hock
hock Lexical Profile
hock Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A cut of meat from the lower leg of a hog or other animal, located just above the foot and often cured or smoked for slow cooking.
"She simmered a smoked ham hock with the dried white beans to give the soup a rich, savory flavor."
The tarsal joint in the hind leg of a quadruped mammal (such as a horse, cow, or dog), situated between the knee and the fetlock and corresponding anatomically to the human ankle.
"The veterinarian carefully examined the horse's swollen hock after the jumping competition."
The state of being held by a pawnbroker as security for a loan, or the condition of owing money (used chiefly in the phrase 'in hock').
"By the end of his university years, he was deep in hock to several credit card companies."
British A dry German white wine produced in the Rhine valley.
"The host served a chilled bottle of hock alongside the poached fish course."
• verb
To deposit an item of personal property with a pawnbroker as security for a loan (informal).
"Strapped for cash before payday, he decided to hock his grandfather's gold watch."
To disable an animal or person by cutting the tendons of the hock.
"In medieval warfare, foot soldiers sometimes attempted to hock the enemy's cavalry mounts."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'hock' with its homophone 'hawk'; one hocks (pawns) valuables for cash, whereas a vendor hawks (peddles) goods in the street.
• Rhymes for hock
Word Origin & Etymology
The anatomical sense derives from Old English hōh ('heel'), while the wine sense is shortened from Hochheimer, referring to wine from Hochheim am Main in Germany. The pawnbroking sense entered American slang in the 19th century from Dutch hok ('prison, debt').