English Explanatory Dictionary

stiff upper lip

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, stereotypically associated with the British; especially as keep a stiff upper lip.

Pronunciation

En-au-stiff upper lip.ogg

Word forms

stiff upper lip stiff upper lips

Etymology

Of American origin; the earliest known use is in 1811.https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Olive_Branch_Or_Faults_on_Both_Sides/vG89AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=stiff+upper+lip&pg=PA237&printsec=frontcover

Related words

mustn't grumble

Derived words

stiff-upper-lipped stiff-upper-lippery

← stiff shit
← stiff sickness
← stiff skin syndrome
← Stiff Street
← stiff up

stiff upper lippy →
stiff upper lips →
stiff-arm →
stiff-armed →
stiff-arming →

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

Back to search All on S Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary