stabn.¹

Brit.

/stab/, U.S.

/stæb/

Forms: Also Middle English–1600s stabbe, 1500s stappe.

Etymology: Related to stab v. Compare modern Scots stab, a large needle, a prickle.

The form stappe in quot. 1583 at sense 2a may possibly be a distinct word, but has not been found elsewhere.

1. A wound produced by stabbing.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > wound by sharp weapon

stabc1440

foin1543

launch1558

veny1578

stog1587

venue1591

prickado?1592

pink1601

stabado1607

sword-cut1817

stab-wound1897

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 471/1 Stabbe, or wownde of smytynge, stigma.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. iii. 113 His gash'd Stabs, look'd like a Breach in Nature, For Ruines wastfull entrance.

1807 S. Cooper First Lines Pract. Surg. I. i. xvi. 71 An important punctured wound, such as the stab of a bayonet.

1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge vi. 269 You found me with this stab and an ugly bruise or two.

a. An act of stabbing; a thrust dealt with some sharp-pointed instrument producing a wound in the flesh.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > [noun] > stroke with pointed weapon

stroke1297

stokea1400

foinc1450

stab1530

push1563

veny1578

stoccado1582

thrusta1586

venue1591

pink1601

longee1625

stob1653

tilt1716

lunge1748

stug1808

punzie1827

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > wound by sharp weapon > action of

stabbingc1425

goringa1513

foining1523

stab1530

stob1653

spearing1784

piking1798

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with something pointed

stabbingc1425

picka1522

stab1530

prog1821

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 275/1 Stabbe with a daggar, covp destoc.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iv. 58 b After he was dead, the enemie gaue hym many a stappe with his dagger.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. iii. 63 The Elements..Of whom your swords are temper'd, may as well..with bemockt-at-Stabs Kill the still closing waters, as [etc.].

1644 E. Dering Disc. Proper Sacrifice b iiij b A young fellow..did aim the stabbe of his knife into the Kings belly.

1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 231 A Stab that touch'd the Vitals.

1748 J. Hervey Medit. among Tombs in Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 4) I. 30 A poysonous Draught, or a deadly Stab.

1830 Ld. Tennyson Oriana 50 Oh! deathful stabs were dealt apace.

1867 F. Francis Bk. Angling iii. 80 Master Perch..will..resent rough..handling by a sharp stab or two.

b. figurative.

ΚΠ

a1616 W. Shakespeare Richard III (1623) iii. ii. 83 This sudden stab [1597 scab] of Rancour I misdoubt.

1742 J. Wesley Princ. Methodist To Rdr. After many Stabs in the Dark, I was publickly attack'd..by my own familiar Friend.

1796 E. Burke Let. to Mrs. Crewe in Corr. IV. 335 A stab was attempted on my reputation.

1894 S. J. Weyman Man in Black 201 This stab, that a little earlier would have pierced her very heart-strings, did but prick her.

1909 E. Rickert Beggar in Heart 24 She remembered, with a stab of pain, the quiver in his voice.

c. the stab: death by stabbing. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > manner of death > [noun] > violent death > others

the stab1610

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 124 With two arguments goeth about to give them the deadly stab.

1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor vii, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. II. 133 To kill one [raven] in their presence, is such bad luck that it deserves the stab.

1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. xxxviii. 48 Life—death—to-morrow; the rudis or the stab? Which shall it be?

d. transferred. A vigorous thrust as if to stab some one.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > [noun] > striking with pushing action > a thrusting blow

sparc1540

job1560

push1563

thrusta1586

poss1611

jub1688

peg1728

jab1825

stab1902

1902 M. Barnes-Grundy Thames Camp 196 Sewing is rather restful; and you can give such vent to your feelings with each stab of the needle.

e. figurative. A flash of bright colour against dark surroundings.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > [noun] > splash of colour

dash1713

splash1832

stab1894

splatter1969

1894 Superfl. Woman (ed. 4) III. 4 The moving stabs of colour in passing trams and other vehicles.

1903 Speaker 17 Oct. 64/2 The blackbird in his jet-black dress, the stab of colour of his bill accentuating the hue.

f. In colloquial phrase to make (or have, etc.) a stab at (something) , to try, attempt; to make a shot at. Originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > endeavour > attempt [verb (transitive)]

fandOE

assayc1300

tryc1315

provec1330

adventurea1387

sayc1390

paina1400

havec1400

practisea1450

afforcec1487

afond1488

attempta1538

procure1574

endeavour1581

offer1611

poacha1616

attent1620

to venture at1623

essay1641

attentate1656

smacka1657

tempt1697

to try at1794

to have a go1802

to make a (good, poor, etc.) fist1833

tackle1847

to have or take a whack at1891

to make (or have, etc.) a stab at (something)1895

to have a dash (at)1916

1895 W. C. Gore in Inlander Dec. 115 Stab, to make a, to make a blind attempt to answer a question.

1908 K. McGaffey Sorrows of Show Girl 235 I..made a stab for the rail.

1915 P. G. Wodehouse Something Fresh xi. 315 ‘I do wish that this time you would endeavour..not to make a fool of yourself.’.. ‘I'll have a jolly good stab at it, governor.’

1930 J. Galsworthy Roof vi. 96 D'you think you'll be able to travel the day after to-morrow?.. I'll have a good stab at it, as my more genial colleagues say.

1940 ‘N. Shute’ Old Captivity x. 294 We may have to come back again... But I think we'll have a stab at it.

1961 Press Jrnl. Apr. 10/3 Let's say you're going to take a stab at writing up the annual office picnic.

1973 ‘S. Woods’ Enter Corpse 113 ‘Now that,’ said Nelson, ‘I can't believe.’ ‘You might have a stab at it,’ Maitland suggested, ‘It happens to be true.’

1980 W. Maxwell So Long, see you Tomorrow (1981) ii. 7 She may have made a stab at being a mother to my older brother and me.

g. In figurative phrase stab in the back, a treacherous deed. Cf. sense 1g of the verb.

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > [noun] > a treacherous act

treacheryc1300

treasonc1330

Sinonism1864

double-cross1896

stab in the back1922

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 591 That stab in the back touch was quite in keeping with those Italianos.

1934 R. H. Lutz Causes of German Collapse in 1918 v. 132 (heading) The ‘stab-in-the-back’ question.

1934 R. H. Lutz tr. von Kuhl in Causes of German Collapse in 1918 v. 132 Some maintain that we lost the war owing to the stab in the back administered to the Army by those at home... On the other side the ‘stab-in-the-back legend’ is rejected as ‘one of the most malignant and..stupidest legends’.

1953 J. W. Wheeler-Bennett Nemesis of Power i. i. 67 For several days before his actual appearance..Hindenburg was closeted with..the extreme Nationalist leaders. In this brief period was crystallized the legend of the ‘stab-in-the-back’, in justification of which many innocent Germans were to suffer when the National Socialists came to power.

1953 J. W. Wheeler-Bennett Nemesis of Power i. i. 67 The Marshal [sc. Hindenburg] testified..on November 18... He..addressed himself to the German people. Their defeat, he told them, was not attributable to the Army but to the civilian demoralization and disunion. The irreproachable Army had received a ‘stab-in-the-back’ (Dolchstoss) from the Revolution.

1959 Times 21 Oct. 13/4 Professor Nordhoff, the managing director of Volkswagen, reacted as if he were the victim of another stab-in-the-back legend.

1971 A. Bullock 20th Cent. 25/1 Our knowledge of the recent past..will be based on hear-say, myths (‘the Stab in the Back’, for instance).

h. Bacteriology. = stab-culture.

ΚΠ

1900 Jrnl. Exper. Med. 5 80 The early surface-growth in the glucose agar stab presents a whitish, heaped up centre.

3. Billiards. A short, stiff stroke which causes the striker's ball to remain dead or to travel but slowly after striking the object ball; more fully stab stroke; hence stab cannon, stab screw, a cannon or screw made with this stroke.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > actions or types of play > type of stroke

hazard1674

carambole1775

carom1779

cannon1802

screw1825

sidestroke1834

following stroke1837

cannonade1844

five-stroke1847

follow1850

scratch1850

fluke1857

jenny1857

bank shot1859

angle shot1860

draw shot1860

six-stroke1861

run-through1862

spot1868

quill1869

dead-stroke1873

loser1873

push1873

push stroke1873

stab1873

stab screw1873

draw1881

force1881

plant1884

anchor cannon1893

massé1901

angle1902

cradle-cannon1907

pot1907

jump shot1909

carry-along1913

snooker1924

1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 192 There is another screw stroke called stab screw... If the striker desires to stop his own ball dead as soon as it strikes the object ball full,..the object is to be attained by means of stab.

1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 281 The best chance left is a stab cannon... The effect of the stab..is to carry the white slowly on to the spot-white.

1885 Billiards Simplified (1889) 157 The way to play the stroke is by means of what is known as a stab stroke.

4. Oil Industry. (See quot. 1975.)

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [noun] > other procedures

jar1865

run1880

round trip1900

shooting1914

swabbing1921

underreaming1922

acidization1934

squeeze cementing1938

mud logging1960

re-entry1961

stab1972

upending1976

1972 L. M. Harris Introd. Deepwater Floating Drilling Operations xii. 133 The integral marine-riser system has the choke and kill lines installed on the riser joints so that they are simultaneously stabbed and made up during the stab and make up of the marine-riser connector.

1975 L. Crook Oil Terms 106 Stab, the operation of guiding one end of a pipe into the connection of another pipe to ‘make up’ a connection.

Compounds

C1. General attributive.

stab-like adj.

ΚΠ

1887 C. Tyrrell tr. E. Werner Her Son I. 79 The contemptuous glance of those eyes penetrated with a stab-like pain to his heart's core.

C2.

stab-and-drag n. Archaeology a technique of ceramic decoration whereby a point is drawn along the surface of a pot and pushed in deeper at intervals (usually attributive).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > decoration of china > [noun] > relief or incised decoration

bianco sopra bianco1856

pâte-sur-pâte1879

scratched blue1883

sprigging1906

rilling1923

scratch blue1924

stab-and-drag1931

rouletting1937

1931 V. G. Childe in Archæol. Jrnl. 88 47 Handles and flat bases first make their appearance in Fort Harrouard II. In the same levels the fine incision of the early Chassey style gives place to deep incision, or stab-and-drag.

1931 S. Piggott in Archæol. Jrnl. 88 78 Stab-and-drag lines—made with a point that is drawn along the clay and pushed in deeper at intervals—occur only on certain Scottish pots, e.g., from Unstan.

1954 S. Piggott Neolithic Cultures Brit. Isles vii. 204 Certain vessels with stab-and-drag motifs.

1978 Proc. Prehistoric Soc. 44 276 Decorated wall-sherd; fine vertical stab and drag lines.

stab-awl n. a shoemaker's tool used for piercing leather.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > awl

awlc1000

St. Crispin's lance1650

pegging awla1700

stab-awl1840

1840 Life Adam Clarke iv. 94 He borrowed a stab awl and a hammer from a shoe maker.

stab-cannon n. (see sense 3).

stab-culture n. a culture n. (culture n. 3) in which the medium is inoculated by means of a needle thrust deeply into its substance.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > material > [noun] > culture or medium

culture1880

blood culture1881

cultivation1881

culture medium1883

pure culture1883

agar1885

broth1885

subculture1885

tube-culture1886

bouillon1887

stab-culture1889

streak culture1892

blood agar1893

microculture1893

shake culture1894

streak plate1895

broth culture1897

slant1899

plating1900

stock culture1903

touch preparation1908

tissue culture1912

plaque1924

slope1925

agar-agar1929

isolate1931

MacConkey1938

auxanogram1949

lawn1951

monolayer1952

replica plate1952

1889 Science 20 Dec. 418 The mere production of a direct stab-culture from one organ, such as the spleen..affords very incomplete..information.

stab-rag n. slang a tailor.

ΚΠ

1841 Punch 21 Aug. 65/1 The buttons on the jacket, and the button-holes..would baffle the criticism of the most hyper-fastidious stab-rag.

1865 Slang Dict. Stab-rag, a regimental tailor.—Military slang.

stab-screw n. (see sense 3).

stab-stitch n. Needlework (see quot. 1964); hence as v. transitive.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > stitch > other

accrue1725

gobble stitch1788

seam-stitch1825

marking stitch1861

dot1882

seam1882

basket-darning1884

basting1885

bridle1885

padding stitch1913

stab-stitch1917

tuck-stitch1926

prick stitch1928

fishbone-stitch1932

pad stitch1964

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > sew or ornament textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > sew > other

to take up1620

fell1758

cross-stitch1794

strand1894

prick-stitch1895

stab-stitch1917

lockstitch1919

1917 E. R. Hambridge Simple Dressmaking i. 7/2 Back stitches should be frequent in stab tacking... Cf. Fig. 28 for stab stitch, which is similarly worked.

1917 E. R. Hambridge Simple Dressmaking i. 10/1 Running, run-stitching, and half back-stitching can also be stab-stitched, but strong thread or silk should be employed.

c1951 Glovemaking (Dryad Leaflet 31) 6 A hand-made glove..is almost always sewn on the right side, and various stitches can be used. The most popular of these is the ‘prix’ or stab-stitch.

1964 McCall's Sewing in Colour ii. 32/2 Stab-stitch a stitch in which the needle is brought in and out of the fabric at right angles.

1976 Woman's Weekly 6 Nov. 42/3 Stab-stitch the boots together in pairs.

stab-stitching n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > [noun] > sewing > sewing in other ways

hemminga1300

back-stitch1611

buttonholing1828

felling1840

pintucking1903

stab-stitching1917

prick-stitching1952

bar tack1955

bar-tacking1959

pad stitching1960

1917 E. R. Hambridge Simple Dressmaking i. 10/1 Stab-stitching..is back-stitching, but worked with the needle placed vertically through the material..instead of horizontally.

1932 D. C. Minter Mod. Needlecraft 159/2 Stab stitching..close to the fold of the felt..may be employed.

stab-stroke n. (see sense 3).

stab-wort n. the wood sorrel ( Oxalis acetosella), believed to be so called with reference to its supposed healing properties (also stobwort n., stubwort n.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Oxalidaceae (wood-sorrel and allies) > [noun]

sorrel de boysa1400

wood-soura1400

hallelujahc1425

cuckoobread1526

cuckoo's meat1526

wood sorrel1526

stubwort1541

sour trefoil1578

stobwort1597

salad sorrel1611

French sorrel1633

three-leaved grass1634

stab-wort1640

lujula1651

oxalis1706

goat's foot1787

sour grass1866

sour-sop1885

soursob1907

1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum 747 We [call it] in English Wood Sorrell..Stabbewort.

1665 R. Lovell Παμβοτανολογια (ed. 2) 419 Stubwort or Stabwort, see Wood sorrell.

stab-wound n. a punctured wound produced by an act or the action of stabbing.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > wound by sharp weapon

stabc1440

foin1543

launch1558

veny1578

stog1587

venue1591

prickado?1592

pink1601

stabado1607

sword-cut1817

stab-wound1897

1897 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 27 Mar. 774 A stab wound in the right loin.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

stabn.²

Brit.

/stab/, U.S.

/stæb/, Scottish English

/stab/

Etymology: ? Scots variant of stob n.¹: compare tap = top. But compare also Danish, Norwegian, Swedish dialect stabbe, modern Icelandic stabbi tree-stump, block, Danish dialect stabb peg.

Scottish and dialect.

1. A stake, a wooden post. stab and rice = stake and rice at stake n.¹ 2a: see stab and stow: completely, entirely.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase]

high and low1397

every (also ilk, ilka) stick?a1400

root and rind?a1400

hair and hide?c1450

stout and routc1450

bane and routc1480

overthwart and endlonga1500

(in) hide and hairc1575

right out1578

horse and footc1600

flesh and fella1616

root and branch1640

stab and stow1680

stoop and roop1728

stick, stock, stone dead1796

rump and stump1824

stump and rump1825

rump and rig1843

good and1885

the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > hedge or fence > a fence > a paling > a stake

pale board1483

garden pale1591

stab1680

paling1820

stake1897

1680 Inventory in Scott. Notes & Queries IX. 95 Ane wall of stab and ryce..ane chimnay of stab and ryce.

1722 W. Hamilton Life of Sir William Wallace x. iii. 259 Who set their Lodgings all in a fair Low, About their Ears, and burnt them Stab and Stow.

1821 J. Galt Ann. Parish vi. 70 The plantations supplied him with stabs to make stake and rice between his fields.

1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 160 The minister of a village..requested that a wall should be built round his glebe. ‘Would stabs and railings not answer the purpose equally well?’ asked one present.

1907 E. Frazer Clodhopper i. ii. 8 They've drawn the loosened paling stab.

2. A stump.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > stump

stock862

moreeOE

stub967

zuche1358

stumpc1440

scrag1567

stool1577

brock1772

stow1774

hagsnar1796

stab1807

spronk1838

tree stool1898

1807 Howlett in A. Young Gen. View Agric. Essex I. vi. 180 As soon as the hedge is cut down, most of which [is] within an inch or two of the old stabb.

1807 Howlett in A. Young Gen. View Agric. Essex I. vi. 180 With the young shoots of the parts cut off close to the stabbs.

3. A block (of wood, etc.) used as a seat.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > seat > [noun] > other seats

desk1560

seat-arch1703

window seat1715

podium1722

sunkie1788

stab1805

screen1820

porch swing1891

club-fender1915

stuff-over1915

1805 G. McIndoe Poems & Songs 10 The seat, a stab, the heel-pins rotten.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

stabn.³

Brit.

/stab/, U.S.

/stæb/

Etymology: Of obscure origin.

dialect.

(See quot. 1838.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares) > [noun] > family Leporidae > genus Oryctolagus (rabbit) > burrow or warren

clapperc1400

cunnigar1424

warrena1425

coneygarth1429

coney-close?1472

coney hole?c1475

berry1486

coney holda1500

coney-clapper1530

coney yard1532

coneyry1570

coney burrow1575

coney gratec1580

coney-gat1591

coney green1599

coney warren1616

coney ground1617

rabbit hole1667

stop1669

rabbit burrow1723

stock1736

rabbit warren1766

stab1838

warrener1864

1838 W. Holloway Gen. Dict. Provincialisms Stab, a hole in the ground, in which the female rabbit secures her litter while they are very young.

1875 W. D. Parish Dict. Sussex Dial. at Stalled The old dog..found a stab out in the field.

1888 Sat. Rev. 5 May 530/2 The rat..will draw the young rabbits out of the ‘stabs’.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

stabn.⁴

Brit.

