[-ING2.]
1. That staggers, in intransitive senses of the verb.
a. lit. Reeling, tottering, etc.
1575. Gascoigne, Posies, Flowers (1907), 43. My stagring steppes eke tell the trueth, that nature fadeth fast.
1614. Gorges, Lucan, II. 73. Not trusting to his staggering troopes.
1684. Bunyan, Pilgr., II. Introd. 118. For Young, for Old, for Stagg’ring, and for Stable.
1797. Downing, Disord. Horned Cattle, 11. This giddiness and swimming in the head … gives a wavering and staggering motion of the body.
1818. Shelley, Homer’s Hymn Castor & P., 16. The staggering ship.
1839. Thackeray, Fatal Boots, vi. We heard a heavy staggering step on the flags.
1895. Scully, Kafir Stories, 118. A disorganised mob of staggering men.
b. transf. and fig. In early use often, † Hesitating, undecided.
1576. Gascoigne, Kenelworth Castle, Wks. 1910, II. 115. To prop up so thy stagring mind, which in these sorrowes slides.
1597. J. Payne, Royal Exch., 18. These new Saduces wth there staggeringe disciples.
1614. Earl Stirling, Doomsday, I. lxxxv. A staggering courage, ruine still succeeds.
1627. E. F., Hist. Edw. II. (1680), 14. Their staggering irresolution.
1654. in Nicholas Papers (Camden), II. 128. Our frends are very staggering till remedy in this point confirme them.
1678. Cudworth, Intell. Syst., 745. St Austine himself, is sometimes Staggering in this point.
1742. Richardson, Pamela, IV. 95. The staggering Doubts and Distress of Hermione, after she had ingaged Orestes in the Murder of Pyrrhus.
1838. Lockhart, Scott, lxxix. VII. 235. Except the staggering penmanship,… there was scarcely any thing to indicate decayed vigour.
1867. Smiles, Huguenots Eng., v. (1880), 84. The sack of Antwerp … gave the last blow to the staggering industry of that great city.
† c. Characterized by staggering. Obs. rare–1.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (Camden), 29. A kind of palsi … or sum the like quivering and staggering diseases.
d. Staggering Bob dial. (see quots.)
1776. A. Young, Tour Irel. (1780), II. 274. Vast numbers of calves are killed at two or three days old for an execrable veal they call staggering bob, I suppose from the animal not being old enough to stand steady on its legs.
1818. Wilbraham, Chesh. Gloss., Staggering Bob, or Yellow Slippers, names given by butchers to very young calves.
2. In transitive senses: Causing to reel or totter; confounding, perplexing.
1565. J. Phillips, Patient Grissell (Malone Soc.), 63. The wandring Bucke by staggring strocke, of launch from blody boe … hath caught the ouer throe.
1769. Burke, Corr. (1844), I. 176. In this staggering situation, I imagine they [the ministers] would derive great comfort … by finding [etc.].
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 73. The remark … is rather staggering, and is calculated to throw the veil of doubt over all the rest.
1836. E. Howard, R. Reefer, xli. By noon we had a staggering breeze.
1840. Dickens, Old C. Shop, xiii. He found himself complimented with two staggering blows.
1894. Jeaffreson, Recoll., II. 28. This rumour was a painful and staggering surprise.
1900. P. C. Simpson, Fact of Christ, iv. (1901), 115. The idea is so utterly staggering and overwhelming … that it is difficult to know what it means to believe it.
