stitch (stitches plural & 3rd person present) (stitching present participle) (stitched past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you stitch cloth, you use a needle and thread to join two pieces together or to make a decoration.
(=sew)
Fold the fabric and stitch the two layers together... V n adv/prep
We stitched incessantly. V
...those patient ladies who stitched the magnificent medieval tapestries. V n
2 n-count Stitches are the short pieces of thread that have been sewn in a piece of cloth.
...a row of straight stitches...
3 n-count In knitting and crochet, a stitch is a loop made by one turn of wool around a knitting needle or crochet hook.
Her mother counted the stitches on her knitting needles...
4 n-uncount If you sew or knit something in a particular stitch, you sew or knit in a way that produces a particular pattern.
usu n N
The design can be worked in cross stitch.
5 verb When doctors stitch a wound, they use a special needle and thread to sew the skin together.
Jill washed and stitched the wound. V n
Stitch up means the same as stitch., phrasal verb
Dr Armonson stitched up her wrist wounds... V P n (not pron)
They've taken him off to hospital to stitch him up. V n P
6 n-count A stitch is a piece of thread that has been used to sew the skin of a wound together.
He had six stitches in a head wound.
7 n-sing A stitch is a sharp pain in your side, usually caused by running or laughing a lot.
8 If you are in stitches, you cannot stop laughing.
INFORMAL
in stitches phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
Here's a book that will have you in stitches. stitch up
1 phrasal verb To stitch someone up means to trick them so that they are put in a difficult or unpleasant situation, especially one where they are blamed for something they have not done.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL
(=frame, set up)
He claimed that a police officer had threatened to stitch him up and send him to prison. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb To stitch up an agreement, especially a complicated agreement between several people, means to arrange it.
(mainly BRIT)
INFORMAL
(=secure)
Shiraz has stitched up major deals all over the world to boost sales. V P n
cross-stitch , cross stitch
Cross-stitch is a type of decorative sewing where one stitch crosses another. n-uncount
stitch-up (stitch-ups plural ), stitch up If you describe a situation as a stitch-up, you mean that it has been arranged in a way that makes it unfair.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL n-count usu sing
My view is that this is a stitch up.
