Straddle vs. Spread

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

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

Example: ‘Putin seems to be everywhere at once, straddling the ocean, filling the sky, just like Stalin.’;

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

Example: ‘Wanting to please both sides, he straddled the issue.’;

To form a disorderly sprawl; to spread out irregularly.

Example: ‘This weed straddles the entire garden.’; ‘Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks’;

(military) 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).

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

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

(economy) To execute a commodities market spread.

A posture in which one straddles something.

(finance) An investment strategy involving simultaneous trade with put and call options on same security with positions that offset one another.

(poker) A voluntary raise made prior to receiving cards by the first player after the blinds.

(mining) A vertical mine-timber supporting a set.

Astride.

To part the legs wide; to stand or to walk with the legs far apart.

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

To place one leg on one side and the other on the other side of; to stand or sit astride of; as, to straddle a fence or a horse.

The act of standing, sitting, or walking, with the feet far apart.

The position, or the distance between the feet, of one who straddles; as, a wide straddle.

A stock option giving the holder the double privilege of a "put" and a "call," i. e., securing to the buyer of the option the right either to demand of the seller at a certain price, within a certain time, certain securities, or to require him to take at the same price, and within the same time, the same securities.

a noncommittal or equivocal position

a gymnastic exercise performed with the legs straddling the parallel bars

the act of sitting or standing astride

the option to buy or sell a given stock (or stock index or commodity future) at a given price before a given date; consists of an equal number of put and call options

sit or stand astride of

range or extend over; occupy a certain area;

Example: ‘The plants straddle the entire state’;

be noncommittal

In finance, a straddle strategy refers to two transactions that share the same security, with positions that offset one another. One holds long risk, the other short.

(transitive) To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space.

Example: ‘He spread his newspaper on the table.’;

(transitive) To extend (individual rays, limbs etc.); to stretch out in varying or opposing directions.

Example: ‘I spread my arms wide and welcomed him home.’;

(transitive) To disperse, to scatter or distribute over a given area.

Example: ‘I spread the rice grains evenly over the floor.’;

(intransitive) To proliferate; to become more widely present, to be disseminated.

(transitive) To disseminate; to cause to proliferate, to make (something) widely known or present.

Example: ‘The missionaries quickly spread their new message across the country.’;

(intransitive) To take up a larger area or space; to expand, be extended.

Example: ‘I dropped my glass; the water spread quickly over the tiled floor.’;

(transitive) To smear, to distribute in a thin layer.

Example: ‘She liked to spread butter on her toast while it was still hot.’;

(transitive) To cover (something) with a thin layer of some substance, as of butter.

Example: ‘He always spreads his toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam.’;

To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions.

Example: ‘to spread a table’;

To open one’s legs, especially for sexual favours.

The act of spreading.

Something that has been spread.

(cartomancy) A layout, pattern or design of cards arranged for a reading.

An expanse of land.

A large tract of land used to raise livestock; a cattle ranch.

A piece of material used as a cover (such as a bedspread).

A large meal, especially one laid out on a table.

(bread, etc.) Any form of food designed to be spread, such as butters or jams.

Food improvised by inmates from various ingredients to relieve the tedium of prison food.

An item in a newspaper or magazine that occupies more than one column or page.

Two facing pages in a book, newspaper etc.

A numerical difference.

The difference between the wholesale and retail prices.

The difference between the price of a futures month and the price of another month of the same commodity.

The purchase of a futures contract of one delivery month against the sale of another futures delivery month of the same commodity.

The purchase of one delivery month of one commodity against the sale of that same delivery month of a different commodity.

(trading) An arbitrage transaction of the same commodity in two markets, executed to take advantage of a profit from price discrepancies.

(trading) The difference between bidding and asking price.

(finance) The difference between the prices of two similar items.

(geometry) An unlimited expanse of discontinuous points.

The surface in proportion to the depth of a cut gemstone.

To extend in length and breadth, or in breadth only; to stretch or expand to a broad or broader surface or extent; to open; to unfurl; as, to spread a carpet; to spread a tent or a sail.

Example: ‘He bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent.’; ‘Here the RhoneHath spread himself a couch.’;

To extend so as to cover something; to extend to a great or greater extent in every direction; to cause to fill or cover a wide or wider space.

Example: ‘Rose, as in a dance, the stately trees, and spreadTheir branches hung with copious fruit.’;

To divulge; to publish, as news or fame; to cause to be more extensively known; to disseminate; to make known fully; as, to spread a report; - often accompanied by abroad.

Example: ‘They, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.’;

To propagate; to cause to affect great numbers; as, to spread a disease.

To diffuse, as emanations or effluvia; to emit; as, odoriferous plants spread their fragrance.

To strew; to scatter over a surface; as, to spread manure; to spread lime on the ground.

To prepare; to set and furnish with provisions; as, to spread a table.

Example: ‘Boiled the flesh, and spread the board.’;

To extend in length and breadth in all directions, or in breadth only; to be extended or stretched; to expand.

