Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The handle of a weapon or tool.
- idiom (to the hilt) To the limit; completely.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun That part of a sword, dagger, or similar weapon which affords a grasp for the hand, and usually a protection for it as well.
- noun A sword or foil.
- noun The handle of a shield.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A handle; especially, the handle of a sword, dagger, or the like.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
handle of asword , consisting ofgrip ,guard , andpommel , designed to facilitate use of theblade and afford protection to the hand. - noun The base of the penis
- verb transitive To provide with a hilt.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the handle of a sword or dagger
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The hilt is cast metal with antique nickel plate and leather wrap.
Needle Is Here! grrm 2010
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We borrowed to the hilt from the Chinese, and we couldn't even fight the war without the Chinese, but the market is telling us we can't continue to print and create money out of thin air to fight this war and run the domestic welfare state because it will ruin the dollar, and that's what the dollar is telling us today.
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The emerald upon his turban was as large as a man's eye, and his sword hilt was studded with turquoise and pearls and the hilt was a blazon of gold.
The Palace of Darkened Windows Mary Hastings Bradley
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Brydon knew that in time the blood would seep down onto his sword hilt and make the grip slippery.
The Gauntlet Thrown Chapter Thirty Seven xcpublishing 2009
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Number one, he's a frustrated jock, who played the old “if you can't do it, talk about it” bit of wish fulfillment to the ever-lovin 'hilt.
Archive 2009-11-01 2009
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The people who support Obama to the hilt are the same people who ignore every action he actually takes and cling to the notion that his ‘aspirations’ and stated goals are all that matter.
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Number one, he's a frustrated jock, who played the old “if you can't do it, talk about it” bit of wish fulfillment to the ever-lovin 'hilt.
Sacked! 2009
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So all of us who were prudent and saved instead of borrowing to the hilt are about to be well and truly shafted by a bout of hyper-inflation.
Who's for hyper-inflation? Not a sheep 2009
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An ultimate Washington insider to the sword hilt, he was the catalyst for the Plame Affair, which for my money (follow the money!) was the most fascinating real-life crime mystery ever, with all the classic elements: spies, traitors, journalists sworn to protect their scumbag sources, smoking guns, powerful people up to and including the president of the United States, a sexy blond lady as the victim.
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An ultimate Washington insider to the sword hilt, he was the catalyst for the Plame Affair, which for my money (follow the money!) was the most fascinating real-life crime mystery ever, with all the classic elements: spies, traitors, journalists sworn to protect their scumbag sources, smoking guns, powerful people up to and including the president of the United States, a sexy blond lady as the victim.
vendingmachine commented on the word hilt
"A chain used to secure something, especially a part of the dress and personal equipment, as, in the middle ages, the hilt of the sword to the breastplate or other part of the body-armor, or at the present day a watch, brooch, or bracelet."
September 11, 2016
vendingmachine commented on the word hilt
The base of the penis
September 11, 2016
Gammerstang commented on the word hilt
Old word for a hog (animal). Survey of English Dialects
edited by Michael V. Barry
January 12, 2018