cork
verbEtymology From Middle English cork (“oak bark, cork”), from Middle Dutch curc (“cork (material or object)”), either from Spanish corcho (“cork (material or object)”) (also corcha or corche) or from Old Spanish alcorque (“cork sole”). Doublet of cortex.
8 senses
- 1To seal or stop up, especially with a cork stopper.
- 2To blacken (as) with a burnt cork.
- 3To leave the cork in a bottle after attempting to uncork it.
- 4To fill with cork.
- 5To tamper with (a bat) by drilling out part of the head…
- 6To injure through a blow; to induce a haematoma.
- 7To position one's drift net just outside of another…
- 8To block (a street) illegally, to allow a protest or…
To seal or stop up, especially with a cork stopper.
- 2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text Arms draped on shoulders, kick-stepping in circles, they swing bottles of wine. Purpled thumbs cork the bottles. The wine leaps and jumps behind green glass.
To blacken (as) with a burnt cork.
To leave the cork in a bottle after attempting to uncork it.
To fill with cork.
Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To tamper with (a bat) by drilling out part of the head and filling the cavity with cork or similar light, compressible material.
- He corked his bat, which was discovered when it broke, causing a controversy.
- Apparently I used to have some good power even though I was little, but the team we were playing against thought I had corked the bat. I kid you not! They paid $200 to have the bat popped off to prove they were right.2012, Kevin Neary, Leigh A. Tobin, Major League Dads:
Australia To injure through a blow; to induce a haematoma.
- The vicious tackle corked his leg.
- Injuries, which seemed to be of an inconsequential nature, were often sustained, such as a sprained ankle, a dislocated phalanx, a twisted foot, a corked leg and so on.2006, Joseph N. Santamaria, The Education of Dr Joe, page 60:
4 more examples
- As he moved away again, William winced at an ache in his thigh. ‘Must have corked my leg when I got up,’ he thought.2007, Shaun A. Saunders, Navigating in the New World, page 202:
- “I′m okay. I must have corked my thigh when Bruce fell onto me. I′ll be fine.”2008, Christopher J. Holcroft, Canyon, page 93:
- 2010, Andrew Stojanovski, Dog Ear Cafe, large print 16pt, page 191, Much to my relief he had only corked his leg when he had jumped.
- I corked my thigh late in the game, which we won, and came off.2010, Ben Cousins, Ben Cousins: My Life Story, page 108:
Fishing, Hobbies, Lifestyle To position one's drift net just outside of another person's net, thereby intercepting and catching all the fish that would have gone into that person's net.
- Kate remembered then, the family fish camp a mile or so up Amartuq Creek, the very creek across the mouth of which Yuri Andreev had tried to cork Joe Anahonak not half an hour before.1998, Dana Stabenow, Killing Grounds, →ISBN, page 8:
- But its soon apparent that there are more boats than fish—at least for the moment. We all drift quietly, keeping an eye out for other boats and other nets. Corking another guy's net is a screaming—bastard offense.2003, George Lowe, Fisherman: The Strife and Times of Ronald K. Peterson of Ballard, →ISBN:
1 more example
- You're pissed if someone sets too close to you and especially if he sets his net right along yours, "corking" you and intercepting the fish that seem headed to your own net. I was close to this guy's outside net, but definitely not corking him.2008, Bert Bender, Catching the Ebb: Drift-fishing for a Life in Cook Inlet, →ISBN, page 249:
To block (a street) illegally, to allow a protest or other activity to take place without traffic.
- […] corking the streets is a challenge to capitalist ideologies, like skateboarding in parking lots and walkways […]2022, Victoria A. Newsom, Lara Martin Lengel, Embodied Activisms, page 70: