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  1. akimbo love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. In or into a position in which the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bowed outward: children standing akimbo by the fence.
  2. adj. Placed in such a way as to have the hands on the hips and the elbows bowed outward: children standing with arms akimbo.
  3. adj. Being in a bent, bowed, or arched position: "There he remained, dead to the world, limbs akimbo, until we left” ( Alex Shoumatoff).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Literally, in a sharp bend; at an acute angle; adjectively, bent; crooked: said of the arms when the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bent outward at an acute angle.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.
  2. adv. Into, in, or of the position where the arms are akimbo.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. with hands on hips and elbows extending outward
  2. adj. (used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body

Etymologies

  1. From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe ("in a keen bow", i.e. "in a sharp bend or angle"), from in ("in") + keen, kene ("brave, keen, sharp") + bowe ("bow, bend"). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse keng ("bent") + bogi ("a bow"), compare Icelandic kengboginn ("bow-bent"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English in kenebowe : in, in; see in1 + kenebowe (kene-, of unknown meaning + bowe, bow, bend; see bow3). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “It was in one of these that our word akimbo unexpectedly appeared more than 200 years earlier than the next citation in the 1600s.”

    OUPblog

  • “The word akimbo is at least 600 years old and one source points to a literal meaning of "a keen bow" meaning”

    OUPblog

  • “Perhaps this post on Walter Guthrie as an Archaeopteryx in akimbo. moon said ...”

    Negative Manhattan

  • “Even right now they're not spectacular, but since YRHT already jumped the shark, I have to use words like "akimbo" to get chuckles.”

    Archive 2004-07-01

  • “The sight of her, as she stood "akimbo," her hands resting upon her enormous haunches, only strengthened the sinister impression, which was still further confirmed by my observing that it had caused a similar effect elsewhere -- upon”

    The Wild Huntress Love in the Wilderness

  • “The general sits astride his favorite horse, Cincinnati; he is slouched, right arm akimbo, hat pulled low, gazing off in the distance with the cool dispassion for which he was famous.”

    The Wall Street Journal: A Great Bronze Tarnished by Neglect

  • “Poor Steven Adler, nodding out on heroin but still standing, knees half-bent and arms akimbo, appeared momentarily to be practicing some kind of narcotic tai chi.”

    Retching With the Stars

  • “With her long blonde hair, micro-dresses that may incite the prurient to hope for an occasional fleeting glimpse of her underwear and photographs on her book jackets of her in leather dresses, arms akimbo, like a stern but voluptuous school mistress, she is not, as Mr. Moore wrote, “faux glam.””

    Gamey indeed

  • “And exhausted; I slept on the way to Mark's house last night, and slept for much of the day, rousing myself to Twitter a senryu: sprawled, limbs akimbo his bed emits sleepions recovery is.”

    I live! Really.

  • “The DYDA DISPATCHES: Coalitions akimbo skip to main | skip to sidebar”

    Coalitions akimbo

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Lists

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Comments

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  • bilby Surprisingly English etymology. Apr 19, 2011

  • JTroyer "He frowns at me for a moment, arms akimbo." Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Oct 17, 2010

  • humongoloid my dad had a phrase for strippers who were 'ta-tas akimbo'. Feb 27, 2010

  • PossibleUnderscore What's the difference? (kimbaw and akimbo?) Jul 17, 2009

  • bilby See kimbaw. Apr 13, 2009

  • reesetee I must have been out sick that day. Oct 10, 2007

  • skipvia We all remember Legs Akimbo, the famous exotic dancer. Oct 10, 2007

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‘akimbo’ has been looked up 4059 times, loved by 19 people, added to 172 lists, commented on 7 times, and has a Scrabble score of 14.