Crooker

[kroo k] /krʊk/

adjective, Australian.
1.
sick or feeble.
2.
ill-humored; angry.
3.
out of order; functioning improperly.
4.
unsatisfactory; disappointing.
/krʊk/
noun
1.
a curved or hooked thing
2.
a staff with a hooked end, such as a bishop’s crosier or shepherd’s staff
3.
a turn or curve; bend
4.
(informal) a dishonest person, esp a swindler or thief
5.
the act or an instance of crooking or bending
6.
Also called shank. a piece of tubing added to a brass instrument in order to obtain a lower harmonic series
verb
7.
to bend or curve or cause to bend or curve
adjective
8.
(Austral & NZ, informal)

9.
(Austral & NZ, informal) go crook, go off crook, to lose one’s temper
10.
(Austral & NZ, informal) go crook at, go crook on, to rebuke or upbraid
n.

early 13c., “hook-shaped instrument or weapon,” from Old Norse krokr “hook, corner,” cognate with Old High German kracho “hooked tool,” of obscure origin but perhaps related to a widespread group of Germanic kr- words meaning “bent, hooked.” Meaning “swindler” is American English, 1879, from crooked in figurative sense of “dishonest” (1708). Crook “dishonest trick” was in Middle English.

Related Terms

pinky-crooker

noun

A habitual or professional criminal; a consistently dishonest person: The chief said, ”I’m not a crook” (1870s+)

verb

To steal: He crooked my socks (1940s+)
In addition to the idioms beginning with crook crook one’s elbow