Definition

1. Noun:
   • (American football) A deceptive move: A quick, feinting motion made by a ball carrier to evade a defender.
   • (Southern US, informal) A roadside establishment: A small, casual bar or roadhouse, typically in the rural southeastern United States, offering food, drink, and music, often from a jukebox.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Football):

  • The running back made a sharp juke to the left, leaving the linebacker grasping at air.
  • His signature move is a head fake followed by a quick juke.

• Noun (Establishment):

  • We stopped at a little juke on the back road for some barbecue and a cold drink.
  • The music from the juke could be heard down the dusty street.

Advanced Usage

• As a verb (informal, derived from football sense): To make a deceptive feint or sudden change of direction to evade someone or something.
  • He juked the security guard and slipped through the gate.
  • The politician juked to the right on the issue when pressed by reporters.

Variants and Related Words

• Jukebox (n): A coin-operated machine that plays selected music recordings. This is a separate, compound word. The term "juke" in the establishment sense is historically linked to "jukebox."
• Juker (n, informal): A player who is skilled at making jukes (in football).

Synonyms

• Football move: Feint, fake, dodge, sidestep.
• Roadside establishment: Roadhouse, honky-tonk, dive bar, tavern.

Related Phrases

• Juke joint (n): Another term for a "juke" as an establishment, emphasizing its role as a place for dancing and socializing. This is a related compound term.
  • The blues band got its start playing in old juke joints across Mississippi.

Notes on Meaning

The two primary meanings of "juke" are distinct and context-dependent. The football term is widely used in sports commentary. The establishment term is regional and carries cultural connotations, often associated with blues music and rural Southern life. The verb form is an informal extension of the football noun.

Noun

1. (football) a deceptive move made by a football player
2. a small roadside establishment in the southeastern United States where you can eat and drink and dance to music provided by a jukebox