[Vocabulary] a stick or something

[luaya]

What does "a stick or something" mean in the context below?

"Sometimes he leaves me you know a stick or something and I am here alone ..."

(this is a passage from a transcription of an oral conversation)

 

[SoothingDave]

Is the speaker perhaps a dog? Dogs like to chew on sticks.

 

[luaya]

No, she's a person complaining about her husband who leaves her alone frequently. I´d like to know if "a stick or something" might be some kind of idiomatic expression.

 

[bhaisahab]

No, she's a person complaining about her husband who leaves her alone frequently. I´d like to know if "a stick or something" might be some kind of idiomatic expression.

No, it's not idiomatic. More context is needed to be able to understand it.

 

[~Mav~]

What does "a stick or something" mean in the context below?

"Sometimes he leaves me you know a stick or something and I am here alone ..."

(this is a passage from a transcription of an oral conversation)

*** NOT A TEACHER ***

I assume "stick" here means "stick note" (=sticky note), so the whole sentence means that sometimes he leaves her a note or something like that (maybe an actual sticky note, or a text message, for example), and she ends up being alone.

 

[emsr2d2]

I have never heard of a "sticky note/sticky/Post-It note" being referred to as a "stick".

My guess is that the context of the rest of the passage might make it clear, but I think it actually literally means that for some reason the husband leaves the wife an actual stick, or something else, before leaving her alone. I cannot begin to imagine why!

 

[bhaisahab]

I have never heard of a "sticky note/sticky/Post-It note" being referred to as a "stick".

My guess is that the context of the rest of the passage might make it clear, but I think it actually literally means that for some reason the husband leaves the wife an actual stick, or something else, before leaving her alone. I cannot begin to imagine why!

I can begin to imagine all sorts of things but most of them would probably be wide of the mark.

 

[~Mav~]

I have never heard of a "sticky note/sticky/Post-It note" being referred to as a "stick".

Neither have I (not that it means anything...), but:

this is a passage from a transcription of an oral conversation)

, so it may have been misheard. (I can imagine referring to a sticky note as "sticky" amongst friends.)

...I think it actually literally means that for some reason the husband leaves the wife an actual stick, or something else, before leaving her alone. I cannot begin to imagine why!

I can, but I shan't be so naughty as to guess any further.

 

[5jj]

If the couple lived in an area prone to burglary, the husband might have given the wife a stick or something (similar) with which to beat off intruders.

@ Mav - behave!

 

[~Mav~]

My question (according to my original suggestion) is that if we changed "stick" to "sticky" making the sentence read, "Sometimes he leaves me, you know, a sticky or something and I am here alone.", would my interpretation be plausible? There seem to be more than 6,000,000 results for "sticky or something", so I don't understand why you (apparently) discard the idea that the sentence was simply misheard. :roll: Leaving a sticky note saying, "Gone to Jane. Back in 5 days." (just for example) is more likely, IMHO, than leaving her a rod* (for whatever purpose) or something. :roll: I agree, though, that further context would probably render our guessing unnecessary.

If the couple lived in an area prone to burglary, the husband might have given the wife a stick or something (similar) with which to beat off intruders.

:up: That makes sense. (Aye, aye, Sir! )


PS:

* Here is another wild guess as to why he left her a stick, a broomstick. Maybe he meant this:

:lol: