akimbo means with a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward. It carries an Arena rating of 1841, earned across 30 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, akimbo ranks #94 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #472 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #687 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,458 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
akimbo is pronounced /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/.
Why “akimbo” is a great word
Akimbo is a posture with hands on the hips and elbows turned sharply outward. From Middle English in kenebowe (“in a sharp bend”), likely from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“bow”), first attested in the 15th century. Unlike arms folded, which seals the body in withdrawal, or sprawled, which surrenders it to careless diffusion, akimbo is a stance of angular confrontation. It is the silhouette of a schoolmarm awaiting an answer, a foreman surveying a lagging crew, a heroine planted in defiance—elbows jutting like architectural brackets, the body’s own punctuation asserting a stubborn comma in the face of a world rushing toward a period.
Etymology
From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compare Icelandic kengboginn (“bow-bent”).
adj
- With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.e.g.“"Now, then, mister," said he, with his head cocked and his arms akimbo, "what are you driving at? Let's have it straight, now."” — 1892 [January], A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. VII.—The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume III (J
- With legs spread and the knees bent in an outward or awkward way, sometimes with the feet touching.
adv
- Into, in, or of the position where the arms are akimbo.e.g.“The man was standing akimbo.”
- Of weapons, especially firearms: one held in each hand.e.g.“Although it was a little impractical, Elmer held his revolvers akimbo because to him it looked cool.”
verb
- To wield (two weapons), one in each hand.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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