Pick

Pronunciation: pĭk

v. t.

To throw; to pitch.

[imp. & p. p. Picked (pĭkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Picking.]

As high as I could pick my lance.

- Shak.

To peck at, as a bird with its beak; to strike at with anything pointed; to act upon with a pointed instrument; to pierce; to prick, as with a pin.

To separate or open by means of a sharp point or points; as, to pick matted wool, cotton, oakum, etc.

To open (a lock) as by a wire.

To pull apart or away, especially with the fingers; to pluck; to gather, as fruit from a tree, flowers from the stalk, feathers from a fowl, etc.

To remove something from with a pointed instrument, with the fingers, or with the teeth; as, to pick the teeth; to pick a bone; to pick a goose; to pick a pocket.

Did you pick Master Slender's purse?

- Shak.

He picks clean teeth, and, busy as he seems
With an old tavern quill, is hungry yet.

- Cowper.

To choose; to select; to separate as choice or desirable; to cull; as, to pick one's company; to pick one's way; - often with out.

To take up; esp., to gather from here and there; to collect; to bring together; as, to pick rags; - often with up; as, to pick up a ball or stones; to pick up information.

To trim.

To pick at
to tease or vex by pertinacious annoyance.

To pick a bone with
See under Bone.

To pick a thank
to curry favor.

To pick off
a -	To pluck; to remove by picking - Robynson (More's Utopia).
b -	To shoot or bring down, one by one; as, sharpshooters pick off the enemy.

To pick out
a -	To mark out; to variegate; as, to pick out any dark stuff with lines or spots of bright colors
b -	To select from a number or quantity.

To pick to pieces
to pull apart piece by piece; hence [Colloq.], to analyze; esp., to criticize in detail.

To pick a quarrel
to give occasion of quarrel intentionally.

To pick up
a -	To take up, as with the fingers
b -	To get by repeated efforts; to gather here and there; as, to pick up a livelihood; to pick up news.

v. i.

To eat slowly, sparingly, or by morsels; to nibble.

Why stand'st thou picking? Is thy palate sore?

- Dryden.

To do anything nicely or carefully, or by attending to small things; to select something with care.

To steal; to pilfer.

To pick up
to improve by degrees; as, he is picking up in health or business.

A sharp-pointed tool for picking; - often used in composition; as, a toothpick; a picklock.

(Mining & Mech.) A heavy iron tool, curved and sometimes pointed at both ends, wielded by means of a wooden handle inserted in the middle, - used for digging ino the ground by quarrymen, roadmakers, etc.; also, a pointed hammer used for dressing millstones.

A pike or spike; the sharp point fixed in the center of a buckler.

Choice; right of selection; as, to have one's pick; in cat breeding, the owner of a stud gets the pick of the litter.

France and Russia have the pick of our stables.

- Ld. Lytton.

That which would be picked or chosen first; the best; as, the pick of the flock.

(Print.) A particle of ink or paper imbedded in the hollow of a letter, filling up its face, and occasioning a spot on a printed sheet.

(Painting) That which is picked in, as with a pointed pencil, to correct an unevenness in a picture.

(Weaving) The blow which drives the shuttle, - the rate of speed of a loom being reckoned as so many picks per minute;

Pick dressing
(Arch.) in cut stonework, a facing made by a pointed tool, leaving the surface in little pits or depressions.

Pick hammer
a pick with one end sharp and the other blunt, used by miners.

