Meanings
- UKinformalRisqué, sexual, suggestive of impropriety.
So near the knuckle, I wonder they got past the censor.
1972, Nikolái Vasílievich Gógol, Diary of a Madman and Other Stories2 more examples
“But . . . Laser Lass is just . . . banging!” Stifling a giggle and deciding this must be some masculine epithet she hadn't come across before, Evey gave the handcart a shove and went on her way. After all, "banging" wasn't anything that was shown on TV these days, even if some of Gordon Deitrich's shows did get pretty near the knuckle sometimes.
2006, Steve Moore, V for VendettaIt's raw, this kind of work, and near the knuckle: unsupported by music, lighting, video screen, it's just you and them, you and them and the dead, […]
2005, Hilary Mantel, Beyond Black
Synonyms & antonyms
Cite this entry
near the knuckle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near%20the%20knuckle
“near the knuckle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near%20the%20knuckle. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “near the knuckle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near%20the%20knuckle.
Source: near the knuckle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.