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Fine Dictionary

stiff

stɪf
WordNet
Strip of natural colored appliqué lace, bobbin lace appliqued on machine tulle. Stiff symmetrical design on a background strewn with Mosaic. The capillaries between scallops with campanes are formed by hanging twigs, which are decorated with growing leaves and a rosette flower. Loose above the scallops is a straight twig, one with three flowers.
Strip of natural colored appliqué lace, bobbin lace appliqued on machine tulle. Stiff symmetrical design on a background strewn with Mosaic. The capillaries between scallops with campanes are formed by hanging twigs, which are decorated with growing leaves and a rosette flower. Loose above the scallops is a straight twig, one with three flowers.
  1. (adj) stiff
    very drunk
  2. (adj) stiff
    incapable of or resistant to bending "a rigid strip of metal","a table made of rigid plastic","a palace guardsman stiff as a poker","stiff hair","a stiff neck"
  3. (adj) stiff
    rigidly formal "a starchy manner","the letter was stiff and formal","his prose has a buckram quality"
  4. (adj) stiff
    not moving or operating freely "a stiff hinge"
  5. (adj) stiff
    having a strong physiological or chemical effect "a potent toxin","potent liquor","a potent cup of tea", "a stiff drink"
  6. (adj) stiff
    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable "firm convictions","a firm mouth","steadfast resolve","a man of unbendable perseverence","unwavering loyalty"
  7. (adj) stiff
    powerful "a stiff current","a stiff breeze"
  8. (adv) stiff
    in a stiff manner "his hands lay stiffly"
  9. (adv) stiff
    extremely "bored stiff","frightened stiff"
  10. (n) stiff
    the dead body of a human being "the cadaver was intended for dissection","the end of the police search was the discovery of a corpse","the murderer confessed that he threw the stiff in the river","honor comes to bless the turf that wraps their clay"
  11. (n) stiff
    an ordinary man "a lucky stiff","a working stiff"
Illustrations
On the lattice ground, a ground of Mechelen (also called ice ground), under a stiff row of leaves and flowers there is a row of double twigs, with small flowers and leaves on an upright branch and a hanging rose on a side branch. The latter forms the shells with 'railways'. Malines lace.
On the lattice ground, a ground of Mechelen (also called ice ground), under a stiff row of leaves and flowers there is a row of double twigs, with small flowers and leaves on an upright branch and a hanging rose on a side branch. The latter forms the shells with 'railways'. Malines lace.
On a base of square mesh, above a wide and closed scallop edge, there are stiff twigs on which three berries grow. A sauce is placed between each twig. Valenciennes lace.
On a base of square mesh, above a wide and closed scallop edge, there are stiff twigs on which three berries grow. A sauce is placed between each twig. Valenciennes lace.
On a base of square mesh, above a closed scallop edge, there are stiff twigs, on which two berries grow. A sauce is placed between each twig. Valenciennes lace.
On a base of square mesh, above a closed scallop edge, there are stiff twigs, on which two berries grow. A sauce is placed between each twig. Valenciennes lace.
Gold watch with enamelled back. On this a palm with stiff flower tendrils.
Gold watch with enamelled back. On this a palm with stiff flower tendrils.
Strip of natural colored bobbin lace, Cluny lace. The repeating pattern consists of stiff linen work with a large openwork circular field, in which a circle has been made with picotated braids with a horizontal centerline from which four diamond-shaped spokes emerge. With small recesses in the linen work, the contours of a square have been created around this field. Along the underside of the strip, right below this square, there is an open-worked shell in the linen work, and at a short distance from this, right below the dividing line between the squares, another open-worked shell. The top of the strip has a straight finish.
Strip of natural colored bobbin lace, Cluny lace. The repeating pattern consists of stiff linen work with a large openwork circular field, in which a circle has been made with picotated braids with a horizontal centerline from which four diamond-shaped spokes emerge. With small recesses in the linen work, the contours of a square have been created around this field. Along the underside of the strip, right below this square, there is an open-worked shell in the linen work, and at a short distance from this, right below the dividing line between the squares, another open-worked shell. The top of the strip has a straight finish.
Silver oval bracelet with black enamel. Stiff, spherical oval, with hinge and snap closure. Exterior decorated with enamel, tendril with flowers, in which seed pearls (two are missing). Brands: M u S 5 / M & S / dog head with left 3 and right A / wild boar head.
