strike
    n 1: a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad
         work conditions; "the strike lasted more than a month
         before it was settled" [syn: strike, work stoppage]
    2: an attack that is intended to seize or inflict damage on or
       destroy an objective; "the strike was scheduled to begin at
       dawn"
    3: a gentle blow [syn: rap, strike, tap]
    4: a score in tenpins: knocking down all ten with the first
       ball; "he finished with three strikes in the tenth frame"
       [syn: strike, ten-strike]
    5: (baseball) a pitch that the batter swings at and misses, or
       that the batter hits into foul territory, or that the batter
       does not swing at but the umpire judges to be in the area
       over home plate and between the batter's knees and shoulders;
       "this pitcher throws more strikes than balls"
    6: a conspicuous success; "that song was his first hit and
       marked the beginning of his career"; "that new Broadway show
       is a real smasher"; "the party went with a bang" [syn: hit,
       smash, smasher, strike, bang]
    v 1: deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon;
         "The teacher struck the child"; "the opponent refused to
         strike"; "The boxer struck the attacker dead"
    2: have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; "This child
       impressed me as unusually mature"; "This behavior struck me
       as odd" [syn: affect, impress, move, strike]
    3: hit against; come into sudden contact with; "The car hit a
       tree"; "He struck the table with his elbow" [syn: hit,
       strike, impinge on, run into, collide with] [ant:
       miss]
    4: make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy,
       opponent, or a target; "The Germans struck Poland on Sept. 1,
       1939"; "We must strike the enemy's oil fields"; "in the fifth
       inning, the Giants struck, sending three runners home to win
       the game 5 to 2" [syn: strike, hit]
    5: indicate (a certain time) by striking; "The clock struck
       midnight"; "Just when I entered, the clock struck"
    6: affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely; "We were hit
       by really bad weather"; "He was stricken with cancer when he
       was still a teenager"; "The earthquake struck at midnight"
       [syn: hit, strike]
    7: stop work in order to press demands; "The auto workers are
       striking for higher wages"; "The employees walked out when
       their demand for better benefits was not met" [syn: strike,
       walk out]
    8: touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly; "Light fell
       on her face"; "The sun shone on the fields"; "The light
       struck the golden necklace"; "A strange sound struck my ears"
       [syn: fall, shine, strike]
    9: attain; "The horse finally struck a pace" [syn: come to,
       strike]
    10: produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical
        instruments, also metaphorically; "The pianist strikes a
        middle C"; "strike `z' on the keyboard"; "her comments
        struck a sour note" [syn: strike, hit]
    11: cause to form (an electric arc) between electrodes of an arc
        lamp; "strike an arc"
    12: find unexpectedly; "the archeologists chanced upon an old
        tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck
        the main path to the lake" [syn: fall upon, strike,
        come upon, light upon, chance upon, come across,
        chance on, happen upon, attain, discover]
    13: produce by ignition or a blow; "strike fire from the
        flintstone"; "strike a match"
    14: remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a
        line; "Please strike this remark from the record"; "scratch
        that remark" [syn: strike, scratch, expunge, excise]
    15: cause to experience suddenly; "Panic struck me"; "An
        interesting idea hit her"; "A thought came to me"; "The
        thought struck terror in our minds"; "They were struck with
        fear" [syn: hit, strike, come to]
    16: drive something violently into a location; "he hit his fist
        on the table"; "she struck her head on the low ceiling"
        [syn: hit, strike]
    17: occupy or take on; "He assumes the lotus position"; "She
        took her seat on the stage"; "We took our seats in the
        orchestra"; "She took up her position behind the tree";
        "strike a pose" [syn: assume, take, strike, take up]
    18: form by stamping, punching, or printing; "strike coins";
        "strike a medal" [syn: mint, coin, strike]
    19: smooth with a strickle; "strickle the grain in the measure"
        [syn: strickle, strike]
    20: pierce with force; "The bullet struck her thigh"; "The icy
        wind struck through our coats"
    21: arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing;
        "strike a balance"; "strike a bargain"

Strike \Strike\, v. t. [imp. Struck; p. p. Struck,
   Stricken(Stroock, Strucken, Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n.
   Striking. Struck is more commonly used in the p. p. than
   stricken.] [OE. striken to strike, proceed, flow, AS.
   str[imac]can to go, proceed, akin to D. strijken to rub,
   stroke, strike, to move, go, G. streichen, OHG.
   str[imac]hhan, L. stringere to touch lightly, to graze, to
   strip off (but perhaps not to L. stringere in sense to draw
   tight), striga a row, a furrow. Cf. Streak, Stroke.]
   1. To touch or hit with some force, either with the hand or
      with an instrument; to smite; to give a blow to, either
      with the hand or with any instrument or missile.
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            He at Philippi kept
            His sword e'en like a dancer; while I struck
            The lean and wrinkled Cassius.        --Shak.
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   2. To come in collision with; to strike against; as, a bullet
      struck him; the wave struck the boat amidships; the ship
      struck a reef.
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   3. To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a
      force to; to dash; to cast.
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            They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the
            two sideposts.                        --Ex. xii. 7.
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            Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow.
                                                  --Byron.
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   4. To stamp or impress with a stroke; to coin; as, to strike
      coin from metal: to strike dollars at the mint.
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   5. To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate; to set in
      the earth; as, a tree strikes its roots deep.
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   6. To punish; to afflict; to smite.
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            To punish the just is not good, nor strike princes
            for equity.                           --Prov. xvii.
                                                  26.
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   7. To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or
      notify by audible strokes; as, the clock strikes twelve;
      the drums strike up a march.
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   8. To lower; to let or take down; to remove; as, to strike
      sail; to strike a flag or an ensign, as in token of
      surrender; to strike a yard or a topmast in a gale; to
      strike a tent; to strike the centering of an arch.
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   9. To make a sudden impression upon, as by a blow; to affect
      sensibly with some strong emotion; as, to strike the mind,
      with surprise; to strike one with wonder, alarm, dread, or
      horror.
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            Nice works of art strike and surprise us most on the
            first view.                           --Atterbury.
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            They please as beauties, here as wonders strike.
                                                  --Pope.
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   10. To affect in some particular manner by a sudden
       impression or impulse; as, the plan proposed strikes me
       favorably; to strike one dead or blind.
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             How often has stricken you dumb with his irony!
                                                  --Landor.
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   11. To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a
       stroke; as, to strike a light.
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             Waving wide her myrtle wand,
             She strikes a universal peace through sea and land.
                                                  --Milton.
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   12. To cause to ignite; as, to strike a match.
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   13. To make and ratify; as, to strike a bargain.
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   Note: Probably borrowed from the L. foedus ferrire, to strike
         a compact, so called because an animal was struck and
         killed as a sacrifice on such occasions.
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   14. To take forcibly or fraudulently; as, to strike money.
       [Old Slang]
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   15. To level, as a measure of grain, salt, or the like, by
       scraping off with a straight instrument what is above the
       level of the top.
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   16. (Masonry) To cut off, as a mortar joint, even with the
       face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.
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   17. To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly; as, my eye struck a
       strange word; they soon struck the trail.
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   18. To borrow money of; to make a demand upon; as, he struck
       a friend for five dollars. [Slang]
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   19. To lade into a cooler, as a liquor. --B. Edwards.
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   20. To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.
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             Behold, I thought, He will . . . strike his hand
             over the place, and recover the leper. --2 Kings v.
                                                  11.
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   21. To advance; to cause to go forward; -- used only in past
       participle. "Well struck in years." --Shak.
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   To strike an attitude, To strike a balance. See under
      Attitude, and Balance.

   To strike a jury (Law), to constitute a special jury
      ordered by a court, by each party striking out a certain
      number of names from a prepared list of jurors, so as to
      reduce it to the number of persons required by law.
      --Burrill.

   To strike a lead.
       (a) (Mining) To find a vein of ore.
       (b) Fig.: To find a way to fortune. [Colloq.]

   To strike a ledger or To strike an account, to balance
      it.

   To strike hands with.
       (a) To shake hands with. --Halliwell.
       (b) To make a compact or agreement with; to agree with.
           

   To strike off.
       (a) To erase from an account; to deduct; as, to strike
           off the interest of a debt.
       (b) (Print.) To impress; to print; as, to strike off a
           thousand copies of a book.
       (c) To separate by a blow or any sudden action; as, to
           strike off what is superfluous or corrupt.

   To strike oil, to find petroleum when boring for it;
      figuratively, to make a lucky hit financially. [Slang,
      U.S.]

   To strike one luck, to shake hands with one and wish good
      luck. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.

   To strike out.
       (a) To produce by collision; to force out, as, to strike
           out sparks with steel.
       (b) To blot out; to efface; to erase. "To methodize is as
           necessary as to strike out." --Pope.
       (c) To form by a quick effort; to devise; to invent; to
           contrive, as, to strike out a new plan of finance.
       (d) (Baseball) To cause a player to strike out; -- said
           of the pitcher. See To strike out, under Strike,
           v. i.

   To strike sail. See under Sail.

   To strike up.
       (a) To cause to sound; to begin to beat. "Strike up the
           drums." --Shak.
       (b) To begin to sing or play; as, to strike up a tune.
       (c) To raise (as sheet metal), in making diahes, pans,
           etc., by blows or pressure in a die.

