staggern.1
/ˈstaɡə/, U.S. /ˈstæɡər/ 1. in extended use.1616 B. Jonson Cynthias Revels (rev. ed.) v. iv, in Wks. I. 244 Ana. He hobbles too much. Cri. 'Tis call'd your court-staggers, sir.
a. An act of staggering; a tottering or reeling motion of the body as if about to fall, as through feebleness, tripping, giddiness or intoxication.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > [noun] > reeling or staggering > a reeling or staggering movement
reel?1572
stagger1600
wintle1786
stacker1870
1600 S. Rowlands Letting of Humors Blood Epigram ii. sig. A4v Thus doth Sir Launcelot in his drunken stagger, Sweare, curse, & raile, threaten, protest, and swagger.
1616 T. Adams Sacrifice of Thankefulnesse i. 26 Their trepidations are more shaking then cold Ague-fittes: their staggers worse then a Drunkards.
1815 J. Scott Visit to Paris (ed. 2) Pref. p. xxxviii This throne has tumbled down like rotten wood under her stagger and fall.
1842 S. Lover Handy Andy v Making a sloping stagger towards the wall, [he] contrived by its support to scramble his way to the door.
1862 G. A. Sala Ship-chandler iv. 72 The individual..advanced with a motion that alternated between a reel and a stagger, far more resembling that of a drunken man than of a labouring ship.
b. figurative. (Cf. stagger v. 2.)
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the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [noun] > instance of
fluctuationc1450
vary1600
irresolution1601
staggera1616
hesitancy1617
branling1646
volo-nola1672
unresolve1679
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) ii. iii. 164 I will throw thee from my care for euer Into the staggers, and the carelesse lapse Of youth and ignorance. View more context for this quotation
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 133 The ignorance of this causes the soule to bee in as deep a stagger after Christ is revealed, as it was before.
1782 T. Paine Let. to Abbe Raynal (1791) 55 Without shewing the least stagger in their fortitude.
1869 J. Eadie Comm. Epist. Gal. Note (i. 19) 70 The unbelief ascribed to Peter and Thomas..was a momentary stagger.
2.
a. plural (construed as singular). Used as a name for various diseases affecting domestic animals, of which a staggering gait is a symptom. Also with various defining words, indicating the characteristics or the supposed cause of the disease, e.g. blind staggers, grass staggers, mad staggers, sleepy staggers, stomach staggers. Cf. staver n.3The staggers in sheep is caused by the presence of a hydatid (Cœnurus, the larva of a tapeworm) in the brain.
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1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 134 If he [sc. a bullock] haue the Staggers, he wyl looke very red about the eyes.
1596 L. Mascall Bk. Cattell: Hogges 277 For the staggars in a hog.
1628 G. Wither Britain's Remembrancer viii. 820 Some sheep..get the staggers; some the scab.
1667 S. Pepys Diary 18 Aug. (1974) VIII. 390 One of our coach-horses fell sick of the staggers, so as he was ready to fall down.
a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 413 The long-legged hogs, as it were double-jointed at the knee, are of a breed subject to the staggers.
1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. vi. 279 A sort of Frenzy, resembling the Mad-Staggers.
1753 J. Bartlet Gentleman's Farriery ix. 77 Farriers generally include all distempers of the head under two general denominations, viz. Staggers and Convulsions.
1843 W. Youatt Horse (new ed.) vi. 113 The attack is usually sudden—the horse is dull, lethargic, and almost as comatose as in stomach-staggers.
1843 G. W. Le Fevre Life Trav. Physician II. i. xv. 72 Three of them [horses] were seized with the staggers, and..fell down dead.
1847 W. C. L. Martin Ox 130/2 Inflammation of the brain, phrensy, mad staggers or sough (phrenitis), and apoplexy.
1850 D. J. Browne Amer. Poultry Yard 41 A correspondent in the London Agricultural Gazette..admits, that,..he had ‘never brought up but two to be a'most hens’, and that they took the megrims (staggers,) and died.
1858 J. Hogg Microscope (ed. 3) ii. iii. 441 If a lamb is the subject of a feeding experiment with Tænia serrata..within a fortnight symptoms of a disease known as ‘staggers’ are manifested.
1860 E. Mayhew Illustr. Horse Doctor 7 Sleepy staggers.
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 41 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV Blind staggers has been somewhat fatal in the south and west.
1883 W. Robertson Textbk. Pract. Equine Med. 382 Grass staggers.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. II. 1106 The allied organism Cœnurus, which produces the ‘gid’ or ‘staggers’.
b. allusively. (to have) the staggers: inability to walk steadily.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle, horse, or sheep > [noun] > staggers or gid
turn?1523
sturdiness1552
turn-sick1566
sturdy1570
dazy1577
stavers1597
(to have) the staggers1599
gid1601
giddy1603
turnabout1605
stacker1610
turning-evil1614
megrims1639
blind staggers1784
the goggles1793
dazing1799
stomach-staggers1831
turn-sick1834
turn-side1845
phalaris staggers1946
the world > movement > progressive motion > walking > [noun] > manner of walking > unsteady
staggering1530
(to have) the staggers1599
stammering1607
lurch1819
lurching1852
dottiness1875
1599 H. Porter Pleasant Hist. Two Angrie Women of Abington sig. Ev He [the butler] hath got A horses desease, namely the staggers.
1603 T. Dekker 1603: Wonderfull Yeare sig. E4v This setter vp of malt-men, being troubled with the staggers, fell into the self-same graue.
1608 T. Heywood Rape of Lucrece sig. A4 Heeres a giddie world, it Reeles, it hath got the staggers.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) v. vi. 233.
