hawk

Everyday

1. A bird of prey with sharp eyes, a hooked beak and strong claws (talons), which hunts small animals. tree →
2. (verb) To sell things by walking about and calling out, like at a market. tree →
3. (verb) To clear your throat noisily. tree →
4. A person who prefers strong, warlike actions (opposite of a dove). tree →

In the lessons

In science: hawks are predators at the top of a food chain; they have amazing eyesight. Phrases: «eyes like a hawk», «watch someone like a hawk» (watch very closely). In history: street sellers hawked goods (a hawker).

Examples

• A hawk was circling high above the field. tree →
• The hawk swooped down and caught a mouse. tree →
• Our teacher watches us like a hawk during tests. tree →
• The hawk's sharp talons grip its prey. tree →
• Street sellers hawked newspapers on the corner. tree →
• Hawks can see a mouse from very high up. tree →

Note

Countable. Verb: hawked, hawking; a «hawker» is a street seller. Hawks are birds of prey like eagles and falcons but usually smaller than eagles. Do not confuse with «hock».

In Jewish tradition

A bird of prey that is unclean in the food laws and may not be eaten. In Job, God asks whether the hawk soars and flies south by Job's wisdom, to show that the wonders of nature come from God and not from human understanding.

Interpretation. Birds of prey are on the forbidden list in Leviticus, and tradition says the clean birds are those that do not hunt. The rabbis read God's questions to Job about the hawk and other animals as a lesson that people cannot grasp the whole of creation.

Examples

• and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds; (Torah LEV.11.16, JPS 1917) tree →
• Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south? (Writings JOB.39.26, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable. Verb: hawked, hawking; a «hawker» is a street seller. Hawks are birds of prey like eagles and falcons but usually smaller than eagles. Do not confuse with «hock».