The following is a piece from 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' by R.S. Stevenson. With what synanoums would you replace the verbs _stick out_ and _struck_ [strike] in this context?

"Well, we screwed him up to a hundred pounds for the child's family; he would have clearly liked to _stick out_; but there was something about the lot of us that mean mischief, and at last he _struck_. The next thing was to get the money; and where do you think he carried us but to that place with the door?"

Question

The following is a piece from 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' by R.S. Stevenson. With what synanoums would you replace the verbs _stick out_ and _struck_ [strike] in this context?

"Well, we screwed him up to a hundred pounds for the child's family; he would have clearly liked to _stick out_; but there was something about the lot of us that mean mischief, and at last he _struck_. The next thing was to get the money; and where do you think he carried us but to that place with the door?"

Answer

'stick out' - hold firm (i.e resist paying)
'struck' - struck a deal (i.e. agreed to pay up)

Answer

Here are suitable synonyms for "stick out" and "struck" in this context:
* Stick out: hold firm, resist, or stand his ground ("...he would have clearly liked to resist/hold firm...")

* Struck: agreed, yielded, or came to terms ("...and at last he agreed/yielded...").

These choices align with the negotiation and eventual compromise described in the excerpt.

Answer

It's not very clear - it uses a lot of slang - but here's my best guess on what it means and how these parts can be reworded:

he would have clearly liked to stick out = 
he would have clearly liked to avoid paying = 
he would have clearly liked to hold out =
he would have clearly liked to hold tight =
he would have clearly liked to resist temptation =
he would have clearly liked to stick to his guns

and at last he struck = 
and at last he decided to pay = 
and at last he bit = 
and at last he took the bait = 
and at last he gave in = 
and at last he caved in

Answer

Stuck out could be replaced by held out I think

Answer

Thank you all! Very helpful answers! 😃

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