The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

by Christine Ammer

  stick out 1. Also, stick out a mile or like a sore thumb. Be very prominent or conspicuous, as in Dad’s funny hat made him stick out in the crowd, or That purple house sticks out a mile, or John’s lie sticks out like a sore thumb. The first term dates from the mid-1500s, the variants from the first half of the 1900s. The variant using thumb alludes to the propensity for holding an injured thumb stiffly, making it stand out (and thereby risking further injury). 2. Continue doing something, endure something, as in I know you don’t like it but you have to stick out the job for another month. [Late 1600s] A variant is stick it out, as in His new play’s boring, but since he’s my cousin we’d better stick it out. [Late 1800s] Also see STICK IT, def. 1.

  stick to 1. Remain loyal; see STICK BY. 2. Persist in or continue applying oneself to, as in I’m sticking to my opinion that he’s basically honest, or The music teacher told John to stick to the clarinet, at least until the end of the year. [First half of 1500s] Also see STICK TO ONE’S GUNS; STICK TO ONE’S LAST.

  stick together Remain united, as in It’s important that we stick together on this issue. [Mid-1500s]

  stick to one’s guns Hold fast to a statement, opinion, or course of action, as in The witness stuck to her guns about the exact time she was there. This expression, originally put as stand to one’s guns, ­alluded to a gunner remaining by his post. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.

  stick to one’s last Keep to what you know and don’t interfere out of your province, as in Let me handle the defense in this suit; you stick to your last and track down more eyewitnesses. This adage comes from an ancient story about a shoemaker criticizing a work by a Greek painter named Apelles, saying that the shoe in the picture was not correctly portrayed. After the painter corrected it, the shoemaker pointed out an error in the leg, whereupon the painter said, “Shoemaker, do not go above your last.” Over the centuries the story was repeated, and the expression still is sometimes put as cobbler, stick to your last, even though cobblers are nearly obsolete.

  stick to the ribs Be substantial or filling, as in It may not be health food but steak really sticks to the ribs. This idiom was first recorded in 1603.

  stick up 1. Project from a surface, as in That little cowlick of his sticks up no matter what you do. [Early 1400s] 2. Put up a poster or notice, as in Will you stick up this announcement on the bulletin board? [Late 1700s] 3. Rob, especially at gunpoint, as in The gang concentrated on sticking up liquor stores and gas stations. This usage, dating from the mid-1800s, gave rise to the colloquial phrase, stick ‘em up, a robber’s order to a victim to raise his or her hands above the head. [1930s]

  stick up for → See STAND UP FOR.

  stick with Continue to support or be faithful to, as in They stuck with us through all our difficulties. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

  sticky fingers A propensity to steal, as in You’d better not leave any cash around; she’s known for her sticky fingers. This metaphor makes it seem as if valuables adhere naturally to a thief’s fingers. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

  stiff → In addition to the idioms beginning with STIFF, also see BORE TO DEATH (STIFF); KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP; SCARE OUT OF ONE’S WITS (STIFF).

  stiff as a board Also, stiff as a poker. Inflexible, rigidly formal, unbending, as in This cloth is stiff as a board; what happened to it? or There he stood, stiff as a poker, unwilling to give an inch. The board in the first simile for rigidity is a slab of wood; the second, alluding to the iron implement used to push around logs in open fires, dates from the late 1700s.

  stiff upper lip → See KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP.

  still → In addition to the idioms beginning with STILL, also see HEART MISSES A BEAT (STANDS STILL); HOLD STILL FOR; JURY IS STILL OUT; KEEP QUIET (STILL); QUIET (STILL) AS A MOUSE.

  still and all Nevertheless, all the same, as in But still and all, trekking in Nepal is an expensive undertaking. Although critics believe this idiom is an unnecessarily long form of the adverb still, it has been used since the early 1800s and remains current.

  still small voice One’s conscience, as in I’d love to go but a still small voice tells me I really have to stay home and work. The term comes from the Bible (I Kings 19:12), where Elijah hears such a voice: “And after the earthquake a fire... and after the fire a still small voice.”

  still waters run deep A quiet person may be very profound, as in Susie rarely says much, but still waters run deep. The physical observation in this term dates from ancient times, but it has been used figuratively since about 1400. Anthony Trollope amplified it in He Knew He Was Right (1869): “That’s what I call still water. She runs deep enough.... So quiet, but so—clever.”