Example: ‘Plants, if they spread much, are seldom tall.’; ‘Governor Winthrop, and his associates at Charlestown, had for a church a large, spreading tree.’;

To be extended by drawing or beating; as, some metals spread with difficulty.

To be made known more extensively, as news.

To be propagated from one to another; as, the disease spread into all parts of the city.

Extent; compass.

Example: ‘I have got a fine spread of improvable land.’;

Expansion of parts.

Example: ‘No flower hath spread like that of the woodbine.’;

A cloth used as a cover for a table or a bed.

A table, as spread or furnished with a meal; hence, an entertainment of food; a feast.

A privilege which one person buys of another, of demanding certain shares of stock at a certain price, or of delivering the same shares of stock at another price, within a time agreed upon.

An unlimited expanse of discontinuous points.

An arbitrage transaction operated by buying and selling simultaneously in two separate markets, as Chicago and New York, when there is an abnormal difference in price between the two markets. It is called a back spreadwhen the difference in price is less than the normal one.

Surface in proportion to the depth of a cut stone.

imp. & p. p. of Spread, v.

process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures;

Example: ‘gap between income and outgo’; ‘the spread between lending and borrowing costs’;

farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)

a haphazard distribution in all directions

a tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers

a meal that is well prepared and greatly enjoyed;

Example: ‘a banquet for the graduating seniors’; ‘the Thanksgiving feast’; ‘they put out quite a spread’;

two facing pages of a book or other publication

the expansion of a person's girth (especially at middle age);

Example: ‘she exercised to avoid that middle-aged spread’;

decorative cover for a bed

act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time

distribute or disperse widely;

Example: ‘The invaders spread their language all over the country’;

become distributed or widespread;

Example: ‘the infection spread’; ‘Optimism spread among the population’;

spread across or over;

Example: ‘A big oil spot spread across the water’;

spread out or open from a closed or folded state;

Example: ‘open the map’; ‘spread your arms’;

cause to become widely known;

Example: ‘spread information’; ‘circulate a rumor’; ‘broadcast the news’;

become widely known and passed on;

Example: ‘the rumor spread’; ‘the story went around in the office’;

strew or distribute over an area;

Example: ‘He spread fertilizer over the lawn’; ‘scatter cards across the table’;

move outward;

Example: ‘The soldiers fanned out’;

cover by spreading something over;

Example: ‘spread the bread with cheese’;

distribute over a surface in a layer;

Example: ‘spread cheese on a piece of bread’;

distributed or spread over a considerable extent;

Example: ‘has ties with many widely dispersed friends’; ‘eleven million Jews are spread throughout Europe’;

prepared or arranged for a meal; especially having food set out;

Example: ‘a table spread with food’;

fully extended in width;

Example: ‘outspread wings’; ‘with arms spread wide’;

open out (something) so as to extend its surface area, width, or length

Example: ‘she helped Colin to spread out the map’; ‘I spread a towel on the sand and sat down’;

stretch out (arms, legs, hands, fingers, or wings) so that they are far apart

Example: ‘Bobby spread his arms wide’;

extend over a large or increasing area

Example: ‘rain over north-west Scotland will spread south-east during the day’;

(of a group of people) move apart so as to cover a wider area

Example: ‘the Marines spread out across the docks’;

distribute or disperse (something) over an area

Example: ‘volcanic eruptions spread dust high into the stratosphere’;

gradually reach or cause to reach a wider area or more people

Example: ‘she's always spreading rumours’; ‘the violence spread from the city centre to the suburbs’;

(of people, animals, or plants) become distributed over a large or larger area

Example: ‘the owls have spread as far north as Kuala Lumpur’;

distribute in a specified way

Example: ‘you can spread the payments over as long a period as you like’;

apply (a substance) to an object or surface in an even layer

Example: ‘he sighed, spreading jam on a croissant’;

cover (a surface) with a substance in an even layer

Example: ‘spread each slice thinly with mayonnaise’;

be able to be applied in an even layer

Example: ‘a tub of unsalted butter that spreads so well’;

lay (a table) for a meal.

the fact or process of spreading over an area

Example: ‘the spread of the urban population into rural areas’; ‘warmer temperatures could help reduce the spread of the disease’;

the extent, width, or area covered by something

Example: ‘the male's antlers can attain a spread of six feet’;

the wingspan of a bird

Example: ‘the red-tailed hawk has a four-and-a-half-foot spread’;

an expanse or amount of something

Example: ‘the green spread of the park’;

a large farm or ranch.

the range or variety of something

Example: ‘a wide spread of ages’;

the difference between two rates or prices

Example: ‘the very narrow spread between borrowing and deposit rates’;

short for point spread

a soft paste that can be applied in a layer to bread or other food

Example: ‘cheese spread’; ‘low-fat spreads’;

an article or advertisement covering several columns or pages of a newspaper or magazine, especially one on two facing pages

Example: ‘a double-page spread’;

a large and impressively elaborate meal

Example: ‘his mother laid on a huge spread’;

a bedspread

Example: ‘a patchwork spread’;