suck|er

suck|er «SUHK uhr», noun, verb.

–n.

1. an animal or thing that sucks.

2. a young mammal before it is weaned, especially a suckling pig.

3. any one of various freshwater fishes that suck in food or have toothless, fleshy mouths that suggest sucking.

4. an organ adapted for sucking or absorbing nourishment by suction, such as the proboscis of an insect.

5. a part or organ for holding fast to an object by a sucking force, such as that of a leech or snail: »

the animal [tapeworm] clings to the inner wall of the alimentary canal by means of hooks and suckers (Hegner and Stiles).

6. a) a shoot growing from an underground stem or root. b) an adventitious shoot from the trunk or a branch of a tree or plant. c) one of the small roots of a parasitic plant; haustorium.

7. the piston of a suction pump.

8. the valve of such a piston.

9. a pipe or tube through which anything is drawn by suction.

10. a lump of hard candy, especially a lollipop: »

She was greeted by two little boys with suckers in their jaws (New Yorker).

11. Slang, Figurative. a) a person easily deceived; simpleton; greenhorn: »

Most people saw the urgency of the economic situation but nobody wanted “to be played for a sucker” (London Times).

b) a sponger; parasite.

–v.t.

1. to strip off suckers or shoots from; remove superfluous young shoots from (as tobacco or corn).

2. U.S. Slang. to treat as a fool or simpleton; deceive; dupe: »

Let's face it, the real reason why we got suckered into this…business was plain fright (Harper's).

–v.i.

to form or throw up suckers.