- [countable] any of the joints in the fingers, especially those connecting the fingers to the rest of the hand
- She clenched the phone till her knuckles were white.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bare
- bleeding
- bloodied
- …
- crack
- bruise
- graze
- …
- bone
- rap somebody on the knuckles
- rap somebody over the knuckles
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- (also hock)[uncountable, countable] a piece of meat from the lower part of an animal’s leg, especially a pig
- knuckle of pork
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Word OriginMiddle English knokel (originally denoting the rounded shape when a joint such as the elbow or knee is bent), from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch knökel, diminutive of knoke ‘bone’. In the mid 18th cent. the verb knuckle (down) expressed setting the knuckles down to throw the taw (large marble) in a game of marbles, hence the notion of applying oneself with concentration.
Idioms
See knuckle in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarynear the knuckle
- (British English, informal) (of a remark, joke, etc.) connected with sex in a way that is likely to offend people or make them feel embarrassed
- His act is too near the knuckle for me.
(give somebody/get) a rap on/over/across the knuckles
- (informal) (to give somebody/receive) strong criticism for something
- We got a rap over the knuckles for being late.
rap somebody on/over the knuckles | rap somebody’s knuckles
- (informal) to criticize somebody for something
- The company was rapped over the knuckles for broadcasting the interview.
- She was rapped over the knuckles by her boss for criticizing the company in the press.
Check pronunciation:
knuckle