cudgel

American  

[kuhj-uhl] / ˈkʌdʒ əl /

noun

1. a short, thick stick used as a weapon; club.

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verb (used with object)

cudgeled, cudgeling, cudgelled, cudgelling

1. to strike with a cudgel; beat.

idioms

1. take up the cudgels, to come to the defense or aid of someone or something.

2. cudgel one's brains, to try to comprehend or remember.

   I cudgeled my brains to recall her name.

cudgel British  

/ ˈkʌdʒəl /

noun

1. a short stout stick used as a weapon

2. to join in a dispute, esp to defend oneself or another

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verb

1. (tr) to strike with a cudgel or similar weapon

2. to think hard about a problem

Other Word Forms

• cudgeler noun
• cudgeller noun
• uncudgeled adjective
• uncudgelled adjective

Etymology

Origin of cudgel

before 900; Middle English cuggel, Old English cycgel; akin to German Kugel ball

Example Sentences

But some experts say such fees cannot be used as a cudgel to punish players that break a contract and transfer.

From Los Angeles Times

Nor should it be used as a cudgel, like “The Little List” in “The Mikado.”

From MarketWatch

“Because people will say, ‘Well, this is just basically a cudgel, there’s not an issue at all, and it’s just being exploited.’”

From Los Angeles Times

But in other circumstances, the law became a powerful cudgel wielded to influence concerns that at best had a tangential relationship to the environment.

From Los Angeles Times

None of which made it a less effective cudgel.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• nightstick
• truncheon