| 释义 |
▪ I. stiff, a., n., and adv.|stɪf|
Forms: 1 stíf, 2– stif (2–4 also inflected stive), 3–4 stijf, 3–6 styf, 4–6 styfe, (5 stuffe), 4–6 styffe, 4–7 stiffe, 4– stiff.
[OE. stíf (once only, in a gloss) corresponds to MLG. stîf (mod.LG. stief), (M)Du. stijf, MHG. (? from MLG.) stîf (mod.G. steif); NFris. has styf, stif, WFris. stiif, which may descend from OFris. *stîf; the Sw. styf, Da. stiv (whence Icel. stíf-ur) are prob. adopted from LG. The OTeut. type *stīfo-:—pre-Teut. *stīpo- is cogn. w. L. stīpāre to crowd, stīpes stake, Lith. stiprus strong.
The long vowel of OE. stíf, corresponding with that of the continental Teut. forms, is evidenced by the ME. spelling stijf, and by the pronunciation current in some mod.Eng. dialects. The present standard Eng. form, however, is abnormal as representing OE. stíf; it is uncertain whether a shortening has taken place from some unknown cause, or whether OE. had beside stíf an ablaut variant stif:—OTeut. type *stifo- or *stiƀo-. On the latter supposition, ME. stef, steeve a., may be a variant of this word.]
A. adj.
I.
1. Rigid; not flexible or pliant.
1000Prudentius Glosses 272 in Germania N.S. XI. 394/1, Rigentem [barbam], stifne. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 139 Bare eorðe to bedde, and hard ston to bolstre, stiue here to shurte. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. cxliii. (1495) 700 A thyrde kynde of wylowes is meane bytwene the two fyrste..for it is more plyaunt than the more: and more stiffe than the lesse. c1440Promp. Parv. 475/1 Styffe, or starke, rigidus. 1530Palsgr. 325/2 Styffe as a thyng is that wyll nat bowe, royde. 1577Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. 45 The time of cutting of it [grass] is when the Bent beginneth to fade and to waxe stiffe. 1590Spenser F.Q. iii. xii. 36 Horror gan the virgins hart to perse, And her faire locks vp stared stiffe on end. a1677Barrow Wks. (1686) III. Serm. xvi. 189 As a stick, when once 'tis dry and stiff, you may break it, but you can never bend it into a streighter posture. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 559 The Garment, stiff with Ice, at Hearths is thaw'd. 1717Prior Alma ii. 35 The Gown with stiff Embroid'ry shining. 1801in Nicolas Disp. Nelson (1846) VII. p. ccxxvii*, With sleet and rain, ropes stiff, and sails half set, very squally, she works like a Cutter. 1842Tennyson Morte d'Arthur 64 The many-knotted waterflags, That whistled stiff and dry about the marge. 1887Fenn Master Cerem. ii, Isaac was in his striped jacket and the stiffest of white cravats. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 215 A narrow piece can now be nailed along the top to keep all stiff. 1913Standard 14 July 4/6 An emulsion of paraffin and soft soap, applied..with a stiff brush.
2. a. Of the body, limbs, joints, muscles, etc.: lacking suppleness, unable to move without pain (esp. owing to age, cold, injury, disease, exhaustion, etc.).
to have a stiff neck: to suffer from a rheumatic affection of the neck (usually caused by exposure to a draught) in which the head cannot be moved without pain.
c1305St. Andrew 95 in E.E.P. (1862) 101 Here armes whan hi vpward reiȝte bicome as stif as treo. 1538Elyot Dict., Obrigeo, to be or waxe styffe for colde. 1581Mulcaster Positions xxxiii. (1887) 122 The body..withall is verie wearysome, and stif oftymes after. 1799Ht. Lee Canterb. T., Frenchm. T. (ed. 2) I. 329 When I awoke, I found my limbs stiff at once with weariness and cold. 1840Thackeray Barber Cox Feb., You and I, ma'am, I think, are too stiff to dance. 1847C. Brontë J. Eyre xxxiv, They were stiff with their long and jolting drive from Whitcross. 1865W. Pennefather in Braithwaite Life & Lett. (1878) 393, I am like a stiff Irish post-horse, which, after it has stood still for an hour or two in the stable, can hardly move a limb. 1873F. T. Roberts Theory & Pract. Med. 247 Torticollis, wry-neck, or stiff-neck. 1902Alice Terton Lights & Shadows Hospital xi. 180 He was already possessed of one stiff leg. 1911Encycl. Brit. XV. 488/2 A stiff joint may remain as the result of long continued inflammation. 1915‘F. Anstey’ Percy 6, I'd a good deal sooner put up with a little stuffiness than a stiff neck!
transf.1804Wordsw. Small Celandine 19 Stiff in its members, withered, changed of hue.
b. Rigid in death. stiff and stark: see stark 4 b. stiff one, stiff 'un, (a) a corpse (slang); (b) slang, a racehorse certain to lose or not to run at all (cf. sense 2 f below and stiff n. 3 b); (c) slang, a forged note or cheque (properly sense 1: cf. stiff n. 2).
a1200Soul & Body in Phillipps Fragm. ælfr. Gloss. 5 He [sc. the dead man] biþ sone stif. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7030 Astrangled he was riȝt þer, & deide atte borde al stif. c1450tr. De Imitatione i. xxiii. 32 He falling from hye brake his nek, he in etinge sodenly waxid stif. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 257 Those blessed armes..whiche were so sore stretched on the crosse, now all starke & styffe. 1603R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 146 You shall see..many travellers brought into the townes sitting deade and stiffe.
1823P. Egan Grose's Dict. Vulgar Tongue (rev. ed.), Stiff ones, of no use, dead men. 1831Ann. Reg., Law Cases etc. (1832) 321/1 He wanted witness to fetch a stiff 'un, which witness believes meant a dead body. 1837Lady Willoughby de Eresby in C. K. Sharpe's Lett. (1888) II. 498 He addrest him [his adversary in a duel]: ‘Ah! you'll be a stiff one by to-morrow’. 1871‘Hawk's-eye’ Turf Notes 11 Most assuredly it is the bookmakers that profit by the ‘safe uns’, or ‘stiff uns’, as..horses that have no chance of winning are called. 1890Besant Demoniac i. 17 If he hadn't been such an uncommon big man he would be a dead un, too—stiff un and dead! 1890Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang II. 306/2 There are two bookmakers in Melbourne nicknamed ‘the Undertakers’, because of their fondness for laying against stiff 'uns, which, in this case, means horses that are certain not to run. 1895A. Griffiths Criminals I have Known 228 He had been ‘took’ with the ‘stiff uns’ on him, and was sent to the ‘boat’ (penal servitude). 1897in Farmer & Henley Slang & its Analogues (1903) VI. 365/2 Do not invest money Until you read The Rialto. Never on stiff 'uns, wrong 'uns, or dead 'uns. 1953Sat. Even. Post 4 Apr. 18/3 ‘I put over a couple of stiff ones,’ is the way a paperhanger describes an operation.
c. In figurative context.
