Gang GANG, v.i. To go; to walk. [Local, or used only in ludicrous
language.] GANG, n. [G., a metallic vein, a streak in a
mine.] 1. Properly, a going; hence, a number of going in company;
hence, a company, or a number of persons associated for a particular
purpose; as a gang of thieves. 2. In seamen's language, a select
number of a ship's crew appointed on a particular service, under a
suitable officer. 3. In mining, literally a course or vein, but
appropriately the earthy, stony, saline or combustible substance which
contains the ore of metals, or is only mingled with it, without being
chemically combined. This is called the gang or matrix of the ore. It
differs from a mineralizer, in not being combined with the metal.
[ This word, in the latter sense, is most unwarrantably and erroneously
written gangue.]
gang
n 1: an association of criminals; "police tried to break up the
gang"; "a pack of thieves" [syn: gang, pack, ring,
mob]
2: an informal body of friends; "he still hangs out with the
same crowd" [syn: crowd, crew, gang, bunch]
3: an organized group of workmen [syn: gang, crew, work
party}]
4: tool consisting of a combination of implements arranged to
work together
v 1: act as an organized group [syn: gang, gang up]
gang
O.E. gong "a going, journey, way, passage," and O.N. gangr "a group of
men, a set," both from P.Gmc. *gangaz (noun of action related to *gangan
"to go"), from PIE base *ghengh- "to step" (cf. Skt. jangha "shank,"
Avestan zanga- "ankle," Lith. zengiu "I stride"). The sense evolution is
probably via meaning "a set of articles that are usually taken together
in going," especially a set of tools used on the same job. By 1627 this
had been extended in nautical speech to mean "a company of workmen,"
and by 1632 the word was being used, with disapproving overtones, for
"any band of persons traveling together." Gangway is O.E. gangweg "road,
passage," and preserves the original sense of the word, as does gangplank
(1846, Amer.Eng., replacing earlier gang-board). To gang up (on) is
first attested 1925. To come on like gangbusters (c.1940) is from radio
drama "Gangbusters" (1937-57) which always opened with a cacophony of
sirens, screams, shots, and jarring music. Gang of Four (1976) translates
Chinese sirenbang, the nickname given to the four leaders of the Cultural
Revolution who took the fall in Communist China after the death of Mao.
gang I. intransitive verbEtymology: Middle English, from Old English gangan; akin to
Lithuanian žengti to stride Date: before 12th century
ScottishgoII. nounEtymology: Middle English, walking, journey, from Old English;
akin to Old English ganganDate: 15th century 1.a.(1) a set of articles ;outfit <a gang
of oars> (2) a combination of similar implements or devices
arranged for convenience to act together <a gang of saws>
b.group: as (1) a group of persons working together
(2) a group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial ends;
especially a band of antisocial adolescents
2. a group of persons having informal and usually close social
relations <watching TV with the gang> III. verbDate: 1856 transitive verb1.a. to assemble or operate simultaneously as a group
b. to arrange in or produce as a gang
2. to attack in a gang intransitive verb
to move or act as a gang
gang 1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a band of persons acting or going about together, esp. for criminal purposes. b colloq. such a band pursuing a purpose causing disapproval. 2 a set of
workers, slaves, or prisoners. 3 a set of tools arranged to work simultaneously. --v.tr. arrange (tools etc.) to work in coordination. Phrases and idioms: gang-bang sl. an occasion
on which several men successively have sexual intercourse with one woman. gang up colloq. 1 (often foll. by with) act in concert. 2 (foll. by on) combine against. Etymology: orig. =
going, journey, f. ON gangr, ganga GOING, corresp. to OE gang 2. v.intr. Sc. go. Phrases and idioms: gang agley (of a plan etc.) go wrong. Etymology: OE gangan:
cf. GANG(1)
gang
(gangs, ganging, ganged)Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1. A gang is a group of people, especially young people, who go around together and
often deliberately cause trouble.
