mumbletypeg

[ muhm-buhl-tee-peg ]

/ ˈmʌm bəl tiˌpɛg /

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noun

a children's game played with a pocketknife, the object being to cause the blade to stick in the ground or a wooden surface by flipping the knife in a number of prescribed ways or from a number of prescribed positions.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also mum·ble·de·peg, mum·ble·dy·peg

[muhm-buhl-dee-peg], /ˈmʌm bəl diˌpɛg/, mumble peg, mum·ble-the-peg

[muhm-buhl-thuh-peg], /ˈmʌm bəl ðəˌpɛg/, mum·ble·ty-peg, mum·bly-peg

[muhm-blee-peg]. /ˈmʌm bliˌpɛg/.

Origin of mumbletypeg

1620–30; from phrase mumble the peg (see mumble); so named because the losing player was formerly required to pull a peg from the ground with their teeth

Words nearby mumbletypeg

mum, mum-and-dad investor, Mumbai, mumble, mumblecore, mumbletypeg, mumbo jumbo, mumchance, mu meson, Mumetal, Mumford

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mumbletypeg in a sentence

"I think they're more fun than playing solitaire or mumbletypeg," declared Uncle Henry, soberly.
The Emerald City of Oz|L. Frank Baum

British Dictionary definitions for mumbletypeg

mumbletypeg

/ (ˈmʌmbəltɪˌpɛɡ) /

noun

US a game in which players throw a knife in various prescribed ways, the aim being to make the blade stick in the ground

Word Origin for mumbletypeg

C17: from mumble the peg, a loser in the game being required to pull the knife out of the ground using the teeth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012