Pa. t. and pa. pple. staved; also (chiefly Naut.), 8–9 stove. [f. STAVE sb.1]
1. trans. To break up (a cask) into staves; to break into and let out the contents.
c. 1595. Capt. Wyatt, R. Dudley’s Voy. W. Ind. (Hakl. Soc.), 10. A bark … beinge forst to cast overborde all … theire fish and to stave theire caske in the whiche theire fresh water was.
1627. Capt. Smith, Sea Gram., ii. 9. They … staue the Caske to make more roome.
1679. Lond. Gaz., No. 1433/4. Yesterday 7 Hogsheads of French wine … were publickly staved by the Officers of the Custom House.
1771. Smollett, Humph. Cl., 8 June. In an action at law, laid against a carman for having staved a cask of port.
1841. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, lxvii. They … could see them … broaching the casks, staving the great vats,… and lying down to drink at the channels of strong spirits.
b. To destroy (wine, etc.) by breaking up the cask.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., I. (1621), 66. Diuers times all the wine in the Citie hath bene staued.
1633. T. James, Voy., 32. I made all the water in hold to be stau’d: and set some to the pumpes to pumpe it out.
1694. Echard, Plautus, 168. He’s a plaguy hard custom-master, and staves all prohibited goods.
1733. P. Lindsay, Interest Scot., 139. That all seiz’d Brandies should be either staved or exported.
1758. Ann. Reg., Chron., 85/1. They … stove all the beer in the cellar. Ibid. (1768), Hist. Europe, 33/1. Wine was forbid…; and all those who were possessed of any quantities of it were obliged to stave it.
1827. Southey, Hist. Penins. War, II. 310. They had … staved all the liquor which they could not drink.
fig. 1700. Dryden, Fables, Pref. *A 2. If the Searchers find any [irreverent expressions, etc.] in the Cargo, let them be stav’d or forfeited, like Counterbanded Goods.
c. intr. Of a barrel: To fall to pieces. rare.
1797. Mrs. A. M. Bennett, Beggar Girl (1813), III. 20. One fair day the old barrel staved, over her poor dear tipped, and broke his neck.
2. trans. To break a hole in (a boat); to break to pieces; also, to break (a hole in a boat). To stave in, to crush inwards, make a hole in.
1628. Digby, Voy. Mediterr. (Camden), 65. The man swimming well he saued himselfe with much difficultie, the boate being staued in many peeces.
1668. Lond. Gaz., No. 324/1. The 17th instant was driven on shoar … a vessel … where by the violence of the winds and waves, she was staved to pieces.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. (Globe), 263. The first Thing we had to do, was to stave the Boat … and … leave her so far useless as not to be fit to swim.
1748. Anson’s Voy., I. viii. 81. A sea … stove in the quarter gallery, and rushed into the ship like a deluge. Ibid., III. v. 334. The loss of our long-boat, which was staved against our poop,… put us to great inconveniences.
a. 1779. Cook, Voy. Pacific (1784), I. II. i. 174. The attempt could not be made … unless at the risk of having our boats … staved to pieces.
1819. Byron, Juan, II. xlviii. The other boats, the yawl and pinnace, had Been stove in the beginning of the gale.
1823. Scoresby, Jrnl., 458. Our ship was driven against the corner of a floe, and her starboard-bow completely stove.
1834. Marryat, P. Simple, xi. He was forced to place sentries in the chains with cold shot, to stave the boats if they came alongside.
1884. Manch. Exam., 7 Oct., 5/1. The captain … ordered the boats to be lowered, but the sea stove in two of them.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 496. C. … fetches up on a floating stump in the river, and staves a hole you could put your head in, in the bow of the said canoe.
b. intr. for refl. of a boat: To break up; hence trans. to break a hole in.
1743. Bulkeley & Cummins, Voy. S. Seas, 147. Otherwise she must have stove to pieces, the Ground being very foul.
1794. Morse, Amer. Geog., 71. During the storm, one of the Indian canoes stove, and became unfit for service.
1820. J. Oxley, Jrnl. Exped. N. S. Wales, 225. The large boat struck on a sharp rock, and with such violence as to stave her bottom.
