Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

stiff upper lip

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.66 in modern English

Syllables: stiff up-per lip
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, stereotypically associated with the British; especially as keep a stiff upper lip.

Example Sentences

"I thought now the jig was mighty nigh up with me, but I determined to keep a stiff upper lip."
"Stiff upper lip, stout fella. Carry on, old fluff. Chin up, keep muddling through. Stiff upper lip, stout fella, when the going’s rough. Pip pip to old man trouble and a toodle-oo too.[…] Stiff upper lip, stout fella, when you’re in the stew. Sober or blotto, this is your motto. Keep muddling through."
"[...] Jeeves came in, bowler hat in hand, to say goodbye. A solemn moment, taxing our self-control to the utmost. However, we both kept the upper lip stiff, and after we had kidded back and forth for a while he started to withdraw. [...] He poked his head round the tree as I arrived, and when I waved a cheery hand at him, waved a fairly cheery hand at me. Though I only caught a glimpse of him, I could see that his upper lip was stiff."
"In typical British stiff upper lip fashion, the tournament organizers expected us to play into, and through, the menacing weather."

Etymology

Of American origin; the earliest known use is in 1811.https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Olive_Branch_Or_Faults_on_Both_Sides/vG89AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=stiff+upper+lip&pg=PA237&printsec=frontcover

Inflected Forms

stiff upper lips (plural)

Phrases

stiff-upper-lipped stiff-upper-lippery mustn't grumble

Frequently Paired Words

mustn't grumble

Questions

What does stiff upper lip mean?: The quality of being resolute and showing self-restraint, stereotypically associated with the British; especially as keep a stiff upper lip.
Where does stiff upper lip come from?: Of American origin; the earliest known use is in 1811.https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Olive_Branch_Or_Faults_on_Both_Sides/vG89AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=stiff+upper+lip&pg=PA237&printsec=frontcover

How to pronounce stiff upper lip

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