quirk
To move with a wry jerkTo (cause to) move with a wry jerk.
» Tom has his quirks.
Meaning
4 senses(ambitransitive)To (cause to) move with a wry jerk.
He quirked an eyebrow.
The corners of her mouth quirked.
(transitive)To furnish with a quirk or channel.
To alter in a unique and unusual way.
(archaic, intransitive)To use verbal tricks or quibbles.
- twist or curve abruptly
Examples
18 sentencesTom has his quirks.
That's just a quirk of his.
deDas ist nur so eine Eigenart von ihm.
Old people have their own quirks.
ruУ стариков свои причуды.
Every language has its own quirks.
ruУ каждого языка есть свои особенности.
deJede Sprache hat ihre eigenen Besonderheiten.
It was just a quirk of fate.
deEs war nur eine Laune des Schicksals.
Origin
First attested in the 1540s. Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle English *querk, froFirst attested in the 1540s. Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Middle English *querk, from Old Norse kverk (“a bend or angle, especially below a cross-beam or below the chin, the bight of an axe", also "throat, gullet”), from Proto-Germanic *kwerkō (“throat, gullet”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- (“to devour; maw”). Cognate with Scots querk (“throat", also "any hollow in the body, such as an armpit, groin, instep, etc.”), Icelandic kverk (“interior angle”). Also partially from dialectal quirk, querk (“a whim, fancy, fuss, huff, complaint", also "to peevishly grumble, grunt, sigh, croak, die”), from Middle English querken, *quirken (“to choke”), from Old Norse kvirkja (“to choke, strangle”), from the same origin above. Related to dialectal querken, quirken (“to choke”). Likely not related to queer.
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Forms
quirks, quirking, quirked, quirkedLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle