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View synonyms for double take

double take

noun

  1. a rapid or surprised second look, either literal or figurative, at a person or situation whose significance had not been completely grasped at first:

    His friends did a double take when they saw how much weight he had lost.



double take

noun

  1. (esp in comedy) a delayed reaction by a person to a remark, situation, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of double take1

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
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Example Sentences

It might make you do a double take, but one of the public amenities is a water feature that is, no lie, a giant puddle.

The “Aduba double-take,” a phenomenon that fans of the show often fall victim to, is truly a testament to her feral performance.

I must have done a double-take, like the Navy pilot who sees a UFO outside his cockpit.

But when he grudgingly appeared with bottle in hand, he did a double take—"Ooh!"

I did a double take when I realized the biggest credit on his resume to date was a Disney comedy TV series called Even Stevens.

You'll notice yourself doing a double-take when you read this because it sounds like an elaborate prank from the Onion.

Kato responded to this with a gruesome double-take that gave his face the fleeting appearance of an ancient samurai war mask.

My heart did a double-take; one slip and he'd be off into the gorge, and the frost stung, melting under his bare fingers.

Brad gave a quick glance down into the pit and then did a double take.

The whistle came from his lips this time, as he did a double-take at the figure which confronted him.

He thought of Bette, the inveterate explainer and double-take expert.

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