Noun	1.	pick - the person or thing chosen or selected; "he was my pick for mayor" Synonyms: choice, selection
	2.	pick - the quantity of a crop that is harvested; "he sent the first picking of berries to the market"; "it was the biggest peach pick in years" Synonyms: picking
	3.	pick - the best people or things in a group; "the cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War" Synonyms: cream
	4.	pick - the yarn woven across the warp yarn in weaving Synonyms: weft, woof, filling
	5.	pick - a small thin device (of metal or plastic or ivory) used to pluck a stringed instrument Synonyms: plectron, plectrum
	6.	pick - a thin sharp implement used for picking; "he used a pick to clean dirt out of the cracks"
	7.	pick - a heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends; "they used picks and sledges to break the rocks" Synonyms: pickax, pickaxe
	8.	pick - a basketball maneuver; obstructing an opponent with one's body; "he was called for setting an illegal pick"
	9.	pick - the act of choosing or selecting; "your choice of colors was unfortunate"; "you can take your pick" Synonyms: selection, choice, option
Verb	1.	pick - select carefully from a group; "She finally picked her successor"; "He picked his way carefully"
	2.	pick - look for and gather; "pick mushrooms"; "pick flowers" Synonyms: cull, pluck
	3.	pick - harass with constant criticism; "Don't always pick on your little brother" Synonyms: find fault, blame
	4.	pick - provoke; "pick a fight or a quarrel"
	5.	pick - remove in small bits; "pick meat from a bone"
	6.	pick - remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits; "Clean the turkey" Synonyms: clean
	7.	pick - pilfer or rob; "pick pockets"
	8.	pick - pay for something; "pick up the tab"; "pick up the burden of high-interest mortgages"; "foot the bill" Synonyms: foot
	9.	pick - pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion; "he plucked the strings of his mandolin" Synonyms: pluck, plunk
	10.	pick - attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example; "Pick open the ice" Synonyms: break up
	11.	pick - hit lightly with a picking motion Synonyms: beak, peck
	12.	pick - eat intermittently; take small bites of; "He pieced at the sandwich all morning"; "She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles" Synonyms: nibble, piece

abuse, accelerate, accost, accumulate, acquire, adz, aggravate, alternativity, amass, annoy, apprehend, arrest, assemble, ax, badger, bait, be at, beak, become acquainted with, bedevil, beset, best, bother, bread knife, bring in, bring together, bristle, browbeat, brown off, brush, bug, bully, bullyrag, bunt, burn up, bushwhacker, bust, butcher knife, buy, call for, carp at, carving knife, catch, champion, chaser, chisel, chivy, choice, choose, choose out, choosing, chosen, chuck, clean up, cleaver, clipper, clippers, co-optation, co-option, collar, collect, come by, come down with, contract, cream, criticize, crop, crop herbs, cut, dab, dagger, decide between, decision, devil, dig, dig up, discern, discompose, discriminate, distemper, distinguish, disturb, dog, election, elite, exasperate, excerpt, exclusive, exercise, extract, fash, fat, filling, fillip, find, first choice, flick, flip, flirt, flower, foment, free choice, free will, fret at, fuss at, gain, garner, gather, gather in, get, get better, get hold of, get in, get together, glean, go to get, gouge, grabble, graze, gripe, grub, grub up, hack, handpick, harass, harry, harvest, hassle, hatchet, hay, heckle, hector, heft, henpeck, hoe, hoist, hound, hunting knife, improve, incite, increase, initiate, intimidate, irk, irritate, jackknife, jest, kill, knife, lance, lancet, learn, letter-opener, lift up, machete, make a comeback, make a selection, make headway, make out, make progress, mark, master, mattock, meet, miff, molest, mow, nab, nag, nag at, neaten, needle, nettle, nibble, nibble at, nick, niggle, nippers, nonesuch, nonpareil, nosh, nudzh, nut, obtain, opt for, optimum, option, paper cutter, paper knife, paragon, paring knife, pat, peck, peck at, peeve, penknife, perk up, persecute, pester, pick and choose, pick at, pick off, pick on, pick out, pick up, pickax, picked, pinch, pique, plague, plectron, plectrum, plowshare, pluck, pluck the beard, plunk, pother, prefer, preference, preoption, pride, prime, prize, provoke, pull in, purchase, queen, quintessence, raise up, rake up, rally, rap, razor, razor blade, reap, reap and carry, recognize, recoup, recover, ride, rile, roil, round up, ruffle, run in, saw knife, sax, scalpel, scare up, scissors, scoop, scrape together, scrape up, scraper, screen out, scuffle hoe, scythe, selected, selection, separate, settle on, settle upon, share, shears, sheath knife, shoot, shoot down, sickle, sidecutters, sift, sift out, single out, snack, snap, snips, sort out, spear, speed up, spokeshave, start, stir up, straighten out, straighten up, strum, superlative, surgical knife, sweep the strings, sword, table knife, take, take in, take into custody, take up, tap, taunt, tease, tell apart, the best, the best ever, the pick, the tops, the very best, thrum, tickle, tidy up, tip, top, torment, touch, try the patience, twang, tweak the nose, vex, volition, warp, wedge, weft, whisk, will, winnow, woof, work up, worry, yap at