n.
- the part of a person's or animal's body connecting the head to the rest of the body.
- a narrow connecting or end part.
▸the part of a bottle or other container near the mouth.
▸a narrow piece of terrain or sea.
- the length of a horse's head and neck as a measure of its lead in a race.
- the part of a violin, guitar, or other instrument that bears the fingerboard.
-
(usu. in phr. have the neck to do something)
informal impudence or nerve.
- Geology a column of igneous rock occupying the site of a volcanic vent.
v.
- informal kiss and caress amorously.
- Brit. informal swallow (a drink).
-
(often neck down)
become narrow at a particular point when subjected to tension.
Phrase
- get
(or catch)
it in the neck
Brit. informal be severely criticized or punished. - neck and neck
level in a race, competition, or comparison. - neck of the woods
informal a particular area or locality. - up to one's neck in
informal deeply or busily involved in.
Derivative
- -necked adj.
- necker n.
- neckless adj.
Etymology
OE hnecca ‘back of the neck’, of Gmc origin.
