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tick

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

tick¹ / tik/ • n. 1. a regular short, sharp sound, esp. that made every second by a clock or watch. ∎ Brit. inf. a moment (used esp. to reassure someone that one will return or be ready very soon): I'll be with you in a tick. 2. chiefly Brit. a check mark. 3. Stock Market the smallest recognized amount by which a price of a security or future may fluctuate. • v. 1. [intr.] (of a clock or other mechanical device) make regular short sharp sounds, typically for every second of time passing: I could hear the clock ticking. ∎  (tick away/by/past) (of time) pass (used esp. when someone is pressed for time or keenly awaiting an event): the minutes were ticking away till the actor's appearance. ∎  [tr.] (tick something away) (of a clock or watch) mark the passing of time with regular short sharp sounds: the little clock ticked the precious minutes away. ∎  proceed or progress: her book was ticking along nicely. 2. chiefly Brit. [tr.] mark (an item) with a check mark, typically to show that it has been chosen, checked, or approved: just tick the appropriate box below. ∎  (tick something off) list items one by one in one's mind or during a speech: he ticked the points off on his fingers. PHRASES: what makes someone tick inf. what motivates someone: people are curious to know what makes these men tick.PHRASAL VERBS: tick someone off inf. make someone annoyed or angry. tick over (of an engine) idle. ∎  work or function at a basic or minimum level: they are keeping things ticking over until their father returns. tick² • n. a parasitic arachnid (suborder Ixodida, order Acarina) that attaches itself to the skin of a terrestrial vertebrate from which it sucks blood, leaving the host when sated. Some species transmit diseases, including tularemia and Lyme disease. ∎ inf. a parasitic louse fly. tick³ • n. a fabric case stuffed with feathers or other material to form a mattress or pillow. ∎ short for ticking. tick⁴ • n. (in phrase on tick) chiefly Brit. or dated on credit.

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© The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press 2008.