1535Coverdale Ps. lxxiv. 5 Speake not with a stiff necke. 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. i. 16 He..passeth by with stiffe vnbowed Knee Disdaining dutie that to vs belongs.
d. Of machinery, etc.: Working with excessive friction; apt to stick, hard to move.
1848Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton v, The plugs were stiff, and water could not be got.
e. Intoxicated, drunk. Cf. stiff n. 4 c. U.S. slang. rare.
1737Pennsylvania Gaz. 6 Jan. 2/2 He's Stiff. 1900Dialect Notes II. 65 Stiff, adj.,..very drunk. 1957N. Algren Walk on Wild Side i. 6 Getting stiff on the courthouse steps while denouncing the Roman Catholic clergy was a feat which regularly attracted scoffers and true believers alike. 1975G. V. Higgins City on Hill i. 9, I always got stiff on the Fourth because it was the only way I could listen to all that crap.
f. Sport. Of a horse or athlete: certain (to win). Also of an event: certainly won, ‘in one's pocket’. Cf. sense 2 b above. slang. ? Obs.
1890Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang II. 306/2 Stiff for, (sporting Australian), certain for. The metaphor here is something that cannot be diverted (or averted). After the Melbourne Derby and Cup of 1880, Grand Flaneur was considered stiff for every race for which he was entered. 1912Punch 21 Aug. 168/3 He ought to have this event absolutely stiff at the next Olympic Games.
g. Unlucky. Austral. and N.Z. slang.
1919W. H. Downing Digger Dialects 47 Stiff (adj.), unlucky. 1922A. Wright Colt from Country 124 ‘On'y just got cut out of second place,’ declared Knocker. ‘Ain't a man stiff?’ 1930Bulletin (Sydney) 3 Dec. 22/3 ‘'Struth!’ gasped Chips. ‘If we're not stiff! Nothing doing for two days, Tommy.’ 1958N.Z. Listener 27 June 6/3 Then came the third Test... Maybe they were a bit stiff to lose that, but once again I think it was just that lack of solidity in the middle of the pack.
3. Rigid as the result of tension; taut. Now rare or Obs.
c1386Chaucer Sompn. T. 559 Thanne shal this cherl with bely stif and toght As any Tabour, been hyder ybroght. c1611Chapman Iliad viii. 260 Another arrow forth from his stiffe string he sent. 1649Milton Eikon. xxvii. 216 We shall not have it unless his arbitrary voice will so farr slack'n the stiff curb of his Prerogative, as to grant it us. 1696Phillips (ed. 5) s.v. Set, To set taught the shrouds, in the Navigators Dialect, is to make them stiffer when they are too slack.
4. Of a semi-liquid substance: Thick or viscous, so as to flow with difficulty or to be capable of retaining a definite shape.
c1430Two Cookery-bks. i. 15 & let þe Sirippe be rennyng, & not to styf. c1450Ibid. ii. 71 Grynde hem thorgh a Streynour into stuffe mylke. 1594Gd. Huswifes Handmaid Kitchin 40 b, Set the pan in some colde place that it [the liquor] may be stiffe: and when it is stiffe, take a sharp knife and cut away the vppermost of the gellie. 168.Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 262 In Summer time use your Morter as soft as you can, but in the Winter time pretty stiff or hard. c1770H. Glasse Compl. Confectioner 118 Then work it up into a stiff paste. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xix. (1842) 503 If the hot part be on the convex side, it yields..much more than the stiffer glass on the cooler part. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 271 Stiff paste such as used by bookbinders.
5. Of soil: Heavy, dense; not porous or friable; difficult to work.
1523–34Fitzherb. Husb. §10 Bigge and styffe grounde, as cley. 1618W. Lawson Orch. & Gard. (1623) 4 A stiffe clay will not receiue the water. 1763Museum Rust. I. 194 On some stiff spewy land I have, I sow my peas in ridges. 1866Rogers Agric. & Prices I. ii. 19 Stiff lands, on which water was apt to lie, were ridged. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Stiff Bottom, a clayey bottom.
6. Tight, closely packed. Now hyperbolically in colloquial use: Densely crowded (with). Also fig.
1683[see justify v. 9]. 1907Motor Boat 19 Sept. 182/1 There seemed as many, if not more, yachts than ever, and the water was ‘stiff’ with masts and rigging. 1915Daily News 16 Aug. 4, I shall never forget one of his picturesque phrases about the difficulty of entering a harbour ‘stiff with craft’ on a dark night. 1916Blackw. Mag. Feb. 284/2 The salient is stiff with guns. 1939F. Thompson Lark Rise ii. 42 Their talk was stiff with simile. 1977B. Pym Quartet in Autumn iv. 34 That season of the year was stiff with festivals.
7. Of a ship: Offering a high resistance to deflection from the vertical or normal floating position; stable, not crank.
A ship is more or less stiff according as the height of the metacentre above the centre of gravity is greater or less.
1627Capt. Smith Sea Gram. xii. 56 So stiffe, she should beare a stiffe saile and beare out her lower tier in any reasonable weather. 1708Motteux Rabelais iv. lxiii, Our..Vessels might not..be walt, but well trimmed, and stiff. 1837H. Martineau Soc. Amer. II. 10 She [the ship] was a lovely creature, and as stiff as a church. 1889Welch Text Bk. Naval Archit. i. 21 In order that the ship may be stiff—i.e. difficult to incline by external forces such as wind pressure on sails.
8. fig.
a. Inflexible of purpose, steadfast, resolute, firm, constant.
c1205Lay. 2110 Stif he wes on þonke. c1300Beket (Percy Soc.) 944 Somme of the Kinges conseillers to him ofte wende, And seide, bote he hulde him stif, al his lond he schende. 1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV (1550) 24 b, All the tounes round about were permanent and stiffe on the parte of kyng Henry, and could not be remoued. 1602Marston Antonio's Rev. iv. v, We must be stiffe and steddie in resolve. 1719Col. Rec. Pennsylv. III. 72 He was Mr. Penns stiff Friend. 1847C. Brontë J. Eyre xxxvii, He asked me more than once [to marry him], and was as stiff about urging his point as ever you could be. 1884Pall Mall Gaz. 4 Jan. 1/1 We shall have to be a great deal stiffer about the Soudan.
b. In an unfavourable sense: Obstinate, stubborn; not amenable to reason. Now rare.
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 304 Whan they shall be obstynate in malyce, & styffe as a drye stycke. 1530Palsgr. 325/2 Styffe as ones herte is, dur. 1563Homilies II. xviii. 255 These thynges must be considered of the man, that he be not to styffe, so that he ought to wynke at some thynges, and must gentilly expounde all thynges, and to forbeare. 1601Bp. W. Barlow Serm. Paules Crosse 49 Two of thy principall, stiffe and open Papists. a1677Barrow Wks. (1686) III. Serm. xxxiv. 378 To be termed..a clownish singularist,..a stiff opiniatre [are opprobrious names]. 1681Dryden Abs. & Achit. i. 547 Stiff in Opinions, always in the wrong. a1715Burnet Own Time iii. (1724) I. 345 You know my brother long ago, that he is as stiff as a mule. 1725T. Thomas in Portland MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) VI. 122 A civil well-behaved man though a stiff Presbyterian. 1838Haliburton Clockm. Ser. ii. vii. 104 Considerable stiff folks, in their way them quakers—you can't no more move 'em than a church steeple.
