Akimbo, this must be one of the odder-looking words in the language. It puzzles us in part because it doesn't seem to have any relatives. What's more, it is now virtually a fossil word, until recently almost invariably found in 'arms Akimbo', a posture in which a person stands with hands on hips and elbows sharply bent outward, one that signals impatience, hostility, and contempt.