Definition

1. Noun:
   • A vulcanized rubber disk used in ice hockey: A hard, flat, circular object made of vulcanized rubber, measuring three inches in diameter, which players hit with sticks in the game of ice hockey.
   • A mischievous sprite in folklore: A small, often troublesome fairy or spirit from English folklore, known for playing tricks.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Ice hockey object):
  • The goalie blocked the puck with his glove.
  • The puck slid across the ice and into the net.
• Noun (Folklore creature):
  • In the story, a puck led the travelers astray in the woods.
  • Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" features a character named Puck.

Advanced Usage

• "To drop the puck": In ice hockey, this is the action of the referee beginning or restarting play by placing the puck between two opposing players' sticks.
  • The referee will drop the puck at center ice to start the period.
• "Puckish" (Adjective): Behaving in a playful, mischievous way, like the folklore sprite.
  • He had a puckish sense of humor, always playing practical jokes.

Variants and Related Words

• Puckish (adj): Playfully mischievous.
• Hockey puck (n): The full, specific term for the disk used in ice hockey.

Synonyms

• Disk (for the hockey object): A flat, thin, round object.
• Sprite / Imp / Hobgoblin (for the folklore creature): A small, supernatural being, often mischievous.

Related Idioms

• "As quick as a puck": An informal simile implying something moves very swiftly, like a hockey puck.
  • The news spread through the office as quick as a puck.

Noun

1. a vulcanized rubber disk 3 inches in diameter that is used instead of a ball in ice hockey
2. a mischievous sprite of English folklore