to grab waddy
- phrasal verb
- Australian
- He quickly grabbed the waddy before it fell.
Examples
-
In the story, the old man grabbed waddy to scare off the intruders.
-
Before the dog ran outside, Sam had to grab waddy to defend the flock.
-
Every morning, the farmer would grab waddy before checking the sheep.
-
Don't grab waddy from the ground!
-
Every morning, the farmer would grab waddy to check on his sheep.
-
He quickly grabbed waddy before the dog chased after the rabbit.
-
She had to grab waddy firmly to keep the animal at bay.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To lift something or someone from the ground with your hands
145
2.0
To keep a strong grip on something so it does not fall
104
2.5
To take something in your hand
95
1.3
To hold something or someone tightly, often to keep them safe
84
1.1
To take and hold something firmly with the hands
36
4.6
To grab something quickly, often before someone else
36
1.6
Grab something quickly with a sudden motion
32
3.1
Grab something or someone with your hands
20
2.0
To grasp something with your hands
12
4.2
A quick act of taking something with the hand
3
4.2
Pick something up quickly by moving down fast
Antonyms
How Firm
399
3.2
115
3.4
- Australian
32
3.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'grab' (to seize) combined with 'waddy' (a wooden weapon or tool) yields 'take hold of a stick/tool' with no idiomatic shift. Although 'waddy' is a culture-specific and low-frequency noun, a B1 learner who knows that noun would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Grab waddy may come from old Australian talk where a waddy was a heavy wooden club used as a tool or simple weapon. The image of the two words, grab and waddy, shows someone seizing the club quickly to protect animals, so it means 'to take hold of a stick or tool'.