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What does "knock" mean?

In addition to the idioms beginning with knock, also see beat (knock) into someone's head; beat (knock) the living daylights out of; (knock) down to size; (knock) off someone's feet; school of hard knocks.

See knock in WNW Idioms

knock about

or knock aroundInformal

to wander about; roam
to treat roughly

knock back

Informal to gulp down (an alcoholic drink)

knock down

to hit so as to cause to fall
â to take apart for convenience in shipping
1. to sell at auction
2. to indicate the sale of (an article) at an auction, as by a blow of the auctioneer's hammer
Slang to earn as pay

knock for a loop

or throw for a loopâ Slang

to punch very hard
to defeat or overcome
to shock, amaze, confuse, etc.

knock it off!

Slang stop doing that!specif., stop talking!

knock off

Informal
1. to stop working
2. to leave off (work)
Informal to deduct
Informal to do; accomplish
â Slang to kill, overcome, etc.
â Slang to make a knockoff of

knock oneself out

to make great efforts; exhaust oneself

knock out

Boxing to defeat (an opponent) by knocking to the ground so that it is not possible to rise before an official count of ten
1. to make unconscious
2. to make exhausted; tire out
to defeat, destroy, etc.
Informal to do; make; specif., to compose or write casually or with careless haste
Slang to overwhelm with excited delight; thrill

knock out of the box

Etymology: in allusion to the pitcher's box, the area formerly marked around the pitching rubber

Baseball to make so many hits against (an opposing pitcher) as to cause the pitcher's removal

knock over

â Slang to rob

knock together

to cause to collide
to make or compose hastily or crudely

knock up

Brit., Informal
1. to tire out; exhaust
2. to wake (someone), as by knocking at the door
â Slang to make pregnant

See knock in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Idioms

knock (oneself) out

To make a great effort; exhaust oneself.

knock out of the box

Baseball

To force the removal of (an opposing pitcher) by heavy hitting.

the

knock /someone's socks off Slang

To overwhelm or amaze.

knock cold

To render unconscious; knock out.

knock dead

To kill with a blow.

Slang

To affect strongly and positively: a performance that knocked the audience dead.

knock it off

Slang

Quit it. Often used in the imperative: Knock it off! I'm trying to sleep.

have it knocked

Slang

To be certain of success: “He knew he had it knocked after he saw a rough cut of Chinatown” (Time).

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What does "knock" mean?

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