stick n Cp OED ~ sb1 3 'stem or thick branch of a tree (1386-1707); EDD sb1 13 esp s w cties; DC ~1 1 b (1829-).
1 A timber-tree; the trunk of a tree used for var building purposes, fuel, etc; freq in phr stick of wood, and with defining words plank, wharf, etc.
1774 Trans Roy Soc lxiv, 374-5 Up some of the deep bays, and not far from the water, it is said, however, there are a few sticks of no inconsiderable size. [1794] 1968 THOMAS 118 It was fenced in with Sticks and Poles of the Spruce Tree, which was sufficient entablature to point out the Sacred spot. 1853 Ecclesiologist xiv, June, p. 160 I cannot help thinking that we shall be obliged to make more use of stone for churches and houses than is now done, as proper sticks for building are getting very scarce in the neighbourhood of St John's, and round Conception Bay. 1868 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 31 This is where the people of the bay procure their material for house and boat building. Many of the sticks are large enough for schooners spars. They come up in winter cut all they want, drag it out to the river deposit it on the ice, and await the spring thaws to float it out to the salt water... We saw many fine sticks hung up on the rocks at intervals as we came up [the river]. 1897 J A Folklore x, 210 Squat [means] to flatten a stick of timber by hewing the one side of it. [1900 OLIVER AND BURKE] 46 [There was] a haul of wood every winter for the R C Bishop... The skipper and his crew with a band and the boys would cheerily haul them... 1000 sticks and more in some loads. [1918-19] GORDON 11-12 By 2.30 we had a nice pile of 300 sticks on the bank below the Parsonage, and some of us had stiff shoulders. [For the sake of the uninitiated, a stick or 'turn' of wood is a fair-sized tree with its limbs lopped off.] 1929 FPU (Twillingate) Minutes 30 Jan Then there was quite a discussion about the Crow Head breakwater sticks, about who tendered for the sticks and who got them to cut. T 12-64 A whitin' is the rampike or very dry stick used for making splits. T 141/68-652 An' the same way you lay it on a wharf stick, see, if you was goin' to plank out a wharf. You lay birch rine over your stick [to] preserve it from the water seepin' into it. T 437-65 Jack said, 'By God,' Jack said, 'there's a big stick there, a fine stick, a elm stick.' M 68-10 [märchen] Sure enough, when Jack got back the punt was timbered out. 'Now,' said the old witch, 'cut me a plank stick.' Jack went off to cut a plank stick. When he got back she was all planked. 1975 BUTLER 43 Looked up and I put the whole load in the mainmast, a BC stick too, beautiful; black hole with the powder burnin' it around. 1977 BURSEY 25 I had three hundred sticks of wood for my share then my brother and I must saw it into six thousand four hundred junks and split it to dry.
2 A length of whalebone.
[1771] 1792 CARTWRIGHT i, 141 They brought me one stick of whalebone, and the skins of six rangers, two hares, and one deer. [1783] ibid iii, 7 I purchased thirty-eight sticks of good whalebone and a few sealskins.
3 Phr get a stick on: of a vessel, to steam faster (1925 Dial Notes v, 343).
1924 ENGLAND 69 The Sagona now lay astern of us as we ground slowly northward 'wid a little better stick [speed] on us,' under steam and sail; the Eagle was racing us, off our starboard bow.
stick and string navigation: navigation by log and line.
1962 SPARKES 9 It must be remembered that it [1834] was still the day of 'stick and string' navigation.
4 Comb stick fence: fence made of thin trunks, with branches lopped off, standing in vertical position (1963 WILLIAMS i, 87); PICKET FENCE.
[1786] 1792 CARTWRIGHT iii, 181 We landed the goods, had the top of the stick-fence of the garden cut even.
