forelock

¹ American  

[fawr-lok, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌlɒk, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

1. the lock of hair that grows from the fore part of the head.

2. (of a horse) a tuft of hair above or on the forehead.

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forelock ² American  

[fawr-lok, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌlɒk, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

1. a pin or flat wedge passed through a hole near the end of a threadless bolt to fasten parts together.

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verb (used with object)

1. to fasten by means of a forelock.

forelock ¹ British  

/ ˈfɔːˌlɒk /

noun

1. a lock of hair growing or falling over the forehead

2. a lock of a horse's mane that grows forwards between the ears

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forelock ² British  

/ ˈfɔːˌlɒk /

noun

1. a wedge or peg passed through the tip of a bolt to prevent withdrawal

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verb

1. (tr) to secure (a bolt) by means of a forelock

Etymology

Origin of forelock¹

1640–50; fore- + lock ²; probably not continuous with Old English foreloccas (plural), attested once

Origin of forelock²

First recorded in 1275–1325, forelock is from the Middle English word forelok. See fore-, lock ¹

Explanation

The part of a horse's mane that falls across the front of its face like bangs is called a forelock. It's also an old fashioned way to describe a person's bangs. Forelock comes from the Old English forelocca, from fore, "before in position," and locc, "curl or lock of hair." It originally meant simply "a lock of hair above the forehead," and in the 1800s, men commonly greeted each other by "tugging the forelock." Today people are likely to assume you're talking about a horse if you use the word forelock.

Example Sentences

I can also smell Forelock, who’s too old to even come and greet his master, which under the circumstances is O.K. by me.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 11, 2013

Why, now I have Dame Fortune by the Forelock, And if she escapes my grasp, the fault is mine; He that hath buffeted with stern adversity Best knows the shape his course to favouring breezes.

From The Bride of Lammermoor by Scott, Walter, Sir

Forelock, fōr′lok, n. the lock of hair on the forehead.—Take time by the forelock, to seize the occasion promptly, so as to anticipate opposition.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

He operated upon our heads, causing us to repeat, “O Allah, this my Forelock is in Thy Hand, then grant me for every Hair a light on the Resurrection-day, O Most Merciful of the Merciful!”

From Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah — Volume 2 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

The famous statue, "Take Time by the Forelock," was a masterpiece of Greek sculpture.

From A Fleece of Gold; Five Lessons from the Fable of Jason and the Golden Fleece by Given, Charles Stewart