Silver oval bracelet with black enamel. Stiff, spherical oval, with hinge and snap closure. Exterior decorated with enamel, tendril with flowers, in which seed pearls (two are missing). Brands: M u S 5 / M & S / dog head with left 3 and right A / wild boar head.
Advertisement for Ellimans Universal Embrocation for stiffness, sprains and pains. Woman with a golf club in the hands. She wears a belted blouse over a wide skirt. A cap on the head. In the background two more golfers.
Advertisement for Ellimans Universal Embrocation for stiffness, sprains and pains. Woman with a golf club in the hands. She wears a belted blouse over a wide skirt. A cap on the head. In the background two more golfers.
Children's hat made of brown silk, decorated with broad silver trim and trimmed with lace. Stiff mesh interior. Lining in gray and blue, striped linen lace trim with tulle doorstop.
Children's hat made of brown silk, decorated with broad silver trim and trimmed with lace. Stiff mesh interior. Lining in gray and blue, striped linen lace trim with tulle doorstop.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
  1. Stiff
    (Naut) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank.
  2. Stiff
    Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.
  3. Stiff
    Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. "This is stiff news."
  4. Stiff
    Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary. "It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument.", "A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause, Stiff to defend their hospitable laws."
  5. Stiff
    Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style. "The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff , ceremonious, and reserved."
  6. Stiff
    Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  1. stiff
    Rigid; not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid: as, stiff paper; a cravat stiff with starch.
  2. stiff
    Not fluid: thick and tenacious; neither soft nor hard: as, a stiff batter; stiff clay.
  3. stiff
    Drawn tight; tense: as, a stiff cord.
  4. stiff
    Not easily bent: not to be moved without great friction or exertion; not working smoothly or easily.
  5. stiff
    Not natural and easy in movement; not flowing or graceful; cramped; constrained: as, a stiff style of writing or speaking.
  6. stiff
    Rigidly ceremonious; formal in manner; constrained; affected; unbending; starched: as, a stiff deportment.
  7. stiff
    Strong and steady in motion: as, a stiff breeze.
  8. stiff
    Strong; lusty; stanch, both physically and mentally.
  9. stiff
    Strong: said of an alcoholic drink, or mixed drink of which spirit forms a part.
  10. stiff
    Firm in resistance or persistence; obstinate; stubborn; pertinacious.
  11. stiff
    Hard to receive or accept; hard to bear.
  12. stiff
    Hard to master or overcome; very difficult: as, a stiff examination in mathematics.
  13. stiff
    Nautical, bearing a press of canvas or of wind without careening much; tending to keep upright: as, a stiff vessel; a stiff keel: opposed to crank.
  14. stiff
    High; steep: as, a stiff price.
  15. stiff
    Unyielding; firm: said of prices, markets, etc.: as, the wheat-market is stiff.
  16. stiff
    Rigid as in death; dead.
  17. stiff
    Synonyms Unbending, unyielding.
  18. stiff
    Prim, punctilious.
  19. stiff
    Inflexible, uncompromising.
  20. (n) stiff
    A dead body; a corpse.
  21. (n) stiff
    In hatting, a stiffener.
  22. (n) stiff
    Negotiable paper.
  23. (n) stiff
    Forged paper.
  24. stiff
    To become or grow stiff. To become upright or strong.
  25. stiff
    To become obstinate or stubborn.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
  1. (adj) Stiff
    stif not easily bent: rigid: not liquid: rather hard than soft: not easily overcome: obstinate: not natural and easy: constrained: formal: hard to overcome, difficult: firm, of prices, &c.: dead, rigid in death:
  2. (n) Stiff
    (slang) a corpse: negotiable paper: forged paper
  3. (v.i) Stiff
    to become stiff: to become less impressible or more obstinate
  4. (adj) Stiff
    stif (naut.) keeping upright
Quotations
Gilbert K. Chesterton
A stiff apology is a second insult. The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.
Gilbert K. Chesterton
Meg Greenfield
Everybody's for democracy in principle. It's only in practice that the thing gives rise to stiff objections.
Meg Greenfield
Twenty can't be expected to tolerate sixty in all things, and sixty gets bored stiff with twenty's eternal love affairs.
Emily Carr
Now stiff on a pillar with a phallic air nelson stylites in Trafalgar square reminds the British what once they were.
Lawrence Durrell
(Decimus Junius Juvenalis) Juvenal
A hairy body, and arms stiff with bristles, give promise of a manly soul.
(Decimus Junius Juvenalis) Juvenal
George Bernard Shaw
We mustn't be stiff and stand-off, you know. We must be thoroughly democratic, and patronize everybody without distinction of class.
George Bernard Shaw
Idioms