   To strike work, to quit work; to go on a strike.
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Strike \Strike\, v. i.
   To move; to advance; to proceed; to take a course; as, to
   strike into the fields.
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         A mouse . . . struck forth sternly [bodily]. --Piers
                                                  Plowman.
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   2. To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows.
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            And fiercely took his trenchant blade in hand,
            With which he stroke so furious and so fell.
                                                  --Spenser.
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            Strike now, or else the iron cools.   --Shak.
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   3. To hit; to collide; to dush; to clash; as, a hammer
      strikes against the bell of a clock.
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   4. To sound by percussion, with blows, or as with blows; to
      be struck; as, the clock strikes.
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            A deep sound strikes like a rising knell. --Byron.
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   5. To make an attack; to aim a blow.
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            A puny subject strikes
            At thy great glory.                   --Shak.
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            Struck for throne, and striking found his doom.
                                                  --Tennyson.
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   6. To touch; to act by appulse.
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            Hinder light but from striking on it [porphyry], and
            its colors vanish.                    --Locke.
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   7. To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; as, the ship
      struck in the night.
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   8. To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to
      penetrate.
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            Till a dart strike through his liver. --Prov. vii.
                                                  23.
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            Now and then a glittering beam of wit or passion
            strikes through the obscurity of the poem. --Dryden.
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   9. To break forth; to commence suddenly; -- with into; as, to
      strike into reputation; to strike into a run.
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   10. To lower a flag, or colors, in token of respect, or to
       signify a surrender of a ship to an enemy.
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             That the English ships of war should not strike in
             the Danish seas.                     --Bp. Burnet.
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   11. To quit work in order to compel an increase, or prevent a
       reduction, of wages.
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   12. To become attached to something; -- said of the spat of
       oysters.
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   13. To steal money. [Old Slang, Eng.] --Nares.
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   To strike at, to aim a blow at.

   To strike for, to start suddenly on a course for.

   To strike home, to give a blow which reaches its object, to
      strike with effect.

   To strike in.
       (a) To enter suddenly.
       (b) To disappear from the surface, with internal effects,
           as an eruptive disease.
       (c) To come in suddenly; to interpose; to interrupt. "I
           proposed the embassy of Constantinople for Mr.
           Henshaw, but my Lord Winchelsea struck in." --Evelyn.
       (d) To join in after another has begun,as in singing.

   To strike in with, to conform to; to suit itself to; to
      side with, to join with at once. "To assert this is to
      strike in with the known enemies of God's grace." --South.

   To strike out.
       (a) To start; to wander; to make a sudden excursion; as,
           to strike out into an irregular course of life.
       (b) To strike with full force.
       (c) (Baseball) To be put out for not hitting the ball
           during one's turn at the bat.

   To strike up, to commence to play as a musician; to begin
      to sound, as an instrument. "Whilst any trump did sound,
      or drum struck up." --Shak.
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Strike \Strike\, n.
   1. The act of striking.
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   2. An instrument with a straight edge for leveling a measure
      of grain, salt, and the like, scraping off what is above
      the level of the top; a strickle.
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   3. A bushel; four pecks. [Prov. Eng.] --Tusser.
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   4. An old measure of four bushels. [Prov. Eng.]
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   5. Fullness of measure; hence, excellence of quality.
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            Three hogsheads of ale of the first strike. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
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   6. An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence. [Obs.]
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   7. The act of quitting work; specifically, such an act by a
      body of workmen, usually organized by a labor union, done
      as a means of enforcing compliance with demands made on
      their employer.
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            Strikes are the insurrections of labor. --F. A.
                                                  Walker.
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   8. (Iron Working) A puddler's stirrer.
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   9. (Geol.) The horizontal direction of the outcropping edges
      of tilted rocks; or, the direction of a horizontal line
      supposed to be drawn on the surface of a tilted stratum.
      It is at right angles to the dip.
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   10. The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money,
       by threat of injury; blackmailing.
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   11. A sudden finding of rich ore in mining; hence, any sudden
       success or good fortune, esp. financial.
       [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   12. (Bowling, U. S.) The act of leveling all the pins with
       the first bowl; also, the score thus made. Sometimes
       called double spare. Throwing a strike entitles the
       player to add to the score for that frame the total
       number of pins knocked down in the next two bowls.
       [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

   13. (Baseball) Any actual or constructive striking at the
       pitched ball, three of which, if the ball is not hit
       fairly, cause the batter to be put out; hence, any of
       various acts or events which are ruled as equivalent to
       such a striking, as failing to strike at a ball so
       pitched that the batter should have struck at it. "It's
       one, two, three strikes you're out in the old ball game."
       --[Take me out to the ball game]
       [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

   14. (Tenpins) Same as Ten-strike.
       [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   Strike block (Carp.), a plane shorter than a jointer, used
      for fitting a short joint. --Moxon.

   Strike of flax, a handful that may be hackled at once.
      [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] --Chaucer.

   Strike of sugar. (Sugar Making)
       (a) The act of emptying the teache, or last boiler, in
           which the cane juice is exposed to heat, into the
           coolers.
       (b) The quantity of the sirup thus emptied at once.
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