gleek

gleek

See also: Gleek

WOTD – 21 October 2010

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: glēk, IPA^(key): /ɡliːk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːk

Etymology 1

From Middle French glic, from Old French glic (“a game of cards”), of Germanic origin, from or related to Middle High German glücke, gelücke (“luck”); or from or related to Middle Dutch gelīc (“like, alike”). More at luck, like.

Noun

gleek (countable and uncountable, plural gleeks)

1. (uncountable) A once-popular game of cards played by three people.
   • 1640, Ben Jonson, The Magnetick Lady, or, Hvmors Reconcil'd, Act 2, scene 4:

     Lady Loadstone: Laugh, and keep company, at gleek or crimp. / Mistress Polish: Your ladyship says right, crimp sure will cure her.

2. (countable) Three of the same cards held in one hand; three of a kind.

Translations

game of cards for three people

French: brelan (fr) m Russian: брелан m (brelan)

Turkish: üçlü (tr)

three of the same card in a hand

Finnish: kolmoset French: brelan (fr) m

Swedish: triss (sv) c, tretal (sv) c

See also

• murnival

Etymology 2

Related to Etymology 1. Of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *gleikr, leikr (“sport, play, game”), from Proto-Germanic *galaikaz (“jump, play”), from Proto-Indo-European *(e)lAig'- (“to jump, spring, play”). Cognate with Old English ġelācan (“to play a trick on, delude”), Scots glaik (“a glance of the eye, deception, trick”, n.), Scots glaik (“to trick, trifle with”, v.). More at lake.

Noun

gleek (plural gleeks)

1. A jest or scoff; trick or deception.
   • 1592, William Shakespeare, 1 Hen VI, act iii, scene 2

     Where's the Baſtards braues, and Charles his glikes: What all amort?

2. An enticing glance or look.
   • 1647, Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, The Maid in the Mill, Act II, scene ii:

     A pretty gleek coming from Pallas' eye:

3. (informal) A stream of saliva from a person's mouth.

Synonyms

• (jest or scoff): deception, jest, scoff

Translations

jest or scoff

Finnish: pila (fi), jekku (fi) French: plaisanterie (fr) f

Russian: насме́шка (ru) f (nasméška)

enticing glance or look

Finnish: silmäys (fi) French: œillade (fr) f

Italian: occhiata (it) Spanish: guiñada (es)

good fortune

Finnish: säkä (fi) French: aubaine (fr) f, bonne fortune (fr), coup de pot (fr), bonne affaire Italian: pacchia (it)

Russian: уда́ча (ru) f (udáča) Spanish: ganga (es), bicoca (es), pichincha

informal: stream of saliva

Finnish: kuola (fi)

Verb

gleek (third-person singular simple present gleeks, present participle gleeking, simple past and past participle gleeked)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To ridicule, or mock; to make sport of.
   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act V, scene i:

     I have seen you gleeking and / galling at this gentleman twice or thrice.

2. (obsolete, intransitive) To jest.
   • 1594, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, act iii, scene 1 (First Folio ed.)

     […] that ſome honeſt neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleeke vpon occaſion.

3. (obsolete, intransitive) To pass time frivolously.
4. (informal) To discharge a long, thin stream of liquid (including saliva) through the teeth or from under the tongue, sometimes by pressing the tongue against the salivary glands.
   • 1999 October 18, Gem, “what can you wiggle?”, in alt.music.soulcoughing, Usenet:

     i just push the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth and saliva squirts out in a groovy little arc. i think you'd really have to see it to know what i am talking about. but you can gleek best right after chewing big red gum.

   • 1999 November 15, THAT antix GUY, “the weird personal info”, in alt.rave, Usenet:

     My buddy can gleek (thats what he called it too) but he used highly pressured spit forced out between two teeth with his tounge to do it.

   • 2002 July 21, Sean Wilkinson, “Can you gleek?”, in rec.sport.pro-wrestling, Usenet:

     I used to be able to gleek "by accident" every now and then, but I couldn't figure out how to do it deliberately.

   The man said he “gleeked” on the woman, but did not intentionally spit on her.

Synonyms

• (to ridicule): gibe, mock, scoff at, sneer at

Translations

to jest, ridicule, or mock

Finnish: jekuttaa (fi), naruttaa (fi) French: dauber (fr), se ficher de (fr), se foutre de (fr) Italian: prendere in giro

Russian: насмехаться (ru) (nasmexatʹsja) Spanish: burlarse (es), tomar el pelo (es), huevear (es)

to discharge a long thin stream of liquid through the teeth or from under the tongue

Finnish: kuolata

Related terms

• glicke

See also

• gleet

Etymology 3

Blend of glee +‎ geek

Noun

gleek (plural gleeks)

1. (slang) A geek who is involved in a glee club, choir, or singing.

Further reading

• gleek at OneLook Dictionary Search
• gleek in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• Spitting#Gleeking on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Kegel, kegel

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Low German

Verb

gleek

1. First-person singular past of glieken