stitch
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Related to stitch: Skitch, stitch in time saves nine
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
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.
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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