stif.html - See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, SCARE OUT OF ONE'S WITS or SCARE STIFF.

stif.html - 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).

stiff neck a rheumatic condition in which the head cannot be turned without pain. stiff-necked obstinate or haughty. stiff upper lip firmness, fortitude.

stiffish adj. stiffly adv. stiffness n. [OE stif f. Gmc]

stif.html - v.tr. &
intr. make or become stiff.

stiffener n. stiffening n.

stif.html - v.
1 tr. smother, suppress (stifled a yawn).
2 intr. & tr. experience or cause to experience constraint of breathing (stifling heat).
3 tr. kill by suffocating.

stifler n. stiflingly adv. [perh. alt. of ME stuffe, stuffle f. OF estouffer]

stif.html - n.
(in full stifle-joint) a joint in the legs of horses, dogs, etc., equivalent to the knee in humans.

stifle-bone the bone in front of this joint. [ME: orig. unkn.]

stif.html - See: CARROT AND STICK, MORE THAN ONE COULD SHAKE A STICK AT.