The historical dictionary of united states slang which will be a multivolume work, has about a 3rd of a column of citations documenting this meaning all through the latter nineteenth century. Because huckleberries are small, the word huckleberry was often used as a nickname for something small, unimportant, or insignificant. Whipcrack definition of whipcrack by merriamwebster. Australian colonial term meaning to give someone a fair chance or cut them a break. A fair crack of the whip meaning in the cambridge english. Crack of the whip posted by brian from shawnee on august 07, 2005. So i am your huckleberry indicates i am just the guy you are looking for. The end of a cracking whip is not what breaks the sound. A fair crack of the whip definition and meaning collins. A fair crack of the whip definition is the same chance as other people to do something. So im your huckleberry means im just the man youre looking for. View american english definition of crack the whip change your default dictionary to american english. A fair crack of the whip phrase definition and synonyms.
Definition of a fair crack of the whip in the idioms dictionary. View american english definition of crack the whip. To allow someone a reasonable opportunity to do something. It was a wilderness of cathedrallike redwoods, of ferns and huckleberries, oaks and stately firs, and a myriad of flowers and wildlife we have feasted not only on blackberries but also on huckleberries, plums, apples, lambs quarters, and dandelions these include berries, especially huckleberries, fruits, nuts, bulbs, and tubers place the huckleberries, cinnamon stick, cloves, star.
Probably derived from when the original convict australians were whipped. Definition of give a fair crack of the whip in the idioms dictionary. As a result, huckleberry came to denote idiomatically two things. Huckpac coordinator steps down, citing clemency decision. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the slangit team. Crack of the whip posted by brian from shawnee on august 07. But master leslie, a high court official, ruled disclosure was necessary so that the woman could feel she had a fair hearing and a fair crack of the whip. What does a fair crack of the whip expression mean.
Learn huckleberry finn slang with free interactive flashcards. The name huckleberry means sweet berry and is of american origin. Highgrader in the mining camps of the old west, a highgrader was a man who stole any big nuggets which he saw in the sluice boxes. Gaylussacia baccata, black huckleberry low shrub of the eastern united states bearing shiny black edible fruit. A bullwhip can snap so fast, it actually breaks the sound barrier. Give a fair crack of the whip idioms by the free dictionary. A fair crack of the whip definition and meaning collins english. Phrase with special meaning functioning as verbfor example, put their heads together, come to an end. Synonyms for crack the whip include rule the roost, reign supreme, be in charge, be in control, be top dog, be in the driving seat, be in the saddle, play first fiddle, ride herd and wear the pants. This is the british english definition of crack the whip.
First, it denoted a small unit of measure, a tad, as it were, and a person who was a huckleberry could be a small, unimportant personusually expressed ironically in mock selfdepreciation. Jo was not pleased with this state of things, and had no desire to have her children led from the paths of virtue, or her pupils lying round loose in huckleberry fields. Information and translations of huckleberry in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples log in dictionary. A fair crack of the whip idioms by the free dictionary. You can complete the list of synonyms of a fair crack of the whip given by the english thesaurus dictionary with other english dictionaries. What does give a fair crack of the whip expression mean. Huckleberry definition of huckleberry by the free dictionary. From longman dictionary of contemporary english crack the whip crack the whip informal work hard to make people work very hard crack examples from the corpus crack the whip as editor, dorothy likes to crack the whip. Definition and synonyms of crack the whip from the online english dictionary from macmillan education. A fair crack of the whip definition of a fair crack of the.
British english, informal a fair or reasonable opportunity to do something or to show that you can do something. Australia, colloquial, informal fair go, fair suck of the sauce bottle. Crack of the whip the meaning and origin of this phrase. Like you mean the non interference of the officials with the knockon from soward and not called and the knockon from chase which eventuated in a try to the dragons not called, fair crack of the whip mate, see both sides of the coin, not the one you want to see. Whipcracking is the act of producing a cracking sound through the use of a whip. It is also used as an interjection, meaning give someone a chance. In australian english there are several variants of this idiom, all with the. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Western slang, lingo, and phrases a writers guide to. Scholars believe this was the meaning mark twain had in mind when he named his huckleberry finn character. Crack the whip phrase definition and synonyms macmillan.
Define a fair crack of the whip phrase and get synonyms. He only had five minutes to present his suggestions. The range of slang meanings of huckleberry in the 19th century was broad, also referring to significant persons or nice persons. They then proceeded to use the old term whip to describe any mercedesbenz vehicle. Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmasters page for free fun content. But do you know which part of the whip breaks that barrier. Hill of beans slang for something of trifling value, as. If you get a fair crack of the whip, you are allowed a reasonable opportunity to succeed. Choose from 500 different sets of huckleberry finn slang flashcards on quizlet. Any of various evergreen or deciduous shrubs of the genus gaylussacia in the heath family, especially those found in eastern north america, bearing. Crack the whip definition of crack the whip by the free. Many years later, various hip hop artists noticed that the mercedesbenz logo resembled a steering wheel.
I dont think he was really given a fair crack of the whip. Vaccinium ovatum known by the common names evergreen huckleberry, winter huckleberry and california huckleberry cyrilla racemiflora known as he huckleberry, in the family of cyrillaceae. Change your default dictionary to american english. Huckleberry is a name thats been used by parents who are considering baby names for boys. Dec 31, 2017 australian slang is an important part of our every day vernacular its what makes this nation a bonza place.
Crack the whip definition of crack the whip by medical. Australian slang is an important part of our every day vernacular its what makes this nation a bonza place. A fair crack of the whip definition in the cambridge english. Crack the whip meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. We are constantly updating our database with new slang terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. Perhaps this is why the huckleberry inspired many different phrases dating back to the 1800s.
Probably derived from when the original convict australians were whipped with a cat o nine tail for any old indiscretion whether deserved or not. Crack of the whip posted by smokey stover on august 06, 2005. A rhythmic whipcracking belongs to the traditional culture among various germanic peoples of bavaria goa. Definition and synonyms of crack the whip from the online english dictionary from macmillan education this is the british english definition of crack the whip. Used during livestock driving and horse riding, it has also become an art. Wikipedia, lexilogos, oxford, cambridge, chambers harrap, wordreference, collins lexibase dictionaries, merriam webster. A fair crack of the whip definition of a fair crack of. The origin is the dutch word verlooten, meaning stilted. The historical dictionary of american slang which is a multivolume work, has about a third of a column of citations documenting this meaning all through the latter 19th century. A fair crack of the whip phrase meaning, pronunciation and more by macmillan dictionary. If you get a fair crack of the whip, you are allowed a reasonable opportunity to succeed at something. Full text of a dictionary of slang and colloquial english. Im a huckleberry over your persimmon meant im just a bit better than you. A fair crack of the whip phrase meaning, pronunciation and more by.
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