/stab/, U.S.

/stæb/

Forms: Also 'stab.

Etymology: Short for establishment.

Printing slang.

= establishment n. 10. Also attributive.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to conditions > [noun] > employee > collectively

personal1818

personnel1819

staff1837

stab1864

staff-room1925

staff1955

liveware1966

1864 J. C. Hotten Slang Dict. (new ed.) (at cited word) On the stab.

1875 J. Southward Dict. Typogr. (ed. 2) 128 A man who is ‘on 'stab’ receives establishment wages.

1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 130 Stab, a term applied to establishment hands, i.e. workmen paid by the week and not by piece-work.

1890 Sc. Leader 10 June 5 Fleming was known as a stab man, as opposed to a man who was paid by the result of his labours.

1890 Sc. Leader 10 June 6 When he was dismissed he was a society-man, and was paid a stab wage of £2 3s a week.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

stabn.⁵

Brit.

/stab/, U.S.

/stæb/

Etymology: < German stab rod, after V. Schilling's use of German stabförmig rod-shaped, stabkern rod-nucleus ( Zeitscher. f. exper. Path. u. Therapie (1911) IX. 691, 692): compare staff n.¹

Medicine.

Used attributively and absol. to designate white blood cells characterized by a nucleus in the form of a single bent or twisted rod (originally regarded as abnormal forms).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > abnormal white cell

stab1929

the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood > components of blood > blood corpuscle or plate > [noun] > white cells or corpuscles

white corpuscle1823

white cell1852

leucocyte1870

phagocyte1884

macrophage1887

microphage1887

lymphocyte1890

megakaryocyte1890

hyaline cell1894

macrophagocyte1896

microphagocyte1896

scavenger-cell1899

splenocyte1900

polymorph1902

granulocyte1906

lymphoblast1909

agranulocyte1913

monocyte1913

stab1929

hyaline leucocyte1931

smudge cell1937

heterophile1938

siderophage1941

1929 R. B. H. Gradwohl tr. V. Schilling Blood Pict. ii. 128 The neutrophilic degenerative stab or staff forms are not present in the normal blood picture.

1929 R. B. H. Gradwohl tr. V. Schilling Blood Pict. ii. 135 They [sc. degenerative forms] are practically insignificant, with the exception of the stabs..which deserve special mention as a degenerative phenomenon in the nuclear shift.

1938 W. Magner Textbk. Hematol. v. 79 Schilling divides the neutrophile leukocytes into the following classes. (1) Myelocytes. (2) Juvenile leukocytes or metamyelocytes. (3) Stab, staff or rod-nuclear cells.

1972 W. J. Williams et al. Hematol. iii. 27/2 (heading) Band form or stab cell.

1972 W. J. Williams et al. Hematol. lxvi. 562/2 The stab is the least mature cell of the granulocytic series found in the peripheral blood of normal persons.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

stabv.

Brit.

/stab/, U.S.

/stæb/

Etymology: Related to the synonymous stob v.¹The verb has been found before 1530 only in Scots writers; the related stab n.¹ occurs in Promp. Parv. (1440).

a. transitive. To wound (often to kill) with a thrust of a pointed weapon (chiefly, with a short weapon, as a dagger). Phrase, to stab to (†at, into) the heart.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by stabbing or cutting

snithec725

ofstingeOE

stickOE

to sting to death13..

to put (do) to the sword1338

throata1382

to strike dead, to (the) deathc1390

hewc1400

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

poniard1593

stiletto1613

jugulate1623

kris1625

dagger1694

pike1787

to cut down1821

sword1863

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > wound with sharp weapon

woundc760

stickOE

snese?c1225

stokea1300

steekc1300

bearc1330

stangc1340

chop1362

broach1377

foinc1380

strikec1390

borea1400

dag?a1400

gorea1400

gridea1400

staira1400

through-girdc1405

thrustc1410

runc1425

to run throughc1425

traversec1425

spitc1430

through-seeka1500

stitch1527

falchiona1529

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

stob?1530

rutc1540

rove?c1550

push1551

foxa1566

stoga1572

poniard1593

dirk1599

bestab1600

poach1602

stiletto1613

stocka1640

inrun1653

stoccado1677

dagger1694

whip1699

bayonetc1700

tomahawk1711

stug1722

chiv1725

kittle1786

sabre1790

halberd1825

jab1825

skewer1837

sword1863

poke1866

spear1869

whinger1892

pig-stick1902

shiv1926

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or penetrate (of weapon) [verb (transitive)] > strike with pointed weapon

prickOE

pritchOE

snese?c1225

threstc1275

stokea1300

bearc1330

stangc1340

broach1377

foinc1380

borea1400

dag?a1400

gorea1400

gridea1400

slot?a1400

staira1400

through-girdc1405

thrustc1410

runc1425

to run throughc1425

traversec1425

spitc1430

through-seeka1500

to run in1509

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

accloy1543

push1551

stoga1572

poacha1616

stocka1640

stoccado1677

stug1722

kittle1820

skewer1837

pitchfork1854

poke1866

chib1973

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 731/2 He stabbyd hym with a daggar.

1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. iv. sig. I4^v She..Did stab her selfe.

1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus v. ii. 47 Stab them, or teare them on thy Chariot wheeles.

1605 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1889) IV. 276 A dagger to stabbe and kill Hugh Lenton.

1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper iii. 201 Iohn Iames..did stab into the breast Peter Heywood Esquire.

1678 N. Wanley Wonders Little World v. i. §100. 468/2 Henry the fourth King of France was stab'd by Ravilliac.

1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 7 Stabbed to the heart by the hand of a Villain.

1713 J. Addison Cato iii. ii Think, thou seest thy dying brother Stabb'd at his heart.

1718 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1902) VI. 247 A Stag..meeting a Man as he was running along, he stabbed him with his Horns.

1764 Museum Rusticum IV. 33 Some Remarks on stabbing Cattle hoved with Clover.

1780 J. Burrow Rep. Court King's Bench 5 2795 John Taylor instantly..stabbed the said James Smith.

1830 Ld. Tennyson Oriana 55 They should have stabb'd me where I lay.

1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. xlv. 111 Scipio..stabbed himself.

†b. to stab (a person) in = sense 1. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by stabbing or cutting

snithec725

ofstingeOE

stickOE

to sting to death13..

to put (do) to the sword1338

throata1382

to strike dead, to (the) deathc1390

hewc1400

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

poniard1593

stiletto1613

jugulate1623

kris1625

dagger1694

pike1787

to cut down1821

sword1863

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > wound with sharp weapon

woundc760

stickOE

snese?c1225

stokea1300

steekc1300

bearc1330

stangc1340

chop1362

broach1377

foinc1380

strikec1390

borea1400

dag?a1400

gorea1400

gridea1400

staira1400

through-girdc1405

thrustc1410

runc1425

to run throughc1425

traversec1425

spitc1430

through-seeka1500

stitch1527

falchiona1529

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

stob?1530

rutc1540

rove?c1550

push1551

foxa1566

stoga1572

poniard1593

dirk1599

bestab1600

poach1602

stiletto1613

stocka1640

inrun1653

stoccado1677

dagger1694

whip1699

bayonetc1700

tomahawk1711

stug1722

chiv1725

kittle1786

sabre1790

halberd1825

jab1825

skewer1837

sword1863

poke1866

spear1869

whinger1892

pig-stick1902

shiv1926

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or penetrate (of weapon) [verb (transitive)] > strike with pointed weapon

prickOE

pritchOE

snese?c1225

threstc1275

stokea1300

bearc1330

stangc1340

broach1377

foinc1380

borea1400

dag?a1400

gorea1400

gridea1400

slot?a1400

staira1400

through-girdc1405

thrustc1410

runc1425

to run throughc1425

traversec1425

spitc1430

through-seeka1500

to run in1509

stab1530

to stab (a person) in1530

accloy1543

push1551

stoga1572

poacha1616

stocka1640

stoccado1677

stug1722

kittle1820

skewer1837

pitchfork1854

poke1866

chib1973

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 731/2 I stabbe in with a dagger or any other scharpe wepyn, je enferre.

1561 T. Norton & T. Sackville Gorboduc iv. ii. 190 While slumbring on his carefull bed he restes His hart stabde in with knife is reft of life.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Confossus..wounded: stabbed in.

1587 J. Higgins Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) C. Iulius Cæsar xlix Hee stabde mee in, and so with daggers did the rest.

1587 Golding De Mornay (1592) xii. 173 This proud Peacocke [Cæsar]..is in one day stabbed in with infinite wounds.

c. figurative.

1686 A. Horneck Crucified Jesus xxiv. 803 If he have often stabbed his neighbours by slanders.

1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 617 'Tis universal soldiership has stabb'd The heart of merit in the meaner class.

1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab iii. 41 He fabricates The sword which stabs his peace.

c1850 J. R. Lowell Legend of Brittany ii. xxiv Her silence stabbed his conscience through and through.

d. transferred. In various occasional uses.

a1652 R. Brome Queen & Concubine iii. viii. 64 in Five New Playes (1659) Thou hear'st me say, I dare not speak her name, Yet thou dar'st stab mine Ears again, with it.

a1711 T. Ken Psyche in Wks. (1721) IV. 234 As the Morning Cloud decays, When stab'd by the encroaching Rays.

a1800 Dk. Athole's Nurse xi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1890) IV. vii. 152 O they stabbed the feather-bed all round and round.

