Sekirov Dictionary

jack-knife

noun 5
verb 2
forms 4

noun5

•
A compact folding knife.
- He kept a jack-knife in his pocket for various tasks.
•
(informal) A semi-trailer truck accident in which the vehicle mimics the closing of a jack-knife.
- I have seen several jack-knives along that dangerous stretch of road.
•
The front-dive pike, in which the body folds and unfolds.
- It took me hundreds of dives to master even the simple jackknife.
An abdominal exercise where knees and torso are raised from a lying position.
•
A game of skill played with a pocket knife in which participants try to throw or flip the knife to stick upright in the ground at specified points or areas.
- Over at the stable, the men joke and drink whiskey, talk crops and play jack-knife […] — 1948

verb2

•
To fold in the middle, as a jackknife does.
- The cat jackknifed in the air and landed gracefully on its feet.
•
To cause a semi-trailer truck to fold like a jackknife in a traffic accident.
- Before I knew what was happening, I'd jack-knifed the truck.
- Before I knew what was happening, I'd jack-knifed.

forms

jack-knifed · jack-knifing · jack-knifes · jack-knives

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