Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take the studs

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.34 in modern English

Syllables: take the s-tuds
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To act in a balky and uncooperative manner.

Example Sentences

"Pap has taken the studs, and I have made up my mind to leave here for good and all."
"When I was eight years old my mother started me to an old water mill with two bushels of corn to get meal and put me on an old mule named "John," put a spur on my right heel to make the old mule go if he took the studs."
"She said, "When I was passing Wily B. Smiths," who was the hoot'n‑toot'n lad "Tanner" adopted, "the mule I was riding took the studs and began going backwards. Try as I did, it wouldn't budge forward.""

Etymology

From an Old English dialect phrase "take the sturdies".

Inflected Forms

takes the studs (present, singular) taking the studs (participle, present) took the studs (past) taken the studs (participle, past)

Questions

What does take the studs mean?: To act in a balky and uncooperative manner.
Where does take the studs come from?: From an Old English dialect phrase "take the sturdies".

How to pronounce take the studs

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