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St James's Palace
its/the tail a part, especially of a story or suggestion, which
is unexpectedly harmful or unpleasant, especially to the
hearer: The plan has a sting in its tail: it means we lose one
day's holiday.
Sting (1951-) a British songwriter, singer, and actor who used
to sing with the POP GROUP The Police until they separated,
and has worked successfully on his own since then. His
songs include Don't Stand So Close to Me (1981) and If I Ever
Lose My Faith in You (1993). He is also known for his work to
protect the environment. → see colour photo on page A30
'stinging nettle n a NETTLE plant with leaves that sting if
you touch them
sting·ray /'stɪŋreɪ/ n a large sea fish with several sharp
points on its back at the base of its tail
stin·gy /'stɪndʒi/ adj [(with)] infml having or showing unwilling-
ness to give especially money; mean: He's too stingy to give
money to charity. | a stingy meal (=a small one of rather bad
quality) | He's stingy with his money. —gily adv —giness n
[U]
stink¹ /stɪŋk/ v stank /stæŋk/ or stunk /stʌŋk/, stunk
[I] 1 [(of)] to give a strong bad smell: The place stank of
decayed fish. 2 infml to have an unpleasant, offensive, or
immoral quality: Frankly, your plan stinks! (=is very bad) |
This whole affair really stinks. | His name stinks. (=everyone
dislikes him)
stink sbdy./sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T] infml 1 BrE || stink up AmE —
to fill with a bad smell: The burning pan has stunk the house
out. 2 (of something which smells bad) to drive away: The
smell of his cooking stank us all out of the house!
stink² n 1 [C] a strong unpleasant smell: There's a stink of
cats in here. 2 [S(about)] infml an act of noisy complaining: If
something isn't done soon to put this right I'm going to kick
up/raise a stink. (=complain very strongly) | The scandal
caused quite a stink.
'stink-bomb n a small container which gives off an
extremely bad smell when it is broken
stink·er /'stɪŋkə/ n BrE old-fash infml something or someone
very unpleasant or bad: This cold I've got is a real stinker!
stink·ing¹ /'stɪŋkɪŋ/ adj [A] 1 having a very bad smell 2 infml
very unpleasant or bad: I've got an absolutely stinking
cold. | I wish I'd never come to live in this stinking coun-
try. 3 infml (used for giving force to an expression, especially
showing annoyance): You can keep your lousy stinking
money; I don't want it!
stinking² adv infml derog very (in the phrase stinking rich)
stint¹ /stɪnt/ v [(on);T (of) usually in negatives] to give too small an
amount (of): Don't stint yourself (of anything); take all you
want. | When you make this recipe, don't stint (on) the butter.
(=use lots)
stint² n 1 a limited or fixed amount or period of work,
especially shared work: He did a two-year stint in the army
when he left school. | Make sure you do your stint; don't leave it
all to the others. 2 without stint infml without limits and
especially very generously: She gave of her time and money
without stint.
sti·pend /'staɪpend/ n money paid regularly for professional
duties, especially to a priest, or to someone on a low
income: a government/student stipend
sti·pen·di·ar·y¹ /staɪ'pendiəri||-dieri/ adj receiving a sti-
pend
stipendiary² also sti,pendiary 'magistrate n BrE a MAG-
ISTRATE paid by the state
stip·ple /'stɪpəl/ v [T] to draw or paint (a picture, pattern
etc) with short strokes or dots instead of lines to make areas
of colour, darkness etc —pling n [U]
stip·u·late /'stɪpjʊleɪt/ v [T] to state as a necessary condi-
tion, especially of an agreement or offer: He stipulated
payment in advance. | I stipulated green, so why have you
painted it red? | [+(that)] She stipulated that all her expenses
would have to be refunded.
stip·u·la·tion /ˌstɪpjʊ'leɪʃən/ n [C;U] a stating or statement
of conditions: Exact stipulation of your requirements would
have made it easier to fulfil your order satisfactorily. | [+that]
She agreed, but with several stipulations/with the stipulation
that she be allowed a share in the profits.
