corking

American

[kawr-king] / ˈkɔr kɪŋ /

adjective

excellent; fine.

adverb

very.

a corking good time.

corking British

/ ˈkɔːkɪŋ /

adjective

slang (prenominal) excellent

"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

Etymology

Origin of corking

First recorded in 1890–95; cork + -ing ²

Vocabulary lists containing corking

10 Opportune, Appropriate, and Downright Corking Words for "Good"

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A corking Nancy Drew tale set in 1960s Galicia.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2023

“It’s always been part of the game,” he said, “just like hitters have always been corking their bats.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

The warts on their outside are called "corking," as horticulturalist Jessica Walliser said on WNYC.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022

Andy Murray opened this set, and dammit, he’s going to close it, again teeing up his big brother for a volley with a corking first serve.

From The Guardian • Sep. 19, 2015

"Something the patronne's daughter said. A corking row. She was rather splendid, you know. Showed her yellow card and demanded the patronne's daughter's too. I say it was a row."

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023