stop

views updated Jun 11 2018

stop / stäp/ • v. (stopped, stop·ping) 1. [intr.] (of an event, action, or process) come to an end; cease to happen: his laughter stopped as quickly as it had begun the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared. ∎  cease to perform a specified action or have a specified experience: she stopped giggling | [tr.] he stopped work for tea. ∎  abandon a specified practice or habit: I've stopped eating meat. ∎  stop moving or operating: he stopped to look at the view | my watch has stopped. ∎  (of a bus or train) call at a designated place to pick up or let off passengers: main-line trains stop at platform 7. ∎ Brit., inf. stay somewhere for a short time: you'll have to stop the night.2. [tr.] cause (an action, process, or event) to come to an end: this harassment has got to be stopped. ∎  prevent (an action or event) from happening: a security guard was killed trying to stop a raid. ∎  prevent or dissuade (someone) from continuing in an activity or achieving an aim: a campaign is under way to stop the bombers. ∎  [tr.] prevent (someone or something) from performing a specified action or undergoing a specified experience: you can't stop me from getting what I want. ∎  cause or order to cease moving or operating: he stopped his car by the house police were given powers to stop and search suspects. ∎ inf. be hit by (a bullet). ∎  instruct a bank to withhold payment on (a check). ∎  refuse to supply as usual; withhold or deduct: the union has threatened to stop the supply of minerals. ∎  Boxing defeat (an opponent) by a knockout: he was stopped in the sixth by Tyson.3. [tr.] block or close up (a hole or leak): he tried to stop the hole with the heel of his boot the drain has been stopped up. ∎  block the mouth of (a fox's earth) prior to a hunt. ∎  plug the upper end of (an organ pipe), giving a note an octave lower. ∎  obtain the required pitch from (the string of a violin or similar instrument) by pressing at the appropriate point with the finger. ∎  make (a rope) fast with a stopper. • n. 1. a cessation of movement or operation: all business came to a stop | there were constant stops and changes of pace. ∎  a break or halt during a journey: allow an hour or so for driving and as long as you like for stops | the flight landed for a refueling stop. ∎  a place designated for a bus or train to halt and pick up or drop off passengers: the bus was pulling up at her stop. ∎  an object or part of a mechanism that is used to prevent something from moving: the shelves have special stops to prevent them from being pulled out too far. ∎ Brit., dated a punctuation mark, esp. a period. ∎  used in telegrams to indicate a period: MEET YOU AT THE AIRPORT STOP. ∎  Phonet. a consonant produced with complete closure of the vocal tract. ∎  Bridge a high card that prevents the opponents from establishing a particular suit; a control. ∎  Naut. a short length of cord used to secure something.2. a set of organ pipes of a particular tone and range of pitch. ∎  (also stop knob) a knob, lever, or similar device in an organ or harpsichord that brings into play a set of pipes or strings of a particular tone and range of pitch.3. Photog. the effective diameter of a lens. ∎  a device for reducing this. ∎  a unit of change of relative aperture or exposure (with a reduction of one stop equivalent to halving it).PHRASES: pull out all the stops make a very great effort to achieve something: the director pulled out all the stops to meet the impossible deadline. ∎  do something very elaborately or on a grand scale: they gave a Christmas party and pulled out all the stops.put a stop to cause (an activity) to end: she would have to put a stop to all this nonsense.stop at nothing be utterly ruthless or determined in one's attempt to achieve something: he would stop at nothing to retain his position of power.stop dead (or short) suddenly cease moving, speaking, or acting.stop one's ears put one's fingers in one's ears to avoid hearing something.stop someone's mouth induce someone to keep silent about something.stop the show (of a performer) provoke prolonged applause or laughter, causing an interruption.PHRASAL VERBS: stop by (or in) call briefly and informally as a visitor.stop something down Photog. reduce the aperture of a lens with a diaphragm.stop off (or over) pay a short visit en route to one's ultimate destination when traveling: I stopped off to visit him and his wife he decided to stop over in Paris.stop something out cover an area that is not to be printed or etched when making a print or etching.DERIVATIVES: stop·pa·ble adj.

STOP

views updated May 23 2018

STOP.
1. Also (full) point, full stop, period. The mark (.) at the end of a sentence. See PERIOD, POINT, PUNCTUATION.

2. Also stop consonant. In phonetics, a CONSONANT sound made by momentarily blocking the airstream. The two kinds of stop in English speech are the PLOSIVE (as in the b-sound of bad) and the AFFRICATE (as in the ch-sound of choose). See GLOTTAL STOP.

stop

views updated Jun 11 2018

stop.
1. Anything serving to keep a door or opening-sash from swinging past its proper plane, such as a rebate, stop-bead, or strip.

2. Continuous strip or moulding serving to keep a sliding-sash in its place (stop-bead).

3. Termination of any moulding, e.g. architrave, hood-moulding, label, skirting, or string-course. A medieval label over a window, for example, terminates in a label-stop.

Stop

views updated Jun 11 2018

Stop

The quickness of the stop influences both line speed and loop size. Slow stops create open loops with slow speeds; however, sudden stops create narrow loops with high speeds.

The slow stop is made when the caster flings his arms out in a futile attempt to gain distance. Its like trying to push a rope. Releasing the rods stored energy all at once by making an abrupt stop propels the line efficiently in a tight casting loop.

The caster conserves energy by casting with smooth controlled acceleration and by stopping hard. This makes the rod do most of the work by flexing and releasing its potential energy all at once. For example: a bicyclist accelerates fast and hits a wall; the bike comes to a sudden stop throwing its rider into the wall. On the other hand, if the bike comes to a slow stop and merely bumps the wall the rider is hardly displaced.

stop

views updated May 29 2018

stop (verb).
1. on str. instr., ‘stopping’ means the placing of the fingers on a str., thereby determining length of portion of str. which is to vibrate. Thus double-stopping, triple stopping, means this action on 2, 3 str. at once.

2. In hn.-playing, the insertion of a hand into the bell of the hn. to alter pitch and tone-quality of a note.

3. In orgs.: to block passage of air through one end of pipe (i.e. end-stopped pipe), thereby producing note an octave lower than would otherwise be sounded.

stop

views updated May 17 2018

stop
A. fill up, close, plug;

B. bring to a stand or halt XIV;

C. come to a stand XVI. OE. *stoppian in forstoppian plug (the ear), corr. to G. verstopfen, MLG. stoppen, OHG. stopfōn (G. stopfen); see STUFF.
Hence stoppage XV. stopper XV; in the sense ‘plug, cork’ (XVI) repl. stopple (XIV).

stop

views updated May 21 2018

stop (as noun).
1. Row of pipes on org. (registers), all operated by handles or draw-stops placed near the player. Both the pipes and the handles are called stops.

2. Hpd. mechanism for similar purpose as org. stop, i.e. to vary tone-colour, simulate sounds of other instr., etc.

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