staringn.

Brit.

/ˈstɛːrɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈstɛrɪŋ/

Forms: see stare v. and -ing suffix¹.; also 1600s– stareing.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: stare v., -ing suffix¹.

Etymology: < stare v. + -ing suffix¹.

The action of stare v.

1. The action of gazing fixedly with eyes wide open, or of opening the eyes wide. Also: an instance of this; a stare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [noun] > staring or gazing

poring1340

staring1440

gazingc1502

goggling1540

gazement1596

stare-you-out1932

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 472 Starynge, brode lokynge, patentacio oculorum.

?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.ij^v They songe and daunsed full merely With swerynge and starynge heuen hye.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. l^v We found the body of thesayde Hun..w^t his eyen & mouth fayre closed, withoute any staryng, gapyng or frownyng.

1549 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus 1 Thess. in Paraphr. New Test. ii. 1–8 We came not vnto you, with bragging and staring.

1601 A. Munday & H. Chettle Death Earle of Huntington sig. K2^v A third diuell gaping for my soule, With horrid starings, gastly frighteth me.

1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy iii. iii. ii. i. 682 All those strange gestures of staring, frowning, grinning, rolling of eyes, menacing, gastly looks, [etc.].

1687 G. L. Gentleman's New Jockey xxii. 84 Frenzy..is known by the staring of the Horse, the distorting of his Eyes [etc.].

1771 D. Garrick Let. 6 June (1963) II. 744 I am so angry, that I have made one of my Eyes blood shot with staring, & Stretching the Ball.

1795 T. Wilkinson Wandering Patentee III. 104 Belvidera's sighings, screamings, starings, and ravings.

1818 Ld. Byron Beppo lxxvii. 40 Could staring win a woman, this had won her.

1868 London Rev. 15 Aug. 200/1 All the graceless leering and staring comes to nothing.

1932 Vogue Jan. 68 Staring is merely the Cuban way of paying you a great compliment.

1955 R. Matheson in Startling Stories Spring 98/1 My wards are losing patience with your goggling Earthians. I demand you..see to it that this offensive staring ceases.

2009 B. K. Johnson Shan i. 24 After several weeks of staring, I thought I had mastered their names.

2. The action or fact of standing up stiffly (of hair, feathers, etc.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > hair > horripilation > [noun]

staring1563

bristling1591

horripilation1656

piloerection1930

1563 T. Sackville in W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (new ed.) Induct. sig. Q.iii His cap borne vp with staring of his heare.

1610 G. Markham Maister-peece i. lv. 119 The coldnesse of his stomacke..onely is knowne by the standing vp and staring of his haire.

1687 G. L. Gentleman's New Jockey xxii. 80 The signs demonstrating this distemper or grievance, are the staring of the hair, hanging the head, [etc.].

1766 Compl. Farmer at Roup Roup, the name of a filthy disease in poultry..known by the staring, or turning back of the feathers.

1817 Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2 91 The symptoms in the early stage are extensive swelling of the leg..; great heat and tension; staring of the hair, with a dead appearance.

1903 Southern Planter May 322/1 The symptoms of the disease are loss of appetite, dullness, cessation of rumination, harshness and staring of the coat.

1970 J. P. Arbuthnott in T. C. Montie et al. Bacterial Toxins v. 225 The animal..shows staring of the coat, a drop in body temperature, and reduced respiration.

Compounds

staring contest n. a contest or confrontation in which two individuals maintain eye contact for as long as possible, the loser being the first to look away, blink, etc.; originally and frequently figurative.

ΚΠ

1899 Belleville (Kansas) Freeman 26 Oct. We opine that in a staring contest between McKinley and Kansas, Kansas has the least cause for embarrassment.

1966 R. V. Cassill Happy Marriage & Other Stories 16 He met his mother's stout gaze in a staring contest, trying to make her admit by at least some flicker of expression that today was different.

1996 Skiing Mar. 54/1 In between helpings of flan, we had staring contests and practiced posing for romance-novel covers.

2006 Time Out N.Y. 16 Feb. 164/4 The next Critical Mass ride is just two days away, and dollars to donuts it'll be the source of another tense staring contest between cycling buffs and the NYPD.

† staring-stock n. [compare gazing stock n.] Obsolete the object of stares; a person or thing likely to be stared at.

ΚΠ

1541 R. Whitford tr. St. Isidore Instr. Auoyde & eschewe Vices in Dyuers Holy Instrucyons & Teachynges f. 72^v Lette eueryche, therfore behaue hym selfe accordynge vnto hys callynge: so that he make not of hym selfe a starynge stocke.

1837 Amer. Monthly Mag. Apr. 379 I had not the courage to walk out and make myself a staring stock.

1895 G. Griffith Valdar the Oft-born vi. 71 I had no fancy to be the staring-stock of the whole city by the next morning.

1926 Citizen (Gloucester) 25 May 2/4 I insist that I'm not made a staring-stock for the public.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

staringadj.adv.

Brit.

/ˈstɛːrɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈstɛrɪŋ/

Forms: see stare v. and -ing suffix²; also 1600s– stareing.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: stare v., -ing suffix².

Etymology: < stare v. + -ing suffix². With staring blind at sense B. 1 compare earlier star-blind adj.¹ and also stark blind adj.; with staring mad compare stark mad at stark adv. 2a.

