Poke
[pəʊk] or [pok]
Definition
(noun.) tall coarse perennial American herb having small white flowers followed by blackish-red berries on long drooping racemes; young fleshy stems are edible; berries and root are poisonous.
(verb.) make a hole by poking.
(verb.) stir by poking; 'poke the embers in the fireplace'.
Checker: Neil--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) A large North American herb of the genus Phytolacca (P. decandra), bearing dark purple juicy berries; -- called also garget, pigeon berry, pocan, and pokeweed. The root and berries have emetic and purgative properties, and are used in medicine. The young shoots are sometimes eaten as a substitute for asparagus, and the berries are said to be used in Europe to color wine.
(n.) A bag; a sack; a pocket.
(n.) A long, wide sleeve; -- called also poke sleeve.
(v. t.) To thrust or push against or into with anything pointed; hence, to stir up; to excite; as, to poke a fire.
(v. t.) To thrust with the horns; to gore.
(v. t.) To put a poke on; as, to poke an ox.
(v. i.) To search; to feel one's way, as in the dark; to grope; as, to poke about.
(n.) The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs.
(n.) A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person.
(n.) A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.
Checker: Raymond
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Thrust, push, shove.[2]. (Bot.) Garget, pigeon-berry, poke-weed (Phytolacca decandra).
v. n. Grope, feel one's way.
Checked by Lionel
Definition
v.t. to thrust or push against with something pointed: to search for with a long instrument: to thrust at with the horns.—v.i. to grope or feel as in the dark.—n. act of pushing or thrusting: a thrust: a bonnet having a projecting front worn earlier in the century—also Poke′-bonn′et.—ns. Pō′ker an iron rod for poking or stirring the fire; Po′ker-draw′ing a design burnt into lime-tree or other wood with 'pokers ' which rather resembled plumbers' soldering irons.—adj. Pō′kerish like a poker: stiff.—adv. Pō′kerishly.—adj. Pō′king drudging servile.—n. Pō′king-stick a small stick or rod of steel formerly used for adjusting the plaits of ruffs.—adj. Pō′ky stupid: dull: confined with little room: poor shabby.—Poke fun at to ridicule make fun of.
n. a bag: a pouch.—A pig in a poke a blind bargain as of a pig bought without being seen.
Checked by Keith
Examples
- She wanted to poke a hole into them both. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The blooming Judy, without removing her gaze from the fire, gives her grandfather one ghostly poke. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Fire's welly out,' said he, giving it a vigorous poke, as if to turn attention away from himself. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- Fortunately his elder sister perceives the cause of the agitation in Mrs. Bagnet's breast and with an admonitory poke recalls him. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- What's a scratch here and a scrape there, a poke in this place and a dig in the other, to them. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- The trooper raising his head, she makes another poke at her esteemed grandfather, and having thus brought them together, stares rigidly at the fire. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Perker gave the fire another very unnecessary poke, and said, 'I am afraid so. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- The Lord and Master, Pilar said and poked a piece of wood into the fire. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- Amy poked the fire and said nothing. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- And Laurie poked the fire to hide a little twitching of the lips that he could not control. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- With this, Fagin poked Mr. Claypole in the side, and they joined in a burst of laughter both long and loud. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- I wish you had been poked into cells and black holes, and run over by rats and spiders and beetles. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- And Mr. Grimwig poked the fire with a flourish. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- I poked it out, and it ran under the bookcase. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- No more than I expected, if you are allowed to go poking about among poor folks. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- While we were still poking about among the chairs and tables, the door of the bed-room was suddenly opened. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Don't you be afraid of that,' said Silas, poking his head at him. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- I don't take no pride out on it, Sammy,' replied Mr. Weller, poking the fire vehemently, 'it's a horrid sitiwation. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Was he poking fun, or not? D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- I am sick of all this poking and prying. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Herbert said from behind (again poking me), Massive and concrete. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- Two peculiarly blunt knocks or pokes at the door, as if the dead man arriving on his back were striking at it with the soles of his motionless feet. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- Then Judy pokes Mr. Smallweed once, and Mr. Smallweed pokes Judy once. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- He goes up to a house, rings the area bell, pokes a packet of medicine without a direction into the servant's hand, and walks off. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- And stealthily rubbed her little hands behind him, and poked a few exultant pokes with her two forefingers over the crown of his head. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- In vain Amy telegraphed the word 'talk', tried to draw her out, and administered covert pokes with her foot. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- To which Mrs. Bagnet responds with two pokes. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- I'm sure I'm always expecting to hear of her having met with something horrible among all those wretched places she pokes herself into. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
Typist: Silvia