clean and jerk

American  

noun

Weightlifting.

1. a lift in which a barbell is raised from the floor to shoulder height where it is brought to rest and then, with a lunging movement by the lifter, is thrust overhead so the arms extend straight in the air, being held in this position for a short, specified length of time.

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Etymology

Origin of clean and jerk

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Diaz overtook Liao Qiuyun of China on her last lift in the clean and jerk to win with a total 224 kilograms.

From Washington Times

He followed up the flamingo with a successful clean and jerk of 172kg in more conventional style, requiring Irawan to break his own world record in order to have any chance of winning.

From Seattle Times

He took two violent practice swings, and huffed out breath like an Olympic weightlifter preparing for the clean and jerk.

From Seattle Times

A female weightlifter who represented France at the 2016 Summer Olympics suffered a horrific injury during the clean and jerk competition at the European Championships on Thursday.

From Fox News

She’s also working on the clean, an Olympic lifting technique that’s the first half of a move called the clean and jerk.

From The Wall Street Journal