agog

See also: -agog

English

Etymology

From Middle English agogge, from Old French en + gogues (“in a merry mood”). See also Italian agognare (“to desire eagerly”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈɡɑɡ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈɡɒɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɒɡ

Adjective

agog (comparative more agog, superlative most agog)

1. In eager desire, eager, astir.
2. (chiefly of eyes) Wide open.
   • 1860, John Greenleaf Whittier, “The Two-Headed Snake of Newbury”, in Home Ballads:

     Cotton Mather came galloping down
     All the way to Newbury town,
     With his eyes agog and his ears set wide,
     And his marvellous inkhorn at his side;

   • 1894, Ford Madox Ford, The queen who flew: a fairy tale, page 41:

     . . . and did not move even when the frogs crept out of the water and listened, with their gold-rimmed eyes all agog, and their yellow throats palpitating.

   • 1940, Agatha Christie, Sad Cypress, page 9:

     People leaning forward, their lips parted a little, their eyes agog, staring at her, Elinor, with a horrible ghoulish excitement . . .

   • 1964, Ken Kesey, Sometimes a Great Notion, page 190:

     Joe shook his head in awe, eyes agog and mouth hanging open as mine once must have hung for the tales of the north woods' legendary denizens.

Collocations

• all agog

Translations

in eager desire

• Czech: napjatý, plný očekávání, zvědavý (cs), natěšený
• German: gespannt (de)
• Italian: eccitato (it), elettrizzato (it), voglioso (it), arrapato (it)
• Polish: podniecony (pl)
• Portuguese: ansioso (pt), curioso (pt)
• Spanish: ansioso (es), curioso (es)
• Swedish: ivrig (sv), spänd förväntan

wide open

• French: écarquillé (fr)
• German: weit geöffnet
• Italian: sgranato (it), spalancato (it), sbarrato (it)
• Swedish: vidöppen (sv)

Adverb

agog (comparative more agog, superlative most agog)

1. In a state of high anticipation, excitement, or interest.
   • 2000, Charles Baxter, chapter 3, in The Feast of Love, page 29:

     Whenever they managed to steal a peak at what he was doing, the other girls were agog that he loved me so much.

Translations

in a state of high anticipation

• French: impatiemment (fr)
• Italian: impazientemente (it), ansiosamente (it), non stare nella pelle
• Portuguese: ansiosamente

Anagrams

• Gago