  sting → See TAKE THE STING OUT OF.

  stink → In addition to the idiom beginning with STINK, also see BIG STINK; MAKE A STINK; SMELL (STINK) UP.

  stink to high heaven Also, smell to high heaven. Be of very poor quality; also, be suspect or in bad repute. For example, This plan of yours stinks to high heaven, or His financial schemes smell to high heaven; I’m sure they’re dishonest. This expression alludes to something so rank that it can be smelled from a great distance. [c. 1600]

  stir → In addition to the idioms beginning with STIR, also see CAUSE A COMMOTION (STIR).

  stir up 1. Mix together the ingredients or parts, as in He stirred up some pancake batter, or Will you stir up the fire? [Mid-1300s] 2. Rouse to action, incite, provoke, as in He’s always stirring up trouble among the campers, or If the strikers aren’t careful they’ll stir up a riot. [First half of 1500s] Also see STIR UP A HORNETS’ NEST.

  stir up a hornets’ nest Make trouble, cause a commotion, as in Asking for an audit of the treasurer’s books stirred up a hornets’ nest in the association. This metaphoric term, likening hornets to angry humans, dates from the first half of the 1700s.

  stitch → In addition to the idiom beginning with STITCH, also see IN STITCHES; WITHOUT A STITCH ON.

  stitch in time, a A prompt action will avert more serious trouble. For example, Changing the car’s oil every 7,000 miles is a stitch in time. The complete form of this adage, a stitch in time saves nine, appeared in Thomas Fuller’s 1732 proverb collection, Gnomologia, and is so well known that it often is stated in shortened form. Ogden Nash played with it in the title for his verse collection, A Stitch Too Late Is My Fate (1938).

  stock → See IN STOCK; LOCK, STOCK, AND BARREL; MAKE A LAUGHINGSTOCK OF; TAKE STOCK; TAKE STOCK IN.

  stocking feet Wearing socks or stockings, but not shoes, as in I got locked out of the house in my stocking feet. [First half of 1800s]

  stomach → See BUTTERFLIES IN ONE’S STOMACH; CAN’T STAND (STOMACH); EYES ARE BIGGER THAN ONE’S STOMACH; NO STOMACH FOR; SICK TO ONE’S STOMACH; TURN ONE’S STOMACH.

  stone → In addition to the idioms beginning with STONE, also see CAST IN STONE; CAST THE FIRST STONE; FLAT (STONE) BROKE; HEART OF STONE; LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED; ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS; RUN INTO A STONE WALL.

  stone cold Unfeeling, insensible, as in That sad story left her stone cold. This analogy was already used by Shakespeare in Henry V (2:3): “Cold as any stone.”

  stone deaf Totally unable to hear, as in Poor Grandpa, in the last year he’s become stone deaf. [First half of 1800s]

  stone’s throw, a A very short distance, as in They live just a stone’s throw from us. This metaphoric term alludes to how far one can toss a stone. [Second half of 1500s]

  stood → See SHOULD HAVE STOOD IN BED.

  stool → In addition to the idiom beginning with STOOL, also see FALL BETWEEN THE CRACKS (TWO STOOLS).

  stool pigeon A decoy or informer, especially a police spy. For example, Watch out for Doug; I’m sure he’s a stool pigeon for the supervisor. This term ­alludes to a bird tied to a stool or similar perch in order to attract other birds, which will then be shot. However, one writer believes that stool is a variant for stale or stall, both nouns used for a ­decoy bird before 1500 or so. [c. 1820]

  stoop labor Back-bending manual w
ork, especially farm work. For example, They had us picking peas all day, and that’s too much stoop labor: [First half of 1900s]

  stoop to Condescend to something beneath one’s dignity, as in She wouldn’t stoop to listening to that obnoxious gossip. [Second half of 1500s]

  stop → In addition to the idioms beginning with STOP, also see BUCK STOPS HERE; PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS; PUT AN END (A STOP) TO.

  stop at nothing Do everything in one’s power, be prevented by no obstacle, as in She’ll stop at nothing to get her revenge. This expression was first recorded in John Dryden’s Aurengzebe (1676): “The World is made for the bold impious man; Who stops at nothing, seizes all he can.”

