peg
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (6)pegs
- a wooden pin pushed or driven into a surfaceSynonyms: nogType of pinKinds tent peg, tee, treenail
- small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc.Synonyms: pinType of marker, marking
- informal terms for the leg“fever left him weak on his sticks”Synonyms: pinstickType of leg
- a prosthesis that replaces a missing legSynonyms: wooden leglegpeglegType of prosthesis, prosthetic device
- regulator that can be turned to regulate the pitch of the strings of a stringed instrumentType of regulatorPart of stringed instrument
- a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowingSynonyms: pintholetholepinrowlockoarlockType of holderPart of dinghy, dory
Verb (4)pegged, pegging, pegs
- succeed in obtaining a position“He nailed down a spot at Harvard”Synonyms: nail downnailMore general succeed, win
- pierce with a wooden pin or knock or thrust a wooden pin intoMore general pierce, thrust
- fasten or secure with a wooden pin“peg a tent”Synonyms: peg downMore general attach
- stabilize (the price of a commodity or an exchange rate) by legislation or market operations“The weak currency was pegged to the US Dollar”More general stabilize, stabilise
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. pegge; cf. Sw. pigg, Dan. pig a point, prickle, and E. peak.
1. A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe peg.
2. A wooden pin, or nail, on which to hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon.
3. One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained. William Shakespeare
4. One of the pins used for marking points on a cribbage board.
5. A step; a degree; esp. in the slang phrase “To take one down a peg.”
To screw papal authority to the highest peg.— Isaac Barrow
And took your grandees down a peg.—
6. A drink of spirits, usually whisky or brandy diluted with soda water. India
This over, the club will be visited for a “peg,” Anglice drink.— Harper's New Monthly Magazine
7. Baseball a hard throw, especially one made to put out a baserunner; as, the peg to the plate went wild.
peg board, a board with multiple small holes into which pegs can be inserted in different arrays so as to form hooks from which to hang tools or other objects for convenient access; it is typically hung from a wall in a workshop. — Peg ladder, a ladder with but one standard, into which cross pieces are inserted. — Peg tankard, an ancient tankard marked with pegs, so as divide the liquor into equal portions. “Drink down to your peg.” Henry W. Longfellow — Peg tooth. See Fleam tooth under Fleam. — Peg top, a boy's top which is spun by throwing it. — Screw peg, a small screw without a head, for fastening soles.
1. To put pegs into; to fasten the parts of with pegs; as, to peg shoes; to confine with pegs; to restrict or limit closely.
I will rend an oak And peg thee in his knotty entrails.— William Shakespeare
2. Cribbage To score with a peg, as points in the game; as, she pegged twelve points. colloquial
3. To identify; to recognize; as, she pegged him as a good carpenter; he was pegged as a blowhard as soon as he started speaking; he was pegged as a exceptional player even in high school.
4. Baseball To throw (a ball); as, he pegged the runner out at second.
To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; — usually with on, at, or away; as, to peg away at a task.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC, 1913 supplement, GCIDE editors