A. adj. That stares, in senses of the verb.

a. Originally: †shining, glittering (obsolete). In later use: (of colours) bright, vivid, garish.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > bright

shininga900

lighteOE

lightlyOE

sheenOE

torhtOE

shirea1000

steepa1000

shimmeringc1000

brightOE

strongOE

clear1297

fair?a1300

bright-shininga1387

merrya1393

skirea1400

lucident14..

shimc1400

staringc1400

luculentc1420

splendent1474

illuminousc1485

lucentc1500

bloominga1522

sheer1565

prelucent1568

faculent1575

splendant1578

lucid1591

neat1591

shine1596

translucent1596

well-lighted1606

nitid1615

lucible1623

dilucid1653

translucid1657

hard1660

the world > matter > colour > state or mode of having colour > [adjective] > brightly coloured

brightOE

gay?c1225

paintedc1400

sheenc1400

staringc1400

freshc1405

wanton1583

splendid1634

amelled1651

vivid1686

strong1711

bloom-bright1832

flamboyant1851

technicolored1927

dazzle1931

Technicolora1940

fauve1967

c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1818 (MED) Ho raȝt hym a riche rynk..Wyth a starande ston stondande alofte.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 5396 He saȝe a dym cloude Full of starand sternes.

?a1534 H. Medwall Nature i. sig. cii^v A staryng colour of scarlet red.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 48 Shynyng full shene as þe shire sternys Or any staring stone.

1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Garish, gaudy, tawdry, bedawbed with Lace, or all bedeck't with mismatcht, or staring Colours.

1793 C. T. Smith D'Arcy 51 A blue sattin gown..and a petticoat of the same stareing color.

1805 T. Hodson & J. Dougall Cabinet of Arts iv. iv. 174 A staring white relieved by an intense black..may produce a certain harsh force.

1878 Eclectic Mag. Sept. 308 The other varieties, beautifully spotted, like large beetles, or striped with bright, staring colors.

1911 G. L. Hill-Lutz Aunt Crete's Emancipation 102 Luella wore..a long, scant, high-waisted robe of fire-red crape,..reflected in staring hues in her already much-burned nose and cheeks.

1956 Manch. Guardian 26 Apr. 5/3 Every one [sc. carpet] was bizarrely patterned, every one in staring colours.

2004 F. Weldon Mantrapped 82 The book had a jacket so terrible—two great rows of chomping shiny white teeth against a staring red background—that I destroyed every one I came across.

b. More generally: that obtrudes itself on the view or attention; conspicuous; glaring, egregious.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > [adjective] > strikingly

notablea1398

staring?a1425

loud1535

gross1581

strong1583

signal1591

conspicuous1604

marked1620

remarked1623

ranka1640

signalized1652

bold1678

flaming1706

glaring1706

telegraphic1809

salient1841

howling1865

insistent1868

rampageous1889

?a1425 (a1415) Lanterne of Liȝt (Harl.) (1917) 37 (MED) Miche peple demen it a medeful werke to iape mennes iȝen wiþ..manye veyn staring siȝtis in her chirchis.

a1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) i. 9 (MED) Hir clokys also wer daggyd & leyd wyth dyuers colowrs be-twen þe daggys, þat it schuld be þe mor staryng to mennys sygth.

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. clix. f. lxxxvii^v At those dayes in Fraunce was vsyd of prestes, & men of the Church precious, and shewynge vesture, and goldyn, and ryche starynge Gyrdellys with Rynges, and other ornamentis of Golde.

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 252 She..perceiued his yies to bee offended with hir ouer wanton and staryng araie.

1698 J. Edwards Serm. Special Occasions & Subj. 297 Yet can you with your Staring Attire outface the very Angels.

1709 G. Berkeley Ess. New Theory of Vision §125. 145 Made up of manifest, staring Contradictions.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 301 Friday..not making quite so staring a Spectre-like Figure as I did.

1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 21 And at last to blurt out the broad staring question, of, madam, will you marry me?

1850 J. S. Blackie in tr. Æschylus Lyrical Dramas II. 8 Not to mention the staring absurdity of the idea.

1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany ii. 15 The staring modern chapels.

1880 C. E. L. Riddell Myst. Palace Gardens ii. 20 A staring new terrace built on the ground which the old house covered.

1894 R. Bridges Shorter Poems (new ed.) v. p. xl That sickly, staring shore.

1902 O. Wister Virginian xxxv. 468 The rustlers..were a staring menace to Wyoming.

1974 Guardian 19 Oct. 11/1 The corporation realised that this action, in the face of staring need, would leave it open to all kinds of criticism.

1988 Representations 22 64 ‘The English law contains nothing which approaches to a definition of relevancy.’ That, to Stephen, is the most staring fault.

†c. Of a story: sensational, lurid. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > telling strange stories > [adjective]

marvellous1715

teratical1722

staring1753

1753 Scots Mag. Oct. 492/1 I..could..tell a staring story, and humbug with..skill.

1781 F. Burney Jrnl. Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 445 He told us a thousand strange staring stories.

1787 H. L. Piozzi Diary 1 May in Thraliana (1942) II. 681 I find Mr. Smith..told that poor Baby Cecilia a fine staring Tale how my Husband locked me up at Milan and fed me on Bread and Water.

1808 Ann. Rev. Hist. & Lit. 7 660/1 The former of these is a very paltry publication, filled with staring stories from French and German romancers.

1814 F. Burney Wanderer III. 203 I do no' much give my mind to believing all them outlandish fibs, told by travellers. I can hear staring stories eno' by my own fire-side.

2. With reference to mental disturbance or insanity: exhibiting or characterized by staring eyes (see sense A. 3); frantic, wild. In later use also as a simple intensifier, esp. when reinforced by stark (see stark adv. 2b). Cf. B. 1.The date at which the word staryng was added to the text cited in quot. c1449 is impossible to ascertain precisely.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [adjective] > frenzied or raging

aweddeOE

woodc1000

woodlyc1000

wildc1300

franticc1390

ramage1440

welling woodc1440

staringc1449

rammistc1455

rabious1460

horn-wood?a1500

rammisha1500

enragea1522

frenzic1547

wood-like1578

horn-mad1579

woodful1582

frenzicala1586

ragefula1586

rabid1594

ravening1599

ravenous1607

Pythic1640

exorbitant1668

frenziful1726

haggard-wild1786

frenzied1796

maenadic1830

berserk1867

up the wall1951

ballistic1981

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 371 In wantowne and nyse disgisingis of araies (and so forth of manye othere staryng gouernauncis, semyng summe wijlde woode [with staryng added by a later hand]).

