Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A slight repast; luncheon; a snack: as, “a chack of dinner,” [Scotch.]
  • noun Local British names of the wheatear, Saxicola œnanthe. Montagu.
  • A Scotch form of check.
  • To bruise, nip, or pinch by jamming or squeezing accidentally: as, to chack one's finger in shutting a door.
  • To cut by a sudden stroke.
  • To take hold of suddenly.
  • In the manège, to jerk or toss (the head), as a horse, in order to slacken the strain of the bridle.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To toss up the head frequently, as a horse to avoid the restraint of the bridle.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To toss up the head frequently, as a horse to avoid the restraint of the bridle.
  • verb ice-skating To not broadcast a medal-winning or otherwise memorable or crucial figure skating performance. This only occurs in a live broadcast because the network has to decide which programs to show and which to cut in the interest of time. If a skater is low in the rankings and several big names are set to skate later, that performance may be cut.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Michael Chack, an American figure skater whose bronze medal winning performance at the 1993 US National Championships was not broadcast on televsion because the producers did not think he would win a medal.

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Examples

  • Wonder whether I can come that _chicker, chicker, chick, chack, chack, chack_, like one of them big monkeys.

    Trapped by Malays A Tale of Bayonet and Kris George Manville Fenn 1870

  • "It's without the 'C,'" she said, referring to chack, though she cautioned that her familiarity comes from speaking German.

    Sharing the Chutzpah Ralph Gardner Jr. 2011

  • When I waded out into the shallow water toward their rushy home, the old birds became quite uneasy, circling about above me like the red-wings, and uttering a harsh blackbird "chack," varied at intervals by a loud, and not unmusical, chirp.

    Birds of the Rockies 1896

  • The western larks do not utter alarums of that kind, but a harsh "chack" instead, very similar to the call of the grackles.

    Birds of the Rockies 1896

  • First came a scolding note like that of an oriole, then the "chack" of a blackbird, and next a sweet, clear whistle, one following the other rapidly and vehemently, as if the performer intended to display all his accomplishments in a breath.

    A Bird-Lover in the West Olive Thorne Miller 1874

  • These birds also give a characteristic raspy "chack" call, often in flight.

    Maine News Updates - Central Maine Newspapers, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel 2009

  • "chack" two or three times repeated, then subdued barks like those of a distressed puppy, followed by hoarse "mews" and other sounds suggesting almost any creature rather than one in feathers.

    A Bird-Lover in the West Olive Thorne Miller 1874

  • So, when he opened his mouth to say "chack," a note or two would irresistibly bubble out beside it, as if he said, "You really must go away, my big friend.

    Little Brothers of the Air Olive Thorne Miller 1874

  • The chack of the first fieldfare of the winter came close behind the last swallow of the summer, and we were in the thick of it.

    A Year on the Wing TIM DEE 2009

  • The chack of one bird immediately triggers an answering call, which in turn prompts another to speak on.

    A Year on the Wing TIM DEE 2009

Comments

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  • Orkney name for the wheatear. Also check.

    May 10, 2011