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knee jerk

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
knee jerk
n.
A reflex contraction of the quadriceps muscle resulting in a sudden involuntary extension of the leg, produced by a sharp tap to the tendon below the patella; patellar reflex.

knee jerk
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) Physiol Also called patellar reflex an outward reflex kick of the lower leg caused by a sharp tap on the quadriceps tendon just below the patella
modifier kneejerk
made or occurring as a predictable and automatic response, without thought kneejerk support
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.knee jerk - a reflex extension of the leg resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon


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That's a large number, and consultant Tom Devane says it's the result of what he calls knee jerk offshoring.
Of course, many of us are still scared, but you can't have a knee jerk reaction when you are making decisions like that," she said.
He found that context was relatively unimportant, indicating that the senses are linked "neither at the lowest level [of stimulus processing and response], like a knee jerk, nor at the highest level," where imaginative or metaphoric connections might be made.
 
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