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akimbo
in a sentence

show 59 more with this conextual meaning
  • He frowns at me for a moment, arms akimbo.†   (source)
  • He went past power pylons with their spindly arms akimbo.†   (source)
  • If she put the cane aside, her four limbs went akimbo as she tried to maintain her balance.†   (source)
  • It's not like he's even premed, like Chiniqua, whom he spots near the aisle, her birdlike arms akimbo, elbows out and pencil scribbling, with her face pressed close to the page.†   (source)
  • -BONO, AT THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST, FEBRUARY 2, 2006 Maggie Shay stood, his arms akimbo, looking just as surprised to be unshackled as we were to see him that way.†   (source)
  • …sudden wet warmth upon my face and seeing the safe shooting wildly into the intersection and the men rounding the corner into the dark, pounding, gone; gone now, as the skittering safe bounded off at a tangent, shot into the intersection and lodged in the third rail and sent up a curtain of sparks that lit up the block like a blue dream; a dream I was dreaming and through which I could see the cops braced as on a target range, feet forward, free arms akimbo, firing with deliberate aim.†   (source)
  • Two steps inside the glass doors, the dead man lies faceup with his legs akimbo and his mouth gaping.†   (source)
  • Then she is leaning in the empty doorway, arms akimbo, almost standing in the way I would glimpse her when I left her countless times before, her figure steeled, allowing.†   (source)
  • Bourne stood arms akimbo, billowing his cheeks, his breath escaping slowly as his eyes shifted from one manikin to another, he was an uncertain man about to make up his mind.†   (source)
  • The whole airport went akimbo with excitement.†   (source)
  • Rachel and Cayley, after a short period of mourning, went back to their laptops, and seemed happy enough now that there were couches in the tent, and food, and a strong wi-fi signal, so they sat eating contentedly while Brad lay on the stage, between the various projectors, his legs akimbo, like a toy bear.†   (source)
  • There he was, brazenly immodest in checked red and black pajamas, sitting on his front steps, knees akimbo and binoculars pressed to his eyes.†   (source)
  • She rocked on her heels and raised her arms lazily and resistlessly akimbo, mainly aware now of the woman frantically fingering herself, the flaming becurlered mop of hair bobbing beneath like a huge shredded poppy.†   (source)
  • But the boy had moved in the night; he lay sprawled on his back now, arms and legs akimbo.†   (source)
  • He was standing in profile, one arm akimbo, and the toes of his boots curled upwards, and he wore an emerald-studded dagger at his belt.†   (source)
  • He stood arms akimbo in the market entrance and did not recognize Mr. MacLain who had repaired his watch at all, that little drudge.†   (source)
  • She stands there, arms akimbo, staring at me.†   (source)
  • A massive back, presumably female, with a twist of gray hair on top, stood with a ladle akimbo.†   (source)
  • Here the akimbo Skeleton one might play like a piccolo; here the Blimp who could be punctured every night, pumped up at dawn; here the midget known as The Wart who could be mailed parcel post dirt-cheap; and next to him an even littler accident of cell and time, a Dwarf so small and perched in such a way you could not see his face behind the cards clenched before him in arthritic and tremulous oak-gnarled fingers.†   (source)
  • With her arms akimbo, she hugged her shawl about her shoulders defiantly.†   (source)
  • Some spray in a hedge, though, or a sunset over a flat winter field, or again the way some old woman sits, arms akimbo, in an omnibus with a basket—those we point at for the other to look at.†   (source)
  • …comprehend the question, when a knowing, self-important old gentleman in a sharp cocked hat made his way through the crowd, putting them to the right and left with his elbows as he passed, and, planting himself before van Winkle—with one arm akimbo, the other resting on his cane; his keen eyes and sharp hat penetrating, as it were, into his very soul—demanded in an austere tone what brought him to the election with a gun on his shoulder and a mob at his heels, and whether he meant to…†   (source)
  • …Mary Carmichael as if she were present; and went on in thought through the streets of London feeling in imagination the pressure of dumbness, the accumulation of unrecorded life, whether from the women at the street corners with their arms akimbo, and the rings embedded in their fat swollen fingers, talking with a gesticulation like the swing of Shakespeare's words; or from the violet-sellers and match-sellers and old crones stationed under doorways; or from drifting girls whose faces,…†   (source)
  • She stood on the high step-edge, with a cloth wound over her head, her gaunt arms, pitted with old scars, akimbo.†   (source)
  • Suppose the house were sold (she stood arms akimbo in front of the looking-glass) it would want seeing to—it would.†   (source)
  • Erect, with arm akimbo on his hip, he stood, his domed head turned out toward the light: sixty, subtle and straight of body, deepbrowed, with an old glint of hawk-eyes, lean apple-cheeks, a mustache bristle-cropped.†   (source)
  • "Now, then, mister," said he, with his head cocked and his arms akimbo, "what are you driving at?†   (source)
  • He stood there arms akimbo and said, "I see, I see."†   (source)
  • The Invisible Man stood up, and sticking his arms akimbo began to pace the study.†   (source)
  • "Silly devil!" said the mariner, legs wide apart, elbows akimbo, watching the receding figure.†   (source)
  • Twice two makes four is a pert coxcomb who stands with arms akimbo barring your path and spitting.†   (source)