  stop by Also, stop in. Pay a brief visit, as in I hope you’ll stop by this afternoon, or He stopped in at Martha’s whenever he came to New York on business. The first term dates from about 1900, the variant from the mid-1800s.

  stop cold Also, stop dead or in in one’s tracks or on a dime. Halt suddenly, come to a standstill, as in When a thread breaks, the machine just stops cold, or He was so surprised to see them in the audience that he stopped dead in the middle of his speech, or The deer saw the hunter and stopped in its tracks, or An excellent skateboarder, she could stop on a dime. The first term uses cold in the sense “suddenly and completely,” a usage dating from the late 1800s. The first variant was first recorded in 1789 and probably was derived from the slightly older, and still current, come to a dead stop, with the same meaning. The second variant uses in one’s tracks in the sense of “on the spot” or “where one is at the moment”; it was first recorded in 1824. The third variant alludes to the dime or ten-cent piece, the smallest-size American coin.

  stop in → See under STOP BY.

  stop off Also, stop over. Interrupt a journey for a short stay somewhere, as in When we drove through Massachusetts we stopped off for a few days at Cape Cod, or When you’re in the area try to stop over and see our new house. [Mid-1800s]

  stop payment Instruct a bank not to honor a check one has drawn, as in If that check was lost, we’ll have to stop payment on it before issuing another. This usage was first recorded in 1722.

  stop short 1. Also, stop one short. Check abruptly, as in When we tried to cross the street, the barrier stopped us short. [Early 1300s] 2. Cause someone to stop speaking, as in I was about to tell them the date when my father stopped me short. [Late 1800s] 3. stop short of. Not go so far as to do or say something. For example, He may embroider the truth but he stops short of actually lying. This usage was first recorded in 1818.

  stop someone’s clock Kill someone, as in They threatened to stop his clock if he appeared on the witness stand. This expression transfers the ticking of a clock to the progress of one’s life. [Slang; 1940s]

  stop the clock Postpone a deadline by not counting the elapsing hours. For example, Management agreed to stop the clock so that a new contract could be negotiated before the present one expired. [Mid-1900s]

  stop up Fill a hole or gap, block an opening or passage. For example, We need to stop up the chinks in the walls, or The sink is stopped up; it won’t drain. This idiom was at first put simply as stop, the adverb up being added only in the early 1700s.

  storage → See IN COLD STORAGE.

  store → See IN STORE; MIND THE STORE; SET STORE BY; VARIETY STORE.

  storm → See ANY PORT IN A STORM; KICK UP A FUSS (STORM); RIDE OUT (THE STORM); TAKE BY STORM; WEATHER THE STORM.

  story → In addition to the idiom beginning with STORY, also see COCK AND BULL STORY; COVER STORY; FISH STORY; HARD LUCK (STORY); MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT; OLD STORY; SAME OLD STORY; SHAGGY DOG STORY; SOB STORY; UPPER STORY.

  story of my life, the What typically happens to me, as in I rushed through the meeting to get to the airport, and then the plane was three hours late—that’s the story of my life. This hyperbolic expression is generally used ruefully to describe some mishap or misfortune. [Mid-1900s]

  stow away 1. Put aside or store something until needed, as in We generally stow away the lawn furniture in the toolshed. [Late 1700s] 2. Hide oneself aboard ship or in a vehicle in order to get free transportation, as in The youngsters planned to stow away on a freighter but they never even got to the waterfront. This usage gave rise to the noun stowaway. [Mid-1800s] 2. Greedily consume food or drink, as in Bob sure can stow away a lot in a short time. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

  straddle the fence → See ON THE FENCE.

  straight → In addition to the idioms beginning with STRAIGHT, also see (STRAIGHT) FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH; GET STRAIGHT; GIVE IT TO (SOMEONE STRAIGHT); GO STRAIGHT; KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE; RIGHT (STRAIGHT) OUT; SET STRAIGHT; SHOOT STRAIGHT.

  straight and narrow, the The honest and upright way of living, as in He led a wild life when he was young, but he’s been on the straight and narrow for some years. This expression is widely thought to come from confusion of straight, “not crooked,” with straight, “narrow,” owing to a misinterpretation of a passage from the New Testament: “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life” (Matthew 7:14). The current phrase dates only from the first half of the 1800s.

