Stick

Pronunciation

• enPR: stÄ­k, IPA: /stɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɪk
• Homophones: stich

From Middle English stikke ("stick, rod, twig"), from Old English sticca ("rod, twig"), from Proto-Germanic *stikkô, from Proto-Indo-European *steig- or *stig- ("to pierce, prick, be sharp"). Cognate with .

Full definition of stick

Noun

1. An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.
1. A small, thin branch from a tree or bush; a twig; a branch. stick
   The beaver's dam was made out of sticks.##: The bird's nest was made out of sticks.
• 2013, Henry Petroski, Geothermal Energy, Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame.
2. A relatively long, thin piece of wood, of any size. stick
   I found several good sticks in the brush heap.##: What do you call a boomerang that won't come back? A stick.
• At Work on the Thistle, It is a fine stick, about 70 feet long.
3. (US) A timber board, especially a two by four (inches).
   I found enough sticks in dumpsters at construction sites to build my shed.
4. A cane or walking stick (usually wooden, metal or plastic) to aid in walking. stick
   I don’t need my stick to walk, but it’s helpful.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 23, The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking.
5. A cudgel or truncheon (usually of wood, metal or plastic), especially one carried by police or guards.
   As soon as the fight started, the guards came in swinging their sticks.
6. (carpentry) The vertical member of a cope-and-stick joint.
• Doors Chapter Building Interior Doors, When cutting the door parts, I cut all the copes first, then the sticks.
7. (nautical)(nautical) A mast or part of a mast of a ship; also, a yard.
8. (figuratively) A piece (of furniture, especially if wooden). stick
   We were so poor we didn't have one stick of furniture.
• The Adventures of Philip, It is more than poor Philip is worth, with all his savings and his little sticks of furniture.
2. Any roughly cylindrical (or rectangular) unit of a substance. stick
   Sealing wax is available as a cylindrical or rectangular stick.
1. (chiefly North America) A small rectangular block, with a length several times its width, which contains by volume one half of a cup of shortening (butter, margarine or lard).
   The recipe calls for half a stick of butter.
2. A standard rectangular (often thin) piece of chewing gum. stick
   Don’t hog all that gum, give me a stick!
3. (slang) A cigarette usually a tobacco cigarette, less often a marijuana cigarette. stick
   Cigarettes are taxed at one dollar per stick.
3. Material or objects attached to a stick or the like.
1. A bunch of something wrapped around or attached to a stick.(US)
   My parents bought us each a stick of cotton candy.
2. (archaic) A scroll that is rolled around (mounted on, attached to) a stick.
• Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it...
3. (military) The structure to which a set of bombs in a bomber aircraft are attached and which drops the bombs when it is released. The bombs themselves and, by extension, any load of similar items dropped in quick succession such as paratroopers or containers. stick
• Scores of transport planes streamed in to drop stick after stick of containers until the entire sky over the coast was polka-dotted with brightly coloured parachutes.
• Aftermath: Travels in a Post-War World, A stick of bombs fell straight across Wotton; blew up half a dozen houses.
• From Here to There, James and I were in the same stick of five guys going through free fall school last September.
4. A tool, control, or instrument shaped somewhat like a stick.
1. (US, colloquial) A manual transmission, a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, so called because of the stick-like, i.e. twig-like, control (the gear shift) with which the driver of such a vehicle controls its transmission. stick
   I grew up driving a stick, but many people my age didn’t.
1. (US, colloquial, uncountable) Vehicles, collectively, equipped with manual transmissions.
   I grew up driving stick, but many people my age didn't.
2. (aviation) The control column of an aircraft; a joystick. stick By convention, a wheel-like control mechanism with a handgrip on opposite sides, similar to the steering wheel ofan automobiles, is also called the "stick".
3. (aviation, uncountable) Use of the stick to control the aircraft.
• For example: in making a turn, should you throw on too much stick and not enough rudder, you'll sideslip.
4. (computing) A memory stick.
• Business Traveler, For ultimate presentation portability, a Powerpoint can be saved to a stick as images.
5. (dated, metal typesetting) A composing stick, the tool used by compositors to assemble lines of type.
• The Compositor's Handbook, ...although the headings may often be in other type, still, as these are composed in the same stick, they cannot fail to justify;...
6. (jazz, slang) The clarinet. more often called the liquorice stick stick
• Arsene, boy, ain't you worried about your clarinet? Where'd you leave that stick, man?
5. (sports) A stick-like item:
1. (sports, generically) A long thin implement used to control a ball or puck in sports like hockey, polo, and lacrosse. stick
   Tripping with the stick is a violation of the rules.
2. (horse racing) The short whip carried by a jockey.
3. (boardsports) A board as used in board sports, such as a surfboard, snowboard, or skateboard.
• 2005, surf.co.nz http://www.surf.co.nz/school/,Wax your stick and head down to that spot.
4. (golf) The pole bearing a small flag that marks the hole. stick
   His wedge shot bounced off the stick and went in the hole.
5. (US, slang, uncountable) The cue used in billiards, pool, snooker, etc.
   His stroke with that two-piece stick is a good as anybody's in the club.
1. The game of pool, or an individual pool game.
   He shoots a mean stick of pool.
• New York Breweries, Come in, have a good time, drink some beer, shoot some stick, listen to some music.
6. (sports, uncountable) Ability; specifically:
1. (golf) The long-range driving ability of a golf club.
• The Rub of the Green, I doubted that the three iron was enough stick.
2. (baseball) The potential hitting power of a specific bat.
3. (baseball) General hitting ability.
• Just Need A Little Mo, Vaughn has to hit and keep hitting or this will be another year when the Mets don't have enough stick to win.
4. (hockey) The potential accuracy of a hockey stick, implicating also the player using it.
5. (slang, dated) A person or group of people. (Perhaps, in some senses, because people are, broadly speaking, tall and thin, like pieces of wood.)
• The Presence of Music: Three Novellas, Your father's a great old stick. He's really been very good to me.
1. A thin or wiry person; particularly a flat-chested woman.
• Rakóssy, "She's a stick, this one. She lacks your—" he patted her left breast— "equipment."
2. (magic) An assistant planted in the audience. stick
• The Spirit Cabinet, The kid was a stick, a plant, a student from UNLV who picked up a few bucks nightly by saying the words "seven of hearts."
3. (military aviation, from joystick) A fighter pilot.
• http://books.google.com/books?id=agQyH1y_4q4C, Bill Kirk, described by Robin as a "hell of a stick," didn't even attend college until after the Vietnam War.
4. (military, South Africa) A small group of (infantry) soldiers.
• Persona Non Grata, I remember when we dreaded the rain, as our stick of soldiers walked through the damp, tick-infested long grass of the Zambezi valley,...
6. Encouragement or punishment, or (resulting) vigour or other improved behavior.
1. A negative stimulus or a punishment. (This sense derives from the metaphor of using a stick, a long piece of wood, to poke or beat a beast of burden to compel it to move forward. Compare carrot.)
• Judicial activism has ushered in hope, What about contempt? Isn't it used by the judiciary as a stick to dissuade people from writing or talking about them?
2. (slang, uncountable) Corporal punishment; beatings.
• A Wicked Fist, The child killers got some stick. I saw a woman throw a basin of scalding water over a baby killer.
3. (slang) Vigor; spirit; effort, energy, intensity.
   He really gave that digging some stick.
   = he threw himself into the task of digging
   She really gave that bully some stick.
   = she berated him this sense melts into the previous sense, "punishment"
   Give it some stick!
• Sam Chard, 'Choir gave it some stick on "Unto Us a Son is Born."' ¶ Cynthia nodded. ¶ 'It was always one of Russell's favourites. He makes them try hard on that.'
4. (slang) Vigorous driving of a car; gas.
• Waiting for Red, Skunk really gave it some stick all the way to Caliban's place, we passed a good few Coppers but they all seemed to turn the blind eye.
7. A measure.
1. (obsolete) An English Imperial unit of length equal to 2 inches.
• History of the New York Times, 1851-1921, There was another speech in that day's news — a speech which The Times printed on the front page because it was part of a front-page story, and in full — it was only two sticks long; printed in full just after the much longer invocation by the officiating clergyman ...
2. (archaic, rare) A quantity of eels, usually 25. stick
• A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, The stick is employed for eels, and contained twenty-five.
• The Cartulary of Chatteris Abbey, In the same charter, Nigel granted another 10 sticks of eels yielded by the fishery of Polwere to the abbey...

Usage notes

stick Generally used in the negative, or in contexts expressive of poverty or lack.

Synonyms

• stick branch, twig, rice dialectal; kindling, brush uncountable
• stick two by four
• stick cane, walking stick
• stick stickshift; gearstick
• stick plant, shill
• stick piece, item
• stick pin, flagstick
• stick train
• stick licorice stick
• stick stich, broach
• stick joint, reefer

Derived terms

Verb

1. (carpentry) To cut a piece of wood to be the stick member of a cope-and-stick joint.

From Middle English stiken ("to stick, pierce, stab, remain embedded, be fastened"), from Old English stician ("to pierce, stab, remain embedded, be fastened"), from Proto-Germanic *stikōną ("to pierce, prick, be sharp") (compare also the related *stikaną, whence West Frisian stekke, Low German steken, Dutch steken, German stechen; compare also Danish stikke, Swedish sticka), from Proto-Indo-European *steig- or *stig- ("to pierce, prick, be sharp").

Cognate with the first etymology (same PIE root, different paths through Germanic and Old English), to stitch, and to etiquette, via French étiquette – see there for further discussion.

Noun

1. (motor racing) The traction of tires on the road surface.
2. (fishing, uncountable) The amount of fishing line resting on the water surface before a cast; line stick.
• Problem: A lot of stick and a lack of energy on the forward stroke.
3. A thrust with a pointed instrument; a stab.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To become or remain attached; to adhere.
• 2013-06-14, Jonathan Freedland, Obama's once hip brand is now tainted, Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
2. The tape will not stick if it melts.
3. (intransitive) To jam; to stop moving.
   The lever sticks if you push it too far up.
4. (intransitive) To tolerate, to endure, to stick with.
• 1998, Patrick McEvoy, Educating the Future GP: the course organizer's handbook, page 7:Why do most course organizers stick the job for less than five years?
5. (intransitive) To persist.
   His old nickname stuck.
• December 10, 2011, David Ornstein quoting David Moyes, Arsenal 1-0 Everton, "Our team did brilliantly to be in the game. We stuck at it and did a good job. This is disappointing but we'll think about the next game tomorrow."
6. (intransitive) Of snow, to remain frozen on landing.
7. (intransitive) To remain loyal; to remain firm.
• 2007, Amanda Lamb, Smotherhood: Wickedly Funny Confessions from the Early Years, What I get from work makes me a better mother, and what I get from being a mother makes me a better journalist. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
8. Just stick to your strategy, and you will win.
9. (intransitive) To hesitate, to be reluctant; to refuse.
• 1743, Thomas Stackhouse, A Compleat Body of Speculative and Practical Divinity, edition 3 (London), page 524:The First-fruits were a common Oblation to their Deities; but the chief Part of their Worship consisted in sacrificiing Animals : And this they did out of a real Persuasion, that their Gods were pleased with their Blood, and were nourished with the Smoke, and Nidor of them; and therefore the more costly, they thought them the more acceptable, for which Reason, they stuck not sometimes to regale them with human Sacrifices.
• 1740, James Blair, Our Saviour's divine sermon on the mount ... explained, volume 3, page 26:And so careful were they to put off the Honour of great Actions from themselves, and to centre it upon God, that they stuck not sometimes to depreciate themselves that they might more effectually honour him.
• unknown date John LockeThey will stick long at part of a demonstration for want of perceiving the connection of two ideas.
• unknown date ArbuthnotSome stick not to say, that the parson and attorney forged a will.
10. (dated, intransitive) To cause difficulties, scruples, or hesitation.
• unknown date Jonathan SwiftThis is the difficulty that sticks with the most reasonable.
11. (transitive) To attach with glue or as if by gluing.
    Stick the label on the jar.
12. (transitive) To place, set down (quickly or carelessly).
    Stick your bag over there and come with me.
• 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients Chapter 8, Afore we got to the shanty Colonel Applegate stuck his head out of the door. His temper had been getting raggeder all the time, and the sousing he got when he fell overboard had just about ripped what was left of it to ravellings.
13. (transitive) To press (something with a sharp point) into something else.
    The balloon will pop when I stick this pin in it.
    to stick a needle into one's finger
• unknown date DrydenThe points of spears are stuck within the shield.
1. (transitive, now only in dialects) To stab.
• circa 1583, John Jewel, in a sermon republished in 1847 in The Works of John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury, portion 2, page 969:In certain of their sacrifices they had a lamb, they sticked him, they killed him, and made sacrifice of him: this lamb was Christ the Son of God, he was killed, sticked, and made a sweet-smelling sacrifice for our sins.
• 1809, Grafton's chronicle, or history of England, volume 2, page 135:... would haue =have sticked him with a dagger ...
• unknown date Sir Walter ScottIt was a shame ... to stick him under the other gentleman's arm while he was redding the fray.
• 1908, The Northeastern Reporter, volume 85, page 693:The defendant said he didn't shoot; "he sticked him with a knife."
14. (transitive) To fix on a pointed instrument; to impale.to stick an apple on a fork
15. (transitive, archaic) To adorn or deck with things fastened on as by piercing.
• unknown date Shakespearemy shroud of white, stuck all with yew
16. (transitive, gymnastics) To perform (a landing) perfectly.
    Once again, the world champion sticks the dismount.
17. (botany, transitive) To propagate plants by cuttings.
    Stick cuttings from geraniums promptly.
18. (transitive, printing, slang, dated) To compose; to set, or arrange, in a composing stick.to stick type
19. (transitive, joinery) To run or plane (mouldings) in a machine, in contradistinction to working them by hand. Such mouldings are said to be stuck.
20. (dated, transitive) To bring to a halt; to stymie; to puzzle.to stick somebody with a hard problem
21. (transitive, slang, dated) To impose upon; to compel to pay; sometimes, to cheat.

Derived terms

Adjective

1. (informal) Likely to stick; sticking, sticky.A non-stick pan. A stick plaster.A sticker type of glue. The stickest kind of gum.

Usage notes

The adjective is more informal than nonstandard due to the prevalence of examples such as "non-stick pan" or "stick plaster".

The comparative and superlative remain nonstandard (vs. stickier and stickiest) and are sometimes seen inbetween quotation marks to reflect it.

Derived terms

Possibly a metaphorical use of the first etymology ("twig, branch"), possibly derived from the Yiddish schtick.

Noun

1. (British, uncountable) Criticism or ridicule.
• I got some stick personally because of my walking attire. I arrived to training fully kitted out in sturdy walking boots.

Anagrams

• ticks