crutch
/krʌtʃ
/noun
1A long stick with a crosspiece at the top, used as a support under the armpit by a lame person.It's difficult to understand why so many crutches, white sticks and wheelchairs remain unclaimed....
- The workers here carry walking sticks, use crutches, or get around in wheelchairs.
- There were people in wheel chairs, people with walking sticks and crutches and people with guide dogs.
1.1 [in singular] A thing used for support or reassurance: they use the Internet as a crutch for their loneliness...
- I look at my spiritual practice as a way to engage and learn from life, not simply a crutch to help make it through.
- I see anti-depressants as a crutch which will help me to get better, not the thing that will make me better.
- You touch on it briefly in your post but I think it is important to take note that there is a difference between protecting yourself and creating a crutch to avoid dealing with difficulties.
2The crotch of the body or a garment: a black skirt that barely hid her crutch overalls reinforced with leather where the crutch took the saddle’s chafing
Origin
Old English crycc, cryc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kruk and German Krücke.
Rhymes
- Crown dependency
- Crown Derby
- crown drill
- crown-eater
- crowned crane
- crowned eagle
- crowned head
- crowned pigeon
- crowned pulley
- crowned republic
- crown end
- crowner
- crown estate
- crownet
- crown ether
- crown fern
- crown fire
- crown gall
- crown gate
- crown gear
- crown glass
- crown gold
- crown graft
- crown grafting
- Crown grant