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take a licking and keep on ticking. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
take a licking and keep on ticking, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
take a licking and keep on ticking in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
take a licking and keep on ticking you have here. The definition of the word
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take a licking and keep on ticking, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Derived from the advertising slogan for Timex wrist-watches.
Pronunciation
Verb
take a licking and keep on ticking (third-person singular simple present takes a licking and keeps on ticking, present participle taking a licking and keeping on ticking, simple past took a licking and kept on ticking, past participle taken a licking and kept on ticking)
- (idiomatic) To be tough; to have endurance; to have the capacity to absorb stress or damage, but still be able to function.
2008, George R. R. Martin et al., Inside Straight, page 124:How am I supposed to knock these other guys off. My wild card is nothing but defensive. I take a licking and keep on ticking. Big whoop.
2006, Anthony Mancuso, LLC Or Corporation?: How to Choose the Right Form for Your Business, page 47:Insurance allows your business to take a licking and keep on ticking.
1997, Ira Livingston, Arrow of Chaos: Romanticism and Postmodernity, section 2.3:The persistence-through-change of Romantic ideologemes — the way they've taken a licking and kept on ticking — is explicable by their extension and saturation — their participation — in ongoing formations of capitalism and disciplinarity.
1994, Pinckney Benedict, Dogs of God, page 204:"That," the first said, "was one hardy son of a bitch. Took a licking but went on ticking. I heard he made it all the way down off the mountain before he snuffed it."
1986, David Morrell, The Fraternity of the Stone, page 177:But the car amazed him. It kept going. And that too struck him as funny. Takes a licking, keeps on ticking.
Quotations