stir¹ /stɜː/ v -rr- 1 [T] to move (especially something mainly
liquid) around and mix something into it with a spoon or
similar object: I've put sugar in your coffee but I haven't
stirred it. 2 [T+obj+adv/prep] to put or mix by stirring: She
stirred the sugar into her tea. 3 [I;T] often lit to make or cause a
slight movement (in): She stirred in her sleep. | A light breeze
stirred the surface of the lake. | fig.) Interest began to stir
among the listeners. (=they began to be inter-
ested) 4 [I(from);T] to cause (oneself) to move or wake: She
doesn't stir (=wake or get up) before nine o'clock. | It's too cold
to stir from the fire/the house. | If you don't stir yourselves
(=hurry up) you'll be late! 5 [T(to)] to produce (strong feel-
ings) in (someone): The story stirred her sympathy. | His
speech stirred us to action. → see also STIRRING 6 [I] infml to
cause trouble between others, especially by spreading false
stories: He enjoys stirring. → see also STIRRER 7 stir one's
stumps BrE infml to hurry up; act quickly: If we don't stir our
stumps we'll miss that plane. 8 stir the blood especially lit to
produce strong feelings, especially of pleasant excitement
stir up phr v [T] derog 1 [(stir sthg. ⇔ up)] to cause (trouble):
Don't stir up trouble unnecessarily. | He was accused of stir-
ring things up/stirring up the dispute. → see also STIR 2 [(stir
sbdy. ⇔ up)] to upset: The news really stirred her up. | What's
he all stirred up about?
stir² n 1 [C] an act of stirring: Give the paint a stir before
using it. 2 [C(of) usually sing.] a slight movement: There was a
stir of excitement/interest as she entered. 3 [S] (public)
excitement: His resignation caused/created quite a stir.
stir³ n [(in) U] old-fash slang prison
'stir-fry v [T] to cook by mixing around in very hot oil for a
short time: The Chinese often stir-fry their vegetables.
stir·rer /'stɜːrə/ n infml, especially BrE a person who likes to
cause trouble between others; TROUBLEMAKER
stir·ring /'stɜːrɪŋ/ adj apprec which produces strong feelings,
especially of excitement; ROUSING: stirring music | a stirring
speech —ly adv
stir·rup /'stɪrʌp||'stɜː-/ n a D-shaped metal piece for a rider's
foot to go in, hanging from the side of a horse's SADDLE →
see picture at HORSE
'stirrup cup n BrE a cupful of strong drink given to someone
setting out on a journey, especially a rider about to start a
FOXHUNT
'stirrup pump n a small hand-operated water pump with a
D-shaped part that one puts one's foot through to hold it to
the ground
stitch¹ /stɪtʃ/ n 1 [C] (in sewing) a movement of a needle
and thread into cloth at one point and out at another: I'll
just put a couple of stitches in that tear and it'll be as good as
new. 2 [C] a turn of the wool round the needle in knitting
(KNIT): I've dropped a stitch. (=because the wool has come
off the needle) 3 [C] the piece of thread or wool seen in
place after the completion of such a movement 4 [C;U] a
particular style of sewing or knitting: Purl and plain are the
two main stitches in knitting. | an embroidery stitch → see
also CHAIN STITCH, CROSS-STITCH 5 [C usually pl.] a piece of
thread which sews the edges of a wound together: The cut
needed 15 stitches. | When are you having your stitches
out? 6 [S] a sharp pain in the side of one's body, especially
caused by running 7 [S usually in negatives] infml clothes: The
maid walked in without knocking, and he hadn't got a stitch
on. (=was completely NAKED) 8 in stitches laughing uncon-
trollably: Her jokes had us all in stitches. 9 a stitch in time
(saves nine) it is better to sort out problems early and
quickly, when it is still easy to do so, than to wait until they
get worse and become much harder to deal with
stitch² v [I;T(UP)] to sew; put stitches on to fasten together or
for decorative effect: Will you stitch (up) this hole for me? |
She stitched the button on the shirt. | Stitch the front and back
of the dress together.
stitch sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] infml to complete (something)
satisfactorily, especially so that it cannot be changed: We've
got the whole deal stitched up.
'stitch-up, stitch up n BrE a situation in which someone is
deliberately deceived
St Ives /sənt 'aɪvz||seɪnt-/ a small town on the coast of
Cornwall in southwest England, popular with tourists and
also a centre for water sports and painters
St James's 'Palace a royal palace in central London.