knock on wood see touch wood under touch

knock out

1. To dislodge by a blow
2. To strike unconscious or incapable of recovering in time (boxing)
3. To defeat in a knockout competition
4. To overcome, demolish, destroy, disable
5. To produce, esp quickly or roughly (informal)
6. To tire (oneself) out (slang)
7. To overwhelm with amazement, admiration, etc (slang)
8. To disable (a specific gene) in order to study the effect that it has on an organism (genetics)

knock sideways (informal)

To put off one's usual course

knock the bottom out of (informal)

1. To make, or show to be, invalid
2. To make ineffectual, bring to nothing

knock the (living) daylights out of see under day

knock together (informal)

To get together or construct hastily

knock under (archaic)

To give in, yield

knock up

1. To rouse by knocking
2. To wear out
3. To construct or arrange hastily
4. To achieve (a certain score) (games, esp cricket)
5. To practise immediately before a match (tennis, etc)
6. To make pregnant (slang)

on the knocker

1. On credit (slang)
2. Immediately, on the nail (Aust sl)

up to the knocker (obs sl)

Up to the required standard of excellence or fashion

touch /tuch/

transitive verb

1. To come or be in contact with
2. To cause to be in contact
3. To feel or tap lightly, esp with the hand
4. To get at
5. To reach as far as
6. To attain
7. To equal, rival or compare with
8. To make a light application to
9. To begin to eat, eat a little of
10. To make use of
11. To affect, esp injuriously
12. To hit, wound or injure
13. To disturb or harm (usu with neg)
14. To cope or deal with
15. To impress
16. To affect with emotion, esp pity
17. To have to do with
18. To concern
19. To strike home to
20. To mark or modify by light strokes
21. To tinge
22. To extract money from (with for; informal)
23. To make some reference to, say something about esp in passing
24. To meet without cutting, or meet tangentially (geometry)
25. To play (eg an instrument or melody) (music)
26. To call at (eg a port)
27. To cause to touch the ground behind the try-line (commonly with down; rugby)
28. To test as with a touchstone
29. To receive, draw, pocket
30. To bribe (obsolete)
31. To cheat (slang)

intransitive verb

1. To be or come in contact
2. To make a passing call at a port
3. To verge
4. To make some mention or reference (with on or upon)
5. To have reference

noun

1. The sense by which nature, texture and quality of objects can be perceived through physical contact with the hands, feet, skin, lips, etc
2. The particular texture and qualities as perceived through such contact
3. An act of touching or the sense of being touched
4. A feeling
5. A slight application, modification, stroke
6. A small quantity
7. A slight attack of illness
8. A tinge
9. A trace
10. A smack
11. Ability, skill
12. A trait
13. A little
14. A slight hit, wound, blemish or reproach
15. The manner or nicety of producing tone on (now esp) a keyed instrument
16. The instrument's response
17. A characteristic manner, style or trait
18. A stroke of art
19. The relation of communication, sympathy, harmony
20. Communication, contact
21. A game in which one has to pursue and touch others
22. The area outside the field of play (football, etc)
23. A test, eg with a touchstone
24. A touchstone
25. A black marble or similar monumental stone (obsolete)
26. An official stamp of fineness on gold, etc
27. Fineness
28. Stamp (figurative)
29. Theft (slang)
30. A sum got by theft or by touching (slang)
31. A person from whom money can be obtained by touching (slang)
32. That which will find buyers at such and such a price (slang)

touchˈable adjective

1. Capable of being touched
2. Fit to be touched

touchˈableness noun

touched adjective

1. Having been touched
2. Affected with emotion, esp pity
3. Slightly unsound mentally

touchˈer noun

touchˈily adverb

touchˈiness noun

touchˈing noun adjective

1. Affecting
2. Moving
3. Pathetic

preposition

Concerning

touchˈingly adverb

touchˈingness noun

touchˈless adjective

1. Without a sense of touch
2. Intangible
3. Not involving physical contact

touchˈy adjective (touchˈier; touchˈiest)

1. Over-sensitive
2. Irascible
3. Risky, requiring careful handling or caution (esp US)

touch and go noun

1. A narrow escape
2. A critical or precariously balanced situation

adjective

1. Precarious
2. Off-hand

touchˈback noun (American football)

A play in which the ball is dead on or behind a team's own goal line, having been put across the line by an opponent but actually put down by a member of that team

touchˈ-box noun

A tinderbox for a matchlock

touchˈdown noun

1. Touching of the ball to the ground by a player behind the try-line (rugby)
2. The possession of the ball by a player behind the opponents' goal line (American football)
3. (of air- or spacecraft) the act of alighting

touch football noun

Football in which tackling is replaced by touching

touch hole noun

The small hole of a cannon through which the fire is communicated to the charge

touchˈ-in-goal noun (rugby)

The areas at each end of the pitch behind the try-lines and outside the touchlines

touch judge noun (rugby)

An official who marks when and where the ball goes into touch

touchˈline noun

Either of the lines marking the side boundary in football, etc

touch mark noun

The maker's official stamp on pewter

touchˈ-me-not noun

1. Any of various plants of the genus Impatiens, having seed-pods which, when ripe, spring open at a touch
2. Lupus
3. A forbidden topic

adjective

Stand-offish

touch-me-notˈishness noun

touchpad noun (computing)

A small portable input device, operated by touching different areas on its surface (also trackpad)

touchˈpaper noun

Paper steeped in saltpetre for firing gunpowder, fireworks, etc

touchˈ-piece noun

A coin or medal formerly given by a king to those he touched for king's evil

touchˈ-plate noun

A plate bearing the pewterers' official stamp

touch rugby or touch rugger noun

A modified form of rugby in which touching takes the place of tackling

touch screen noun (computing)

A screen that doubles as an input device, and is operated by being touched

touchˈ-screen adjective

touchˈstone noun

1. Lydian stone, a highly siliceous (usu black) stone or other stone for testing gold or silver by the colour of the mark each makes on it
2. Any criterion

touch therapy noun

A therapy, such as massage, laying-on of hands, reflexology or aromatherapy, involving physical contact

touchˈtone adjective

(of telephones) having push buttons (rather than a dial) that cause distinct tones to sound at the exchange

noun

(Touchtone®) telephone equipment using this system

touchˈ-type transitive verb and intransitive verb

To type without looking at the keys of the typewriter

touchˈ-typing noun

touchˈ-typist noun

touchˈ-up noun

1. The act or process of renovating or making minor improvements
2. An instance of this

touchˈwood noun

Decayed wood that can be used as tinder

touchy-feelˈy adjective (informal)

Involving emotion and personal contact as distinct from intellectual activity

an easy (or a soft) touch (informal)

A person or institution easily persuaded, esp to lend money

in (or out of) touch

In (or out of) communication or direct relations

near touch

A close shave

touch base (with) (chiefly N American informal)

To make personal contact with

touch down

1. (of an air or spacecraft) to land
2. To ground the ball behind the opposing team's goal line (rugby)

touch off

To trigger, to cause to begin (also figurative)

touch up

1. To improve by a series of small touches
2. To stimulate (eg a horse) by a light blow
3. To caress, touch or molest sexually

touch wood or (N American) knock on wood or knock wood

To touch something wooden as a superstitious act to guard against bad luck (also used as an interjection to accompany the gesture or as a substitute for it)