During the fight with a rival gang he lashed out with his flick knife...Gang members were behind a lot of the violence...He was attacked by a gang of youths.N-COUNT: oft N of n
2. A gang is a group of criminals who work together to commit crimes.
Police were hunting for a gang who had allegedly stolen fifty-five cars....an underworld gang....a gang of masked robbers.N-COUNT
3. Thegang is a group of friends who frequently meet. (INFORMAL)
Come on over, we've got lots of the old gang here.N-SING: usu the N
4. A gang is a group of workers who do physical work together.
...a gang of labourers.N-COUNT: oft N of n
Gang \Gang\, v. i. [AS. gangan, akin to OS. & OHG. gangan, Icel.
ganga, Goth. gaggan; cf. Lith. ?engti to walk, Skr. ja?gha
leg. [root]48. Cf. Go.]
To go; to walk.
Note: Obsolete in English literature, but still used in the
North of England, and also in Scotland.
Gang \Gang\, n. [Icel. gangr a going, gang, akin to AS., D., G.,
& Dan. gang a going, Goth. gaggs street, way. See Gang, v.
i.]
1. A going; a course. [Obs.]
2. A number going in company; hence, a company, or a number
of persons associated for a particular purpose; a group of
laborers under one foreman; a squad; as, a gang of
sailors; a chain gang; a gang of thieves.
3. A combination of similar implements arranged so as, by
acting together, to save time or labor; a set; as, a gang
of saws, or of plows.
4. (Naut.) A set; all required for an outfit; as, a new gang
of stays.
5. [Cf. Gangue.] (Mining) The mineral substance which
incloses a vein; a matrix; a gangue.
Gang board, or Gang plank. (Naut.)
(a) A board or plank, with cleats for steps, forming a
bridge by which to enter or leave a vessel.
(b) A plank within or without the bulwarks of a vessel's
waist, for the sentinel to walk on.
Gang cask, a small cask in which to bring water aboard
ships or in which it is kept on deck.
Gang cultivator, Gang plow, a cultivator or plow in which
several shares are attached to one frame, so as to make
two or more furrows at the same time.
Gang days, Rogation days; the time of perambulating
parishes. See Gang week (below).
Gang drill, a drilling machine having a number of drills
driven from a common shaft.
Gang master, a master or employer of a gang of workmen.
Gang plank. See Gang board (above).
Gang plow. See Gang cultivator (above).
Gang press, a press for operating upon a pile or row of
objects separated by intervening plates.
Gang saw, a saw fitted to be one of a combination or gang
of saws hung together in a frame or sash, and set at fixed
distances apart.
Gang tide. See Gang week (below).
Gang tooth, a projecting tooth. [Obs.] --Halliwell.
Gang week, Rogation week, when formerly processions were
made to survey the bounds of parishes. --Halliwell.
Live gang, or Round gang, the Western and the Eastern
names, respectively, for a gang of saws for cutting the
round log into boards at one operation. --Knight.
Slabbing gang, an arrangement of saws which cuts slabs from
two sides of a log, leaving the middle part as a thick
beam.
gang
̈ɪɡæŋ n.
1 group, band, crowd, company, pack, mob, ring: The police are looking for the gang that
robbed the mail train.
2 clique, set, coterie, circle, party, company, team, troupe: A whole gang of my friends
came over yesterday evening. --v.
3 gang up (on or against.) conspire or plot against, combine or unite or unify or join
(against), league or ally or club or band (against), join forces (against), overwhelm: When
they all ganged up on me, I decided to change my mind.
On most web browsers you can double click any word on this page to see what definitions I have for that word.
This dictionary server is not an authoratative source of information for anything. Like almost everything at sorabji.com, I set this up for my own purposes. In this case the purpose is to
browse words and ideas at random. An automatically generated page that produces 1000 Random Words
is my gateway to this resource. I also attempt a word of the day project,
in which I attempt to write something about myself starting with interesting words that I find through the Wordswarm Random Words Pages. I have made
available the complete 1828 Webster's Dictionary, which many feel is the greatest English dictionary ever published.
Other random links of mine include the Sorabji.com Random Link, which sends you to one of
over 7,000 pages on my web sites; the Face Server produces random images of
human faces; clicking the Random WAYD link shows you a random posting to my "What Are You Doing?" board; the Random USPS
Mailbox link sends you to a page with information about a random mailbox; and the random pictures page page of sorabji.com shows one of over 11,000 random images any time you load the page. On an unrelated note, I have begun making several thousand pages of legal documents searchable.