stʌf n. & v. --n. 1
the material that a
thing is
made of; material that
may be used
for some purpose. 2 a
substance or things or
belongings of an
indeterminate kind or a
quality not needing to be specified (there's a
lot of stuff
about it in the newspapers). 3 a
particular knowledge or
activity (know one's stuff). 4
woollen fabric (esp. as
distinct from silk,
cotton,
and linen). 5
valueless matter,
trash, refuse,
nonsense (take that stuff away). 6 (prec. by the) a colloq. an
available supply of
something,
esp.
drink or drugs. b sl.
money. --v. 1 tr. pack (a receptacle) tightly (stuff a
cushion with feathers; a
head stuffed with
weird notions). 2 tr. (foll. by
in, into) force or
cram (a thing) (stuffed the socks in the drawer). 3 tr.
fill out the
skin of (an
animal or
bird etc.) with material to
restore the
original shape (a stuffed owl). 4 tr. fill (poultry etc.) with a
savoury or
sweet mixture, esp.
before cooking. 5 a tr. & refl. fill (a
person or oneself) with
food. b tr. & intr.
eat greedily. 6 tr.
push, esp. hastily or clumsily (stuffed the
note behind the cushion). 7 tr. (usu. in
passive; foll. by up)
block up (a person's
nose etc.). 8 tr. sl. (esp. as an
expression of
contemptuous dismissal)
dispose of as
unwanted (you can stuff the job). 9 tr. US
place bogus votes in (a ballot-box). 10 tr.
coarse sl. offens.
have sexual intercourse with (a woman). øbit of stuff sl. offens. a
woman regarded as an
object of sexual
desire. do one's stuff colloq. do
what one has to.
get stuffed sl. an
exclamation of dismissal,
contempt, etc. stuff and nonsense an exclamation of incredulity or
ridicule. stuffed
shirt colloq. a
pompous person. stuff
gown Brit. a gown
worn by a
barrister who has not taken silk. stuff it sl. an expression of rejection or
disdain. that's the stuff colloq. that is what is wanted. øøstuffer n. (also in comb.). [ME stoffe f. OF estoffe (n.), estoffer (v.)
equip,
furnish f. Gk stupho
draw together]