1834 M. Edgeworth Helen II. ix. 189 When they had stabbed the cushions, and torn the inside of my carriage all to pieces.

1895 Outing 26 40/2 Fireflies stabbed the gloom with their darting flame.

†e. slang. (See quot. a1661) Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > hang [verb (transitive)]

hangc1000

anhangOE

forhangc1300

to loll up1377

gallowa1400

twitchc1450

titc1480

truss1536

beswinga1566

trine1567

to turn over1570

to turn off1581

to turn (a person) on the toe1594

to stretch1595

derrick1600

underhang1603

halter1616

staba1661

noose1664

alexander1666

nub1673

ketch1681

tuck1699

gibbet1726

string1728

scrag1756

to hang up1771

crap1773

patibulate1811

strap1815

swing1816

croak1823

yardarm1829

to work off1841

suspercollatea1863

dangle1887

a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Dorset 278 Stab'd with a Byrdport Dagger. That is, hang'd... The best..Hemp..growing about Byrdport.

†f. With obscene reference. Obsolete.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. i. 15 He stabd me in mine owne house.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 274.

g. In figurative phrase to stab (a person, etc.) in the back, to harm or damage in a treacherous manner. Cf. back-stabber n.

ΘΠ

society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > be a traitor to [verb (transitive)]

treason13..

betraisec1374

to play a person foul1799

double-cross1889

to stab (a person, etc.) in the back1916

two-time1959

1916 G. B. Shaw in N.Y. Times Mag. 9 Apr. 2/2 The cry that ‘England's Difficulty Is Ireland's Opportunity’ is raised in the old senseless, spiteful way as a recommendation to stab England in the back when she is fighting some one else.

1932 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals 384 He makes my job ten times more difficult than it need be..stabs me in the back with his crazy schemes for betterment.

1956 N. Nicolson Diary 4 Nov. in Diaries & Lett. H. Nicolson (1968) 315 I did not want to publish any letter until the crisis in Egypt had ended, as otherwise I might be accused of stabbing the troops in the back.

1979 F. Olbrich Sweet & Deadly viii. 91 All these years with me he's been completely honest and now he stabs me in the back.

a. absol. and intransitive. To use a pointed weapon to wound or kill.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > be killed [verb (intransitive)] > by stab or cut

stab1487

sword1863

the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (intransitive)] > wound > wound with sharp weapon

stab1487

jab1827

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > strike with sharp weapon [verb (intransitive)] > strike with pointed weapon

beakc1300

pushc1390

foin?a1400

stab1487

stogc1590

voine1596

thrust1598

chib1962

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xix. 565 Thai stabbit, stekit, and thai slew.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xix. 545 Than suld the laiff that forouth ar Stab doune with speres sturdely.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. i. 13 It may chaunce cost some of vs our liues, for he will stabbe .

1607 T. Tomkis Lingua ii. i If they heare my name abused, they stab for my sake.

1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite iii, in Fables 67 None shall dare With shortned Sword to stab in closer War.

a1822 P. B. Shelley Masque of Anarchy (1832) lxxxiv. 43 Let them ride among you there; Slash, and stab, and maim, and hew.

1850 Ld. Tennyson Princess (ed. 3) Concl. 174 The little boys begin to shoot and stab.

1887 A. C. Gunter Mr. Barnes xxiii. 178 ‘My husband's body lies behind those curtains!’ She stands with uplifted arm a moment, pointing to the draperies through which Tomasso has stabbed.

figurative.1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. iii. 237 Thou hidst a thousand daggers in thy thoughts,..To stab at halfe an hower of my life. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. i. 232 She speakes poynyards, and euery word stabbes . 1762 R. Lloyd Epist. to C. Churchill 14 Critics of old..Boldly persu'd the free decisive task, Nor stabb'd, conceal'd beneath a ruffian's mask.1769 W. Draper in ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) I. xxvi. 189 Suspicion is the foul weapon with which you..stab.1871 J. R. Macduff Memories of Patmos xxi. 290 They stab at their neighbour's good name and reputation.1883 Harper's Mag. Feb. 352/2 The baffled sun stabs wildly at the gale.

†b. Scottish. To make thrusts with a staff or club.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of striking with specific blunt weapon > use specific blunt weapon [verb (intransitive)]

martela1449

stab1513

polec1645

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > strike in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > strike with pushing action

stokea1400

thrustc1410

joba1500

stab1513

rasha1522

purr1564

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. x. 6 Poliphemus..A monstir..Wanting his sycht, and com to stab and graip With his burdoun, that wes the greit fir tre [L. trunca manum pinus regit et vestigia firmat].

c. To suffer a ‘stab’ of pain.Apparently an isolated use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > suffer or cause type of pain [verb (intransitive)] > shoot or stab > suffer sudden pain

twinge1640

stab1865

1865 A. Thomas On Guard III. xxxix The reels of cotton danced aloud within it, making Stanley's head stab.

d. To make a hole through something. Also figurative, to pierce like a pointed weapon.

ΘΠ

the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > become or make perforated [verb (intransitive)] > make (a) hole(s) > with something sharp > as a sharp instrument

biteOE

rivec1275

piercea1325

thringc1330

soundc1374

thirlc1374

lancec1400

racea1420

entail1590

empierce1797

stab1897

the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed > pierce or penetrate as a sharp thing

biteOE

delve?c1225

attamec1314

piercec1325

thrillc1330

ficche1388

traverse1477

through1578

splinter1821

stab1897

1897 R. Kipling Captains Courageous v, in McClure's Mag. Jan. 231/2 The fore-gaff stabbed and ripped through the staysail.

1920 R. Macaulay Potterism vi. v. 259 Gideon's fate pilloried on that placard had stabbed through him.

1946 D. C. Peattie Road of Naturalist (U.K. ed.) ii. 33 Outside our mortal dusty sphere, Canopus must be a horrible, blinding searchlight stabbing through a black and icy void.

3. transitive. To thrust (a weapon) into a person.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or penetrate (of weapon) [verb (transitive)] > strike with pointed weapon > thrust a pointed weapon

putc1275

shovec1275

rivec1330

stickc1390

stub1576

haft1582

uphilt1582

gar1587

embosom1590

emboss1590

flesh1590

imbrue1590

stabc1610

scour1613

c1610 S. Rowlands Terrible Battell 10 I stab'd my dart, thus deepe into his side.

1639 S. Du Verger tr. J.-P. Camus Admirable Events 250 Liberat..gets upon him, stabs his poignard three or foure times in his belly.

1912 19th Cent. Dec. 1195 Women stab the daggers to their throats immediately.

4. To prick. Now dialect. Cf. stob v.¹

ΘΚΠ

prickOE

pointa1425

joba1500

birlc1540

punct1548

nib1558

pounce1570

punge1570

stab1570

reprick1611

jaga1700

barb1803

jab1825

rowel1891

pinprick1909

1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Ai/1 To Stab, pricke, pungere, stimulare.

1864 J. Rogers New Rush ii. 33 [He may] stab himself upon a Porcupine.

5. To hammer or pick (a hard surface) with a sharp tool, to roughen (a wall) with a pick before applying a coat of plaster.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > clad or cover [verb (transitive)] > plaster > processes involved in plastering

litter1559

gauge1686

to prick up1779

key1837

stab1846

1846 Penny Cycl. Suppl. II. 431/1 The surface of the brickwork must be stabbed or picked over to make it rough.

6. Bookbinding. To pierce (a collection of sheets) in order to make a hole for a binding thread or wire; to fasten the sheets of (a pamphlet, etc.) together in this way instead of by sewing.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > bind [verb (transitive)] > stitch

stitch1566

sew1637

stab1863

oversew1864

overcast1880

saddle-stitch1904

1863 Reader 21 Nov. 600/1 Nor even stitched like a book, but ‘stabbed’ as an auction catalogue now is.

1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 130 Stabbed, a form of stitching by piercing or stabbing, used mostly for cheap pamphlet work.

1901 19th Cent. Apr. 662 When enough sheets have been brought together they are stabbed at the open ends and form a volume.

7. Oil Industry. To guide (a length of pipe) so as to connect it properly to another member.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > drill for oil or gas [verb (transitive)] > other procedures

to fang a pump, (loosely) a well1819

to rack up1839

shootc1870

torpedo1873

pull1895

sidetrack1906

swab1916

stab1922

re-enter1937

rack1949

1922 [implied in: F. M. Towl in D. T. Day Handbk. Petroleum Industry I. 410 The joint is lifted into place, and a man, the ‘stabber’, standing by the end of the joint with a handspike, moves the joint until it is straight with the last joint laid. (at stabber n. 1d)].

1932 Amer. Speech 7 271 Stab, to guide (pipe) in making connections so that the threads engage properly.

1948 Petroleum Handbk. (ed. 3) v. 85 As the empty elevator hook is hoisted the derrick man latches in a stand as it passes his level. The stand is picked up and ‘stabbed’ into the tool joint at the rotary table.

