starkers
English
Etymology
- "naked": British slang, from 1923, combining (like a popular etymology) two meanings of stark (“strong, utterly; barren”) with stark naked, which is from Old English steort (“tail”), referring to the tail-end (as in butt-naked).
- "crazy": stark (“shortening of stark raving mad”) + -ers
Pronunciation
- (RP) IPA(key): /ˈstɑːkəz/
- (US) enPR: stärʹkərz, IPA(key): /ˈstɑɹkɚz/
Audio (UK) (file)
Adjective
starkers (not comparable)
- (chiefly Britain, slang) Completely nude.
- Entering the bathroom, I found Bill there, still starkers after his bath.
- (informal) Stark raving mad.
Synonyms
- see Thesaurus:nude
Antonyms
- dressed
Related terms
- stark bollock naked
Translations
completely nude
|
|
References
- “stark” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
Anagrams
- Strakers