Definition

1. Noun:
   • (Rugby): The player positioned in the middle of the front row of the scrum, whose primary role is to try to win possession of the ball by hooking it back with the foot.
   • (Golf): A golfer, typically right-handed, whose shots have a marked tendency to curve to the left (a "hook" shot).
   • (Profession): A prostitute, particularly one who solicits clients on the street.
   • (Historical Figure, English Theology): Richard Hooker (1554–1600), an influential English theologian and Anglican priest.
   • (Historical Figure, U.S. Military): Joseph Hooker (1814–1879), a United States Army general during the American Civil War.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Rugby):
  • The hooker successfully won the ball in the scrum.
  • A team's hooker is crucial for set-piece possession.
• Noun (Golf):
  • He's a notorious hooker; his ball always bends left.
• Noun (Profession):
  • The police arrested a hooker for solicitation.
  • The term is considered derogatory and offensive.
• Noun (Historical/Theological):
  • Hooker's writings are foundational to Anglican thought.
• Noun (Historical/Military):
  • General Hooker commanded the Army of the Potomac.

Advanced Usage

• "Old hooker": An informal, often affectionate, term for an old ship or boat of any type.
  • He still sails that old hooker around the bay.

Variants and Related Words

• Hook (verb/noun): The action or the curved implement from which the term derives. In rugby, to hook the ball. In golf, a shot that curves left.
• Hook (verb, slang): To attract or ensnare, related to the solicitation meaning.

Synonyms

• For the rugby position: (Position-specific, no direct synonym).
• For the golfer: A player with a hook.
• For the profession (offensive): Prostitute, sex worker, streetwalker.
• For the historical figures: (Proper nouns, no synonyms).

Related Phrasal Verbs/Compounds

• None directly from "hooker" itself. (Note: Phrasal verbs like "hook up" are derived from "hook," not "hooker").

Related Idioms

• None that use the exact word "hooker".

Noun

1. (rugby) the player in the middle of the front row of the scrum who tries to capture the ball with the foot
2. a golfer whose shots typically curve left (for right-handed golfers)
3. a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets
4. English theologian (1554-1600)
5. United States general in the Union Army who was defeated at Chancellorsville by Robert E. Lee (1814-1879)