  straight as an arrow Honest, genuine, as in You can trust Pat with the money; he’s straight as an ­arrow. This simile alludes to the arrow’s undeviating flight through the air. [Second half of 1900s]

  straighten out 1. Clear up disorder, a confusion, or a misunderstanding, as in This is an awful mess; I hope you’ll straighten it out, or I don’t understand; please straighten me out. [Late 1800s] 2. Adopt an honest, upright course, as in He’s only sixteen; I’m sure he’ll straighten out before long. [First half of 1900s]

  straighten up Make tidy, as in Let’s get this room straightened up. [Second half of 1800s]

  straight face → See KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE.

  straight from the horse’s mouth → See FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH.

  straight from the shoulder In a direct, forthright manner, as in I’ll tell you, straight from the shoulder, that you’ll have to do better or they’ll fire you. This expression comes from boxing, where it describes a blow delivered with full force. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

  straight goods The truth, as in Is that straight goods about how much you still owe? or I’m giving you the straight goods about Monica. [Slang; late 1800s]

  straight off Also, straight away. Immediately, as in I knew straight off that he was lying, or I’ll get to the dishes straight away. The first term dates from the late 1700s, the variant from the mid-1600s.

  straight out → See RIGHT OUT.

  straight talk Plain, honest speaking, as in We have to have some straight talk with Harry before he goes away to college. [Late 1800s] An alternative is straight answer, meaning a straightforward, honest reply. J. Porter had it in It’s Murder with Dover (1973), “Dover generously gave him a straight answer to a straight question. ‘No,’ he said.” [Second half of 1900s]

  straight ticket All the candidates of a single political party, as in Are you going to vote a straight ticket again? [Mid-1800s] Also see SPLIT TICKET.

  straight up Served without ice, generally said of an alcoholic drink, as in He ordered a martini straight up. Straight was first recorded with this meaning in 1874.

  strange bedfellows A peculiar alliance or combination, as in George and Arthur really are strange bedfellows, sharing the same job but totally different in their views. Although strictly speaking bed­fellows are persons who share a bed, like husband and wife, the term has been used figuratively since the late 1400s. This particular idiom may have been invented by Shakespeare in The Tempest (2:2), “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” Today a common extension is politics makes strange bedfellows, meaning that politicians form peculiar associations so as to win more votes. A similar term is odd couple, a pair who share either housing or a business but are very different in most ways. This term gained currency with Neil Simon’s Broadway play The Odd Couple and, even more, with the motion picture (1968) and subsequent televis
ion series based on it, contrasting housemates Felix and Oscar, one meticulously neat and obsessively punctual, the other ­extremely messy and casual.

  strange to say Also, strangely enough. Surprisingly, curiously, unaccountably, as in Strange to say, all the boys in his class are six feet tall or taller, or I’ve never been to the circus, strangely enough. This ­idiom was first recorded in 1697 as strange to relate.

  strapped for In need of, as in We’re strapped for cash this week. Originating in the mid-1800s as simply strapped, meaning “in need of money,” the term acquired for in the first half of the 1900s. Now the term is also used for other needs, as in I can’t give you any more firewood; I’m strapped for it myself.

  straw → In addition to the idioms beginning with STRAW, also see DRAW STRAWS; GRASP AT STRAWS; LAST STRAW; MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW; NOT WORTH A DAMN (STRAW).

  straw boss A subordinate boss, a worker who ­supervises other workers as well as performing regular duties. For example, Jim was pleased when he was promoted to straw boss. This term alludes to the person’s position as a straw man, that is, a front or cover for the real boss and of only nominal importance. [Late 1800s]

  straw in the wind A slight hint of the future, as in The public unrest is a straw in the wind indicating future problems for the regime. This expression alludes to a straw showing in what direction the wind blows, an observation also behind the idiom STRAW VOTE.

  straw that breaks the camel’s back → See LAST STRAW.

  straw vote Also, straw poll. An unofficial vote or poll indicating how people feel about a candidate or issue. For example, Let’s take a straw poll on the bill and see how it fares. This idiom alludes to a straw used to show in what direction the wind blows, in this case the wind of public opinion. O. Henry joked about it in A Ruler of Men (1907): “A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows.” [c. 1885]

  streak → See LIKE GREASED LIGHTNING (A BLUE STREAK); TALK SOMEONE’S ARM OFF (A BLUE STREAK); WINNING STREAK.