stalling

Verb

stall (third-person singular simple present stalls, present participle stalling, simple past and past participle stalled)

1. (transitive) To put (an animal, etc.) in a stall.
   • to stall an ox
2. To fatten.
   • to stall cattle
3. (obsolete) To live in, or as if in, a stall; to dwell.
   • I must perforce
     Haue ſhewne to thee ſuch a declining day,
     Or looke on thine: we could not ſtall together
     In the whole world.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
4. To place in an office with the customary formalities; to install.
   • Deck'd in thy rights , as thou art stall'd in minec. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
5. To forestall; to anticipate.
   • This is not to be staled by my report,
     This only must be told: […]1636 (first performance; published 1655), Philip Massinger, “The Bashful Lover”, in W[illiam] Gifford, editor, The Plays of Philip Massinger, […], volume IV, London: […] G[eorge] and W[illiam] Nicol...
6. To keep close; to keep secret.
   • You haue diſcharg'd this honeſtlie, keepe it to your ſelfe, […] praie you leaue mee, ſtall this in your boſome, and I thanke you for your honeſt care: I will ſpeake with you further anon.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...

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