nork

See also: Nork and nõrk

English

Etymology

Unknown, originally used in Australia, attested since the 1960s. One theory suggests that the source is Norco Co-operative, a butter manufacturer that featured a cow's udder on package labels, but this is considered dubious.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /nɔːk/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /noːk/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

nork (plural norks)

1. (slang, chiefly in the plural) A woman's breast.
   • 1983, Robert Drewe, The Bodysurfers, Penguin, published 2009, page 91:

     I lay there so close I could've reached out in any direction and just grabbed a nork.

   • 1999, Louis Nowra, The twelfth of never:

     Ernie constantly badgered me to get her to talk to him but I suspected she would throttle him if he merely glanced in the direction of her norks.

   • 2002, Kate Atkinson, Not the end of the world:

     And her norks! Like a hundred times bigger than his sister's. Why was he thinking about his sister's norks? Gross.

Anagrams

• Kron, N. Kor., NKRO, Ronk, knor

Basque

Etymology

From nor (“who”) +‎ -k (ergative suffix).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /nork/ [nork]
• Rhymes: -ork
• Hyphenation: nork

Pronoun

nork

1. ergative indefinite of nor; who

Usage notes

Both nor and nork are both translated as "who", but nork refers to the subject of a transitive verb:

Nork ikusi du? ― Who saw her?

To ask about the object of a transitive verb or the subject of an intransitive verb, nor is used:

Nor ikusi du? ― Who did she see?

Nor dator? ― Who's coming?

Derived terms

• nork daki (“who knows”)
• nork esan (“who would have guessed”)
• nork jakin (“who knows”)