1620 Hic Mulier (title page) Being a Medicine to cure the Coltish Disease of the Staggers in the Masculine-Feminines of our Times.
1621 J. Taylor Motto A 4 b Some with the staggers, cannot stand vpright.
1688 J. Bunyan Disc. Build. House God in Wks. (1853) II. 582/1 Let them but feel your pulse, and they will tell You quickly whether you are sick or well. Have you the staggers? They can help you there.
1801 Sir T. Munro in Gleig Life (1849) ix. 165 It has given me the staggers, for I often reel when I get up as if I were drunk.
1837 Tennyson in Ld. Tennyson Mem. (1897) I. 159 A nervous, morbidly-irritable man..stark-spoiled with the staggers of a mis-managed imagination.
3. dialect and slang. (See quots.)
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the world > action or operation > endeavour > [noun] > an attempt
tastec1330
assayc1386
proffera1400
proof?a1400
pluck?1499
saymenta1500
minta1522
attemptate1531
attempt1548
attemption1565
say1568
trice1579
offer1581
fling1590
tempt1597
essay1598
trial1614
tentative1632
molition1643
conamen1661
put1661
tentamen1673
conatus1722
shot1756
go1784
ettle1790
shy1824
hack1830
try1832
pop1839
slap1840
venture1842
stagger1865
flutter1874
whack1884
whirl1884
smack1889
swipe1892
buck1913
lash1941
wham1957
play1961
1865 ‘M. Twain’ Screamers (1871) 149 He would make one more stagger at it anyway.
1880 W. H. Patterson Gloss. Words Antrim & Down Stagger, an attempt.
1887 I. K. Funk in N.Y. Voice (Extra) 1 Sept. It is a temperance party between drinks, and it makes a stagger at temperance reform.
1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. Stagger (Telegrapher's Slang), a guess at an illegible word in a telegram.
1900 A. McIlroy By Lone Craig-linnie Burn iii. 30 They gave their consent to the marriage, remarking to the neighbours that ‘Oor Bessie's makin' a wunnerfu' stagger’.
4. A staggered arrangement or disposition; spec. in Aeronautics, an arrangement of the wings of a biplane such that the leading edge of the upper wing is in front of or behind that of the lower wing.
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society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > [noun] > plane or aerofoil > wing > stagger of upper and lower wings
stagger1915
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > other specific arrangements > [noun] > alternate or staggered arrangement
alternation1830
stagger1937
1915 W. E. Dommett Aeroplanes & Airships 104 When the wings of a biplane are set with the upper one slightly ahead of, or abaft of the other, they are said to be staggered. The stagger is measured by the angle made by the line joining the leading edges with the normal to the fore and aft axis of the aeroplane. It is convenient to call the stagger positive if the upper wing is ahead of the lower.
1916 H. Barber Aeroplane Speaks 62 In the case of a biplane having no stagger, there will be ‘interference’ and consequent loss of efficiency unless the gap between the top and bottom surfaces is equal to not less than 1½ times the chord.
1919 H. Shaw Text-bk. Aeronaut. iii. 58 The effect of positive stagger on a biplane is to cause the lower plane to work in a slight downdraught from the upper plane, and so decreases its angle of incidence, giving the machine greater stability.
1928 C. F. S. Gamble Story N. Sea Air Station xvi. 290 The forward stagger of the planes.
1937 Times 13 Nov. 13/5 All the footmarks lay on the same straight line with no ‘stagger’ right or left of it.
1950 R. G. Batson Roads v. 83 A stagger interrupts the passage of traffic from one branch of the minor road to the other.
1957 L. L. Beckford A.B.C. of Aeronaut. 95/2 When the upper wing is placed behind the arrangement is known as Back Stagger.
1972 Times 14 Nov. 15/7 The method of arranging the ‘stagger’ was one of the matters on which Customs and Excise consulted a wide range of trade bodies.
1980 M. Booth Bad Track i. 17 At the head of the small approach road was a T-junction... At a stagger from the slip-road was another, going down the other side to join the motorway.
Compounds
C1.
stagger-bush n. U.S. the shrub Andromeda mariana, supposed to give the staggers to sheep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > [noun] > stagger-bush
lambkill1790
stagger-bush1847
kill-lamb1865
1847 W. Darlington Agric. Bot. 104 A[ndromeda] Mariana..Stagger-bush... The farmers..allege that it is injurious to sheep, when the leaves are eaten by them,—producing a disease called the staggers.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
stagger-grass n. ‘the atamasco-lily, Zephyranthes Atamasco: so called as supposed to cause staggers in horses’ ( Cent. Dict. 1891).
stagger-juice n. slang strong drink.
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the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > types or qualities of intoxicating liquor > [noun] > strong
strong drinkc1405
ipse1634
knock-down1698
hogan1702
knock-me-down1756
milk1784
hot stuff1823
chain lightning1825
sudden death1834
hardware1835
stagger-juice1905
sting1929
strongers1939
screech1944
rocket fuel1958
1905 Chambers's Jrnl. Oct. 730/1 A liquor labelled Scotch whisky, but commonly known as ‘stagger juice’.
1907 A. Macdonald In Land of Pearl & Gold 22 Lor! Boss! if we didn't drink the stagger-juice no one would.
stagger tuning n. Electronics the tuning of different stages of an amplifier to slightly different frequencies so as to broaden the overall frequency response.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > operation of electronic devices > [noun] > tuning
tuning1899
permeability tuning1933
stagger tuning1953
slug tuning1957
1953 Fowler & Lippert Television Fund. vi. 121 Some of the later-model TV receivers make use of a single tuned inductance between tube sections of the i-f amplifier and obtain the necessary bandwidth by means of stagger-tuning.
