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Synonyms

hunt and peck

American  
Or hunt-and-peck

noun

  1. a slow and inefficient method of typing by looking for each key separately before striking it: used by untrained typists.


Etymology

Origin of hunt and peck

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

See Examples For:

I just kind of hunt and peck now.

From Salon Jan. 19, 2020

Héloïse, recently plucked from a convent to be married off, has only ever heard organ music; Marianne can hunt and peck her way through Vivaldi on a harpsichord, but that’s about it.

From Slate Dec. 10, 2019

“He’s aggressive. Before, it seemed like he would hunt and peck a little bit. Now he makes a decision and gets upfield. He’s breaking tackles instead of trying to dance out of things.”

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 27, 2016

As I hunt and peck this post-stroke note, I’m exasperated by the inadequately realized potential of “Telestroke” technology to speed treatment in the first critical hours of care.

From New York Times Jul. 8, 2011

And back in Washington, the Japanese ambassadors wait for a lackey to hunt and peck his way through an ultimatum that they deliver to the Secretary of State 55 minutes after the attack.

From Time Magazine Archive

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