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poke
slowpoke
Someone who moves or does things in a particularly slow or sluggish manner; someone who is or has been dawdling. We're never going to finish our project by the deadline with this slowpoke weighing us down! Hurry up, slowpoke! We're not going to wait all day for you to catch up with us.
pig in a poke
Something that is purchased without having been thoroughly inspected, often with negative consequences. A "poke" is a bag. Purchasing a home without inspecting it first is like buying a pig in a poke.
buy a pig in a poke
Fig. to buy something without looking inside first. If you don't get a good look at the engine of a used car before you buy it, you'll wind up buying a pig in a poke. I just took the salesman's word that this camera worked. I guess I bought a pig in a poke.
make fun of someone or something
to ridicule someone or something. Are you making fun of me? I am making fun of your hat.
poke a hole in something
and poke a hole through somethingto make a hole by pushing something through something; to push something through a hole. The carpenter poked a hole in the wall with a nail. The fisherman poked a hole through the ice with a pick.
poke about (in something)
and poke around (in something)to rummage around in something or some place; to look through things in something or some place. I'll have to go up and poke about in the attic to see if lean find it. Janet went to the attic and spent the rest of the afternoon poking around.
poke along
to move along slowly; to lag or tarry. Get moving. Stop poking along. I was just poking along, taking my time, not paying attention to what was going on around me.
poke around
1. and poke about to look or search around. I've been poking around in the library looking for some statistics. I don't mind if you look in my drawer for a paper clip, but please don't poke about.
2. to waste time while moving about. I just poked around all afternoon and didn't accomplish much. Stop poking around and get moving.
poke around
(in something) Go to poke about (in something).
poke at someone or something
to thrust or jab at someone or something. Stop poking at me! Don't poke at the turtle. It might bite you.
poke fun at someone or something
to make fun of someone or something. You shouldn't poke fun at me for my mistakes. They are just poking fun at the strange architecture.
poke one's nose in (to something)
and stick one's nose in (to something)Fig. to interfere with something; to be nosy about something. I wish you'd stop poking your nose into my business. She was too upset for me to stick my nose in and ask what was wrong.
poke out (of something)
to stick out of something; to extend out of something. The bean sprouts were beginning to poke out of the soil of the garden. I knew there were little birds in the birdhouse, because a little head poked out now and then.
poke someone in something
to strike or jab someone in some body part. Billy poked Bobby in the tummy and made him cry. She poked herself in the eye accidentally.
poke something at someone or something
to jab or thrust something at someone or something. Don't poke that thing at me! The hunter poked his spear at the pig one more time and decided it was dead.
poke something into something
and poke something into stick or cram something into something. He poked his finger into the jam, pulled it out again, and licked it. Jeff poked in his finger.
poke something out of something
and poke something outto thrust something out of something. The lobster poked its antennae out of the little cave and wiggled them around. It poked out its antennae.
poke something through someone or something
to jab or stab something through someone or something. The evil knight poked his weapon through Arthur and withdrew it again. Danny poked his finger through the plastic pool liner by mistake.
poke through (something)
to stick through something; to extend through something. The tips of Tommy's toes poked through his sneakers and looked very cold. The end of the lost spoon poked through the piecrust on the freshly baked pie. Now we knew where it had disappeared to.
take a pop at someone
and take a poke at someoneto punch at someone. Willie took a pop at me, but I ducked. The drunk took a poke at the cop—which was the wrong thing to do.
make fun of somebody/something
also poke fun at somebody/something to make someone or something seem ridiculous by making jokes about them When she first moved north, some people made fun of her southern accent.
Related vocabulary: goof on somebodypoke your nose into something
also stick your nose in something to try to discover things that do not involve you The government has no business poking its nose into people's personal lives.
a pig in a poke
something that you buy without knowing if it is good or not When you buy a used car, you may be getting a pig in a poke.
Etymology: based on an old meaning of buy a pig in a poke (buy a pig in a bag), which you would buy without first seeing it
make fun of somebody/something
also poke fun at somebody/something to make a joke about someone or something in an unkind way At first the kids made fun of her because she spoke with a Dutch accent.
poke/stick your nose into something
(informal) to show too much interest in a situation that does not involve you That'll teach him to go poking his nose into other people's business!
a pig in a poke
something that you buy or accept without first seeing it or knowing what it is like, with the result that it might not be what you want Clothes from a catalogue are a pig in a poke. You can't feel the quality of the fabric or know if the clothes will fit.
make fun of
Also, poke fun at; make sport of. Mock, ridicule, as in The girls made fun of Mary's shoes, or They poked fun at Willie's haircut, or I wish you wouldn't make sport of the new boy. The first term dates from the early 1700s, the second from the mid-1800s, and the third from the early 1500s.
pig in a poke
An object offered in a manner that conceals its true value, especially its lack of value. For example,
Eric believes that buying a used car is buying a pig in a poke. This expression alludes to the practice of substituting a worthless object, such as a cat, for the costly suckling pig a customer has bought and wrapping it in a
poke, or sack. It dates from a time when buyers of groceries relied on a weekly farmers' market and, unless they were cautious enough to check the poke's contents, would not discover the skullduggery until they got home. The word
poke dates from the 13th century but is now used mainly in the southern United States. The idiom was first recorded in John Heywood's 1562 collection of proverbs. Also see
let the cat out of the bag.
poke around
Also,
poke about. Look through things; also, make an investigation. For example,
I was poking around the attic when I found these old photos, or
The detective was poking about, tracking where she went on that fatal day. [Early 1800s] Also see
nose about;
poke one's nose into.
poke fun at
poke one's nose into
Pry into or meddle in another's affairs, as in I told her to stop poking her nose into our business. This usage replaced the earlier thrust one's nose into in the mid-1800s.
take a poke at
Hit with one's fist, as in If you don't quit teasing I'll take a poke at you. [Colloquial; c. 1930]
poke out
v.1. To stick outward; protrude: A tag is poking out of your shirt. They were so thin that their bones were poking out.
2. To cause something to be dislodged by prodding it: Be careful with that ice pick—you might poke out your eye. I poked the ants out of the hole with a stick.
3. To extend something through some gap or hole, especially cautiously: The gopher poked its head out the entrance of its tunnel.
poke
1. n. a puff of a marijuana cigarette or pipe. (see also
toke.)
Can I have a poke of that? 2. tv. [for a male] to copulate (with a female). (Crude. Usually objectionable.) Your dog poked my dog, then ran away.
make fun of
To mock; ridicule.
pig in a poke
Something that is offered in a manner that conceals its true nature or value.
poke fun at
To ridicule in a mischievous manner.
pig in a poke
An item bought without prior inspection. A poke is a “bag.” Purchasing something that you've not seen is the basis of the image—you don't know the condition of the pig in the bag until after you've bought it. It may be exactly what was advertised, or it may be something much worse than what the seller described—the swine!
Common Names:
| Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
|---|
| Amos | | AY-məs (English) | English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew |
| Palmer | | ['pa:mə] | |
| Basit | | - | Arabic |
| Josaphat | | - | Biblical |
| RagnbjÖRg | | - | Ancient Scandinavian |
| Thaddaios | | - | Biblical Greek |