▪ I. fix, n.
(fɪks)
See also fixes.
[f. the vb.; the senses have no mutual connexion.]
1. (orig. U.S.) A position from which it is difficult to escape, a ‘tight place’; a difficulty, dilemma, predicament. Also, condition, state; (working) order (U.S.).
| 1816 Horry & Weems Life Gen. F. Marion (ed. 4) xiv. 124 They are in a mighty good fix. 1818 E. P. Fordham Pers. Narr. Trav. (1906) 167 The fire went out and it got quite dark. I was in a bad fix, as they say in the back⁓woods. 1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life vi. 50, I believe..we should all have been genteelly licked that time, for we were in a devil of a fix. 1834 W. A. Caruthers Kentuckian in N.Y. I. 29, I couldn't get my hands in no sort of a comfortable fix. 1836 Pleasant Peregrinations 50 (Th.), Tables and settees are put into a sleeping fix in the twinkling of a bedpost. 1839 Marryat Diary Amer. Ser. i. II. 166 The Americans are never at a loss when they are in a fix. 1839 Spirit of Times 27 Apr. 90/3 The filly is a keener, but looked out of fix. 1839 C. Brontë Let. 14 Aug. in W. Gérin C. Brontë (1967) x. 153 It so happens that I can get no conveyance..so I am in a fix. 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg., St. Medard, A Stranger there, Who seem'd to have got himself into a fix. 1852 C. H. Wiley Life in South 126 I'll be delighted to be in your company in any fix (i.e. costume). 1854 E. Forbes Let. in Wilson & Geikie Life xiv. 532 The Scottish authorities have run me into a fix. 1868 H. Woodruff Trotting Horse xi. 113 In getting a whole stable of horses into fix to trot races, there will seldom be two whose treatment during their preparation ought to be the same. 1873 Black Pr. Thule vii. 101 And is this the fix you wish me to help you out of? 1895 Outing (U.S.) XXVI. 356/1 George's rod is splintered, and the Kid's reel out of fix. 1931 Kansas City Times 7 Dec. 16 What a fix this old world might have been in if our boys had not made it safe for democracy. |
2. The material used for lining a puddling-furnace; fettling.
| 1871 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Eng. I. 327 In puddling 30 per cent. less ‘fix’ was required. 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss. 35 Fettle or line with a fix or fettling, consisting of ore scrap and cinder. |
3. a. A reliable indication of the position of a ship, aircraft, etc., obtained by determining the bearings, visually or by radio, of objects whose position is known (as fixed points on land, or celestial objects); the position so obtained; also, the action of obtaining a ‘fix’.
| 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXIII. 97/2 The ‘station-pointer’ is the instrument used in plotting fixes. 1919 H. Shaw Textbk. Aeronaut. xviii. 208 An ‘absolute’ fix is one in which all the observations are taken together, while if a considerable interval of time is allowed to elapse between the taking of the observations, a ‘running’ fix is obtained, which is not so reliable. 1925 F. C. Bowen King's Navy 182 On a well-lighted coast night navigation can be easier than by day since there will always be lights from which to take compass bearings and so to get a ‘fix’. 1935 Travel Sept. 8/1 Throughout the flight position reports will be made every thirty minutes, based on these ‘fixes’, radio bearings and dead reckoning. 1942 J. A. Hammerton ABC of RAF (ed. 2) 110/1 When the landmark is recognized, then the airman is said to have obtained a ‘visual fix’; the word ‘fix’ merely means the position of the aircraft. Ibid. 110/2 If the weather is bad and clouds hide the ground the navigator cannot obtain a visual fix, but there are other kinds of fix. He may obtain a ‘radio fix’ by getting in touch with two wireless stations. Ibid., With clear sky above, the navigator may use the stars and get an ‘astro’ fix. 1950 A. P. Herbert Independent Member xxxi. 196 If two or three reported the same splash from different angles..there might even be an accurate ‘fix’. 1958 Observer 12 Oct. 1/1 The Jodrell Bank radio telescope has been following the American moon rocket out into space. After tracking ended..65 ‘fixes’ of the rocket's position had been made. 1963 Times 14 Jan. 13/7 There was only one fix on the trawler's chart for that day and no time was given for the fix. 1971 Daily Tel. 17 June 17/4 Using radio-direction finding equipment he obtained a ‘fix’ from the signals and traced the transmitter to Westmoreland Road, Bromley. |
b. An estimate; an agreed or established point (of time, size, price, or the like); spec. on the London bullion market, a twice-daily ritual at which the price of gold is determined by the main bullion dealers.
