stitch
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Related to stitch: Skitch, stitch in time saves nine
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go through-stitch
To follow through or finish something. My brother has a hard time sticking with the things he starts, but he seems to enjoy football—maybe he'll go through-stitch with it.
a stitch in time (saves nine)
An action taken now will prevent problems later. You should consider getting your car repaired now before you're left stranded on the side of the road—a stitch in time saves nine. I know it's a month away, but I already started preparing for the big dinner party. A stitch in time, you know.
have (one) in stitches
To cause one to laugh hysterically. That guy always has me in stitches—he's a great stand-up comic.
in stitches
Laughing very hard, to the point that one cannot control it. Jerry is the funniest guy I know. He can have you in stitches in a matter of minutes. I was in stitches at that comedy show. I could barely breathe it was so funny.
See also: stitch
with not a stitch on
Totally nude. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw my roommate by the counter with not a stitch on. I nearly dropped my mug of tea! The actor recently did a magazine shoot with not a stitch on, which has had plenty of people going crazy online.
not have a stitch on
To be totally nude. My roommate didn't have a stitch on as I walked into the kitchen. I nearly dropped my mug of tea!
stitch up
1. Literally, to sew something together, especially as a means of mending or repairing it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "stitch" and "up." I was so broke at one point that I had to stitch up the same pair of pants several times because I couldn't afford new ones. Would you mind stitching this shirt up for me?
2. To secure a deal or agreement successfully. Often used in passive constructions. A noun or pronoun can be used between "stitch" and "up." As soon as the financial arrangements are stitched up, I'll have my lawyers send over the contract. He stitched a deal up with the supplier to give him preferential treatment.
in stitches
Fig. laughing very hard. Charlie had us in stitches with all his jokes. The movie sure was funny. I was in stitches!
See also: stitch
keep someone in stitches
Fig. to cause someone to laugh loud and hard, for a period of time. The comedian kept us in stitches for nearly an hour. The teacher kept the class in stitches, but the students didn't learn anything.
not have a stitch of clothes (on)
Fig. naked. He walked through the house and didn't have a stitch of clothes on.
stitch in time saves nine
Prov. If you fix a small problem right away, it will not become a bigger problem later. Let's patch the roof before that hole gets bigger. A stitch in time saves nine.
stitch something onto something
and stitch something onto sew something onto the surface of something else. Fred stitched the badge onto his jacket. Fred stitched on the badge.
See also: stitch
stitch something up
to sew something together; to mend a tear or ripped seam. I tore my shirt. Would you stitch it up, please? Please stitch up my shirt.
in stitches
Laughing uncontrollably, as in Joke after joke had me in stitches. Although the precise idiom dates only from about 1930, Shakespeare had a similar expression in Twelfth Night (3:2): "If you desire the spleen, and will laugh yourselves into stitches, follow me." Stitches here refers to the sharp local pain (known as a stitch in the side) that can make one double over, much as a fit of laughter can.
See also: stitch
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).
See also: stitch
without a stitch on
Naked, as in They let their baby run around outside without a stitch on. A related phrase is not have a stitch on. These expressions use stitch in the sense of "a piece of clothing," a usage dating from the early 1800s.
a stitch in time
If someone says a stitch in time, they mean that it is better to deal with a problem in its early stages, in order to prevent it getting worse. As for the paintwork, paint over any small areas that have flaked off and save yourself a bigger job later on. A stitch in time. Note: This expression comes from the proverb a stitch in time saves nine, which can also be used in full. Meanwhile, it was announced that interest rates were rising now to prevent bigger rises later. It was, said Mr George, a case of `a stitch in time saves nine'.
in stitches
INFORMALIf you are in stitches, you are laughing a lot. It was so funny — we were in stitches. Note: You can also say that you have someone in stitches, meaning that you make them laugh a lot. Thea had us in stitches with her tales of her family.
See also: stitch
a stitch in time
if you sort out a problem immediately, it may save a lot of extra work later. proverbThe fuller form of the expression is a stitch in time saves nine. Nine here has no particular significance as a number but was chosen because of its similarity in sound with the word time .
in stitches
laughing uncontrollably. informalStitch, in the sense of ‘a sudden localized jabbing pain’, such as might be caused by a needle, is recorded in Old English. It is now generally used of a muscle spasm in the side caused especially by exertion. Shakespeare seems to have been the first to describe stitches brought on by laughter; in Twelfth Night ( 1601 ) Maria invites her fellow conspirators to observe the lovelorn Malvolio with the words: ‘If you…will laugh yourselves into stitches, follow me’.
1981 D. M. Thomas The White Hotel She had them in stitches with her absurd—but true— anecdotes.
See also: stitch
not have a stitch ˈon
,without a stitch ˈon
(informal) have no clothes on; be naked: When he came into my room, I didn’t have a stitch on. I was so embarrassed! ♢ We left our clothes along the river bank and went swimming without a stitch on.a ˌstitch in ˈtime (saves ˈnine)
(saying) if you act immediately when something goes wrong, it will save you a lot more work later, because the problem will get worse if you leave it: We’d better fix that leak before it does any permanent damage. A stitch in time...in ˈstitches
(informal) laughing a lot: The film had the audience in stitches.See also: stitch
stitch up
v.
1. To mend or repair something with or as if with stitches: The tailor stitched up the rip in the jacket. The cut over my eye was deep, but the doctor stitched it up in a matter of minutes.
2. To reach some official agreement: I've stitched up a deal with my mechanic so that I pay only for parts and not labor. The agreement was easy to make; we stitched it up in a day.
a stitch
1. n. a very funny person. Harry is a stitch. What a sense of humor!
2. n. a sharp pain, usually in the side. I got a stitch and had to drop out of the marathon.
See also: stitch
in stitches
Informal Laughing uncontrollably.
See also: stitch