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Neck   /nɛk/   Listen
noun
Neck  n.  
1.
The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many other animals, is more slender than the trunk.
2.
Any part of an inanimate object corresponding to or resembling the neck of an animal; as:
(a)
The long slender part of a vessel, as a retort, or of a fruit, as a gourd.
(b)
A long narrow tract of land projecting from the main body, or a narrow tract connecting two larger tracts.
(c)
(Mus.) That part of a violin, guitar, or similar instrument, which extends from the head to the body, and on which is the finger board or fret board.
3.
(Mech.) A reduction in size near the end of an object, formed by a groove around it; as, a neck forming the journal of a shaft.
4.
(Bot.) The point where the base of the stem of a plant arises from the root.
Neck and crop, completely; wholly; altogether; roughly and at once. (Colloq.)
Neck and neck (Racing), so nearly equal that one cannot be said to be before the other; very close; even; side by side.
Neck of a capital. (Arch.) See Gorgerin.
Neck of a cascabel (Gun.), the part joining the knob to the base of the breech.
Neck of a gun, the small part of the piece between the chase and the swell of the muzzle.
Neck of a tooth (Anat.), the constriction between the root and the crown.
Neck or nothing (Fig.), at all risks.
Neck verse.
(a)
The verse formerly read to entitle a party to the benefit of clergy, said to be the first verse of the fifty-first Psalm, "Miserere mei," etc.
(b)
Hence, a verse or saying, the utterance of which decides one's fate; a shibboleth. "These words, "bread and cheese," were their neck verse or shibboleth to distinguish them; all pronouncing "broad and cause," being presently put to death."
Neck yoke.
(a)
A bar by which the end of the tongue of a wagon or carriage is suspended from the collars of the harnesses.
(b)
A device with projecting arms for carrying things (as buckets of water or sap) suspended from one's shoulders.
On the neck of, immediately after; following closely; on the heel of. "Committing one sin on the neck of another."
Stiff neck, obstinacy in evil or wrong; inflexible obstinacy; contumacy. "I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck."
To break the neck of, to destroy the main force of; to break the back of. "What they presume to borrow from her sage and virtuous rules... breaks the neck of their own cause."
To harden the neck, to grow obstinate; to be more and more perverse and rebellious.
To tread on the neck of, to oppress; to tyrannize over.


verb
Neck  v. t.  (past & past part. necked; pres. part. necking)  (Mech.) To reduce the diameter of (an object) near its end, by making a groove around it; used with down; as, to neck down a shaft.


neck  v. i.  To kiss and caress amorously. (Colloq.)





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Neck" Quotes from Famous Books



... Their life a general mist of error, Their death a hideous storm of terror. Strew your hair with powders sweet, Don clean linen, bathe your feet, And (the foul fiend more to check) A crucifix let bless your neck. 'Tis now full tide 'tween night and day; End your ...
— The Duchess of Malfi • John Webster
... manger, carefully tightening the girth and taking up the stirrup-straps. Pulling the tuft of hair on the horse's forehead outside the front strap, he took him by the bridle and led him out of the stable, clicking with his tongue and patting his neck with one hand. On getting outside in the courtyard he stood several seconds in the attitude of one receiving commands, which he promised by sundry nods to carry out. Then he led the horse back into the stable, ...
— Weird Tales. Vol. I • E. T. A. Hoffmann
... lounged up from the pasture gate where he had been indolently rubbing the nose of a buckskin two-year-old with an affectionate disposition, and wheezed out the information that it was warm. He got the chance to admire a very stiff pair of shoulders and a neck to ...
— Good Indian • B. M. Bower
... appearance that it took their breath away and they sat perfectly motionless, marveling at the wide spread of his antlers, his humpy, grotesque nose, and the little bell-like pouch that hung down from his neck. A moment he stood there, wearing a look of inquiry, his big nostrils quivering, and then he became aware of the presence of human beings, and turning in affright he fled up the path by which he had come. But in the moment he had stood there ...
— The Campfire Girls on Ellen's Isle - The Trail of the Seven Cedars • Hildegard G. Frey
... lines—it is known that a hat with a drooping brim takes from the height of the wearer and should never be worn by any one having round shoulders or a short neck. A hat turned up at the back would be much better. A narrow brim and high crown add height to the wearer. A woman with a short, turned-up nose should avoid a hat turned up too sharply from the face. Short people should avoid very wide brims. For the possessor ...
— Make Your Own Hats • Gene Allen Martin


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