n.
- a knitted garment for the foot and lower part of the leg.
- an insole.
- a white marking on the lower part of a horse's leg.
- informal a hard blow.
▸N. Amer. force or emphasis.
v.
informal - hit forcefully.
-
(sock something away)
N. Amer. save up money.
-
(usu. be socked in)
N. Amer. envelop or make impassable by inhospitable weather conditions:
the beach was socked in with fog.
Phrase
- knock
(or blow)
someone's socks off
informal amaze or impress someone. - knock the socks off
informal surpass or beat. - pull one's socks up
informal make an effort to improve. - put a sock in it
Brit. informal stop talking. - sock it to someone
informal attack or make a forceful impression on someone.
Etymology
OE socc ‘light shoe’, of Gmc origin, from L. soccus ‘comic actor's shoe, light low-heeled slipper’, from Gk sukkhos.