†c. to stand stiff: to stand firm; esp. fig. to be steadfast or obstinate. Obs.
a1290S. Eustace 24 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 212 He stod stiuest of alle. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. ix. 28 For stonde he neuere so stif he stumbleþ in þe waggyng. 1535Coverdale Prov. xxviii. 1 The vngodly flyeth no man chasynge him, but the rightuous stondeth stiff as a lyon. 1556T. Hoby tr. Castiglione's Courtyer i. (1561) C 2, Neither will I stand stiffe that mine is better then yours. a1631Donne Poems (1650) 28 Small townes which stand stiffe, till great shot Enforce them. 1655Jer. Taylor Guide Devot. (1719) 50 It is a Shame to stand stiff in a foolish or weak Argument or Resolution.
d. Of a battle, debate, etc.: Stubbornly contested, hard.
c1250Owl & Night. 5 Þat plait was stif and starc and strong. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2050 So sture & styff was þe stoure. 1639Conceits, Clinches etc. (1860) 29 One was holding a stiffe argument with a grocer concerning matters of trade. a1661Fuller Worthies, Surrey (1662) 77 There is a stiff contest betwixt the Dutch and Italians which should exceed in this Mystery. 1812Wellington in Gurw. Desp. (1837) VIII. 666 Marmont's troops are all ready for a start but I hope to be strong enough for a stiff affair with him and Soult. 1823‘Jon Bee’ Dict. Turf 166 In the ring, 'tis called ‘a stiff fight’ when the men stand up well to each other, giving and taking. 1868G. Duff Pol. Surv. 132 He has been elected after a very stiff contest. 1916J. Buchan Hist. War IX. lxx. 161 To withdraw through that area meant a stiff holding battle around Brest.
e. Severe, stern; angry.
1856Thackeray Miscellanies II. 272 The old gent cut up uncommon stiff. 1930W. S. Maugham Cakes & Ale viii. 104, I wrote a pretty stiff letter to the librarian.
f. Cricket. Of a batsman: tending to play stubbornly in a defensive manner.
1869Field 28 Aug. 176/3 This lucky escape seemed to endow the ‘stiff batsman’ with more than ordinary vigour. 1877C. Box English Game of Cricket xxvi. 461 Stiff bat, usually applied to a batsman who stubbornly defends his wicket. 1885R. H. Lyttelton in J. Lillywhite's Cricketers' Compan. 16 Midwinter..[was] a stiff and careful bat.
9. Formal, constrained, lacking ease or grace.
a. Of bearing, manners, etc.: Unbending (expressing pride, coldness, displeasure, awkwardness, and the like); not easy or gracious; haughty.
1608Middleton Mad World i. A 3, He..thinkes himselfe neuer happier then when some stiffe L. or great Countesse alights, to make light his dishes. 1613Wotton Reliq. (1672) 409 It is conceived that the King hath a good while been much distasted with the said Gentleman..for too stiff a carriage of his fortune. 1754Chatham Lett. to Nephew v. 36 Ceremonious, formal compliments, stiff civilities, will never be politeness. 1820Scott Monast. xxix, The knight..thanked him with the stiff condescension of the court of Elizabeth. 1831Society I. 196 Lord Glamorgan was stiff and cold in his manner to strangers. 1859Jephson Brittany v. 57 The stiff respectabilities..of an English country neighbourhood.
b. Of style, diction, etc.: Lacking ease and grace; laboured, formal pedantic.
1664Dryden Riv. Ladies Prol. 20 Though his Plot's dull as can be well desir'd, Wit stiff as any you have e'r admir'd. 1710Felton Diss. Classics (1718) 114 Too scrupulous an Observation of Rules spoileth all sorts of Writings: It maketh them Stiff and Formal. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 247 He had enjoyed high fame as an orator, though his diction..was, towards the close of his life, pronounced stiff and pedantic. 1898Gosse Short Hist. Mod. Eng. Lit. vii. 238 A mass of stiff blank verse.
c. Of artistic form or arrangement: Excessively regular; lacking grace of line.
1779Mirror No. 61. 203 In his grounds you find stiff, rectangular walks. 1813Lady S. Lyttelton Corr. (1912) 160, I cannot accustom myself at all to the foreign stiff way of furnishing the rooms. 1870F. R. Wilson Ch. Lindisf. 23 It was..replaced by a similar stiff structure. 1912J. L. Myres Dawn of Hist. viii. 175 A limited stock of stiff geometrical designs.
d. Of handwriting: Lacking ease and freedom; not flowing. Cf. sense 2.
1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xlviii, The manuscript was a fair Italian hand, though something stiff and constrained. 1885‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay viii, Several letters were brought to him, one, directed in a stiff, careful, unknown hand.
10. Of price, charges, rates, etc.: Unyielding, firm; having an upward tendency. Hence of a commodity or the dealers in it. Cf. 20.
1883Manch. Exam. 14 Dec. 4/1 For three month's bills the terms were firm at 2 5/8 per cent, but for January paper the rate was stiffer. 1886Cheshire Gloss. s.v., A butcher will tell you ‘You're very stiff this morning’ if you will not come down at all in the price of a beast. 1888Daily News 5 Nov. 7/2 Buyers..find sellers stiff. 1893Ibid. 14 July 3/7 The latest reports from London show that merinos are a little stiffer.
11. a. Colloquial phrases. stiff as a poker; stiff in the back, firm, resolute; to keep (carry, have) a stiff upper lip, to be firm, unyielding; hence stiff-upper-lip adj.; also as v. intr. and adv.; also stiff-upper-lipped adj., stiff-upper-lippery, stiff-upper-lippish adj., stiffupperlippishness.
1798G. Colman Heir at Law (1800) iii. ii. 34 The last lord Duberly's father..with a wig as wide as a wash-tub and stuck up as stiff as a poker. 1800E. Hervey Mourtray Fam. II. 251 Lady Elizabeth, as stiff as a poker, sat with her mouth pursed up, vexed to death. 1815Massachusetts Spy 14 June 4/4, I kept a stiff upper lip, and bought [a] license to sell my goods. 1837Haliburton Clockm. Ser. i. x. 77 Its a proper pity sich a clever woman should carry such a stiff upper lip. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. x, ‘Well, good-by, Uncle Tom; keep a stiff upper lip,’ said George. 1876E. W. Heap Diary 22 Mar. in Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. (1969) lii. 55 Frozen as stiff as a poker last night. 1887Spectator 17 Sept. 1241 The Financial Secretary, who, it is supposed, will have a stiff upper lip and tightly buttoned pockets. 1894Du Maurier Trilby v. 275 Each walked off..stiff as pokers. 1897‘A. Hope’ Phroso iv. (1905) 75 ‘Are you going to let him off?’ demanded Denny, suspiciously. ‘You never can be stiff in the back, Charley.’ 1934J. Buchan Free Fishers xviii. 297 Old Utterson is as stiff as a poker, and would keep us arguing till midnight.