1979 G. M. Miller Handbk. Electronic Communication ix. 285 The problem here is..how to get a wide-enough bandwidth but still have relatively sharp falloff at the pass-hand edges. Most TV IF amps solve this problem through the use of stagger tuning.
stagger-tuned adj.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic devices or components > operation of electronic devices > [adjective] > tuned
tuned1899
slugged1906
single-tuned1947
stagger-tuned1947
slug-tuned1979
1947 F. E. Terman Radio Engin. (ed. 3) vii. 360 The behavior of such stagger-tuned pairs under conditions corresponding to maximal flatness..is of particular interest.
1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xiii. 57 The simple shunt-compensated stage has found extensive use in stagger-tuned pulse-amplifier applications.
stagger-weed n. (see quot. 1853).
ΚΠ
1853 R. Dunglison Med. Lexicon (ed. 9) Staggerweed, delphinium.
staggerwort n. the ragwort, Senecio Jacobæa, supposed to cure staggers in horses.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Compositae (composite plants) > [noun] > ragwort
groundsela700
ragwortc1300
bunweeda1525
senecio1562
St. James's wort1578
rugwort1592
felon-weed1597
staggerwort1597
staverwort1597
yellow-weed1597
ragweed1610
swine's grassa1697
hogs madder1707
sea-ragwort1736
dog standard1767
Jacobaea1789
swinecress1803
benweed1823
fly-dod1826
mountain groundsel1830
cushag1843
fairies' horse1866
Oxford ragwort1884
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 219 The countrey people do call it [Iacobea] Stagger woort, and Stauerwoort, and also Ragwoorte.
1665 R. Lovell Παμβοτανολογια (ed. 2) 415 Stagger wort or Stanner wort, see Rag wort.
C2. That involves the implementation of a staggered arrangement, as stagger hours, stagger schedule, stagger plan. Cf. sense 9b of the verb originally U.S.
ΚΠ
1918 Dial 2 Nov. 369/1 ‘Stagger’ hours have been instituted—whereby one department goes to its work a half hour earlier than another, thus relieving the congestion of the street cars.
1933 Sun (Baltimore) 16 Aug. 4/2 The animals would be marketed..under a system of ‘stagger’ shipments to prevent swamping market and packing facilities.
1943 Sun (Baltimore) 16 Nov. 11/3 State liquor stores went on a new ‘stagger’ schedule of hours..with doors opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 3 p.m.
1947 News Chron. 11 Apr. 4/6 (heading) Firms favour ‘stagger’ plan.
1960 Wall St. Jrnl. 7 Apr. 8 The stagger system is election of directors in classes for various terms of office.
Draft additions 1993
A preliminary, unpolished rehearsal or run-through of a play, television programme, etc. Also stagger through. Theatre and Broadcasting slang.
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society > communication > broadcasting > putting on or producing broadcast > [noun] > rehearsal
stagger1964
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [noun] > a performance > production of performance > rehearsal
rehearse1463
rehearsal1579
dressed rehearsal1793
dress rehearsal1812
full-dress rehearsal1821
run-through1905
walkthrough1940
stagger1964
1964 Sound & Vision Broadcasting Summer 31/2 The voice of the producer..requesting opening shots for a ‘stagger through’.
1972 R. Tyrrell Work of Televison Journalist vii. 124 The first run-through of a programme is often referred to—advisedly—as a ‘stagger’... After the first stagger, there is a coffee break for the studio crew and an opportunity for the director to follow up some of his notes.
1975 Time Out 7 Feb. 48/3 John McGrath's ‘The Fish in the Sea’..has qualities which even a stagger through twelve days before opening night in an upstairs pub room with half the cast going down with flu..can't obscure.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† staggern.2
dialect. Obsolete.
(See quot. 1879.)
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the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > stump > old or decayed
runt?1553
stagger1739
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > wood or assemblage of trees or shrubs > [noun] > planted, cultivated, or valued > hedge or hedgerow > thorn-hedge
thorn-hedge1560
prick-hedge1601
thorn-quick1755
stagger1793
1739 J. Tull Horse-hoeing Husb. (1762) i. 5 (note) This Witch-Elm is a very old decay'd Stump, which is here called a Staggar.
1793 Bailiff's Diary 13 Dec. in G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. (1882) at Staggers Began to repair our fences, which is much wanted. Bought a load of staggers from Nuttree Bank to put in barren gapes.
1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. Staggers, strong, well-grown thorn-bushes, hollybushes, &c.,—cropped for hedgerow purposes—taken up by the roots and replanted, sometimes to make a new fence, but more frequently to fill up gaps in an old one.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
staggern.3
One who hunts stags; plural a pack of staghounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > [noun] > pack of hounds
leashc1330
mutec1350
cry1600
(the) houndsc1710
mew1766
stagger1865
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > hound > [noun] > staghound > pack of
stagger1865
1865 Dublin Univ. Mag. 66 19/1 To wind up the season with a day or two after the ‘staggers’.
1894 J. D. Astley Fifty Years of my Life I. 113 The ‘Surrey staggers’ always met within easy reach.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
staggern.4
slang.
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the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > one who sees > [noun] > watcher or look-out
showerOE
tootera1382
waiter1382
night watcha1400
scout-watcha1400
looker-out1562
night-watcher1569
watcher1572
scout1585
bishop1592
speculator1607
lookout1662
speculatory1775
lookout man1787
stagger1859
dog1870
eye1874
1859 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang 100 Stagger, one who looks out, or watches.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
staggerv.
