stiff

*stiff as a poker

rigid and inflexible; stiff and awkward. (Usually used to describe people. *Also: as ~.) This guy's dead. He's cold and as stiff as a poker. John is not a very good dancer; he's stiff as a poker.

See also: poker

bore someone stiff and bore someone to death; bore someone to tears

Fig. to be exceedingly dull and uninteresting. (Stiff means "dead.") The play bored me stiff. The lecture bored everyone to death.

See also: bore

bored silly and bored to distraction; bored stiff; bored to death; bored to tears

very bored; extremely dull and uninteresting (Usually an exaggeration.) I was bored silly at the lecture. The dull speaker left me bored to distraction. I am bored to tears. Let's go home.

See also: bore, silly

Keep a stiff upper lip.

Prov. Act as though you are not upset.; Do not let unpleasant things upset you. (English people are stereotypically supposed to be very good at keeping a stiff upper lip.) Even though he was only three years old, Jonathan kept a stiff upper lip the whole time he was in the hospital recovering from his surgery. Jill: Sometimes this job frustrates me so much I could just break down in tears. Jane: Keep a stiff upper lip. Things are bound to improve.

See also: keep, lip, upper

scare someone stiff

Fig. to frighten someone severely. (Stiff = dead.) That loud noise scared me stiff. The robber jumped out and scared us stiff.

See also: scare

scared stiff

Fig. badly frightened. We were scared stiff by the robber. I was scared stiff when the dog growled at me.

See also: scare

working stiff

Fig. someone who works, especially in a nonmanagement position. (Originally and typically referring to males.) But does the working stiff really care about all this economic stuff? All the working stiffs want is a raise.

See also: working

---

a stiff upper lip

an ability to stay calm and not show feelings of sadness or fear You weren't allowed to show emotion in those days. You had to keep a stiff upper lip at all times. I never once saw my father cry or show any sign of vulnerability - it's that old British stiff upper lip.

See also: lip, upper

be as stiff as a board 

1. to be very stiff It's so cold out there - the washing was as stiff as a board when I brought it in off the line.

2. if you are as stiff as a board, your body feels stiff and hurts when you try to move it, usually after a lot of physical exercise I cycled fifty miles yesterday and when I woke this morning I was as stiff as a board.

See Hard cheddar!, Hard cheese!, be as stiff as a ramrod

See also: board

be as stiff/straight as a ramrod  (old-fashioned)

if someone is as stiff as a ramrod, they stand or sit with their back very straight and stiff At eighty-three, he's still as straight as a ramrod.

be bored to death/tears  (informal) also be bored stiff (informal)

to be very bored The speeches went on for an hour. I was bored to death.

See also: bore, death

Hard/Tough cheddar!  (British & Australian informal) also Stiff cheddar! (Australian informal)

something that you say to or about someone to whom something bad has happened in order to show that you have no sympathy for them It's about time Richard realized that he can't have everything his own way - tough cheddar, that's what I say!

See also: hard

Hard/Tough cheese!  (British & Australian informal) also Stiff cheese! (Australian informal)

something that you say to or about someone to whom something bad has happened in order to show that you have no sympathy for them So he's fed up because he's got to get up early one morning in seven, is he? Well hard cheese!

See Say cheese!

See also: hard

---

scared stiff

extremely frightened Jill awoke from a dream that left her afraid - scared stiff, in fact.

Etymology: from the idea that you are stiff (unable to bend or change your position) because you are too frightened to move

See also: scare