stiff

stiff
stiff [stif]
adj.
[ME stif < OE, akin to Ger steif < IE * stip-, a pole, stick together (var. of base * steib(h)-, rod) > L stipes, stem, stake, log, stipare, to crowd, cram]
1. hard to bend or stretch; rigid; firm; not flexible or pliant
2. hard to move or operate; not free or limber
3. stretched tight; taut; tense
4.
a) sore or limited in movement: said of joints and muscles
b) having such joints or muscles, as from exertion, cold, etc.
5. not fluid or loose; viscous; thick; dense; firm [to beat egg whites until stiff]
6. strong; specif.,
a) moving swiftly, as a breeze or current
b) containing much alcohol: said of a drink
c) of high potency [a stiff dose of medicine]
d) done or delivered with great force; powerful
7. harsh [stiff punishment]
8. difficult to do or deal with [a stiff climb, stiff competition]
9. excessively formal, constrained, or awkward; not easy, natural, or graceful
10. resolute, stubborn, or uncompromising, as a person, a fight, etc.
11. Informal high or excessive [a stiff price]
12. Slang drunk; intoxicated
13. Naut. not careening or heeling over much despite the amount of sail carried or the strength of the wind
adv.
1. to a stiff condition
2. Informal completely; thoroughly [scared stiff]
n.
Slang
☆ 1. a corpse
☆ 2. a drunken person
3. an excessively formal or constrained person
☆ 4. an awkward or rough person
☆ 5. a hobo
☆ 6. a man [a working stiff]
7. a person who gives a small tip or no gratuity at all
☆ vt.
stiffed, stiffing Slang
1. to cheat (someone), as by not paying
2. to fail to leave a tip for
SYN.- FIRM1
stiffish
adj.
stiffly
adv.
stiffness
n.

English World dictionary. . 2014.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • stiff´ly — stiff «stihf», adjective, adverb, noun, verb. –adj. 1. not easily bent; fixed; rigid: »a stiff brush. He wore a stiff collar. 2. hard to move: »a stiff gear. The old hinges on the barn door are stiff. 3. not able to move easily: »a stiff neck.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Stiff — Stiff, a. [Compar. {Stiffer}; superl. {Stiffest}.] [OE. stif, AS. st[=i]f; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. st[=i]fr, Lith. stipti to be stiff; cf. L. stipes a post, trunk of a tree, stipare to press, compress. Cf. {Costive} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Stiff — may refer to:*Stiffness, a material s resistance to bending *Stiff differential equation, an equation that exhibits behaviour at two widely different scales (the differential equations describing stiff materials are stiff differential equations)… …   Wikipedia

  • stiff — [stɪf] verb [transitive] informal to not pay someone money that you owe them or that they expect to be given, for example by not leaving a tip in a restaurant see also working stiff * * * Ⅰ. stiff UK US /stɪf/ adjective ► …   Financial and business terms

  • Stiff — bezeichnet: Stiff Records, ein britisches Independent Label Stiff Little Fingers, eine Punkband aus Belfast Stiff man Syndrom, eine neurologische Krankheit Stiff Upper Lip, ein Albumtitel von AC/DC Stiff ist der Familienname folgender Person:… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • stiff — stiff; stiff·en; stiff·en·er; stiff·ish; stiff·ly; stiff·ness; …   English syllables

  • stiff — [adj1] hard, inflexible annealed, arthritic, benumbed, brittle, buckram, cemented, chilled, congealed, contracted, creaky, firm, fixed, frozen, graceless, hardened, immalleable, impliable, incompliant, indurate, inelastic, jelled, mechanical,… …   New thesaurus

  • stiff — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not easily bent; rigid. 2) not moving freely; difficult to turn or operate. 3) unable to move easily and without pain. 4) not relaxed or friendly; constrained. 5) severe or strong: stiff fines. 6) (stiff with) informal full of …   English terms dictionary

  • stiff´en|er — stiff|en «STIHF uhn», transitive verb. to make stiff or stiffer: »She stiffened the shirt with starch. –v.i. to become stiff or stiffer: »The jelly will stiffen as it cools. The wind was stiffening as the storm approached. Figurative. He… …   Useful english dictionary

  • stiff|en — «STIHF uhn», transitive verb. to make stiff or stiffer: »She stiffened the shirt with starch. –v.i. to become stiff or stiffer: »The jelly will stiffen as it cools. The wind was stiffening as the storm approached. Figurative. He stiffened with… …   Useful english dictionary

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