As the doctor completed an examination of the patient, he said:
- I can"t find a cause for your complaint. Frankly, I think it"s due to drinking.
- In that case, - said the patient, - I"ll come back when you"re sober.
upper lip n. Appearance of being calm in adversity.
- —adj. - rigid; inflexible.
- hard to bend, move, or turn etc.
- hard to cope with; needing strength or effort (stiff climb).
- severe or strong (stiff penalty).
- formal, constrained.
- (of a muscle, person, etc.) Aching owing to exertion, injury, etc.
- (of esp. An alcoholic drink) strong.
- (foll. By with) colloq. Abounding in. —adv. Colloq. Utterly, extremely (bored stiff). —n. Slang 1 corpse.
- foolish or useless person. stiffish adj. Stiffly adv. Stiffness n. [old english]
STILE
n. Steps allowing people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall. [old english]
STILL
life n. (pl. Lifes) painting or drawing of inanimate objects, e.g. Fruit or flowers.
- —adj. - not or hardly moving.
- with little or no sound; calm and tranquil.
- (of a drink) not effervescing. —n. - deep silence (still of the night).
- static photograph (as opposed to a motion picture), esp. A single shot from a cinema film. —adv. - without moving (sit still).
- even now or at a particular time (is he still here?).
- nevertheless.
- (with compar.) Even, yet, increasingly (still greater efforts). —v. Make or become still; quieten. stillness n. [old english]
- n. Apparatus for distilling spirits etc. [obsolete still (v.) = *distil]
STILT
n. - either of a pair of poles with foot supports for walking at a distance above the ground.
- each of a set of piles or posts supporting a building etc. [low german or dutch]
STING
—n. - sharp wounding organ of an insect, snake, nettle, etc.
- a act of inflicting a wound with this. B the wound itself or the pain caused by it.
- painful quality or effect.
- pungency, vigour.
- slang swindle. —v. (past and past part. Stung) 1 a wound or pierce with a sting. B be able to sting.
- feel or give a tingling physical or sharp mental pain.
- (foll. By into) incite, esp. Painfully (stung into replying).
- slang swindle, charge exorbitantly. sting in the tail unexpected final pain or difficulty. [old english]
STINK
bomb n. Device emitting a stink when opened.
- —v. (past stank or stunk; past part. Stunk) 1 emit a strong offensive smell.
- (often foll. By out) fill (a place) with a stink.
- (foll. By out etc.) Drive (a person) out etc. By a stink.
- colloq. Be or seem very unpleasant. —n. - strong or offensive smell.
- colloq. Row or fuss. [old english]
STINT
—v. - supply (food or aid etc.) Meanly or grudgingly.
- (often refl.) Supply (a person etc.) In this way. —n. - limitation of supply or effort (without stint).
- allotted amount of work (do one's stint).
- small sandpiper. [old english]
STOAT
n. Mammal of the weasel family with brown fur turning mainly white in the winter. [origin unknown]
STOCK
exchange n. - place for dealing in stocks and shares.
- dealers working there.
- market n. - = *stock exchange.
- transactions on this.
- —n. - store of goods etc. Ready for sale or distribution etc.
- supply or quantity of anything for use.
- equipment or raw material for manufacture or trade etc. (rolling-stock).
- farm animals or equipment.
- a capital of a business. B shares in this.
- reputation or popularity (his stock is rising).
- a money lent to a government at fixed interest. B right to receive such interest.
- line of ancestry (comes of cornish stock).
- liquid basis for soup etc. Made by stewing bones, vegetables, etc. 10 fragrant-flowered cruciferous cultivated plant. 11 plant into which a graft is inserted. 12 main trunk of a tree etc. 13 (in pl.) Hist. Timber frame with holes for the feet in which offenders were locked as a public punishment. 14 base, support, or handle for an implement or machine. 15 butt of a rifle etc. 16 (in pl.) Supports for a ship during building or repair. 17 band of cloth worn round the neck. —attrib. Adj. - kept in stock and so regularly available.
- hackneyed, conventional. —v. - have (goods) in stock.
- provide (a shop or a farm etc.) With goods, livestock, etc.
- fit (a gun etc.) With a stock. in (or out of) stock available (or not available) immediately for sale etc. Stock up (often foll. By with) provide with or get stocks or supplies (of). Take stock 1 make an inventory of one's stock.
- (often foll. By of) review (a situation etc.). [old english]
STOIC
—n. - member of the ancient greek school of philosophy which sought virtue as the greatest good and taught control of one's feelings and passions.
- (stoic) stoical person. —adj. - of or like the stoics.
