stale | |
1. adj. (alcohol, obsolete) Clear, free of dregs and lees; old and strong. | |
2. adj. No longer fresh, in reference to food, urine, straw, wounds, etc. | |
3. adj. No longer fresh, new, or interesting, in reference to ideas and immaterial things; cliche, hackneyed, dated. | |
4. adj. No longer nubile or suitable for marriage, in reference to people; past one's prime. | |
5. adj. (agriculture, obsolete) Fallow, in reference to land. | |
6. adj. (legal) Unreasonably long in coming, in reference to claims and actions. | |
a stale affidavit | |
a stale demand | |
7. adj. Taking a long time to change | |
8. adj. Worn out, particularly due to age or over-exertion, in reference to athletes and animals in competition. | |
9. adj. (finance) Out of date, unpaid for an unreasonable amount of time, particularly in reference to checks. | |
10. adj. (computing) Of data: out of date; not synchronized with the newest copy. | |
The bug was found to be caused by stale data in the cache. | |
11. s. (colloquial) Something stale; a loaf of bread or the like that is no longer fresh. | |
12. v. (of alcohol, obsolete, transitive) To make stale; to age in order to clear and strengthen (a drink, especially beer). | |
13. v. To make stale; to cause to go out of fashion or currency; to diminish the novelty or interest of, particularly by excessive exposure or consumption. | |
14. v. (intransitive) To become stale; to grow odious from excessive exposure or consumption. | |
15. v. (alcohol, intransitive) To become stale; to grow unpleasant from age. | |
16. s. A long, thin handle (of rakes, axes, etc.) | |
17. s. (dialectal) The posts and rungs composing a ladder. | |
18. s. (botany, obsolete) The stem of a plant. | |
19. s. The shaft of an arrow, spear, etc. | |
20. v. (transitive, obsolete) To make a ladder by joining rungs ("stales") between the posts. | |
21. s. (military, obsolete) A fixed position, particularly a soldier's in a battle-line. | |
22. s. (chess, uncommon) A stalemate; a stalemated game. | |
23. s. (military, obsolete) An ambush. | |
24. s. (obsolete) A band of armed men or hunters. | |
25. s. (Scottish military, obsolete) The main force of an army. | |
26. adj. (chess, obsolete) At a standstill; stalemated. | |
27. v. (chess, uncommon, transitive) To stalemate. | |
28. v. (chess, obsolete, intransitive) To be stalemated. | |
29. s. (livestock, obsolete) Urine, especially used of horses and cattle. | |
30. v. (livestock, obsolete, intransitive) To urinate, especially used of horses and cattle. | |
31. s. (falconry, hunting, obsolete) A live bird to lure birds of prey or others of its kind into a trap. | |
32. s. (obsolete) Any lure, particularly in reference to people used as live bait. | |
33. s. (crime, obsolete) An accomplice of a thief or criminal acting as bait. | |
34. s. (obsolete) a partner whose beloved abandons or torments him in favor of another. | |
35. s. (obsolete) A patsy, a pawn, someone used under some false pretext to forward another's (usu. sinister) designs; a stalking horse. | |
36. s. (crime, obsolete) A prostitute of the lowest sort; any wanton woman. | |
37. s. (hunting, obsolete) Any decoy, either stuffed or manufactured. | |
38. v. (rare, obsolete, transitive) To serve as a decoy, to lure. | |