Stiff /(?)/

Stiff

a.
  1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints.
    [They] rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid aerial sky.
  2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.
  3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.
  4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary.
    It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument.
    A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause, Stiff to defend their hospitable laws.
  5. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style.
    The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious, and reserved.
  6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.]
  7. Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank. (Naut.)
  8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price. [Slang]

Phrases & Compounds
Stiff neck
a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain.