the torment is renewed. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Then the bridge blew and one horse snapped his halter when he rose and jerked his head at the cracking roar and he went off through the trees. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- When it was necessary to move from one spot to another she either jerked her roughly, or pushed her headlong before her. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- I killed one too, and jerked his head toward where the sentry lay hunched over in the road at the end of the bridge. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- He jerked forward the flask and Rigg went to a fine old oaken bureau with his keys. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- He glanced at her, and jerked his head a little. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- There's your pay, Mister Rokesmith,' said the Golden Dustman, jerking the folded scrap of paper he had in his hand, towards his late Secretary. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- It's like jerking down the mercury in a thermometer: just a trick. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- The first machines worked all right for the inventor, but inexperienced operators obtained surprising results through punching the keys and jerking the crank. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- For that man's sake--yo' understand,' jerking his thumb back in some unknown direction. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- Gudrun watched her curious walk, stiff and jerking at the loins. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- I've got him here, he whispered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder; he's all right. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- No, no, not in Bristol,' replied Mr. Ben Allen, jerking his thumb over his right shoulder; 'over that way--down there. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- He brought out his sentences in short violent jerks, as though they were forced up from a deep inner crater of indignation. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- When he laughed, certain jerks occurred in it, and the rattle sprung. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- This holds each view for a maximum period before the lens, and then suddenly jerks the ribbon to bring the next view into position. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- We rowed along the shore, the barman holding the line in his hand and giving it occasional jerks forward. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- He looked at his wrist watch and then up to where Primitivo was raising and lowering his rifle in what seemed an infinity of short jerks. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- Tea-time, and Miss Pross making tea, with another fit of the jerks upon her, and yet no Hundreds of people. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- She was not unfrequently the victim of this disorder, and she called it, in familiar conversation, a fit of the jerks. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
Checked by Ellen