# akimbo

Pronunciation: say "uh-KIM-boh" US /əˈkɪm.boʊ/, UK /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/

## Adjective

1. Of the arms, or of a person's stance, with the hands on the hips and the elbows bent outward.
   - Simple: With your hands on your hips and your elbows pointing out to the sides.
   - _The coach watched the scrimmage from the sideline, arms akimbo, saying nothing._
   - _The portrait shows the young duke with one elbow akimbo and a hand on his sword._
2. Of the legs, spread apart with the knees bent outward or at an awkward angle, sometimes with the feet touching.
   - Simple: With the legs spread and the knees bent out or at odd angles, sometimes with the feet touching.
   - _The marionette slumped in its case, legs akimbo and strings tangled._
   - _For the butterfly stretch, sit with your legs akimbo and the soles of your feet pressed together._
3. Crooked or jutting out at odd angles; in looser use, untidy and disordered.
   - Simple: Sitting crooked or sticking out in odd directions, or more loosely, messy and out of order.
   - _After the party, the chairs were scattered akimbo across the lawn._
   - _The storm knocked the fence posts akimbo, and half the boards were missing._

## Adverb

4. Of weapons, especially firearms, held so that there is one in each hand.
   - Simple: Of weapons, especially guns: with one held in each hand.
   - _The gunslinger strode down the empty street, revolvers akimbo._
   - _The stunt coordinator taught the actor to fire two pistols akimbo without dropping either._

## Verb

5. In video games, to wield a pair of weapons, holding one in each hand. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In video games, to hold and use two weapons, one in each hand.
   - _Once you unlock the perk, you can akimbo any of the pistols in your loadout._
   - _Akimboing the heavy machine guns slows your character to a crawl._

## Origin

From Middle English in kenebowe or in kene bowe ("in a keen bow," that is, "in a sharp bend or angle"), made from in ("in") + kene, keen ("brave, keen, sharp") + bowe ("bow, bend"). Alternatively, it may come from Old Norse kengr ("crook, bend") + bogi ("a bow"); compare Icelandic kengboginn ("bow-bent").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/akimbo (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).