Completely confused or unable to figure something out; or the act of a cricket bowler knocking down the sticks behind the batter.
From Old English 'stump' meaning a tree trunk or post. Originally referred to physically hitting a stump; by the 1600s it meant to puzzle someone so thoroughly they couldn't proceed, like being blocked by an obstacle.
The word brilliantly works in both cricket and everyday speech because it captures that moment when you're blocked—whether by a wooden pole or a tricky problem—and you just can't move forward.
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