stick in the mud
6
8.1
- idiom
- /stɪk ɪn ðə mʌd/
- Offensive
:
carca
- My brother is a real stick in the mud, always avoiding adventurous activities.
Examples
-
You're such a stick in the mud!
-
Mason, why are you such a stick-in-the-mud?
-
When did you become such a stick in the mud?
-
I'm not as big a stick in the mud as you might think!
Fiction book (2001) -
I know I may look like an old stick-in-the-mud.
-
Don't be a stick in the mud.
-
Come on, Steven, don't be a stick in the mud.
Fiction book (1996) -
Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud.
-
Well, now you're just being a pompous stick in the mud.
-
Don't be such a stick in the mud; let's try something new this weekend.
Synonyms
4
9.9
A person with old-fashioned ideas who refuses to change
1
8.3
A person who does not like new things or change
1
9.6
A person who prefers the usual way of doing things and does not accept new ideas
1
9.9
A person who is lazy and slow to do things
Antonyms
How Adventurous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes the image of being physically stuck in mud, so a learner who knows 'stick' and 'mud' can partly infer a sense of immobility or resistance to change. However, the specific evaluative meaning 'a dull, unadventurous person' is an extended, partly figurative sense that is not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Stick in the mud may come from the picture of a stick or a person stuck in thick mud and unable to move. Because someone who is 'stuck' misses new things and fun, the phrase now means 'a person who is dull or won't try new ideas'.