What is "hitch"

Hitch \Hitch\, v. i. To hitchhike; -- mostly used in the phrase to hitch a ride; as, he hitched his way home; he hitched a ride home.

Hitch \Hitch\ (h[i^]ch), v. t. [Cf. Scot. hitch a motion by a jerk, and hatch, hotch, to move by jerks, also Prov. G. hiksen, G. hinken, to limp, hobble; or E. hiccough; or possibly akin to E. hook.]

1. To become entangled or caught; to be linked or yoked; to unite; to cling.

   Atoms . . . which at length hitched together.
   --South.

2. To move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or steps; -- said of something obstructed or impeded.

   Slides into verse, and hitches in a rhyme.
   --Pope.

   To ease themselves . . . by hitching into another place.
   --Fuller.

3. To hit the legs together in going, as horses; to interfere. [Eng.]
   --Halliwell.

Hitch \Hitch\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hitched; p. pr. & vb. n. Hitching.]

1. To hook; to catch or fasten as by a hook or a knot; to make fast, unite, or yoke; as, to hitch a horse, or a halter; hitch your wagon to a star.

2. To move with hitches; as, he hitched his chair nearer. To hitch up.

   1. To fasten up.

   2. To pull or raise with a jerk; as, a sailor hitches up his trousers.

   3. To attach, as a horse, to a vehicle; as, hitch up the gray mare. [Colloq.]

Hitch \Hitch\, n.

1. A catch; anything that holds, as a hook; an impediment; an obstacle; an entanglement.

2. The act of catching, as on a hook, etc.

3. A stop or sudden halt; a stoppage; an impediment; a temporary obstruction; an obstacle; as, a hitch in one's progress or utterance; a hitch in the performance.

4. A sudden movement or pull; a pull up; as, the sailor gave his trousers a hitch.

5. (Naut.) A knot or noose in a rope which can be readily undone; -- intended for a temporary fastening; as, a half hitch; a clove hitch; a timber hitch, etc.

6. (Geol.) A small dislocation of a bed or vein.

mid-15c., probably from Middle English icchen "to move as with a jerk, to stir" (c.1200). It lacks cognates in other languages. The connection with icchen may be in notion of "hitching up" pants or boots with a jerking motion. Sense of "become fastened," especially by a hook, first recorded 1570s, originally nautical. Meaning "to marry" is from 1844 (to hitch horses together "get along well," especially of married couples, is from 1837, American English). Short for hitchhike (v.) by 1931. Related: Hitched; hitching.

1660s, "a limp or hobble;" 1670s, "an abrupt movement," from hitch (v.). Meaning "a means by which a rope is made fast" is from 1769, nautical. The sense of "obstruction" is first recorded 1748; military sense of "enlistment" is from 1835.

n. 1 A sudden pull. 2 Any of various knot used to attach a rope to an object other than another rope Knots and Splices by Cyrus L Day, Adlard Coles Nautical, 2001. See http://en.wikipedi

1. org/wiki/List%20of%20hitch%20knots. 3 A fastener or connection point, as for a trailer. 4 (context informal English) A problem, delay or source of difficulty. 5 A hidden or unfavorable condition or element; a catch. 6 A period of time. Most often refers to time spent in the military. v

2. 1 (context transitive English) To pull with a jerk. 2 (context transitive English) To attach, tie or fasten.

1. v. to hook or entangle; "One foot caught in the stirrup" [syn: catch] [ant: unhitch]

2. walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury; "The old woman hobbles down to the store every day" [syn: limp, hobble]

3. jump vertically, with legs stiff and back arched; "the yung filly bucked" [syn: buck, jerk]

4. travel by getting free rides from motorists [syn: hitchhike, thumb]

5. connect to a vehicle: "hitch the trailer to the car"

1. n. a period of time spent in military service [syn: enlistment, term of enlistment, tour of duty, duty tour, tour]

2. the state of inactivity following an interruption; "the negotiations were in arrest"; "held them in check"; "during the halt he got some lunch"; "the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow"; "he spent the entire stop in his seat" [syn: arrest, check, halt, stay, stop, stoppage]

3. an unforeseen obstacle [syn: hang-up, rub, snag]

4. a connection between a vehicle and the load that it pulls

5. a knot that can be undone by pulling against the strain that holds it

6. any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome [syn: hindrance, preventive, preventative, encumbrance, incumbrance, interference]

7. the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg [syn: hobble, limp]

Hitch may refer to:

• Hitch, a knot used to attach a rope to a fixed object, see list of hitch knots
• Tow hitch, a construction on a truck or car to attach a trailer
• Hitches, fishes in the genus Lavinia including Lavinia exilicauda
• Hitch (route), a pattern run by a receiver in American football
• Hitch (film), a 2005 movie starring Will Smith
• Healthcare Interoperability Testing and Conformance Harmonisation, a 2010-2011 European Institute for Health Records project
• Hitch, a 2016 album by The Joy Formidable

Hitch is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays the main fictional character of the film, Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, who is a professional dating consultant who makes a living teaching men how to woo women. The film was released on February 11, 2005 by Columbia Pictures.

Hitch is the third studio album by the Welsh alternative rock band The Joy Formidable. The album was released on 25 March 2016 by the C'mon Let's Drift label in the UK, and Caroline Records in the US.

Hitch is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Bill Hitch (1886–1965), cricketer
• Brian Hitch (1932–2004), British diplomat
• Bryan Hitch (born 1966), British comic-book artist
• Charles J. Hitch (1910–1995), US Assistant Secretary of Defense and president of the University of California
• Frederick Hitch (1856–1913), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Frederick Brook Hitch (1897–1957), British sculptor
• Lew Hitch (1929–2012), National Basketball Association player
• Nathaniel Hitch (1845–1938), British sculptor; father of Frederick Brook Hitch
• Neon Hitch (born 1986), British singer and songwriter