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke vi. f. 6–11 Thei are turned into stercke staryng madnesse.

1565 B. Garter Tragicall Hist. Two Eng. Louers f. 49 To her mother stept she vp, with wild and staring looke.

1607 T. Walkington Optick Glasse iii. 21 Who knowes not that..goggle eyes [denotate] a starke-staring foole?

1691 T. Shadwell Scowrers ii. i. 11 This is stark staring madness, why this lewd Cozen of ours, they say, has had all the women in Town that are to be had for Love or Money.

1769 I. Watts Treat. Educ. Children & Youth (new ed.) ii. 29 May not Children be warned against a staring Look, against stretching their Eye-lids into a Glare of Wildness?

1848 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 309 The staring madness when we wake and find That what we have loved..is not that We meant to love.

1900 Social-Democrat Feb. 35 His grandfather..acquired the unenviable reputation of being a stark, staring raving madman, because of his heterodox ideas on matters of Church and State, and his activity in propagating them.

1920 G. MacDonald North Door xlii. 330 He must a been either staring or stark mad, for he sez, [etc.].

1950 Sight & Sound Nov. 284/2 The whole business culminates..in staring madness, and violent death.

2010 Evening Standard (Nexis) 14 Jan. Bleach gives a coarse-grained portrayal of growling, staring lunacy.

3. That looks fixedly with wide open eyes; that opens the eyes wide. Also applied to the eyes, the gaze, etc. Also figurative, of windows, lights, etc. (cf. stare v. 1d).

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [adjective] > staring or gazing

gloringa1400

staring1483

glowering?a1513

gazing1553

gauring1558

gawish1567

gazeful1595

gawking1817

gazy1883

whole-eyed1911

1483 W. Caxton in tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccclxxxxvij/1 There came one stertyng out al brennyng in fyre and stared ful ghastlye on them with grete staryng eyen.

a1547 Earl of Surrey Poems (1964) 12 He cast on me a staring loke, with colour pale and ded.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vii. sig. S6^v Their staring eyes sparckling with feruent fyre, And vgly shapes did nigh the man dismay.

1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. H The staring ruffian shall it keepe in quiet.

1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 902 Then nightly singes the staring Owle Tu-whit to-who.

1641 Novembris Monstrum 111 Orphæus staring eyes with fire glow.

1646 R. Crashaw Sospetto d'Herode vii, in Steps to Temple 53 Such his fell glances as the fatall Light Of staring Comets, that looke Kingdomes dead.

1682 N. O. tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin ii. 17 With hollow Cheeks, and staring Eyes she view'd him.

1733 M. Masters Poems Several Occasions 214 And now, just yawning from their Beds, With staring Eyes, and aching Heads, In Troops the gay Adventurers meet.

1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. xvi. 92 The man is a very confident, he is a very bold, staring man!

1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 221 The countenance is wild, the eyes red and staring.

1816 W. Scott Old Mortality v, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 98 ‘How came the fellow here?—Speak, you staring fool,’ he added.

1845 B. Disraeli Sybil II. iv. i. 155 I have sent his vulgar wife and great staring daughter a card for next Wednesday!

1861 C. Dickens Let. 29 Oct. (1997) IX. 486 They were an intent and staring audience.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 120 Powell describes a slightly staring, suffused, and anxious expression of countenance as most common.

1909 J. H. Brower Mills of Mammon 240 When Mickey reached the little cottage..he found a ‘For Rent’ sign on both gate and staring windows.

1939 Street & Smith's Western Story Mag. 23 Sept. 24/1 Marshall nodded grimly, trying to read some message to the riddle in the staring eyes.

2005 L. Tuttle Mysteries 94 I gave the blankly staring Dawney a big smile.

4. Of hair, feathers, etc.: standing up, bristling.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > hair > horripilation > [adjective]

staring1578

upstaring1590

upstart1590

upstarted1602

bristling1607

erected1610

starting1680

horrent1744

horripilant1837

stivereda1855

erect1870

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball v. xvi. 569 It layeth downe the staring heares of the eyebrowes.

1609 C. Butler Feminine Monarchie iii. sig. C4 Cut awaie all those staring strawes, twigs, or other offensiue ragges that are fast in the hiue.

1674 A. Cremer tr. J. Scheffer Hist. Lapland 136 Mountain Mice..which Wormius describes with short tails and staring hair.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 120 The water-Snake..With staring Scales lies poyson'd in his Bed.

1730 W. Burdon Gentleman's Pocket-farrier (1735) 63 If your Horse is brought to you with a staring Coat and hollow Flank.

1799 J. Banister Synopsis Husb. 370 The sheep dealer, who by dexterously removing with the sheers each staring lock..adds so smart an air to their appearance, as to attract the eye greatly in their favour.

1860 E. Mayhew Illustr. Horse Doctor 7 The eye is closed; the skin cold, and the coat staring.

1921 Forest & Stream May 238/1 (advt.) A marvelous tonic for dogs that are out of sorts, run down, thin and unthrifty, with harsh staring coat.

1967 M. Stewart Gabriel Hounds xviii. 235 The three big birds..raced with hunched and staring feathers up the rocky shore.

2007 P. Barker Life Class xxv. 184/7 He was attractive, in spite of his freckly skin and staring hair.

B. adv.

1. In a manner or to an extent characterized by staring, as of a mad or (now less commonly) blind person; esp. as staring blind, staring mad. In later use usually reinforced by stark (see stark adv. 2b). Also as a general intensifier, esp. with reference to other mental states, as staring drunk, staring sober, etc. Cf. staringly adv. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > utterly

allOE

outlyOE

thwert-outc1175

skerea1225

thoroughc1225

downrightc1275

purec1300

purelyc1300

faira1325

finelyc1330

quitec1330

quitelyc1330

utterlyc1374

outerlya1382

plainlya1382

straighta1387

allutterly1389

starkc1390

oultrelya1393

plata1393

barec1400

outrightc1400

incomparablyc1422

absolutely?a1425

simpliciter?a1425

staringa1425

quitementa1450

properlyc1450

directly1455

merec1475

incomparable1482

preciselyc1503

clean?1515

cleara1522

plain1535

merely1546

stark1553

perfectly1555

right-down1566

simply1574

flat1577

flatly1577

skire1581

plumb1588

dead?1589

rankly1590

stark1593

sheera1600

start1599

handsmooth1600

peremptory1601

sheerly1601

rank1602

utter1619

point-blank1624

proofa1625

peremptorily1626

downrightly1632

right-down1646

solid1651

clever1664

just1668

hollow1671

entirely1673

blank1677

even down1677

cleverly1696

uncomparatively1702

subtly1733

point1762

cussed1779

regularly1789

unqualifiedly1789

irredeemably1790

positively1800

cussedly1802

heart1812

proper1816

slick1818

blankly1822

bang1828

smack1828

pluperfectly1831

unmitigatedly1832

bodaciously1833

unredeemedly1835

out of sight1839

bodacious1845

regular1846

thoroughly1846

ingrainedly1869

muckinga1880

fucking1893

motherless1898

self1907

stone1928

sideways1956

terminally1974

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 508 He him bi stod, Starinde als he were wod.]

a1425 (?a1400) Cloud of Unknowing (Harl. 674) (1944) 98 (MED) Bot ȝif God schewe his merciful miracle to make hem sone leue of, þei schul loue God so longe on þis maner þat þei schul go staryng wood to þe deuil.

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xlvi Some ar so starynge mad that none can them holde.

1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes lxix. sig. Ciii I thinke it as good, by ought I can deuise, To be starke staryng blinde, as thus to haue eies.

?1555 Image of Idlenesse sig. E.iiii Then must he streyght wayes seme to be starke starynge madde.

1649 Mercurius Elencticus No. 26. 201 Brave Lilburne! thou the day has got, And made thy Friends full glad; Whil'st Bradshaw, Prideaux, Vane and Scot, Are all run staring-mad.

1719 W. Taverner 'Tis Well if it Takes i. iii. 11 A Man of Threescore must be stark staring Mad to suppose he can break the Fast of a Widow.

1798 W. Cobbett Democratic Judge Mar. 85 When they were stark staring drunk with revolutionary triumph, they had the good sense..to cling fast round this old trunk of solid and substantial liberty.

1836 Satirist 10 Apr. 118/3 Counter witnesses..affirmed that he was stark staring sober.

1839 John Bull 8 Dec. 585/1 They have pockets in front, a little below the level of the hips, and standing stark staring open, to admit the wet, whenever it rains.

1851 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. July 48 For a time he went deranged—became stark, staring crazy.

1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island i. iii. 25 At one look the rum went out of him, and left him staring sober.

1903 A. Bierce Shapes of Clay 217 I'm not Disposed to grapple with so great a matter. 'T would tie my thinker in a double knot And drive me staring mad as any hatter.

1961 Harper's Mag. Mar. 46/1 This would not be happening..if the two Theatre Guild producers weren't..raving, staring crazy.

2002 ‘H. Hill’ Flight from Deathrow ii. 10 Sir Peter Hall was stark staring angry about his considerable loss of face.

2010 M. Dacre Devonshire Folk Tales xvi. 101 Now she is staring mad and squats on her pillow, gibbering.

2. Glaringly; = staringly adv. 3. Chiefly with stark.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > [adverb] > in a strikingly manifest manner

louda1400

loudly1589

grossly1593

signally1598

conspicuously1626

remarkedly1656

staringlya1670

glaringly1709

illustriously1725

noticeably1845

saliently1847

staring1850

blatantly1878

bulgingly1896

1850 Christian Advocate & Jrnl. 11 July 110/6 Of all demonstrable things, none is more stark-staring plain, than that [etc.].

1863 T. Woolner My Beautiful Lady i. xii. 78 Familiar things, that staring plain had been, Fade in mists away.

1938 Nat. Rev. Aug. 223 I am about to make one more attempt to set down for others something that seems so stark staring clear to me.

1994 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 24 Apr. 11 It's stark staring obvious that he needs help—and quickly.

Phrases

† Proverb. there is a difference between staring and stark mad (also stark blind) and variants. Obsolete.Sometimes apparently quoted as a general comment on the existence of fine distinctions.

ΚΠ

1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. vii. sig. Iiii^v The difference betweene staryng, and starke blynde, The wyse man at all tymes to folowe can fynde.

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 64 Descende into your owne conscyences, consider with your selues the greate difference betweene staringe and starke blynde, witte and wisedome, loue and lust.

1592 T. Lodge Euphues Shadow sig. L4 There is a meane in all things Maister, a difference betwixt staring and starke mad.

1629 J. Ford Lovers Melancholy ii. 32 Mel. Am I starke mad? Troll. No, no, you are but a little staring—there's difference betweene staring and starke mad.

1692 J. Hawkins Eng. School-master Compleated xxii. 79 There is difference between staring and stark mad.

1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 200 There's Difference betwixt staring and stark mad.

1787 J. Wolcot Ode upon Ode in Wks. (1812) I. 440 There's odds 'twixt staring and stark mad.

1884 Christian Advocate 12 June 6/4 There's a difference between staring and stark blind.

1896 Western Times (Exeter) 6 May 2/2 The devolution of centralised powers is undoubtedly one of the methods of progress. But there is a difference between staring and stark mad.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	staring
释义	staringn. Brit. /ˈstɛːrɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈstɛrɪŋ/ Forms: see stare v. and -ing suffix¹.; also 1600s– stareing. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: stare v., -ing suffix¹. Etymology: < stare v. + -ing suffix¹. The action of stare v. 1. The action of gazing fixedly with eyes wide open, or of opening the eyes wide. Also: an instance of this; a stare. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [noun] > staring or gazing poring1340 staring1440 gazingc1502 goggling1540 gazement1596 stare-you-out1932 Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 472 Starynge, brode lokynge, patentacio oculorum. ?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.ij^v They songe and daunsed full merely With swerynge and starynge heuen hye. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. l^v We found the body of thesayde Hun..w^t his eyen & mouth fayre closed, withoute any staryng, gapyng or frownyng. 1549 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus 1 Thess. in Paraphr. New Test. ii. 1–8 We came not vnto you, with bragging and staring. 1601 A. Munday & H. Chettle Death Earle of Huntington sig. K2^v A third diuell gaping for my soule, With horrid starings, gastly frighteth me. 1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy iii. iii. ii. i. 682 All those strange gestures of staring, frowning, grinning, rolling of eyes, menacing, gastly looks, [etc.]. 1687 G. L. Gentleman's New Jockey xxii. 84 Frenzy..is known by the staring of the Horse, the distorting of his Eyes [etc.]. 1771 D. Garrick Let. 6 June (1963) II. 744 I am so angry, that I have made one of my Eyes blood shot with staring, & Stretching the Ball. 1795 T. Wilkinson Wandering Patentee III. 104 Belvidera's sighings, screamings, starings, and ravings. 1818 Ld. Byron Beppo lxxvii. 40 Could staring win a woman, this had won her. 1868 London Rev. 15 Aug. 200/1 All the graceless leering and staring comes to nothing. 1932 Vogue Jan. 68 Staring is merely the Cuban way of paying you a great compliment. 1955 R. Matheson in Startling Stories Spring 98/1 My wards are losing patience with your goggling Earthians. I demand you..see to it that this offensive staring ceases. 2009 B. K. Johnson Shan i. 24 After several weeks of staring, I thought I had mastered their names. 2. The action or fact of standing up stiffly (of hair, feathers, etc.). ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > hair > horripilation > [noun] staring1563 bristling1591 horripilation1656 piloerection1930 1563 T. Sackville in W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (new ed.) Induct. sig. Q.iii His cap borne vp with staring of his heare. 1610 G. Markham Maister-peece i. lv. 119 The coldnesse of his stomacke..onely is knowne by the standing vp and staring of his haire. 1687 G. L. Gentleman's New Jockey xxii. 80 The signs demonstrating this distemper or grievance, are the staring of the hair, hanging the head, [etc.]. 1766 Compl. Farmer at Roup Roup, the name of a filthy disease in poultry..known by the staring, or turning back of the feathers. 1817 Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2 91 The symptoms in the early stage are extensive swelling of the leg..; great heat and tension; staring of the hair, with a dead appearance. 1903 Southern Planter May 322/1 The symptoms of the disease are loss of appetite, dullness, cessation of rumination, harshness and staring of the coat. 1970 J. P. Arbuthnott in T. C. Montie et al. Bacterial Toxins v. 225 The animal..shows staring of the coat, a drop in body temperature, and reduced respiration. Compounds staring contest n. a contest or confrontation in which two individuals maintain eye contact for as long as possible, the loser being the first to look away, blink, etc.; originally and frequently figurative. ΚΠ 1899 Belleville (Kansas) Freeman 26 Oct. We opine that in a staring contest between McKinley and Kansas, Kansas has the least cause for embarrassment. 1966 R. V. Cassill Happy Marriage & Other Stories 16 He met his mother's stout gaze in a staring contest, trying to make her admit by at least some flicker of expression that today was different. 1996 Skiing Mar. 54/1 In between helpings of flan, we had staring contests and practiced posing for romance-novel covers. 2006 Time Out N.Y. 16 Feb. 164/4 The next Critical Mass ride is just two days away, and dollars to donuts it'll be the source of another tense staring contest between cycling buffs and the NYPD. † staring-stock n. [compare gazing stock n.] Obsolete the object of stares; a person or thing likely to be stared at. ΚΠ 1541 R. Whitford tr. St. Isidore Instr. Auoyde & eschewe Vices in Dyuers Holy Instrucyons & Teachynges f. 72^v Lette eueryche, therfore behaue hym selfe accordynge vnto hys callynge: so that he make not of hym selfe a starynge stocke. 1837 Amer. Monthly Mag. Apr. 379 I had not the courage to walk out and make myself a staring stock. 1895 G. Griffith Valdar the Oft-born vi. 71 I had no fancy to be the staring-stock of the whole city by the next morning. 1926 Citizen (Gloucester) 25 May 2/4 I insist that I'm not made a staring-stock for the public. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). staringadj.adv. Brit. /ˈstɛːrɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈstɛrɪŋ/ Forms: see stare v. and -ing suffix²; also 1600s– stareing. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: stare v., -ing suffix². Etymology: < stare v. + -ing suffix². With staring blind at sense B. 1 compare earlier star-blind adj.¹ and also stark blind adj.; with staring mad compare stark mad at stark adv. 2a. A. adj. That stares, in senses of the verb. 1. a. Originally: †shining, glittering (obsolete). In later use: (of colours) bright, vivid, garish. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > bright shininga900 lighteOE lightlyOE sheenOE torhtOE shirea1000 steepa1000 shimmeringc1000 brightOE strongOE clear1297 fair?a1300 bright-shininga1387 merrya1393 skirea1400 lucident14.. shimc1400 staringc1400 luculentc1420 splendent1474 illuminousc1485 lucentc1500 bloominga1522 sheer1565 prelucent1568 faculent1575 splendant1578 lucid1591 neat1591 shine1596 translucent1596 well-lighted1606 nitid1615 lucible1623 dilucid1653 translucid1657 hard1660 the world > matter > colour > state or mode of having colour > [adjective] > brightly coloured brightOE gay?c1225 paintedc1400 sheenc1400 staringc1400 freshc1405 wanton1583 splendid1634 amelled1651 vivid1686 strong1711 bloom-bright1832 flamboyant1851 technicolored1927 dazzle1931 Technicolora1940 fauve1967 c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1818 (MED) Ho raȝt hym a riche rynk..Wyth a starande ston stondande alofte. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 5396 He saȝe a dym cloude Full of starand sternes. ?a1534 H. Medwall Nature i. sig. cii^v A staryng colour of scarlet red. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 48 Shynyng full shene as þe shire sternys Or any staring stone. 1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Garish, gaudy, tawdry, bedawbed with Lace, or all bedeck't with mismatcht, or staring Colours. 1793 C. T. Smith D'Arcy 51 A blue sattin gown..and a petticoat of the same stareing color. 1805 T. Hodson & J. Dougall Cabinet of Arts iv. iv. 174 A staring white relieved by an intense black..may produce a certain harsh force. 1878 Eclectic Mag. Sept. 308 The other varieties, beautifully spotted, like large beetles, or striped with bright, staring colors. 1911 G. L. Hill-Lutz Aunt Crete's Emancipation 102 Luella wore..a long, scant, high-waisted robe of fire-red crape,..reflected in staring hues in her already much-burned nose and cheeks. 1956 Manch. Guardian 26 Apr. 5/3 Every one [sc. carpet] was bizarrely patterned, every one in staring colours. 2004 F. Weldon Mantrapped 82 The book had a jacket so terrible—two great rows of chomping shiny white teeth against a staring red background—that I destroyed every one I came across. b. More generally: that obtrudes itself on the view or attention; conspicuous; glaring, egregious. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > [adjective] > strikingly notablea1398 staring?a1425 loud1535 gross1581 strong1583 signal1591 conspicuous1604 marked1620 remarked1623 ranka1640 signalized1652 bold1678 flaming1706 glaring1706 telegraphic1809 salient1841 howling1865 insistent1868 rampageous1889 ?a1425 (a1415) Lanterne of Liȝt (Harl.) (1917) 37 (MED) Miche peple demen it a medeful werke to iape mennes iȝen wiþ..manye veyn staring siȝtis in her chirchis. a1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) i. 9 (MED) Hir clokys also wer daggyd & leyd wyth dyuers colowrs be-twen þe daggys, þat it schuld be þe mor staryng to mennys sygth. a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. clix. f. lxxxvii^v At those dayes in Fraunce was vsyd of prestes, & men of the Church precious, and shewynge vesture, and goldyn, and ryche starynge Gyrdellys with Rynges, and other ornamentis of Golde. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 252 She..perceiued his yies to bee offended with hir ouer wanton and staryng araie. 1698 J. Edwards Serm. Special Occasions & Subj. 297 Yet can you with your Staring Attire outface the very Angels. 1709 G. Berkeley Ess. New Theory of Vision §125. 145 Made up of manifest, staring Contradictions. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 301 Friday..not making quite so staring a Spectre-like Figure as I did. 1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 21 And at last to blurt out the broad staring question, of, madam, will you marry me? 1850 J. S. Blackie in tr. Æschylus Lyrical Dramas II. 8 Not to mention the staring absurdity of the idea. 1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany ii. 15 The staring modern chapels. 1880 C. E. L. Riddell Myst. Palace Gardens ii. 20 A staring new terrace built on the ground which the old house covered. 1894 R. Bridges Shorter Poems (new ed.) v. p. xl That sickly, staring shore. 1902 O. Wister Virginian xxxv. 468 The rustlers..were a staring menace to Wyoming. 1974 Guardian 19 Oct. 11/1 The corporation realised that this action, in the face of staring need, would leave it open to all kinds of criticism. 1988 Representations 22 64 ‘The English law contains nothing which approaches to a definition of relevancy.’ That, to Stephen, is the most staring fault. †c. Of a story: sensational, lurid. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > telling strange stories > [adjective] marvellous1715 teratical1722 staring1753 1753 Scots Mag. Oct. 492/1 I..could..tell a staring story, and humbug with..skill. 1781 F. Burney Jrnl. Aug. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 445 He told us a thousand strange staring stories. 1787 H. L. Piozzi Diary 1 May in Thraliana (1942) II. 681 I find Mr. Smith..told that poor Baby Cecilia a fine staring Tale how my Husband locked me up at Milan and fed me on Bread and Water. 1808 Ann. Rev. Hist. & Lit. 7 660/1 The former of these is a very paltry publication, filled with staring stories from French and German romancers. 1814 F. Burney Wanderer III. 203 I do no' much give my mind to believing all them outlandish fibs, told by travellers. I can hear staring stories eno' by my own fire-side. 2. With reference to mental disturbance or insanity: exhibiting or characterized by staring eyes (see sense A. 3); frantic, wild. In later use also as a simple intensifier, esp. when reinforced by stark (see stark adv. 2b). Cf. B. 1.The date at which the word staryng was added to the text cited in quot. c1449 is impossible to ascertain precisely. