knobn.

Brit.

/nɒb/, U.S.

/nɑb/

Forms:

α. late Middle English–1500s knobbe, late Middle English– knob, 1500s–1600s knobe, 1600s–1700s knobb, 1800s– knab (Scottish).

β. 1500s–1600s nobbe, 1600s nobb, 1600s– nob, 1900s– nab (Irish English (northern)).

Origin: Probably partly a borrowing from Dutch. Probably partly a borrowing from Middle Low German. Etymons: Dutch knobbe, Middle Low German knobbe.

Etymology: Probably < Dutch regional (southern and eastern) knobbe (17th cent.; earlier currency implied in knobbel knobble n.) and its cognate Middle Low German knobbe (variant of Middle Low German knubbe ; German regional (Low German) Knobbe , Knubbe : see knub n.). Compare earlier knop n.¹ and later knub n. Perhaps compare also earlier nob n.¹Compare post-classical Latin nobba lump (c1337 in a British source with reference to a piece of silver). With uses with reference to parts of the body (see branch II.) compare earlier nob n.³ In sense 6 shortened < knobstick n. 2 (compare sense 2 at that entry); compare earlier nob n.⁴ With sense 8 compare later knobhead n. 2.

I. A rounded lump or protuberance, and related senses.

a. A rounded protuberance or swelling on or under the skin, or on the surface of an internal organ. Now rare except as merged in sense 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > swelling > [noun] > a swelling or protuberance

ampereOE

kernelc1000

wenc1000

knot?c1225

swella1250

bulchc1300

bunchc1325

bolninga1340

botcha1387

bouge1398

nodusa1400

oedemaa1400

wax-kernel14..

knobc1405

nodule?a1425

more?c1425

bunnyc1440

papa1450

knurc1460

waxing kernel?c1460

lump?a1500

waxen-kernel1500

bump1533

puff1538

tumour?1541

swelling1542

elevation1543

enlarging1562

knub1563

pimple1582

ganglion1583

button1584

phyma1585

emphysema?1587

flesh-pimple1587

oedem?a1591

burgeon1597

wartle1598

hurtle1599

pough1601

wart1603

extumescence1611

hulch1611

peppernel1613

affusion1615

extumescency1684

jog1715

knibloch1780

tumefaction1802

hunch1803

income1808

intumescence1822

gibber1853

tumescence1859

whetstone1886

tumidity1897

Osler's node1920

c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 635 The knobbes sittynge on his chekes.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Hunterian) f. 63 (MED) And fro þe gibbe, oþer þe knobbe [?a1425 N.Y. Acad. Med. gibbosite, ?c1425 Paris bowge; L. gibbo] of þe same liuer goeþ oute a veyne þat is cleped concaua oþer kilis.

a1500 Promptorium Parvulorum (King's Cambr.) 280 Knobbe [?a1475 Winch. Knoble; 1499 Pynson Knolle] of a mannys hande, or in another part of him, callus.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 326/2 Kyrnell or knobbe in the necke or otherwhere, glandre.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vi. 104 His face is all bubukles and whelkes, and knobs [1600 knub], and flames a fire.

1690 J. Spreat Let. in J. Locke & E. Clarke Corr. (1927) 298 I had in the first place several hard nobbs that did arise, some in the right side of my neck and one under my right arm.

?1750 J. Wesley Primitive Physick (ed. 2) 36 It also dissolves any Knob: or swelling in any Part.

1792 J. Hunter Observ. Animal Œcon. (ed. 2) 80 The hen had nobs on her toes.

1834 S. Cooper Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) II. 517 The changes thus exhibited..are the white and the dark-coloured or hepatised knobs.

1911 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 239/1 What are termed ‘Heberden's nodes’ are small hard knobs about the size of a pea frequently found upon the fingers near the terminal phalangeal joints.

1921 Arch. Internal Med. 27 664 Several paler coarse, tumor-like knobs project from 5 to 8 mm. above the general surface.

2007 D. Lennard 112 Miles to Pin viii. 145 One regular visitor who has never caused any grief is Golf Ball, an old giraffe, so-called because of an odd white knob on his forehead.

b. A small rounded lump, bump, or protuberance on the surface of something; a rounded or spherical projection at the end of an object.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part > knob

knob?a1425

knottle?a1500

bob1601

node1681

nub1696

umbo1753

button1758

knule1824

onion1825

umbonation1872

?a1425 (?1373) Lelamour Herbal (1938) f. 81 (MED) Turmentile ys an erbe þat creppith a-brode..and beryth yelowe flourys and smale levis and havith a grete knob in þe rote.

a1500 Agnus Castus (Laud) (1950) 202 (MED) Hij habbuþ knobbes in here rote os þei hit were ballok-stones.

1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Oiii^v His mytre beyng deuided so into two hornes, eche typpe wherof is with the lyke knobbe gathered together.

1613 M. Ridley Short Treat. Magneticall Bodies ii. 7 The hilly knobs and angulous parts of the Loadstone may be sawen away with sand or emery.

1643 Mercurius Civicus 8–16 June 44 It is a pole or staffe, of twelve foot long with a round knob at the end of it, stoven full of sharpe pikes.

1662 W. Faithorne Art of Graveing & Etching 45 You must place the knob or ball of the handle of your Graver in the hollow of your hand.

1744 W. Mountaine Seaman's Vade-mecum 165 The Cascable, is the Pummel or Knob at the Coyl, to this the Breeching is seized, and the Tackle Falls fastened.

1854 C. Dickens Hard Times i. i His bald head,..all covered with knobs, like the crust of a plum pie.

1894 R. Bridges Feast of Bacchus v. 1574 A little knob of a nose.

1938 Amer. Jrnl. Archaeol. 42 539 There is a central rib on the handle and a knob at its base.

1990 T. Griggs Quickening i. 17 The wind grabs my fancy French twist like the knob on a joystick and yanks it viciously around my head.

2014 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 29 Nov. The knob of the gearstick must be twisted before it can be selected.

c. A knot on the trunk or branch of a tree.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > wood > [noun] > knot

knara1382

warrec1407

knob1440

knot?1523

knur1542

pin1545

knag1555

snar1611

bur-knot1618

bur1725

gnarl1824

burl1885

snarla1891

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 280 Knobbe, or knotte y[n] a tre, vertex.

1574 R. Scot Perfite Platforme of Hoppe Garden 30 It is very necessarie that your Poales be streyght without scrags or knobbes.

1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xvi. 451 The wood of the tree whereupon the scutcheonlike graft is grafted, hath not any knob nor bud.

1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. The Pruning of Trees, and cutting off their Knobs and Knots.

1777–8 R. Wight Horæ Subsecivæ (MS Bodl. Eng. lang. d.66) 398 Some Gnurre, Knobb or Knott of a Tree, w^h Boys make Use of at the Play of Bandy instead of a Ball.

1967 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 253 98 Figs axillary and on short woody knobs on the branches.

2006 R. Egan Probl. of Beauty iii. 118 Blossoms have a concentration of the beautiful, while knobs on trees and like protuberances have a concentration of the ugly.

d. Architecture. A raised, rounded ornament, e.g. on a moulding or as a boss at the intersection of ribs in a vaulted roof.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > other ornaments

pommela1300

crest1430

finial1448

balloon1592

brattishingc1593

knob1610

cartouche1611

ogive1611

fret1626

galace1663

acroterion1664

paternoster1728

semi-urn1742

patera1776

purfling1780

sailing course1807

vesica piscis (also piscium)1809

antefix1819

vesica1820

garland1823

stop1825

Aaron's rod1830

headwork1831

Vitruvian scroll1837

hip knob1838

stelea1840

ball-flower1840

notch-head1843

brandishing1846

buckle1848

cat's-head1848

bucrane1854

cresting1869

semi-ball1875

canephorus1880

crest-board1881

wave pattern1905

husk1934

foliate head1939

green man1939

1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 75 The seeling gay, Starred aloft the guilded knobs embraue.

1730 W. Warren Collectanea in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 230 The Cieling being Timber-work, Pannels and Knobs.

1895 T. Hardy Jude ii. iv. 117 In London the man who carves the boss or knob of leafage declines to cut the fragment of moulding which merges in that leafage, as if it were a degradation to do the second half of one whole.

1971 Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen 13 27 In addition, three indented points fix the centers of the volutes and of the knob situated midway between them.

e. The bud or rudiment of a ruminant's horn or antler. Now historical and rare.In quot. 1664 figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > fornication, adultery, or incest > [noun] > adultery > husband of adulterous wife > symbol of

to give horns to1430

ox feather1615

knob1658

shoeing-horn1664

Sussex crest1681

horny coronet1688

bull's feather1704

1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick ii. ix. 39 I my self saw at Ferraria, certain beasts in the shape of a Mule, but they had a Bulls head, and two great knobs in stead of horns.

1664 S. Butler Hudibras: Second Pt. ii. i. 47 Those knobs, that grow Much harder, on the marry'd Brow.

2011 D. Papadinis in W. Shakespeare As you like It 234 (note) The noblest Deere has a nob (head) blest with ‘knobs’ (i.e., antlers).

f. A swelling at the tip of an insect's antenna, as in butterflies. Sometimes also: a swelling at the tip of a spider's palp.

ΚΠ

1736 E. Albin Nat. Hist. Spiders 3 The male [sc. Spider] having globular bunches or knobs at the ends of their horns or feelers.

1860 Amer. Agriculturist 19 360/2 The antennæ..have rings of white, the knobs are flattened, and are of an ochre yellow.

2015 M. E. H. Rustad Insects 19/1 (table) Knob on the end of each antenna.

g. A typically spherical ornament at the top of a bedpost or bedstead; a bedknob.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > bed > parts of bed > [noun] > other parts

bed-board1530

bedstaff1576

underbed1648

ruelle1751

bed-screw1758

watch-pocket1831

knob1848

box spring1851

watch-case1891

1848 Standard 29 Nov. 3/3 She said she put the rope round and round the deceased’s neck, and then coiled it round under the knob of the bed-post.

1864 Chester Chron. 13 Aug. 4/3 (advt.) Iron bedsteads, 4 feet 6 inches wide, brass knobs, brass ornaments, good castors, dove-tail joints, and painted blue or green.

1957 W. R. Brooks Freddy & Flying Saucer Plans x. 125 Freddy..went to the post at the foot of Penobsky's bed where the plans were hidden, unscrewed the knob, and took them out.

2013 E. Strout Burgess Boys (2014) i. 11 Sunlight kept springing into the room from the shifting clouds outside, making the brass knobs on the bed shine brightly.

2. Chiefly North American. A prominent, usually rounded hill, mountain, or peak; a knoll. Sometimes more generally: any hill.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [noun] > prominent or isolated

knoba1622

inch1799

butte1805

island-hill1839

island-mountain1906

inselberg1907

a1622 H. Ainsworth Annot. Bk. Psalmes lxvii. 101/1 in Annot. Five Bks. Moses, Bk. Psalmes & Song of Songs (1627) An hilly mount or, a mount of hilloks or knobs, having many tops.

1625 S. Purchas tr. A. De Herrera Descr. W. Indies in Pilgrimes III. 868 The Prouince of Maracapana..in whose Borders is the knob of Vnare, and neere vnto it a great Lake with great store of fish and salt.

