hʊk
hʊk
1 a curved piece of metal, plastic or wire for hanging things on, catching fish with, etca picture/curtain/coat hooka fish hookHang your towel on the hook. see also boathook2 (in boxing) a short hard blow that is made with the elbow benta left hook to the jaw3 (in cricket and golf) a way of hitting the ball so that it curves sideways instead of going straight ahead4 a thing that is used to make people interested in somethingThe images are used as a hook to get children interested in science.Well-chosen quotations can serve as a hook to catch the reader's interest.Idioms
by hook or by crook
using any method you can, even a dishonest one
get (somebody) off the hook
|let somebody off the hook
to free yourself or somebody else from a difficult situation or a punishment
hook, line and sinker
completely
What I said was not true, but he fell for it (= believed it) hook, line and sinker.off the hook
if you leave or take the telephone off the hook, you take the receiver (= the part that you pick up) off the place where it usually rests, so that nobody can call you