1839. Longf., Hesperus, xix. Like a vessel of glass, she stove and sank.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., II. xxvi. 264. The Hope stove her bottom.
3. transf. trans. To burst in, crush inwards. Chiefly with in.
1716. B. Church, Hist. Philip’s War (1865), I. 24. There Philip had staved all his Drums, and conveyed all his Canoo’s to the East-side of Metapoiset-River.
1753. Scots Mag., March, 109/1. To break open and stave trunks and chests.
1822. A. Clarke, in Life, x. (1834), 253. I found two of the maids … pushing … against the shutters, as the windows themselves had been stove in by the tempest.
1862. Trollope, Orley Farm, xxix. He had … broken his right arm, which had been twisted under him as the horse rolled, and two of his ribs had been staved in by the pommel of his saddle.
1862. Burton, Bk. Hunter (1863), 327. The doors staved in, the wainscoating pulled down.
1879. J. D. Long, Virgil’s Æneid, X. 557. He staves The face of Thoas with a rock—a mass Of bones and blood and brains outspattering.
4. To renew the staves of (a bucket); to put together the staves of (a cask, etc.).
1627. Capt. Smith, Sea Gram., viii. 36. The Cooper is … to staue or repaire the buckets.
1842. Browning, Pied Piper, vii. A bulky sugar-puncheon, All ready staved.
5. To fit with a staff or handle.
1542. in Rutland MSS. (1905), IV. 335. Item payd … for the mackyng off leyden malles for archers, the yerne warcke, the lede and casteng, with the staweng off them at [blank] the pece.
1611. Florio, Alberáre,… to shaft or stave any weapon as a holberd.
6. To drive off or beat with a staff or stave; esp. in to stave off, to beat off (a dog in Bear- or Bull-baiting; also transf. a human combatant); to keep back (a crowd). Now only arch.
c. 1624. Dekker, etc., Witch Edmonton, V. i. But you must play fair, you should be stav’d off else.
1633. T. Adams, Exp. 2 Peter ii. 4. 521. He is like an old bitten curre, that being fleshed to the game, will not be stav’d off.
1658. Ussher, Ann., 717. He went abroad with the rods … and staving the young gamsters when they had contended as long as he thought good, parted them.
1671. trans. Frejus’ Voy. Mauritania, 73. Others, who with Clubs, and other weapons in their hands, staved off the Croud of People.
1820. Scott, Monast., xxxvii. ‘Stave the miller off him,’ said Murray, ‘or he will worry him dead.’
1878. Tennyson, Q. Mary, I. iii. Stave off the crowd upon the Spaniard there.
b. fig. and in fig. context.
1609. B. Jonson, Sil. Woman, III. i. For gods sake, let’s goe staue her off him [i.e., Mistress Otter from Captain Otter, who are quarrelling].
1611. Beaum. & Fl., Tri. Time, i. I … found him in a young Lords ear so busie…: I pulled him…; spoke unto him, His answer still was, By the Lord, sweet Lord,… Nothing could stave him off.
1627. Sanderson, Serm. ad Magistr., i. § 25 (1632), 175. And as for Courage to execute justice … whether it be … that a faire word whistleth him off; or that a great mans letter staveth him off;… sure we are, the Magistrate too often letteth the wicked carry away the spoyle, without breaking a Iaw of him.
1647. Trapp, Comm. 1 Thess. iii. 6. God stints him [the devil], and staves him oft, when he would worry his poor lambs.
1649. Earl Monm., trans. Senault’s Use Passions, VI. iii. 467. Other Passions are in a perpetuall motion; and … they never fix themselves so strongly on an Object, but they may be staved off.
1884. Tennyson, Becket, Prol. And this Becket, her father’s friend, like enough staved us from her.
c. Phrase. To stave and tail: see TAIL v.1 2. Also transf. and fig.
1663. [see TAIL v.1 2].
