[stick by one]{v. phr.} To support; remain loyal to. •/All of Peter’s friends stuck by him faithfully, in spite of what has been said about him in the press./
[stick in one’s craw] or [stuck in one’s crop] {v. phr.} To make you angry; bother you; annoy you. •/His parents' praise of his brother stuck in Jerry’s craw./ •/Sue’s failure to get a better grade than Ann stuck in her crop./
[stick in one’s throat]{v. phr.} To be something you do not want to say; be hard to say. •/Jean wanted to ask the teacher’s pardon, but the words stuck in her throat./
[stick-in-the-mud]{n.}, {informal} An overcareful person; someone who is old-fashioned and fights change. •/Mabel said her mother was a real stick-in-the-mud to make a rule that she must be home by 10 o’clock on weeknights and 11:30 Saturdays./ •/Mr. Thomas is a stick-in-the-mud who plows with mules; he won’t buy a tractor./
[stick one’s neck out] or [stick one’s chin out] {v. phr.}, {informal} To do something dangerous or risky. •/When I was in trouble, Paul was the only one who would stick his neck out to help me./ •/John is always sticking his chin out by saying something he shouldn’t./
[stick one’s nose into] See: NOSE INTO.
[stick out]{v.} 1a. To stand out from a wall or other surface; project; extend. •/The limb stuck out from the trunk of the tree./ 1b. To be seen or noticed more easily or quickly than others; be noticeable. •/My house is the only brick one on the street. It sticks out and you can’t miss it./ •/Mary plays basketball very well. The others on the team are good, but she really sticks out./ 1c. Often used in the informal phrase stick out like a sore thumb. •/John is so shy and awkward that he sticks out like a sore thumb./ Syn.: STAND OUT. 2. {informal} To keep on doing something until it is done no matter how long, hard, or unpleasant. •/Bill is not a fast runner and he doesn’t have a chance of winning the marathon, but he will stick out the race even if he finishes last./ — Often used in the phrase "stick it out". •/Mathematics is hard, but if you stick it out you will understand it./ Compare: HANG ON(2), STICK WITH(1).
[stick out like a sore thumb]{v. phr.} To be conspicuous; be different from the rest. •/When the foreign student was placed in an advanced English grammar class by mistake, it was no wonder that he stuck out like a sore thumb./
[stick together]{v.} To remain close together in a situation. •/Stick together in the cave so that no one gets lost./ •/The gang stuck together after the game./ •/Bill and Bob stick together in a game or in a fight./ Syn.: HANG TOGETHER(1).
[stick to one’s guns] or [stand by one’s guns] {v. phr.} To hold to an aim or an opinion even though people try to stop you or say you are wrong. •/People laughed at Columbus when he said the world was round. He stuck to his guns and proved he was right./ •/At first the boss would not give Jane the raise in pay she wanted, but she stood by her guns and he gave it to her./ Compare: STAND ONE’S GROUND.
[stick to one’s knitting] or [tend to one’s knitting] {v. phr.}, {informal} To do your own job and not bother other people. •/The trouble with Henry is that he is always telling other people what to do; he can’t stick to his knitting./
[stick to one’s ribs] or [stick to the ribs] {v. phr.}, {informal} To keep you from getting hungry again too quickly. •/Doctors say you should eat a good breakfast that sticks to your ribs./ •/Farmers eat food that sticks to the ribs./
[stick to the point]{v. phr.} To stay on course during a discussion; adhere to the topic; not talk about extraneous matters. •/Stick to the point and stop telling us your life history!/ See: COME TO THE POINT.
[stick up]{v.}, {informal} To rob with a gun. •/When the messenger left the bank, a man jumped out of an alley and stuck him up./ Syn.: HOLD UP. •/In the old West, outlaws sometimes stuck up the stagecoaches./
[stick-up]{n.}, {informal} A robbery by a man with a gun. •/Mr. Smith was the victim of a stick-up last night./
[stick up for] See: STAND UP FOR.
[stick with]{v.}, {informal} 1. or [stay with] To continue doing; not quit. •/Fred stayed with his homework until it was done./ •/Practicing is tiresome, but stick with it and some day you will be a good pianist./ Compare: STICK TO. 2. To stay with; not leave. •/Stick with me until we get out of the crowd./ •/For two months Bill’s boss could not pay his salary, but Bill stuck with him because he thought the company would soon succeed./ 3. To sell (someone) something poor or worthless; cheat. •/Father said that the man in the store tried to stick him with a bad TV set./ 4. To leave (someone) with (something unpleasant); force to do or keep something because others cannot or will not. — Usually used in the passive. •/When Harry and I went to the store to buy ice cream cones, Harry ran out with his cone without paying and I was stuck with paying for it./ •/Mary didn’t wash the dishes before she left so I’m stuck with it./ •/Mr. Jones bought a house that is too big and expensive, but now he’s stuck with it./
[stick with]{v. phr.} To unfairly thrust upon; encumber one with. •/In the restaurant my friends stuck me with the bill although it was supposed to be Dutch treat./
[sticky fingers]{n. phr.}, {slang} 1. The habit of stealing things you see and want. •/Don’t leave money in your locker; some of the boys have sticky fingers./ •/Don’t leave that girl alone in the room with so many valuable objects around, because she has sticky fingers./ 2. Ability to catch a ball, especially football forward passes. •/Jack is very tall and has sticky fingers. He is an end on the football team./
[stiff] See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, SCARE OUT OF ONE’S WITS or SCARE STIFF.
[still] See: HEART STAND STILL.