1976 Offshore Platforms & Pipelining 6/3 Only one pile add-on will have to be stabbed and welded to drive the sleeve piles.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹c1440

n.²1680

n.³1838

n.⁴1864

n.⁵1929

v.1487

单词	stab
释义	stabn.¹ Brit. /stab/, U.S. /stæb/ Forms: Also Middle English–1600s stabbe, 1500s stappe. Etymology: Related to stab v. Compare modern Scots stab, a large needle, a prickle. The form stappe in quot. 1583 at sense 2a may possibly be a distinct word, but has not been found elsewhere. 1. A wound produced by stabbing. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > wound by sharp weapon stabc1440 foin1543 launch1558 veny1578 stog1587 venue1591 prickado?1592 pink1601 stabado1607 sword-cut1817 stab-wound1897 c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 471/1 Stabbe, or wownde of smytynge, stigma. a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. iii. 113 His gash'd Stabs, look'd like a Breach in Nature, For Ruines wastfull entrance. View more context for this quotation 1807 S. Cooper First Lines Pract. Surg. I. i. xvi. 71 An important punctured wound, such as the stab of a bayonet. 1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge vi. 269 You found me with this stab and an ugly bruise or two. 2. a. An act of stabbing; a thrust dealt with some sharp-pointed instrument producing a wound in the flesh. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > [noun] > stroke with pointed weapon stroke1297 stokea1400 foinc1450 stab1530 push1563 veny1578 stoccado1582 thrusta1586 venue1591 pink1601 longee1625 stob1653 tilt1716 lunge1748 stug1808 punzie1827 the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > wound by sharp weapon > action of stabbingc1425 goringa1513 foining1523 stab1530 stob1653 spearing1784 piking1798 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with something pointed stabbingc1425 picka1522 stab1530 prog1821 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 275/1 Stabbe with a daggar, covp destoc. 1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries iv. 58 b After he was dead, the enemie gaue hym many a stappe with his dagger. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. iii. 63 The Elements..Of whom your swords are temper'd, may as well..with bemockt-at-Stabs Kill the still closing waters, as [etc.]. 1644 E. Dering Disc. Proper Sacrifice b iiij b A young fellow..did aim the stabbe of his knife into the Kings belly. 1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 231 A Stab that touch'd the Vitals. 1748 J. Hervey Medit. among Tombs in Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 4) I. 30 A poysonous Draught, or a deadly Stab. 1830 Ld. Tennyson Oriana 50 Oh! deathful stabs were dealt apace. 1867 F. Francis Bk. Angling iii. 80 Master Perch..will..resent rough..handling by a sharp stab or two. b. figurative. ΚΠ a1616 W. Shakespeare Richard III (1623) iii. ii. 83 This sudden stab [1597 scab] of Rancour I misdoubt. 1742 J. Wesley Princ. Methodist To Rdr. After many Stabs in the Dark, I was publickly attack'd..by my own familiar Friend. 1796 E. Burke Let. to Mrs. Crewe in Corr. IV. 335 A stab was attempted on my reputation. 1894 S. J. Weyman Man in Black 201 This stab, that a little earlier would have pierced her very heart-strings, did but prick her. 1909 E. Rickert Beggar in Heart 24 She remembered, with a stab of pain, the quiver in his voice. c. the stab: death by stabbing. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > manner of death > [noun] > violent death > others the stab1610 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 124 With two arguments goeth about to give them the deadly stab. 1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor vii, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. II. 133 To kill one [raven] in their presence, is such bad luck that it deserves the stab. 1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. xxxviii. 48 Life—death—to-morrow; the rudis or the stab? Which shall it be? d. transferred. A vigorous thrust as if to stab some one. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > [noun] > striking with pushing action > a thrusting blow sparc1540 job1560 push1563 thrusta1586 poss1611 jub1688 peg1728 jab1825 stab1902 1902 M. Barnes-Grundy Thames Camp 196 Sewing is rather restful; and you can give such vent to your feelings with each stab of the needle. e. figurative. A flash of bright colour against dark surroundings. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > [noun] > splash of colour dash1713 splash1832 stab1894 splatter1969 1894 Superfl. Woman (ed. 4) III. 4 The moving stabs of colour in passing trams and other vehicles. 1903 Speaker 17 Oct. 64/2 The blackbird in his jet-black dress, the stab of colour of his bill accentuating the hue. f. In colloquial phrase to make (or have, etc.) a stab at (something) , to try, attempt; to make a shot at. Originally U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > endeavour > attempt [verb (transitive)] fandOE assayc1300 tryc1315 provec1330 adventurea1387 sayc1390 paina1400 havec1400 practisea1450 afforcec1487 afond1488 attempta1538 procure1574 endeavour1581 offer1611 poacha1616 attent1620 to venture at1623 essay1641 attentate1656 smacka1657 tempt1697 to try at1794 to have a go1802 to make a (good, poor, etc.) fist1833 tackle1847 to have or take a whack at1891 to make (or have, etc.) a stab at (something)1895 to have a dash (at)1916 1895 W. C. Gore in Inlander Dec. 115 Stab, to make a, to make a blind attempt to answer a question. 1908 K. McGaffey Sorrows of Show Girl 235 I..made a stab for the rail. 1915 P. G. Wodehouse Something Fresh xi. 315 ‘I do wish that this time you would endeavour..not to make a fool of yourself.’.. ‘I'll have a jolly good stab at it, governor.’ 1930 J. Galsworthy Roof vi. 96 D'you think you'll be able to travel the day after to-morrow?.. I'll have a good stab at it, as my more genial colleagues say. 1940 ‘N. Shute’ Old Captivity x. 294 We may have to come back again... But I think we'll have a stab at it. 1961 Press Jrnl. Apr. 10/3 Let's say you're going to take a stab at writing up the annual office picnic. 1973 ‘S. Woods’ Enter Corpse 113 ‘Now that,’ said Nelson, ‘I can't believe.’ ‘You might have a stab at it,’ Maitland suggested, ‘It happens to be true.’ 1980 W. Maxwell So Long, see you Tomorrow (1981) ii. 7 She may have made a stab at being a mother to my older brother and me. g. In figurative phrase stab in the back, a treacherous deed. Cf. sense 1g of the verb. ΘΚΠ society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > [noun] > a treacherous act treacheryc1300 treasonc1330 Sinonism1864 double-cross1896 stab in the back1922 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 591 That stab in the back touch was quite in keeping with those Italianos. 1934 R. H. Lutz Causes of German Collapse in 1918 v. 132 (heading) The ‘stab-in-the-back’ question. 1934 R. H. Lutz tr. von Kuhl in Causes of German Collapse in 1918 v. 132 Some maintain that we lost the war owing to the stab in the back administered to the Army by those at home... On the other side the ‘stab-in-the-back legend’ is rejected as ‘one of the most malignant and..stupidest legends’. 1953 J. W. Wheeler-Bennett Nemesis of Power i. i. 67 For several days before his actual appearance..Hindenburg was closeted with..the extreme Nationalist leaders. In this brief period was crystallized the legend of the ‘stab-in-the-back’, in justification of which many innocent Germans were to suffer when the National Socialists came to power. 1953 J. W. Wheeler-Bennett Nemesis of Power i. i. 67 The Marshal [sc. Hindenburg] testified..on November 18... He..addressed himself to the German people. Their defeat, he told them, was not attributable to the Army but to the civilian demoralization and disunion. The irreproachable Army had received a ‘stab-in-the-back’ (Dolchstoss) from the Revolution. 1959 Times 21 Oct. 13/4 Professor Nordhoff, the managing director of Volkswagen, reacted as if he were the victim of another stab-in-the-back legend. 1971 A. Bullock 20th Cent. 25/1 Our knowledge of the recent past..will be based on hear-say, myths (‘the Stab in the Back’, for instance). h. Bacteriology. = stab-culture. ΚΠ 1900 Jrnl. Exper. Med. 5 80 The early surface-growth in the glucose agar stab presents a whitish, heaped up centre. 3. Billiards. A short, stiff stroke which causes the striker's ball to remain dead or to travel but slowly after striking the object ball; more fully stab stroke; hence stab cannon, stab screw, a cannon or screw made with this stroke. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > actions or types of play > type of stroke hazard1674 carambole1775 carom1779 cannon1802 screw1825 sidestroke1834 following stroke1837 cannonade1844 five-stroke1847 follow1850 scratch1850 fluke1857 jenny1857 bank shot1859 angle shot1860 draw shot1860 six-stroke1861 run-through1862 spot1868 quill1869 dead-stroke1873 loser1873 push1873 push stroke1873 stab1873 stab screw1873 draw1881 force1881 plant1884 anchor cannon1893 massé1901 angle1902 cradle-cannon1907 pot1907 jump shot1909 carry-along1913 snooker1924 1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 192 There is another screw stroke called stab screw... If the striker desires to stop his own ball dead as soon as it strikes the object ball full,..the object is to be attained by means of stab. 1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 281 The best chance left is a stab cannon... The effect of the stab..is to carry the white slowly on to the spot-white. 1885 Billiards Simplified (1889) 157 The way to play the stroke is by means of what is known as a stab stroke. 4. Oil Industry. (See quot. 1975.) ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [noun] > other procedures jar1865 run1880 round trip1900 shooting1914 swabbing1921 underreaming1922 acidization1934 squeeze cementing1938 mud logging1960 re-entry1961 stab1972 upending1976 1972 L. M. Harris Introd. Deepwater Floating Drilling Operations xii. 133 The integral marine-riser system has the choke and kill lines installed on the riser joints so that they are simultaneously stabbed and made up during the stab and make up of the marine-riser connector. 1975 L. Crook Oil Terms 106 Stab, the operation of guiding one end of a pipe into the connection of another pipe to ‘make up’ a connection. Compounds C1. General attributive. stab-like adj. ΚΠ 1887 C. Tyrrell tr. E. Werner Her Son I. 79 The contemptuous glance of those eyes penetrated with a stab-like pain to his heart's core. C2. stab-and-drag n. Archaeology a technique of ceramic decoration whereby a point is drawn along the surface of a pot and pushed in deeper at intervals (usually attributive). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > decoration of china > [noun] > relief or incised decoration bianco sopra bianco1856 pâte-sur-pâte1879 scratched blue1883 sprigging1906 rilling1923 scratch blue1924 stab-and-drag1931 rouletting1937 1931 V. G. Childe in Archæol. Jrnl. 88 47 Handles and flat bases first make their appearance in Fort Harrouard II. In the same levels the fine incision of the early Chassey style gives place to deep incision, or stab-and-drag. 1931 S. Piggott in Archæol. Jrnl. 88 78 Stab-and-drag lines—made with a point that is drawn along the clay and pushed in deeper at intervals—occur only on certain Scottish pots, e.g., from Unstan. 1954 S. Piggott Neolithic Cultures Brit. Isles vii. 204 Certain vessels with stab-and-drag motifs. 1978 Proc. Prehistoric Soc. 44 276 Decorated wall-sherd; fine vertical stab and drag lines. stab-awl n. a shoemaker's tool used for piercing leather. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > awl awlc1000 St. Crispin's lance1650 pegging awla1700 stab-awl1840 1840 Life Adam Clarke iv. 94 He borrowed a stab awl and a hammer from a shoe maker. stab-cannon n. (see sense 3). stab-culture n. a culture n. (culture n. 3) in which the medium is inoculated by means of a needle thrust deeply into its substance. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > material > [noun] > culture or medium culture1880 blood culture1881 cultivation1881 culture medium1883 pure culture1883 agar1885 broth1885 subculture1885 tube-culture1886 bouillon1887 stab-culture1889 streak culture1892 blood agar1893 microculture1893 shake culture1894 streak plate1895 broth culture1897 slant1899 plating1900 stock culture1903 touch preparation1908 tissue culture1912 plaque1924 slope1925 agar-agar1929 isolate1931 MacConkey1938 auxanogram1949 lawn1951 monolayer1952 replica plate1952 1889 Science 20 Dec. 418 The mere production of a direct stab-culture from one organ, such as the spleen..affords very incomplete..information. stab-rag n. slang a tailor. ΚΠ 1841 Punch 21 Aug. 65/1 The buttons on the jacket, and the button-holes..would baffle the criticism of the most hyper-fastidious stab-rag. 1865 Slang Dict. Stab-rag, a regimental tailor.—Military slang. stab-screw n. (see sense 3). stab-stitch n. Needlework (see quot. 1964); hence as v. transitive. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > stitch > other accrue1725 gobble stitch1788 seam-stitch1825 marking stitch1861 dot1882 seam1882 basket-darning1884 basting1885 bridle1885 padding stitch1913 stab-stitch1917 tuck-stitch1926 prick stitch1928 fishbone-stitch1932 pad stitch1964 the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > sew or ornament textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > sew > other to take up1620 fell1758 cross-stitch1794 strand1894 prick-stitch1895 stab-stitch1917 lockstitch1919 1917 E. R. Hambridge Simple Dressmaking i. 7/2 Back stitches should be frequent in stab tacking... Cf. Fig. 28 for stab stitch, which is similarly worked. 1917 E. R. Hambridge Simple Dressmaking i. 10/1 Running, run-stitching, and half back-stitching can also be stab-stitched, but strong thread or silk should be employed. c1951 Glovemaking (Dryad Leaflet 31) 6 A hand-made glove..is almost always sewn on the right side, and various stitches can be used. The most popular of these is the ‘prix’ or stab-stitch. 1964 McCall's Sewing in Colour ii. 32/2 Stab-stitch a stitch in which the needle is brought in and out of the fabric at right angles. 1976 Woman's Weekly 6 Nov. 42/3 Stab-stitch the boots together in pairs. stab-stitching n. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > [noun] > sewing > sewing in other ways hemminga1300 back-stitch1611 buttonholing1828 felling1840 pintucking1903 stab-stitching1917 prick-stitching1952 bar tack1955 bar-tacking1959 pad stitching1960 1917 E. R. Hambridge Simple Dressmaking i. 10/1 Stab-stitching..is back-stitching, but worked with the needle placed vertically through the material..instead of horizontally. 1932 D. C. Minter Mod. Needlecraft 159/2 Stab stitching..close to the fold of the felt..may be employed. stab-stroke n. (see sense 3). stab-wort n. the wood sorrel ( Oxalis acetosella), believed to be so called with reference to its supposed healing properties (also stobwort n., stubwort n.). ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Oxalidaceae (wood-sorrel and allies) > [noun] sorrel de boysa1400 wood-soura1400 hallelujahc1425 cuckoobread1526 cuckoo's meat1526 wood sorrel1526 stubwort1541 sour trefoil1578 stobwort1597 salad sorrel1611 French sorrel1633 three-leaved grass1634 stab-wort1640 lujula1651 oxalis1706 goat's foot1787 sour grass1866 sour-sop1885 soursob1907 1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum 747 We [call it] in English Wood Sorrell..Stabbewort. 1665 R. Lovell Παμβοτανολογια (ed. 2) 419 Stubwort or Stabwort, see Wood sorrell. stab-wound n. a punctured wound produced by an act or the action of stabbing. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > wound by sharp weapon stabc1440 foin1543 launch1558 veny1578 stog1587 venue1591 prickado?1592 pink1601 stabado1607 sword-cut1817 stab-wound1897 1897 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 27 Mar. 774 A stab wound in the right loin. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022). stabn.² Brit. /stab/, U.S. /stæb/, Scottish English /stab/ Etymology: ? Scots variant of stob n.¹: compare tap = top. But compare also Danish, Norwegian, Swedish dialect stabbe, modern Icelandic stabbi tree-stump, block, Danish dialect stabb peg. Scottish and dialect. 1. A stake, a wooden post. stab and rice = stake and rice at stake n.¹ 2a: see stab and stow: completely, entirely. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] high and low1397 every (also ilk, ilka) stick?a1400 root and rind?a1400 hair and hide?c1450 stout and routc1450 bane and routc1480 overthwart and endlonga1500 (in) hide and hairc1575 right out1578 horse and footc1600 flesh and fella1616 root and branch1640 stab and stow1680 stoop and roop1728 stick, stock, stone dead1796 rump and stump1824 stump and rump1825 rump and rig1843 good and1885 the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > that which or one who closes or shuts > a barrier > [noun] > hedge or fence > a fence > a paling > a stake pale board1483 garden pale1591 stab1680 paling1820 stake1897 1680 Inventory in Scott. Notes & Queries IX. 95 Ane wall of stab and ryce..ane chimnay of stab and ryce. 1722 W. Hamilton Life of Sir William Wallace x. iii. 259 Who set their Lodgings all in a fair Low, About their Ears, and burnt them Stab and Stow. 1821 J. Galt Ann. Parish vi. 70 The plantations supplied him with stabs to make stake and rice between his fields. 1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 160 The minister of a village..requested that a wall should be built round his glebe. ‘Would stabs and railings not answer the purpose equally well?’ asked one present. 1907 E. Frazer Clodhopper i. ii. 8 They've drawn the loosened paling stab. 2. A stump. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > stump stock862 moreeOE stub967 zuche1358 stumpc1440 scrag1567 stool1577 brock1772 stow1774 hagsnar1796 stab1807 spronk1838 tree stool1898 1807 Howlett in A. Young Gen. View Agric. Essex I. vi. 180 As soon as the hedge is cut down, most of which [is] within an inch or two of the old stabb. 1807 Howlett in A. Young Gen. View Agric. Essex I. vi. 180 With the young shoots of the parts cut off close to the stabbs. 3. A block (of wood, etc.) used as a seat. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > seat > [noun] > other seats desk1560 seat-arch1703 window seat1715 podium1722 sunkie1788 stab1805 screen1820 porch swing1891 club-fender1915 stuff-over1915 1805 G. McIndoe Poems & Songs 10 The seat, a stab, the heel-pins rotten. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022). stabn.³ Brit. /stab/, U.S. /stæb/ Etymology: Of obscure origin. dialect. (See quot. 1838.) ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares) > [noun] > family Leporidae > genus Oryctolagus (rabbit) > burrow or warren clapperc1400 cunnigar1424 warrena1425 coneygarth1429 coney-close?1472 coney hole?c1475 berry1486 coney holda1500 coney-clapper1530 coney yard1532 coneyry1570 coney burrow1575 coney gratec1580 coney-gat1591 coney green1599 coney warren1616 coney ground1617 rabbit hole1667 stop1669 rabbit burrow1723 stock1736 rabbit warren1766 stab1838 warrener1864 1838 W. Holloway Gen. Dict. Provincialisms Stab, a hole in the ground, in which the female rabbit secures her litter while they are very young. 1875 W. D. Parish Dict. Sussex Dial. at Stalled The old dog..found a stab out in the field. 1888 Sat. Rev. 5 May 530/2 The rat..will draw the young rabbits out of the ‘stabs’. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022). stabn.⁴ Brit. /stab/, U.S. /stæb/ Forms: Also 'stab. Etymology: Short for establishment. Printing slang. = establishment n. 10. Also attributive. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to conditions > [noun] > employee > collectively personal1818 personnel1819 staff1837 stab1864 staff-room1925 staff1955 liveware1966 1864 J. C. Hotten Slang Dict. (new ed.) (at cited word) On the stab. 1875 J. Southward Dict. Typogr. (ed. 2) 128 A man who is ‘on 'stab’ receives establishment wages. 1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 130 Stab, a term applied to establishment hands, i.e. workmen paid by the week and not by piece-work. 1890 Sc. Leader 10 June 5 Fleming was known as a stab man, as opposed to a man who was paid by the result of his labours. 1890 Sc. Leader 10 June 6 When he was dismissed he was a society-man, and was paid a stab wage of £2 3s a week. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022). stabn.⁵ Brit. /stab/, U.S. /stæb/ Etymology: < German stab rod, after V. Schilling's use of German stabförmig rod-shaped, stabkern rod-nucleus ( Zeitscher. f. exper. Path. u. Therapie (1911) IX. 691, 692): compare staff n.¹ Medicine. Used attributively and absol. to designate white blood cells characterized by a nucleus in the form of a single bent or twisted rod (originally regarded as abnormal forms). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorders of blood > [noun] > abnormal white cell stab1929 the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood > components of blood > blood corpuscle or plate > [noun] > white cells or corpuscles white corpuscle1823 white cell1852 leucocyte1870 phagocyte1884 macrophage1887 microphage1887 lymphocyte1890 megakaryocyte1890 hyaline cell1894 macrophagocyte1896 microphagocyte1896 scavenger-cell1899 splenocyte1900 polymorph1902 granulocyte1906 lymphoblast1909 agranulocyte1913 monocyte1913 stab1929 hyaline leucocyte1931 smudge cell1937 heterophile1938 siderophage1941 1929 R. B. H. Gradwohl tr. V. Schilling Blood Pict. ii. 128 The neutrophilic degenerative stab or staff forms are not present in the normal blood picture. 1929 R. B. H. Gradwohl tr. V. Schilling Blood Pict. ii. 135 They [sc. degenerative forms] are practically insignificant, with the exception of the stabs..which deserve special mention as a degenerative phenomenon in the nuclear shift. 1938 W. Magner Textbk. Hematol. v. 79 Schilling divides the neutrophile leukocytes into the following classes. (1) Myelocytes. (2) Juvenile leukocytes or metamyelocytes. (3) Stab, staff or rod-nuclear cells. 1972 W. J. Williams et al. Hematol. iii. 27/2 (heading) Band form or stab cell. 1972 W. J. Williams et al. Hematol. lxvi. 562/2 The stab is the least mature cell of the granulocytic series found in the peripheral blood of normal persons. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2022). stabv. Brit. /stab/, U.S. /stæb/ Etymology: Related to the synonymous stob v.¹The verb has been found before 1530 only in Scots writers; the related stab n.¹ occurs in Promp. Parv. (1440). 1. a. transitive. To wound (often to kill) with a thrust of a pointed weapon (chiefly, with a short weapon, as a dagger). Phrase, to stab to (†at, into) the heart. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by stabbing or cutting snithec725 ofstingeOE stickOE to sting to death13.. to put (do) to the sword1338 throata1382 to strike dead, to (the) deathc1390 hewc1400 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 poniard1593 stiletto1613 jugulate1623 kris1625 dagger1694 pike1787 to cut down1821 sword1863 the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > wound with sharp weapon woundc760 stickOE snese?c1225 stokea1300 steekc1300 bearc1330 stangc1340 chop1362 broach1377 foinc1380 strikec1390 borea1400 dag?a1400 gorea1400 gridea1400 staira1400 through-girdc1405 thrustc1410 runc1425 to run throughc1425 traversec1425 spitc1430 through-seeka1500 stitch1527 falchiona1529 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 stob?1530 rutc1540 rove?c1550 push1551 foxa1566 stoga1572 poniard1593 dirk1599 bestab1600 poach1602 stiletto1613 stocka1640 inrun1653 stoccado1677 dagger1694 whip1699 bayonetc1700 tomahawk1711 stug1722 chiv1725 kittle1786 sabre1790 halberd1825 jab1825 skewer1837 sword1863 poke1866 spear1869 whinger1892 pig-stick1902 shiv1926 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or penetrate (of weapon) [verb (transitive)] > strike with pointed weapon prickOE pritchOE snese?c1225 threstc1275 stokea1300 bearc1330 stangc1340 broach1377 foinc1380 borea1400 dag?a1400 gorea1400 gridea1400 slot?a1400 staira1400 through-girdc1405 thrustc1410 runc1425 to run throughc1425 traversec1425 spitc1430 through-seeka1500 to run in1509 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 accloy1543 push1551 stoga1572 poacha1616 stocka1640 stoccado1677 stug1722 kittle1820 skewer1837 pitchfork1854 poke1866 chib1973 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 731/2 He stabbyd hym with a daggar. 1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. iv. sig. I4^v She..Did stab her selfe. 1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus v. ii. 47 Stab them, or teare them on thy Chariot wheeles. View more context for this quotation 1605 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1889) IV. 276 A dagger to stabbe and kill Hugh Lenton. 1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper iii. 201 Iohn Iames..did stab into the breast Peter Heywood Esquire. 1678 N. Wanley Wonders Little World v. i. §100. 468/2 Henry the fourth King of France was stab'd by Ravilliac. 1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 7 Stabbed to the heart by the hand of a Villain. 1713 J. Addison Cato iii. ii Think, thou seest thy dying brother Stabb'd at his heart. 1718 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1902) VI. 247 A Stag..meeting a Man as he was running along, he stabbed him with his Horns. 1764 Museum Rusticum IV. 33 Some Remarks on stabbing Cattle hoved with Clover. 1780 J. Burrow Rep. Court King's Bench 5 2795 John Taylor instantly..stabbed the said James Smith. 1830 Ld. Tennyson Oriana 55 They should have stabb'd me where I lay. 1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. xlv. 111 Scipio..stabbed himself. †b. to stab (a person) in = sense 1. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by stabbing or cutting snithec725 ofstingeOE stickOE to sting to death13.. to put (do) to the sword1338 throata1382 to strike dead, to (the) deathc1390 hewc1400 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 poniard1593 stiletto1613 jugulate1623 kris1625 dagger1694 pike1787 to cut down1821 sword1863 the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > wound > wound with sharp weapon woundc760 stickOE snese?c1225 stokea1300 steekc1300 bearc1330 stangc1340 chop1362 broach1377 foinc1380 strikec1390 borea1400 dag?a1400 gorea1400 gridea1400 staira1400 through-girdc1405 thrustc1410 runc1425 to run throughc1425 traversec1425 spitc1430 through-seeka1500 stitch1527 falchiona1529 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 stob?1530 rutc1540 rove?c1550 push1551 foxa1566 stoga1572 poniard1593 dirk1599 bestab1600 poach1602 stiletto1613 stocka1640 inrun1653 stoccado1677 dagger1694 whip1699 bayonetc1700 tomahawk1711 stug1722 chiv1725 kittle1786 sabre1790 halberd1825 jab1825 skewer1837 sword1863 poke1866 spear1869 whinger1892 pig-stick1902 shiv1926 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or penetrate (of weapon) [verb (transitive)] > strike with pointed weapon prickOE pritchOE snese?c1225 threstc1275 stokea1300 bearc1330 stangc1340 broach1377 foinc1380 borea1400 dag?a1400 gorea1400 gridea1400 slot?a1400 staira1400 through-girdc1405 thrustc1410 runc1425 to run throughc1425 traversec1425 spitc1430 through-seeka1500 to run in1509 stab1530 to stab (a person) in1530 accloy1543 push1551 stoga1572 poacha1616 stocka1640 stoccado1677 stug1722 kittle1820 skewer1837 pitchfork1854 poke1866 chib1973 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 731/2 I stabbe in with a dagger or any other scharpe wepyn, je enferre. 1561 T. Norton & T. Sackville Gorboduc iv. ii. 190 While slumbring on his carefull bed he restes His hart stabde in with knife is reft of life. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Confossus..wounded: stabbed in. 1587 J. Higgins Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) C. Iulius Cæsar xlix Hee stabde mee in, and so with daggers did the rest. 1587 Golding De Mornay (1592) xii. 173 This proud Peacocke [Cæsar]..is in one day stabbed in with infinite wounds. c. figurative. Π 1686 A. Horneck Crucified Jesus xxiv. 803 If he have often stabbed his neighbours by slanders. 1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 617 'Tis universal soldiership has stabb'd The heart of merit in the meaner class. 1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab iii. 41 He fabricates The sword which stabs his peace. c1850 J. R. Lowell Legend of Brittany ii. xxiv Her silence stabbed his conscience through and through. d. transferred. In various occasional uses. Π a1652 R. Brome Queen & Concubine iii. viii. 64 in Five New Playes (1659) Thou hear'st me say, I dare not speak her name, Yet thou dar'st stab mine Ears again, with it. a1711 T. Ken Psyche in Wks. (1721) IV. 234 As the Morning Cloud decays, When stab'd by the encroaching Rays. a1800 Dk. Athole's Nurse xi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1890) IV. vii. 152 O they stabbed the feather-bed all round and round. 1834 M. Edgeworth Helen II. ix. 189 When they had stabbed the cushions, and torn the inside of my carriage all to pieces. 