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[stick to one's guns] or [stand by one's guns] <v. phr.> To hold to an aim or an opinion even though people try to stop you or say you are wrong. * /People laughed at Columbus when he said the world was round. He stuck to his guns and proved he was right./ * /At first the boss would not give Jane the raise in pay she wanted, but she stood by her guns and he gave it to her./ Compare: STAND ONE'S GROUND.

[stick to one's knitting] or [tend to one's knitting] <v. phr.>, <informal> To do your own job and not bother other people. * /The trouble with Henry is that he is always telling other people what to do; he can't stick to his knitting./

[stick to one's ribs] or [stick to the ribs] <v. phr.>, <informal> To keep you from getting hungry again too quickly. * /Doctors say you should eat a good breakfast that sticks to your ribs./ * /Farmers eat food that sticks to the ribs./

[stick to the point] <v. phr.> To stay on course during a discussion; adhere to the topic; not talk about extraneous matters. * /Stick to the point and stop telling us your life history!/ See: COME TO THE POINT.

[stick up] <v.>, <informal> To rob with a gun. * /When the messenger left the bank, a man jumped out of an alley and stuck him up./ Syn.: HOLD UP. * /In the old West, outlaws sometimes stuck up the stagecoaches./

[stick-up] <n.>, <informal> A robbery by a man with a gun. * /Mr. Smith was the victim of a stick-up last night./

[stick up for] See: STAND UP FOR.

[stick with] <v.>, <informal> 1. or [stay with] To continue doing; not quit. * /Fred stayed with his homework until it was done./ * /Practicing is tiresome, but stick with it and some day you will be a good pianist./ Compare: STICK TO. 2. To stay with; not leave. * /Stick with me until we get out of the crowd./ * /For two months Bill's boss could not pay his salary, but Bill stuck with him because he thought the company would soon succeed./ 3. To sell (someone) something poor or worthless; cheat. * /Father said that the man in the store tried to stick him with a bad TV set./ 4. To leave (someone) with (something unpleasant); force to do or keep something because others cannot or will not. - Usually used in the passive. * /When Harry and I went to the store to buy ice cream cones, Harry ran out with his cone without paying and I was stuck with paying for it./ * /Mary didn't wash the dishes before she left so I'm stuck with it./ * /Mr. Jones bought a house that is too big and expensive, but now he's stuck with it./

[stick with] <v. phr.> To unfairly thrust upon; encumber one with. * /In the restaurant my friends stuck me with the bill although it was supposed to be Dutch treat./

[sticky fingers] <n. phr.>, <slang> 1. The habit of stealing things you see and want. * /Don't leave money in your locker; some of the boys have sticky fingers./ * /Don't leave that girl alone in the room with so many valuable objects around, because she has sticky fingers./ 2. Ability to catch a ball, especially football forward passes. * /Jack is very tall and has sticky fingers. He is an end on the football team./

[stiff] See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, SCARE OUT OF ONE'S WITS or SCARE STIFF.

[still] See: HEART STAND STILL.

[still life] <n. phr.> A term used by artists to describe a motionless picture of a bowl of fruit, flowers, etc. * /One of van Gogh's most famous still lifes is a vase of yellow flowers./

[still waters run deep] Quiet people probably are profound thinkers. - A proverb. * /He doesn't say much, but he sure looks smart. Well, still waters run deep, isn't that true?/

[stir up] <v.> 1. To bring (something) into being, often by great exertion or activity; cause. * /It was a quiet afternoon, and John tried to stir up some excitement./ * /Bob stirred up a fight between Tom and Bill./ Compare: WHIP UP(2). 2. To cause (someone) to act; incite to action or movement; rouse. * /The coach's pep talk stirred up the team to win./ * /When Mary heard what Betty said about her, she became stirred up./

[stir up a hornet's nest] <v. phr.> To make many people angry; do something that many people don't like. * /The principal stirred up a hornet's nest by changing the rules at school./

[stitch] See: IN STITCHES.

[stock] See: IN STOCK, OUT OF STOCK, TAKE STOCK, TAKE STOCK IN.

[stock-in-trade] <n. phr.> The materials which one customarily deals, sells, or offers. * /Imported silk blouses from the Orient are the stock-in-trade of their small shop./ * /Anecdotes are often an after-dinner speaker's stock-in-trade./

[stomach] See: EYES BIGGER THAN ONE'S STOMACH, BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH, TURN ONE'S STOMACH.

[stone] See: CAST THE FIRST STONE, HAVE A HEART OF STONE, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES, ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS.