/ˈstaɡə/, U.S. /ˈstæɡər/ I. Intransitive uses.† 5. To stammer or falter in speaking. (Cf. stacker v. 2) Obsolete.
1. † g. To ‘stumble’ or blunder into (a place).
a. Of a person or animal: To sway involuntarily from side to side when trying to stand or walk erect; to totter or reel as if about to fall; to walk with a swaying movement of the body and unsteady and devious steps, as from weakness, giddiness, intoxication, or the carrying of a heavy burden. Often with adverb or phrase indicating the direction of movement.In modern use always implying more or less movement from the spot; formerly this notion was sometimes absent: cf. sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > reel, stagger, or sway unsteadily
stackera1300
welt13..
waggera1382
swaver?a1400
blundc1400
swab14..
swabble14..
gogglec1460
reel1477
galay1489
stagger1530
swag1530
stag1561
wheel1832
swig1833
wavel1896
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 732/1 Ar you nat a shamed to staggar thus as you go by the stretes.
1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence Eunuch ii. iii, in Terence in Eng. 133 He comes running to me..very crooked, staggering and stammering for age.
1600 E. Fairfax tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne xii. lxxx. 229 Thither he staggred, reeling to and froe.
1611 Bible (King James) Job xii. 25 Hee maketh them to stagger like a drunken man. View more context for this quotation
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 282 A wounded and halfe-dead Souldier..comming staggering as it were to begge his life.
1621 J. Taylor Praise of Beggery sig. C1v Drinke That neuer makes men stagger, reele and winke.
1724 A. Ramsay Vision in Ever Green I. xix Staggirrand, and swaggirrand, They stoyter hame to sleip.
1810 G. Crabbe Borough i. 13 The tippling Sailor staggering home.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxv. 191 He..staggered like a drunken man, and fell upon the snow.
1886 G. R. Sims Ring o' Bells Prol. 3 A young woman..staggered towards the landlady, and then fell down in a swoon.
b. said of the legs or feet.
ΚΠ
1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xviii. sig. Hh4v My Head began to grow giddy, and my Leggs to stagger towards the River.
1828 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pelham III. i. 9 His feet staggered as he approached us.
c. In figurative context.
ΚΠ
1579 J. Field tr. J. Calvin Serm. i. 10 b For without this, man cannot come directly to God: but they stagger & reele, not knowing which way to turne themselues.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes I haue seene the best, yea naturall Italians, not onely stagger, but euen sticke fast in the myre.
1652 J. Hall tr. Longinus Περι Ὑψους 19 Great minds in their declination stagger into Fabling.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. v. v. 309 The thing which the King's Government did do was to stagger distractedly from contradiction to contradiction.
1860 R. W. Emerson Worship in Conduct of Life (London ed.) 184 The churches stagger backward to the mummeries of the dark ages.
1887 L. J. Jennings Gladstone iii. 93 The ‘greatest of orators’ had once more staggered into a war which he was impotent to conduct.
d. As the result of a blow or encounter, or of carrying a heavy load. Const. under. literal and figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > reel, stagger, or sway unsteadily > as the result of a blow
rokec1440
reela1470
stagger1547
1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe ii. f. vii Gene the knaue or drab a philip with a club that they do stagger at it.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xlixv The duke..with the but ende of the spere strake the Almaine that he staggared.
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 164 For the grace, the benefit..was sudden, glorious, and so big, that they were not able without staggering to stand up under it. View more context for this quotation
1707 J. Addison Present State War ¶14 The enemy staggers; if you follow your blow, he falls at your feet; but if you allow him respite, he will recover his strength.
1752 H. Fielding Amelia III. viii. x. 193 Without Use and Experience, the strongest Minds and Bodies both will stagger under a Weight, which Habit might render easy, and even contemptible.
1759 Ann. Reg. 1758 48/1 This stroke, under which he was yet staggering.
1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxxi. 299 The..King, who was already staggering with the violent shocks which he had received.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward I. x. 259 The first impulse of his surprise was to free his harquebuss by a violent exertion, which made the King stagger backward into the hall.
1850 R. Gordon-Cumming Five Years Hunter's Life S. Afr. I. xi. 252 The eland staggered for a moment and subsided in the dust.
1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola II. xiv. 172 He had staggered under the weight of the thrust.
1876 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. 2nd Ser. v. 186 The bearers stagger under the heavy coffin and cry for help.
1897 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign xii. 322 Finding that their horses were but staggering on under them.
e. transferred. Of a ship: To move unsteadily and with difficulty; esp. under a press of sail.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > pitch and roll
travaila1393
totterc1400
walterc1400
labour1587
senda1625
to bruise the water1836
stagger1840
pant1869
to walk turkey1888
pound1903
slam1958
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxv. 271 Our watch went below, leaving us with as much sail as she could stagger under.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xxiii. 184 We are staggering along under all sail.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Staggering under it, a ship's labouring under as much canvas as she can bear.
1872 J. S. Blackie Lays of Highlands 9 The wherry staggered through the fretted deep.
1890 A. Conan Doyle White Company xvii The cog, battered and torn and well-nigh water-logged, staggered in for this haven of refuge.
f. Of the senses: To become unsteady. rare.
ΚΠ
1826 T. Hood Fairy Tale 117 The change was quite amazing; It made her senses stagger for a minute.
1840 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. in Heath's Bk. Beauty 46 My sight staggers; the walls shake; he must be—do angels ever come hither?