1668. R. L’Estrange, Vis. Quev. (1708), 68. As they were Staving and Tayling, you might have had more Manners (cry’d one) than to give such Language to your Betters.
a. 1697. J. Aubrey, Countrey Revell, II. iii. in Brief Lives (1898), II. 334. Yesterday we Cheshire gentlemen mett at a barrell of ale at the bull-ring where we sufficiently bayted both bull and barrell; and having well dranke there, staved and tayled. Ibid., 335. The Justice and I … parted em, and, with something more trouble then staving and tayling dog and bull.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., xxxiii. They seized him, pulled him down, and would probably soon have throttled him, had not the Duke called out—‘Stave and tail!—stave and tail!—Take them off him!’ Ibid. (1829), Lett., 30 Jan., in Croker Papers (1884), II. 31. Jamie then set to staving and tailing between his father and the philosopher, and … reduced the debate to more order.
d. (See quot.)
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., s.v., To stave off, to boom off; to push anything off with a pole.
7. fig. Chiefly to stave off.
† a. To keep (a person) away or at a distance; to repel. Obs.
1631. Lenton, Charact., C 8 b. Hee aspiers sometimes to his Masters daughter, but being stau’d off there, hee choppes vpon the Chambermaid, and there stickes fast.
1636. Heylin, Sabbath, II. vi. 185. To allure the people thither, being before staved off by a former Synod, it was provided that [etc.].
1641. Ld. Brooke, Disc. Nat. Episc., II. vi. 88. Heresies distract our soules, dismember our Churches, stave off Iew and Gentile, who know not whether part to believe.
1667. South, 12 Serm. (1697), II. 60. The Condition of a Servant staves him off to a distance; but the Gospel speaks nothing but Allurement.
† b. To keep (a person) from (doing something); to divert from (an object, practice, or course of action). Obs.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 329. This makes them … to put themselves under the protection of the Spaniard, the feare of whose power staves off the Duke from attempting upon that State.
1636. B. Jonson, Discov., Nil gratis, How can they escape the contagion of the Writings, whom the virulency of the calumnies hath not stav’d off from reading?
1641. Quarles, Enchyridion, III. xvii. (Grosart), 31/2. Divert the course of the vulgar humor, by devulging … some … novelty, which may … stave their tongues from off thy worried name. Ibid., III. xxviii. 32/2. If he be given to lavish Company, endeavour to stave him off with lawfull Recreations.
1646. Gaule, Cases Consc., 86. And there’s no staving them off their owne conceited way of Tryall.
1651. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., II. vi. (1739), 27. It was the policy of these times … to carry a benign Aspect to the Pope, so far only as to stave him off from being an enemy.
1654. Owen, Doctr. Saints’ Persev., xii. § 59. 297. This dread and terrour [used] for the hedging up their wayes from folly, and staving them off from any Actuall evill.
1658. Heylin, Stumbling-block, iii. § 4. 81. Enough of conscience to have staved them from the prosecution, but that they had it in design, and resolved to carry it.
1668. Owen, Expos. 130th Ps., 111. What staves off these hungry creatures [sc. souls] from their proper food?
1684. H. More, Answer, xiii. 95. By this sharp reproof they may be the more effectually staved off from committing Idolatry.
c. To put off as importune or inopportune; to treat with evasion.
1646. J. Hall, Horæ Vac., 4. Columbus … had beene stav’d off by severall Christian Princes, yet … He gained the assistance of the King and Queene of Castile.
a. 1656. Hales, Gold. Rem., I. (1673), 43. God himself in the Book of Psalms, staves them off with a, Quid tua ut enarres mea? &c.
1680. N. Lee, Cæsar Borgia, III. i. But speak, thou stav’st me off.
1723. Waterland, 2nd Vind. Christ’s Div., ii. 66. But it is high Time now to come to Antiquity; which has been so long staved off, and yet must make a great part of our Discourse.
1843. Bethune, Scott. Peasant’s Fire-side, 79. The poor lad was staved off from time to time, wi’ ae excuse after anither, till he grew impatient.
1887. Rider Haggard, Jess, xxxiv. This staved the fellows off for a while.
d. To ward off (something undesirable or hurtful); to prevent the occurrence or event of; to keep back, delay. Also (rarely), to stave away.
