left hook
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A surprise attack or unexpected event
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
một cuộc tấn công bất ngờ hoặc sự kiện không mong đợi
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: a hook punch thrown with the left hand
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The company's bankruptcy came out of nowhere, a left hook that stunned investors
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “left hook” mean?
A surprise attack or unexpected event Literally: a hook punch thrown with the left hand
Is “left hook” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.