stir

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | 623 words | Copyright

stir the more you stir it [a turd] the worse it stinks proverbial saying, mid 16th century; meaning that disturbance of something naturally unpleasant will only make it more disagreeable.
stir the blood make one excited and enthusiastic.
Stir-up Sunday the Sunday next before Advent, so called from the opening words of the collect for the day, ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.’ The name also became associated with the stirring of the Christmas mincemeat, which it was customary to begin making that week.

See also you should know a man seven years before you stir his fire.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "stir." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "stir." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-stir.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "stir." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-stir.html

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