| hitch | 1. To become entangled or caught; to be linked or yoked; to unite; to cling. "Atoms . . . Which at length hitched together." (South) 2. To move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or steps; said of something obstructed or impeded. "Slides into verse, and hitches in a rhyme." (Pope) "To ease themselves . . . By hitching into another place." (Fuller) 3. To hit the legs together in going, as horses; to interfere. Origin: Cf. Scot. Hitch a motion by a jerk, and hatch, hotch, to move by jerks, also Prov. G. Hiksen, G. Hinken, to limp, hobble; or E. Hiccough; or possibly akin to E. Hook. 1. A catch; anything that holds, as a hook; an impediment; an obstacle; an entanglement. 2. The act of catching, as on a hook, etc. 3. A stop or sudden halt; a stoppage; an impediment; a temporary obstruction; an obstacle; as, a hitch in one's progress or utterance; a hitch in the performance. 4. A sudden movement or pull; a pull up; as, the sailor gave his trousers a hitch. 5. A knot or noose in a rope which can be readily undone; intended for a temporary fastening; as, a half hitch; a clove hitch; a timber hitch, etc. 6. <geology> A small dislocation of a bed or vein. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| hitchhiker | A gene that has no selective advantage, or may even be harmful, but that nevertheless temporarily becomes widespread because it is closely linked and coupled with a highly advantageous gene that is strongly selected. (05 Mar 2000) |
| hitchhiker thumbs | Malposition of the thumb's which as a result of shortness of the first metacarpal stand at right angles to the radial border of the hand and in the same place as it; a characteristic sign of diastrophic dwarfism. (05 Mar 2000) |