stamp

one's old stamping ground

Fig. the place where one was raised or where one has spent a lot of time. (There are variants with stomping and grounds.) Ann should know about that place. It's near her old stamping ground. I can't wait to get back to my old stomping grounds.

See also: ground, old

stamp someone or something as something

to label someone or something as something; to mark someone or something as something. His manner stamped him as a fool. The committee stamped the proposal as wasteful.

stamp someone or something with something

to affix a label onto someone or something with something; to apply a particular message or symbol onto someone or something, as with a rubber stamp. Judy stamped everyone who went into the dance with a symbol that showed that each had paid admission. Mary stamped the bill with the PAID symbol.

stamp someone out

Sl. to get rid of or kill someone. (Fig. on stamp something out.) You just can't stamp somebody out on your own! The victim wanted to stamp out the robbers without a trial.

See also: out

stamp something (up)on someone or something

to affix an informative label onto someone or something, as with a rubber stamp. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) The attendant stamped a date upon each person who entered the dance hall. The person at the door stamped something on my hand when I came in.

stamp something onto something

to affix an informative label onto something, as with a rubber stamp. she stamped her name and address onto all her books. Tom stamped his identification onto all his papers and books.

stamp something out

Fig. to eliminate something. The doctors hope they can stamp cancer out. Many people think that they can stamp out evil.

See also: out

stamp something out of someone or something and stamp something out

Fig. to eliminate a characteristic of someone or something; to destroy a characteristic of someone or something. I would really like to stamp that mean streak out of you. We were not able to stamp the excess costs out of the proposal and had to reject it. We couldn't stamp out their bad behavior.

See also: out

stamp a fire out

to extinguish a fire by stamping on it. Quick, stamp that fire out before it spreads. Tom stamped out the sparks before they started a fire.

See also: fire, out

stamp on someone or something

to strike down hard on someone or something with the bottom of the foot. The attacker stamped on his victim after he had knocked him down. Walter stamped on a spider.

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somebody's stamping/stomping ground

a place where you regularly spend a lot of time I spent an afternoon in Camden, my old stomping ground.

See cut the ground from under / feet, gain ground, hit the ground running, prepare the ground, run into the ground, run to ground, shift ground, suit down to the ground, wish the ground would swallow up

See also: ground

fit/write something on the back of a postage stamp

if you say you could write what you know about a subject on the back of a postage stamp, you mean you know very little about that subject What I know about car maintenance could be written on the back of a postage stamp.

See also: back, fit, postage

rubber-stamp something

if someone rubber-stamps a decision or a plan, they give it official approval, often without thinking about it enough

Usage notes: If someone official has examined a document, they often put a special mark on it using a rubber stamp (= a small printing device made of rubber).

School governors will not simply rubber-stamp what teachers have already decided. The court was asked to rubber-stamp the Department's decision to free the men.

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stamp out something also stamp something out

to stop or destroy something How long have we been trying to stamp out drugs? Everyone enjoys these games, although some people want to stamp them out.

See also: out