1755 L. Evans Geogr. Ess. II. 13 70 Labourers..cut a Road from Parnels Knob to the Allegeni Mountain.

1791 W. Bartram Trav. N. & S. Carolina 338 The surface of the land..is..uneven, occasioned by natural mounds or rocky knobs.

1895 Cent. Mag. Aug. 621/2 One of the many knobs from which Daniel Boone is said to have looked first over the Blue Grass land.

1931 Escabana (Mich.) Daily Press 22 July 3/4 Some sort of wild, grain-like grass is growing on a tall knob from which we can get a long view up the lake.

2007 K. G. Stewart & M.-R. Roberson Exploring Geol. of Carolinas xviii. 135 It rises abruptly almost 1,500 feet from the surrounding Piedmont and is capped by a large 200-foot-tall knob.

a. A small lump of a substance; a small piece of something. Cf. knablick n., knobble n. 2, knub n. 1a, nub n.¹ 2a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > mass formed by collection of particles > dense or compact > small

dot1570

knoba1637

molecula1713

knibloch1718

hunchet1790

nublet1863

a1637 G. Markham Compl. Farriar (1639) iii. 26 Give him a little knob of Hay, and so leave him till Foure a clock in the evening if it be in the Sommer.

1676 J. Worlidge Vinetum Britannicum 115 Botling it with a Knob of Sugar.

1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. i. 171 Is your tea bitter? You may sweeten it by putting in a knob of sugar.

1801 J. Wolcot Epist. to Count Rumford in Wks. (1812) V. 144 Rummage the dark Coal-hole of his brain But not one Knob is in it.

1865 Good Words Feb. 125/1 These children..when they are ‘very good’, and work hard,..sometimes get a ‘knob o' suck’..on Saturday.

1929 Times 19 Mar. (Film Number Suppl.) p. vii/3 Reposing in a knob of coal is not only the bottled sunshine of thousands of years, but evidence of the very forests that covered the ground now occupied by our large manufacturing towns.

2018 Independent 14 Dec. (online newspaper, accessed 14 Jan. 2019) Add a knob of butter and start to mash, seasoning with salt and black pepper as you go.

b. Canadian regional (Newfoundland). A hard sweet made with boiled sugar, and frequently flavoured with peppermint.

ΚΠ

1894 in Dict. Newfoundland Eng. (1982) 288/2 Coco Nut Candy, Knobs, Sticks, Butter Rocks.

1965 C. Sansome in Dict. Newfoundland Eng. (1982) 288/2 A couple of big Gibraltar candy; they're peppermint knobs—great big uns.

2018 @malorieduffy 7 Dec. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) It ain't christmas at Nan's until the peppermint knobs are out.

a. A small, rounded device for adjusting or controlling a machine; (now) esp. a rounded control switch or dial on a piece of electrical equipment.

ΚΠ

?1750 J. Mann Descript. Pocket Microscope 13 The Brass Knob or Button H is the Head of a Screw which goes through the Mahogany Piece, and has a Communication with the Looking-glass, which by screwing and unscrewing, elevates and depresses the Glass.

a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) iii. ii. 81 That..is a watch; if you touch the nob that juts out, it strikes..like a clock.

1876 Specifications & Drawings of Patents (U.S. Patent Office) 6 June 223/1 [It] may be retracted by a spring to a variable distance, determined by a wedge-shaped regulating-stop, which is adjusted by a knob above the table.

1958 Listener 25 Dec. 1091/3 The studio managers who twiddle the knobs and the sound-effects engineers.

1989 Skin Diver May 53/1 The adjustment knob is unscrewed as far as possible to reduce tension on the poppet valve.

2018 Owen Sound (Ont.) Sun Times (Nexis) 24 Apr. a1 Full of dials, knobs and toggle switches, the old electronic console was used at the station until 1988.

b. A rounded or spherical handle for opening a door, drawer, etc.

ΚΠ

1756 Brit. Spy 26 June I attempted to turn the Knob of the Door, and found it would not open.

1799 W. H. Ireland Abbess I. Pref. p. vii Whether right or wrong in my conjectures, I turned the knob—the door flew open.

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 928 A wooden cover.., with nobs for the convenience of lifting it out.

1887 L. Beard & A. B. Beard How to amuse yourself & Others vi. 73 Silently approaching a door, they hang a May-basket upon the knob and, with a loud rap, or ring of the bell, scamper off.

1923 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 22 Apr. (Sunday Constit. Mag.) 25/3 She was standing there, trembling like a leaf, her hand still on the knob of the drawer, when Alice came in.

2008 L. Quigley Spirits in Sky xv. 374 For the entire 17 years that I lived in the house, that knob was loose.

†5. Shooting. A small flock of ducks, esp. wigeon. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > defined by habitat > [noun] > aquatic or swimming bird > flock of

bunch1622

raft1709

sail1727

knob1816

1816 P. Hawker Instr. Young Sportsmen (ed. 2) 249 On the Dorsetshire coast, the shooters' terms for a large flock of wigeon are a company; for about thirty or forty a bunch or trip of birds; and, for about ten or twelve, a little knob: a string of geese, &c.

1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) i. i. ix. §1 A ‘knob’ is a still smaller number [than 30] of the above birds [sc. wildfowl].

1904 Yorks. Post 1 Dec. 4/2 The gunner..knows the ‘we-ohing’ and whistling of the cream-pated cocks to mean that a knob of widgeon are assembling for their inward flight.

II. Slang and informal uses denoting people or parts of the body.nob n.³ 1a probably reflects a slang use of this kind, for which spellings with a k continue to be recorded as variants (see β forms at that sense).Senses 7b and 8 are the commonest senses in this branch.

†6. British. depreciative. A person who continues to work despite a ban or strike by a trade union; a person who takes a striker's place; a strikebreaker, a blackleg, a scab. Obsolete.Short for knobstick n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > worker according to manner of working > [noun] > striking > refusing to strike

dung1765

scab1777

knobstick1794

leg1815

rat1824

nob1825

black1826

blackneb1832

blacknob1838

knob1839

snob1839

blackleg1844

snob-stick1860

non-striker1868

ratter1890

strike-breaker1904

1839 Ann. Reg. 1838 i. Hist. Europe 204/1 The chastisement of ‘knobs’, the assassination of oppressive and tyrannical masters.

1842 Northern Star (Leeds) 10 Sept. 8/2 A large number of the turn-outs went to Stone-street mill, where there are some knobs at work.

a. The rounded part forming the end of the penis; the glans. Cf. sense 7b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > secretory organs > gland > specific glands > [noun] > glans penis

heada1400

nut1565

glans1650

knobc1890

bell end1961

cockhead1964

dickhead1969

c1890 My Secret Life I. viii. 199 I pulled the prepuce slowly back..and as the knob came handsomely into view, out shot my spunk all over the bed-clothes.

c1941 in G. Legman Limerick (1953) xiv. 233 The size of my phallus Was just right for Alice Till the night that she bit off the knob.

2011 B. Vanak Hunted by Jaguar (e-book, accessed 11 Jan. 2019) The rounded knob of his penis settled against her aching flesh.

b. The penis. Cf. sense 7a, Phrases 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis

weapona1000

tarsec1000

pintleOE

cock?c1335

pillicock?c1335

yard1379

arrowa1382

looma1400

vergea1400

instrumentc1405

fidcocka1475

privya1500

virile member (or yard)?1541

prickc1555

tool1563

pillock1568

penis1578

codpiece1584

needle1592

bauble1593

dildo1597

nag1598

virility1598

ferret1599

rubigo?a1600

Jack1604

mentula1605

virge1608

prependent1610

flute1611

other thing1628

engine1634

manhood1640

cod1650

quillity1653

rammer1653

runnion1655

pego1663

sex1664

propagator1670

membrum virile1672

nervea1680

whore-pipe1684

Roger1689

pudding1693

handle?1731

machine1749

shaft1772

jock1790

poker1811

dickyc1815

Johnny?1833

organ1833

intromittent apparatus1836

root1846

Johnson1863

Peter1870

John Henry1874

dickc1890

dingusc1890

John Thomasc1890

old fellowc1890

Aaron's rod1891

dingle-dangle1893

middle leg1896

mole1896

pisser1896

micky1898

baby-maker1902

old man1902

pecker1902

pizzle1902

willy1905

ding-dong1906

mickey1909

pencil1916

dingbatc1920

plonkerc1920

Johna1922

whangera1922

knob1922

tube1922

ding1926

pee-pee1927

prong1927

pud1927

hose1928

whang1928

dong1930

putz1934

porkc1935

wiener1935

weenie1939

length1949

tadger1949

winkle1951

dinger1953

winky1954

dork1961

virilia1962

rig1964

wee-wee1964

Percy1965

meat tool1966

chopper1967

schlong1967

swipe1967

chode1968

trouser snake1968

ding-a-ling1969

dipstick1970

tonk1970

noonies1972

salami1977

monkey1978

langer1983

wanker1987

1922 ‘J. H. Ross’ Mint (1936) xxxiii. 103 Bugger off, lad. There's more fucking cheese on your knob than hair on your block.

1943 P. Larkin Early Poems & Juvenilia (2005) 110 'Cos in such a bad job only pulling my knob Will bring me the slightest enjoyment.

1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 158 My knob was knee-high to a grasshopper, the size of a toothpick.

1985 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder II in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 181/1 The weakest practical joke since Cardinal Wolsey got his nob out at Hampton Court and stood at the end of the passage pretending to be a door.

2018 @SamWhyte 17 Nov. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) What percentage of the blokes on Naked Attraction just want their friends and family to know they've got a massive knob?

8. slang. An annoying, unpleasant, or idiotic person (esp. a man or boy). Cf. knobhead n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun]

asseOE

sotc1000

beastc1225

long-ear?a1300

stock1303

buzzard1377

mis-feelinga1382

dasarta1400

stonea1400

dasiberd14..

dottlec1400

doddypoll1401

dastardc1440

dotterel1440

dullardc1440

wantwit1449

jobardc1475

nollc1475

assheada1500

mulea1500

dull-pate15..

peak1509

dulbert?a1513

doddy-patec1525

noddypolla1529

hammer-head1532

dull-head?1534

capon1542

dolt1543

blockhead1549

cod's head1549

mome1550

grout-head1551

gander1553

skit-brains?1553

blocka1556

calfa1556

tomfool1565

dunce1567

druggard1569

cobble1570

dummel1570

Essex calf1573

jolthead1573

hardhead1576

beetle-head1577

dor-head1577

groutnoll1578

grosshead1580

thickskin1582

noddyship?1589

jobbernowl1592

beetle-brain1593

Dorbel1593

oatmeal-groat1594

loggerhead1595

block-pate1598

cittern-head1598

noddypoop1598

dorbellist1599

numps1599

dor1601

stump1602

ram-head1605

look-like-a-goose1606

ruff1606

clod1607

turf1607

asinego1609

clot-poll1609

doddiea1611

druggle1611

duncecomb1612

ox-head1613

clod-polla1616

dulman1615

jolterhead1620

bullhead1624

dunderwhelpa1625

dunderhead1630

macaroona1631

clod-patea1635

clota1637

dildo1638

clot-pate1640

stupid1640

clod-head1644

stub1644

simpletonian1652

bottle-head1654

Bœotiana1657

vappe1657

lackwit1668

cudden1673

plant-animal1673

dolt-head1679

cabbage head1682

put1688

a piece of wood1691

ouphe1694

dunderpate1697

numbskull1697

leather-head1699

nocky1699

Tom Cony1699

mopus1700

bluff-head1703

clod skull1707

dunny1709

dowf1722

stupe1722

gamphrel1729

gobbin?1746

duncehead1749

half-wit1755

thick-skull1755

jackass1756

woollen-head1756

numbhead1757

beef-head1775

granny1776

stupid-head1792

stunpolla1794

timber-head1794

wether heada1796

dummy1796

noghead1800

staumrel1802

muttonhead1803

num1807

dummkopf1809

tumphya1813

cod's head and shoulders1820

stoopid1823

thick-head1824

gype1825

stob1825

stookiea1828

woodenhead1831

ning-nong1832

log-head1834

fat-head1835

dunderheadism1836

turnip1837

mudhead1838

donkey1840

stupex1843

cabbage1844

morepork1845

lubber-head1847

slowpoke1847

stupiditarian1850

pudding-head1851

cod's head and shoulders1852

putty head1853

moke1855

mullet-head1855

pothead1855

mug1857

thick1857

boodle1862

meathead1863

missing link1863

half-baked1866

lunk1867

turnip-head1869

rummy1872

pumpkin-head1876

tattie1879

chump1883

dully1883

cretin1884

lunkhead1884

mopstick1886

dumbhead1887

peanut head1891

pie-face1891

doughbakea1895

butt-head1896

pinhead1896

cheesehead1900

nyamps1900

box head1902

bonehead1903

chickenhead1903

thickwit1904

cluck1906

boob1907

John1908

mooch1910

nitwit1910

dikkop1913

goop1914

goofus1916

rumdum1916

bone dome1917

moron1917

oik1917

jabroni1919

dumb-bell1920

knob1920

goon1921

dimwit1922

ivory dome1923

stone jug1923

dingleberry1924

gimp1924

bird brain1926

jughead1926

cloth-head1927

dumb1928

gazook1928

mouldwarp1928

ding-dong1929

stupido1929

mook1930

sparrow-brain1930

knobhead1931

dip1932

drip1932

epsilon1932

bohunkus1933

Nimrod1933

dumbass1934

zombie1936

pea-brain1938

knot-head1940

schlump1941

jarhead1942

Joe Soap1943

knuckle-head1944

nong1944

lame-brain1945

gobshite1946

rock-head1947

potato head1948

jerko1949

turkey1951

momo1953

poop-head1955

a right one1958

bam1959

nong-nong1959

dickhead1960

dumbo1960

Herbert1960

lamer1961

bampot1962

dipshit1963

bamstick1965

doofus1965

dick1966

pillock1967

zipperhead1967

dipstick1968

thickie1968

poephol1969

yo-yo1970

doof1971

cockhead1972

nully1973

thicko1976

wazzock1976

motorhead1979

mouth-breather1979

no-brainer1979

jerkwad1980

woodentop1981

dickwad1983

dough ball1983

dickweed1984

bawheid1985

numpty1985

jerkweed1988

dick-sucker1989

knob-end1989

Muppet1989

dingus1997

dicksack1999

eight ball-

the mind > emotion > hatred > object of detestation (person or thing) > [noun] > loathsome or unpleasant person

hateful1510

son of a ——?1576

son of a bitch1655

nuisance1661

obnoxity1851

oik1917

knob1920

putz1928

swipe1929

jack-off?1939

jagoff?1939

sumbitch1944

jerko1949

sonofa1950

bloody1960

weeny1964

dick1966

gross-out1966

wank1970

poison ivy1976

jerkwad1980

dickwad1983

dickweed1984

jerkweed1988

knob jockey1989

wankstain1990

ball sack1991

bawbag1999

dicksack1999

the mind > emotion > anger > irritation > [noun] > action of irritating > cause of irritation > one who or that which irritates

fly?c1225

terrer1382

prickc1384

taryerc1440

stub1531

provokera1542

a mote in the eye1546

annoying1566

nettler1611

gadfly1622

flea-biter1629

exasperator1632

badgerer?1791

irritator1855

needler1874

nagger1881

holy terror1883

knob1920

jerkface1942

needle artist1982

d-bag1984

knob-end1989

hater1996

1920 P. C. Wren Cupid in Afr. viii. 123 Answer me, you mole; you mump; you measle; you knob; you nit; you noun; you part.

1952 B. MacMahon Children of Rainbow i. 14 So are we, you bothered knob of an ex-jockey.

1991 D. Coupland Generation X iii. xxviii. 153 I'd made all these plans to meet before, but he kept breaking them, the knob.

1996 Time Out 31 July 97/3 I was inspired and disillusioned. I've always kinda looked up to Malcolm McLaren, and I realised last week that he's a fuckin' knob.

2011 T. Ronald Becoming Nancy (2012) xvi. 222 Bob fucking Lord! What a wanker! What a knob!

a. U.S. slang. In plural. A woman's nipples. Also occasionally in singular: a nipple. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > front > breast or breasts (of woman) > [noun] > nipple

papc1175

teat?a1200

pap-head?a1425

big?a1439

wartc1440

teat headc1500

nipplec1510

spin1525

dug1530

spean1573

bud1593

milk papa1616

niplet1648

dud1679

mamilla1684

duddlea1708

diddy1788

tittya1825

knob1941

nip1970

1941 Opus Pistorum (typescript, Univ. Virginia) I. ii. 16 She grabs my balls and rubs the knobs of her bubs against my chest.

1963 T. I. Rubin Sweet Daddy 139 One dame getting her tits sucked in a corner, not one guy but one on each knob.

1989 P. Theroux My Secret Hist. i. viii. 58 Who do I see in a tight sweater, with knobs like this?

b. slang (originally U.S.). In plural. A woman's breasts. Also occasionally in singular: a breast. Cf. knocker n. 2f.Often implied humorously in double entendres where the main sense is sense 4 (as e.g. in quot. 2013).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > front > breast or breasts (of woman) > [noun]

titOE

breastOE

mammaOE

pysea1400

mamellec1450

dug1530

duckya1533

bag1579

pommela1586

mam1611

Milky Way1622

bubby?1660

udder1702

globea1727

fore-buttock1727

tetty1746

breastwork?1760

diddy1788

snows1803

sweets1817

titty1865

pappy1869

Charleys1874

bub1881

breastiec1900

ninny1909

pair1919

boobs1932

boobya1934

fun bag1938

maraca1940

knockers1941

can1946

mammaries1947

bazooms1955

jug1957

melon1957

bosoms1959

Bristols1961

chichi1961

nork1962

puppies1963

rack1968

knob1970

dingleberry1980

jubblies1991

1970 R. Meltzer Whore Just Like Rest (2000) 89 His hands reach under her sweater and fondle her knobs to his heart's content and her nipples harden real quick.

2013 @myc1c 22 June in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) I got lovely knobs!!!!! 😂😂😂. #shopping #vintage #door #drawer #knobs #handles.]

2014 @MikeyComictruth 9 Oct. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Jesus!..Look at the knobs on her!

Phrases

†P1. to make no knobs: to feel or show no hesitation or reluctance in doing or saying something. Cf. to make no bones about at bone n.¹ Phrases 1d(b)(ii).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > be willing [verb (intransitive)]

willeOE

reckeOE

to make no courtesy1542

sussy1567

fadge1592

brook1604

to make no knobs1677

to go out of one's way (to do something)1680

1677 R. Cary Palæologia Chronica ii. ii. iii. xvi. 259 Instead of 6 Centuries defalked by the Jews, they make no Knobs in cutting off 9 of them together.

P2. colloquial (chiefly British). with knobs on (also with brass knobs on). [Compare earlier with bells on at bell n.¹ Additions.]

a. With something extra added; in a greater or more extreme way; and more.

ΚΠ

1921 Manch. Guardian 11 July 5/3 Incidentally is it possible that ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’ contains the seed whence has lately blossomed that flower of human speech the phrase ‘With knobs on’?

a1935 T. E. Lawrence Mint (1955) ii. xxii. 159 Westerners would bait the east end, gently, as a bit of the real life-with-knobs-on.

1970 A. Price Labyrinth Makers xiv. 179 If the A.S. 12 was the answer to Egypt's Russian missile boats, the A.S. 15 was the answer with knobs on.

1991 Guardian (Nexis) 1 Apr. QPR did what Sunderland should have done and with brass knobs on.

2005 J. Brand It's Different for Girls Epil. 340 The fucking twat had it coming to him with knobs on.

b. Used conversationally as part of a retort to an insult, or to express emphatic agreement.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > agreement [phrase]

it is a match!1569

that's right1608

true for you1765

how right you are1799

them's my sentiments1847

I should think (suppose, etc.)1861

right you are!1862

sure thing1895

you said it1911

with knobs on1930

you can say that again1932

I should coco1936

I couldn't agree more (with someone)1939

that makes two of us1956

yes please2010

1930 M. Kennedy Fool of Family xiii. 129 ‘I'm waiting for the Marchese Ferdinando Emanuele Maria Bonaventura Donzati.’ ‘With knobs on,’ agreed Gemma airily. ‘Who's he?’

1931 J. J. Farjeon House Opposite ii ‘You are nothing,’ said the Indian. ‘And so are you, with knobs on!’ barked Ben, and slammed the door.

1938 P. G. Wodehouse Code of Woosters viii. 196 ‘“Ha jolly ha!” to you, young Stiffy, with knobs on,’ I retorted with quiet dignity.

1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren iii. 45 Same to you with knobs on.

1977 D. Clement & I. La Frenais Porridge: Scripts (2002) 3rd Ser. Episode 2. 262/2 Fletcher. Naff off, Harris. Harris. Naff off yourself, Fletch. With knobs on.

2019 @JosieCutie 13 Jan. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Hell yeah with knobs on.

P3. to polish someone's knob (also to polish the knob): to perform fellatio or masturbation on a man. Also: to masturbate.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > oral sex > practise oral sex on or with [verb (transitive)] > fellatio

irrumate1887

gam1910

gobble1928

blow1933

fellate1948

cocksuck1954

to suck dicka1956

nosh1961

to polish someone's knob1963

1963 in E. Cray Erotic Muse (1992) 345 See that girl in blue. She'll polish your knob if you ask her to.

1992 B. Gifford Night People 118 Wake me up with them fat lips polishin' the knob.

2002 C. Hiaasen Basket Case xxii. 212 Boy, you must be getting some. I haven't seen you in such a good mood since that big-haired Karen chick was polishing your knob.

2018 @MrWoland666 3 Jan. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Stop trying to pretend to be profound LMAO..just go back to polishing your knob over porn, ok?

Compounds

C1. As a modifier, with the sense ‘in the form of a knob; rounded and protuberant’, e.g. knob handle. Cf. knob-end n. 1, knobhead n. 1.

ΚΠ

1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 21 They made a certayne kynde of heades whyche men call..syluer spone heades, for a certayne lykenesse that suche heades haue wyth the knob ende of some syluer spones.

1793 J. Read Summary View Spontaneous Electr. Earth & Atmosphere iv. 25 A small hole..receives screws made with rising knob heads, by which the plates are screwed in their places.

