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sledge

 [slej]   Origin

sledge

1   [slej] noun, verb, sledged, sledg·ing.
noun
1.
a vehicle of various forms, mounted on runners and often drawn by draft animals, used for traveling or for conveying loads over snow, ice, rough ground, etc.
2.
a sled.
3.
British. a sleigh.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
4.
to convey or travel by sledge.

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Sledge is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
5.
British. to sleigh.
Origin:
1595–1605; < dialectal Dutch sleeds, derivative of slede sled; compare sleigh
Dictionary.com Unabridged

sledge

2   [slej]
noun, verb (used with object), verb (used without object), sledged, sledg·ing.
sledgehammer (defs. 1, 2).
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English slegge, Old English slecg; cognate with Dutch slegge, Old Norse sleggja; akin to slay
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To sledge
Collins
World English Dictionary
sledge or sled1 (slɛdʒ, slɛd)
 
—n
1.  Also called: sleigh a vehicle mounted on runners, drawn by horses or dogs, for transporting people or goods, esp over snow
2.  a light wooden frame used, esp by children, for sliding over snow; toboggan
3.  (NZ) a farm vehicle mounted on runners, for use on rough or muddy ground
 
—vb
4.  to convey, travel, or go by sledge
 
[C17: from Middle Dutch sleedse; C14 sled, from Middle Low German, from Old Norse slethi, related to slide]
 
sled or sled1
 
—n
 
—vb
 
[C17: from Middle Dutch sleedse; C14 sled, from Middle Low German, from Old Norse slethi, related to slide]
 
'sledger or sled1
 
—n

sledge2 (slɛdʒ)
 
—n
short for sledgehammer

sledge3 (slɛdʒ)
 
—vb
1.  (tr) to bait (an opponent, esp a batsman in cricket) in order to upset his concentration
 
—n
2.  an insult aimed at another player during a game of cricket
 
[of uncertain origin; perhaps from sledgehammer]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sledge
"heavy hammer," O.E. slecg, from P.Gmc. *slagj- (cf. O.N. sleggja, M.Swed. sleggia "sledgehammer"), related to slean "to strike" (see slay). Sledgehammer, first attested 1495, is pleonastic.
EXPAND

sledge
"sleigh," 1617, from dialectal Du. sleedse, variant of slede (see sled); said to be of Frisian origin.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

sledge

any freight- or passenger-carrying device that is dragged or pushed without the aid of wheels. The travois of the North American Indian was a sledge consisting of two transversely connected wooden shafts dragged at an angle to the ground. Sledges date back to antiquity; Assyrian and Egyptian reliefs depict huge statues being pulled by sledge. The arrival of the wheel and axle ended the use of the sledge except in its snow-and-ice surface form of sled-a body mounted on runners. See also litter

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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