STIFF, a. [Gr.] 1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid; rigid; applicable to any substance; as stiff wood; stiff paper; cloth stiff with starch; a limb stiff with frost. They, rising on stiff pinions, tower the mid aerial sky. 2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; not soft nor hard. Thus melted metals grow stiff as they cool; they are stiff before they are hard. The paste is too stiff, or not stiff enough. 3. Strong; violent; impetuous in motion; as in seamens language, a stiff gale or breeze. 4. Hardy; stubborn; not easily subdued. How stiff is my vile sense! 5. Obstinate; pertinacious; firm in perseverance or resistance. 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. 6. Harsh; formal; constrained; not natural and easy; as a stiff formal style. 7. Formal in manner; constrained; affected; starched; not easy or natural; as stiff behavior. The French are open, familiar and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious and reserved. 8. Strongly maintained, or asserted with good evidence. This is stiff news. 9. In seamens language, a stiff vessel is one that will bear sufficient sail without danger of oversetting.
adj 1: not moving or operating freely; "a stiff hinge" 2: powerful; "a stiff current"; "a stiff breeze" 3: rigidly formal; "a starchy manner"; "the letter was stiff and formal"; "his prose has a buckram quality" [syn: starchy, stiff, buckram] 4: having a strong physiological or chemical effect; "a potent toxin"; "potent liquor"; "a potent cup of tea", "a stiff drink" [syn: potent, strong, stiff] [ant: impotent] 5: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable; "firm convictions"; "a firm mouth"; "steadfast resolve"; "a man of unbendable perseverence"; "unwavering loyalty" [syn: firm, steadfast, steady, stiff, unbendable, unfaltering, unshakable, unwavering] 6: 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" [syn: rigid, stiff] 7: very drunk [syn: besotted, blind drunk, blotto, crocked, cockeyed, fuddled, loaded, pie-eyed, pissed, pixilated, plastered, slopped, sloshed, smashed, soaked, soused, sozzled, squiffy, stiff, tight, wet] n 1: an ordinary man; "a lucky stiff"; "a working stiff" 2: 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" [syn: cadaver, corpse, stiff, clay, remains] adv 1: extremely; "bored stiff"; "frightened stiff" 2: in a stiff manner; "his hands lay stiffly" [syn: stiffly, stiff]
I. adjectiveEtymology: Middle English stif, from Old English st?f; akin to Middle Dutch stijf stiff, Latin stipare to press together, Greek steibein to tread on Date: before 12th century 1.a. not easily bent ;rigid<a stiff collar> b. lacking in suppleness or flexibility <stiff muscles> c. impeded in movement used of a mechanism <a truck's stiff suspension> d.drunk 1a 2.a.firm, resoluteb.stubborn, unyieldingc.proudd.(1) marked by reserve or decorum (2) lacking in ease or grace ;stilted3. hard fought ;pugnacious, sharp<drove a stiff bargain> <stiff competition> 4.a.(1) exerting great force <a stiff wind> (2)forceful, vigorousb.potent<a stiff dose> <poured her a stiff drink> 5. of a dense or glutinous consistency ;thick6.a.harsh, severe<a stiff penalty> b.arduous, rugged<stiff terrain> 7. not easily heeled over by an external force (as the wind) <a stiff ship> 8.expensive, steep<paid a stiff price> stiffishadjective stifflyadverb stiffnessnoun Synonyms:stiff, rigid, inflexible mean difficult to bend. stiff may apply to any degree of this condition <stretching keeps your muscles from becoming stiff>. rigid applies to something so stiff that it cannot be bent without breaking <a rigid surfboard>. inflexible stresses lack of suppleness or pliability <ski boots with inflexible soles>. II. adverbDate: 13th century 1. in a stiff manner ; stiffly 2. to an extreme degree ; severely <scared stiff> <bored stiff> 3. close enough to the hole for an easy putt in golf <hit it stiff and tapped it in for an easy birdie> III. nounDate: circa 1859 1.corpse2.a.tramp, bumb. a member of the working class; especially a blue-collar worker c.person<a lucky stiff>; especially a stodgy or excessively decorous person 3.flop, failureIV. verbDate: 1950 transitive verb1.a. to refuse to pay or tip <stiffed the waiter> b.cheat<stiffed him in a business deal> c.stick 7a <stiffed us with the bar bill> 2.snub 3 <stiffed sportswriters after the game> intransitive verb to fail commercially <the movie stiffed at the box office>
adj. & n. --adj. 1 rigid; not flexible. 2 hard to bend or move or turn etc.; not working freely. 3 hard to cope with; needing strength or effort (a stiff test; a stiff climb). 4 severe or strong (a stiff breeze; a stiff penalty). 5 (of a person or manner) formal, constrained; lacking spontaneity. 6 (of a muscle or limb etc., or a person affected by these) aching when used, owing to previous exertion, injury, etc. 7 (of an alcoholic or medicinal drink) strong. 8 (predic.) colloq. to an extreme degree (bored stiff; scared stiff). 9 (foll. by with) colloq. abounding in (a place stiff with tourists). --n. sl. 1 a corpse. 2 a foolish or useless person (you big stiff). Phrases and idioms: stiff neck a rheumatic condition in which the head cannot be turned without pain. stiff-necked obstinate or haughty. stiff upper lip firmness, fortitude. Derivatives: stiffish adj. stiffly adv. stiffness n. Etymology: OE stif f. Gmc
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, Stifle, Stipulate, Stive to stuff.] 1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints. [They] rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid a["e]rial sky. --Milton. 2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff. 3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze. 4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary. It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument. --Jer. Taylor. A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause, Stiff to defend their hospitable laws. --Dryden. 5. 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. --Addison. 6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] ``This is stiff news.'' --Shak. 7. (Naut.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank. --Totten. 8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price. [Slang] Stiff neck, a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain. Syn: Rigid; inflexible; strong; hardly; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; harsh; formal; constrained; affected; starched; rigorous.
(stiffer, stiffest) 1. Something that is stiff is firm or does not bend easily. His waterproof trousers were brand new and stiff...Clean the mussels with a stiff brush under cold running water.= rigid ADJ stifflyMoira sat stiffly upright in her straight-backed chair.ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v 2. Something such as a door or drawer that is stiff does not move as easily as it should. Train doors have handles on the inside. They are stiff so that they cannot be opened accidentally.ADJ 3. If you are stiff, your muscles or joints hurt when you move, because of illness or because of too much exercise. The Mud Bath is particularly recommended for relieving tension and stiff muscles...I'm stiff all over right nowI hope I can recover for tomorrow's race.ADJ stifflyHe climbed stiffly from the Volkswagen.ADV 4. Stiff behaviour is rather formal and not very friendly or relaxed. They always seemed a little awkward with each other, a bit stiff and formal.ADJ stiffly'Why don't you borrow your sister's car?' said Cassandra stiffly....a stiffly worded letter of complaint.ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj 5. Stiff can be used to mean difficult or severe. The film faces stiff competition for the Best Film nomination...Under Greece's stiff anti-drugs laws they could face twenty years in jail.ADJ: usu ADJ n 6. A stiff drink is a large amount of a strong alcoholic drink. ...a stiff whisky.= large ADJ: ADJ n 7. If you are bored stiff, worried stiff, or scared stiff, you are extremely bored, worried, or scared. (INFORMAL) Anna tried to look interested. Actually, she was bored stiff...ADV: adj ADV [emphasis] Stiff is also an adjective. Even if he bores you stiff, it is good manners not to let him know it.ADJ: v n ADJ