ack-ack

or Ack-Ack

[ ak-ak ]

/ ˈækˌæk /

noun Informal. (esp. during World War II)

antiaircraft fire.

antiaircraft arms.

Nearby words

acinous cell, acinous gland, acinus, acis, ack, ack-ack, ack-emma, ack., ackee, acker, ackey

Origin of ack-ack

1935–40; for A.A. (abbreviation of a(nti) a(ircraft)) as said by British signalmen referring to sense 2

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ack-ack

"The ack-ack will knock those planes out of the sky," one of the sailors said.
The Lost Warship|Robert Moore Williams
That was a score for the Ack-Ack gunners and the ground boys.
A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F.|Rutherford G. Montgomery
The Jerries were at it again and seemed to have slipped inside the balloons and the ring of Ack-Ack guns.
A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F.|Rutherford G. Montgomery

British Dictionary definitions for ack-ack

ack-ack

/ (ˈækˌæk) /

noun military

anti-aircraft fire
(as modifier)ack-ack guns

anti-aircraft arms

Word Origin for ack-ack

C20: British army World War I phonetic alphabet for AA, abbreviation of anti-aircraft

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ack-ack

ack-ack

1939, representing A.A., the military abbreviation for anti-aircraft (see ack).