| 1965 Chem. & Engin. News 10 May 88/1 Neither of the major companies that make rare earth polishes..will say how much they make, so it is difficult to get an accurate fix on the size of this market. 1971 Sci. Amer. Oct. 67/3 It is noteworthy that the earliest astronomical fix is at 4000 years ago, that all older dates have errors. 1974 Times 9 Nov. 1/5 From a morning fix of $177½ an ounce the price climbed to $183 at the afternoon fix. 1982 Times 24 Aug. 11/2 Heavy buying was reported by dealers who said that the afternoon fix was particularly busy. 1985 Daily Tel. 22 Oct. 18/6 Gold price. 1st fix $326.50. 2nd fix $326.15. |
4. slang (orig. U.S.). A dose of a narcotic drug. Also fix-up. Cf. fix v. 16 c.
| [1867 W. H. Dixon New Amer. I. 191 Claret-cobbler..eye-opener, fix-ups, or any other Yankee deception in the shape of liquor.] 1934 Flynn's 21 Apr. 113/2 A package of narcotics is called a deck or a bindle; a shot is a geezer,..or fix-up. 1936 Amer. Speech XI. 121/1 Fix-up, a ration of dope, especially one which has just been taken. 1938 Ibid. XIII. 184/1 Fix, var. of fix-up. A ration of narcotics, especially one to be injected. 1949 N. Algren Man with Golden Arm (1959) i. 57 ‘Don't vomit, student,’ he taunted Frankie to remind him of the first fix he'd had. 1958 Oxf. Mail 29 July 6/7 A weird scene where the dope peddlers gather to beat up Johnny, who gets more into debt with each ‘fix’. 1966 Evening News 17 Nov. 10/5 Hardly a week goes by without a report of drug-taking and ‘fix’ parties among teenagers. |
5. A bribe; bribery; an illicit arrangement (e.g. amongst politicians, or between policemen and criminals). U.S. slang.
| 1929 Flynn's 20 Apr. 793/2, I can put the fix on for you so you can run your stuff over the line and straight into Chicago. 1930 E. D. Sullivan Chicago Surrenders (1931) ii. 48 It's impossible to scare tough hombres who can get $55 a barrel for beer that costs them $7. There's plenty leeway for the ‘fix’. 1950 H. E. Goldin Dict. Amer. Underworld Lingo 70/2 Fix. 1. An agreement, secured through bribery, chicanery, intimidation, whereby a criminal indictment is quashed, or the severity of a sentence or of a charge lessened... 2. Any arrangement by which laws, rules, or regulations are circumvented...‘his mob got a license (police permission) to hustle (steal) on the cannon (picking pockets) here. The fix is in solid.’ 1953 W. P. McGivern Big Heat x. 124 He had come up through the ranks of a society that was founded on the fix. |
▸ orig. U.S. A measure undertaken to resolve a problem; a solution, a remedy. Cf. quick-fix n.
| 1882 Wellsboro (Pa.) Agitator 26 Dec. 1/8 All that is necessary is to dig a round pit or cistern... With such a simple fix, it is an easy matter to distribute the liquid. 1913 Daily News (Frederick, Maryland) 31 Jan. 6/5 The wireless aerial which blew down..has been temporarily erected... Not-with-standing this temporary fix, messages are caught every day as before. 1949 D. Trumbo Biggest Thief in Town ii. 75 He's not out for the easy fix and the fast dollar. 1989 Byte Aug. 276/2, I have reported the problem to both vendors, and each says that it..is working on a fix. 2002 Community Care 18 July 8/3 In London alone the waiting list is around 180 cases... As a short term fix, Cafcass plans to employ 15 agency guardians. |
▪ II. † fix, a. (and adv.) Obs.
[ad. L. fīx-us, pa. pple. of fīgĕre to fix, fasten; the immediate source may have been OF. fix (13th c. in Hatzf.). Cf. mod. F. fixe (16th c. in Littré), Sp. fijo (earlier fixo), Pg. fixo, It. fisso.]
A. adj. = fixed in various senses: a. As applied to the stars. b. Firmly placed or settled; not easily moved; not liable to fluctuation or change. c. Of a substance: Not volatile.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus i. 298 His fixe and depe impression. c 1391 ― Astrol. ii. §3 heading, The sterres fixe. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems 235 With eye fyx looke on his visage. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 393 Curatis..schulden haue a stable fix endewing of lyflode. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 1054 All the starres fixe. 1660 tr. Paracelsus' Archidoxes i. x. 142 Take then the fix Element that remained after the separation of the Three Imperfect Elements. 1673 Phil. Trans. VIII. 5188 Those Salts being rendered so fix, that by a gentle fire they are not so much as at all moved. |
B. adv. Fixedly, steadily.
| 1601 T. Wright Passions (1621) 305 Why cannot many abide that you looke fixe in their eies. |
▪ III. fix, v.
(fɪks)
Pa. tense and pa. pple. fixed (fɪkst).
[Ultimately f. L. fīx-us (see fix a.), pa. pple. of fīgĕre to fix, fasten. The proximate origin is uncertain; it may have been an Eng. formation on fix a., or ad. med.L. fixāre or F. fixer (if the latter existed in 15th c.; Hatzf. quotes Montaigne c 1590 for the earliest known use). Cf. Sp. fijar (earlier fixar), Pg. fixar, It. fissare.
The earliest recorded use is ‘to fix (one's eyes) upon an object’; this is the oldest and still the most prominent application of the corresponding verb in Italian, and it appears in Du Cange's only example of med.L. fixare. The use in alchemy is nearly as old in Eng.; it is found in the Romanic langs. and in the med.Lat. writers on alchemy (e.g. R. Lulli Ep. ad Robertum). While in Romanic the verb has only the senses derived from L. fixus, it was in Eng. taken as the representative of L. figĕre, superseding the earlier ficche, and (in some applications) fast and fasten vbs.]
I. To make firm or stable.
1. a. trans. To fasten, make firm or stable in position; to place, attach, or insert and secure against displacement. Const. in, on, to. etc.
to fix bayonets (Mil.): to attach them to the mouth of the musket or rifle.
| 14.. Songs & Carols 15th C. (Percy Soc.) vi. 6, I thouȝt in mynd I schuld ay fynd The wehle of fortunat fyxyd fast. 1489 Barbour's Bruce (Edin. MS.) x. 402 Thair ledderis..maid ane clap, quhen the cruchet Wes fixit [older text festnyt] fast in the kyrnell. 1548 Hall Chron. 160 His head to be fixed on a poole. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 213 The Bats..hang..(by clawes fixed to their wings.) 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 39 The Forts..could not..hinder them from fixing their cluches in the flat country. 1665 Hooke Microgr. Pref. F ij, Fixing both the Glass and Object to the Pedestal. 1694 Acc. Sev. Late Voy. ii. (1711) 5 We fixed our Ship with Ice-hooks to a large Ice-field. 1772 Franklin Exper. Wks. 1887 IV. 509 In Philadelphia I had such a rod fixed to the top of my chimney. 1842 Tennyson Gardener's Dau. 126 Holding the bush, to fix it back, she stood. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxvii. 210 The last stake being fixed, the faces of the men were turned homeward. 1892 Law Times Rep. LXV. 582/1 The posts of the gantry stand on planks, and are fixed thereto by iron dogs and dowels. |
† b. to fix the foot or footing: to obtain or take a sure foothold. lit. and fig. Obs. (Cf. fasten v. 1, and Lat. figere gradum.)
| 1583 Stanyhurst Aeneis iii. (Arb.) 89 He stutted, apaled; And fixt his footing. 1607 Shakes. Cor. i. viii. 4 Fix thy foot. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. ii. 98 The more weary [the Oxe] is, the more strong doth he fixe his footings. 1654 tr. Martini's Conq. China 52 The Tartars could never fix a foot in China. 1681 Dryden Sp. Friar i. i, I'll plant my colours down In the mid-breach, and by them fix my foot. |
† c. To affix (a seal), attach (a codicil) to. Obs.
| 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 173 All the Nobilitie of Scotland..entered into bond..whereunto were fixed their severall seales. Ibid. 434 To be fixed as a Scedule to his last will and testament. 1776 Trial of Nundocomar 24/2, I have seen him..wet two..papers, and fix his seal to them. |
d. In immaterial sense: To attach firmly; to implant securely (principles, etc.).
