chuck English · revision 7058

16 Oct 2026, 13:04 by bogdan “en10k b0289: significance … chuck” current version
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+ English has two common words spelled chuck: to throw, a variant of chock, to tap under the chin, and a block or lump, also a variant of chock, which gives the cut of beef and the clamp on a lathe.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)
+ 
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /t͡ʃʌk/^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ {{homograph|1|to throw}}
+ 
+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=1583}}
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is a variant of earlier chock, to give a blow under the chin (1583),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) perhaps from Middle French [[m|frm|choquer|t=to jolt, strike against]] (see [[shock]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) or from its earlier form chuquer, to knock, bump, of unknown origin.^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ To throw or toss: 1593 in Barnhart, the 1590s in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ To pat playfully under the chin is from the 1610s,^(Etymonline) and a noun, such a tap, from 1611.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) A toss or throw is from 1862,^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) and the dismissal of someone, ''to give the chuck'', from 1892.^(OED 1989) To give up or abandon, ''chuck it in'', and to throw away are informal later uses.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1583 – chock, a blow under the chin.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1593 – to throw.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1611 – a tap under the chin (noun).^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1862 – a toss.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1892 – the chuck, dismissal.^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Verb===
+ # ''(informal)'' To [[throw]] carelessly or casually.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(informal)'' To give up or abandon: ''chuck in a job''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(informal)'' To throw away; to end a relationship with.^(COED 2004)
+ # To pat or tap playfully under the chin.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ 
+ ===Noun===
+ # A playful touch under the chin.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # A toss or throw.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ 
+ {{homograph|2|block; cut of beef; lathe clamp}}
+ 
+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=1674}}
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is a variant of [[chock]], a block,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021) and perhaps of [[chunk]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) The OED says chock and chuck were originally variants of the same word, now somewhat differentiated.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A chunk of wood or meat: 1674, the 1670s in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Shoulder meat, a cut of beef, is from 1723.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A device for holding work in a lathe or drill is first recorded as chock (1703), later chuck (1807).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) American ''chuck wagon'' (1880) is from a mid-19th-century sense ''food, grub'', generalized from the meat.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1674 – a chunk.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1703 – a lathe chuck (as chock).^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1723 – a cut of beef.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1880 – chuck wagon.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A cut of beef from the neck to the ribs.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # A device for holding a workpiece in a lathe or a bit in a [[drill]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(US, informal)'' Food.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[chock]]
+ * [[chunk]]
+ * [[shock]]
+ 
+ ==Usage notes==
+ Chuck is also an old term of endearment, a variant of [[chick]] (1588),^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) and a clucking sound, as of a hen, from about 1386.^(OED 1989)^(SOED 2002)
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}