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poke
poke1 / pōk/ • v. 1. [tr.] jab or prod (someone or something), esp. with one's finger: he poked Benny in the ribs and pointed | [intr.] they sniffed, felt, and poked at everything they bought. ∎ [tr.] jab (one's finger) at someone or into something: keep adding water until you can comfortably poke your finger into the soil. ∎ prod and stir (a fire) with a poker to make it burn more fiercely. ∎ make (a hole) in something by prodding or jabbing at it. ∎ [tr.] thrust (something) in a particular direction: I poked my head around the door to see what was going on she poked her tongue out. ∎ [intr.] protrude and be or become visible: she had wisps of gray hair poking out from under her bonnet. ∎ vulgar slang (of a man) have sexual intercourse with (another person). 2. [intr.] move slowly; dawdle: I was poking along, my vision blocked by that curtain of sleet. • n. 1. an act of poking someone or something: she gave the fire a poke. ∎ (a poke around) inf. a look or search around a place. ∎ vulgar slang an act of sexual intercourse. 2. (also poke bonnet) a woman's bonnet with a projecting brim or front, popular esp. in the early 19th century. 3. (usu. POKE) Comput. a statement or function in BASIC for altering the contents of a specified memory location. Compare with peek (sense 2). PHRASES: poke fun at tease or make fun of. poke one's nose into inf. take an intrusive interest in. take a poke at someone inf. hit or punch someone. ∎ criticize someone. PHRASAL VERBS: poke around/about look around a place, typically in search of something. poke2 • n. dial. a bag or small sack. ∎ inf. a purse or wallet. PHRASES: a pig in a pokesee pig. poke3 • n. 1. another term for pokeweed. 2. (Indian poke) another term for false hellebore. |
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Cite this article
"poke." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "poke." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-poke.html "poke." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-poke.html |
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Poke
Pokea bag containing a definite amount which varied according to the commodity. Examples : poke of bran, 1875; of corn, 1648; of hops, 1883; of madder (20 cwt), 1347; of silver, 1733; of pardon, 1377; of pence, 1575; of plums, 1581; of wool, c. 1500. |
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Cite this article
"Poke." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Poke." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301138.html "Poke." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505301138.html |
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poke
poke2 thrust with the finger or a pointed instrument. XIV. — (M)LG., (M)Du. poken, of unkn. orig.
Hence (prob.) poke sb. projecting brim of a bonnet. XVIII(so poke-bonnet XIX). poker1 (-ER1) instrument for poking a fire. XVI. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "poke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "poke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-poke1.html T. F. HOAD. "poke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-poke1.html |
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poke
poke To modify the contents of an absolute memory location from a high-level language, usually by means of a procedure of this name whose two arguments are the address in question and the value to be deposited there. Compare peek.
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Cite this article
JOHN DAINTITH. "poke." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN DAINTITH. "poke." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-poke.html JOHN DAINTITH. "poke." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-poke.html |
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poke
poke1 bag, small sack (now dial. except in ‘to buy a pig in a poke’). XIII. — ONF. poque, poke, var. of (O)F. poche (cf. POUCH).
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "poke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "poke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-poke.html T. F. HOAD. "poke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-poke.html |
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poke
poke •awoke, bespoke, bloke, broke, choke, cloak, Coke, convoke, croak, evoke, folk, invoke, joke, Koch, moke, oak, okey-doke, poke, provoke, revoke, roque, smoke, soak, soke, spoke, stoke, stony-broke (US stone-broke), stroke, toke, toque, woke, yoke, yolk
•Holyoake • artichoke • gentlefolk
•menfolk • kinsfolk • womenfolk
•townsfolk • fisherfolk • holmoak
•woodsmoke • cowpoke • slowpoke
•backstroke • breaststroke • keystroke
•heatstroke • sidestroke • downstroke
•sunstroke • upstroke • masterstroke
•counterstroke • equivoque
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Cite this article
"poke." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "poke." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-poke.html "poke." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-poke.html |
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