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storm-stayed
DCHP-2 (Apr 2013)
adj. — Outdoors
stranded due to extreme weather conditions.
Type: 2. Preservation — OED-3 lists the term as "chiefly Sc[ottish]", with a history dating back to the 15th century. In British English, the latest attestations tend to date from the early 20th century. By contrast, corrected Internet Domain Searches (see Chart 1), corrected by reading the the first 100 entries and excluding any wrong or ambiguous meanings, clearly reveal storm-stayed - most frequently today in the form of "storm stayed" (adj.) - is almost exclusively used by Canadians. In the light of term's use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Commonwealth countries and Great Britain, and its decreased uses in those locations since, the Canadian frequency data gives special weight to its status as a preservation in Canadian English from Late Modern (19th century) English (see the 1896 through 2013 quotations).
The term storm-stayed is most popular in the central provinces and PEI (see Chart 2).
See also COD-2, s.v. "storm-stayed", which is marked "Cdn (Maritimes & Ont.)", ITP Nelson, s.v. "stormstayed", which is marked "Maritimes", and OED-3, s.v. "storm-stayed", which is marked "Sc.".
See also COD-2, s.v. "storm-stayed", which is marked "Cdn (Maritimes & Ont.)", ITP Nelson, s.v. "stormstayed", which is marked "Maritimes", and OED-3, s.v. "storm-stayed", which is marked "Sc.".
Quotations
1865
There may be a time and place for everything, and, perhaps, the people may sometime or other feel disposed to study the Batrachian pastime and employ the croakers, as storm-stayed travellers will tolerate the hurdy-gurdy, to listen to its monotonous, unmusical strains, because less irksome than looking from the window watching the pattering rain or the drifting snow.
1896
Yesterday at 3.45 a.m. the first train from Montreal arrived on the Grand Trunk Railway, and at 1.25 this morning the first train from the east on the C.P.R. since Thursday rolled into the Union Station looking like a moving snow bank. The Canadian Pacific train was storm-stayed at Peterboro, and the Grand Trunk train at Cobourg. The Grand Trunk Railway train was stalled at Coburg at 4.30 Friday morning, and most of the passengers walked to the hotels of that town and waited.
1916
The hospitality which is always extended to travellers, to the storm-stayed, to new arrivals, to those smitten by fire or misfortune is admirable, and I hope that it will always remain as unrestrained as it has ever been in the West.
1936
The closeness of the rescue to disaster is indicated by the fact that all have been storm-stayed at Fort Reliance since Friday, when the rescued men's doctor said they could be flown out to Edmonton.
1983
Freezing rain fell on Ottawa this week, making streets and sidewalks slippery. [...] Faced with this week's icy assault, the post office on Thursday morning promptly cancelled mail deliveries on 90 per cent of Ottawa-Carleton's routes. Perhaps the mail delivery was truly storm-stayed. But at the height of the ice storm on Wednesday evening, virtually all Citizen paper carriers managed to complete their appointed rounds.
1996
No one remains "storm-stayed'' in the country for long; the determination, the need, to get on with things is too strong.
2008
After arriving at the mountain, about 500 kilometres inland, on Dec. 7, the team was storm-stayed at a camp halfway up the mountain at 3,800 metres for at least four days.
2013
A week ago, Keltner was pulled over in Gull Lake for hours because the TransCanada Highway was closed. When it reopened she carried on to Moose Jaw where again she was storm-stayed for a day because of a road closure.
References
- OED-3
- COD-2
- ITP Nelson
Images
Chart 1: Corrected Internet Domain Search, 31 May 2013