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. xxxviii. (1539) 70 As sone as the goddes haue gyuen theim a doughter, forthwith they ought to fyxe in theyr hartes a newe remembraunce. 1672 J. Lacy Dumb Lady To Rdr., You are fixed to the freehold never to be parted. 1712 Budgell Spect. No. 319 ¶4, I resolved..to fix his Face in my Memory. 1789 W. Buchan Dom. Med. (1790) 25 Early application..often fixes in the mind an aversion to books. 1855 Bain Senses & Int. iii. i. §5 While the mind is elsewhere, there is no progress in fixing them [lessons]. |
e. To ‘fasten’ (an imputation, responsibility, etc.) on a person.
| 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) Ded. A iij b, The worst Reproach, Malice..can fix upon your Name. 1694 Acc. Sweden 90 The Odium..was easily fix'd upon the Ministers. 1744 Berkeley Siris § 353 It will not seem just to fix the imputation of Atheism upon those philosophers. 1809 Scott Fam. Lett. 10 Sept. (1894) I. 148 Ellis fixes on me an article about Miss Edgeworth's Tales. |
f. intr. for refl. To become firmly attached or implanted; to adhere to. lit. and fig. ? Obs.
| 1682 D'Urfey Butler's Ghost 159 For, salve the matter how you will, I fix to my Narration still. 1715 Desaguliers Fires Impr. 43 They pass over them, without fixing to them. 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1811) VII. 299 Prejudices in disfavour of a person at his first appearance, fix deeper..than prejudices in favour. |
2. a. To secure from change, vacillation or wandering; to give stability or constancy to (the mind, thoughts, affections, purposes).
| 1604 Shakes. Oth. v. i. 5 Thinke on that..fixe most firme thy Resolution. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. xi. §3 Images are said by the Roman church to fix the cogitations..of them that pray before them. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. S. iii. xxi. 212 A constant impression of Gods omnipresence is an excellent way to fix mens souls. 1793 Object. to War Examined & Refuted 37 What other system is likely to fix your fluctuating opinions? 1851 Dixon W. Penn xvii. (1872) 143 At length his mind began to fix itself. 1875 M{supc}Laren Serm. Ser. ii. vii. 120 Thy tremulous and vagrant soul shall be braced and fixed. |
b. To make (a person) constant in attachment. Const. to, in. ? Obs.
| 1710 Prideaux Orig. Tithes Reasons for Bill 7 They are seldom well fixed to Virtue and sober Behaviour. 1738 Johnson London 145 How..Can surly virtue hope to fix a friend? 1747 in Col. Rec. Pennsylv. V. 153 To improve this favourable opportunity for fixing these Indians in the English Interest. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xviii. xii, Can the man who is in possession of these be inconstant? Impossible!..they would fix a Dorimant. 1796 Jane Austen Pride & Prej. vi, If a woman conceals her affection..from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him. |
c. To settle immovably the purpose or conviction of (a person). Const. to with inf.; also on, for, against. Now only in pass.
| 1671 Milton Samson 1481, I am fixed not to part hence without him. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 126 They challenge, and encounter Breast to Breast; So fix'd on Fame. 1700 ― Fables, Ceyx & Alcyone 48 If fate has fix'd thee obstinate to sail. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome iii. 50 Marcus was fixt upon taking him. 1766 Franklin Let. Wks. 1887 III. 456 The ministry are fixed for us. 1856 Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) II. 68, I am fixed against any periodical. |
† d. With complement: To render unchangeably (so and so). Obs.
| 1726 W. R. Chetwood Adv. Boyle & Castelman 59 This Interview had fix'd my Heart intirely hers. 1744 S. Fielding David Simple (ed. 2) I. 44 The Girl was commanded..to receive him in such a manner, as to fix him hers. 1777 Hist. Eliza Warwick I. 238 That important one [sc. day] which fixed me wretched for ever. |
e. Genetics. To establish (a character, or the gene responsible for it) as a permanent property of subsequent generations.
