Garden Variety Linguist on Nostr: npub1hpcdf…ghjn3 From the OED on the verb 'stump': "(originally U.S.) To cause to ...
npub1hpcdfjpxrawnmu6ryh36ce7xu4qd54pu6xca394yhvmyzlery0tqvghjn3 (npub1hpc…hjn3)
From the OED on the verb 'stump':
"(originally U.S.) To cause to be at a loss; to confront with an insuperable difficulty; to nonplus. (The primary reference was probably to the obstruction caused by stumps in ploughing imperfectly cleared land.)"
First use was actually as a noun: stumper (a hard problem), in 1807. 'Stumped' was first written in 1834, in an American book of humourous letters.
It seems like this usage became widespread by Tolkien's time, much like pipe-weed, lol.
From the OED on the verb 'stump':
"(originally U.S.) To cause to be at a loss; to confront with an insuperable difficulty; to nonplus. (The primary reference was probably to the obstruction caused by stumps in ploughing imperfectly cleared land.)"
First use was actually as a noun: stumper (a hard problem), in 1807. 'Stumped' was first written in 1834, in an American book of humourous letters.
It seems like this usage became widespread by Tolkien's time, much like pipe-weed, lol.