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > by chance
stumble1555
to fall into ——1698
stagger1803
1803 J. Bristed Ανθρωπλανομενος II. 518 The lady soon gave us to understand, that we had staggered into a bagnio.
2. figurative.† b. const. in, about. Also with clause. Obsolete.
a. To begin to doubt or waver in an argument, opinion, or purpose; to become less confident or determined; to hesitate or waver at. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)]
haltc825
flecchec1300
waverc1315
flickerc1325
wag1387
swervea1400
floghter1521
stacker1526
to be of (occasionally in) many (also divers) minds1530
wave1532
stagger1533
to hang in the wind1536
to waver as, like, with the wind1548
mammer1554
sway1563
dodge1568
erch1584
suspend1585
float1598
swag1608
hoverc1620
hesitate1623
vacillate1623
fluctuate1634
demur1641
balance1656
to be at shall I, shall I (not)1674
to stand shall I, shall I1674
to go shill-I shall-I1700
to stand at shilly-shally1700
to act, to keep (upon), the volanta1734
whiffle1737
dilly-dally1740
to be in (also of, occasionally on) two minds (also in twenty minds, in (also of) several minds, etc.)1751
oscillate1771
shilly-shally1782
dacker1817
librate1822
humdrum1825
swing1833
(to stand or sit) on or upon the fence1848
to back and fill1854
haver1866
wobble1867
shaffle1873
dicker1879
to be on the weigh-scales1886
waffle1894
to think twice1898
to teeter on the brink1902
dither1908
vagulate1918
pern1920
1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. iv. viii. f. ccixv Than the dyscyples and apostles..muste nedes haue wondered, stonned, and stagerd, and haue bene more inquysytyue therin then they were.
1582 Bible (Rheims) Matt. xxi. 21 If you shal haue faith, and stagger not.
1593 T. Bilson Perpetual Govt. Christes Church 96 They..caused the strong to stagger at the truth of Paules doctrine.
1628 W. Prynne Briefe Suruay Mr. Cozens 40 Wee need not doubt nor stager at this Conclusion.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 158 Mahomet promised them his second glorious comming after a thousand yeares, which they seriously lately looking for, and seeing themselues guld by such credulity began to stagger.
1738 J. Fisher Inestimable Value Div. Truth (1803) 46 They who once begin to stagger are at the next Door to Apostasy.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. iv. i. 171 They stagger at the Double Representation, at the Vote by Head.
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xvii. 202 A Buddhist..seems to stagger at the idea of a hell, to the duration of which no period is assigned.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)]
stagger1555
hesitate1623
to think twice1936
1555 E. Bonner Certaine Homelyes 62 No appearaunce of reason to ye contrary thereof, shoulde cause vs once to doute or stagger in any part of the same.
1596 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent (rev. ed.) 539 Of latter yeeres there hath beene some strong opposition, and seeing that now at this day some doe incline, and others doe stagger therein, I [etc.].
1606 H. Wotton in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) I. 353 A..letter..which I dare not adventure by the ordinary post; and I must confess I am at the present somewhat staggering whether I shall send it by an especial messenger.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) i. ii. 153 Whether the Tirranny be in his place, Or in his Eminence that fills it vp I stagger in. View more context for this quotation
a1617 S. Hieron Penance for Sinne in Wks. (1620) II. 194 To stagger about either of which, is no little sinne.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 6 I stagger much about this opinion.
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. 1 The people should not stagger in any lawfull doubts.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Coronation Solyman 100 in Trav. Persia They began to stagger in their Answers.
c. of purpose, opinion, faith, etc.
ΚΠ
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 64 Seeing no reason, why the Counsels of the warre should stagger upon his wel or ill doing.
1675 H. Neville tr. N. Machiavelli Prince vi, in tr. N. Machiavelli Wks. 206 Their Faith begins to stagger.
1800 E. Hervey Mourtray Family IV. 204 Lady Bingfield's opinion staggered—she felt quite bewildered.
1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab i. 14 At whose immensity Even soaring fancy staggers.
3. Of an army, line of battle, etc.: To waver, become unsteady, give way.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defeat > be defeated [verb (intransitive)] > waver
fremishc1425
reela1470
shake1489
stagger1544
result1587
shog1644
waver1831
1544 P. Betham tr. J. di Porcia Preceptes Warre i. lxv. sig. D ivv To succour those companyes yt begynne to stagger and faynte.
a1660 Aphorismical Discov. in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1879) I. 155 Causinge the bould enemie to stager.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 323 The Chineses, our Guard on the Front, who had talk'd so big the Day before, began to stagger.
1829 W. Scott Anne of Geierstein III. xiii. 366 A stately form, conspicuous in the front of the staggered column, raised up the fallen banner.
4. Of a material thing: To sway or rock from side to side; to shake, rock, or swing violently; to totter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > move unsteadily [verb (intransitive)] > reel, stagger, or sway unsteadily > specifically of things
reel1495
stagger1530
swag1611
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 731/2 This house staggareth with every wynde.
1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xcix. 1 He sitteth betweene the Cherubims, let the earth be mooued [margin. Hebr. stagger] . View more context for this quotation
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island iv. vii. 39 Her steddy race Staggers awhile, at length flies back apace.
