sit astride vs straddle

sit astride

straddle

adv
  • Astride. 

verb
  • To form a disorderly sprawl; to spread out irregularly. 

  • To be on both sides of something; to have parts that are in different places, regions, etc. 

  • To fire successive artillery shots in front of and behind of a target, especially in order to determine its range (the term "bracket" is often used instead). 

  • To consider or favor two apparently opposite sides; to be noncommittal. 

  • To execute a commodities market spread. 

  • To sit or stand with a leg on each side of something; to sit astride. 

  • To place a voluntary raise prior to receiving cards (only by the first player after the blinds). 

  • To stand with the ends staggered; said of the spokes of a wagon wheel where they join the hub. 

noun
  • A voluntary raise made prior to receiving cards by the first player after the blinds. 

  • A posture in which one straddles something. 

  • A pair or salvo of successive artillery shots falling both in front of and behind a target. 

  • An investment strategy involving simultaneous trade with put and call options on the same security at the same strike price, giving a non-directional position sensitive to volatility. 

  • A vertical mine-timber supporting a set. 

How often have the words sit astride and straddle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )