stiff

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf, from Proto-Germanic *stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós. See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Latin stīpes, stīpō, from which English stevedore. The expected Modern English form would be /staɪf/; /stɪf/ is probably originally from compounds such as stiffly, where the vowel was shortened before a consonant cluster. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /stɪf/ Rhymes: -ɪf === Adjective === stiff (comparative stiffer, superlative stiffest) (of an object) Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible. Synonyms: firm, stark; see also Thesaurus:stiff (figurative, of policies and rules and their application and enforcement) Inflexible; rigid. (of a person) Formal in behavior; unrelaxed. (colloquial) Harsh, severe. Synonyms: brutal, heavy (of muscles or parts of the body) Painful or more rigid than usual as a result of excessive or unaccustomed exercise. Potent. Synonyms: powerful, strong (informal) Expensive, pricey. (informal) Dead, deceased. Synonyms: departed, no more; see also Thesaurus:dead (slang, of the penis) Erect. Synonyms: hard, tumescent Having a dense consistency; thick; (by extension) Difficult to stir. Synonyms: gooey, thickflowing; see also Thesaurus:viscous (cooking, of whipping cream or egg whites) Beaten until so aerated that they stand up straight on their own. (mathematics) Of an equation, for which certain numerical solving methods are numerically unstable, unless the step size is taken to be extremely small. (nautical) Keeping upright. (golf) Of a shot, landing so close to the flagstick that it should be very easy to sink the ball with the next shot. (professional wrestling, of a strike) Delivered more forcefully than needed, whether intentionally or accidentally, thus causing legitimate pain to the opponent. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === stiff (countable and uncountable, plural stiffs) (slang, chiefly Canada, US) An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education. (slang) A person who is deceived, as a mark or pigeon in a swindle. (slang) A cadaver; a dead person. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:corpse, Thesaurus:body (slang) A flop; a commercial failure. (US, slang) A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill. (US, slang, by extension) A customer who does not leave a tip. (blackjack) Any hard hand where it is possible to exceed 21 by drawing an additional card. (finance, slang) Negotiable instruments, possibly forged. (prison slang) A note or letter surreptitiously sent by an inmate. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== bindlestiff ==== References ==== (prison slang: a note or letter): Eric Partridge (1949), “stiff”, in A Dictionary of the Underworld, London: Macmillan Co., page 688; 2015, Noel 'Razor' Smith, The Criminal Alphabet: An A-Z of Prison Slang (financial instruments): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary === Verb === stiff (third-person singular simple present stiffs, present participle stiffing, simple past and past participle stiffed) To fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily. To cheat someone. To tip ungenerously. (slang) To kill. (informal) To be unsuccessful. ==== Derived terms ==== stiff up ==== Translations ==== === Adverb === stiff (comparative more stiff, superlative most stiff) (nautical) Of the wind, with great force; strongly. (dated, slang) Very thoroughly. === References === === Further reading === “stiff v.2”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. “stiff v.3”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. === Anagrams === TIFFs, tiffs == Middle English == === Adjective === stiff alternative form of stif === Adverb === stiff alternative form of stif == Yola == === Etymology === From Middle English stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /stɪf/ === Adjective === stiff stiff === References === Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 126