spud

Meanings

Noun

  • A potato.
  • A hole in a sock.
  • A type of short nut (fastener) threaded on both ends.
  • Anything short and thick.
  • A piece of dough boiled in fat.
  • A testicle.
  • A dagger.
  • A digging fork with three broad prongs.
  • A tool, similar to a spade, used for digging out weeds etc.
  • A barking spud; a long-handled tool for removing bark from logs.
  • A short central rod in a lighting fixture, for attachment to the light.

Verb

  • To begin drilling an oil well; to drill by moving the drill bit and shaft up and down, or by raising and dropping a bit.
  • To remove the roofing aggregate and most of the bituminous top coating by scraping and chipping.
  • To set up a recreational vehicle (RV) at a campsite, typically by leveling the RV and connecting it to electric, water, and/or sewer hookups.

Proper Noun

  • A game for three or more players, involving the gradual elimination of players by throwing and catching a ball.

Origin

  • From Middle English spudde ("small knife"). Origin unknown; probably related to Danish spyd, Old Norse spjót ("spear"), German Spieß ("spear; spike; skewer"). Compare English spit ("sharp, pointed rod"). The use of the term for a potato was originally in British dialect and slang usage.

Modern English dictionary

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