Showing results for knee jerk.
noun
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a reflex extension of the leg, caused by contraction of the quadriceps, resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon; patellar reflex.
knee-jerk
2
American
[nee-jurk]
/ ˈniˌdʒɜrk /
adjective
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of or relating to a knee-jerk.
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Informal.
reacting according to a certain habitual manner; unthinking.
a knee-jerk liberal.
noun
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Also called: patellar reflex.
physiol an outward reflex kick of the lower leg caused by a sharp tap on the quadriceps tendon just below the patella
"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
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made or occurring as a predictable and automatic response, without thought
kneejerk support
"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
First recorded in 1875–80
First recorded in 1895–1900
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
