stacked
1352
we'll win; the cards/odds are stacked against us. (=every-
thing is to our disadvantage) 4 [T(UP)] to make (an aircraft)
fly in a pattern with others waiting for a turn to land at an
airport
stack up phr v [I(against)] infml, especially AmE to compare;
match: How does their product stack up against those of their
commercial rivals?
stacked /stækt/ adj AmE infml (of a woman) having large
breasts and an attractive body; women find this word
offensive
sta·di·um /'steɪdiəm/ n pl. -diums or -dia /-diə/ (a sports field
surrounded by) a large sometimes unroofed building with
rows of seats: a football/baseball stadium
staff¹ /stɑːf||stæf/ n 1 [C+sing./pl. v] the group of workers who
carry on a job or do the work of an organization, especially
of a teaching or business organization: The school's staff
is/are excellent. | I have a staff of 15. | It's good to have you on
(=as a member of) our/the staff → compare WORKFORCE;
see also GENERAL STAFF, GROUND STAFF 2 [P] BrE members
of such a group: She's in charge of about 20 staff. | complaints
by (members of) staff about working conditions | a special car
park for the senior staff | The reorganization may lead to staff
reductions. 3 [C] pl. staves /steɪvz/ a long thick stick of the
kind that is a) carried when walking or b) used as a mark
of office 4 [C] a pole for flying a flag on; FLAGPOLE 5 [C] (in
music) a STAVE
staff² v [T(with) usually pass.] to provide the workers for: The
refugee centre is staffed mainly by/with volunteers. → see also
OVERSTAFFED, UNDERSTAFFED
staff·er /'stɑːfər || 'stæ-/ n AmE someone who is paid to work
for an organization
'staff ,nurse n a British hospital nurse next in rank below a
SISTER
'staff ,officer n an officer who helps a military commander
of high rank rather than commanding soldiers himself
,staff of 'life, the lit bread, thought of as the most
important kind of food
Staf·ford·shire /'stæfədʃər / written abbrev. Staffs a COUNTY
in central England famous for its factories making CHINA
(=plates, cups etc)
'staff ,sergeant n a military rank → see TABLE 3
stag /stæg/ n 1 pl. stags or stag a fully grown male deer 2 BrE
a person who buys shares in a new company hoping to sell
them quickly at a profit 3 go stag AmE infml (of a man) to go to
a social event without a female companion: He went stag to the
prom. → see also STAG NIGHT, STAG PARTY
stage¹ /steɪdʒ/ n 1 the raised floor on which plays are
performed in a theatre: a stage set for an indoor scene | The
actor was on stage for most of the play. | He'd always wanted
to go on the stage. (=become an actor) | Her servant enters/
exits stage left/right. (=from the left/right side of the stage
as one looks out towards the theatre seats) | a well-known
novel that has been adapted for the stage (=for performance as
a play) | (fig.) He's very vain; he always wants to be at the centre
of the stage. 2 a particular point or period in the course of a
process or set of events; state reached at a particular time: The
plan is still in its early stages/at an early stage. | The calcula-
tions are rechecked at every stage of the construction. | At this
stage of the negotiations, it would be unwise to comment on
their chances of success. | Don't worry about your daughter's
odd behaviour; it's just a stage she's going through. | the
stages of development of the frog | The proposed new law is
currently at the committee stage. → compare PHASE STEP; see
also COMMITTEE STAGE 3 a) a part of a journey: We travelled
by (easy) stages, often stopping along the way. b) a fixed
division of a race that takes place over several days: That
cyclist won the second stage of the Tour de France. 4 a single
complete driving part of a ROCKET: a three-stage rocket 5 a
STAGECOACH 6 Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs
Worthington the title of an old humorous popular song
which warned parents that life in the theatre encouraged
immorality in young people 7 All the world's a stage quote a
phrase from SHAKESPEARE'S play AS YOU LIKE IT. It is the first
line of a long speech comparing the world to a stage and the
different parts of a person's life to different characters that the
person plays 8 set the stage for to prepare for or make
possible: The unjust peace treaty merely set the stage for
another war. → see also LANDING STAGE
stage² v [T] 1 to perform or arrange for public show; put on:
to stage a play/an art show/a charity football game 2 to
cause to happen, especially for public effect: The union
staged a one-day strike. | The pop star staged a row with his
manager in a restaurant to get maximum publicity.
