DOUBLE TAKE Definition & Meaning

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double take

noun

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

(esp in comedy) a delayed reaction by a person to a remark, situation, etc

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of double take¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I have to admit, I did a double take when I saw in last Sunday’s letters, not just one, but two USC detractors dredged up the same tired old jab, “The University of Spoiled Children.”

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But then in 2020 I saw Kelly Fields’ “The Good Book of Southern Baking,” and I did a double take.

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OK, sure, but I did a double take after learning that the final production took place in July 2021.

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“When you’re walking one way, everyone walking the other way gives the look and double take. It’s entertaining,” he said.

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His version of a double take was a blank stare, his weapon the throwaway ironic remark.

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