stick in the mud

stick in the mud

Someone who is considered boring, often due to unpopular or outdated beliefs. Sally was tired of being called a stick in the mud by her friends just because she refused to drink alcohol. Just because I don't like roller coasters doesn't mean I'm a stick in a mud—I like lots of other fun things!

See also: mud, stick

stick-in-the-mud

Fig. a dull and old-fashioned person. Don't be such an old stick-in-the-mud. some stick-in-the-mud objected to the kind of music we wanted to play in church.

a stick-in-the-mud

If you call someone a stick-in-the-mud, you mean they are old-fashioned or boring and do not like doing new things or having fun. I felt sorry for him because he obviously wanted to enjoy himself but was married to a real stick-in-the-mud. Call me a stick-in-the-mud, but I just prefer the more traditional ways of doing things. Note: You can use stick-in-the-mud before a noun. He's going to let an opportunity pass him by, with his stick-in-the-mud attitude. Note: This expression is used to show disapproval.

stick in the mud

n. a dull and old-fashioned person. Don’t be such an old stick in the mud.

See also: mud, stick

stick in the mud, old

A person who avoids anything new; an old fogy, not necessarily old in years. This expression, which presumably likens such an individual to a vehicle whose wheels are stuck in mud, has been around since about 1700. Thomas Haliburton used it in one of his Sam Slick tales (1843): “‘Well,’ said old Stick-in-the-mud, ‘what are you arter?’”

See also: old, stick