| 1900 Jrnl. R. Hort. Soc. XXIV. 142 Seeds were again selected from the plants producing smooth seed and planted the third year, and so on through five generations, when the character was fully fixed, and all the plants came true, producing only the smooth black seed. 1902 Bateson & Saunders Rep. Evol. Committee R. Soc. I. 131 It has long been known to breeders that certain forms cannot be fixed by selection indefinitely continued. 1905 Jrnl. R. Hort. Soc. XXIX. 418 Whenever it is desired in a cross-bred strain to fix a dominant character selection must always be made of single families containing no recessive members. 1957 Ann. Math. Statistics XXVIII. 891 The gene A will ultimately be fixed in the population or completely lost from it. 1969 Times 17 Feb. 6/7 The breed was created after 17 years of ‘fixing’ a type from a beef Shorthorn-Highland cross. 1970 R. Gorer Devel. Garden Flowers i. 34 The recessive genes are always the easiest to fix, once they have been brought out. |
3. a. To direct steadily and unwaveringly, fasten, set (one's eyes, attention, affections, etc.) on, upon, † to (an object). Also refl.
| c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems 35 Hyr eyen she fixethe on him. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxx. xix, Specially I gyve to you a charge To fyxe your love, for to be true and stable Upon your lady. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI i. ii. 5 Why are thine eyes fixt to the sullen earth? 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 44 Could but these Idolaters fix their mind upon Heaven. 1709 Berkeley Th. Vision §83 The more we fix our sight on any one object. 1792 G. Washington Lett. Writ. 1891 XII. 197 The enemy's attention would be less fixed to it. 1802 M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. viii. 60 The hand, upon which every eye was fixed. 1838 Dickens O. Twist xliv, A mind unable..to detach itself from old..associations, though enabled to fix itself steadily on one object. 1866 J. Martineau Ess. I. 173 We fix attention on a single fundamental problem. 1904 L. T. Meade Love Triumphant iv. vii, Her eyes fixed themselves on Leonora's face. |
b. absol. To concentrate one's attention or mind on. Also intr. for refl. (said of the eyes, attention, etc.).
| 1663 Gerbier Counsel E vija, You..could not suffer your Eyes to fix on slight objects. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. iii. vi. §28 In most other bodies, not propagated by Seed, 'tis the Colour we most fix on, and are most led by. 1760 Johnson Idler No. 97 ¶7 He will find nothing [in these books] on which attention can fix. |
c. Of an object of vision or thought: To ‘rivet’, attract and hold fast (the eye, the attention, etc.).
| 1752 Hist. Jack Connor I. 231 The Major gave a loud Hem, and having fix'd Sangfroid's Eyes, call'd out, [etc.] 1781 J. Moore View Soc. It. (1790) I. xl. 437 Your admiration is fixed by the animated equestrian statue. 1792 C. Smith Desmond I. 53 There is not in the world another [subject] that really fixes my attention an instant. 1823 Byron Island iv. vii, A shrine would fix The eye upon its seeming crucifix. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. xlvi. 206 That which chiefly fixes his attention is the influence of a State Victory on an approaching national contest. |
d. To make (the eyes, features, etc.) motionless or rigid (as in death). Also intr. for refl.
| 1821 Shelley Prometh. Unb. i. 600 Fix those tortured orbs in peace and death. 1842 Punch II. 20 Ere death her charms should fix. 1877 W. G. Wills Love that Kills xxi. Her heart stops, and her eyes fix. |
e. To make (a person) motionless with astonishment or other feeling, to hold spellbound.
| 1664 J. Wilson A. Comnenius i. i, She fixt me, Ducas. 1795 Fate of Sedley II. 76 Paulinus was fixed in astonishment. 1802 Helen of Glenross IV. 18 At the first view of her I was fixed in admiration. |
4. a. trans. To deprive of volatility or fluidity.
