CROOK
What does "CROOK" mean?
A dishonest person, especially a thief or swindler.
Meanings
- A criminal or dishonest person. The con artist turned out to be a small-time crook. informal
- A bend, curve, or angle in something. She carried the books in the crook of her arm.
- A shepherd's or bishop's staff with a hooked end. The shepherd hooked the lamb's leg with his crook.
- To bend or curve something, especially a finger or limb. He crooked a finger to call the waiter over.
Word origin
From Old Norse 'krokr' (hook, bend); the 'thief' sense arose from the figurative idea of a crooked (bent, not straight) person.
Remember it
A CROOK is a hook bent into a thief - both the shepherd's staff and the swindler are 'not straight'.
A little poem
The same word bends a finger and a man:
one curve to beckon, one to break the plan.
couplet
Wordplay
- The shepherd was furious when thieves stole his staff. He said it was a crook robbing a crook.
What it teaches
Straightness is a single direction; there are a thousand ways to bend - which is why honesty is harder than its opposite.
Quick facts
What does CROOK mean?
A dishonest person, especially a thief or swindler.
Is CROOK a valid word?
Yes — CROOK is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is CROOK?
CROOK has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does CROOK come from?
From Old Norse 'krokr' (hook, bend); the 'thief' sense arose from the figurative idea of a crooked (bent, not straight) person.
What can CROOK teach us?
Straightness is a single direction; there are a thousand ways to bend - which is why honesty is harder than its opposite.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.