lark1

[lahrk] /lɑrk/
noun
1.
any of numerous, chiefly Old World oscine birds, of the family Alaudidae, characterized by an unusually long, straight hind claw, especially the skylark, Alauda arvensis.
2.
any of various similar birds of other families, as the meadowlark and titlark.
Origin
before 900; Middle English larke, Old English lāwerce; cognate with German Lerche, Dutch leeuwerik, Old Norse lǣvirki

lark2

[lahrk] /lɑrk/
noun
1.
a merry, carefree adventure; frolic; escapade.
2.
innocent or good-natured mischief; a prank.
3.
something extremely easy to accomplish, succeed in, or to obtain:
That exam was a lark.
verb (used without object)
4.
to have fun; frolic; romp.
5.
to behave mischievously; play pranks.
6.
Fox Hunting. (of a rider) to take jumps unnecessarily:
He tired his horse by larking on the way home.
Origin
1805-15; origin uncertain
Related forms
larker, noun
larkiness, larkishness, noun
larkingly, adverb
larkish, larky, adjective
larkishly, adverb
larksome, adjective
Examples from the web for lark
  • Nuclear weapons control has been a lark in comparison.
  • So people went to bed soon after dark and rose with the lark.
  • Soon the whole lot of them are heading south on a lark.
  • By his standards, the first three months of walking were a lark.
  • In this horror thriller, a group of college students on a lark come to the town with predictable results.
  • Later, shortly after they were arrested, some of them smirked and joked as if they were still on a lark.
  • The trip may have begun as a lark, filled with audacious pranks.
  • On a lark, he and some film-student buddies decided to whip up a show featuring his cooking exploits.
  • The sensitivity of the lark sparrow and ring-necked pheasant to habitat fragmentation has not been studied.
British Dictionary definitions for lark

lark1

/lɑːk/
noun
1.
any brown songbird of the predominantly Old World family Alaudidae, esp the skylark: noted for their singing
2.
short for titlark, meadowlark
3.
(often capital) any of various slender but powerful fancy pigeons, such as the Coburg Lark
4.
up with the lark, up early in the morning
Word Origin
Old English lāwerce, lǣwerce, of Germanic origin; related to German Lerche, Icelandic lǣvirki

lark2

/lɑːk/
noun
1.
a carefree adventure or frolic
2.
a harmless piece of mischief
3.
what a lark!, how amusing!
verb (intransitive)
4.
(often foll by about) to have a good time by frolicking
5.
to play a prank
Derived Forms
larker, noun
larkish, adjective
larkishness, noun
Word Origin
C19: originally slang, perhaps related to laik
Word Origin and History for lark
n.

"songbird," early 14c., earlier lauerche (c.1200), from Old English lawerce (late Old English laferce), from Proto-Germanic *laiw(a)rikon (cf. Old Saxon lewerka, Frisian liurk, Old Norse lævirik, Dutch leeuwerik, German Lerche), of unknown origin. Some Old English and Old Norse forms suggest a compound meaning "treason-worker," but there is no folk tale to explain or support this.

"spree, frolic," 1811, possibly shortening of skylark (1809), sailors' slang "play rough in the rigging of a ship" (larks were proverbial for high-flying), or from English dialectal lake/laik "to play" (c.1300, from Old Norse leika "to play," from PIE *leig- "to leap") with intrusive -r- common in southern British dialect. The verb lake, considered characteristic of Northern English vocabulary, is the opposite of work but lacks the other meanings of play. As a verb, from 1813. Related: Larked; larking.

Slang definitions & phrases for lark

lark

noun

A merry time •Chiefly British (1811+)

verb

: This is no time to go larking (1813+)

[origin uncertain; perhaps fr an allusion to the bird, since skylark in the same sense is found somewhat earlier]


Idioms and Phrases with lark

lark

In addition to the idiom beginning with lark also see: happy as the day is long (as a lark)