Also 6 gierk, 6–7 girk(e, ierck(e, ierke, 7–8 jirk. [See JERK sb.1]
† 1. trans. To strike with or as with a whip, switch or wand; to scourge, whip, lash, switch.
1550. Coverdale, Spir. Perle, vi. (1588), 48. Than he beateth and gierketh [1579 girketh] vs a little with a rod.
1563. Foxe, A. & M. (1583), I. 72/1. Whip him with scourges, iercke him with rods.
1593. G. Harvey, New Letter, C ij b. I may … chearne him like a dish of butter or girke him like a hobling gig.
1607. Walkington, Opt. Glass, 45 b. Poets loreat that are worthy to bee ijrkt with the lashes of the wittiest Epigrammatists.
1611. Cotgr., Fouetter, to scourge,… yerke or ierke.
1673. F. Kirkman, Unlucky Citizen, 281. He now being naked, [they] Slapt and Jerkt him with all their strength.
1709. Brit. Apollo, II. No. 52. 3/2. An Ox cheek Old Woman … he firk’d, And … a Fruiterer Jirk’d.
† b. fig. To lash with satire or ridicule. Obs.
1602. 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass., I. ii. 260. Acute Iohn Davis, I affect thy rymes, That ierck in hidden charmes these looser times.
1613–6. W. Browne, Brit. Past., II. i. My busied pen Shall ierke to death this infamy of men.
1710. E. Ward, Brit. Hud., X. 114. A Third Man … with much Pleasure Jirks the Church, As if his Words were Rods of Birch.
2. To move (anything) by a sharp suddenly arrested motion, like that with which a whip is wielded; to thrust, pull or shake by such a motion; to give a sudden thrust, push, pull or twist to. Often with an adv. of direction or its equivalent.
1589. Nashe, Almond for Parrat, 5 b. Would you not laugh to see Cli. the Cobler, and New. the souter, ierking out theyr elbowes in euerie Pulpit?
a. 1661. Holyday, Juvenal, viii. 155. Though some grave friend … jerk his whip for notice [virgā prior annuit].
1780. Puritan, in Steevens, Suppl. Shaks., II. 580. Let him play a little; we’ll jerk him up of a sudden.
1849. H. Mayo, Pop. Superst. (1851), 81. To jerk and swing the limbs.
1863. A. J. Horwood, Yearbks. 30 & 31 Edw. I., Pref. 37. The rope broke not by reason of the holders moving or jerking it, but by reason of its weakness.
1865. Lowell, Ode Harvard Commem., iv. We poor puppets, jerked by unseen wires.
1875. W. S. Hayward, Love agst. World, 18. He jerked the horse’s mouth roughly.
b. To throw or toss with a quick sharp motion, esp. with a sudden twitching or snatching action.
1786. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, 4 Nov. I had the greatest difficulty to save myself from being suddenly jerked into the middle of the room.
1851. D. Jerrold, St. Giles, vi. 59. Young St. Giles … jerked a bow, and in a few moments was free.
1858. Longf., M. Standish, iv. 138. Then from the rattlesnake’s skin, with a contemptuous gesture, Jerking the Indian arrows, he filled it with powder and bullets.
1865. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., XXI. ii. (1872), IX. 276. Excellent sound masonries; which have an over-tendency to jerk themselves into pinnacles.
1883. A. W. Momerie, Personality, Introd. (1886), 15. The primeval chaos of ὁμοιομερῆ was, so to speak, jerked into a number of distinguishable objects, by a movement.
3. fig. To utter or throw out (words or sounds) abruptly, or sharply and shortly.
1602. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., I. iii. Wks. 1856, I. 83. How your cornet jerketh up His straind shrill accents.
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 407. He speaks as if the one word, jerked out, as it were, wrung forth from his in most soul, was Violence.
1883. S. C. Hall, Retrospect, I. 145. His sentences seemed jerked out.
1889. P. H. Emerson, Eng. Idyls, 46. ‘’Bout-four-an’-a-half-mile,’ jerked out Ben, between strong pulls at his pipe.
4. intr. To give a jerk; to jerk a bow or nod; to move with a jerk.
1606. Sir G. Goosecappe, II. i. in Bullen, O. Pl., III. 32. Your dauncers legges bow for-sooth, and Caper, and jerke and Firke, and dandle the bodie aboue them.
1693. G. Stepney, in Dryden’s Juvenal, viii. (1697), 204. Nor blush, shou’d he some Grave Acquaintance meet, But, (proud of being known) will Jerk and Greet.
1782. Mrs. E. Blower, G. Bateman, III. 7. He … making but one step … to the street door, jerked out of the house.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Berkeley the Banker, I. vii. 136. The door jerked open.
1889. Barrie, Window in Thrums, xx. 191. Jess’s head jerked back involuntarily.
b. intr. To move the limbs or features in an involuntary spasmodic manner. Cf. JERKER1 1 b.
1874. E. Eggleston, Circuit Rider, xiv. 130. He … was seized with that curious nervous affection which originated in these religious excitements…. He jerked violently—his jerking only adding to his excitement, which in turn increased the severity of his contortions.
† 5. intr. To aim satire; to sneer, carp, gird. Obs.
a. 1643. W. Cartwright, Ordinary, IV. v. You must be jerking at the times, forsooth.
1649. Milton, Eikon., viii. Wks. (1851), 395. By the way he jerkes at some mens reforming to models of Religion.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Pindar. Petit. Lds. Council, Wks. 1730, I. 62. Prologues so witty, That jirk at the city.
† 6. intr. Of a bird: To utter a short sharp abrupt series of notes. Obs.
1766. Pennant, Zool. (1768), II. 334. The bird-catchers frequently lay considerable wagers whose call-bird can jerk the longest.
1773. Barrington, in Phil. Trans., LXIII. 263. A very experienced catcher of nightingales hath informed me, that some of these birds have jerked the instant they were caught.
Hence Jerked ppl. a.
1867. A. J. Ellis, E. E. Pron., I. 5. Jerked utterance. Ibid. Jerked whisper.
