Grandpa Gotta Answer—Stitch (Five-Minute Freewrite)

Today on Grandpa Gotta Answer, we discuss the ends and outs of the word 'stitch'.

I would imagine that most people know the word stitch from the plural stitches, which is what you get if you have a long and deep enough cut where sewing or stitching it together will help the skin heal properly.

Or, it's possible that the only thing that people know about stitch is, it was the small, lovable but highly dangerous and destructive alien creature in the Disney movie, Lilo and Stitch.

However, there are different ways stitch can be used in a phrase or sentence that has little to do with its main definition, which is basically:

a single complete movement, single loop or single knot for sewing, knitting, suturing etc.

Case in point, the phrase, "A stitch in time saves nine."

What do you think that means? How do you even stitch time, and what nine are we talking about, and why would we want to save them? Cat lives? Baseball players? Innings?

Well, as it turns out, since it's an idiom, "A stitch in time saves nine" means that you should do something now, like repair your car, to avoid problems later on, like it breaking down on the side of the road.

Have you heard of the term, "to be in stitches"? Another idiom with stitch in it, but again, unrelated to its definition. Or for that matter, the previous idiom.

In this case, were you to declare, "She's in stitches!" you would be saying, "She's laughing hysterically!" Generally, getting stitches is no joking matter, but for some reason, being in stitches is.

To "stitch up" can mean to sew something together, or successfully finalize an agreement.

If you say that someone is running around "without a stitch on," you're referring to someone who is, well, clad solely in their birthday suit.

And last but not least, a stitch can also be a sudden, sharp pain, usually felt in one's side.

So, there you go. More than you ever wanted to know about the word stitch.

That's it for this installment of Grandpa Gotta Answer. Be sure to tune in next time when I'll discuss the pros and cons of raising an adolescent snuffleupagus.

ABOUT THIS POST

This post is published in conjunction with the five-minute freewrite. Today's prompt: stitch.

_{Images sources—Pixabay, Youtube and Pexels.}