crotch

Etymology

Of disputed origin; two possibilities seem likely: * From Middle English croche, variant of crucche (“crutch”); compare crook. * From Middle English croche, variant of crouche (“cross, crozier”).

noun

1. The area where something forks or branches, a ramification takes place.
   There is a child sitting in a crotch of that tree.
2. The ventral area (very bottom) of the human body between where the legs fork from the torso, in the area of the genitals and anus.
   Every mile they rode their crotches felt worse saddlepain.
3. (slang, euphemistic) Either the male or female genitalia.
   He cringed at being kicked in the crotch.
4. (billiards) In the three-ball carom game, a small space at each corner of the table.
5. (typography) The open counter (negative space) formed by two downward strokes that meet at an internal acute angle, potentially above a vertex, as in the letters "V" and "Y".

verb

1. (transitive) To provide with a crotch; to give the form of a crotch to.
   to crotch the ends of ropes in splicing or tying knots
2. (transitive, logging, historical, Western US) To notch (a log) on opposite sides to provide a grip for the dogs that will haul it.
3. (transitive) To shoplift or smuggle by hiding between one's thighs or in one's underwear.
   I remember crotching a bottle of Corona out of a pub on Commercial Drive and nursing it with Cancer as we stumbled towards my car . 2008, Patrick Blennerhassett, Monument, page 182
   I crotched them. I put them in my underwear. 2014, Ryan Patrick Sullivan, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, page 107
   Techniques used: the woman rolled four coats and crotched them (placed them under her dress and held them between her thighs), and each of the men wrapped three coats around his midsection 2020, Charles A. Sennewald, Curtis Baillie, Effective Security Management, page 136
4. (transitive) To hit in the crotch (genital region).
   Flair and Paisley flirted until Daffney crotched David from behind with a baseball bat. 2002, Pat McNeill, The Tables All Were Broken=, page 4
   Pillman gets crotched on the top rope and barely kicks out of a superplex. 2015, James Dixon, Bob Dahlstrom, Benjamin Richardson, The Nitro Files: 1995, page 10
   Calhoun turns around and Leo is facing him and he crotched him. 2013, Steven Johnson, Greg Oliver, Mike Mooneyham, The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons
5. (transitive, sailing) To secure (the boom) to the boom crotch (a forked pole).
   […] when she begins to go astern, let go the anchor, brail up the spanker, crotch the boom, haul taut the guys, light-to the cable, as fast as she will take it, until a sufficient scope is out, when stopper. 1864, William N. Brady, The Kedge-anchor, Or Young Sailor's Assistant, page 192
   I always crotched the boom while reefing, and made an easy job of it, the boat, in the meantime, taking perfect care of herself on any point of sailing, under jib and jigger. 1907, H.R. Stiles, “Notes on Rigging”, in Thomas Fleming Day, editor, The Rudder, volume 18, page 611
   The big coiled throat and peak halyards were made ready to run, and the mainsheet was put to the winch ready for crotching the boom. 1969, Yachting - Volume 125, page 319
6. (transitive, tree work) To hang (a rope) over a crotch in a tree so that the ends hang down from opposite sides.
   The safety sling should be tied immediately after the climber has crotched his rope as high and as close to the trunk as possible. 1935, United States. National Park Service. Branch of forestry, Tree Preservation Bulletin - Issues 1-9, page 9
   If it is necessary, however, to climb directly onto the limb where the rope is crotched, the limb may be approached as shown in Figure 32. 1955, A. Robert Thompson, Rope, Knots and Climbing, page 11
   The climbing line shall be crotched as soon as practicable after the employee is aloft, and a taut-line hitch tied and checked. 1999, Robert H. Griffin, Safety and Health Requirements Manual: U.S. Army Corps, page 563
7. (transitive) To remove overgrown wool from around the eyes of.
   Cattle and sheep purchased by contract for a specific consignee at point of origin, and moving on through billing to points beyond Denver, may be stopped at Denver to be weighed, classified, sorted, inspected, delivered, tagged, faced, crotched, and/or diverted for a charge of $7.50 per car or per truck in lieu of yardage. April 27, 1948, “Production and Marketing Administration”, in Federal Register, volume 13, page 2265
   My father crotched the ewes before they gave birth, and then played midwife to entire flocks once they started lambing in late April, often with the help of Rusyn peasants who knew just when to show up every year and who seemed fond of my tall, independent father. 2011, Andrew Krivak ·, The Sojourn
   He was meant to be crotching the sheep that day, and crotching, as is well known in rural circles, is very thirsty work. 2013, Reginald Wells, At Daytrap: Tales from a farmhouse at Daytrap
   If you can get your mob marked, crotched and over to Wilga by then, they can be done with mine. 2014, Tamara McKinley, Matilda's Last Waltz