peg

¹

[peg]

noun

1. a pin of wood or other material driven or fitted into something, as to fasten parts together, to hang things on, to make fast a rope or string on, to stop a hole, or to mark some point.

2. Informal.,  a leg, either real or wooden.

   still on his pegs at 99.

3. a notch or degree.

   to come down a peg.

4. an occasion, basis, or reason.

   a peg to hang a grievance on.

5. Music.,  Also a pin of wood or metal in the neck of a stringed instrument that may be turned in its socket to adjust a string's tension.

6. Informal.,  a throw, especially in baseball.

   The peg to the plate was late.

7. news peg.

8. Economics.,  the level at which some price, exchange rate, etc., is set.

9. British, Indian English.,  an alcoholic drink, especially a whiskey or brandy and soda.

10. British.,  clothespin.

verb (used with object)

pegged, pegging 

1. to drive or insert a peg into.

2. to fasten with or as with pegs.

3. to mark with pegs.

4. to strike or pierce with or as with a peg.

5. to keep (the commodity price, exchange rate, etc.) at a set level, as by manipulation or law.

6. Informal.,  to throw (a ball).

7. Journalism.,  to base (an article, feature story, etc.) upon; justify by (usually followed byon ).

   The feature on the chief of police was pegged on the riots.

8. Informal.,  to identify.

   to peg someone as a good prospect.

verb (used without object)

pegged, pegging 

1. to work or continue persistently or energetically.

   to peg away at a homework assignment.

2. Informal.,  to throw a ball.

3. Croquet.,  to strike a peg, as in completing a game.

adjective

1. Also pegged. tapered toward the bottom of the leg.

   peg trousers.

Peg

²

[peg]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Peggy.

peg

/ pɛɡ /

noun

1. a small cylindrical pin or dowel, sometimes slightly tapered, used to join two parts together

2. a pin pushed or driven into a surface: used to mark scores, define limits, support coats, etc

3. music any of several pins passing through the head ( peg box ) of a stringed instrument, which can be turned so as to tune strings wound around them See also pin

4. US and Canadian equivalent: clothespin. Also called: clothes peg. a split or hinged pin for fastening wet clothes to a line to dry

5. informal,  a person's leg

6. dialect,  a tooth

7. a small drink of wine or spirits, esp of brandy or whisky and soda

8. an opportunity or pretext for doing something

   a peg on which to hang a theory

9. a mountaineering piton

10. croquet a post that a player's ball must strike to win the game

11. angling a fishing station allotted to an angler in a competition, marked by a peg in the ground

12. informal,  a level of self-esteem, importance, etc (esp in the phrases bring or take down a peg )

13. informal,  See peg leg

14. (of clothes) ready to wear, as opposed to tailor-made

verb

1. (tr) to knock or insert a peg into or pierce with a peg

2. to secure with pegs

   to peg a tent

3. mountaineering to insert or use pitons

4. (tr) to mark (a score) with pegs, as in some card games

5. informal,  (tr) to aim and throw (missiles) at a target

6. (intr; foll by away, along, etc) to work steadily

   he pegged away at his job for years

7. (tr) to stabilize (the price of a commodity, an exchange rate, etc) by legislation or market operations

Other Word Forms

• pegless adjective
• peglike adjective
• repeg verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of peg¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pegge (noun), peggen (verb), from Middle Dutch

Word History and Origins

Origin of peg¹

C15: from Low Germanic pegge

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take down a peg, to reduce the pride or arrogance of; humble; humiliate: Also take down a notch

   I guess that'll take him down a peg!

More idioms and phrases containing peg

• square peg in a round hole
• take down a notch (peg)

Example Sentences

Stablecoins, such as USD1, are typically pegged to the dollar and backed by an equivalent amount of reserves, while other tokens, such as WLFI, swing in price on exchanges depending on investor demand.

Read more on Barron's

In an autobiographical summary of his career, Meyer said his favorite toy design was Lite-Brite, which allows people to create colorful designs by plugging plastic pegs into a grid.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A boom in stablecoins -- cryptocurrencies designed to hold a steady value by being pegged to traditional assets -- calls for "close monitoring", ECB economists warned Monday.

Read more on Barron's

“People keep trying to fit a square peg in a circular hole, and it’s just not working. We keep forgetting that the world is different.”

Read more on Salon

Longer-duration yields matter because they provide a peg for borrowing rates used by U.S. households, businesses and the government.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• fix