poke
- noun
- /poʊk/
- Informal
- Don't be an old poke.
- a slow poke
Examples
-
But the same can be said of other cyclists passing me (I'm a slow-poke); only maybe 10% give me any warning.
Blog text (25) -
Old poke.
-
But this will still be the slow poke in converging.
-
Old poke.
-
- Slow pokes.
-
Jeez, slow poke.
-
By now, he must have had too many promising thoroughbreds in his stable to bother with a slow-poke plug like myself.
Fiction book (1996) -
He slowed from his trot-and-shuffle to a half-assed poke-along and then walked from the corner to the fence that separates his father's yard from hers, and she stepped from the shadows between the two houses.
Fiction book (1997) -
I often find myself behind a slow poke at the grocery store, taking forever to check out.
-
The race was exciting, but I finished last because I was such a slow poke on the track.
Synonyms
A person who works slowly and avoids effort
A person who does things more slowly than other people
A person or thing that is slower than others and falls behind
A person who falls behind others because they are slower
A person who takes a long time to do things and makes others wait
A person who moves slowly and wastes time
A person who wastes time by being slow to act or decide
A person who delays decisions and wastes time
A person who moves forward very slowly, one small step at a time
Idioms
- Informal
To do something on purpose to make an angry or dangerous person react
- Informal
To buy something without checking it first and risk being cheated
- Informal
A joking way to say something is very unpleasant or painful
Compounds
- US
A poisonous plant with large leaves and greenish yellow flower clusters that people use in traditional medicine
- Specialized
A quick push with a hockey stick that knocks the puck away from an opponent
A milkweed plant from eastern North America with white and green flowers that grows in shady woods
How Slow
Surface Forms
Etymology
Poke for a slow person is old slang and may come from the word poky ('slow' or cramped); a helpful way to remember it is to picture someone moving as if stuck in a small space, so they lag behind.