Jesus was ______ by two thieves while being crucified.

October 21, 2009 10:06 AM

HelpMeThinkOfThisWordFilter: Jesus was ______ by two thieves while being crucified.

I can hardly believe I'm using a question for this, but this evasive word has gotten so close to the tip of my tongue that I'm reaching desperation.


I'm looking for a word that refers to two things that lie on both sides of another thing. For example, Monday and Wednesday _______ Tuesday; or Monday and Wednesday are the ______ days in relation to Tuesday; or perhaps Tuesday is _____ by Monday and Wednesday.

I'm not looking for something like circumscribe or surround - the word I'm thinking of does not refer to something circular but rather two distinct things, one on each side of a middle thing.

Please hope my foggy brain, AskMe!!!

posted by Lutoslawski to grab bag (27 comments total)

flanked.
posted by gleuschk at 10:08 AM on October 21 [1 favorite]

Bookended?
posted by mr_roboto at 10:08 AM on October 21

Flanked?
posted by mmf at 10:08 AM on October 21

Flanked.
posted by Commander Rachek at 10:08 AM on October 21

You'd have to take out "by", but between?

"Jesus was between two thieves"? "Tuesday is between Monday and Wednesday"?
posted by niles at 10:10 AM on October 21 [1 favorite]

juxtaposed?
posted by Busmick at 10:10 AM on October 21

Flanked is almost certainly what you're looking for, but I also like bracketed.
posted by Night_owl at 10:11 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]

Flanked. Duh. Thanks.

Does anyone have any other great synonyms for "flanked?" Perhaps one with less reminiscent of something military?
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:15 AM on October 21

I would have said "accompanied".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:19 AM on October 21

Sandwiched.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:24 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]

"Bounded" means the same thing, but I guess it doesn't necessarily have the same side-by-side connotation of "flanked".
posted by team lowkey at 10:46 AM on October 21

Robbed? Oh wait...

Kept Company?

The word "by" is really making this difficult. Can you use another adjective instead?
posted by Aquaman at 10:49 AM on October 21

Jesus Was Bounded by Two Thieves sounds like a weird religious math rock band.
posted by Derive the Hamiltonian of... at 10:51 AM on October 21 [3 favorites]

Neighbored is apparently a word.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:52 AM on October 21

Next time this happens, try Tip of My Tongue.
posted by booth at 10:55 AM on October 21 [3 favorites]

bounded
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:57 AM on October 21

abut?
posted by rmless at 10:59 AM on October 21

adjacent to
posted by yeti at 11:15 AM on October 21

Surrounded (by)?
posted by badmoonrising at 11:20 AM on October 21

'Bracketed by' or 'amid'
posted by DandyRandy at 11:31 AM on October 21

How about "adjoined"?

The definition is "To be next to; be contiguous to". It doesn't necessarily indicate "betweenness", (nor does flanked for that matter); but it is implied by stating there are two surrounding objects (two thieves, etc).
posted by sprocket87 at 11:32 AM on October 21

If you asked my children this question their answer would most definitely be, "boy trapped."
posted by Sassyfras at 11:42 AM on October 21 [1 favorite]

interdigitated
posted by Rumple at 12:41 PM on October 21

abreast (of)
posted by spamguy at 1:07 PM on October 21

Betwixt and between.
posted by Iron Rat at 1:16 PM on October 21

If you asked my children this question their answer would most definitely be, "boy trapped."

"Jesus was cockblocked by two thieves while being crucified."

Wait. What?
posted by yeti at 1:58 PM on October 21

Abused. Jesus was abused by two thieves.

But one of the four says that one of the two was saved.
posted by Limiter at 3:15 PM on October 21