  • And this dreadful blacksmith with his arms akimbo, laughing,—oh, isn't he ugly?†   (source)
  • Mrs. O'Dowd put herself with arms akimbo before the bedroom door.†   (source)
  • The yard porter, his arms akimbo, stood smiling with satisfaction before the large mirror.†   (source)
  • The widow, standing on the porch with buttery arms akimbo, yammered after the fleeing girl: "And don't you dare show your face on this block again.†   (source)
  • The exclusively personal attention which he devoted to each one, standing half bent, ear to one side, elbows akimbo, saying: "Soup—green turtle, yes.†   (source)
  • His arms were akimbo.†   (source)
  • The basket being large and heavy, Car had placed it for convenience of porterage on the top of her head, where it rode on in jeopardized balance as she walked with arms akimbo.†   (source)
  • And here was Hegglund, before whom was standing a German or Scandinavian type, plump and pretty, her arms akimbo and her feet wide apart.†   (source)
  • He had stopped his pretense of working; he was standing before her, arms akimbo, dark eyes demanding.†   (source)
  • The suit of clothes, now all unbuttoned and hanging loosely upon its unseen supports, stood up, arms akimbo.†   (source)
  • I turned and stared, arms akimbo, at the thick green behind me, into which the steamy ravine cut like a smoking gash.†   (source)
  • Anatole, having taken off his overcoat, sat with arms akimbo before a table on a corner of which he smilingly and absent-mindedly fixed his large and handsome eyes.†   (source)
  • He passed one of his heavy hands over his crisp dark hair as if to sweep the broken thoughts out of his mind and sat a little forward, with one arm akimbo and the other resting on his leg, looking in a brown study at the ground.†   (source)
  • Pyotr jumped on the box, and putting his arms akimbo, told the coachman to drive to the booking-office.†   (source)
  • Words cannot state the amount of aggravation and injury wreaked upon me by Trabb's boy, when passing abreast of me, he pulled up his shirt-collar, twined his side-hair, stuck an arm akimbo, and smirked extravagantly by, wriggling his elbows and body, and drawling to his attendants, "Don't know yah, don't know yah, 'pon my soul don't know yah!"†   (source)
  • Mr Blandois shook his right forefinger towards the sick room, and his left forefinger towards the portrait, and then, putting his arms akimbo and striding his legs wide apart, stood smiling down at Mr Flintwinch with the advancing nose and the retreating moustache.†   (source)
  • Infuriated at the self-command of the captive, the woman placed her arms akimbo; and, throwing herself into a posture of defiance, she broke out anew, in a torrent of words that no art of ours could commit successfully to paper.†   (source)
  • Amy was asked, but Jo was not, which was fortunate for all parties, as her elbows were decidedly akimbo at this period of her life, and it took a good many hard knocks to teach her how to get on easily.†   (source)
  • For at least five minutes, after Richard disappeared, Benjamin stood with his arms akimbo, and his eyes fastened on the door; when, having collected his astonished faculties, he prepared to execute the orders he had received.†   (source)
  • [Sings with his arms akimbo.†   (source)
  • …in one of the chandeliers; thence to Mr. Grant, who was turning over a manuscript with much earnestness at one of the lustres; thence to Remarkable, who stood, with her arms demurely folded before her, surveying, with a look of admiration and envy, the dress and beauty of the young lady; and from her to Benjamin, who, with his feet standing wide apart, and his arms akimbo, was balancing his square little body with the indifference of one who is accustomed to wounds and bloodshed.†   (source)
  • I don't intend to say," looking round upon us with his powerful arms akimbo and his dark eyebrows raised, "that I am more partial to being hanged than another man.†   (source)
  • I, for instance, would not be in the least surprised if all of a sudden, A PROPOS of nothing, in the midst of general prosperity a gentleman with an ignoble, or rather with a reactionary and ironical, countenance were to arise and, putting his arms akimbo, say to us all: "I say, gentleman, hadn't we better kick over the whole show and scatter rationalism to the winds, simply to send these logarithms to the devil, and to enable us to live once more at our own sweet foolish will!"†   (source)
  • The handsome young soldier who had brought the wood, setting his arms akimbo, began stamping his cold feet rapidly and deftly on the spot where he stood.†   (source)
  • The whole group were seated around the fire, with the exception of Richard and Benjamin; the former of whom occupied the root of a decayed stump, that had been drawn to the spot as part of their fuel, and the latter was standing. with his arms akimbo, so near to the flame that the smoke occasionally obscured his solemn visage, as it waved around the pile in obedience to the night airs that swept gently over the water.†   (source)
  • Natasha threw off the shawl from her shoulders, ran forward to face "Uncle," and setting her arms akimbo also made a motion with her shoulders and struck an attitude.†   (source)
  • THE FAN: (Folded akimbo against her waist) Is me her was you dreamed before?†   (source)
  • Then, unable to repress his merriment, he rocks to and fro, arms akimbo, and sings with broad rollicking humour:) O, the poor little fellow Hihihihihis legs they were yellow He was plump, fat and heavy and brisk as a snake But some bloody savage To graize his white cabbage He murdered Nell Flaherty's duckloving drake.†   (source)
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