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [adjective] > frenzied or raging aweddeOE woodc1000 woodlyc1000 wildc1300 franticc1390 ramage1440 welling woodc1440 staringc1449 rammistc1455 rabious1460 horn-wood?a1500 rammisha1500 enragea1522 frenzic1547 wood-like1578 horn-mad1579 woodful1582 frenzicala1586 ragefula1586 rabid1594 ravening1599 ravenous1607 Pythic1640 exorbitant1668 frenziful1726 haggard-wild1786 frenzied1796 maenadic1830 berserk1867 up the wall1951 ballistic1981 c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 371 In wantowne and nyse disgisingis of araies (and so forth of manye othere staryng gouernauncis, semyng summe wijlde woode [with staryng added by a later hand]). 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke vi. f. 6–11 Thei are turned into stercke staryng madnesse. 1565 B. Garter Tragicall Hist. Two Eng. Louers f. 49 To her mother stept she vp, with wild and staring looke. 1607 T. Walkington Optick Glasse iii. 21 Who knowes not that..goggle eyes [denotate] a starke-staring foole? 1691 T. Shadwell Scowrers ii. i. 11 This is stark staring madness, why this lewd Cozen of ours, they say, has had all the women in Town that are to be had for Love or Money. 1769 I. Watts Treat. Educ. Children & Youth (new ed.) ii. 29 May not Children be warned against a staring Look, against stretching their Eye-lids into a Glare of Wildness? 1848 P. J. Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 309 The staring madness when we wake and find That what we have loved..is not that We meant to love. 1900 Social-Democrat Feb. 35 His grandfather..acquired the unenviable reputation of being a stark, staring raving madman, because of his heterodox ideas on matters of Church and State, and his activity in propagating them. 1920 G. MacDonald North Door xlii. 330 He must a been either staring or stark mad, for he sez, [etc.]. 1950 Sight & Sound Nov. 284/2 The whole business culminates..in staring madness, and violent death. 2010 Evening Standard (Nexis) 14 Jan. Bleach gives a coarse-grained portrayal of growling, staring lunacy. 3. That looks fixedly with wide open eyes; that opens the eyes wide. Also applied to the eyes, the gaze, etc. Also figurative, of windows, lights, etc. (cf. stare v. 1d). ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > [adjective] > staring or gazing gloringa1400 staring1483 glowering?a1513 gazing1553 gauring1558 gawish1567 gazeful1595 gawking1817 gazy1883 whole-eyed1911 1483 W. Caxton in tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccclxxxxvij/1 There came one stertyng out al brennyng in fyre and stared ful ghastlye on them with grete staryng eyen. a1547 Earl of Surrey Poems (1964) 12 He cast on me a staring loke, with colour pale and ded. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vii. sig. S6^v Their staring eyes sparckling with feruent fyre, And vgly shapes did nigh the man dismay. 1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. H The staring ruffian shall it keepe in quiet. View more context for this quotation 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 902 Then nightly singes the staring Owle Tu-whit to-who. View more context for this quotation 1641 Novembris Monstrum 111 Orphæus staring eyes with fire glow. 1646 R. Crashaw Sospetto d'Herode vii, in Steps to Temple 53 Such his fell glances as the fatall Light Of staring Comets, that looke Kingdomes dead. 1682 N. O. tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin ii. 17 With hollow Cheeks, and staring Eyes she view'd him. 1733 M. Masters Poems Several Occasions 214 And now, just yawning from their Beds, With staring Eyes, and aching Heads, In Troops the gay Adventurers meet. 1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. xvi. 92 The man is a very confident, he is a very bold, staring man! 1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 221 The countenance is wild, the eyes red and staring. 1816 W. Scott Old Mortality v, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 98 ‘How came the fellow here?—Speak, you staring fool,’ he added. 1845 B. Disraeli Sybil II. iv. i. 155 I have sent his vulgar wife and great staring daughter a card for next Wednesday! 1861 C. Dickens Let. 29 Oct. (1997) IX. 486 They were an intent and staring audience. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 120 Powell describes a slightly staring, suffused, and anxious expression of countenance as most common. 1909 J. H. Brower Mills of Mammon 240 When Mickey reached the little cottage..he found a ‘For Rent’ sign on both gate and staring windows. 1939 Street & Smith's Western Story Mag. 23 Sept. 24/1 Marshall nodded grimly, trying to read some message to the riddle in the staring eyes. 2005 L. Tuttle Mysteries 94 I gave the blankly staring Dawney a big smile. 4. Of hair, feathers, etc.: standing up, bristling. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > hair > horripilation > [adjective] staring1578 upstaring1590 upstart1590 upstarted1602 bristling1607 erected1610 starting1680 horrent1744 horripilant1837 stivereda1855 erect1870 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball v. xvi. 569 It layeth downe the staring heares of the eyebrowes. 1609 C. Butler Feminine Monarchie iii. sig. C4 Cut awaie all those staring strawes, twigs, or other offensiue ragges that are fast in the hiue. 1674 A. Cremer tr. J. Scheffer Hist. Lapland 136 Mountain Mice..which Wormius describes with short tails and staring hair. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 120 The water-Snake..With staring Scales lies poyson'd in his Bed. View more context for this quotation 1730 W. Burdon Gentleman's Pocket-farrier (1735) 63 If your Horse is brought to you with a staring Coat and hollow Flank. 1799 J. Banister Synopsis Husb. 370 The sheep dealer, who by dexterously removing with the sheers each staring lock..adds so smart an air to their appearance, as to attract the eye greatly in their favour. 1860 E. Mayhew Illustr. Horse Doctor 7 The eye is closed; the skin cold, and the coat staring. 1921 Forest & Stream May 238/1 (advt.) A marvelous tonic for dogs that are out of sorts, run down, thin and unthrifty, with harsh staring coat. 1967 M. Stewart Gabriel Hounds xviii. 235 The three big birds..raced with hunched and staring feathers up the rocky shore. 