sprung

See also: Sprung and šprung

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɹʌŋ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈspɹʌŋ/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌŋ

Verb

sprung

1. past participle of spring
2. Alternative form of sprang: simple past of spring

Adjective

sprung (comparative more sprung, superlative most sprung)

1. (slang, African-American Vernacular) Utterly infatuated with someone; completely taken over by romantic interest.
   • 1992, “Baby Got Back”, in Sir Mix-a-Lot (music), Mack Daddy:

     I like big butts and I cannot lie. / You other brothers can’t deny / that when a girl walks in / with a itty bitty waist / and a round thing in your face you get sprung.

   • 2003, “Crazy In Love”, in Beyoncé Knowles et al. (music), Dangerously in Love:

     […] / ’Cause your love got the best of me, / And baby, you’re making a fool of me. / You got me sprung and I don’t care who sees, / ’Cause baby, you got me so crazy.

   • 2005, “Sprung”, in Mariah Carey et al. (music), The Emancipation of Mimi, bonus track in some editions:

     ’Cause I’m sprung over you / And ain’t nothin’ I can do / […] / Thoughts of you fill my head / […]

2. (Australia, slang) Caught doing something illegal or against the rules.
   • 1979, Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, Puberty Blues, page 46:

     `Sprung!' cried Jeff Basin, the local dubbo.

3. (obsolete, nautical, of a spar) cracked or strained.
4. (slang, dated) drunk.

Usage notes

• The adjective sprung, unlike (say) infatuated, does not normally take a complement; a person may be infatuated with someone, but is simply sprung. As with crazy or gaga, the target of the emotion is normally indicated by surrounding context; this is seen in the 1992 and 2003 quotations above. However, while relatively uncommon, it is possible for sprung to take a complement, construed with a preposition such as over (much like gaga); this is seen in the 2005 quotation above.

Synonyms

• (infatuated): smitten, taken; see also Thesaurus:in love
• (caught doing something illegal): caught with a hand in the cookie jar, red-handed
• (cracked or strained): crazed, splintered; see also Thesaurus:broken
• (drunk): See Thesaurus:drunk