The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
PLANK
plank
(noun) an endorsed policy in the platform of a political party
board, plank
(noun) a stout length of sawn timber; made in a wide variety of sizes and used for many purposes
plank
(verb) cook and serve on a plank; “Planked vegetable”; “Planked shad”
plank, plank over
(verb) cover with planks; “The streets were planked”
plank, flump, plonk, plop, plunk, plump down, plunk down, plump
(verb) set (something or oneself) down with or as if with a noise; “He planked the money on the table”; “He planked himself into the sofa”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Proper noun
Plank (plural Planks)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Plank is the 5331st most common surname in the United States, belonging to 6534 individuals. Plank is most common among White (95.59%) individuals.
Etymology
Noun
plank (plural planks)
A long, broad and thick piece of timber, as opposed to a board which is less thick.
A political issue that is of concern to a faction or a party of the people and the political position that is taken on that issue.
Physical exercise in which one holds a pushup position for a measured length of time.
(British, slang) A stupid person, idiot.
That which supports or upholds.
Synonyms
• See also idiot
Verb
plank (third-person singular simple present planks, present participle planking, simple past and past participle planked)
(transitive) To cover something with planking.
(transitive) To bake (fish, etc.) on a piece of cedar lumber.
(transitive, colloquial) To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash.
(transitive) To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.
To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.
(intransitive) To pose for a photograph while lying rigid, face down, arms at side, in an unusual place.
Source: Wiktionary
Plank, n. Etym: [OE. planke, OF. planque, planche, F. planche, fr. L. planca; cf. Gr. Planch.]
1. A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board.
2. Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer. His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot. Southey.
3. One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform. [Cant] Plank road, or Plank way, a road surface formed of planks. [U.S.] -- To walk the plank, to walk along a plank laid across the bulwark of a ship, until one overbalances it and falls into the sea; -- a method of disposing of captives practiced by pirates.
Plank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planked; p. pr. & vb. n. Planking.]
1. To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship. "Planked with pine." Dryden.
2. To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager. [Colloq. U.S.]
3. To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.
4. (Wooden Manuf.)
Definition: To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing. Planked shad, shad split open, fastened to a plank, and roasted before a wood fire.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
24 January 2025
AGITATION
(noun) a state of agitation or turbulent change or development; “the political ferment produced new leadership”; “social unrest”
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