1836 T. Hook Gilbert Gurney I. v. 212 An old buck-rabbit with a nob tail.

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 936 It has a nob-handle standing upward.

1962 Mem. Amer. Acad. Rome 27 174 The heads are pear-shaped, broadest at the top, with knob ears.

2015 Britannia 46 22 A large lid with a worn, irregularly shaped perforation in the top of the knob handle (probably damage).

C2. (In sense 4a.) With reference to turning knobs or dials to adjust the output or settings on an electronic device (typically a piece of audio equipment).In early use usually with reference to radio sets, now typically with reference to mixing desks and other technology (some of which does not feature manual knobs or dials) used in sound recording and music production.

knob twiddler n.

ΚΠ

1926 Electricity 15 Jan. 44/1 There was direct acoustic heterodyning similar to that produced by the fanatical ‘knob twiddlers’ among wireless licence holders.

1990 Independent (Nexis) 29 Aug. 14 The sound system crews have two to four members—a selector, one or two knob-twiddlers and a DJ who raps over the record.

2010 RadioUser Apr. 11/1 The Icom IC-R6 is a compact and well-built pocket scanner with enough useful features to keep even the most dedicated knob-twiddler busy.

knob-twiddling n.

ΚΠ

1926 Manch. Guardian 2 Dec. 13/1 (advt.) Fada Radio has taken out of wireless all the guesswork, the knob-twiddling, the howls and whistles.

2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 20 Feb. (Review) 18 His nerdy knob-twiddling..sends bittersweet rainbows of dance floor magic arcing over the crowds at gigs.

knob-twiddling adj.

ΚΠ

1968 Times 29 Nov. 1/1 Some are hi-fi maniacs, knob-twiddling perfectionists.

2018 Guardian (Nexis) 7 May (Music section) An outside stage on the sunny first-floor terrace seemed to specialise in what has become a contemporary London micro-genre—the jazz musician duetting with a knob-twiddling DJ/producer.

knob-twister n.

ΚΠ

1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 478/2 Knob-twister. A casual reference to monitor man or recordist in motion-picture production.

2011 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Nexis) 14 July (Entertainm. section) Her new album, ‘Paper Doll’, was produced by superstar knob-twister Don Was.

knob-twisting n.

ΚΠ

1929 Radio Times 8 Nov. 450/2 ‘Earth's End’ stations can be received..if you..find your fun in knob twisting.

2019 @matrixmagiciann 9 Jan. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Blew the dust off the deck, time for some intense knob twisting.

C3.

knob-billed adj. (in the names of birds) having a knob at the base of the bill.

ΚΠ

1840 T. M. Brewer Wilson's Amer. Ornithol. (rev. ed.) 744 (heading) Knob-billed Phaleris.

1893 R. Lydekker Royal Nat. Hist. IV. xx. 537 The knob-billed auk (S[imorhynchus] pusillus), taking its name from the presence in summer of a knob at the base of the beak which disappears in winter.

2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Weekend Suppl.) p. XVIII/4 But the antics of the less well known animals are equally entertaining—the baboons at dawn.., the waterside waddling of the bizarre knob-billed duck, [etc.].

knobcone pine n. a pine native to California and Oregon, Pinus attenuata, which has cones with knob-like scales.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > pines and allies

pine treeeOE

pineOE

pine-nut treec1330

pineapplec1390

pineapple treea1398

mountain pine1597

pine1597

mountain pine1601

frankincense1611

rosin flower?1611

black pine1683

Scotch pine1706

yellow pine1709

Jersey pine1743

loblolly pine1760

mugoa1768

Scots pine1774

Scotch fir1777

arrow plant1779

scrub pine1791

Georgia pine1796

old field pine1797

tamarack1805

grey pine1810

pond pine1810

New Jersey pine1818

loblolly1819

Corsican pine1824

celery-top pine1827

toatoa1831

heavy-wooded pine1836

nut pine1845

celery pine1851

celery-topped pine1851

sugar-pine1853

western white pine1857

Jeffrey1858

Korean pine1858

lodge-pole pine1859

jack pine1863

whitebark pine1864

twisted pine1866

Monterey pine1868

tanekaha1875

chir1882

slash-pine1882

celery-leaved pine1883

knee-pine1884

knobcone pine1884

matsu1884

meadow pine1884

Alaska pine1890

limber pine1901

bristlecone pine1908

o-matsu1916

insignis1920

radiata1953

1882 A. Kellogg Forest Trees Calif. in Rep. State Mineralogist Calif. App. II. 51 Knobby-cone Pine... The Knobby Pine is a lofty tree of much beauty.]

1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. 196 Pinus tuberculata... Knob-cone pine.

1964 Independent Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 29 Aug. a5/5 Some people like to grow young Knobcone pines to cut for their Christmas trees.

2005 C. Tudge Secret Life Trees v. 99 In some [conifers], like the knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) and the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), the growing branches may envelop and eventually encase the old cones.

† knob fly n. Angling Obsolete a kind of fly used in catching trout; an artificial fly used in imitation of this; = knop-fly n. at knop n.¹ Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > real or imitation flies

stone-flya1450

ant-fly1653

hawthorn-fly1653

mayfly1653

oak fly1653

wall-fly1653

pismire-fly1670

cow-lady1676

mayfly1676

owl fly1676

brown1681

cow-turd-fly1684

trout-fly1746

orl fly1747

hazel fly?1758

iron-blue fly?1758

red spinner?1758

Welshman's button?1758

buzz1760

Yellow Sally1766

ash-fly1787

black caterpillar1787

cow-dung fly1787

sharn-fly1787

spinner1787

woodcock-fly1787

huzzard1799

knop-fly1799

mackerel1799

watchet1799

iron blue1826

knob fly1829

mackerel fly1829

March brown1837

cinnamon fly1867

quill gnat1867

sedge-fly1867

cob-fly1870

woodcock wing1888

sedge1889

olive1895

quill1899

nymph1910

green weenie1977

Montana1987

1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 177 The following..are well known to the expert angler; viz. barm fly, black fly,..knob fly.

knob-fronted adj. now historical (in the names of birds) having a knob on the front of the head, at the base of the bill.

ΚΠ

1790 J. White Jrnl. Voy. New S. Wales 190 We this day shot a Knob-fronted Bee-eater... This is about the size of a blackbird.

1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 647/2 The Chinese, knob-fronted, or swan goose, Anser cygnoides.

1984 C. M. Finney To sail beyond Sunset iii. 48 White continued to add to his collection of birds, and in the following month he obtained specimens of a knob-fronted bee-eater.

knob hole n. a hole made in an object so that a knob can be inserted; esp. one made in a door or drawer for the insertion of a knob handle.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > hole into which a peg, pin, knob, etc., fits

scaffold holec1568

pinhole1659

scaffolding hole1663

keyhole1703

keyway1835

winder-hole1840

knob hole1851

wall-box1875

1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. V. 1458 The knob holes of the curtains form, in stitching, the grape leaf.

1932 Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail 24 Apr. (Mag. section) 13/1 The lock..was so tightly fitted and stuck with paint that it came out only after prying with a screwdriver through the knob hole and the keyhole.

2014 Tel. Herald (Dubuque, Iowa) (Nexis) 4 May e9 To avoid blowouts when drilling cabinet knob holes, use a sharp bit and use minimal pushing pressure.

knob lock n. a lock for a door comprising a spring bolt moved by a knob and a dead bolt moved by a key.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > lock > knob-lock

drawback lock1678

knob lock1768

1768 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 31 Oct. With brass knob locks, latches to each door.

1813 Examiner 10 May 294/2 J. Charlesworth,..knob-lock-maker.

1919 Horry Herald (Conway, S. Carolina) 1 May 5/3 The Herald will pay..for old keys... Only the ordinary keys used with any kind of knob locks will be taken.

2017 Daily Monitor (Kampala) (Nexis) 1 June Knob locks are usually installed on exterior doors in addition to deadbolts.

Derivatives

ˈknob-like adj. resembling a knob in shape.

ΚΠ

1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum Aliformes, the Prominences or Knob like Bones of the Os cuneiforme.

1861 R. Bentley Man. Bot. i. i. 51 In touching a nettle lightly, the knob-like head is broken off, and the sharp point of the sting enters the skin.

