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What does the slang adjective "sprung" mean?

English Language Learners Asked on October 1, 2021

I have come across it in the sixth episode of the first season of Breaking Bad. The context is two guys come to a drug disributor to sell him drugs. Here it is:

Tuco, what’s happening my brother. Sick crib,yo! You’ve been keeping it real sinch you been sprung. What’s been like a year?

2 Answers

If memory serves me correctly, he had just gotten out of jail. Sprung is an abbreviated form of “sprung out of jail”.

So, in its entirety, the sentence is...

Tuco, what's happening my brother. Sick crib,yo! You've been keeping it real since you been sprung out of jail. What, [it’s] been like a year?

Correct answer by Dean F. on October 1, 2021

It's not an adjective, but a verb. The following is from Merriam-Webster's definition of spring:

transitive verb
7 : to release or cause to be released from confinement or custody
// sprung them from jail


Note that it's not necessary to provide from jail or out of jail, especially in this context.

In fact, informal language would more commonly not include that additional information (and it also doesn't need to be in the past tense):

  • "See what you can do to spring me."
  • "When did you get sprung?"
  • "How long has it been since you were sprung?"

Answered by Jason Bassford on October 1, 2021

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