cudgel
/ˈkʌdʒ(ə)l
/noun
A short, thick stick used as a weapon.The notion that peace demonstrators had arrived at a demonstration tooled-up with cudgels and swords seemed improbable to practically everyone bar the time....
- He first declared a state of rebellion in May 2001 after his opponent's supporters, armed with cudgels and sticks, attempted to come close to the presidential palace.
- The muledrivers with their cudgels made short work of the pair, and Don Quijote and his faithful squire soon joined Rocinante on the ground.
Synonyms
club, bludgeon, stick, truncheon, baton, blackthorn, mace, bat;
North American blackjack, billy, billy club, nightstick;
in Ireland shillelagh;
Indian lathi, danda;
South African kierie, knobkerrie
British informal cosh, life preserver
verb (cudgels, cudgelling, cudgelled; US cudgels, cudgeling, cudgeled) [with object]
Beat with a cudgel: they would lie in wait and cudgel her to death...
- The fact that we get along at all with out cudgelling each other to death is one of life's minor miracles.
- Virgil's lines are as a shepherd's staff, for cudgeling foes or correcting friends.
- We are being cudgeled into agreeing to wars of aggression, to make first use of nuclear weapons and to put weapons in outer space.
Synonyms
bludgeon, club, beat, batter, bash;
attack, assault
British informal cosh
Phrases
cudgel one's brain (or brains)
take up the cudgels
Origin
Old English cycgel, of unknown origin.