[stone-blind] <adj. phr.> 1. Completely blind. * /Poor Al is stone-blind and needs help to get across the street carefully./ 2. Highly intoxicated. * /George drank too much and got stone-blind at the office party./ See: GET STONED, THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.

[stone-broke] or [dead broke] or [flat broke] <adj.>, <informal> Having no money; penniless. * /Jill wanted to go to the movies but she was stone-broke./ * /The man gambled and was soon flat broke./

[stone-cold] <adj.> Having no warmth; completely cold. - Used to describe things that are better when warm. * /The boys who got up late found their breakfast stone-cold./ * /The furnace went off and the radiators were stone-cold./

[stone-dead] <adj.>, <informal> Showing no signs of life; completely dead. * /Barry tried to revive the frozen robin but it was stone-dead./

[stone-deaf] <adj. phr.> Completely deaf. * /Sam is stone-deaf so let him read your lips if you know no sign language./

[stone wall] or [brick wall] <adj.> Something hard to overcome; an idea or belief that is hard to change. * /The students ran into a brick wall when they asked the principal to put off the examination./ * /Dick tried to change Father's mind about letting him use the car Saturday night, but he was up against a stone wall./

[stone's throw] or [within a stone's throw] <adv. phr.> Within a very short distance. * /They live across the street from us, just within a stone's throw./ See: HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP.

[stool pigeon] <n.> A criminal who informs on his associates. * /The detective was able to solve the crime mainly through information obtained from a stool pigeon./

[stop] See: PUT AN END TO(1), or PUT A STOP TO.

[stop at nothing] <v. phr.> To be unscrupulous. * /Al will stop at nothing to get Nancy to go out with him./

[stop by] See: DROP BY.

[stop cold] or [stop dead] or [stop in one's tracks] <v. phr.>, <informal> To stop very quickly or with great force. * /The hunter pulled the trigger and stopped the deer cold./ * /When I saw Mary on the street, I was so surprised I stopped dead./ * /The deer heard a noise and he stopped in his tracks./

[stop off] <v.> To stop at a place for a short time while going somewhere. * /We stopped off after school at the soda fountain before going home./ * /On our trip to California we stopped off in Las Vegas for two days./

[stop over] <v.> To stay at a place overnight or for some other short time while on a trip elsewhere. * /When we came back from California, we stopped over one night near the Grand Canyon./

[stop short] <v. phr.> To suddenly stop. * /Jake stopped short when he heard somebody yell out his name loud but there was no one in sight./

[stop street] <n.> A street where cars must come to a full stop before crossing another street. * /Johnny was late because he traveled on a stop street./ Contrast: THROUGH STREET.

[stop the show] <v. phr.> To elicit such a strong applause from the audience that the show is interrupted. * /Pavarotti's rendition of "O sole mio" always stops the show./

[stop up] <v. phr.> To block; close. * /If you want to get rid of the leak, you must stop up the two holes you have in the ceiling./

[store] See: DIME STORE, IN STORE, SET STORE BY, VARIETY STORE.

[storm] See: TAKE BY STORM.

[story] See: OLD STORY, SOB STORY, UPPER STORY.

[stow away] <v.> 1. <informal> To pack or store away. * /After New Year's Day the Christmas decorations were stowed away until another season./ 2. To hide on a ship or another kind of transportation to get a free ride. * /John ran away from home and stowed away on a freighter going to Jamaica./

[straight] See: GO STRAIGHT, SHOOT STRAIGHT.

[straighten out] <v.> To correct a mistake; make you realize you are wrong. * /The teacher saw Jim's awkward sentence on the board and asked for volunteers to straighten it out./ * /Sometimes only a good spanking will straighten out a naughty child./ Syn.: SQUARE AWAY(2).

[straighten up] <v.> To put in order; make neat. * /Vic had to straighten up his room before he could go swimming./ * /Mrs. Johnson straightened up the house before company came./ Compare: PICK UP(6b), SQUARE AWAY.

[straight face] <n.> A face that is not laughing or smiling. * /Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face./ * /It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face./ * /When Bob fell into the water, he looked funny and I could hardly keep a straight face./

[straight from the horse's mouth] <slang> Directly from the person or place where it began; from a reliable source or a person that cannot be doubted. * /They are going to be married. I got the news straight from the horse's mouth - their minister./ * /John found out about the painting straight from the horse's mouth, from the painter himself./

[straight from the shoulder] <adv. phr.>, <informal> In an open and honest way of speaking; without holding back anything because of fear or politeness or respect for someone's feelings; frankly. * /John asked what he had done wrong. Bob told him straight from the shoulder./ * /The candidate for Congress spoke out against his opponent's dishonesty straight from the shoulder./ Contrast: PULL ONE'S PUNCHES.

