Dictionaries of idioms seem to prefer 'the ugly stick', but etymologically 'an ugly stick' may be older, or at least 'uh ugly stick', which I assume is indefinite.
AJ
Dictionaries of idioms seem to prefer 'the ugly stick', but etymologically 'an ugly stick' may be older, or at least 'uh ugly stick', which I assume is indefinite.
AJ
In my neck of the woods it tends towards "the ugly tree" as in "you fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."
In my neck of the woods it tends towards "the ugly tree" as in "you fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."
I saw something like that mentioned in a proposed etymology for 'ugly stick', being one of the branches knocked off by the fall. I didn't pay it much heed at the time.
AJ
Probably post dating your etymology, I recall a company selling a fishing rod that was called 'The Ugly Stick'.
Probably post dating your etymology, I recall a company selling a fishing rod that was called 'The Ugly Stick'.
There's also a Newfoundland musical instrument called 'the ugly stick'. Allegedly it has no connection to the 'ugly stick' idiom. So that's three usages that might have evolved in parallel ;-)
AJ
the 'ugly stick' idiom
Possibly what young female Americans call certain types of car?
I think "an ugly stick" would generally be the preferred usage.
I never heard the expression, but not according to Ngram. There are zero occurrences of "hit by an ugly stick."
"Hit by the ugly stick" began around 1970 and jumped up in the early 2000s.
Now if you don't include the "hit by" there are references to "an ugly stick," but that could easily be used with a different meaning.
Now if you don't include the "hit by" there are references to "an ugly stick," but that could easily be used with a different meaning.
Some people use 'beat by' instead of hit by.
On SOL 'an ugly stick' returns ten stories while 'the ugly stick' returns sixteen, but from the previews some of those 'the ugly stick' occurrences are not idiomatic, including one reference to a penis ;-)
AJ
are not idiomatic, including one reference to a penis ;-)
Actually, when I googled "hit by an ugly stick," one idiom I found was "penile copulation."
I've primarily heard it as "the". Note that I'm Canadian, but I'm including US media.
I'll note that grammatically, "an ugly stick" could be read as the stick itself being ugly, while "the ugly stick" sounds more like a unique object.
Also, usually the usage implies that the ugly stick is metaphorical or supernatural, similar to "when they were handing out ..." which is a way of saying someone is especially good or bad at something. For example, "when they were handing out brains he skipped the line" or "when they were handing out good looks she went through the line twice".
I've primarily heard it as "the". Note that I'm Canadian, but I'm including US media.
Thank you,
AJ