straddle

Meanings

Verb

• To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride.
• To be on both sides of something; to have parts that are in different places, regions, etc.
• To consider or favor two apparently opposite sides; to be noncommittal.
• To form a disorderly sprawl; to spread out irregularly.
• To fire successive artillery shots in front of and behind of a target, especially in order to determine its range (the term "bracket" is often used instead).
• To place a voluntary raise prior to receiving cards (only by the first player after the blinds).
• To stand with the ends staggered; said of the spokes of a wagon wheel where they join the hub.
• To execute a commodities market spread.

Noun

• A posture in which one straddles something.
• An investment strategy involving simultaneous trade with put and call options on same security with positions that offset one another.
• A voluntary raise made prior to receiving cards by the first player after the blinds.
• A vertical mine-timber supporting a set.

Adverb

• Astride.

Origin

• As a verb, attested since the 1560s. Most likely, an alteration of dialectal striddle. The noun is first attested in the 1610s.