Question: The term “tuckered out” is frequently used, but not in any other forms. My dictionary defines “tucker” as a dress. I am confused. What is the meaning of “tuckered out,” its origin, and its different forms?
Answer: The origin of “tuckered out” dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when the verb “tuck” (known as tucian in Old English) meant to punish, mistreat, or torment.
In the late 14th century, the verb “tuck” evolved to mean “to pull or gather up and confine” loose garments, a sense we use today when we “tuck in” our shirttails or “tuck in” a child at bedtime.
The concept of “tucked up” was later used to describe a tired horse or dog, meaning “having the flanks drawn in from hunger, malnutrition, or fatigue; hence, tired out, exhausted.”
The related verb “tucker” emerged in the US with the meaning of “to tire, to weary,” typically seen in the phrase “tucker out,” specifically its past participle “tuckered out,” signifying “worn out, exhausted.”
The usage of “tucker” to mean a dress is now obsolete, referring to a strip of gathered or pleated material, like a ruffle, sewn in or around the top of a bodice.
Furthermore, “tuck” has been used since the 14th century to denote folds stitched into cloth to shorten, decorate, or tighten a garment.
In addition to its clothing-related meanings, “tuck” also developed a culinary sense in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, signifying “to eat” or “eat heartily.”
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