English
Etymology
OE. stif|stīf, from proto|Germanic|stifaz, from proto|Indo-European|stīpos ( compare L. term|stipare).

Pronunciation
IPA|/stɪf/
audio|en-us-stiff.ogg|Audio (US)
:Rhymes: Rhymes:English:-ɪf|-ɪf

Adjective
en-adj|er

1. Of an object, rigid, hard to bend, inflexible.
2. context|figuratively Of policies and rules and their application and enforcement, inflexible.
3. Of a person, formal in behavior, unrelaxed.
4. colloquial harsh|Harsh, severe.

#: He was eventually caught, and given a stiff fine.

1. Of muscles, or parts of the body, painful, as a result of excessive, or unaccustomed excercise.

#:My legs are stiff after climbing that hill yesterday.

rft

Translations
trans-top|rigid
Finnish: jäykkä, kankea
German: steif, starr
trans-mid
Kurdish: KUchar|�ا��
Swedish: styv
trans-bottom

trans-top|hard to bend, inflexible
Finnish: jäykkä, taipumaton, kankea
German: steif, starr
trans-mid
Kurdish: KUchar|ب��ست��
Swedish: strikt
trans-bottom

Translations to be checked
checktrans

ttbc|Bulgarian: �в��д m (1)
ttbc|French: raide, rigide
ttbc|Indonesian: kaku, keras
ttbc|Interlingua: rigide, inflexibile
ttbc|Italian: rigido
ttbc|Japanese: 硬� (���, katai), �� (��, koru)
ttbc|Portuguese: duro, rígido
ttbc|Russian: �п��м�й, же��кий
ttbc|Spanish: tieso, rígido

Noun
en-noun

1. US A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill.
2. An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff or lucky stiff.

#:A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember was published in 2003.

1. A person who is deceived, as a mark or pigeon in a swindle.

#:She convinced the stiff to go to her hotel room, where her henchman was waiting to rob him.

1. slang A cadaver, a dead person.
2. US A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill.

See also
bindlestiff
WikiSaurus:corpse, WikiSaurus:body

Translations
Bulgarian: ���п m
French: macchabée m
German: Zechpreller m (1) , Steifer m (2)

Verb
en-verb

1. To fail to pay money one owes, especially by departing hastily.

#:Realizing he had forgotten his wallet, he stiffed the taxi driver when the cab stopped for a red light.

1. rfv-sense To tip ungenerously.

#* 1946, William Foote Whyte, Industry and Society, page 129
#*: We asked one girl to explain how she felt when she was "stiffed." She said, You think of all the work you've done and how you've tried to please [them�].
#* 2007, Mary Higgins Clark, I Heard That Song Before, page 154
#*: Then he stiffed the waiter with a cheap tip.

1. rfv-sense To cheat someone.

#* 1992, Stephen Birmingham, Shades of Fortune, page 451
#*: You see, poor Nonie really was stiffed by Adolph in his will. He really stiffed her, Rose, and I really wanted to right that wrong.

Translations
;fail to pay
Swedish: sjappa

Category:1000 English basic words
Category:Death

ar:stiff
fa:stiff
fr:stiff
io:stiff
id:stiff
it:stiff
hu:stiff
pl:stiff
pt:stiff
ru:stiff
simple:stiff
fi:stiff
ta:stiff
te:stiff
vi:stiff
zh:stiff

• 2007-12-28 17:38 - Algrif - replace defn. removed (accidentally??)

Full Revision History