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   stall

   /stɔːl/

   noun

   • 1. a stand, booth, or compartment for the sale of goods in a market or large covered area: "fruit and vegetable stalls" Similar standtablecounterboothkioskcompartment
   • 2. an individual compartment for an animal in a stable or cowshed, enclosed on three sides. Similar pencoopstycorralenclosurecompartmentcubicle
   • ▪ a stable or cowshed.
   • ▪ a marked-out parking space for a vehicle: North American "a parking stall"
   • ▪ a cage-like compartment in which a horse is held immediately prior to the start of a race.
   • ▪ a compartment for one person in a set of toilets, shower cubicles, etc.
   • 3. a fixed seat in the choir or chancel of a church, enclosed at the back and sides and often canopied, typically reserved for a particular member of the clergy.
   • 4. the seats on the ground floor in a theatre: British "a stalls seat" Similar orchestraparterre
   • 5. an instance of an engine, vehicle, aircraft, or boat stalling: "speed must be maintained to avoid a stall and loss of control"

   verb

   • 1. (of a motor vehicle or its engine) stop running, typically because of an overload on the engine: "her car stalled at the crossroads"
   • ▪ (of an aircraft) stop flying and begin to fall because the speed is too low or the angle of attack too large to maintain adequate lift.
   • ▪ have insufficient wind power in the sails to give controlled motion.
   • ▪ cause to stall.
   • 2. stop or cause to stop making progress: "his career had stalled, hers taken off" Similar obstructimpedeinterfere withhinderhamperblockinterrupthold uphold backstand in the way offrustratethwartbalkinhibithamstringsabotageencumberrestrainslowslow downretarddelaystonewallforestallarrestcheckstophaltstayderailrestrictlimitcurbput a brake onbridlefettershackleinformal:stymieborkrare:trammel
   • ▪ speak or act in a deliberately vague way in order to gain more time to deal with something; prevaricate: "she was stalling for time" Similar use delaying tacticsplay for timetemporizegain timehang backhang firehold backprocrastinatehedgebeat about the bushdrag one's feetdelayfilibusterstonewallinformal:kick the can down the road
   • ▪ delay or divert (someone) by prevarication: "stall him until I've had time to take a look" Similar delaydivertdistracthold offstave offfend offkeep offward offkeep at baykeep at arm's length
   • 3. put or keep (an animal) in a stall, especially in order to fatten it: "the horses were stalled at Upper Bolney Farm"

   Word Origin Old Englishsteall ‘stable or cattle shed’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stal, also to stand. Early senses of the verb included ‘reside, dwell’ and ‘bring to a halt’.

   Scrabble Points: 5

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