2011 Sunday Mail (Queensland, Austral.) (Nexis) 28 Aug. (Features section) 62 Quirky ceramic cups with knob-like, flat handles.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	knob
释义	knobn. Brit. /nɒb/, U.S. /nɑb/ Forms: α. late Middle English–1500s knobbe, late Middle English– knob, 1500s–1600s knobe, 1600s–1700s knobb, 1800s– knab (Scottish). β. 1500s–1600s nobbe, 1600s nobb, 1600s– nob, 1900s– nab (Irish English (northern)). Origin: Probably partly a borrowing from Dutch. Probably partly a borrowing from Middle Low German. Etymons: Dutch knobbe, Middle Low German knobbe. Etymology: Probably < Dutch regional (southern and eastern) knobbe (17th cent.; earlier currency implied in knobbel knobble n.) and its cognate Middle Low German knobbe (variant of Middle Low German knubbe ; German regional (Low German) Knobbe , Knubbe : see knub n.). Compare earlier knop n.¹ and later knub n. Perhaps compare also earlier nob n.¹Compare post-classical Latin nobba lump (c1337 in a British source with reference to a piece of silver). With uses with reference to parts of the body (see branch II.) compare earlier nob n.³ In sense 6 shortened < knobstick n. 2 (compare sense 2 at that entry); compare earlier nob n.⁴ With sense 8 compare later knobhead n. 2. I. A rounded lump or protuberance, and related senses. 1. a. A rounded protuberance or swelling on or under the skin, or on the surface of an internal organ. Now rare except as merged in sense 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > swelling > [noun] > a swelling or protuberance ampereOE kernelc1000 wenc1000 knot?c1225 swella1250 bulchc1300 bunchc1325 bolninga1340 botcha1387 bouge1398 nodusa1400 oedemaa1400 wax-kernel14.. knobc1405 nodule?a1425 more?c1425 bunnyc1440 papa1450 knurc1460 waxing kernel?c1460 lump?a1500 waxen-kernel1500 bump1533 puff1538 tumour?1541 swelling1542 elevation1543 enlarging1562 knub1563 pimple1582 ganglion1583 button1584 phyma1585 emphysema?1587 flesh-pimple1587 oedem?a1591 burgeon1597 wartle1598 hurtle1599 pough1601 wart1603 extumescence1611 hulch1611 peppernel1613 affusion1615 extumescency1684 jog1715 knibloch1780 tumefaction1802 hunch1803 income1808 intumescence1822 gibber1853 tumescence1859 whetstone1886 tumidity1897 Osler's node1920 c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 635 The knobbes sittynge on his chekes. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Hunterian) f. 63 (MED) And fro þe gibbe, oþer þe knobbe [?a1425 N.Y. Acad. Med. gibbosite, ?c1425 Paris bowge; L. gibbo] of þe same liuer goeþ oute a veyne þat is cleped concaua oþer kilis. a1500 Promptorium Parvulorum (King's Cambr.) 280 Knobbe [?a1475 Winch. Knoble; 1499 Pynson Knolle] of a mannys hande, or in another part of him, callus. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 326/2 Kyrnell or knobbe in the necke or otherwhere, glandre. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vi. 104 His face is all bubukles and whelkes, and knobs [1600 knub], and flames a fire. 1690 J. Spreat Let. in J. Locke & E. Clarke Corr. (1927) 298 I had in the first place several hard nobbs that did arise, some in the right side of my neck and one under my right arm. ?1750 J. Wesley Primitive Physick (ed. 2) 36 It also dissolves any Knob: or swelling in any Part. 1792 J. Hunter Observ. Animal Œcon. (ed. 2) 80 The hen had nobs on her toes. 1834 S. Cooper Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) II. 517 The changes thus exhibited..are the white and the dark-coloured or hepatised knobs. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 239/1 What are termed ‘Heberden's nodes’ are small hard knobs about the size of a pea frequently found upon the fingers near the terminal phalangeal joints. 1921 Arch. Internal Med. 27 664 Several paler coarse, tumor-like knobs project from 5 to 8 mm. above the general surface. 2007 D. Lennard 112 Miles to Pin viii. 145 One regular visitor who has never caused any grief is Golf Ball, an old giraffe, so-called because of an odd white knob on his forehead. b. A small rounded lump, bump, or protuberance on the surface of something; a rounded or spherical projection at the end of an object. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > [noun] > a protuberance or protuberant part > knob knob?a1425 knottle?a1500 bob1601 node1681 nub1696 umbo1753 button1758 knule1824 onion1825 umbonation1872 ?a1425 (?1373) Lelamour Herbal (1938) f. 81 (MED) Turmentile ys an erbe þat creppith a-brode..and beryth yelowe flourys and smale levis and havith a grete knob in þe rote. a1500 Agnus Castus (Laud) (1950) 202 (MED) Hij habbuþ knobbes in here rote os þei hit were ballok-stones. 1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Oiii^v His mytre beyng deuided so into two hornes, eche typpe wherof is with the lyke knobbe gathered together. 1613 M. Ridley Short Treat. Magneticall Bodies ii. 7 The hilly knobs and angulous parts of the Loadstone may be sawen away with sand or emery. 1643 Mercurius Civicus 8–16 June 44 It is a pole or staffe, of twelve foot long with a round knob at the end of it, stoven full of sharpe pikes. 1662 W. Faithorne Art of Graveing & Etching 45 You must place the knob or ball of the handle of your Graver in the hollow of your hand. 1744 W. Mountaine Seaman's Vade-mecum 165 The Cascable, is the Pummel or Knob at the Coyl, to this the Breeching is seized, and the Tackle Falls fastened. 1854 C. Dickens Hard Times i. i His bald head,..all covered with knobs, like the crust of a plum pie. 1894 R. Bridges Feast of Bacchus v. 1574 A little knob of a nose. 1938 Amer. Jrnl. Archaeol. 42 539 There is a central rib on the handle and a knob at its base. 1990 T. Griggs Quickening i. 17 The wind grabs my fancy French twist like the knob on a joystick and yanks it viciously around my head. 2014 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 29 Nov. The knob of the gearstick must be twisted before it can be selected. c. A knot on the trunk or branch of a tree. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > wood > [noun] > knot knara1382 warrec1407 knob1440 knot?1523 knur1542 pin1545 knag1555 snar1611 bur-knot1618 bur1725 gnarl1824 burl1885 snarla1891 Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 280 Knobbe, or knotte y[n] a tre, vertex. 1574 R. Scot Perfite Platforme of Hoppe Garden 30 It is very necessarie that your Poales be streyght without scrags or knobbes. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xvi. 451 The wood of the tree whereupon the scutcheonlike graft is grafted, hath not any knob nor bud. 1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. The Pruning of Trees, and cutting off their Knobs and Knots. 1777–8 R. Wight Horæ Subsecivæ (MS Bodl. Eng. lang. d.66) 398 Some Gnurre, Knobb or Knott of a Tree, w^h Boys make Use of at the Play of Bandy instead of a Ball. 1967 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 253 98 Figs axillary and on short woody knobs on the branches. 2006 R. Egan Probl. of Beauty iii. 118 Blossoms have a concentration of the beautiful, while knobs on trees and like protuberances have a concentration of the ugly. d. Architecture. A raised, rounded ornament, e.g. on a moulding or as a boss at the intersection of ribs in a vaulted roof. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > other ornaments pommela1300 crest1430 finial1448 balloon1592 brattishingc1593 knob1610 cartouche1611 ogive1611 fret1626 galace1663 acroterion1664 paternoster1728 semi-urn1742 patera1776 purfling1780 sailing course1807 vesica piscis (also piscium)1809 antefix1819 vesica1820 garland1823 stop1825 Aaron's rod1830 headwork1831 Vitruvian scroll1837 hip knob1838 stelea1840 ball-flower1840 notch-head1843 brandishing1846 buckle1848 cat's-head1848 bucrane1854 cresting1869 semi-ball1875 canephorus1880 crest-board1881 wave pattern1905 husk1934 foliate head1939 green man1939 1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 75 The seeling gay, Starred aloft the guilded knobs embraue. 1730 W. Warren Collectanea in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 230 The Cieling being Timber-work, Pannels and Knobs. 1895 T. Hardy Jude ii. iv. 117 In London the man who carves the boss or knob of leafage declines to cut the fragment of moulding which merges in that leafage, as if it were a degradation to do the second half of one whole. 1971 Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen 13 27 In addition, three indented points fix the centers of the volutes and of the knob situated midway between them. e. The bud or rudiment of a ruminant's horn or antler. Now historical and rare.In quot. 1664 figurative. ΘΚΠ society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > fornication, adultery, or incest > [noun] > adultery > husband of adulterous wife > symbol of to give horns to1430 ox feather1615 knob1658 shoeing-horn1664 Sussex crest1681 horny coronet1688 bull's feather1704 1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick ii. ix. 39 I my self saw at Ferraria, certain beasts in the shape of a Mule, but they had a Bulls head, and two great knobs in stead of horns. 1664 S. Butler Hudibras: Second Pt. ii. i. 47 Those knobs, that grow Much harder, on the marry'd Brow. 2011 D. Papadinis in W. Shakespeare As you like It 234 (note) The noblest Deere has a nob (head) blest with ‘knobs’ (i.e., antlers). f. A swelling at the tip of an insect's antenna, as in butterflies. Sometimes also: a swelling at the tip of a spider's palp. ΚΠ 1736 E. Albin Nat. Hist. Spiders 3 The male [sc. Spider] having globular bunches or knobs at the ends of their horns or feelers. 1860 Amer. Agriculturist 19 360/2 The antennæ..have rings of white, the knobs are flattened, and are of an ochre yellow. 2015 M. E. H. Rustad Insects 19/1 (table) Knob on the end of each antenna. g. A typically spherical ornament at the top of a bedpost or bedstead; a bedknob. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > bed > parts of bed > [noun] > other parts bed-board1530 bedstaff1576 underbed1648 ruelle1751 bed-screw1758 watch-pocket1831 knob1848 box spring1851 watch-case1891 1848 Standard 29 Nov. 3/3 She said she put the rope round and round the deceased’s neck, and then coiled it round under the knob of the bed-post. 1864 Chester Chron. 13 Aug. 4/3 (advt.) Iron bedsteads, 4 feet 6 inches wide, brass knobs, brass ornaments, good castors, dove-tail joints, and painted blue or green. 1957 W. R. Brooks Freddy & Flying Saucer Plans x. 125 Freddy..went to the post at the foot of Penobsky's bed where the plans were hidden, unscrewed the knob, and took them out. 2013 E. Strout Burgess Boys (2014) i. 11 Sunlight kept springing into the room from the shifting clouds outside, making the brass knobs on the bed shine brightly. 2. Chiefly North American. A prominent, usually rounded hill, mountain, or peak; a knoll. Sometimes more generally: any hill. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [noun] > prominent or isolated knoba1622 inch1799 butte1805 island-hill1839 island-mountain1906 inselberg1907 a1622 H. Ainsworth Annot. Bk. Psalmes lxvii. 101/1 in Annot. Five Bks. Moses, Bk. Psalmes & Song of Songs (1627) An hilly mount or, a mount of hilloks or knobs, having many tops. 1625 S. Purchas tr. A. De Herrera Descr. W. Indies in Pilgrimes III. 868 The Prouince of Maracapana..in whose Borders is the knob of Vnare, and neere vnto it a great Lake with great store of fish and salt. 1755 L. Evans Geogr. Ess. II. 13 70 Labourers..cut a Road from Parnels Knob to the Allegeni Mountain. 1791 W. Bartram Trav. N. & S. Carolina 338 The surface of the land..is..uneven, occasioned by natural mounds or rocky knobs. 