tick

1.
n. & v.
—n.
1 a slight recurring click esp. that of a watch or clock.
2 esp. Brit. colloq. a moment; an instant.
3 a mark to denote correctness, check items in a list, etc.
—v.
1 intr. a (of a clock etc.) make ticks. b (foll. by away) (of time etc.) pass.
2 intr. (of a mechanism) work, function (take it apart to see how it ticks).
3 tr. a mark (a written answer etc.) with a tick. b (often foll. by off) mark (an item in a list etc.) with a tick in checking.
Phrases and idioms:
in two ticks Brit. colloq. in a very short time. tick off colloq. reprimand. tick over
1 (of an engine etc.) idle.
2 (of a person, project, etc.) be working or functioning at a basic or minimum level. tick-tack (or tic-tac) Brit. a kind of manual semaphore signalling used by racecourse bookmakers to exchange information. tick-tack-toe US noughts and crosses. tick-tock the ticking of a large clock etc. what makes a person tick colloq. a person's motivation.
Derivatives:
tickless adj.
Etymology: ME: cf. Du. tik, LG tikk touch, tick
2.
n.
1 any of various arachnids of the order Acarina, parasitic on the skin of dogs and cattle etc.
2 any of various insects of the family Hippoboscidae, parasitic on sheep and birds etc.
3 colloq. an unpleasant or despicable person.
Phrases and idioms:
tick-bird = ox-pecker. tick fever a bacterial or rickettsial fever transmitted by the bite of a tick.
Etymology: OE ticca (recorded as ticia); ME teke, tyke: cf. MDu., MLG teke, OHG zecho
3.
n. colloq. credit (buy goods on tick).
Etymology: app. an abbr. of TICKET in phr. on the ticket
4.
n.
1 the cover of a mattress or pillow.
2 = TICKING.
Etymology: ME tikke, teke f. WG f. L theca f. Gk theke case