1662. J. Wilson, Cheats, V. iii. Had you but mist me now, I should have ventur’d that, and perhaps stav’d, That misery, which alwayes follows rashness. Ibid. (1664), A. Commenius, II. iii. ’Tis seal’d, and done: Nor shall the fate, or fortune of the Empire Stave it off longer.
1684. trans. Bonet’s Merc. Compit., VI. 170. The Powder being given again, the fit is staved off.
1691. d’Emiliane’s Frauds Rom. Monks, 397. They … earnestly entreated him, to make use of all his Credit with the Pope, to stave off this fatal low from them.
1759. Ann. Reg., 6/2. New methods were devised, which might stave off the entire ruin of their finances.
1837. Carlyle, Fr. Rev., II. VI. iv. Insurrection will come; but likewise will it not be met? Staved off, one may hope, till Brunswick arrive?
1849. W. Irving, Goldsmith, xxxii. 278. He had obtained an advance of money from Newbery to stave off some pressing debts.
1859. Tennyson, Geraint & Enid, 352. But Enid … answer’d with such craft as women use, Guilty or guiltless, to stave off a chance That breaks upon them perilously.
1865. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., XX. vii. IX. 140. One huge peril handsomely staved away, though so many others impend.
1879. Dixon, Windsor, III. xxiii. 231. A little fish sufficed to stave off hunger.
1884. Church, Bacon, vi. 129. The proposed conference was staved off by management for a day or two; but it could not be averted.
8. intr. To fight with staves.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. iii. 88. He … stav’d it out, Disdaining to lay down his arms.
9. trans. To drive with a heavy blow. U.S.
1837. Knickerbocker Mag., Nov. X. 408 (Thornton, Amer. Gloss.). [He had] stove two of his front teeth down his throat.
1837. J. C. Neal, Charcoal Sketches (1840), 37 (Bartlett, Dict. Amer.). I’ll stave my fist right through you, and carry you on my elbow, as easily as if you were an empty market basket.
10. intr. To go with a rush or dash; to ‘drive.’ Sc. and U.S.
1819. [Rennie], St. Patrick, III. xi. 264–5. The puir lads … ha’e been a’ night stavin’ at ane anither, and struislin’ i’the dark.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, II. xxiii. 303. ‘Hold in!’ … cried out a long, slab-sided Virginian, as our adventurers went, staving through Broadway, in Mr. Ashley’s go-cart.
1836. Public Ledger (Phila.), 5 Oct., 1/4. (Thornton, Amer. Gloss.). He stove about in every direction, like a mad bull; but all was in vain, his negro was gone.
1880. ‘Mark Twain,’ Tramp Abroad, ii. Other pedestrians went staving by us with vigorous strides.
1886. Stevenson, Kidnapped, xxvi. If we seek to creep round … it’s … there that they’ll be looking to lay hands on us. But if we stave on straight to the auld Brig of Stirling, I’ll lay my sword they let us pass unchallenged.
1894. P. H. Hunter, James Inwick, iii. (1896), 22. He was staivin doun the street.
11. Forging. To thicken (bar-iron) by heating and hammering, to UPSET; also to stave up. Also absol. b. intr. Of the iron: To undergo staving; also to stave up.
1906. J. Watson, Tables for Blacksm. & Forgers, Pref. The information required is generally about allowances for staving and drawing down. Ibid., 9. To stave up out of a bar 6″ wide by 4″ thick a part 7″ wide by 41/2″ thick by 9″ long. Ibid. So that 12″ long of 6″ wide by 4″ thick staves up to 9″ long of 7″ wide by 41/2″ thick. Ibid., 15. A 4″ diameter bar is to have a length of 2″ at 5″ diameter staved on one end, and a part drawn down to 31/4″ diameter by 10″ long. Ibid., 23. A bar 11/4″ round is to be staved to 11/4″ square by 11/2″ long: what length of 11/4″ round is required?
b. transf. (See quot.)
1850. Ogilvie, Stave, v. … 6. To make firm by compression. The term is applied to the compressing of lead by a hammer or a blunt chisel, after it has been run in to secure a joining, such as the socket joints of pipes.
12. To sprain (one’s thumb, etc.) Sc.
1887. Jamieson’s Sc. Dict., Suppl. 228/1. He steved his wrist and staved my thumb.