Stiff as a poker - Something or someone that is stiff as a poker is inflexible. ('Stiff as a board' is also used.)

Stiff upper lip - (UK) If you keep your emotions to yourself and don't let others know how you feel when something bad happens, you keep a stiff upper lip.

Stiff-necked - A stiff-necked person is rather formal and finds it hard to relax in company.

Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary OE. stif, AS. stīf,; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. stīfr, Lith. stipti, to be stiff; cf. L. stipes, a post, trunk of a tree, stipare, to press, compress. Cf. Costive Stifle Stipulate Stive to stuff

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary A.S. stíf, stiff; Dut. stijf, Dan. stiv.

Usage in the news

The Rangers said Darvish felt the stiffness Tuesday morning, came in for treatment and still had stiffness . espn.go.com

Sox's Konerko sidelined with back stiffness . chicagotribune.com

Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz left Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning with low back stiffness . espn.go.com

"He's stiff today," manager Dale Sveum said. chicagotribune.com

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images Russell Martin experienced more lower back stiffness yesterday in his first game back and isn't in tonight's starting lineup. nj.com

Astros bump Norris' start back two days with arm stiffness . blog.chron.com

EPA/BRIAN BLANCO The Yankees are bringing Derek Jeter along slowly as he battles calf stiffness . nj.com

Derek Jeter is being brought along slowly from the calf stiffness that has had him sidelined since last Friday. nj.com

Jim McIsaac/Getty Lucas Duda continues to rest his stiff back. nj.com

"It's just stiff ," Duda said. nj.com

Lucas Duda was held out of the Mets lineup for the third-consecutive day due to stiffness in his back. nj.com

Mets' David Wright still dealing with back stiffness . nj.com

Reese Havens has missed the past few days due to a stiff back, which fits the unfortunate pattern of his career. nj.com

The Tigers had to scratch Magglio Ordonez from today's lineup, with what they described as minor stiffness in his left knee. blog.mlive.com

First thing in the morning the spine will be more mechanically stiff due to the swollen discs. chiroweb.com

Usage in scientific papers

Because spectral stiffness is a characteristic feature of RMT, it is natural to describe the chiral phase transition in terms of a random matrix model.
Random Matrix Theory and Chiral Symmetry in QCD

Hartmann, Scaling of Stiffness Energy for 3d ±J Ising Spin Glasses, Phys.
Computer Science in Physics

To check that the probability PF M (L, ∆) < 1 is not due to so called stiff spins, i.e., single spins for which hi ≥ 4J , we next derive an extreme statistics formula for their existence.
Susceptibility and Percolation in 2D Random Field Ising Magnets

This is true for distributions for which one can control the fraction of “stiff ” spins (i.e. hi > 4J ) systematically.
Susceptibility and Percolation in 2D Random Field Ising Magnets

The question addressed here concerns the stiffness of interfaces.
Rigidity of the interface for percolation and random-cluster models

Usage in literature

All these tapers gives stiffness where it is most needed. "Handwork in Wood" by William Noyes

She was growing stiff and cramped, yet dared not move much. "A Voice in the Wilderness" by Grace Livingston Hill

A stiff breeze was blowing, and the watch were on deck, ready for reducing sail or any emergency. "The Adventures of Don Lavington" by George Manville Fenn

But Dick seemed to feel a certain stiffness in their welcome that was unusual. "Army Boys on the Firing Line" by Homer Randall

Mash freshly boiled potatoes, add one egg and flour to make a stiff dough. "My Pet Recipes, Tried and True" by Various

Indeed, throat stiffness is one of the most serious difficulties of modern Voice Culture. "The Psychology of Singing" by David C. Taylor

The dog was laid upon a table, with his legs stuck out which he made as stiff as possible. "Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals" by R. Lee

He was ungenial, ungainly, with large hands and feet, with poor eyesight and a stiff address. "The Long Roll" by Mary Johnston

They was scared stiff, too stiff to talk. "Shorty McCabe" by Sewell Ford

An' I'm gettin' stiff. "Janet of the Dunes" by Harriet T. Comstock

Usage in poetry
The naked and stiff branches
Of oak, elm, thorn,
In the cold light are like men aged and
Forlorn.
"Last Hours" by John Freeman Author object (372)
So I, as I grow stiff and cold
To this and that say Good-bye too;
And everybody sees that I am old
But you.
"A Quoi Bon Dire" by Charlotte Mary Mew Author object (111)
She, who so long has lain
Stone-stiff with folded wings,
Within my heart again
The brown bird wakes and sings.
"New Love, New Life" by Amy Levy Author object (34)
When it was — " Don't you take no sail off 'er"
The Ol' Man'd say,
Beard an' whiskers starin'
Stiff with frozen spray —
"What The Old Man Said" by Cicely Fox Smith
Sore wonder’d then the little elves,
Who sat within the hill,
To see their mother, all at once,
Stand likewise stiff and still:
"Saint Oluf (From The Old Danish)" by George Borrow Author object (236)
Kyng Estmere threwe the harpe asyde,
And swith he drew his brand;
And Estmere he, and Adler yonge,
Right stiffe in stour can stand.
"King Estmere" by Anonymous British