staff : Idioms & Phrases


Almucanter staff

  • an ancient instrument, having an arc of fifteen degrees, formerly used at sea to take observations of the sun's amplitude at the time of its rising or setting, to find the variation of the compass.
Webster 1913

Cantoral staff

  • the official staff or baton of a cantor or precentor, with which time is marked for the singers.
Webster 1913

chief of staff

  • noun the senior officer of a service of the armed forces
WordNet

cross-staff

Cross"-staff` noun
Definitions
  1. An instrument formerly used at sea for taking the altitudes of celestial bodies.
  2. A surveyor's instrument for measuring offsets.
Webster 1913

Field staff

  • > (Mil.), a staff formerly used by gunners to hold a lighted match for discharging a gun.
Webster 1913

general staff

  • noun military officers assigned to assist a senior officer in planning military policy
WordNet

half-staff

  • noun a position some distance below the top of a mast to which a flag is lowered in mourning or to signal distress
    half-mast.
WordNet

Hand staff

  • (pl. Hand staves), a javelin. Ezek. xxxix. 9.
Webster 1913

headquarters staff

  • noun military staff stationed at headquarters
WordNet

Jack staff

  • (Naut.), a staff fixed on the bowsprit cap, upon which the jack is hoisted.
Webster 1913

Jacob's staff

  • noun desert shrub of southwestern United States and Mexico having slender naked spiny branches that after the rainy season put forth foliage and clusters of red flowers
    vine cactus; Fouquieria splendens; coachwhip; ocotillo.
WordNet
  • (Surv.), a single straight rod or staff, pointed and iron-shod at the bottom, for penetrating the ground, and having a socket joint at the top, used, instead of a tripod, for supporting a compass.
Webster 1913

joint chiefs of staff

  • noun the executive agency that advises the President on military questions; composed of the chiefs of the United States Army and the United States Navy and the United States Air Force and the commandant of the United States Marine Corps
    Joint Chiefs.
WordNet

Jupiter's staff

  • (Bot.), the common mullein; so called from its long, rigid spike of yellow blossoms.
Webster 1913

Leveling staff

  • a graduated rod or staff used in connection with a leveling instrument for measuring differences of level between points.
Webster 1913

maintenance staff

  • noun those in a business responsible for maintaining the physical plant
    maintenance staff.
WordNet

Object staff

  • . (Leveling) Same as Leveling staff.
Webster 1913

office staff

  • noun professional or clerical workers in an office
    office.
    • the whole office was late the morning of the blizzard
WordNet

Offset staff

  • (Surv.), a rod, usually ten links long, used in measuring offsets.
Webster 1913

Paddle staff

  • . (a) A staff tipped with a broad blade, used by mole catchers. Prov. Eng. (b) A long-handled spade used to clean a plowshare; called also plow staff. Prov. Eng.
Webster 1913

Pastoral staff

  • (Eccl.), a staff, usually of the form of a shepherd's crook, borne as an official emblem by a bishop, abbot, abbess, or other prelate privileged to carry it. See Crook, and Crosier.
Webster 1913

Plow staff

  • . (a) A kind of long-handled spade or paddle for cleaning the plowshare; a paddle staff . (b) A plow handle.
Webster 1913

Proof staff

  • a straight-edge used by millers to test the flatness of a stone.
Webster 1913

research staff

  • noun a group of associated research workers in a university or library or laboratory
WordNet

rock staff

Rock" staff`
Etymology
Cf. Rock, v. i.
Definitions
  1. An oscillating bar in a machine, as the lever of the bellows of a forge.
Webster 1913

Runic staff

  • . See Clog almanac, under Clog.
Webster 1913

sales staff

  • noun those in a business who are responsible for sales
WordNet

security staff

  • noun those in an organization responsible for preventing spying or theft
WordNet

service staff

  • noun those in a business responsible for maintaining the physical plant
    maintenance staff.
WordNet

Shepherd's rod, ∨ Shepherd's staff

  • (Bot.), the small teasel.
Webster 1913

short-staffed

  • adjective satellite inadequate in number of workers or assistants etc.
    understaffed; undermanned; short-handed.
    • they're rather short-handed at the moment
    • overcrowded and understaffed hospitals
WordNet

Staff angle

  • (Arch.), a square rod of wood standing flush with the wall on each of its sides, at the external angles of plastering, to prevent their being damaged.
Webster 1913

staff line

  • noun any of the 5 horizontal marks comprising a staff
WordNet

staff member

  • noun an employee who is a member of a staff of workers (especially a member of the staff that works for the President of the United States)
    staffer.
WordNet

staff of life

  • noun food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
    breadstuff; bread.
WordNet

staff office

  • noun the department responsible for hiring and training and placing employees and for setting policies for personnel management
    personnel department; personnel office; personnel.
WordNet

staff officer

  • noun a commissioned officer assigned to a military commander's staff
WordNet

staff sergeant

  • noun a noncommissioned officer ranking above corporal and below sergeant first class in the Army or Marines or above airman 1st class in the Air Force
WordNet

Staff tree

  • noun any small tree or twining shrub of the genus Celastrus
WordNet
  • (Bot.), any plant of the genus Celastrus, mostly climbing shrubs of the northern hemisphere. The American species (C. scandens) is commonly called bittersweet. See 2d Bittersweet, 3 (b).
Webster 1913

staff vine

  • noun twining shrub of North America having yellow capsules enclosing scarlet seeds
    bittersweet; climbing bittersweet; waxwork; shrubby bittersweet; false bittersweet; Celastrus scandens; American bittersweet.
WordNet

staff-tree family

  • noun trees and shrubs and woody vines usually having bright-colored fruits
    Celastraceae; spindle-tree family; family Celastraceae.
WordNet

Station staff

  • (Surv.), an instrument for taking angles in surveying. Craig.
Webster 1913

The staff of life

  • bread. "Bread is the staff of life." Swift.
Webster 1913

To hang the flag half-mast high ∨ half-staff

  • to raise it only half way to the mast or staff, as a token or sign of mourning.
Webster 1913

To set, ∨ To put, up, ∨ down, one's staff

  • to take up one's residence; to lodge. Obs.
Webster 1913

treble staff

  • noun a clef that puts the G above middle C on the second line of a staff
    treble clef; G clef.
WordNet

Vane of a leveling staff

  • . (Surv.) Same as Target, 3.
Webster 1913

Ward staff

  • a constable's or watchman's staff. Obs.
Webster 1913

White staff

  • the badge of the lord high treasurer of England. Macaulay.
Webster 1913