“Stub” is a verb that in the English language only appears to apply to one very particular and very precise part of the human body. I cannot think of any other ... more
“Stub” is a verb that in the English language only appears to apply to one very particular and very precise part of the human body. I cannot think of any other references in English where it comes into play as a verb. We don’t say, “I stubbed my elbow, or chin, or finger, or knee”. More than that, the concept of stubbing one’s toe, and/or the phrase, “I stubbed my toe” is so deeply ingrained into our shared vernacular that even though we sometimes express it in other ways, such as, “I banged my toe” or “I smashed my toe”, the stub is more common. Two questions:1. What other verb is used expressly for talking about only one particular human body part the way this one is for a toe?2. Prove me wrong. Can you think of other commonly-known uses of the verb “stub” in relation to human body parts?~ less