2007 P. Barker Life Class xxv. 184/7 He was attractive, in spite of his freckly skin and staring hair. B. adv. 1. In a manner or to an extent characterized by staring, as of a mad or (now less commonly) blind person; esp. as staring blind, staring mad. In later use usually reinforced by stark (see stark adv. 2b). Also as a general intensifier, esp. with reference to other mental states, as staring drunk, staring sober, etc. Cf. staringly adv. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > utterly allOE allOE outlyOE thwert-outc1175 skerea1225 thoroughc1225 downrightc1275 purec1300 purelyc1300 faira1325 finelyc1330 quitec1330 quitelyc1330 utterlyc1374 outerlya1382 plainlya1382 straighta1387 allutterly1389 starkc1390 oultrelya1393 plata1393 barec1400 outrightc1400 incomparablyc1422 absolutely?a1425 simpliciter?a1425 staringa1425 quitementa1450 properlyc1450 directly1455 merec1475 incomparable1482 preciselyc1503 clean?1515 cleara1522 plain1535 merely1546 stark1553 perfectly1555 right-down1566 simply1574 flat1577 flatly1577 skire1581 plumb1588 dead?1589 rankly1590 stark1593 sheera1600 start1599 handsmooth1600 peremptory1601 sheerly1601 rank1602 utter1619 point-blank1624 proofa1625 peremptorily1626 downrightly1632 right-down1646 solid1651 clever1664 just1668 hollow1671 entirely1673 blank1677 even down1677 cleverly1696 uncomparatively1702 subtly1733 point1762 cussed1779 regularly1789 unqualifiedly1789 irredeemably1790 positively1800 cussedly1802 heart1812 proper1816 slick1818 blankly1822 bang1828 smack1828 pluperfectly1831 unmitigatedly1832 bodaciously1833 unredeemedly1835 out of sight1839 bodacious1845 regular1846 thoroughly1846 ingrainedly1869 muckinga1880 fucking1893 motherless1898 self1907 stone1928 sideways1956 terminally1974 c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 508 He him bi stod, Starinde als he were wod.] a1425 (?a1400) Cloud of Unknowing (Harl. 674) (1944) 98 (MED) Bot ȝif God schewe his merciful miracle to make hem sone leue of, þei schul loue God so longe on þis maner þat þei schul go staryng wood to þe deuil. 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xlvi Some ar so starynge mad that none can them holde. 1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes lxix. sig. Ciii I thinke it as good, by ought I can deuise, To be starke staryng blinde, as thus to haue eies. ?1555 Image of Idlenesse sig. E.iiii Then must he streyght wayes seme to be starke starynge madde. 1649 Mercurius Elencticus No. 26. 201 Brave Lilburne! thou the day has got, And made thy Friends full glad; Whil'st Bradshaw, Prideaux, Vane and Scot, Are all run staring-mad. 1719 W. Taverner 'Tis Well if it Takes i. iii. 11 A Man of Threescore must be stark staring Mad to suppose he can break the Fast of a Widow. 1798 W. Cobbett Democratic Judge Mar. 85 When they were stark staring drunk with revolutionary triumph, they had the good sense..to cling fast round this old trunk of solid and substantial liberty. 1836 Satirist 10 Apr. 118/3 Counter witnesses..affirmed that he was stark staring sober. 1839 John Bull 8 Dec. 585/1 They have pockets in front, a little below the level of the hips, and standing stark staring open, to admit the wet, whenever it rains. 1851 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. July 48 For a time he went deranged—became stark, staring crazy. 1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island i. iii. 25 At one look the rum went out of him, and left him staring sober. 1903 A. Bierce Shapes of Clay 217 I'm not Disposed to grapple with so great a matter. 'T would tie my thinker in a double knot And drive me staring mad as any hatter. 1961 Harper's Mag. Mar. 46/1 This would not be happening..if the two Theatre Guild producers weren't..raving, staring crazy. 2002 ‘H. Hill’ Flight from Deathrow ii. 10 Sir Peter Hall was stark staring angry about his considerable loss of face. 2010 M. Dacre Devonshire Folk Tales xvi. 101 Now she is staring mad and squats on her pillow, gibbering. 2. Glaringly; = staringly adv. 3. Chiefly with stark. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > [adverb] > in a strikingly manifest manner louda1400 loudly1589 grossly1593 signally1598 conspicuously1626 remarkedly1656 staringlya1670 glaringly1709 illustriously1725 noticeably1845 saliently1847 staring1850 blatantly1878 bulgingly1896 1850 Christian Advocate & Jrnl. 11 July 110/6 Of all demonstrable things, none is more stark-staring plain, than that [etc.]. 1863 T. Woolner My Beautiful Lady i. xii. 78 Familiar things, that staring plain had been, Fade in mists away. 1938 Nat. Rev. Aug. 223 I am about to make one more attempt to set down for others something that seems so stark staring clear to me. 1994 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 24 Apr. 11 It's stark staring obvious that he needs help—and quickly. Phrases † Proverb. there is a difference between staring and stark mad (also stark blind) and variants. Obsolete.Sometimes apparently quoted as a general comment on the existence of fine distinctions. ΚΠ 1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. vii. sig. Iiii^v The difference betweene staryng, and starke blynde, The wyse man at all tymes to folowe can fynde. 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 64 Descende into your owne conscyences, consider with your selues the greate difference betweene staringe and starke blynde, witte and wisedome, loue and lust. 1592 T. Lodge Euphues Shadow sig. L4 There is a meane in all things Maister, a difference betwixt staring and starke mad. 1629 J. Ford Lovers Melancholy ii. 32 Mel. Am I starke mad? Troll. No, no, you are but a little staring—there's difference betweene staring and starke mad. 1692 J. Hawkins Eng. School-master Compleated xxii. 79 There is difference between staring and stark mad. 1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 200 There's Difference betwixt staring and stark mad. 1787 J. Wolcot Ode upon Ode in Wks. (1812) I. 440 There's odds 'twixt staring and stark mad. 1884 Christian Advocate 12 June 6/4 There's a difference between staring and stark blind. 1896 Western Times (Exeter) 6 May 2/2 The devolution of centralised powers is undoubtedly one of the methods of progress. But there is a difference between staring and stark mad. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1440adj.adv.c1400
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