Definitions
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Physiol.) A modified respiratory movement; a spasmodic inspiration, consisting of a sudden contraction of the diaphragm, accompanied with closure of the glottis, so that further entrance of air is prevented, while the impulse of the column of air entering and striking upon the closed glottis produces a sound, or hiccough.
- intransitive verb To have a hiccough or hiccoughs.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative spelling of
hiccup . - verb dated Alternative spelling of
hiccup .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb breathe spasmodically, and make a sound
- noun (usually plural) the state of having reflex spasms of the diaphragm accompanied by a rapid closure of the glottis producing an audible sound; sometimes a symptom of indigestion
Etymologies
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Examples
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A suitable ‘expectation’ of Aristophanes is raised by the ludicrous circumstance of his having the hiccough, which is appropriately cured by his substitute, the physician
The Symposium 2006
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Aristophanes is raised by the ludicrous circumstance of his having the hiccough, which is appropriately cured by his substitute, the physician
Symposium 427? BC-347? BC Plato 1855
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With that he hiccoughed again, at least a 7.5 on the hiccough scale, and keeled over sideways.
The Lives of Felix Gunderson Sugu Althomsons 2010
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Or who just glided effortlessly through life with nary a hiccough, much less a contretemps?
On David Remnick, Jack Cashill, and the authorship of “Dreams From My Father” 2010
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I wrote a fic that took me a year to get done, but I posted each chapter as I went (every two weeks, with a hiccough here and there) and got feedback.
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Like when— She was seized by a hiccough, and the violence made her cry again; Olivia patted her back until she could talk.
Starting from Scratch Susan Gilbert-Collins 2010
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If people find your correction cumbersome and unclear, it will be jettisoned to land next to words like ‘doughnut’ and ‘hiccough’.
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I did have one minor hiccough where the tension decided to go do-lally for no particular reason (i.e. wasn't at a bobbin change, etc) but I did catch it before I'd sewed too much, and of course, when the tension goes odd, it's often easy to unpick as one of the threads is just lying there with big loops around it ...
One Hawaiian Down... katelnorth 2008
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I wrote a fic that took me a year to get done, but I posted each chapter as I went (every two weeks, with a hiccough here and there) and got feedback.
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Every hiccough of our sewers costs us a thousand francs.
Les Miserables 2008
yarb commented on the word hiccough
S. Behrman hiccoughed slightly and passed a fat hand over his waistcoat.
- Frank Norris, The Octopus, ch. 2
August 9, 2008