What is "to strike an attitude"

Strike \Strike\, v. t. [imp. Struck; p. p. Struck, Stricken( Stroock, Strucken, Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Striking. Struck is more commonly used in the p. p. than stricken.] [OE. striken to strike, proceed, flow, AS. str[=i]can to go, proceed, akin to D. strijken to rub, stroke, strike, to move, go, G. streichen, OHG. str[=i]hhan, L. stringere to touch lightly, to graze, to strip off (but perhaps not to L. stringere in sense to draw tight), striga a row, a furrow. Cf. Streak, Stroke.]

1. To touch or hit with some force, either with the hand or with an instrument; to smite; to give a blow to, either with the hand or with any instrument or missile.

   He at Philippi kept His sword e'en like a dancer; while I struck The lean and wrinkled Cassius.
   --Shak.

2. To come in collision with; to strike against; as, a bullet struck him; the wave struck the boat amidships; the ship struck a reef.

3. To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast.

   They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two sideposts.
   --Ex. xii. 7.

   Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow.
   --Byron.

4. To stamp or impress with a stroke; to coin; as, to strike coin from metal: to strike dollars at the mint.

5. To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate; to set in the earth; as, a tree strikes its roots deep.

6. To punish; to afflict; to smite.

   To punish the just is not good, nor strike princes for equity.
   --Prov. xvii. 26.

7. To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes; as, the clock strikes twelve; the drums strike up a march.

8. To lower; to let or take down; to remove; as, to strike sail; to strike a flag or an ensign, as in token of surrender; to strike a yard or a topmast in a gale; to strike a tent; to strike the centering of an arch.

9. To make a sudden impression upon, as by a blow; to affect sensibly with some strong emotion; as, to strike the mind, with surprise; to strike one with wonder, alarm, dread, or horror.

   Nice works of art strike and surprise us most on the first view.
   --Atterbury.

   They please as beauties, here as wonders strike.
   --Pope.

10. To affect in some particular manner by a sudden impression or impulse; as, the plan proposed strikes me favorably; to strike one dead or blind.

    How often has stricken you dumb with his irony!
    --Landor.

11. To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke; as, to strike a light.

    Waving wide her myrtle wand, She strikes a universal peace through sea and land.
    --Milton.

12. To cause to ignite; as, to strike a match.

13. To make and ratify; as, to strike a bargain.

    Note: Probably borrowed from the L. f[oe]dus ferrire, to strike a compact, so called because an animal was struck and killed as a sacrifice on such occasions.

14. To take forcibly or fraudulently; as, to strike money.

15. To level, as a measure of grain, salt, or the like, by scraping off with a straight instrument what is above the level of the top.

16. (Masonry) To cut off, as a mortar joint, even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.

17. To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly; as, my eye struck a strange word; they soon struck the trail.

18. To borrow money of; to make a demand upon; as, he struck a friend for five dollars. [Slang]

19. To lade into a cooler, as a liquor.
    --B. Edwards.

20. To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.

    Behold, I thought, He will . . . strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
    --2 Kings v. 11.

21. To advance; to cause to go forward; -- used only in past participle. ``Well struck in years.'' --Shak. To strike an attitude, To strike a balance. See under Attitude, and Balance. To strike a jury (Law), to constitute a special jury ordered by a court, by each party striking out a certain number of names from a prepared list of jurors, so as to reduce it to the number of persons required by law. --Burrill. To strike a lead.

    1. (Mining) To find a vein of ore.

    2. Fig.: To find a way to fortune. [Colloq.] To strike a ledger or To strike an account, to balance it. To strike hands with.

       1. To shake hands with.
          --Halliwell.

       2. To make a compact or agreement with; to agree with. To strike off.

          1. To erase from an account; to deduct; as, to strike off the interest of a debt.

          2. (Print.) To impress; to print; as, to strike off a thousand copies of a book.

    3. To separate by a blow or any sudden action; as, to strike off what is superfluous or corrupt. To strike oil, to find petroleum when boring for it; figuratively, to make a lucky hit financially. [Slang, U.S.] To strike one luck, to shake hands with one and wish good luck. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl. To strike out.

       1. To produce by collision; to force out, as, to strike out sparks with steel.

       2. To blot out; to efface; to erase. ``To methodize is as necessary as to strike out.''
          --Pope.

       3. To form by a quick effort; to devise; to invent; to contrive, as, to strike out a new plan of finance.

    4. (Baseball) To cause a player to strike out; -- said of the pitcher. See To strike out, under Strike, v. i. To strike sail. See under Sail. To strike up.

       1. To cause to sound; to begin to beat. ``Strike up the drums.''
          --Shak.

       2. To begin to sing or play; as, to strike up a tune.

       3. To raise (as sheet metal), in making diahes, pans, etc., by blows or pressure in a die.

          To strike work, to quit work; to go on a strike.

Attitude \At"ti*tude\, n. [It. attitudine, LL. aptitudo, fr. L. aptus suited, fitted: cf. F. attitude. Cf. Aptitude.]

1. (Paint. & Sculp.) The posture, action, or disposition of a figure or a statue.

2. The posture or position of a person or an animal, or the manner in which the parts of his body are disposed; position assumed or studied to serve a purpose; as, a threatening attitude; an attitude of entreaty.

3. Fig.: Position as indicating action, feeling, or mood; as, in times of trouble let a nation preserve a firm attitude; one's mental attitude in respect to religion.

   The attitude of the country was rapidly changing.
   --J. R. Green.

   To strike an attitude, to take an attitude for mere effect.

   Syn: Attitude, Posture.

   Usage: Both of these words describe the visible disposition of the limbs. Posture relates to their position merely; attitude refers to their fitness for some specific object. The object of an attitude is to set forth exhibit some internal feeling; as, attitude of wonder, of admiration, of grief, etc. It is, therefore, essentially and designedly expressive. Its object is the same with that of gesture; viz., to hold forth and represent. Posture has no such design. If we speak of posture in prayer, or the posture of devotion, it is only the natural disposition of the limbs, without any intention to show forth or exhibit.

   'T is business of a painter in his choice of attitudes (positur[ae]) to foresee the effect and harmony of the lights and shadows.
   --Dryden.

   Never to keep the body in the same posture half an hour at a time.
   --Bacon.