peck out

peck out

1. Literally, to remove something by forcibly and violently pecking at it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "peck" and "out." We were horrified to see that the birds had pecked his eyes out by the time we arrived.

2. To type something on a typewriter or keyboard by slowly and carefully finding and hitting individual keys. A noun or pronoun can be used between "peck" and "out." This is why I write everything by hand—it took me nearly half an hour to peck out a formal response on this darned computer! I sat staring off into space before I pecked three words out: "This is rubbish."

See also: out, peck

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

peck out

v.

To remove something by pecking: The birds pecked the worms out of the apples. The vultures pecked out the dead rabbit's innards.

See also: out, peck

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.