knee-sprung
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of knee-sprung
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
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.
The smaller of the two—but not by much—was a sloppy blond boy, rosy-cheeked and gum-chewing, with a relentlessly cheery demeanor and his fists thrust deep in the pockets of his knee-sprung trousers.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Thomas Carlyle's sentences are knee-sprung in front and his phrases are spavined behind, and, therefore, Carlyle has "a style" but not "style."
From The Battle of Principles A Study of the Heroism and Eloquence of the Anti-Slavery Conflict by Hillis, Newell Dwight
The over-check is the direct cause of several diseases, and a horse often becomes knee-sprung from its use.
From Friends and Helpers by Eddy, Sarah J.
A cadaverous horse, knee-sprung and wheezy, dragged the van at the gait of a caterpillar.
From Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 5, June 1905 by Various
I let him have my old paint pony, Freckles—him being knee-sprung and not up to cow-work.
From Bransford of Rainbow Range Originally Published under the title of Bransford in Arcadia, or, The Little Eohippus by Rhodes, Eugene Manlove
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