1895 Cent. Mag. Aug. 621/2 One of the many knobs from which Daniel Boone is said to have looked first over the Blue Grass land. 1931 Escabana (Mich.) Daily Press 22 July 3/4 Some sort of wild, grain-like grass is growing on a tall knob from which we can get a long view up the lake. 2007 K. G. Stewart & M.-R. Roberson Exploring Geol. of Carolinas xviii. 135 It rises abruptly almost 1,500 feet from the surrounding Piedmont and is capped by a large 200-foot-tall knob. 3. a. A small lump of a substance; a small piece of something. Cf. knablick n., knobble n. 2, knub n. 1a, nub n.¹ 2a. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > mass formed by collection of particles > dense or compact > small dot1570 knoba1637 molecula1713 knibloch1718 hunchet1790 nublet1863 a1637 G. Markham Compl. Farriar (1639) iii. 26 Give him a little knob of Hay, and so leave him till Foure a clock in the evening if it be in the Sommer. 1676 J. Worlidge Vinetum Britannicum 115 Botling it with a Knob of Sugar. 1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. i. 171 Is your tea bitter? You may sweeten it by putting in a knob of sugar. 1801 J. Wolcot Epist. to Count Rumford in Wks. (1812) V. 144 Rummage the dark Coal-hole of his brain But not one Knob is in it. 1865 Good Words Feb. 125/1 These children..when they are ‘very good’, and work hard,..sometimes get a ‘knob o' suck’..on Saturday. 1929 Times 19 Mar. (Film Number Suppl.) p. vii/3 Reposing in a knob of coal is not only the bottled sunshine of thousands of years, but evidence of the very forests that covered the ground now occupied by our large manufacturing towns. 2018 Independent 14 Dec. (online newspaper, accessed 14 Jan. 2019) Add a knob of butter and start to mash, seasoning with salt and black pepper as you go. b. Canadian regional (Newfoundland). A hard sweet made with boiled sugar, and frequently flavoured with peppermint. ΚΠ 1894 in Dict. Newfoundland Eng. (1982) 288/2 Coco Nut Candy, Knobs, Sticks, Butter Rocks. 1965 C. Sansome in Dict. Newfoundland Eng. (1982) 288/2 A couple of big Gibraltar candy; they're peppermint knobs—great big uns. 2018 @malorieduffy 7 Dec. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) It ain't christmas at Nan's until the peppermint knobs are out. 4. a. A small, rounded device for adjusting or controlling a machine; (now) esp. a rounded control switch or dial on a piece of electrical equipment. ΚΠ ?1750 J. Mann Descript. Pocket Microscope 13 The Brass Knob or Button H is the Head of a Screw which goes through the Mahogany Piece, and has a Communication with the Looking-glass, which by screwing and unscrewing, elevates and depresses the Glass. a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) iii. ii. 81 That..is a watch; if you touch the nob that juts out, it strikes..like a clock. 1876 Specifications & Drawings of Patents (U.S. Patent Office) 6 June 223/1 [It] may be retracted by a spring to a variable distance, determined by a wedge-shaped regulating-stop, which is adjusted by a knob above the table. 1958 Listener 25 Dec. 1091/3 The studio managers who twiddle the knobs and the sound-effects engineers. 1989 Skin Diver May 53/1 The adjustment knob is unscrewed as far as possible to reduce tension on the poppet valve. 2018 Owen Sound (Ont.) Sun Times (Nexis) 24 Apr. a1 Full of dials, knobs and toggle switches, the old electronic console was used at the station until 1988. b. A rounded or spherical handle for opening a door, drawer, etc. ΚΠ 1756 Brit. Spy 26 June I attempted to turn the Knob of the Door, and found it would not open. 1799 W. H. Ireland Abbess I. Pref. p. vii Whether right or wrong in my conjectures, I turned the knob—the door flew open. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 928 A wooden cover.., with nobs for the convenience of lifting it out. 1887 L. Beard & A. B. Beard How to amuse yourself & Others vi. 73 Silently approaching a door, they hang a May-basket upon the knob and, with a loud rap, or ring of the bell, scamper off. 1923 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 22 Apr. (Sunday Constit. Mag.) 25/3 She was standing there, trembling like a leaf, her hand still on the knob of the drawer, when Alice came in. 2008 L. Quigley Spirits in Sky xv. 374 For the entire 17 years that I lived in the house, that knob was loose. †5. Shooting. A small flock of ducks, esp. wigeon. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > defined by habitat > [noun] > aquatic or swimming bird > flock of bunch1622 raft1709 sail1727 knob1816 1816 P. Hawker Instr. Young Sportsmen (ed. 2) 249 On the Dorsetshire coast, the shooters' terms for a large flock of wigeon are a company; for about thirty or forty a bunch or trip of birds; and, for about ten or twelve, a little knob: a string of geese, &c. 1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports (ed. 12) i. i. ix. §1 A ‘knob’ is a still smaller number [than 30] of the above birds [sc. wildfowl]. 1904 Yorks. Post 1 Dec. 4/2 The gunner..knows the ‘we-ohing’ and whistling of the cream-pated cocks to mean that a knob of widgeon are assembling for their inward flight. II. Slang and informal uses denoting people or parts of the body.nob n.³ 1a probably reflects a slang use of this kind, for which spellings with a k continue to be recorded as variants (see β forms at that sense).Senses 7b and 8 are the commonest senses in this branch. †6. British. depreciative. A person who continues to work despite a ban or strike by a trade union; a person who takes a striker's place; a strikebreaker, a blackleg, a scab. Obsolete.Short for knobstick n. 2. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > worker according to manner of working > [noun] > striking > refusing to strike dung1765 scab1777 knobstick1794 leg1815 rat1824 nob1825 black1826 blackneb1832 blacknob1838 knob1839 snob1839 blackleg1844 snob-stick1860 non-striker1868 ratter1890 strike-breaker1904 1839 Ann. Reg. 1838 i. Hist. Europe 204/1 The chastisement of ‘knobs’, the assassination of oppressive and tyrannical masters. 1842 Northern Star (Leeds) 10 Sept. 8/2 A large number of the turn-outs went to Stone-street mill, where there are some knobs at work. 7. a. The rounded part forming the end of the penis; the glans. Cf. sense 7b. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > secretory organs > gland > specific glands > [noun] > glans penis heada1400 nut1565 glans1650 knobc1890 bell end1961 cockhead1964 dickhead1969 c1890 My Secret Life I. viii. 199 I pulled the prepuce slowly back..and as the knob came handsomely into view, out shot my spunk all over the bed-clothes. c1941 in G. Legman Limerick (1953) xiv. 233 The size of my phallus Was just right for Alice Till the night that she bit off the knob. 2011 B. Vanak Hunted by Jaguar (e-book, accessed 11 Jan. 2019) The rounded knob of his penis settled against her aching flesh. b. The penis. Cf. sense 7a, Phrases 3. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis weapona1000 tarsec1000 pintleOE cock?c1335 pillicock?c1335 yard1379 arrowa1382 looma1400 vergea1400 instrumentc1405 fidcocka1475 privya1500 virile member (or yard)?1541 prickc1555 tool1563 pillock1568 penis1578 codpiece1584 needle1592 bauble1593 dildo1597 nag1598 virility1598 ferret1599 rubigo?a1600 Jack1604 mentula1605 virge1608 prependent1610 flute1611 other thing1628 engine1634 manhood1640 cod1650 quillity1653 rammer1653 runnion1655 pego1663 sex1664 propagator1670 membrum virile1672 nervea1680 whore-pipe1684 Roger1689 pudding1693 handle?1731 machine1749 shaft1772 jock1790 poker1811 dickyc1815 Johnny?1833 organ1833 intromittent apparatus1836 root1846 Johnson1863 Peter1870 John Henry1874 dickc1890 dingusc1890 John Thomasc1890 old fellowc1890 Aaron's rod1891 dingle-dangle1893 middle leg1896 mole1896 pisser1896 micky1898 baby-maker1902 old man1902 pecker1902 pizzle1902 willy1905 ding-dong1906 mickey1909 pencil1916 dingbatc1920 plonkerc1920 Johna1922 whangera1922 knob1922 tube1922 ding1926 pee-pee1927 prong1927 pud1927 hose1928 whang1928 dong1930 putz1934 porkc1935 wiener1935 weenie1939 length1949 tadger1949 winkle1951 dinger1953 winky1954 dork1961 virilia1962 rig1964 wee-wee1964 Percy1965 meat tool1966 chopper1967 schlong1967 swipe1967 chode1968 trouser snake1968 ding-a-ling1969 dipstick1970 tonk1970 noonies1972 salami1977 monkey1978 langer1983 wanker1987 1922 ‘J. H. Ross’ Mint (1936) xxxiii. 103 Bugger off, lad. There's more fucking cheese on your knob than hair on your block. 1943 P. Larkin Early Poems & Juvenilia (2005) 110 'Cos in such a bad job only pulling my knob Will bring me the slightest enjoyment. 1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 158 My knob was knee-high to a grasshopper, the size of a toothpick. 1985 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder II in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 181/1 The weakest practical joke since Cardinal Wolsey got his nob out at Hampton Court and stood at the end of the passage pretending to be a door. 2018 @SamWhyte 17 Nov. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) What percentage of the blokes on Naked Attraction just want their friends and family to know they've got a massive knob? 8. slang. An annoying, unpleasant, or idiotic person (esp. a man or boy). Cf. knobhead n. 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun] asseOE sotc1000 beastc1225 long-ear?a1300 stock1303 buzzard1377 mis-feelinga1382 dasarta1400 stonea1400 dasiberd14.. dottlec1400 doddypoll1401 dastardc1440 dotterel1440 dullardc1440 wantwit1449 jobardc1475 nollc1475 assheada1500 mulea1500 dull-pate15.. peak1509 dulbert?a1513 doddy-patec1525 noddypolla1529 hammer-head1532 dull-head?1534 capon1542 dolt1543 blockhead1549 cod's head1549 mome1550 grout-head1551 gander1553 skit-brains?1553 blocka1556 calfa1556 tomfool1565 dunce1567 druggard1569 cobble1570 dummel1570 Essex calf1573 jolthead1573 hardhead1576 beetle-head1577 dor-head1577 groutnoll1578 grosshead1580 thickskin1582 noddyship?1589 jobbernowl1592 beetle-brain1593 Dorbel1593 oatmeal-groat1594 loggerhead1595 block-pate1598 cittern-head1598 noddypoop1598 dorbellist1599 numps1599 dor1601 stump1602 ram-head1605 look-like-a-goose1606 ruff1606 clod1607 turf1607 asinego1609 clot-poll1609 doddiea1611 druggle1611 duncecomb1612 ox-head1613 clod-polla1616 dulman1615 jolterhead1620 bullhead1624 dunderwhelpa1625 dunderhead1630 macaroona1631 clod-patea1635 clota1637 dildo1638 clot-pate1640 stupid1640 clod-head1644 stub1644 simpletonian1652 bottle-head1654 Bœotiana1657 vappe1657 lackwit1668 cudden1673 plant-animal1673 dolt-head1679 cabbage head1682 put1688 a piece of wood1691 ouphe1694 dunderpate1697 numbskull1697 leather-head1699 nocky1699 Tom Cony1699 mopus1700 bluff-head1703 clod skull1707 dunny1709 dowf1722 stupe1722 gamphrel1729 gobbin?1746 duncehead1749 half-wit1755 thick-skull1755 jackass1756 woollen-head1756 numbhead1757 beef-head1775 granny1776 stupid-head1792 stunpolla1794 timber-head1794 wether heada1796 dummy1796 noghead1800 staumrel1802 muttonhead1803 num1807 dummkopf1809 tumphya1813 cod's head and shoulders1820 stoopid1823 thick-head1824 gype1825 stob1825 stookiea1828 woodenhead1831 ning-nong1832 log-head1834 fat-head1835 dunderheadism1836 turnip1837 mudhead1838 donkey1840 stupex1843 cabbage1844 morepork1845 lubber-head1847 slowpoke1847 stupiditarian1850 pudding-head1851 cod's head and shoulders1852 putty head1853 moke1855 mullet-head1855 pothead1855 mug1857 thick1857 boodle1862 meathead1863 missing link1863 half-baked1866 lunk1867 turnip-head1869 rummy1872 pumpkin-head1876 tattie1879 chump1883 dully1883 cretin1884 lunkhead1884 mopstick1886 dumbhead1887 peanut head1891 pie-face1891 doughbakea1895 butt-head1896 pinhead1896 cheesehead1900 nyamps1900 box head1902 bonehead1903 chickenhead1903 thickwit1904 cluck1906 boob1907 John1908 mooch1910 nitwit1910 dikkop1913 goop1914 goofus1916 rumdum1916 bone dome1917 