heck

¹

[ hek ]

interjection

1. (used as a mild expression of annoyance, rejection, disgust, etc.):

   What the heck do you care?

noun

1. something remarkable of its kind (usually used in the phrase heck of a ):

   That was a heck of an impressive speech. Have one heck of a good time.

heck

²

[ hek ]

noun

1. a comblike attachment on a loom, for guiding the warp threads as they are dressed for the warp beam.
2. a device that guides yarn onto the bobbin of a spinning wheel.
3. a gridlike arrangement of glass or metal rods below the hooks on a Jacquard loom, used for lifting all harness eyes equally or evenly.

heck

¹

/ hɛk /

noun

1. dialect.
   a frame for obstructing the passage of fish in a river

heck

²

/ hɛk /

interjection

1. a mild exclamation of surprise, irritation, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of heck¹

First recorded in 1850–55; euphemistic alteration of hell

Origin of heck²

1300–50; Middle English hekke, Old English hecc, variant of hæcc hatch ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of heck¹

C14: variant of hatch ²

Origin of heck²

C19: euphemistic for hell

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. as heck (used as a mild intensifier):

   I say he's guilty as heck.

Example Sentences

She made sure her husband was networking the heck out of the event.

From Washington Post

It’s only in the third episode that fans will begin to get a sense of what the heck is going on.

From Time

When I started to imagine what would happen with legalized Internet gaming, it scared the heck out of me .

From Washington Post

The thing that we have to do is focus on really what is important, and that is we have a heck of a matchup against Pittsburgh coming up.

From Washington Post

For anybody we don’t know it’s going to be ehh-ehh-ehh get the heck out.

From MIT Technology Review

They just reflect the range of breeds that were used to create the Heck cattle in the first instance.

From The Daily Beast

Washington is a heck of a lot better as a result, and will be for years to come.

From The Daily Beast

A mixtape dubbed “Montage of Heck” has surfaced on the site Live Nirvana!

From The Daily Beast

After what one cop called “a heck of a fuss,” they finally managed to print her.

From The Daily Beast

Heck, research shows that a little bit of Viagra will even help cut flowers stand up straighter for as long as a week.

From The Daily Beast

By heck—time a farmer was pulling on his overalls and going forth to his dew-gemmed toil!

From Project Gutenberg

The ends of the threads from these bobbins are drawn through the eyes of two leaves of the "heck," and all the ends tied together.

From Project Gutenberg

He was the father-in-law of Peter Heck, a former postmaster of Uniontown.

From Project Gutenberg

To live at "heck and manger" is to fare sumptuously every day, even beyond our income.

From Project Gutenberg

Yu don't want to worry none about me—an' if yu don't get yore hands closter to yore neck they'll be heck to pay!

From Project Gutenberg