chock full
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See also: chockfull and chock-full
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- chocked full, chockful, chock-full, chockfull, chokeful, choke full, choke-full, chokefull
- chuck-full, chuck full (dated)
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English chokkeful (“crammed full”) c. 1400, possibly from choke (“cheek”), equivalent to cheek + full. Or it may be from Old French choquier (“collide, crash, hit”), similar to shock.[1]
The later form chock-a-block full is due to association with chock, used in carpentry and shipbuilding.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
chock full (comparative more chock full, superlative most chock full)
- (informal) Containing the maximum amount possible, flush on all sides, jam-packed, crammed.
- That article is chock-full of errors
- 1741, George E. Nitzsche, The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle, University of Pennsylvania. General Alumni Society, pages 251:
- The pages of the diary are chock full of fascinating reports of medical incidents of all sorts.
- 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 565:
- “Chock full o' science,” said the radiant Captain, “as ever he was! […] ”
- 1928 August, E. E. Smith, “The Skylark of Space”, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories[1], Preface:
- The story is chock full, not only of excellent science, but woven through it there is also that very rare element, love and romance.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
containing the maximum amount
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “chock-full”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.