stone
1372
£5000. 6 [C] a piece of hard material formed in an organ of
the body, especially the BLADDER or KIDNEY ➜ see also
GALLSTONE 7 (let he who is without blame) cast the first
stone phrase from the Bible it is unfair for people to criticize or
blame someone because they have probably done the same
thing wrong themselves: 'Are you prepared to cast the first
stone?' Suchet demanded of the jury. 8 stone walls do not a
prison make quote a phrase from a poem by Richard Love-
lace meaning that one can still feel free even when in prison
➜ see also GRAVESTONE, GRINDSTONE, HAILSTONE, HEAD-
STONE, KEYSTONE, LODESTONE, MILLSTONE, PAVING STONE,
ROLLING STONE, STEPPING-STONE, get blood from a stone
(BLOOD), kill two birds with one stone (KILL) 9 be set/
carved/cast/written in stone also be set etc in tablets of
stone BrE used in order to say that a plan, decision, idea etc
is completely fixed and no part of it can be changed (usually
used in the negative): Judge Owens has set a new trial date of
April 2nd, which he says is 'written in stone', so the Prosecu-
tion don't have long to find the missing witness.
stone² v [T] 1 to throw stones at (someone or something),
especially as a punishment: The criminal was stoned to
death. | The rioters stoned my car. 2 also pit AmE — to take the
seeds or STONES out of (usually dried fruit): stoned rai-
sins 3 Stone the crows! also Stone me! BrE old-fash infml (used
for expressing surprise, disbelief etc)
Stone, Oliver (1946-) a US film DIRECTOR and film writer
known especially for making films that deal with recent US
history and modern US society, often in a critical way that
some people disagree with. His films include Platoon (1986),
Born on the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991), and Natural Born
Killers (1994).
Stone, Shar-on /'ʃærən/ (1958-) a US film actress, known
for being sexually attractive, whose films include Basic
Instinct (1992)
'Stone Age, the n the earliest period of human history,
before the discovery of metals, when tools were made from
stone. The oldest part of the Stone Age is also called the
PALEOLITHIC period. The NEOLITHIC period, or late Stone Age,
began around 10,000 years ago, when humans began to
plant crops and keep farm animals. The Stone Age was
followed by the Bronze Age, which began in some parts of
the world in about 5000 BC, but in other parts of the world
Stone Age societies continued until the 19th century ➜
compare BRONZE AGE, IRON AGE —Stone Age adj: Archeolo-
gists uncovered a rare Stone Age settlement.
,stone-'cold adj extremely cold; as cold as possible: The
body's stone-cold; he must have been dead for hours. 1 (fig.) I
haven't had a single drink; I'm stone-cold sober. (=com-
pletely sober)
stoned /stəʊnd/ adj- [F] slang 1 under the influence of
drugs 2 very drunk
,stone-'dead adj completely dead
,stone-'deaf adj completely unable to hear
'stone fruit n [C,U] BrE (a) fruit of the types which have a
STONE
'stone-ground adj (of flour) made by crushing between
MILLSTONES
Stonehenge
Stone·henge /ˌstəʊn'hendʒ ɪ 'stəʊnhendʒ/ a group of
very large, tall stones that are arranged into a large circle with
a smaller circle inside it, which stand on Salisbury Plain in
Wiltshire, southern England. It is believed they were put there
about 4000 years ago and were used for studying the move-
ments of the Sun, Moon, and stars. Some people also believe
that they were used by the DRUIDS (=ancient priests before
the Christian period) in religious ceremonies. Stonehenge is
a very popular place for tourists to visit, and since the 1980s
it has become especially popular for large groups of people,
including hippies (HIPPY) and modern Druids, to travel there
to celebrate the SUMMER SOLSTICE on 21st June, the day
when the Sun is furthest north.
stone-less /'stəʊnləs/ BrE || pitted AmE — adj (of fruit)
without STONES or having had the stones removed
stone·ma·son /'stəʊnˌmeɪsən/ also mason n a person
whose job is cutting stone into shape for building
Stone of Scone, the /ˌstən əv 'sku:n/ a stone seat that
was traditionally used in the Scottish ceremony for officially
making someone King or Queen of Scotland. It is also called
the Stone of Destiny. The stone was taken from Scotland in
1296 and kept in WESTMINSTER ABBEY in London, but SCOT-
TISH NATIONALISTS, who believed that the stone belonged in
Scotland, tried to steal it. In 1996 it was officially returned to
Scotland.
'stone's throw n [S(AWAY, from)] a short distance: Our house is
only a stone's throw from the station.
stone-wall /ˌstən'wɔ:l||'stəʊnwɔ:l/ v [I] 1 to intentionally
delay or block movement or development in a discussion or
argument, especially by unnecessary talk, or by refusing to
answer questions 2 to refuse to obey an order, especially
from the police or other authority 3 (of a BATSMAN in
cricket) to play slowly and carefully —-er n
Stonewall a British organization that works to improve the
legal rights of HOMOSEXUAL men and women, and to per-
suade politicians to change any laws that treat homosexuals
unfairly ➜ compare OUTRAGE
stone·ware /'stəʊnweə/ n [U] pots and other containers
made from a special hard clay that contains FLINT (=a hard
stone)
'stone-washed adj (usually of DENIM garments) washed by
beating with stones, which has the effect of softening the
material
stone·work /'stəʊnwɜ:k||-wɜ:rk/ n [U] the parts of a build-
ing made of stone, especially those decorated with special
shapes
stonk·er /'stɒŋkə || 'stɑ:ŋ-/ n BrE infml something that is very
good: Carr scored a stonker of a goal.
stonk·ered /'stɒŋkəd||'stɑ:ŋkərd/ adj AustrE or NZE infml very
tired
stonk·ing /'stɒŋkɪŋ||'stɑ:ŋ-/ adj BrE slang amazingly good: He
scored a stonking goal.
ston·y /'stəʊni/ adj 1 containing or covered with stones:
stony soil 2 cruel; showing no pity or feeling: a stony stare |
a stony heart | Their pleas were heard in stony silence. 3 fall
on/upon stony ground (of a request, joke, piece of advice
etc) to be ignored or get an unfavourable reaction: I put the
new ideas to my boss, but I'm afraid they fell upon stony
ground. —-ily adv
,stony 'broke adj [F] BrE infml having no money at all
stood /stʊd/ past tense & participle of STAND
stooge /stu:dʒ/ n 1 the partner in a stage COMEDY act whose
purpose is to appear foolish, especially by being made fun of
by the other partner 2 infml derog a person who habitually
does what another person wants
stool /stu:l/ n 1 a seat without a supporting part for the back
or arms: a bar stool | a piano stool 2 fml or tech a piece of solid
waste matter (FAECES) passed from the body ➜ see also
FOOTSTOOL, fall between two stools (FALL)
stool-pi·geon /'stu:lˌpɪdʒən/ || also stool-lie /'stu:li/ AmE—
n slang usually derog a person, e.g. a criminal, who helps the
police to trap another; INFORMER
stoop¹ /stu:p/ v [I] 1 [[DOWN]] to bend the upper body
forwards and down: I had to stoop (down) to go through the
low doorway. 2 to stand habitually with the back and
shoulders bent forwards: He used to stoop, but he did exercises
to make his shoulders straight.
stoop to sthg. phr v [T] to fall to a low standard or