[still life]{n. phr.} A term used by artists to describe a motionless picture of a bowl of fruit, flowers, etc. •/One of van Gogh’s most famous still lifes is a vase of yellow flowers./
[still waters run deep] Quiet people probably are profound thinkers. — A proverb. •/He doesn’t say much, but he sure looks smart. Well, still waters run deep, isn’t that true?/
[stir up]{v.} 1. To bring (something) into being, often by great exertion or activity; cause. •/It was a quiet afternoon, and John tried to stir up some excitement./ •/Bob stirred up a fight between Tom and Bill./ Compare: WHIP UP(2). 2. To cause (someone) to act; incite to action or movement; rouse. •/The coach’s pep talk stirred up the team to win./ •/When Mary heard what Betty said about her, she became stirred up./
[stir up a hornet’s nest]{v. phr.} To make many people angry; do something that many people don’t like. •/The principal stirred up a hornet’s nest by changing the rules at school./
[stitch] See: IN STITCHES.
[stock] See: IN STOCK, OUT OF STOCK, TAKE STOCK, TAKE STOCK IN.
[stock-in-trade]{n. phr.} The materials which one customarily deals, sells, or offers. •/Imported silk blouses from the Orient are the stock-in-trade of their small shop./ •/Anecdotes are often an after-dinner speaker’s stock-in-trade./
[stomach] See: EYES BIGGER THAN ONE’S STOMACH, BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH, TURN ONE’S STOMACH.
[stone] See: CAST THE FIRST STONE, HAVE A HEART OF STONE, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES, ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS.
[stone-blind]{adj. phr.} 1. Completely blind. •/Poor Al is stone-blind and needs help to get across the street carefully./ 2. Highly intoxicated. •/George drank too much and got stone-blind at the office party./ See: GET STONED, THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.
[stone-broke] or [dead broke] or [flat broke] {adj.}, {informal} Having no money; penniless. •/Jill wanted to go to the movies but she was stone-broke./ •/The man gambled and was soon flat broke./
[stone-cold]{adj.} Having no warmth; completely cold. — Used to describe things that are better when warm. •/The boys who got up late found their breakfast stone-cold./ •/The furnace went off and the radiators were stone-cold./
[stone-dead]{adj.}, {informal} Showing no signs of life; completely dead. •/Barry tried to revive the frozen robin but it was stone-dead./
[stone-deaf]{adj. phr.} Completely deaf. •/Sam is stone-deaf so let him read your lips if you know no sign language./
[stone wall] or [brick wall] {adj.} Something hard to overcome; an idea or belief that is hard to change. •/The students ran into a brick wall when they asked the principal to put off the examination./ •/Dick tried to change Father’s mind about letting him use the car Saturday night, but he was up against a stone wall./
[stone’s throw] or [within a stone’s throw] {adv. phr.} Within a very short distance. •/They live across the street from us, just within a stone’s throw./ See: HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP.
[stool pigeon]{n.} A criminal who informs on his associates. •/The detective was able to solve the crime mainly through information obtained from a stool pigeon./
[stop] See: PUT AN END TO(1), or PUT A STOP TO.
[stop at nothing]{v. phr.} To be unscrupulous. •/Al will stop at nothing to get Nancy to go out with him./
[stop by] See: DROP BY.
[stop cold] or [stop dead] or [stop in one’s tracks] {v. phr.}, {informal} To stop very quickly or with great force. •/The hunter pulled the trigger and stopped the deer cold./ •/When I saw Mary on the street, I was so surprised I stopped dead./ •/The deer heard a noise and he stopped in his tracks./
[stop off]{v.} To stop at a place for a short time while going somewhere. •/We stopped off after school at the soda fountain before going home./ •/On our trip to California we stopped off in Las Vegas for two days./
[stop over]{v.} To stay at a place overnight or for some other short time while on a trip elsewhere. •/When we came back from California, we stopped over one night near the Grand Canyon./
[stop short]{v. phr.} To suddenly stop. •/Jake stopped short when he heard somebody yell out his name loud but there was no one in sight./
[stop street]{n.} A street where cars must come to a full stop before crossing another street. •/Johnny was late because he traveled on a stop street./ Contrast: THROUGH STREET.
[stop the show]{v. phr.} To elicit such a strong applause from the audience that the show is interrupted. •/Pavarotti’s rendition of "O sole mio" always stops the show./
[stop up]{v. phr.} To block; close. •/If you want to get rid of the leak, you must stop up the two holes you have in the ceiling./
[store] See: DIME STORE, IN STORE, SET STORE BY, VARIETY STORE.
[storm] See: TAKE BY STORM.
[story] See: OLD STORY, SOB STORY, UPPER STORY.
[stow away]{v.} 1. {informal} To pack or store away. •/After New Year’s Day the Christmas decorations were stowed away until another season./ 2. To hide on a ship or another kind of transportation to get a free ride. •/John ran away from home and stowed away on a freighter going to Jamaica./
[straight] See: GO STRAIGHT, SHOOT STRAIGHT.
[straighten out]{v.} To correct a mistake; make you realize you are wrong. •/The teacher saw Jim’s awkward sentence on the board and asked for volunteers to straighten it out./ •/Sometimes only a good spanking will straighten out a naughty child./ Syn.: SQUARE AWAY(2).
[straighten up]{v.} To put in order; make neat. •/Vic had to straighten up his room before he could go swimming./ •/Mrs. Johnson straightened up the house before company came./ Compare: PICK UP(6b), SQUARE AWAY.
