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Glite Dictionary
poke check

poke check

8.2
A quick push with a hockey stick that knocks the puck away from an opponent
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : poke check
  • The defenseman executed a perfect poke check to strip the puck away from the attacking forward.

Examples

  • With a swift poke check, she was able to regain possession of the puck and initiate a counter-attack.

  • During the game, his poke check prevented the opponent from getting a clear shot on goal.

  • Another upside to being right-hand dominant and a left-handed hockey player is that when I only have one hand on the stick, it's my strongest hand, so I have more control over poke checks!

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Synonyms

check
vspoke check
  • Jargon
12 5.8

An act of using the body or stick to stop an opponent in hockey

is a quick jab with the stick aimed at knocking the puck away

How Forceful

charge
65 4.8
bodycheck
  • US
5.5
check
  • Jargon
12 5.8
poke check
  • Specialized
8.2

Surface Forms

poke check singular
poke checks plural

Morphology

poke + check

The noun transparently combines 'poke' (to jab or prod) with 'check' (a legal impediment with the stick), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a type of check performed by poking the puck away with the stick. Although it is sport-specific hockey jargon, the meaning is directly compositional and therefore understandable from the constituents.

Etymology

Poke check: The hockey term poke check comes from a simple, literal action. A player quickly pokes their stick to check the puck away from an opponent, so the phrase means 'knocking the puck away'.