1648 R. Crashaw Steps to Temple (ed. 2) 106 When starrs themselves shall stagger.
1681 R. Wittie Οὐρανοσκοπια 11 The Earth is so firmly establisht..in its proper place, that it cannot stagger.
1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend i. 27 Beneath me I can feel The great earth stagger and reel.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > defective or inarticulate speech > speak inarticulately or with a defect [verb (intransitive)] > stammer or speak hesitantly
stammerc1000
wlaffe1025
stotec1325
humc1374
mafflea1387
stut1388
rattlea1398
famble14..
mammera1425
drotec1440
falterc1440
stackerc1440
hem1470
wallowa1475
tattle1481
mant1506
happer1519
trip1526
hobblea1529
hack1553
stagger1565
faffle1570
stutter1570
hem and hawk1588
ha1604
hammer1619
titubate1623
haw1632
fork1652
hacker1652
lispc1680
hesitate1706
balbutiate1731
haffle1790
hotter1828
stutter1831
ah1853
catch1889
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Volubilitas linguæ, round or quicke speakyng, without impediment or staggerynge.
1575 R. B. Apius & Virginia C iv And angerly to me (quoth he) wher hast thou ben walking. Without any staggeryng, I had ready my lye.
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales iv. vii. 99 Tiberius..cunningly premeditating his words, and with staggering and stammering deliuering his minde.
II. Transitive uses.
6.
a. To cause (a person or animal) to reel or totter, esp. from a blow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > irregular movement or agitation > unsteady movement > cause to move unsteadily [verb (transitive)] > cause to sway unsteadily
swag?1527
stagger1597
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. v. 109 That hand shall burne in neuer quenching fire, That staggers thus my person. View more context for this quotation
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads v. 299 It staggerd him vpon his knees, and made th' Heroe stay His strooke-blind temples on his hand, his elbow on the earth.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xvi. x. 82 Jones was a little staggered by the Blow which came somewhat unexpectedly. View more context for this quotation
1750 T. Carte Gen. Hist. Eng. II. 474 Eustace de Ribaumont..staggered him twice with the force of his blows.
1836 F. Marryat Japhet II. xxi. 211 I received a blow on the head from behind, which staggered me.
1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting viii. 331 My second barrel staggered him, and in fifty yards he fell.
1872 Ld. Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 35 I have stagger'd thy strong Gawain in a tilt For pastime.
1879 R. L. Stevenson Trav. with Donkey (1886) 114 It was a furious windy morning..and I wandered until dinner..sorely staggered and beaten up by the gale.
b. transferred and figurative.
ΚΠ
1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iv. i. sig. G2v I could not thus run mad, As one confounded in a maze of mischiefe, Staggerd, starke feld with brusing stroke of chance.
1647 W. Lilly Christian Astrol. To Rdr. 1 That yeer which afflicts me will stagger a Monarch and Kingdome.
a1711 T. Ken Hymnotheo in Wks. (1721) III. 327 Both with like sensual Pleasure eat their Fill, Intoxicating Mind, and staggering Will.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Triumph of Life in Posthumous Poems (1824) 81 Then like one who with the weight Of his own words is staggered, wearily He paused.
1872 C. H. Spurgeon Treasury of David III. Ps. lxxv. 6 That cup of spiced wine of vengeance, one draft of which shall stagger all his foes.
c. spec. in U.S. Football.
ΚΠ
1920 W. Camp Football without Coach 103 The man with the ball..should be tackled or staggered before he reaches the line with the ball.
7. figurative.† f. To cause to waver or fall from or into. Obsolete.† g. To throw doubt upon (a doctrine). Obsolete.† h. To bring to nought, confound (plots, counsels). Obsolete.
a. To bewilder, perplex, nonplus; to render helpless by a shock of amazement (or occasionally horror). In passive, to be perplexed or astonished at.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > surprise, unexpectedness > surprise, astonish [verb (transitive)]
gloppena1250
abavea1400
ferlya1400
forferlya1400
supprisec1405
stonish1488
surprend1549
stagger1556
thunderbolta1586
admire1598
startle1598
thunderstrike1613
siderate1623
dumbfound1653
surprise1655
stammer1656
strange1657
astartlea1680
dumbfounder1710
knock1715
to take aback1751
flabbergast1773
to take back1796
stagnate1829
to put aback1833
to make (a person) sit up1878
to knock, lay (out), etc., cold1884
transmogrify1887
rock1947
to flip out1964
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > act of perplexing > confuse, perplex, bewilder [verb (transitive)] > nonplus
stagger1556
gravel1566
set1577
trump1586
bumbaze1587
puzzlec1595
ground1597
stunt1603
nonplus1605
pose1605
stumble1605
buzzard1624
quandary1681
bamboozle1712
hobble1762
stump1807
have1816
floor1830
flummox1837
stick1851
get1868
to stick up1897
buffalo1903
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie lxi. 81 Spiders harts it so perst, That it stagard and stonide all that hole bend.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII ii. iv. 209 The question did at first so stagger me,..that [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
1653 W. Ramesey Astrologia Restaurata 108 It hath staggered the learnedst Writers in Divinity.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1680 (1955) IV. 231 The Consideration of this, and some other Circumstances began to stagger me.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 117. ¶8 Sir Roger was several times staggered with the Reports that had been brought him concerning this old Woman.
1737 H. Fielding Hist. Reg. 1736 i. 3 I am a little stagger'd at the Name of your Piece.
1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 111 This last argument staggered me.
1787 F. Burney Diary 19 Feb. (1842) III. 331 He was staggered by this question.
1815 J. Cormack Abol. Fem. Infanticide Guzerat viii. 121 The first aspect of the difficulties..was such as might be allowed to stagger the stoutest heart.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. viii. 70 ‘Well,’ said Mr. Boffin, a little staggered.
