a curved piece of metal, plastic or wire for hanging things on, catching fish with, etc. 钩；钓钩；挂钩；鱼钩 
a picture/curtain/coat hook 挂图钩；窗帘钩；挂衣钩 a fish hook 鱼钩 Hang your towel on the hook. 把你的毛巾挂在钩上。 🔊🔊 The key was hanging from a hook. 钥匙挂在钩子上。 Your coat’s hanging on a hook behind the door. 你的外套挂在门后的钩子上。
(in boxing 拳击运动 a short hard hit that is made with the elbow bent 钩拳 
a left hook to the jaw 击向下颌的一记左钩拳
(in cricket and golf 板球及高尔夫球 a way of hitting the ball so that it curves to the side instead of going straight ahead (usually by mistake in golf, but deliberately in cricket) 曲线球 a thing that is used to make people interested in something 吸引人的事物；诱饵 The images are used as a hook to get children interested in science. 这些图像用以吸引孩子们对科学产生兴趣。 🔊🔊 Well-chosen quotations can serve as a hook to catch the reader’s interest. 精心选择的报价可以吸引读者的兴趣。
Word OriginOld English hōc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoek ‘corner, angle, projecting piece of land’, also to German Haken ‘hook’.
Idioms
by hook or by crook
using any method you can, even a dishonest one 想方设法；不择手段
hook, line and sinker
off the hook
having got free from a difficult situation or a punishment （使）摆脱困境，逃避惩罚 I lied to get him off the hook. 为了让他摆脱麻烦我撒了谎。 No way will she let you off the hook this time. 这次她绝不会让你摆脱困境。 I was finally off the hook. 我终于摆脱了困境。
- (becoming old-fashioned)
if you leave or take a landline phone off the hook, you take the receiver (= the part that you pick up) off the place where it usually rests, so that nobody can call you （为防止电话打进来而使听筒）不挂上
on the hook for something
- (North American English, informal)
responsible for paying for something Citizens are increasingly on the hook for more of their own medical costs. 市民越来越多地为自己承担更多医疗费用。
ring off the hook
sling your hook
- (British English, informal)
(used especially in orders 尤用于命令 to go away 走开；滚蛋