as in trick
an odd or peculiar habit
her one crotchet is a fondness for eating cookies while soaking in the tub
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Recent Examples of crotchet
Think outside the box All book collectors develop distinctive crotchets.
—
Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
The origins of brackets — once referred to as crotchets, crooks, or hooks — are a mystery.
—Sarah Fay, Longreads, 17 Mar. 2020
Among his other crotchets was an aversion to bare canvas.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 7 May 2018
Maxine attended to his every whim and crotchet, never lost faith in his brilliance or potential, and delighted in surrounding him with exactly the sort of frivolous company his wife abhorred.
—Sadie Stein, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017
Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
The origins of brackets — once referred to as crotchets, crooks, or hooks — are a mystery.
—Sarah Fay, Longreads, 17 Mar. 2020
Among his other crotchets was an aversion to bare canvas.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 7 May 2018
Maxine attended to his every whim and crotchet, never lost faith in his brilliance or potential, and delighted in surrounding him with exactly the sort of frivolous company his wife abhorred.
—Sadie Stein, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crotchet
Noun
-
The only trick now is for the league to get a team to the final Monday night of the season and actually cut down the nets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Eating a balanced diet should do the trick for the majority.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In an at-home experiment, participants completed psychological profiles that measured the strength of their self-control trait.—
Francine Russo,
Scientific American,
28 Mar. 2026
-
That trait, mixed with his undying and lifelong love for the organization, can yield very good results.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The best Rockies lineups have always offered a blend of characteristics.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Stanford School of Medicine prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Nor does Thomas, with all his erudition and vatic mannerisms, manage to have with his son anything close to the loving, reciprocal relationship that Max has with Emmie.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman told CBS News that the most effective way to reduce oil consumption is for people to change their driving habits — primarily by driving less — while acknowledging that engineering such a shift isn't easy.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Saline rinses at the first sign of congestion can prevent mouth breathing from hardening into habit.—
Allison Palmer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The incident sparked a firestorm of anger, much focussed on the BBC for not removing Davidson’s tic from its broadcast.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Once Ida is revived, Buckley is rife with tics and guttural asides, switching between rat-a-tat mobster slang and Shelley’s flowery English prose like some postmodern literary Gollum.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Jude relocates this tale of troubled conscience to present-day Cluj-Napoca, in Transylvania, and subjects it to a corrosively cynical twist.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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Fans can expect a twist on ballpark favorites, like the Tigers Tail footlong corn dog, and diverse local favorites, including pierogi nachos.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The finding provides a long‑sought explanation for a bizarre quirk in the parasite’s biology that has confounded scientists for 40 years.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But my biggest quirk was my obsession with music.—
Des Moines Register,
Des Moines Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crotchet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crotchet. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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