fork (redirected from fork up)

Fingers were made before forks.

Prov. It is all right to eat with one's fingers because people had to eat somehow before there were forks. (Used to justify eating something with your fingers.) Mother: Put that chicken wing back on your plate and eat it properly, with a knife and fork. Child: But Mom, fingers were made before forks. I don't see why it's considered bad manners to eat with your fingers. Fingers were made before forks.

See also: before, Finger, made

fork something out (to someone)

1. Inf. Lit. to serve food to someone, using a fork. He forked out the chicken to everyone. He brought up a big dish of fried chicken and forked it out.

2. Fig. to give out something to someone. We forked the coupons out to everyone who asked for them. We forked out the coupons.

See also: out

fork something over (to someone)

Inf. to give something to someone. (Usually refers to money.) Come on! Fork the money over to me! Fork over the cash you owe me!

fork some money out (for something)

Fig. to pay (perhaps unwillingly) for something. (Often mention is made of the amount of money. See the examples.) Do you think I'm going to fork twenty dollars out for that book? Forking out lots of money for taxes is part of life.

See also: money, out, some

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fork over something also fork something over

1. to pay money We headed into the theme park after forking over $45 each. Related vocabulary: cough up something

2. to give something to someone unwillingly The cops knew he had a knife, and they made him fork it over.