word for the sentence
with the hands on the hips and the elbows turned out words
Answers
akimbo adjective or adverb
akim·bo | \ ə-ˈkim-(ˌ)bō \
Definition of akimbo
1 : having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward
2 : set in a bent position
a tailor sitting with legs akimbo
Did You Know?
It's "akimbo" nowadays, but in Middle English, the spelling "in kenebowe" was used for the bent, hand-on-hip arm (or later, for any bent position). Originally, the term was fairly neutral, but now saying that a person is standing with "arms akimbo" implies a posture that communicates defiance, confidence, aggressiveness, or arrogance. In her novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott took the word one step further, extending it into the figurative realm when she explained that tomboyish Jo had not been invited to participate in an elegant event with the other young ladies of the neighborhood because "her elbows were decidedly akimbo at this period of her life."
First Known Use of akimbo
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
History and Etymology for akimbo
Middle English in kenebowe
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