1883 T. Martin Life Ld. Lyndhurst xi. 298 The Ministry were for the moment staggered by the magnitude of their defeat.
1913 Sir T. Barlow in Times 7 Aug. 8/2 We are staggered by the..calculated audacity of our brethren when sinuses of the skull are drained, cerebral abscesses evacuated, [etc.].
b. To shake the stability of (a country, a condition of things).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > cause or effect (harm) [verb (transitive)] > do harm or injury to > affect detrimentally > impair the stability of
shake1545
unpin1587
stagger1613
1613–18 S. Daniel Coll. Hist. Eng. in Wks. (Grosart) IV. 198 The report of Roberts returning from the Holy warres..might be noysed abroad to stagger the State.
1656 P. Heylyn Full Relation Two Journeys 75 She will rather choose to leave her fine house uninhabited..then give the least opportunity to stagger her greatnesse.
1657 T. Burton Diary (1828) II. 41 Nor would I have any man's estate to be staggered or shaken by it.
1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. viii. 70 Such events..soon occurred, as staggered the credit which the Protestants had given to the Emperor's declarations.
1879 R. L. Stevenson Edinburgh 19 A dash that staggered Scotland to the heart.
1884 N. Amer. Rev. Dec. 515 Then strikes and lock-outs occur, which stagger the prosperity, not of the business merely, but of the state.
c. Phrase. to stagger belief: to be incredible.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > disbelief, incredulity > disbelieve [verb (intransitive)] > be incredible
to stick with ——a1628
to stagger belief1757
1757 E. Burke Vindic. Nat. Society (ed. 2) 32 Which shocks our Humanity, and almost staggers our Belief.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) I. 758 A scene of barbarity..which shocks the human mind and almost staggers belief.
1827 J. Bentham Rationale Judicial Evid. V. ix. vi. iv. 555 The technical system presents..enough to stagger belief.
1837 N. Whittock et al. Compl. Bk. Trades (1842) 409 [article Soap Boiler] Such matters have been introduced to the Boilers as almost ‘staggered’ belief.
d. To shake, unsettle, cause to waver or falter (a person's faith, opinion, purpose, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver
waverc1425
flitc1480
shakec1480
staggera1625
soften1918
a1625 J. Fletcher Valentinian iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Bbbbbbb2v/1 Æcius. I have seene enough to stagger my obedience.
1659 J. Rushworth Hist. Coll. 140 The notice of a sharp Petition against Popish Recusants..did a little stagger his Resolution.
1704 J. Trapp Abra-Mule iii. i. 1194 Your good Opinion of my Truth was stagger'd E'er you knew all.
1732 G. Berkeley Serm. to Soc. Propagation Gospel in Wks. (1871) III. 246 The prevailing torrent of Infidelity, which staggers the faith of some.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward II. xi. 249 His courage was not staggered, even for an instant.
1857 F. D. Maurice Epist. St. John xiii. 204 Do not let this stagger your faith.
e. To cause (a person) to falter or waver (in his faith or purpose).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver > in faith or purpose
stagger1627
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > cause to become inconstant [verb (transitive)] > cause to become weak in character
false?c1225
stagger1627
wilta1817
1627 in R. F. Williams Birch's Court & Times Charles I (1848) (modernized text) I. 268 My Lord of Holland..hath been a little staggered in the resolution of his journey.
1645 King Charles I in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. III. 318 It nowais staggars me in that good opinion which I have ever had of you.
1667 S. Pepys Diary 26 Mar. (1974) VIII. 131 The Judge..did stagger us in our hopes, so as to make us despair of the success.
1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 108. ⁋4 The son..began to establish a new religion in the family..; in which he succeeded so well, that he had..staggered his eldest sister.
1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. v. 128 Whom all the Suitors amorously strove, In vain, to stagger in her plighted Love.
1791 ‘G. Gambado’ Ann. Horsemanship ix. 41 I am a good deal stagger'd in my belief, and dare not, at present, make publick my opinions.
1825 W. Scott Talisman ii, in Tales Crusaders IV. 33 Richard..was staggered in his purpose by the dauntless determination of the criminal.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vi. 92 One of his parishioners who had been staggered by the arguments of Roman Catholic theologians.
1851 ‘L. Mariotti’ Italy in 1848 vi. 271 The king and his advisers were not staggered in their warlike resolution.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute about [verb (transitive)] > cause to waver > from or into something
stagger1658
1658 L. Womock Exam. Tilenus 14 And if they be not drunk with..strong drink, they think 'tis no matter though the spirit of pride and disobedience stagger them into any schisme or heresie.
