Forms: 6 styckyll, 7 stickell, sticle, stikle, 6– stickle. [app. identical with the earlier STIGHTLE v., to set in order.
For the phonology cf. pickle as a variant of PIGHTLE.]
† 1. intr. a. To act as an official regulator of a tournament, wrestling match, or the like, in order to ensure fair play. b. Hence, to act as a mediator or umpire, to interpose or intervene (between or among combatants or contending parties). Obs.
1530. Palsgr., 736/1. I styckyll betwene wrastellers, or any folkes that prove mastries to se that none do other wronge.
1598. Dallington, Meth. Trav., I 4 b. The … Great Prouost … of the Kings house…. His Office is to stickle among the Seruants, Pages, Lacqueis, and Filles de ioye..., and to punish all offences in these people.
1613. Heywood, Silver Age, K 2. Stay and forbeare your vp-roare, till our club Stickle amongst you.
a. 1643. W. Cartwright, Ordinary, III. v. There had been bloud-shed, if I had not stickled.
1692. Dryden, Juvenal, Ded. (1697), p. xvii. The same Angel … when half of the Christians are already kill’d … stickles betwixt the Remainders of God’s Host, and the Race of Fiends.
† 2. trans. To compose (a dispute, disputants); to stop, quell (a strife or contest). Also with forth. Obs.
1577. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., IV. (1586), 181 b. Their fights, whether it be among themselues, or one Hiue with an other, are easely stickled.
1578. Bible (Genev.), Almanacke, 25 June, note. As on this day, was the conflict at Mersbrough, betweene the Emperour Henrie the fourth, and Rodolfe duke of Sueuia, stickled forth by the Pope, Anno. 1080.
1600. Holland, Livy, VII. xiv. 258. So as now they had growne to a full skirmish and battaile indeed, had not the Centurions speedily stickled them, and ended the fray.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., xi. 428. Heere, Weever … to the Muse refers The hearing of the cause, to stickle all these stirs. Ibid. (1630), Muses Eliz., Nimphall vi. 36. Betwixt which three a question grew, Who should the worthiest be, Which violently they pursue, Nor stickled would they be.
† 3. intr. To be busy, stirring or energetic; to strive or contend pertinaciously; to take an active part (in a cause, affair). Obs.
1566. Drant, Hor. Sat., I. i. A ij b. She [the ant] stickleth, and bestirres her selfe, She huswyfes it right well.
1570. Levins, Manip., 122/4. To stickle in a matter, contendere, litigare.
1630. Sanderson, 21 Serm. (1681), 254. Oh how we can stickle in our own causes!
1655. Baily’s Life Bp. Fisher, xvi. 119. My Lord of Rochester was the onely man that most stickled in this businesse.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. ii. 437. Or Argument, in which b’ing valiant, He us’d to lay about and stickle, Like Ram or Bull, at Conventicle.
1690. Dryden, Amphitryon, I. 1. Nay the very Goddesses wou’d stickle in the cause of Love.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), To Stickle hard in a Business, to strive earnestly about it.
† b. To strive or endeavor to (do something).
1613. Crt. & Times Jas. I. (1849), I. 277. The Lord Coke doth so stickle and fence by all the means he can make not to remove.
1658–9. in Burton’s Diary (1828), IV. 234. ’Tis apparent, how hard they stickle to impeade all.
1680. H. More, Apocal. Apoc., 119. The Devil … will stickle to do as much mischief as he can among you.
1683. Lond. Gaz., No. 1835/2. And for that end in all Elections they stickled to Chuse the most disaffected into Offices of the greatest Trust in the Government.
1727. Swift, Lett. to Sheridan, 13 May. I hear no news about your bishops, farther than that the lord lieutenant stickles to have them of Ireland.
1732. Fielding, Miser, II. i. The broker was forced to stickle hard to get such good ones.
† c. To contend or strive, meddle or interfere with (a person, etc.). Obs.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. lix. 179. The Pope having lately been blooded against a braue Emperour, made the lesse difficulty to stickle with a valiant King.
1663. Butler, Hud., II. ii. Argt. The Knight and Squire in hot Dispute … Are parted with a sudden fright Of strange Alarm, and stranger Sight; With which adventuring to stickle, They’re sent away in nasty pickle.