stage-coach /'steɪdʒkət// also stage n (in former times)
a horse-drawn closed vehicle carrying passengers on regular
services between fixed places
Stagecoach trademark a British company that runs bus
services in many parts of the UK and in some other
countries. It also runs train services in the south of England.
stage-craft /'steɪdʒkrɑːft||-kræft/ n [U] skill and experi-
ence in writing or organizing the performance of a play
'stage di,rection n a written description of something an
actor must do on stage in performing a play: Here the stage
direction says 'Goes and looks out of the window'.
'stage ,diving n [U] the activity of climbing onto the stage
during a loud music concert while the band are playing and
then jumping onto the crowd below
,stage 'door n the side or back door in a theatre, used by
actors and stage workers
'stage fright n [U] nervousness felt by someone performing
or especially about to perform in public
stage-hand /'steɪdʒhænd/ n someone who works on a
theatre stage, moving scenery, painting scenery etc
'stage-,manage v [T] infml to arrange or prepare for public
effect, especially so that a desired result will happen in a way
that will appear natural: The press conference was cleverly
stage-managed so that the President would not have to answer
any embarrassing questions.
'stage ,manager n the person in charge of a theatre stage
during a performance
'stage ,name n a name used professionally by an actor
instead of his or her real name
stage-struck /'steɪdʒstrʌk/ adj in love with the theatre and
especially with the idea of being an actor
,stage 'whisper n 1 an actor's loud whisper supposedly not
heard by other actors on the stage 2 a loud whisper
intended to be heard by everyone
stage-y /'steɪdʒi/ adj STAGY
stag-fla·tion /stæg'fleɪʃən/ n [U] an economic condition in
which there is INFLATION (=continuing rise in prices) but the
ECONOMY is not growing, so many people do not have jobs
and businesses are not doing well: economic stagflation
during a recession
stag·ger¹ /'stægər/ v 1 [+adv/prep] to walk or move unstead-
ily and with great difficulty, almost falling: The drunken
man staggered towards us/away. | He staggered to the door,
bleeding from his wounds. | (infml) I finally staggered into bed
at 3 o'clock in the morning. → compare TOTTER 2 [T] to cause
to feel shocked disbelief; seem almost unbelievable to: Her
incredible staggers the imagination. | I was staggered by
his outrageous suggestion. 3 [T] to arrange (especially work-
ing hours, holidays etc) not to begin and end at the same
time 4 [T] to start (a race on a track with a bend) with each
runner starting at a different place so that in the end
everyone runs the same distance, e.g. in a 400 metres race
stagger² n an unsteady movement of a person having
trouble walking or standing
stag·ger·ing /'stægərɪŋ/ adj almost unbelievable; very sur-
prising and shocking: It cost a staggering £30,000! —ly adv
stag·ing /'steɪdʒɪŋ/ n 1 [C;U] the action or art of performing
a play: an imaginative modern-dress staging of 'Ham-
let' 2 [U] movable boards and frames for standing on; SCAF-
FOLDING
'staging post n a place at which regular stops are made on
long journeys: Bahrain is a staging post on the flight from
Britain to Australia → compare STOPOVER
stag·nant /'stægnənt/ adj 1 (especially of water) not flow-
ing or moving, and often bad-smelling: a stagnant pond
covered with scum 2 not developing or growing; inactive;
STATIC: Due to low investment, our industrial output has
remained stagnant. —ly adv —nancy n [U]