1895 Outing 26 40/2 Fireflies stabbed the gloom with their darting flame. †e. slang. (See quot. a1661) Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > hang [verb (transitive)] hangc1000 anhangOE forhangc1300 to loll up1377 gallowa1400 twitchc1450 titc1480 truss1536 beswinga1566 trine1567 to turn over1570 to turn off1581 to turn (a person) on the toe1594 to stretch1595 derrick1600 underhang1603 halter1616 staba1661 noose1664 alexander1666 nub1673 ketch1681 tuck1699 gibbet1726 string1728 scrag1756 to hang up1771 crap1773 patibulate1811 strap1815 swing1816 croak1823 yardarm1829 to work off1841 suspercollatea1863 dangle1887 a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Dorset 278 Stab'd with a Byrdport Dagger. That is, hang'd... The best..Hemp..growing about Byrdport. †f. With obscene reference. Obsolete. Π 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. i. 15 He stabd me in mine owne house. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 274. g. In figurative phrase to stab (a person, etc.) in the back, to harm or damage in a treacherous manner. Cf. back-stabber n. ΘΠ society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > undutifulness > treachery > be a traitor to [verb (transitive)] treason13.. betraisec1374 to play a person foul1799 double-cross1889 to stab (a person, etc.) in the back1916 two-time1959 1916 G. B. Shaw in N.Y. Times Mag. 9 Apr. 2/2 The cry that ‘England's Difficulty Is Ireland's Opportunity’ is raised in the old senseless, spiteful way as a recommendation to stab England in the back when she is fighting some one else. 1932 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals 384 He makes my job ten times more difficult than it need be..stabs me in the back with his crazy schemes for betterment. 1956 N. Nicolson Diary 4 Nov. in Diaries & Lett. H. Nicolson (1968) 315 I did not want to publish any letter until the crisis in Egypt had ended, as otherwise I might be accused of stabbing the troops in the back. 1979 F. Olbrich Sweet & Deadly viii. 91 All these years with me he's been completely honest and now he stabs me in the back. 2. a. absol. and intransitive. To use a pointed weapon to wound or kill. ΘΚΠ the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > be killed [verb (intransitive)] > by stab or cut stab1487 sword1863 the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (intransitive)] > wound > wound with sharp weapon stab1487 jab1827 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > strike with sharp weapon [verb (intransitive)] > strike with pointed weapon beakc1300 pushc1390 foin?a1400 stab1487 stogc1590 voine1596 thrust1598 chib1962 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xix. 565 Thai stabbit, stekit, and thai slew. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xix. 545 Than suld the laiff that forouth ar Stab doune with speres sturdely. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. i. 13 It may chaunce cost some of vs our liues, for he will stabbe . View more context for this quotation 1607 T. Tomkis Lingua ii. i If they heare my name abused, they stab for my sake. 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite iii, in Fables 67 None shall dare With shortned Sword to stab in closer War. a1822 P. B. Shelley Masque of Anarchy (1832) lxxxiv. 43 Let them ride among you there; Slash, and stab, and maim, and hew. 1850 Ld. Tennyson Princess (ed. 3) Concl. 174 The little boys begin to shoot and stab. 1887 A. C. Gunter Mr. Barnes xxiii. 178 ‘My husband's body lies behind those curtains!’ She stands with uplifted arm a moment, pointing to the draperies through which Tomasso has stabbed. figurative.1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. iii. 237 Thou hidst a thousand daggers in thy thoughts,..To stab at halfe an hower of my life. View more context for this quotation1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. i. 232 She speakes poynyards, and euery word stabbes . View more context for this quotation1762 R. Lloyd Epist. to C. Churchill 14 Critics of old..Boldly persu'd the free decisive task, Nor stabb'd, conceal'd beneath a ruffian's mask.1769 W. Draper in ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) I. xxvi. 189 Suspicion is the foul weapon with which you..stab.1871 J. R. Macduff Memories of Patmos xxi. 290 They stab at their neighbour's good name and reputation.1883 Harper's Mag. Feb. 352/2 The baffled sun stabs wildly at the gale. †b. Scottish. To make thrusts with a staff or club. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of striking with specific blunt weapon > use specific blunt weapon [verb (intransitive)] martela1449 stab1513 polec1645 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > strike in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > strike with pushing action stokea1400 thrustc1410 joba1500 stab1513 rasha1522 purr1564 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. x. 6 Poliphemus..A monstir..Wanting his sycht, and com to stab and graip With his burdoun, that wes the greit fir tre [L. trunca manum pinus regit et vestigia firmat]. c. To suffer a ‘stab’ of pain.Apparently an isolated use. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > suffer or cause type of pain [verb (intransitive)] > shoot or stab > suffer sudden pain twinge1640 stab1865 1865 A. Thomas On Guard III. xxxix The reels of cotton danced aloud within it, making Stanley's head stab. d. To make a hole through something. Also figurative, to pierce like a pointed weapon. ΘΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > become or make perforated [verb (intransitive)] > make (a) hole(s) > with something sharp > as a sharp instrument biteOE rivec1275 piercea1325 thringc1330 soundc1374 thirlc1374 lancec1400 racea1420 entail1590 empierce1797 stab1897 the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed > pierce or penetrate as a sharp thing biteOE delve?c1225 attamec1314 piercec1325 thrillc1330 ficche1388 traverse1477 through1578 splinter1821 stab1897 1897 R. Kipling Captains Courageous v, in McClure's Mag. Jan. 231/2 The fore-gaff stabbed and ripped through the staysail. 1920 R. Macaulay Potterism vi. v. 259 Gideon's fate pilloried on that placard had stabbed through him. 1946 D. C. Peattie Road of Naturalist (U.K. ed.) ii. 33 Outside our mortal dusty sphere, Canopus must be a horrible, blinding searchlight stabbing through a black and icy void. 3. transitive. To thrust (a weapon) into a person. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or penetrate (of weapon) [verb (transitive)] > strike with pointed weapon > thrust a pointed weapon putc1275 shovec1275 rivec1330 stickc1390 stub1576 haft1582 uphilt1582 gar1587 embosom1590 emboss1590 flesh1590 imbrue1590 stabc1610 scour1613 c1610 S. Rowlands Terrible Battell 10 I stab'd my dart, thus deepe into his side. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. J.-P. Camus Admirable Events 250 Liberat..gets upon him, stabs his poignard three or foure times in his belly. 1912 19th Cent. Dec. 1195 Women stab the daggers to their throats immediately. 4. To prick. Now dialect. Cf. stob v.¹ ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed > prick prickOE pointa1425 joba1500 birlc1540 punct1548 nib1558 pounce1570 punge1570 stab1570 reprick1611 jaga1700 barb1803 jab1825 rowel1891 pinprick1909 1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Ai/1 To Stab, pricke, pungere, stimulare. 1864 J. Rogers New Rush ii. 33 [He may] stab himself upon a Porcupine. 5. To hammer or pick (a hard surface) with a sharp tool, to roughen (a wall) with a pick before applying a coat of plaster. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > clad or cover [verb (transitive)] > plaster > processes involved in plastering litter1559 gauge1686 to prick up1779 key1837 stab1846 1846 Penny Cycl. Suppl. II. 431/1 The surface of the brickwork must be stabbed or picked over to make it rough. 6. Bookbinding. To pierce (a collection of sheets) in order to make a hole for a binding thread or wire; to fasten the sheets of (a pamphlet, etc.) together in this way instead of by sewing. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > bind [verb (transitive)] > stitch stitch1566 sew1637 stab1863 oversew1864 overcast1880 saddle-stitch1904 1863 Reader 21 Nov. 600/1 Nor even stitched like a book, but ‘stabbed’ as an auction catalogue now is. 1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 130 Stabbed, a form of stitching by piercing or stabbing, used mostly for cheap pamphlet work. 1901 19th Cent. Apr. 662 When enough sheets have been brought together they are stabbed at the open ends and form a volume. 7. Oil Industry. To guide (a length of pipe) so as to connect it properly to another member. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > drill for oil or gas [verb (transitive)] > other procedures to fang a pump, (loosely) a well1819 to rack up1839 shootc1870 torpedo1873 pull1895 sidetrack1906 swab1916 stab1922 re-enter1937 rack1949 1922 [implied in: F. M. Towl in D. T. Day Handbk. Petroleum Industry I. 410 The joint is lifted into place, and a man, the ‘stabber’, standing by the end of the joint with a handspike, moves the joint until it is straight with the last joint laid. (at stabber n. 1d)]. 1932 Amer. Speech 7 271 Stab, to guide (pipe) in making connections so that the threads engage properly. 1948 Petroleum Handbk. (ed. 3) v. 85 As the empty elevator hook is hoisted the derrick man latches in a stand as it passes his level. The stand is picked up and ‘stabbed’ into the tool joint at the rotary table. 1976 Offshore Platforms & Pipelining 6/3 Only one pile add-on will have to be stabbed and welded to drive the sleeve piles. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹c1440n.²1680n.³1838n.⁴1864n.⁵1929v.1487
随便看	hammered dulcimer hammerer hammerers hammerfelt hammerfish hammerflaw hammerflush hammerfork hammergun hammerhard hammerharden hammerhead hammerhead crane hammerheaded hammerheaded crane hammerheaded shark hammerheads hammering hammerings hammerless hammerlike hammerlock hammerlocks hammerman hammermark

stabn.1

Compounds

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stabv.

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