heck
1
[hek]
/hɛk/
interjection
1.
(used as a mild expression of annoyance, rejection, disgust, etc.):
What the heck do you care?
noun
2.
something remarkable of its kind (usually used in the phrase
heck of a
):
That was a heck of an impressive speech. Have one heck of a good time.
Idioms
3.
as heck,
(used as a mild intensifier):
I say he's guilty as heck.
Origin
1850-55;
euphemistic alteration of
hell
heck
2
[hek]
/hɛk/
noun
1.
a comblike attachment on a loom, for guiding the warp threads as they are dressed for the warp beam.
2.
a device that guides yarn onto the bobbin of a spinning wheel.
3.
a gridlike arrangement of glass or metal rods below the hooks on a Jacquard loom, used for lifting all harness eyes equally or evenly.
Origin
1300-50;
Middle English
hekke,
Old English
hecc,
variant of
hæcc
hatch
2
Examples from the web for
heck
These solitary salamanders don't move a whole
heck
of a lot once they get comfortable.
Earl knew when and how to surprise the
heck
out of the listener.
The house is hot as
heck
so you have a fan cooling a room.
Make a billion or a trillion,
heck
you will have earned it.
It is not going to happen overnight, but it makes a
heck
of a lot of sense.
heck
, they are pasteurizing or irradiating everything that isn't pre-cooked.
heck
, they don't even make bank buildings as large as they used to, another technology and cost savings driven decision.
It was high stress even for experts who are supposed to know what the
heck
the thing was doing.
That's a
heck
of a lot lower than in previous years.
heck
, she'd probably be content to have health insurance.
British Dictionary definitions for
heck
heck
1
/
hɛk
/
interjection
1.
a mild exclamation of surprise, irritation, etc
Word Origin
C19: euphemistic for
hell
heck
2
/
hɛk
/
noun
1.
(
Northern English
,
dialect
) a frame for obstructing the passage of fish in a river
Word Origin
C14: variant of
hatch
²
Word Origin and History for
heck
euphemistic alteration of
hell
, first recorded 1865.
Slang definitions & phrases for
heck
heck
interjection
hell
(1887+)