1958Listener 16 Oct. 621/3 She criticizes herself for being too stiff-upper-lipped about the tragedy that she faces. 1961A. O. J. Cockshut Imagination of Charles Dickens viii. 116 He oscillated between indignation, self-pity, and reticence of the stiff-upper-lip English school. 1961John o' London's 19 Oct. 447/2 The second film contains a firmly disciplined..undercurrent of Miniverish stiff-upper-lippery. 1963Listener 3 Jan. 42/1 It was all very improbable and too stiff-upper-lippish to have been written by anybody but an anglophile Frenchman. 1973New Society 31 May 483/2 MPs, in praising stiffupperlippishness, used sex as a stalking horse. 1977Broadcast 14 Nov. 10/3 The British are stiff upper-lipping through power cuts. 1978W. F. Buckley Stained Glass xv. 153 As you say, we must be stiff-upper-lip formal. 1979Verbatim Autumn 14/2 Two of the men, an upper-class Indian and an English Colonel, share a British university education, and they have a private joke of using pip-pip!, I say, and stiff upper lip expressions to each other. 1979Evening News 6 Feb. 7/4 With rakish Parker, Prince Philip found that he could relax from the strains of state business and stiff-upper-lippery. 1983Listener 20 Jan. 33/1 Nigel Anthony is the stiff-upper-lipped adventurer.
b. In predicative use (cf. rigid a. 1 d): to an extreme degree, as to bore (scare, etc.) stiff.
1905McClure's Mag. May 100/1 He was scared stiff to hear that Morrow was in town. 1918W. J. Locke Rough Road ix. 107, I think I ought to tell you that you're boring Durdlebury stiff. 1923R. D. Paine Comr. Rolling Ocean ix. 150 When that crazy fireman broke loose just now, I was scared perfectly stiff. 1928F. B. Young My Brother Jonathan ii. v. 284 She bores everybody she meets stiff with talking about him. 1933[see feed v. 6 h]. 1952[see front n. (and a.) 3 b]. 1956English Summer 46 Billy Temple, who announced in Westminster School Hall that ‘the longer poems of Milton bored him stiff’. 1964I. Murdoch Italian Girl xii. 137, I was scared absolutely stiff of Otto finding out.
12. Math. Of a differential equation: having a solution that shows completely different behaviour over widely different scales of time (or other independent variable).
1952Curtiss & Hirschfelder in Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. XXXVIII. 235 In the study of chemical kinetics, electrical circuit theory, and problems of missile guidance a type of differential equation arises which is exceedingly difficult to solve by ordinary numerical procedures. A very satisfactory method of solution of these equations is obtained by making use of a forward interpolation process... The differential equations to which this method applies are called ‘stiff’. 1973Physics Bull. June 340/2 ‘Stiff’ differential equation problems also have been the principal reason for combined analogue-digital (hybrid computer) simulation. 1979Nature 18 Jan. 201/2 It would be interesting to extend the present work to the case of Bianchi-type models filled with a perfect fluid of equation of state: p = (γ—1)ρ, which covers Zel'dovich's stiff equation of state.
II. Strong.
13. a. Of living creatures: Stout, stalwart, sturdy (cf. sense 8); esp. in alliterative phrases as † stiff in stour, † stiff on steed. Obs. exc. dial. (see Eng. Dial. Dict.)
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7732 So stif mon he was in armes, in ssoldren, & in leade, Þat vnneþe enimon miȝte is bowe bende. a1300Cursor M. 2203 Nembrot..O babilon king stijf in stur. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 255 Þe styfest, þe stalworþest þat stod euer on fete. a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 1270 The knyght was faire and styf in stour. a1400Sir Perc. 19 He was doughty of dede, A styffe body one a stede. c1435Torr. Portugal 1494 It were two dragons stiff and strong. 1544Betham Precepts War i. xxxiii. C iv, Kepe thyne armye in rough and mountayne places, to make theyr bodies styffe and stronge. a1677Barrow Wks. (1686) III. Serm. xvi. 188 But in stout proficients the heart becometh hard and stony, the neck stiff and brawny.
†b. Of a drinker: ‘Hard’. Obs.
1617Moryson Itin. iii. 27 The Sweitzers are for the most part Souldiers, and stiffe drinkers. 1632Lyly's Mother Bombie ii. i. Song, We already are stiffe Drinkers. [1635Heywood Philocoth. 44 To title a drunkard by, wee..strive to character him in a more mincing and modest phrase, as thus: He is a good fellow Or, A boone companion,..A stiffe Blade.]
†14.
a. Of things inanimate: Strong; stoutly built; massive. Obs.
c1400Destr. Troy 1527 The styfe towne to Restore..[Priam] Gate masons full mony. c1400Land Troy Bk. 2899 Ther stode a Castel a litel ther-by, Gret, and stiff, and ful strong. c1440York Myst. xxix. 268 Our stiffe tempill, þat made is of stone.
†b. Of a weapon: Hard, stout, formidable. Obs.
c1250Owl & Night. 78 Þi bile is stif & sarp & hoked. 13..K. Alis. 2740 (Laud MS.), He groep on honde a styff spere. c1470Henry Wallace ix. 1649 With a styff suerd to dede he has him dycht. 1607Shakes. Cor. i. i. 167 Make you ready your stiffe bats and clubs.
15. Of natural agencies:
a. Strong, violent (of wind); also applied to a steady wind of moderate force.
c1290Brendan 464 in S. Eng. Leg. 232 Þe wynd was boþe strong and stif. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 487 Stiue stormus of þe wind stiren vp þe wawus. c1425Noah's Ark in Non-Cycle Myst. Plays 19 All mankind dead shall be With storms both stiff and steer. c1565Jenkinson in Hakluyt Voy. (1599) I. 345 The winde being contrary, and a stiffe gale. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, iv. i. 72 Such a noyse arose, As the shrowdes make at Sea, in a stiffe Tempest. 1665G. Havers P. della Valle's Trav. E. India 2 We again spread our sails freely to the wind, which was pretty stiff. 1725Pope Odyss. iv. 483 When the stiffer gales Rise on the poop, and fully stretch the sails. 1846A. Young Naut. Dict. 130 A fresh breeze, implies a wind in which a vessel may safely carry all her canvass; a stiff breeze, implies one somewhat stronger than this, but not so violent as a gale.
in fig. context.1399Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 104 Many a styff storme with-stode ffor þe comunes. 1663Patrick Parab. Pilgr. i. 4 The gale proves so stiff, that our hearts are swelled therewith.
