shriek

let out (some sound)

To utter some loud, forceful sound. I let out a shriek when the dog suddenly jumped on me. The lion let out an intimidating roar.

See also: let, out

peek and shriek

medical slang An incident in which a surgeon cuts open the patient's body, then discovers that the patient's health is much worse than anticipated. As a result, the surgeon closes the incision without performing the planned procedure. We thought we would just be removing a large abdominal abscess, but the patient turned out to be a total peek and shriek. Her belly was full of cancerous tumors that we were simply unequipped to deal with. Mr. Alberts is in a lot of pain, so I really hope this is just a straight-forward cholecystectomy and not a peek and shriek.

See also: and, peek, shriek

shriek

slang An exclamation point. Typically used within the publishing industry. When you're proofreading a new writer's manuscripts, always try to flag when they're using too many shrieks. It really brings down the quality of the work. My boss's emails are usually quite straightforward and unemotional, so when he starts throwing out shrieks, you know he's either truly excited or truly pissed off!

shriek like a banshee

To scream, howl, or screech in a very loud, high-pitched, and unsettling manner. Some animal has been shrieking like a banshee in the alleyway all night long. Kids, stop shrieking like banshees back there! I need to focus on driving and I can barely hear myself think!

See also: banshee, like, shriek

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

shriek

n. an exclamation point. (see also screamer, shout.) Take off that shriek. You use too many of those things.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.