[straightlaced] <adj.> Of very strict morals and manners. * /She is so straightlaced that she won't even go out with a man unless she senses that he is serious about her./

[straight off] <adv. phr.> At once; immediately. * /After school is over, you come home straight off, and don't waste time./ * /He asked his father for the car, but his father said straight off that he couldn't have it./

[straight out] See: RIGHT OUT.

[straight shooters] See: SHOOT STRAIGHT.

[straight ticket] <n.> A vote for all the candidates of a single party. * /Uncle Fred was a loyal member of his party. He always voted the straight ticket./ Contrast: SPLIT TICKET.

[strain a point] See: STRETCH A POINT.

[strange to say] <adv. phr.> Not what you might think; surprisingly. - Used for emphasis. * /Strange to say, Jerry doesn't like candy./ * /Strange to say, the Indians didn't kill Daniel Boone./

[strapped for] <adj.> Broke; out of funds. * /My brother is so extravagant that he is always strapped for cash./

[straw] See: GIVE A HANG, GRASP AT A STRAW, GRASP AT STRAWS, LAST STRAW or STRAW THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL'S BACK, MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW.

[straw boss] <n.> 1. The boss of a few workers who is himself under another boss or foreman. * /The straw boss told Jim he would have to see the foreman about a job./ 2, A man who works himself and also bosses a few other workers. * /Smith worked better than the other men, so the foreman made him straw boss, too./

[straw in the wind] <n. phr.> A small sign of what may happen. * /The doctor's worried face was a straw in the wind./ * /The quickly-called meeting of the President and his cabinet was a straw in the wind./

[straw poll] <n. phr.> An informal survey taken in order to get an opinion. * /The results of our straw poll show that most faculty members prefer to teach between 9 and 11 A.M./

[straw that breaks the camel's back] See: LAST STRAW.

[straw vote] See: STRAW POLL.

[streak] See: WINNING STREAK.

[streak of luck] See: RUN OF LUCK.

[stream] See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM, SWIM AGAINST THE CURRENT or SWIM AGAINST THE STREAM.

[street] See: BACK STREET, CROSS STREET, MAN IN THE STREET, ON EASY STREET, SIDE STREET, STOP STREET, THROUGH STREET.

[strength] See: ON THE STRENGTH OF.

[stretch a point] or [strain a point] <v. phr.> To permit something different or more than usual; not tell the exact truth or make an exception. * /Mother stretched a point because it was Christmas time and let the children stay up later than usual./ * /It's straining a point to call Joe a hero just because he saved the kitten from drowning in the bathtub./

[stretch of the imagination] <n. phr.> Imaginative attempt or effort. * /By no stretch of the imagination can I see Al as a successful lawyer./

[stride] See: HIT ONE'S STRIDE, TAKE IN STRIDE.

[strike] See: CALLED STRIKE, HAVE TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE, LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE, TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE.

[strike a bargain] <v. phr.> To arrive at a price satisfactory to both the buyer and the seller. * /After a great deal of haggling, they managed to strike a bargain./

[strike a happy medium] <v. phr.> To find an answer to a problem that is halfway between two unsatisfactory answers. * /Mary said the dress was blue. Jane said it was green. They finally struck a happy medium and decided it was blue-green./ * /Two teaspoons of sugar made the cup of coffee too sweet, and one not sweet enough. One heaping teaspoon struck a happy medium./

[strike all of a heap] See: ALL OF A HEAP.

[strikebreaker] <n.> One who takes the place of workers on strike or one who recruits such people. * /The striking workers threw rotten eggs at the strikebreakers./

[strike gold] <v. phr.> 1. To find gold. * /Ted struck gold near an abandoned mine in California./ 2. To find suddenly the answer to an old puzzle. * /Professor Brown's assistant struck gold when he came up with an equation that explained the irregular motions of a double star./ See: PAY DIRT.

[strike home] See: HIT HOME.

[strike it rich] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To discover oil, or a large vein of minerals to be mined, or a buried treasure. * /The old prospector panned gold for years before he struck it rich./ 2. To become rich or successful suddenly or without expecting to. * /Everyone wanted to buy one of the new gadgets, and their inventor struck it rich./ * /John did not know that he had a rich Uncle John in Australia. John struck it rich when his uncle left his money to John./ Compare: PAY DIRT(2).

[strike one funny] <v. phr.> To appear or seem laughable, curious, ironic, or entertaining. * /"It strikes me funny," he said, "that you should refuse my invitation to visit my chateau in France. After all, you love both red wine and old castles. "/