†b. Of a river: Flowing strongly. Obs.
13..K. Alis. 3482 (Laud MS.) Þe water was wel styf & colde. 13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 234 Styffe stremes & streȝt hem strayned a whyle. a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 115 From an hill..Cam doun the streme ful stif and bold. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2589 Þai saȝe þe streme so stife, it stonaid þam all.
†c. Of news: Formidable, grave. Obs.
1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. i. ii. 104 Labienus (this is stiffe-newes), Hath with his Parthian Force Extended Asia.
†16. Of voice, sound: Powerful, loud. Obs.
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 584 [Christ] With styf voys hym called, Lazare, veni foras. c1386Chaucer Prol. 673 This Somonour bar to hym a stif burdoun Was neuere trompe of half so greet a soun. a1400–50Wars Alex. 611 His steuyn stiffe was & steryn þat stonayd many.
17. In modern use, of liquors (mainly spirits): Strong, potent. Also of tea and loosely, denoting a generous measure.
1813Sporting Mag. XLII. 131 Mr. Jenkins..to the last ‘belted’ his three bottles of stiff port after dinner. 1842Tennyson Will Waterproof 78 But tho' the port surpasses praise, My nerves have dealt with stiffer. 1883Stevenson Treas. Isl. xix, Each had a good stiff glass of brandy grog. 1904H. James Golden Bowl I. xviii. 212 You must awfully want your tea..so let me give you a good stiff cup. 1919Wodehouse Coming of Bill (1920) ii. xi. 213 Mr. Penway's eyes..fell upon the bottle of Bourbon... He sprang at it and poured himself a stiff dose. 1929T. Wolfe Look Homeward, Angel xxxv. 522 A stiff drink of gin. 1951‘J. Wyndham’ Day of Triffids i. 21, I was shaky again, and..could have done with a stiff drink. 1970G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard vii. 192, I think you've earned a very stiff scotch. 1975D. Lodge Changing Places ii. 67 ‘Wow,’ said the woman. ‘You mix a stiff drink.’ 1977K. O'Hara Ghost of Thomas Penry xv. 149 They went off and poured themselves a stiff one each.
III. Hard, difficult.
18. Of an ascent or descent: Steep so as to be difficult. In Hunting: Difficult (said of an obstacle or a tract of country presenting many obstacles).
1704Churchill's Collect. Voy. & Trav. III. 81/1, I have seen them run up the stiffest and streightest Hills. 1715Leoni's Palladio's Archit. (1721) I. 54 The Roof would be too stiff [Ital. troppo ratta]. 1817Sporting Mag. L. 38 The ground gone over was through a stiff country. 1853R. S. Surtees Sponge's Sp. Tour xxiii. 124 His lordship charged a stiff flight of rails in the brick-fields. 1883C. Howard Roads Eng. & Wales (ed. 3) 139 Easy going to Braunston,..into which there is a long stiff descent. 1897M. Kingsley W. Africa 571/1 Owing to the world being on a stiff slant here⁓abouts, it takes time to make it stand straight. 1903M. A. Stein Sand-Buried Ruins of Khotan xiv. (1904) 224 The next day's climb proved a stiff one.
19. That requires considerable effort; severe; laborious, toilsome.
1862Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xiii. ii. III. 414 They are dreadfully stiff reading, those Despatches of Hyndford. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. iv. i, Your working days must be stiff 'uns if these is your holidays. 1886Stubbs Lect. Med. & Mod. Hist. ii. 31 More modest men..passed a stiff examination in the History School. 1890‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer xix, He encouraged him to digest a certain daily quantity of ‘stiff’ or improving literature. 1898Daily News 22 July, What do you call a stiff pace on a level road?
20. a. Of a price, charge, demand, etc.: Unusually high, excessive. Cf. sense 10.
1824Dibdin Libr. Companion (1825) 730 note, The Denham of 1709 brought the stiff sum of 1l. 1s...but the Donne..produced..the far stiffer price of 4l. 4s. 1886Stevenson Dr. Jekyll i, The figure was stiff; but the signature was good for more than that, if it was only genuine. 1903A. C. P. Haggard Sport. Yarns 225 He naturally thought 3s. an hour pretty stiff boat hire.
b. Finance. = tight a. 10 c. Now rare or Obs.
1845Punch 11 Oct. 164/2 Money's stiff they say. 1912Q. Rev. July 103 Money is in such keen demand all the world over that the rates tend to become high, whereupon it is called ‘stiff’ or ‘tight’.
IV.
21. Comb. and special collocations. a. Special collocations with ns.: stiff-bit, stiff field (see quots.); stiff sea-adder, a provincial name of the fish Nerophis ophidion.
1875Knight Dict. Mech., Stiff-bit, a bit without a joint, like a snaffle; or branches, like a curb-bit. 1883Day Fishes Gt. Brit. II. 263 Stiff sea-adder. 1910N. Hawkins' Electr. Dict., Stiff Field, a term sometimes applied to an intense electromagnetic field.
b. Collocations forming phrases used attrib., as stiff-arm, stiff-brim, stiff-clay, stiff-land, stiff-leg, stiff-mud, stiff-plate.
1778W. H. Marshall Minutes Agric., Observ. 24, I will not manure a stiff-land Meadow in winter. 1884C. T. Davis Bricks, Tiles etc. (1889) 184 Stiff-clay bricks, or stiff-mud bricks as they are generally termed. 1896‘Mark Twain’ in Harper's Mag. Aug. 356/1 It was the first season anybody wore that kind—a black stiff-brim stove-pipe. 1899Westm. Gaz. 7 Mar. 11/1 The boiler in English locomotives is invariably carried on a stiff-plate frame. 1909Ibid. 25 Aug. 4/2 It..is a sort of stiff-arm punch which returns the ball very close to the net. 1930Engineering 10 Oct. 449/2 The material—sand and gravel—was..unloaded by means of a stiff-leg derrick. 1932W. Faulkner Light in August ii. 27 He wore a tie and a stiffbrim straw hat that was quite new. 1943Sun (Baltimore) 26 Nov. 6/3 The tower was first welded together on the ground. It was then lifted into its foundation by heavy lines attached to two high especially built ‘stiff-leg’ cranes.
c. Combinations with ns.: stiff-arm v. trans. (occas. absol.), to fend off or push with a stiff arm; hence fig., to rebuff or reject; also as n. (usu. attrib.) in Rugby and U.S. Football, the act of tackling or fending off a tackle with a stiff arm; † stiffgut, a glutton; stiff-leaf Arch., the term applied to the foliage of conventional form, with stiff leaf-stems, characteristic as a decoration in the Early English style; stiff-neck, an obstinate, haughty or self-righteous person; cf. stiff-necked a.; † stiffrump slang, an obstinate or haughty person; stiff-stalk (see quot.); † stiff-stander, one who makes an obstinate stand (for).