† d. To contend against. Obs.
1659. Heylin, Exam. Hist., I. 7. Our Author doth as mainly stickle against it.
1678. Trans. Crt. Spain, 122. He stickled not against those [taxes] that were raised for the repairing of the Palace of Germany.
1709. Strype, Ann. Ref., I. iii. 76. This also the Roman Prelates in the House did tooth and nail stickle against.
† e. With dependent clause: To contend or maintain that; to dispute which. Obs.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies, Yorks. (1662), 208. Although the Scotch Historians stickle with might and maine, that such Homage was performed onely for the County of Cumberland.
1678. Butler, Hud., III. ii. 518. The Cause is in the lurch Between a right and mungrel Church, The Presbyter and Independent, That stickle which shall make an end on’t.
4. Stickle for —. a. To strive or contend for (a desired object, an issue, principle, etc.).
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., III. xx. 208. Pride … makes men stickle for their opinions to make them fundamentall.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. lxvi. 226. They had courage enough … to stickle both with King and people for their own liberties.
a. 1680. Glanvill, Sadducismus, I. (1682), 150. Those that so stickle and sweat for the proving their Opinion.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, I. iv. 93. Without any of those mighty advantages so sanguinely stickled for by each Pretender to a Superiority in Purity of Morals.
1869. Goulburn, Purs. Holiness, x. 95. Stickling for the letter while the spirit is disregarded.
1901. Rashdall & Rait, New College, viii. 207. Scholars will no longer stickle for his [Lowth’s] view that Hebrew was the language spoken in Paradise.
1905. Athenæum, 10 June, 713/3. The plot … will … please those who stickle for happy endings.
† b. To take the part of, stand up for, contend on behalf of (a person). Also with up. Obs.
1652. Heylyn, Cosmogr., I. 4. If Servilius and others … had not stickled hard for him with the Souldiers.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. iii. 516. When Fortune (as she’s wont) turn’d fickle And for the foe began to stickle.
1719. Col. Rec. Pennsylv., III. 72. He was Mr. Penn’s stiff Friend and had stickl’d for him tho’ to no effect.
1703. Mrs. Centlivre, Love’s Contriv., IV. ii. 41. Come, come, Cousin, we never stickle up for the Person we don’t care for.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1768), V. xiv. 152. The Widow Bevis indeed stickled hard for me.
5. To make difficulties, raise objections, haggle (about); to be tardy in giving one’s acceptance or compliance; to hesitate, scruple, take offence (at). (? Partly arising from confusion with stick.)
1819. Keats, Otho, IV. i. 103. Albert! he cannot stickle, chew the cud In such a fine extreme,—impossible!
1829. I. Taylor, Enthus., x. 306. An exaggerated notion of the right and duty of Christians to stickle upon their individual opinions.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., II. IV. v. Flying for life, one does not stickle about his vehicle.
1851. Gladstone, in Morley, Life, III. vii. (1903), I. 406. He came back with a fresh message to go at once, and hear what Stanley had to say. I did not like to stickle, and went.
1877. Miss Yonge, Cameos, III. 148. He did not stickle at Edward calling himself King of France and England.
1879. Farrar, St. Paul, I. xxii. 417. His soul was too large to stickle about matters of no moment.
b. To scruple or hesitate to (do something). (? A pseudo-archaism. Cf. 3 b and STICK v.1 15.)
1840. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Ser. I. Leech of Folkestone. Some … stickle not to aver that you are cater-cousin with Beelzebub himself.
Hence Stickling vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
1611. Cotgr., Interposition,… an intermedling in, or stickling of, controuersies.
1658. Gurnall, Chr. in Armour, II. 43. A busie stickling and ambitious disputing about truth.
1679. Establ. Test, 25. Several stickling Itinerant Teachers.
1682. H. More, Annot. Glanvill’s Lux O., 153. Some stickling imbittered Grandees of the Church.
1710. Hearne, Collect. (O. H. S.), II. 348. Lancaster’s stickling for Sir Thomas is a plain Confirmation of it.
1848. Bartlett, Dict. Amer., 333. Stickling hesitating; delaying.
