akimbo

English

WOTD – 2 August 2009

A woman with arms akimbo.

Alternative forms

• akembo, a kimbow, kimbo (all archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compare Icelandic kengboginn (“bow-bent”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈkɪm.boʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmbəʊ

Adjective

akimbo (not comparable)

1. With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.
   • 1892 [January], A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. VII.—The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume III (January to June), number [13], London: George Newnes, Limited, […], page 80, column 1:

     "Now, then, mister," said he, with his head cocked and his arms akimbo, "what are you driving at? Let's have it straight, now."

   • 1921, Lydia Clark, Physical Training for the Elementary Schools: Gymnastics, Games, and Rhythmic Plays, page 66:

     Girls take hold of the skirts; boys place the hands akimbo, bend forward from the waist, and bow.

   • 2004, Zirka Z. Filipczak, “Poses and Passions: Mona Lisa's 'Closely Folded' Hands”, in G K Paster et al., editors, Reading the Early Modern Passions: Essays in the Cultural History of Emotion, page 83:

     Men preferred one pose above all others, namely, the elbow akimbo.

Usage notes

• Almost always used after the noun modified.

Translations

with a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward

• Albanian: me duart në ijë
• Armenian: ձեռքերը կանթած (jeṙkʻerə kantʻac)
• Bikol Central: sarikaw
• Catalan: en gerres
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 插腰 (chāyāo)

• Czech: s rukama v bok
• Dutch: met de handen
• Esperanto: mansurkokse
• Estonian: puusas
• French: poings sur hanches
• Georgian: დოინჯშემოყრილი (doinǯšemoq̇rili)
• German: in die Seiten gestemmt
• Icelandic: með hendur á mjöðmum
• Ilocano: nakabannikes
• Portuguese: de mãos nas ancas, de mãos à ilharga
• Serbo-Croatian: podbočen
• Spanish: en jarras (es)
• Tagalog: nakapamaywang

Adverb

akimbo (not comparable)

1. Into, in, or of the position where the arms are akimbo.

   The man was standing akimbo.

   • 1903, Emily Constance Baird Cook, Highways and byways in London, page 430:

     Otherwise, it is likely that she may be accosted as "dear" or "Sally,"—invited to take "a drop o' tea," or otherwise chaffed by rough women standing akimbo at street doors.

   • 1978, Padma Upadhyaya, Female Images in the Museums of Uttar Pradesh, page 272:

     ...and the other end window bearing the figure of a woman standing akimbo with her right hand touching her right temple.

2. Of weapons, especially firearms: one held in each hand.

   Although it was a little impractical, Elmer held his revolvers akimbo because to him it looked cool.

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰewgʰ- (0 c, 12 e)

Translations

with arms akimbo

• Bulgarian: с ръце на кръста (s rǎce na krǎsta)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 插腰地 (chāyāode)

• Finnish: kädet lanteilla
• Georgian: დოინჯშემოყრილი (doinǯšemoq̇rili)
• German: die Arme in die Seite gestemmt, die Arme in die Hüften gestemmt
• Hungarian: csípőre tett kézzel
• Portuguese: com as mãos na cintura
• Russian: подбоче́нившись (ru) (podbočénivšisʹ)
• Spanish: con los brazos en jarras
• Swedish: höfterfäst (sv)

Further reading

• “akimbo”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Michael Quinion (1996–2024) “Akimbo”, in World Wide Words.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “akimbo”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.