stiff

adjective stiffer · stiffest

1. of an object Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible. “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;[…]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.

   Similar: firm, stark

2. figuratively, of policies and rules and their application and enforcement Inflexible; rigid.
3. of a person Formal in behavior; unrelaxed.
4. colloquial Harsh, severe. He was eventually caught, and given a stiff fine.

   Similar: brutal, heavy

5. of muscles or parts of the body Painful or more rigid than usual as a result of excessive or unaccustomed exercise. My legs are stiff after climbing that hill yesterday.
6. Potent. a stiff drink; a stiff dose; a stiff breeze

   Similar: powerful, strong

7. informal Expensive, pricey. He had the practised face of a dealer also. But he was a Jew and chaffering was in his blood, and he said, "A bit stiff, isn't it? I mean without a guarantee that it's by the original maker?"
8. informal Dead, deceased.

   Similar: departed, no more, asleep, at rest, blessed, cadaverous, clay-cold, deceased, breathless, resting, cold, decomposed

9. slang, of the penis Erect. Adieu! faint-hearted instrument of lust; / That falselie hath betrayde our equale trust. / Hence-forth no more will I implore thine ayde, / Or thee, or man of cowardize upbrayde. / My little dilldo shall suply their kinde: / A knaue, that moues as light as leaues by winde; / That bendeth not, nor fo

   Similar: hard, tumescent

10. Having a dense consistency; thick; (by extension) Difficult to stir. Adding too much peanut butter to your Peanut Sauce recipe may cause your sauce to turn out too stiff.

    Similar: gooey, thickflowing, lentous, glutinous, slabby, stiff, syrupy, thick, treacly, viscid, viscose, viscous

11. of whipping cream or egg whites Beaten until so aerated that they stand up straight on their own. beat the egg whites until they are stiff
12. Of an equation, for which certain numerical solving methods are numerically unstable, unless the step size is taken to be extremely small.
13. Keeping upright.
14. Of a shot, landing so close to the flagstick that it should be very easy to sink the ball with the next shot. I go all out, go for the long ball, the stiff shots to the pin, aim for the back of the cup.
15. of a strike Delivered more forcefully than needed, whether intentionally or accidentally, thus causing legitimate pain to the opponent.

Similar: firm, frozen, hard, hardened, immalleable, inflexible, ossified, petrified, rigid, solid, stark, stubborn, stiff, taut, tight, unbending, unlimber, unyielding · Opposite: flexible, loose, malleable, slack, soft

noun stiffs

1. Canada, US, countable, slang, uncountable An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education. working stiff
2. countable, slang, uncountable 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.
3. countable, slang, uncountable A cadaver; a dead person. This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies!

   Similar: anatomy, body, cadaver, carcass, carrion, corpse, corse, DB, dog meat, dust, lich, offal

4. countable, slang, uncountable A flop; a commercial failure. If the movie was a stiff it wasn't any of their specific faults. They were all in it together and they were jobbed in and jobbed out for two weeks and gone and they got a pile of money for their efforts.
5. US, countable, slang, uncountable A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill.
6. US, broadly, countable, slang, uncountable A customer who does not leave a tip.
7. countable, uncountable Any hard hand where it is possible to exceed 21 by drawing an additional card.
8. countable, slang, uncountable Negotiable instruments, possibly forged.
9. countable, slang, uncountable A note or letter surreptitiously sent by an inmate.

verb stiffs · stiffing · stiffed

1. To fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily. He stiffed me on the tip.
2. To cheat someone. 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.
3. To tip ungenerously. Then he stiffed the waiter with a cheap tip.
4. slang To kill. But you know it could be a hassle / Trying to explain myself to a police officer / About how it was your old lady got herself stiffed
5. informal To be unsuccessful. "Come To Me" moved but a few to buy a copy; "My Queen" stiffed in the stall.

adverb more stiff · most stiff

1. Of the wind, with great force; strongly. At Feversham was a very High Tide in the Afternoon, tho' the Wind was Southerly, and blew very stiff, which the Seamen there wondered at.
2. dated, slang Very thoroughly. Now I want you to take Vallett in hand and drill him stiff with everything that has to do with Tilehurst and Tapsfield.

proper noun Stiffs

1. A surname.