skyhook

[skahy-hoo k] /ˈskaɪˌhʊk/
noun
1.
a fanciful hook imagined to be suspended in the air.
2.
any of various lifting devices, as one hung from a helicopter, designed to lift heavy loads to distances beyond the reach of a jib crane.
3.
a high, arching hook shot in basketball.
Origin
1910-15; sky + hook1
Examples from the web for skyhook
  • In a skyhook suspension configuration, the seat is attached to a fixed point in the sky through a damper.
  • skyhook was one of the first major programs to take advantage of the new balloon technology.
Word Origin and History for skyhook
n.

also sky-hook, "imaginary device to hold things up," 1915, originally aviators' jargon, from sky (n.) + hook (n.). Applied from 1935 to actual device for lifting things into the air.

Slang definitions & phrases for skyhook

skyhook

noun
  1. An imaginary hook in the sky, which explains why some things stay up, which solves the problems of keeping some things up, etc: How will I hold up the roof when I fix the wall? On a skyhook, of course (1915+)
  2. A high hook shot at the basket (1980s+ Basketball)