Akimbo

Origin of: Akimbo

Akimbo

Arms akimbo, means placing one’s hands on one’s hips with the elbows pointing outwards. The expression has been around from The Middle Ages. It derives from an Old Norse expression meaning bent in the form of a bow or curve. The last syllable of akimbo retains this sense of bow or curve, which of course resembles the shape of one’s arms when adopting this position.