What does "quirk" mean?

Quirk: A fit or turn; a short paroxysm; a caprice. [Obs.] "Quirks of joy and grief." Shak.

Additional senses

  1. 2.A smart retort; a quibble; a shallow conceit. Some odd quirks and remnants of wit. Shak.
  2. 3.An irregular air; as, light quirks of music. Pope.
  3. 4.(Building) A piece of ground taken out of any regular ground plot or floor, so as to make a court, yard, etc.; -- sometimes written quink. Gwilt.
  4. 5.(Arch.) A small channel, deeply recessed in proportion to its width, used to insulate and give relief to a convex rounded molding. Quirk molding, a bead between two quirks.

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