cudgel
noun
a short, thick stick used as a weapon; club.
had cudgelled
-
past perfectof cudgel.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Kenneth went hot and cold; his brain seemed paralysed; and when the Uhlans reined up a few yards away he had cudgelled his wits in vain for something to say.
From A Hero of Li?ge by Herbert Strang
For some time in lock-up Carstares had cudgelled his brain to think out a possible mode of escape next day, but try as he might he could light on nothing.
From The Black Moth A Romance of the XVIIIth Century by Georgette Heyer
He had cudgelled his brain for days to find just the right subject.
From A Little Girl in Old Salem by Amanda Minnie Douglas
It was said that one of the Duke of Buckingham's companions had insulted a stranger gentleman from the country, and that the stranger had cudgelled him soundly.
From The Fortunes of Nigel by Sir Walter Scott
Lancelot thanked him for us both in well-chosen words, such as I should never have found if I had cudgelled my brains for a fortnight.
From Marjorie by Justin H. (Justin Huntly) McCarthy
