[f. STOP v. + -AGE.] The action of stopping, the condition of being stopped.
1. Deduction from payments; a sum ‘stopped’ or deducted from the pay of a soldier, workman or servant.
1465. Paston Lett., II. 221. I told hym that … I wold pay hym his dewte without any stoppage.
1747. in Col. Rec. Pennsylv., V. 140. The Private Men at the rate of 6d. Sterling per Day, out of which a Stoppage must be made of 4d. for their Provisions.
1802. C. James, Milit. Dict., Stoppages, in a military sense, deductions from a soldiers pay, the better to provide him with necessaries, &c.
1831. Act 1 & 2 Will. IV., c. 37 § 23. Such Stoppage or Deduction … shall not be in any Case made from the Wages of such Artificer, unless [etc.].
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xx. IV. 525. His anxiety that she should receive her income regularly and without stoppages was honourable to him.
1883. Gresley, Gloss. Coal-mining, 243. Stoppages, deductions from miners’ wages, such as rent, candles, blacksmith’s work, field club, etc.
1912. Daily News, 8 March, 2. A miner works nearly a whole day for stoppages, lamp oil (permanent), tools, doctor, etc.
† 2. An obstacle, hindrance. Obs.
c. 1450. Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.), 196. To blynde the devyl of his knowlache, And my byrthe from hym to hyde, That holy wedlok was grett stoppage.
3. Obstruction of a road, passage, stream or current; † concr. something that obstructs.
1540. Palsgr., Acolastus, II. iii. L ij. I haue ouer passed all stoppages of wayes .i. all suche lettes of passage [etc.] … as myght lette me on my waye.
1621. Bp. Hall, Heaven upon Earth, § 6. I haue seene a little streame of no noise, which vpon his stoppage hath swelled vp.
1643. Baker, Chron., Edw. III., 174. An Act was made in this Kings time, that all Weares, Mils and other stoppages of Rivers … should be removed.
1773. J. Fletcher, Dreadful Phenom., title-p., A particular Account of the sudden Stoppage of the River Severn.
1787. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), II. 104. Those States have suffered by the stoppage of the channels of their commerce.
b. A ‘block’ of the traffic in a street.
1727. Daily Post, 4 Feb., 1/3. The High Bailiff of Westminster … was ordered to take Care to prevent the Stoppages in the Streets leading to the Parliament House.
1835. Dickens, Sk. Boz, Mr. Watkins Tottle, ii. When he got into Fleet-street, there was ‘a stoppage,’ in which people in vehicles have the satisfaction of remaining stationary for half an hour, [etc.].
1870. Disraeli, Lothair, xxi. Broughams whirled and bright barouches glanced, [etc.] … There were stoppages in Bond Street.
c. Closing up of a vessel.
1725. Bradley’s Family Dict., s.v. Restoring of Cider, The … Flatness of this Liquor is often occasion’d by the too free Admission of the air into the Vessel, for want of right Stoppage.
4. Path. Obstructed condition of a bodily organ.
1575. Turberv., Faulconrie, 233. You shall finde it ease your hawke greatly and ridde a greate parte of the filthie matter that breadeth the stoppage in his head.
1666. W. Boghurst, Loimographia (1894), 32. A very great stoppage at the brest … by degrees all her stopping and lisping left her.
1686. S. Meade, in Jrnl. Friends’ Hist. Soc. (1914), Oct., 168. Nathanaell had a loosenesse for aboue 2 weekes, which … carried of his flegme & stoppage at his stomacke.
1704. Lond. Gaz., No. 3986/4. A Stoppage in his Nose.
1758. Phil. Trans., L. 522. But about that age [he] was afflicted with stoppages, which often threw him into convulsive fits.
1799. Underwood, Dis. Childhood (ed. 4), III. 107. The slightest sympton of which, is that called the Snuffles, or stoppage of the nose.
1818–20. E. Thompson, Cullen’s Nosol. Method. (ed. 3), 319. Order I. Paraphymatn. Local Changes … 41 Emphragma.—Stoppage.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VIII. 889. The stoppage of the nose … constitutes a serious impediment to respiration.
5. Arrest or detention of a traveller, or of goods being conveyed from place to place. Stoppage in transitu, in transit (Law): see quot. 1862.
1621. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1906), 354. In our last wee advised you the stoppage off the Dutches goods likewise by Saffy Caun.
1649. in Verney Mem. (1907), I. 446. There being a generall stoppage of all letters.
1777. Cook, Third Voy., III. i. (1784), II. 13. This stoppage of a favourite article, without assigning some reason, might have occasioned a general murmur.
1817. W. Selwyn, Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4), II. 1169, Chap. xxxvii. (heading of chapter) Stoppage in Transitu.
1862. J. W. Smith, Man. Common Law, 267. Stoppage in transitu is the resumption by a vendor of the possession of goods which have been transmitted to, but have not yet come into the actual or constructive possession of, a purchaser who has become insolvent.
1911. J. H. Rose, Pitt & Gt. War, iv. 103. Grenville refused to discuss or explain the stoppage of certain cargoes of grain destined for French ports.
8. The action of stopping or causing to cease.
1657. J. Cooke, trans. J. Hall’s Sel. Observ. Engl. Bodies, xcv. 302. The stoppage of Vrine and Strangury … may be joyned together, the one being a totall the other a partiall suppression of Urine.
1696. Floyer, Anim. Humours, 50 (J.). The stoppage of a Cough, or Spitting, increases Phlegm in the Stomach.
1727. A. Hamilton, New Acc. E. Ind., II. xli. 106. This Stoppage of Trade and Fishing … made a great Noise among the poorer Sort.
1813. J. Thomson, Lect. Inflam., 253. The distance in the canal to which this stoppage of the pulsation extends, varies in different cases.
1863. H. Cox, Instit., I. vii. 85. The House of Lords complained of this stoppage of the issue of writs by the Commons.
1908. Animal Managem. (War Office), 326. Stoppage of bleeding is the first point to be attended to if it is serious.
b. Discontinuance of supply.
1865. Dickens, Dr. Marigold, viii. Thereby leading to … the total stoppage of the unfortunate young man’s beer.
7. Cessation of movement or activity; a stop or halt in a journey.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, viii. She raised her eyes on the sudden stoppage of the carriage.
1840. Hood, Up the Rhine, 49. Our first stoppage was at Dortrecht on Dort.
1856. Miss Isab. Bird, Englishw. in Amer., 159. We ran three hundred miles through central Michigan in ten hours, including stoppages.
1865. Tyndall, Fragm. Sci. (1871), 426. An abrupt stoppage of sensation.
1897. Meredith, Amazing Marr., I. xv. 169. They had a hamper and were independent of stoppages for provision.
1913. Times, 13 Sept., 18/5. Unless there is an improved demand we shall soon be hearing of the stoppage of looms through lack of work.
8. Comm. The action of stopping payment.
1817. W. Beloe, Sexagenarian, II. 188–9. It is no less singular, that this failure did not occasion the bankruptcy, or cause stoppage of payment, in any other house.
1828. P. Cunningham, N. S. Wales (ed. 3), II. 95. It was indeed a stoppage of payment without a concomitant bankruptcy, two things hitherto synonymous in England.
1846. McCulloch, Brit. Empire (1854), II. 33. There was … a pretty severe run upon the Bank of England, and it was at length apprehended that she might be obliged to make a temporary stoppage.
1864. Mrs. Riddell, Geo. Geith, xxxvi. Norton’s stoppage has ruined me.
1891. Law Times, XC. 377/1. He had been concerned in floating several companies, the stoppage of one of which, it is stated, has ruined a number of persons.