1927G. S. Lowman Pract. Football vii. 85 In all *stiff arm and shifting have the body slightly inclined toward the tackler. Ibid. xii. 218 When playing in the line, the defensive center should stiff-arm his opponent back into the play. 1934Crisler & Wieman Pract. Football vii. 86 The ball carrier is more easily stopped in the hole than anywhere else, since he cannot dodge, sidestep, reverse or stiff-arm at that point. 1945Tee Emm (Air Ministry) V. 50 Ward off attack by kicking or stiffarming the shark... Kick or stiff-arm a shark to push him away. 1950Sport 24–30 Mar. 9/1 Vindictive hacking and ‘stiff arm’ jabs were the rule rather than the exception. 1968Listener 8 Aug. 189/2 There had been the fury of the British backs meeting persistent stiff-arm and late tackling, although these almost automatic fouls were only occasionally penalised. 1973[see place n.1 9 d]. 1974A. A. Thompson Swiss Legacy xviii. 185 She tried to slam the door, but McAllister stiff-armed it violently against the wall.
1630J. Taylor (Water P.) Gt. Eater of Kent Ded. 2 Though you are the absolutest man of mouth and the most renowned *stifgut in this westerne angle of the world, yet we haue as great or greater eaters then your selfe. 1851T. H. Turner Dom. Archit. I. ii. 39 The shafts in the jambs have round capitals with foliage approaching to what is technically called *stiff-leaf.
1921Blackw. Mag. Feb. 251/1 The *stiff-necks of Victoria's entourage would have been painfully shocked. 1962E. Snow Red China Today (1963) i. 18 The young stiff-neck dismissed them angrily and told me I could do as I pleased about disposing of my excess but if I carried it I'd have to pay. 1975New Yorker 28 Apr. 124/2 A repatriated American stiffneck who has been imprisoned by the North Vietnamese finds his particular solace in not budging an inch from the mindless chauvinism he set out with.
1709Steele & Addison Tatler No. 110 ⁋4 Ha! Is that thy Wisdom, old *Stiffrump, ha?
1884W. Miller Plant-n. 130 Mexican *Stiff-stalk, Rigidella flammea.
1642H. More Song of Soul ii. iii. iii. 5 O You *stiff-standers for ag'd Ptolemee.
d. Parasynthetic adjs., as stiff backed, stiff-bodied, stiff-boned, stiff-bosomed, stiff-elbowed, † stiff-hearted, stiff-jointed, stiff-kneed, stiff-leathered, stiff-leaved, stiff-legged, stiff-limbed, stiff-lipped, † stiff-minded, stiff-shirted, stiff-winged, † stiff-witted, etc.; stiff-arsed slang (see quot. 1937); † stiff-docked, strong in the hind quarters; † stiff-rumped fig., unbending, obstinate, proud; † stiff-stomached, hard-hearted; † stiff streamed, having a strong current.
1937Partridge Dict. Slang 831/2 *Stiff-arsed, haughty; supercilious. 1971B. Malamud Tenants 70 If you think you..are goint to be stiffassed and uptight by what I say, maybe we ought to call it off before we start?
1848Thackeray Van. Fair xx, The *stiff-backed prig, with his dandified airs and West End swagger.
1697J. Lewis Mem. Dk. Glocester (1789) 11 His *stiff-bodied coats were very troublesome to him in his military amusements. 1727Mrs. Delany Life & Corr. (1861) I. 138 They were draped in stiff-bodied gowns of silver tissue.
1896Mrs. Caffyn Quaker Grandmother 198 We're not *stiff-boned, stubborn things like men folk.
1925Wodehouse Carry On, Jeeves ix. 238 Then lay out one of the gents' *stiff-bosomed [shirts]. 1942W. Faulkner Go Down, Moses 74 A white stiff-bosomed collarless shirt beneath a pique vest.
1898Mrs. Woods in 19th Cent. XLIV. 1000 This *stiff-collared hypocrite of a young Briton.
1523–34Fitzherb. Husb. §74 The .iiii. properties of a lyon. The fyrste is, to haue a brode breste; the seconde, to be *styffe-docked.
Ibid. §76 The .ix. propertyes of an hare. The fyrste is *styffe-eared.
1956H. Gold Man who was not with It (1965) vi. 50, I..walked imperfectly awake, *stiff-elbowed, thick-tongued, and dim-sighted. 1973M. Amis Rachel Papers 190 In this fashion, with twelve stiff-elbowed tugs, he has wanked into her head.
1552Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 82 The sone quhilk was inobedient, *stifhartit and thrawart to his father and mother. 1560Bible (Geneva) Ezek. ii. 4 Thei are impudent children, and stiffe hearted.
1743W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman Oct. i. 126 Its *stiff-jointed, high-coloured, long Straw. 1876‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer xvi. 142 They felt rusty, and stiff-jointed, and a little homesick.
1804W. Blake in A. G. B. Russell Lett. (1906) 156 My good woman..is still *stiff-kneed but well in other respects.
1576Newton Lemnie's Complex. i. ix. 74 As hard and *styffe-leathered bootes yt haue lyen long vnoccupyed.
1822Hortus Angl. II. 396 Aster Rigidus. *Stiff-leaved Star Wort.
1854Dickens Hard T. iii. i. 263 In staggering over the universe with his rusty *stiff-legged compasses, he had meant to do great things. 1922Joyce Ulysses 428 Bloom..blunders stifflegged, out of the track.
1914‘Saki’ Beasts & Super-Beasts 65 Old Shep, the white-nozzled, *stiff-limbed collie. 1973M. Amis Rachel Papers 23 In normal circumstances, with her embarrassment in any kind of pre-coital conversation, her unassumingly pretty face, the stiff-limbed movements: you were a plaything of her unease.
1896Tablet 23 May 801 A little cowardice, or complacency to *stiff-lipped colleagues, and the old inequality will be perpetuated.
1552Huloet, *Stiffe minded or of courage, infractus animi. 1910Spectator 5 Nov. 740/2 They are too stiff-minded.
1835Whewell Archit. Notes (1842) 291 *Stiff-pointed curled tufts of foliage.
1715Phil. Trans. XXIX. 233 *Stif-rim'd Mary-gold.
1728Somerville Epist. to Ramsay i. 91 Self-conceit, and *stiff-rumpt Pride. 1812Colman Br. Grins, Knt. & Friar i. xxx, The stiff-rumped rascals [the friars] looked so sanctified.
1918G. Frankau One of Them iv. 34 The patient lights of brougham or rarer car shine, Waiting *stiff-shirted squires and ladies fair. 1933Dylan Thomas Let. Nov. (1966) 51 Please don't go all stiff-shirted on me.
1540Palsgr. Acolastus v. ii. Y iij, He that is so *styffe stomaked, or so harde harted.
1632Lithgow Trav. ix. 380 The *stiffe stream'd Dolf.
c1875Cassell's Nat. Hist. IV. 195 The last group of the Wild-fowl contains the *Stiff-tailed Ducks, which are recognisable by their extremely rigid tail-feathers.
1616T. Scot Philomythie etc. K 8, Where the *stiffe-vdder'd Cow long'd twice a day, To meet the merry milke-maide on the way.
1901Practitioner Mar. 241 Why not an ‘Epic of Malaria’?.. But such a theme would surely spur the *stiffest-winged Pegasus to empyrean flights. 1977Devon Wetlands (Devon County Council) vii. 26 Fulmars..have a characteristic stiff-winged, gliding flight.
1599Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 75 Much like to a stout⁓hearted and *stiff-witted Captaine, who scornes to imitate any stratageme before used by the enemy.
B. n.
†1. Some stiffened article of female attire. Obs.
1680Will of Frances Dobson in Bedfordsh. N. & Q. (1889) II. 237, I give to my seruant..all my working day clothes of wollen or stuffe, and also 3 of my strongest stiffs and aprons.
2. slang.
a. Paper; a document, esp. a promissory note or bill of exchange; a clandestine letter.
1823Egan Grose's Dict. Vulgar T. s.v., Giving a bill instead of money is denominated, in the mercantile world, taking ‘the stiff’. 1855Thackeray Newcomes vi, I wish you'd do me a bit of stiff. 1889Pall Mall Gaz. 14 Feb. 4/3 The ‘stiff,’ as a note is called in convict parlance. 1892M. Williams Round London (1893) 62 A hawker's licence, which is known among the [London] brotherhood as a ‘stiff’. 1904A. Griffiths 50 Yrs. Publ. Serv. 152 Other ‘stiffs’—the prison term for anonymous or clandestine letters—were scattered about.
Comb.1823‘Jon Bee’ Dict. Turf 166 Stiff-dealer, a dealer in stiff, a pseudo-merchant, or trader in moonshine paper.
b. Money.
1897‘Ouida’ Massarenes i. 6 They are astonishing—biggest income in the United States... Made their ‘stiff’ there, and come home to spend it. 1930Belloc New Cautionary Tales 58 He wrang his hands, exclaiming, ‘If I only had a bit of Stiff How different would be my life!’
3. slang.
a. A corpse (= stiff 'un, A. 2 b).
1859Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 450. 1871 Hay Myst. Gilgal 41 They piled the stiffs outside the door. 1915Morn. Post 7 Aug. 5/4 ‘This cigarette is all right’, I said. ‘Where do they come from?’ ‘Off that German stiff’, he answered.
b. A racehorse which is unikely to win; spec. one which is not intended to win. Cf. stiff a. 2 b. U.S. slang.
a1890in Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang. (1890) II. 306/1 ‘What do they mean by a stiff in the race?’ ‘That means generally a horse that on public form should win the race, and that either the jockey, trainer, or horse has been ‘fixed’ so that he will not win.’ 1935D. Runyon Money from Home 197 There is also a rumor that Follow You is a stiff in the race. 1944Sun (Baltimore) 21 Sept. 17/5 We either get shut out or find we are on a stiff which won't run.
4. slang.
a. A penniless man; a wastrel; a tramp; a migratory or unskilled worker.
1899Daily Chron. 10 Aug. 5/7 ‘Stiffs,’ that is, men who work their passage by attending to cattle. 1901, etc. [see bindle2 a]. 1909Daily Mail 10 Aug. 4/5 England knows the tramp and the loafer,..but greater than these is the Johannesburg ‘stiff’. 1915Truth 20 Jan. 90/2 A hopeless shortage of the best labour on the one hand, and an unusual proportion of ‘stiffs’ on the other. 1927W. Edge Main Stem iii. 16 No stiff ever got information about a job through a telephone directory. 1963H. Garner in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 41 Who would listen to a harvest stiff in the middle of the tobacco country? 1976E. Ward Hanged Man iii. 13 The driver..reached out to pull Burnett into the dusty cab. Construction stiff. A wandering freemasonry.
b. A mean, disagreeable, or contemptible person (freq. big stiff). Also joc. and loosely, a man, a fellow; working stiff, an ordinary working man. slang (orig. U.S.).
1882in Colorado Quarterly (1956) Winter 271 Cap. Cline, that lonely old stiff..is now demonotized. 1896G. Ade Artie ii. 17 There I set like a big stiff for five hours. Ibid. iv. 36, I do n't come in here to give coin to no such stiffs as you. 1914[see nanny-goat 3]. 1925C. Connolly Let. 28 Feb. in Romantic Friendship (1975) 61 He was described..as ‘rather a stiff’ which is true at present. 1930Punch 26 Feb. 228/2 He said ‘You big stiff!’ in a very loud voice and went. 1930J. Dos Passos 42nd Parallel v. 403 Charley said that working stiffs ought to stick together for decent living conditions. 1936Wodehouse Laughing Gas viii. 82 He had told me this man was a pretty good sort of old stiff. 1949Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Oklahoma) 23 Feb. 18/6 A select group of working stiffs in high government circles have run into 20 assorted kinds of complications. 1951E. Paul Springtime in Paris vii. 139 Hold your trap, you old stiff. 1967Sun 23 Apr. 5/8 A bad customer..a stiff who orders the table d'hôte and nothing to drink. 1975N.Y. Times 8 Jan. 35/1 And if a black man did buy a house, hey, we knocked on his door and said hello. If he was a nice guy, great. If he was a stiff, well, I know lots of white stiffs, too. 1977Guardian Weekly 10 July 15/2 The idea of two young working stiffs [sc. Woodward and Bernstein] carrying off the prize is irresistible to youngsters with their careers before them.
c. A drunkard (see also quot. 1969). Cf. stiff a. 2 e.
1907J. London Road 170 Robbing a drunken man they call ‘rolling a stiff’. 1969Telegraph (Brisbane) 3 Oct. 42/1 We get all types of no-hopers here—hoboes, bums, ‘alcos’, homosexuals and ‘stiffs’ (methylated spirits drinkers). 1976N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone vi. 135 It had taken a good part of the day just to locate the poor stiff.
d. Football. A member of a reserve team. Freq. in pl. slang.
1950Sport 22–28 Sept. 4/1 On Saturday the Forest ‘stiffs’ romped home to a 5–1 victory over Halifax. 1967M. Procter Rogue Running xxv. 164 He became one of the ‘stiffs’, a second-team man who only played for the first team when a better man was ill, or injured. 1970Sun 5 Sept. 28/6 (heading) Gunners sign Metchick for stiffs.
C. adv. or quasi-adv.
1. Stiffly, firmly, tightly, hard, etc. Phrase, to give it to someone (pretty) stiff: to speak severely to, to rate.
1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 174 The course of the ryuer So stronge and So styfe rane. c1450Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 133 Þe werlde, my flesch, þ⊇ fende, felly þai me besale both strange & styfe. 1525tr. Brunswyke's Handywork Surg. lxxiii. P iij b, Take hede that ye bynde hym not to styfe. 1680Moxon Mech. Exerc. x. 182 This piece of wood is fitted stiff into a square Hole. 1712J. James Gardening 81 [This] makes the Joint go stiffer, or slacker, at Pleasure. 1880J. Payn Confid. Agent xliii, Giving it to her..pretty stiff.
