It's Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11th.
Today's word is Chocoblock, spelled as one word, C-H-O-C-K-A-B-L-O-C-K.
Chocoblock is an adjective.
Something described as Chocoblock is very full or tightly packed.
Here's the word used in a sentence from NPR.
by Ari Shapiro.
The official Taylor Swift online store is Chocoblock with earrings, hoodies, vinyl,
and other merchandise, promoting the star's latest record-breaking album,
The Tortured Poets Department.
Though it's now more often used by landlubbers, the word Chocoblock has a nautical history.
On board a sailing vessel,
the word Choc-C-H-O-C-K can refer to a wedge or block that is pressed up against an object to keep it from moving.
On land, wheelchocks prevent vehicles from rolling,
while a block and tackle system combines pulleys,
often in cases called blocks,
and rope or cable to provide mechanical advantage for hoisting and hauling.
Using a block and tackle to hoist a sail on a traditional sailing ship,
there's a point when the rope or cable is pulled as far as it will go.
The blocks at that point are tight together and said to be chock-a-block.
They can no longer move, as if they are being checked by a chalk.