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Glite Dictionary
stickum

stickum

1 8.9
A sticky substance players put on hands or gloves in sports to help hold things
  • noun
  • /ˈstɪkəm/
  • Jargon
: pegamento
  • She noticed the stickum on the back of the labels helped them adhere well to the boxes.

Examples

  • Stickum was especially popular among players who are expected to catch footballs, like wide receivers and defensive backs.

    Blog text (23)

  • Harper put some stickum on your gloves this time because the chances will be there.

    Blog text (8)

  • - You know, the yellow things with the stickum on the back? - Yes, I know what they are.

    Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)

  • They're the little yellow things with the stickum on the back, right?

    Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)

  • Give me some stickum, will you Bubba?

    Stroker Ace (1983)

  • The player applied some stickum to his gloves for better grip during the game.

  • Coaches often recommend using stickum to help athletes catch the ball more easily.

Synonyms

sticky goop
vsstickum
  • Informal
1 5.4

A thick glue-like substance that clings to things and makes a mess

is a specially used adhesive made to improve grip in sports

How Sticky

superglue
5 3.3
stickum
  • Jargon
1 8.9
adhesive
19 3.6

Surface Forms

stickum singular
stickums plural

Morphology

stickum = stick (semi-transparent) = stick + um

The meaning is clearly related to 'stick' (sticky or adhesive), but '-um' is a nonstandard/stylized noun-forming ending, so the exact formation is not fully regular for learners.

Etymology

Stickum comes from the common word stick, meaning 'to hold' or 'cling', with an informal ending -um, and a helpful way to remember it is to think of the phrase 'stick 'em' ('make it stick'). So stickum is a sticky substance used to help players hold sports equipment, which is why the name fits.