Stump

stump, n. the part of a tree left in the ground after the trunk is cut down: the part of a body remaining after a part is cut off or destroyed: ( cricket ) one of the three sticks forming a wicket.— v.t. to reduce to a stump, to truncate, to cut off a part of: to strike unexpectedly, as the foot against something fixed: ( cricket ) to knock down the wickets when the batsman is out of his ground: to bring to a stop by means of some obstacle or other, to defeat, ruin: ( U.S. ) to challenge to do something difficult: to make stump-speeches throughout a district, constituency, .: ( slang ) to pay down, hand over (with up ).— v.i. to walk along heavily: to make stump-speeches.— ns. Stump′er , one who stumps; Stump′-or′at or , one who harangues the multitude from a temporary platform, as the stump of a tree: a speaker who travels about the country, and whose appeals are mainly to the pa ions of his audience; Stump′-or′atory ; Stump′-speech , an impromptu speech delivered on any improvised platform, any speech made all round a district by some frothy agitator.— adj. Stump′y , full of stumps, short and thick.— n. ( slang ) cash.— Stump out ( cricket ), to put out by knocking down the stump or wicket. [Ice. stumpr ; Ger. stumpf , nasalised form of stub .]