Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who is dishonest or a criminal: A "crook" is someone who commits crimes or acts in a dishonest way.
   • A bend or curve: A "crook" is a curved or bent part of something, like a road or a river.
   • A long staff with a curved end: A "crook" is a stick or staff that has a hook at one end, traditionally used by shepherds.

2. Verb:

   • To bend or curve something: To "crook" means to bend something, especially a finger or an arm, into a curved shape.

Usage Examples

• Noun (person):
  • That salesman is a crook; he sold me a broken car.
  • The police finally caught the crook who robbed the bank.
• Noun (bend):
  • There's a sharp crook in the path just ahead.
  • He carried the lamb in the crook of his arm.
• Verb:
  • She crooked her finger, signaling for me to come closer.
  • The old tree's branches crooked toward the ground.

Advanced Usage

• "By hook or by crook": This idiom means by any means necessary, whether fair or unfair.
  • He was determined to win the competition by hook or by crook.
• "The crook of the arm/elbow": Refers to the inner, bent part of the arm where it joins the elbow.
  • She held the baby gently in the crook of her arm.

Variants and Related Words

• Crooked (adjective): Not straight; bent, twisted, or dishonest.
  • The picture on the wall is crooked. (bent)
  • He was involved in a crooked business deal. (dishonest)

Synonyms

• Noun (person): Criminal, swindler, thief, fraudster.
• Noun (bend): Bend, curve, turn, angle.
• Verb: Bend, curve, hook, flex.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Crook" is not commonly used to form standard phrasal verbs. Its meanings are typically covered by the verb itself or related idioms.)

Related Idioms

• "By hook or by crook": As mentioned above, to achieve something by any method possible.
• "On the crook": (Slang) Acting in a dishonest or illegal manner.
  • He got those goods on the crook.

Noun

1. a long staff with one end being hook shaped
2. a circular segment of a curve
   • a bend in the road
   • a crook in the path
3. someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

Verb

1. bend or cause to bend
   • He crooked his index finger
   • the road curved sharply