Conks

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Delivers a physical blow to someone's face or head ; experiences a sudden breakdown or failure ; denotes the head or nose of a person
2. Strikes someone forcefully, often on the head ; undergoes a collapse or stops functioning ; refers informally to a person's head or nose
3. Hits or punches a person, typically targeting the head ; faces a malfunction or crash, especially of a machine or body function ; a colloquial term for a human head or nose

Etymology: "Conks" is the plural of the noun "conk," and the third-person form of the verb, meaning to hit someone on the head or to break down. The noun is a variant of "conch," the shell, and was in use in the nineteenth century, while the verb's hair-straightening sense comes from Congolene, a brand of hair straightener, and was popularized by a 1956 photograph of Nat King Cole with his hair conked.

Synonyms: hits, blows, strikes, smacks, thumps

Antonyms: caresses, gentleness, soft touches, kisses, hugs