2. In comb. with ppl. adjs.a. Rigidly, tightly, obstinately, etc. as † stiff-holden, stiff-rustling, stiff-swathed.
b. So as to be stiff, in various senses, as stiff-bent, stiff-built, stiff-dressed, etc.
c. † stiff-borne, obstinately pursued; † stiff-girt, fig. inflexible, obstinate; † stiff-thrown, thrown with great force.
1581A. Hall Iliad iii. 45 With bow *stifbent, and with quiuer, and many a shaft therein. 1647H. More Song of Soul ii. App. xxxviii, Sent out from bow stiff-bent with even string.
1624Quarles Job Militant iii, His *stiffe-bolting haire: (Not much vnlike the pennes of Porcupines).
1598Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. i. 177 None of this..could restraine The *stiffe-borne Action.
1861Mayhew Lond. Labour III. 272 Some vessels are so *stiff-built, that they can discharge the whole of their cargo without taking in any ballast at all.
1886Daily News 13 Oct. 2/6 *Stiff-dressed nets are still dull of sale.
1659Gauden Tears Ch. ii. xxx. 246 He, *stiffe-girt and inexorable, went with a short turn out of the Church.
1596Edw. III, iii. iii. 129 Like *stiffe growen oakes [they] will stand immouable, When whirle wind quickly turnes vp yonger trese.
1533Frith Disp. Purgat. ii. K j b, An heresye is a *styffe holden opinion repugnaunte vnto scrypture. 1818Keats Endym. ii. 9 Stiff-holden shields, far-piercing spears, keen blades.
1605Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iii. i. Vocation 538 A gagged Usher that doth never wear *Stif-rustling silks.
1828Miss Mitford Village III. 32 A woman..*stiff-starched and strait-laced.
1657W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life Peiresc ii. 224 A great *stiff-stretched swelling arose upon the Region of his Bladder. 1666Dryden Ann. Mirab. cxxi, The Dutch..Whose Navy like a stiff-stretch'd cord did show, Till he bore in, and bent them into flight.
1608Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. iv. Decay 795 A *stiff-throw'n Bowl, which running down a Hill, Meets in the way some stub.
[B.] [3.] [b.] For def. read: A poor competitor, a sure loser; spec. a racehorse or boxer that is unlikely to win, occas. one which is not intended to win. Cf. stiff a. 2 b. slang (orig. U.S.). (Further examples.)
1912J. Sandilands Western Canad. Dict., Stiff, a corpse, or about as valueless as a corpse. Frequently used in reference to players who are of no use in the game. 1918Chrons. N.Z. Expeditionary Force 7 June 205/1 Remarks are heard on the ‘tinny’ luck or otherwise of the players, while the ‘stiffs’ [unlucky players] bemoan their luck. 1989Times Lit. Suppl. 13 Jan. 27/2 He behaved a lot like a manager of prize-fighters who has a stable of stiffs, one of whom he might send out against the opposition at selected times.
c. A commercial venture, esp. in the entertainment business, which merits or meets with public indifference; a flop. colloq. (orig. U.S.).
1937Sunday Jrnl. & Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) 26 Sept. c–d. 12/3 Stiff, the only negative term in the list, describes a bust, a flop, a complete failure. 1949Amer. Weekly in N.Y. Jrnl.-American 30 Oct. 21/2 Juggy listened to the tune and was disheartened. ‘It's a stiff,’ he said—meaning that it was no good. 1981A. Nightingale Chase Fade 91/2 A ‘stiff’ in record company parlance means a flop. 1987Hi-Fi News Jan. 57/2 When you think about it, these are likely to be the most popular products in our market, as receivers are total stiffs as far as the UK is concerned (it seems that only the Yanks buy them in great numbers).
5. slang. An erection (of the penis).
1980‘T. Hinde’ Sir Henry & Sons x. 77 What Selby does each night for our entertainment in the Wolves dormitory, getting an enormous pink stiff on his..cock. 1983Aman & Sardo in Maledicta 1982 VI. 23 Erection (males),..stiff, stiffer, etc.
▪ II. stiff, v.
[f. stiff a. (Cf. ME. stive v., OE. stífian.)]
†1. intr. To grow strong. Obs.
1399Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 54 But as sone as þey [sc. young partridges] styffe and þat þey steppe kunne.
†2. trans. To make stiff, stiffen. Obs.
1486Bk. St. Albans a vij, If her goorge be wide and the bowell any thyng stiffid. 1582Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 118 But Dido affrighted, stift also in her obstinat onset,..Too the inner quadrant runneth. 1648Hexham ii, Stijven, als, doecken Stijven, to Stiffe or to Starch linnen. 1652W. Brough Sacr. Princ. (ed. 2) 219 Covetousnesse..Lames the Hand to good Works. Stiffs the Knees to the Holy Sacrament.
3. To cheat; to refuse to pay or tip (a person). slang (orig. and chiefly U.S.).
1950Sat. Even. Post. 15 July 124/3 It was a signal for the waiter to hustle over and put the arm on the customer who was trying to stiff him. 1968J. M. Ullman Lady on Fire (1969) vi. 85 He's still haggling over the bill..trying to stiff me for a thousand less than agreed on. 1978Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. b 3/1 Some New York waiters will tell you that the wealthiest men stiff you on a tip. 1979Globe & Mail (Toronto) 31 May 2/5 Agents are still going bankrupt, but now it means they are leaving debts with the wholesalers and airlines. They aren't stiffing the consumer. 1982Washington Post 9 Jan. 21/2 What is McCarthy doing when he refuses to tip a waiter who has given good service?.. He may be cursed by the waiter he stiffs. Ibid. 21/3 Instead of stiffing his servers, McCarthy should be stiffing their employers.
4. To kill; to murder. Cf. stiff n. 3 a. slang.
1974R. L. Simon Wild Turkey (1976) xiv. 104 ‘The Japanese girl..was found stiffed in an air-conditioning duct.’.. ‘Stiffed?’ ‘Asesinato.’ 1978C. Egleton Mills Bomb vii. 73 Did she blow their cover too? Is that how they got stiffed in Prague?
Hence † stiffed ppl. a.
1565T. Stapleton Fortr. Faith 112 b, O hard stiffed necke, o froward harte.
▸ intr. slang (orig. Music). Of a record, film, etc.: to fail, to flop; to meet with public indifference. Cf. stiff n. 3.
1973Phonograph Record Oct. 23/4 Like the two previous 45s, it stiffed totally. 1983in T. Hibbert Rockspeak! 149 The..album completely stiffed in the States. 1993Entertainm. Weekly 31 Dec.–7 Jan. 74/2 The screen version of her Ethan Frome stiffed. 2006Miami Herald (Nexis) 21 July g16 The series was tarnished as a turkey and naturally it stiffed. |