an ostensibly illegal operation, as the buying of stolen goods or the bribing of public officials, used by undercover investigators to collect evidence of wrongdoing.
[Origin: bef. 900; (v.) ME stingen, OE stingan to pierce; c. ON stinga to pierce, Goth -stangan (in usstangan to pull out); (n.) ME sting(e), OE: act of stinging, deriv. of the v.]
To pierce or wound painfully with or as if with a sharp-pointed structure or organ, as that of certain insects.
To cause to feel a sharp, smarting pain by or as if by pricking with a sharp point: smoke stinging our eyes.
To cause to suffer keenly in the mind or feelings: Those harsh words stung me bitterly.
To spur on by or as if by sharp irritation.
Slang To cheat or overcharge.
v.
intr.
To have, use, or wound with or as if with a sharp-pointed structure or organ, as that of certain insects.
To cause or feel a sharp, smarting pain.
n.
The act of stinging.
The wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging.
A sharp, piercing organ or part, often ejecting a venomous secretion, as the modified ovipositor of a bee or wasp or the spine of certain fishes.
A stinging power, quality, or capacity.
A keen stimulus or incitement; a goad or spur: the sting of curiosity.
Slang A complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care, especially an operation organized and implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals.
[Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan; see stegh- in Indo-European roots.]
O.E. stingan "to prick with a small point" (of weapons, insects, plants, etc.), from P.Gmc. *stenganan (cf. O.N. stinga, O.H.G. stungen "to prick," Goth. us-stagg "to prick out," O.H.G. stanga, Ger. stange "pole, perch," Ger. stengel "stalk, stem"), from PIE *stengh-, nasalized form of base *stegh- "to prick, sting" (cf. O.E. stagga "stag," Gk. stokhos "pointed stake"). Specialized to insects late 15c. Slang meaning "to cheat, swindle" is from 1812. The noun is O.E. stincg, steng "act of stinging, stinging pain;" meaning "carefully planned theft or robbery" is attested from 1930; sense of "police undercover entrapment" first attested 1975. Sting ray is from 1624.
Main Entry: 1sting Pronunciation: 'sti[ng] Function: verb Inflected Forms: stung/'st&[ng]/; sting·ing/'sti[ng]-i[ng]/ transitive senses : to prick painfully: as a: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating process b: to
affect with sharp quick pain stingintransitive senses : to feel or cause a keen burning pain or smart <the injection stung>
Main Entry: 2sting Function: noun 1 a: the act of stinging; specifically: the thrust of a stinger into the flesh b:
a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging 2:STINGER
STING A parallel dialect of Scheme intended to serve as a high-level operating system for symbolic programming languages. First-classthreads and processors and customisable scheduling policies. E-mail: . ["A Customizable Substrate for Concurrent Languages", S. Jagannathan et al, ACM SIGPLAN Notices, 1992]. (1994-11-03)
Stick\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stuck(Obs. Sticked); p. pr. & vb. n. Sticking.] [OE. stikien, v.t. & i., combined with steken, whence E. stuck), AS. stician, v.t. & i., and (assumed) stecan, v.t.; akin to OFries. steka, OS. stekan, OHG. stehhan, G. stechen, and to Gr. ? to prick, Skr. tij to be sharp. Cf. Distinguish, Etiquette, Extinct, Instigate, Instinct, Prestige, Stake, Steak, Stick, n., Stigma, Stimulate, Sting, Stitch in sewing, Style for or in writing.]1. To penetrate with a pointed instrument; to pierce; to stab; hence, to kill by piercing; as, to stick a beast. And sticked him with bodkins anon. --Chaucer. It was a shame . . . to stick him under the other gentleman's arm while he was redding the fray. --Sir W. Scott. 2. To cause to penetrate; to push, thrust, or drive, so as to pierce; as, to stick a needle into one's finger. Thou stickest a dagger in me. --Shak. 3. To fasten, attach, or cause to remain, by thrusting in; hence, also, to adorn or deck with things fastened on as by piercing; as, to stick a pin on the sleeve. My shroud of white, stuck all with yew. --Shak. The points of spears are stuck within the shield. --Dryden. 4. To set; to fix in; as, to stick card teeth. 5. To set with something pointed; as, to stick cards. 6. To fix on a pointed instrument; to impale; as, to stick an apple on a fork. 7. To attach by causing to adhere to the surface; as, to stick on a plaster; to stick a stamp on an envelope; also, to attach in any manner. 8. (Print.) To compose; to set, or arrange, in a composing stick; as, to stick type. [Cant] 9. (Joinery) To run or plane (moldings) in a machine, in contradistinction to working them by hand. Such moldings are said to be stuck. 10. To cause to stick; to bring to a stand; to pose; to puzzle; as, to stick one with a hard problem. [Colloq.] 11. To impose upon; to compel to pay; sometimes, to cheat. [Slang] To stick out, to cause to project or protrude; to render prominent.
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