from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Knock \Knock\ (n[o^]k), v. t.
1. To strike with something hard or heavy; to move by
striking; to drive (a thing) against something; as, to
knock a ball with a bat; to knock the head against a post;
to knock a lamp off the table.
[1913 Webster]
When heroes knock their knotty heads together.
--Rowe.
[1913 Webster]
2. To strike for admittance; to rap upon, as a door.
[1913 Webster]
Master, knock the door hard. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. To impress strongly or forcibly; to astonish; to move to
admiration or applause. [Slang, Eng.]
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
4. To criticise; to find fault with; to disparage. "Don't
knock it if you haven't tried it."
[PJC]
{To knock in the head}, or {To knock on the head}, to stun or
kill by a blow upon the head; hence, to put am end to; to
defeat, as a scheme or project; to frustrate; to quash.
[Colloq.] -- {To knock off}.
(a) To force off by a blow or by beating.
(b) To assign to a bidder at an auction, by a blow on the
counter.
(c) To leave off (work, etc.). [Colloq.] -- {To knock
out}, to force out by a blow or by blows; as, to knock out
the brains.
{To knock up}.
(a) To arouse by knocking.
(b) To beat or tire out; to fatigue till unable to do
more; as, the men were entirely knocked up. [Colloq.]
"The day being exceedingly hot, the want of food had
knocked up my followers." --Petherick.
(c) (Bookbinding) To make even at the edges, or to shape
into book form, as printed sheets.
(d) To make pregnant. Often used in passive, "she got
knocked up". [vulgar]