1679 Established Test 7 Many were recalled whom the fear of Persecution had staggered from the Romish Religion.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > doubt [verb (transitive)] > cause doubt
branglea1600
forgive1600
stumble1607
uncertain1614
uncredit1615
disconceita1639
scruple1638
startle1643
stagger1646
unfix1650
inscruple1663
unhinge1719
unconvince1815
unsettle1833
to keep (a person) guessing1896
society > faith > aspects of faith > theism > atheism > [verb (transitive)] > throw doubt upon
stagger1646
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. x. 42 He..staggereth the immortality of the soul. View more context for this quotation
1833 C. Lamb Barrenness Imaginative Faculty in Last Ess. Elia 171 The paintings..of a modern artist, have been urged as objections to the theory of our motto. They are of a character, we confess, to stagger it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to
undoc950
shendOE
forfarea1000
endc1000
to do awayOE
aquenchc1175
slayc1175
slayc1175
stathea1200
tinea1300
to-spilla1300
batec1300
bleschea1325
honisha1325
leesea1325
wastec1325
stanch1338
corrumpa1340
destroy1340
to put awayc1350
dissolvec1374
supplanta1382
to-shend1382
aneantizec1384
avoidc1384
to put outa1398
beshenda1400
swelta1400
amortizec1405
distract1413
consumec1425
shelfc1425
abroge1427
downthringc1430
kill1435
poisonc1450
defeat1474
perish1509
to blow away1523
abrogatea1529
to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529
dash?1529
to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531
put in the pot1531
wipea1538
extermine1539
fatec1540
peppera1550
disappoint1563
to put (also set) beside the saddle1563
to cut the throat of1565
to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568
to make a hand of (also on, with)1569
demolish1570
to break the neck of1576
to make shipwreck of1577
spoil1578
to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579
cipher1589
ruinate1590
to cut off by the shins1592
shipwreck1599
exterminate1605
finish1611
damnify1612
ravel1614
braina1616
stagger1629
unrivet1630
consummate1634
pulverizea1640
baffle1649
devil1652
to blow up1660
feague1668
shatter1683
cook1708
to die away1748
to prove fatal (to)1759
to knock up1764
to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834
to put the kibosh on1834
to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835
kibosh1841
to chaw up1843
cooper1851
to jack up1870
scuttle1888
to bugger up1891
jigger1895
torpedo1895
on the fritz1900
to put paid to1901
rot1908
down and out1916
scuppera1918
to put the skids under1918
stonker1919
liquidate1924
to screw up1933
cruel1934
to dig the grave of1934
pox1935
blow1936
to hit for six1937
to piss up1937
to dust off1938
zap1976
1629 N. Carpenter Achitophel (1640) ii. 69 They would have heard the Lord often threatening..to stagger the counsell of the wicked.
1683 London Gaz. 1856/5 Hereby the Machivilian contrivances of imbitter'd, envenom'd Mal-Contents..are Providentially detected, stagger'd, [etc.].
8. To cause to waver, throw into confusion (a line or body of troops).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form (line, column, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > stand in line with > cause to fall out of line
disray1300
disarraya1387
disrange1485
disrank1609
stagger1720
club1806
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 188 He broke through the first Line, and staggered the second.
1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World vii. 262 This unexpected warm reception stagger'd a great many of my men.
1776 Ann. Reg. 1775 Hist. Europe *134/2 The king's forces seem to have been unusually staggered in this attack.
1784 J. Douglas Cook's Voy. Pacific II. iv. iii. 331 At this they were so much staggered, that they plainly discovered their ignorance of the effect of fire-arms.
9.
a. To arrange in zig-zag order, or in positions alternately on the one side and the other of a median line. (See also quot. 1902.) Also, to position (things) at successively greater distances from the straight line they would otherwise form.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > side [verb (transitive)] > furnish with sides > place alternately on one side and the other
stagger1856
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > other specific arrangements > arrange in other specific manner [verb (transitive)] > stagger
stagger1856
1856 Brit. Patent 1560 The other wheel on the shaft in question (staggered with the relation to the first wheel) closes a circuit through one of the two pairs of electro-magnets which work the indicator.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Stagger, to set spokes in a hub so that they are alternately on the respective sides of a median line, in order to give them a broader base, and a consequently greater stiffness to the wheel against lateral strain.
1902 R. Sturgis Dict. Archit. III. 593 Stagger (v.), to arrange in alternate order... By extension, to dispose floors so that each one is not continuous throughout the building, but so that they are arranged in two or more vertical series, each with its own independent system of heights.
1913 J. B. Bishop Panama Gateway v. vi. 381 The lamps are staggered so as to illuminate both lock chambers.
1915 W. E. Dommett Aeroplanes & Airships 25 Biplanes are not so efficient in ‘lifting’ properties as monoplanes of the same wing area, owing to the wind streams being interfered with, but this defect can be reduced by ‘staggering’, that is, placing the upper plane slightly forward of the lower plane.
1916 H. Barber Aeroplane Speaks 63 By staggering the top surface forward..it is removed from the action of the lower surface and engages undisturbed air.
1937 Memo. Lay-out & Constr. Roads (Min. of Transport) No. 483. 13 Where a minor road crosses a major road constructed with a single carriageway the minor road should be staggered, preferably to the left.
1959 Listener 6 Aug. 208/2 Then the road engineers got to work and staggered the cross-roads.
b. To arrange (holidays, times, etc.) so that they do not coincide; to arrange (an event or action) so that its implementation is spread over a period of time, or so that it is performed by different persons at different times. Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > simultaneity or contemporaneousness > be simultaneous with [verb (transitive)] > stagger
stagger1918
1918 Daily Chron. 23 Apr. 4/2 In order to maintain efficient service for industrial traffic, it is urged by the Tramways..Committee that factories and other places of business should ‘stagger’ their times of opening and closing.
1929 Sun (Baltimore) 27 Sept. 12/3 The days of rest will be staggered, one-fifth of the workers presumably laying off each twenty-four hours.
1934 Sun (Baltimore) 3 Nov. 2/2 Omitting their national shows and staggering the introduction of new models.
1946 in P. N. S. Mansergh Const. Rel. between Brit. & India (1979) VIII. 211 Though the departure of officers on proportionate pension could be ‘staggered’, the right to retire could not be taken away.
1951 Engineering 7 Sept. 302/2 A scheme for staggering working hours, to ease the..load at..peak hours.
1962 E. Godfrey Retail Selling & Organization xvii. 172 Many firms have found it better to stagger stock-taking, so that all departments are not disrupted at the same time.
1978 L. Davidson Chelsea Murders iii. xxi. 122 Lunch was being staggered, the six of them dashing out individually for a sandwich.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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