hook and eye
1
3.6
- noun
- /hʊk ənd aɪ/
:
gancho y ojal
- Attach the inserts inside the garment by sewing them to the facings; alternatively, make them removable by using snaps or hooks and eyes to hold them in place.
It has a hook and eye system that makes the two edges join flat like this.
- It has a hook and eye system that makes the two edges join flat like this.
Examples
-
She reached behind to unfasten the hook and eye at the back of her neck, worked the zipper down without help, stepped out of the dress, and in her underwear took the sharp scissors.
Fiction book (2001) -
It has a hook and eye system that makes the two edges join flat like this.
-
Of hook-and-eye.
Fiction book (1994) -
This mid-length coat with hook and eye fur closures appraised for over $1,000 at Macy's Fur Vault.
Blog text (15) -
You learn they have hooks and eyes instead of buttons, that they don't like having their picture taken, that they make herbal teas and drink lemonade, that they work as a community on barn raisings, and follow the teachings of the male elders.
Fiction book (1996) -
The dress could be easily fastened with a simple hook and eye closure.
-
To keep the window open during summer, I installed a hook and eye on the frame.
-
She adjusted her blouse, making sure the hook and eye was securely fastened.
Synonyms
14
2.6
A small hook or buckle that fastens things together
A small metal loop used to fasten clothing or hang small items
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun names the two literal parts — a hook and an eye/loop — and the meaning (a fastening made from those parts) is directly derivable from combining those constituent senses. This straightforward, literal composition (common cross-linguistically for naming simple fastenings) makes the expression immediately understandable to learners who know the relevant word senses.
Etymology
Hook and eye names the little clothing fastener: a metal hook that fits into a small loop called an eye. Tailors used these pairs to quietly 'fasten' clothes at the back or waist, so the phrase now means that small clasp used to hold clothes closed.