moron1917 oik1917 jabroni1919 dumb-bell1920 knob1920 goon1921 dimwit1922 ivory dome1923 stone jug1923 dingleberry1924 gimp1924 bird brain1926 jughead1926 cloth-head1927 dumb1928 gazook1928 mouldwarp1928 ding-dong1929 stupido1929 mook1930 sparrow-brain1930 knobhead1931 dip1932 drip1932 epsilon1932 bohunkus1933 Nimrod1933 dumbass1934 zombie1936 pea-brain1938 knot-head1940 schlump1941 jarhead1942 Joe Soap1943 knuckle-head1944 nong1944 lame-brain1945 gobshite1946 rock-head1947 potato head1948 jerko1949 turkey1951 momo1953 poop-head1955 a right one1958 bam1959 nong-nong1959 dickhead1960 dumbo1960 Herbert1960 lamer1961 bampot1962 dipshit1963 bamstick1965 doofus1965 dick1966 pillock1967 zipperhead1967 dipstick1968 thickie1968 poephol1969 yo-yo1970 doof1971 cockhead1972 nully1973 thicko1976 wazzock1976 motorhead1979 mouth-breather1979 no-brainer1979 jerkwad1980 woodentop1981 dickwad1983 dough ball1983 dickweed1984 bawheid1985 numpty1985 jerkweed1988 dick-sucker1989 knob-end1989 Muppet1989 dingus1997 dicksack1999 eight ball- the mind > emotion > hatred > object of detestation (person or thing) > [noun] > loathsome or unpleasant person hateful1510 son of a ——?1576 son of a bitch1655 nuisance1661 obnoxity1851 oik1917 knob1920 putz1928 swipe1929 jack-off?1939 jagoff?1939 sumbitch1944 jerko1949 sonofa1950 bloody1960 weeny1964 dick1966 gross-out1966 wank1970 poison ivy1976 jerkwad1980 dickwad1983 dickweed1984 jerkweed1988 knob jockey1989 wankstain1990 ball sack1991 bawbag1999 dicksack1999 the mind > emotion > anger > irritation > [noun] > action of irritating > cause of irritation > one who or that which irritates fly?c1225 terrer1382 prickc1384 taryerc1440 stub1531 provokera1542 a mote in the eye1546 annoying1566 nettler1611 gadfly1622 flea-biter1629 exasperator1632 badgerer?1791 irritator1855 needler1874 nagger1881 holy terror1883 knob1920 jerkface1942 needle artist1982 d-bag1984 knob-end1989 hater1996 1920 P. C. Wren Cupid in Afr. viii. 123 Answer me, you mole; you mump; you measle; you knob; you nit; you noun; you part. 1952 B. MacMahon Children of Rainbow i. 14 So are we, you bothered knob of an ex-jockey. 1991 D. Coupland Generation X iii. xxviii. 153 I'd made all these plans to meet before, but he kept breaking them, the knob. 1996 Time Out 31 July 97/3 I was inspired and disillusioned. I've always kinda looked up to Malcolm McLaren, and I realised last week that he's a fuckin' knob. 2011 T. Ronald Becoming Nancy (2012) xvi. 222 Bob fucking Lord! What a wanker! What a knob! 9. a. U.S. slang. In plural. A woman's nipples. Also occasionally in singular: a nipple. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > front > breast or breasts (of woman) > [noun] > nipple papc1175 teat?a1200 pap-head?a1425 big?a1439 wartc1440 teat headc1500 nipplec1510 spin1525 dug1530 spean1573 bud1593 milk papa1616 niplet1648 dud1679 mamilla1684 duddlea1708 diddy1788 tittya1825 knob1941 nip1970 1941 Opus Pistorum (typescript, Univ. Virginia) I. ii. 16 She grabs my balls and rubs the knobs of her bubs against my chest. 1963 T. I. Rubin Sweet Daddy 139 One dame getting her tits sucked in a corner, not one guy but one on each knob. 1989 P. Theroux My Secret Hist. i. viii. 58 Who do I see in a tight sweater, with knobs like this? b. slang (originally U.S.). In plural. A woman's breasts. Also occasionally in singular: a breast. Cf. knocker n. 2f.Often implied humorously in double entendres where the main sense is sense 4 (as e.g. in quot. 2013). ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > front > breast or breasts (of woman) > [noun] titOE breastOE mammaOE pysea1400 mamellec1450 dug1530 duckya1533 bag1579 pommela1586 mam1611 Milky Way1622 bubby?1660 udder1702 globea1727 fore-buttock1727 tetty1746 breastwork?1760 diddy1788 snows1803 sweets1817 titty1865 pappy1869 Charleys1874 bub1881 breastiec1900 ninny1909 pair1919 boobs1932 boobya1934 fun bag1938 maraca1940 knockers1941 can1946 mammaries1947 bazooms1955 jug1957 melon1957 bosoms1959 Bristols1961 chichi1961 nork1962 puppies1963 rack1968 knob1970 dingleberry1980 jubblies1991 1970 R. Meltzer Whore Just Like Rest (2000) 89 His hands reach under her sweater and fondle her knobs to his heart's content and her nipples harden real quick. 2013 @myc1c 22 June in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) I got lovely knobs!!!!! 😂😂😂. #shopping #vintage #door #drawer #knobs #handles.] 2014 @MikeyComictruth 9 Oct. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Jesus!..Look at the knobs on her! Phrases †P1. to make no knobs: to feel or show no hesitation or reluctance in doing or saying something. Cf. to make no bones about at bone n.¹ Phrases 1d(b)(ii). ΘΚΠ the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > be willing [verb (intransitive)] willeOE reckeOE to make no courtesy1542 sussy1567 fadge1592 brook1604 to make no knobs1677 to go out of one's way (to do something)1680 1677 R. Cary Palæologia Chronica ii. ii. iii. xvi. 259 Instead of 6 Centuries defalked by the Jews, they make no Knobs in cutting off 9 of them together. P2. colloquial (chiefly British). with knobs on (also with brass knobs on). [Compare earlier with bells on at bell n.¹ Additions.] a. With something extra added; in a greater or more extreme way; and more. ΚΠ 1921 Manch. Guardian 11 July 5/3 Incidentally is it possible that ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’ contains the seed whence has lately blossomed that flower of human speech the phrase ‘With knobs on’? a1935 T. E. Lawrence Mint (1955) ii. xxii. 159 Westerners would bait the east end, gently, as a bit of the real life-with-knobs-on. 1970 A. Price Labyrinth Makers xiv. 179 If the A.S. 12 was the answer to Egypt's Russian missile boats, the A.S. 15 was the answer with knobs on. 1991 Guardian (Nexis) 1 Apr. QPR did what Sunderland should have done and with brass knobs on. 2005 J. Brand It's Different for Girls Epil. 340 The fucking twat had it coming to him with knobs on. b. Used conversationally as part of a retort to an insult, or to express emphatic agreement. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > agreement [phrase] it is a match!1569 that's right1608 true for you1765 how right you are1799 them's my sentiments1847 I should think (suppose, etc.)1861 right you are!1862 sure thing1895 you said it1911 with knobs on1930 you can say that again1932 I should coco1936 I couldn't agree more (with someone)1939 that makes two of us1956 yes please2010 1930 M. Kennedy Fool of Family xiii. 129 ‘I'm waiting for the Marchese Ferdinando Emanuele Maria Bonaventura Donzati.’ ‘With knobs on,’ agreed Gemma airily. ‘Who's he?’ 1931 J. J. Farjeon House Opposite ii ‘You are nothing,’ said the Indian. ‘And so are you, with knobs on!’ barked Ben, and slammed the door. 1938 P. G. Wodehouse Code of Woosters viii. 196 ‘“Ha jolly ha!” to you, young Stiffy, with knobs on,’ I retorted with quiet dignity. 1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren iii. 45 Same to you with knobs on. 1977 D. Clement & I. La Frenais Porridge: Scripts (2002) 3rd Ser. Episode 2. 262/2 Fletcher. Naff off, Harris. Harris. Naff off yourself, Fletch. With knobs on. 2019 @JosieCutie 13 Jan. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Hell yeah with knobs on. P3. to polish someone's knob (also to polish the knob): to perform fellatio or masturbation on a man. Also: to masturbate. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > oral sex > practise oral sex on or with [verb (transitive)] > fellatio irrumate1887 gam1910 gobble1928 blow1933 fellate1948 cocksuck1954 to suck dicka1956 nosh1961 to polish someone's knob1963 1963 in E. Cray Erotic Muse (1992) 345 See that girl in blue. She'll polish your knob if you ask her to. 1992 B. Gifford Night People 118 Wake me up with them fat lips polishin' the knob. 2002 C. Hiaasen Basket Case xxii. 212 Boy, you must be getting some. I haven't seen you in such a good mood since that big-haired Karen chick was polishing your knob. 2018 @MrWoland666 3 Jan. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Stop trying to pretend to be profound LMAO..just go back to polishing your knob over porn, ok? Compounds C1. As a modifier, with the sense ‘in the form of a knob; rounded and protuberant’, e.g. knob handle. Cf. knob-end n. 1, knobhead n. 1. ΚΠ 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 21 They made a certayne kynde of heades whyche men call..syluer spone heades, for a certayne lykenesse that suche heades haue wyth the knob ende of some syluer spones. 1793 J. Read Summary View Spontaneous Electr. Earth & Atmosphere iv. 25 A small hole..receives screws made with rising knob heads, by which the plates are screwed in their places. 1836 T. Hook Gilbert Gurney I. v. 212 An old buck-rabbit with a nob tail. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 936 It has a nob-handle standing upward. 1962 Mem. Amer. Acad. Rome 27 174 The heads are pear-shaped, broadest at the top, with knob ears. 2015 Britannia 46 22 A large lid with a worn, irregularly shaped perforation in the top of the knob handle (probably damage). C2. (In sense 4a.) With reference to turning knobs or dials to adjust the output or settings on an electronic device (typically a piece of audio equipment).In early use usually with reference to radio sets, now typically with reference to mixing desks and other technology (some of which does not feature manual knobs or dials) used in sound recording and music production. knob twiddler n. ΚΠ 1926 Electricity 15 Jan. 44/1 There was direct acoustic heterodyning similar to that produced by the fanatical ‘knob twiddlers’ among wireless licence holders. 1990 Independent (Nexis) 29 Aug. 14 The sound system crews have two to four members—a selector, one or two knob-twiddlers and a DJ who raps over the record. 2010 RadioUser Apr. 11/1 The Icom IC-R6 is a compact and well-built pocket scanner with enough useful features to keep even the most dedicated knob-twiddler busy. knob-twiddling n. ΚΠ 1926 Manch. Guardian 2 Dec. 13/1 (advt.) Fada Radio has taken out of wireless all the guesswork, the knob-twiddling, the howls and whistles. 2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 20 Feb. (Review) 18 His nerdy knob-twiddling..sends bittersweet rainbows of dance floor magic arcing over the crowds at gigs. knob-twiddling adj. ΚΠ 1968 Times 29 Nov. 1/1 Some are hi-fi maniacs, knob-twiddling perfectionists. 2018 Guardian (Nexis) 7 May (Music section) An outside stage on the sunny first-floor terrace seemed to specialise in what has become a contemporary London micro-genre—the jazz musician duetting with a knob-twiddling DJ/producer. knob-twister n. ΚΠ 1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 478/2 Knob-twister. A casual reference to monitor man or recordist in motion-picture production. 2011 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Nexis) 14 July (Entertainm. section) Her new album, ‘Paper Doll’, was produced by superstar knob-twister Don Was. knob-twisting n. ΚΠ 1929 Radio Times 8 Nov. 450/2 ‘Earth's End’ stations can be received..if you..find your fun in knob twisting. 2019 @matrixmagiciann 9 Jan. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Blew the dust off the deck, time for some intense knob twisting. C3. knob-billed adj. (in the names of birds) having a knob at the base of the bill. ΚΠ 1840 T. M. Brewer Wilson's Amer. Ornithol. (rev. ed.) 744 (heading) Knob-billed Phaleris. 1893 R. Lydekker Royal Nat. Hist. IV. xx. 537 The knob-billed auk (S[imorhynchus] pusillus), taking its name from the presence in summer of a knob at the base of the beak which disappears in winter. 2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Weekend Suppl.) p. XVIII/4 But the antics of the less well known animals are equally entertaining—the baboons at dawn.., the waterside waddling of the bizarre knob-billed duck, [etc.]