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Webster 1913 Edition


Chockablock

Chock′a-block

,
Adj.
(Naut.)
Hoisted as high as the tackle will admit; brought close together, as the two blocks of a tackle in hoisting.

Definition 2024


chockablock

chockablock

English

Alternative forms

Adjective

chockablock (comparative more chockablock, superlative most chockablock)

  1. (nautical) (of a ship's hoisting tackle) Having the blocks drawn close together so no further movement is possible, as when the tackle is hauled to the utmost.
  2. (by extension) Jammed tightly together; very crowded; completely filled or stuffed.
    Some of Sardinia's gorgeous seaside towns have lately been invaded by builders who erected chockablock housing that catered to middle-income tourists but threatened to spoil the landscape.

Translations

Adverb

chockablock (comparative more chockablock, superlative most chockablock)

  1. In a crowded manner; as completely or closely as possible.
    His study had books stacked chockablock on every shelf.
    The meeting hall was chockablock full of angry citizens.
    • 2012, The Economist, Oct 13th 2012, Free exchange: Concrete gains
      AMERICA is full of vast, empty spaces. Europe, by contrast, seems chock-a-block with humanity, its history shaped by a lack of continental elbowroom.

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