What does an old stick in the mud mean?

What does an old stick in the mud mean?

an old stick in the mud Someone who is considered boring or tedious, often due to unpopular or outdated beliefs. Sally was tired of being called an old stick in the mud by her friends just because she refused to drink alcohol.

Why do we say stick in the mud?

The figurative phrase ‘stick in the mud’ derives from the imagery of someone whose feet are stuck in wet clay and is unable to progress. It was preceded in the language by earlier versions, for example ‘stick in the briers, clay, mire’ etc.

Is stick in the mud an insult?

Note that stick-in-the-mud is properly rendered with hyphens, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The plural form is sticks-in-the-mud. It is a mild insult, and is often used as an admonishment such as “don’t be a stick-in-the-mud.”

What does the simile like a wheel in the mud mean?

When you’re trying to solve a problem and all you get is mental meanderings that don’t help, you’re “just spinning your wheels.” At least that’s a common enough saying in the U.S. Like the car stuck in the mud, the person shows some activity but goes nowhere. …

What does stick in mean?

Verb. 1. stick in – insert casually; “She slipped in a reference to her own work” slip in, sneak in, insert. add, append, supply – state or say further; “`It doesn’t matter,’ he supplied”

Where did the phrase more than you can shake a stick at?

Farmers controlled their sheep by shaking their staffs to indicate where the animals should go. When farmers had more sheep than they could control, it was said they had “more than you can shake a stick at.”

What is the opposite of stick in the mud?

Near Antonyms for stick-in-the-mud. liberal, progressive, radical.

How do you use stick in the mud in a sentence?

Stick-in-the-mud in a Sentence

1. Quite the prude, Ladonna is a stick-in-the-mud who hates to see anyone having a good time.
2. Mike’s dad is a stick-in-the-mud, so he is never allowed to go to any of the fun events at school.
3. The office fuddy-duddy is too much of a stick-in-the-mud to chat or hang-out with us after work.

What is stick in slang?

Stick is a slang term for “gun,” especially an automatic rifle in Southern hip-hop in the U.S. That means you can “stick ’em up”… with a stick.

What does stick it to them mean?

stick it to someone in American English Slang. to harshly criticize, punish, or retaliate against someone.

What does nothing to sneeze at mean?

something that deserves serious attention, esp. an amount of money: An extra two thousand bucks a year is nothing to sneeze at.