. knobcone pine n. a pine native to California and Oregon, Pinus attenuata, which has cones with knob-like scales. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > pines and allies pine treeeOE pineOE pine-nut treec1330 pineapplec1390 pineapple treea1398 mountain pine1597 pine1597 mountain pine1601 frankincense1611 rosin flower?1611 black pine1683 Scotch pine1706 yellow pine1709 Jersey pine1743 loblolly pine1760 mugoa1768 Scots pine1774 Scotch fir1777 arrow plant1779 scrub pine1791 Georgia pine1796 old field pine1797 tamarack1805 grey pine1810 pond pine1810 New Jersey pine1818 loblolly1819 Corsican pine1824 celery-top pine1827 toatoa1831 heavy-wooded pine1836 nut pine1845 celery pine1851 celery-topped pine1851 sugar-pine1853 western white pine1857 Jeffrey1858 Korean pine1858 lodge-pole pine1859 jack pine1863 whitebark pine1864 twisted pine1866 Monterey pine1868 tanekaha1875 chir1882 slash-pine1882 celery-leaved pine1883 knee-pine1884 knobcone pine1884 matsu1884 meadow pine1884 Alaska pine1890 limber pine1901 bristlecone pine1908 o-matsu1916 insignis1920 radiata1953 1882 A. Kellogg Forest Trees Calif. in Rep. State Mineralogist Calif. App. II. 51 Knobby-cone Pine... The Knobby Pine is a lofty tree of much beauty.] 1884 C. S. Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. 196 Pinus tuberculata... Knob-cone pine. 1964 Independent Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 29 Aug. a5/5 Some people like to grow young Knobcone pines to cut for their Christmas trees. 2005 C. Tudge Secret Life Trees v. 99 In some [conifers], like the knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) and the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), the growing branches may envelop and eventually encase the old cones. † knob fly n. Angling Obsolete a kind of fly used in catching trout; an artificial fly used in imitation of this; = knop-fly n. at knop n.¹ Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > real or imitation flies stone-flya1450 ant-fly1653 hawthorn-fly1653 mayfly1653 oak fly1653 wall-fly1653 pismire-fly1670 cow-lady1676 mayfly1676 owl fly1676 brown1681 cow-turd-fly1684 trout-fly1746 orl fly1747 hazel fly?1758 iron-blue fly?1758 red spinner?1758 Welshman's button?1758 buzz1760 Yellow Sally1766 ash-fly1787 black caterpillar1787 cow-dung fly1787 sharn-fly1787 spinner1787 woodcock-fly1787 huzzard1799 knop-fly1799 mackerel1799 watchet1799 iron blue1826 knob fly1829 mackerel fly1829 March brown1837 cinnamon fly1867 quill gnat1867 sedge-fly1867 cob-fly1870 woodcock wing1888 sedge1889 olive1895 quill1899 nymph1910 green weenie1977 Montana1987 1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 177 The following..are well known to the expert angler; viz. barm fly, black fly,..knob fly. knob-fronted adj. now historical (in the names of birds) having a knob on the front of the head, at the base of the bill. ΚΠ 1790 J. White Jrnl. Voy. New S. Wales 190 We this day shot a Knob-fronted Bee-eater... This is about the size of a blackbird. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 647/2 The Chinese, knob-fronted, or swan goose, Anser cygnoides. 1984 C. M. Finney To sail beyond Sunset iii. 48 White continued to add to his collection of birds, and in the following month he obtained specimens of a knob-fronted bee-eater. knob hole n. a hole made in an object so that a knob can be inserted; esp. one made in a door or drawer for the insertion of a knob handle. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > hole into which a peg, pin, knob, etc., fits scaffold holec1568 pinhole1659 scaffolding hole1663 keyhole1703 keyway1835 winder-hole1840 knob hole1851 wall-box1875 1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. V. 1458 The knob holes of the curtains form, in stitching, the grape leaf. 1932 Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail 24 Apr. (Mag. section) 13/1 The lock..was so tightly fitted and stuck with paint that it came out only after prying with a screwdriver through the knob hole and the keyhole. 2014 Tel. Herald (Dubuque, Iowa) (Nexis) 4 May e9 To avoid blowouts when drilling cabinet knob holes, use a sharp bit and use minimal pushing pressure. knob lock n. a lock for a door comprising a spring bolt moved by a knob and a dead bolt moved by a key. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > lock > knob-lock drawback lock1678 knob lock1768 1768 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 31 Oct. With brass knob locks, latches to each door. 1813 Examiner 10 May 294/2 J. Charlesworth,..knob-lock-maker. 1919 Horry Herald (Conway, S. Carolina) 1 May 5/3 The Herald will pay..for old keys... Only the ordinary keys used with any kind of knob locks will be taken. 2017 Daily Monitor (Kampala) (Nexis) 1 June Knob locks are usually installed on exterior doors in addition to deadbolts. Derivatives ˈknob-like adj. resembling a knob in shape. ΚΠ 1730 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum Aliformes, the Prominences or Knob like Bones of the Os cuneiforme. 1861 R. Bentley Man. Bot. i. i. 51 In touching a nettle lightly, the knob-like head is broken off, and the sharp point of the sting enters the skin. 2011 Sunday Mail (Queensland, Austral.) (Nexis) 28 Aug. (Features section) 62 Quirky ceramic cups with knob-like, flat handles. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022). knobv. Brit. /nɒb/, U.S. /nɑb/ Forms: see knob n. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: knob n. Etymology: < knob n. Compare earlier knop v.With sense 4 compare slightly earlier knobbing n. 2 and also knobble v. 1. 1. a. transitive. To cover (something) with small lumps, bumps, or protuberances; spec. to give a gnarly, knotted, or misshapen appearance to.In quot. 1566 as a participial adjective. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > ornament [verb (transitive)] > other specific ornament horn1421 knob1549 enjewel1659 diadem1738 thread1796 bechalka1800 the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > make protuberant [verb (transitive)] > cover with protuberances > furnish with knobs knot1509 knob1549 knopple1870 1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Dii^v Hauyng theyr fyngers so knobbed with the goute [L. cum..chiragra contudit articulos], as rendreth them impotent, yet hyre thei some other to cast the dyse for them. 1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. Eij^v Stitch or coughe, or knobbyng gowte. 1850 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1849: Arts & Manuf. 315 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (31st Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 20, Pt. 1) VI The cards..hook the cotton from the toothed cylinder and carry it forward without rolling or knobbing it. 1879 Spons' Encycl. Industr. Arts I. 701 A thin sheet of copper, whose surface has been ‘knobbed’, or raised into rows of oval knobs, by the application of a blind punch. 1959 W. C. Williams Yes, Mrs. Williams 141 And after arthritis affected them, turning the fingers outward and knobbing the joints, they seemed actually clawish. 1989 Santa Fe New Mexican 15 May (Vista Suppl.) 6/2 Arthritis has knobbed her hands, and she walks by gripping the sofa arms and counters for support. b. transitive. To form or create a prominent, rounded end on (something). Cf. knobbed adj. 2. ΚΠ 1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes II. ix. xvi. 1617 The Moores..tye a Rope about the bodie of the Tree, and their middle, for it is all body from the Root to the toppe branches. (Knobbed by the meanes of the yeerely breaking off of the old branches, except the branches and fruit that spring at the top). 1856 Huddersfield Chron. 1 Nov. 3/5 A little mound which knobbed the end of the green slope or strip of lawn leading from the river to the dwelling-house. 1924 G. A. Willoughby Fundamentals of House Wiring iv. 32 Place the tubes on the wires as they are drawn thru the holes and..put them into place after the ends of the wires have been knobbed. †2. intransitive. To form or grow into small knobs or lumps. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > protuberance or rounded projection > be or become protuberant [verb (intransitive)] > form knobs or knobbles knob1615 1615 C. T. Aduice to plant Tobacco in Eng. sig. B2^v After they are growne a foote high, or somewhat more, they will offer to knob, and cast out little buttons for seede. ?1695 T. Tryon Way to save Wealth 15 To make Hasty-pudding. Take a pint of Cream and set it over the Fire, with a blade of Mace, when it boils put in a spoonful of Flower, but not let it knob. 3. intransitive. With out, up. To protrude; to bulge out or stick up. ΚΠ 1876 R. D. Blackmore Cripps II. ii. 24 Tapering straight as a fishing-rod, and knobbing out on either side with scarcely controllable bulges. 1980 Associated Press (Nexis) 17 Mar. A giant of a man in a bearskin busby and hairy knees..knobbing out from under his kilt. 1998 A. Garrett After You i. 15 Looking..far out to sea, where she could see the fringed islands knobbing up green. 2012 J. Niven Becoming Clementine xxviii. 214 And then she was up and sitting on the edge of the cot, her knees knobbing out in front of her. †4. transitive. To remove rough or protuberant parts from a surface of (a stone) in a quarry; to square off (a piece of stone), e.g. for use in masonry; = knobble v. 1. Cf. earlier knobbing n. 2. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1884 Cyclopaedic Techn. Dict. 74/2 in Industrial Self-instructor 4 Stone which has been knobbed or knobbled. 5. transitive. British coarse slang. To have sexual intercourse with. Usually with a man as the subject of the verb. Cf. dick v. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity with [verb (transitive)] > have sexual intercourse with mingeOE haveOE knowc1175 ofliec1275 to lie with (or by)a1300 knowledgec1300 meetc1330 beliea1350 yknowc1350 touchc1384 deala1387 dightc1386 usea1387 takec1390 commona1400 to meet witha1400 servea1400 occupy?a1475 engender1483 jangle1488 to be busy with1525 to come in1530 visitc1540 niggle1567 mow1568 to mix one's thigh with1593 do1594 grind1598 pepper1600 yark1600 tumble1603 to taste of1607 compressc1611 jumble1611 mix?1614 consort?1615 tastea1616 bumfiddle1630 ingressa1631 sheet1637 carnal1643 night-work1654 bump1669 bumble1680 frig?c1680 fuck1707 stick1707 screw1719 soil1722 to do over1730 shag1770 hump1785 subagitatec1830 diddle1879 to give (someone) onec1882 charver1889 fuckeec1890 plugc1890 dick1892 to make a baby1911 to know (a person) in the biblical sense1912 jazz1920 rock1922 yentz1924 roll1926 to make love1927 shtupa1934 to give (or get) a tumble1934 shack1935 bang1937 to have it off1937 rump1937 tom1949 to hop into bed (with)1951 ball1955 to make it1957 plank1958 score1960 naughty1961 pull1965 pleasurea1967 to have away1968 to have off1968 dork1970 shaft1970 bonk1975 knob1984 boink1985 fand- 1984 B. McConville & J. Shearlaw Slanguage of Sex 115/2 One will often hear ‘He's been trying to knob her for years’, but rarely ‘She's been knobbing him’. 1993 I. Bates & G. Riseborough Youth & Inequality viii. 199 She come downstairs in 'er knickers and tee shirt! I wanted to knob 'er everywhere. 2005 S. MacBride Dying Light xxiii. 205 He knobbed three of them in four days. Not that his poor bloody wife has any idea. 2018 @balgilbert 12 Feb. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) What happened to the young skinny bird?..you still knobbing her? This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.c1405v.1549
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knobn.

Phrases

Compounds

Derivatives

knobv.