Orig. in Alchemy, to fasten a volatile spirit or essence by combination with a tangible solid or fluid; also, to render (mercury) solid by combination with some other substance.
| 1460–70 Bk Quintessence 15 Also it is needeful þat he vse ofte good wiyn at his mete and at þe soper, in þe which be fixid þe 5 essence of gold as I tauȝte ȝou to. 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. Ep. in Ashm. (1652) 115 Dyssolve, Dystill, Sublyme..and Fyxe, With Aquavite. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. Ind. & P. 53 The Earth..penetrating the rarified Cuticle, fixes the Humours by intercepting their free concourse. 1700 J. A. Astry tr. Saavedra-Faxardo I. 42 He will have a fancy to fix Mercury. 1702 C. Mather Magn. Chr. ii. vii. (1852) 145 The animal spirits are..fixed with acid, bilious, venemous ferments in the blood. 1727 Fielding Love in Sev. Masques v. x, Women, like quicksilver, are never fixed till they are dead. 1805 Chenevix in Phil. Trans. XCV. 111 Mercury can be fixed..by platina. 1885 Hervey tr. Behrens' Microsc. in Bot. iii. §4. 178 The cell wall..becomes rigid, and the protoplasm with slight contraction is ‘fixed’. |
b. intr. for refl. To lose volatility or fluidity; to become firm, rigid, or solidified; to congeal, set.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §847 The Quicke-Siluer will fix, and runne no more. 1715–20 Pope Iliad v. 1114 When the fig's press'd juice, infused in cream, To curds coagulates the liquid stream, Sudden the fluids fix. 1777 Robertson Hist. Amer. (1778) I. iv. 328 The blood fixes and congeals in a moment. |
c. trans. Of a plant or micro-organism: to assimilate (the nitrogen or carbon dioxide of the atmosphere) by causing it to become combined in a non-gaseous metabolizable form. Hence, to cause (an element, esp. nitrogen) to form a compound, whether gaseous or not, as the first step in some biological or industrial process.
| 1850 Jrnl. Hort. Soc. Lond. V. 59 For a given quantity of water evaporated the amount..of the nitrogenous proximates fixed is..about twice as great in the Leguminosæ as in the Graminaceæ. 1862 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. CLI. 448 The Nitrogen might enter directly into the organism of the plant, provided its green parts were adapted to fix it. 1887 Chem. News 4 Mar. 104/2 According to the author's [sc. Berthelot's] experiments arable soil continually fixes free atmospheric nitrogen. 1906 Jrnl. Soc. Chem. Industry 30 June 568/2 The electro⁓chemical processes which have been proposed for fixing atmospheric nitrogen are..very numerous. 1928 F. A. Ernst Fixation of Atmospheric Nitrogen i. 9 Calcium carbide at red heat will absorb free nitrogen as a sponge will water, thus fixing the nitrogen in the form of calcium cyanamide. 1930 Buchanan & Fulmer Physiol. & Biochem. Bacteria III. xvii. 174 The nitrogen fixed by microörganisms is used at once in the synthesis of the cell proteins. 1931 H. G. Wells et al. Science of Life vi. iv. 558 The green plant is good at fixing carbon, the bacterium at fixing nitrogen. 1940 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. CXXXV. 790 Escherichia coli and Propionibacterium pentosaceum fix CO2 with formation of succinic acid. 1946 Nature 28 Sept. 447/2 Application of phosphate fertilizers together with any substances which..stimulate the soil microflora will tend to increase the total amount of phosphorus fixed. 1947 J. R. Porter Bacterial Chem. & Physiol. ix. 831 The most important bacteria capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen belong to the genera Rhizobium (symbiotic root-nodule bacteria) and Azotobacter (nonsymbiotic bacteria). 1971 Sci. Amer. Sept. 62/3 Photosynthesis fixes carbon in the leaf and stores solar energy in the form of carbohydrate. |
d. To preserve and harden biological material, esp. before microscopic examination.
| 1878 Jrnl. R. Microsc. Soc. I. 189 The property which osmic acid has of fixing the histological elements instantaneously in their actual form. 1969 Brown & Bertke Textbk. Cytol. iii. 16/1 Formaldehyde..is probably the most widely used chemical for fixing tissues. |
e. Immunol. To bring about the fixation of (complement).
In early use occas. const. to and used as if belonging to sense 1.
| 1902 Jrnl. Hygiene II. 257 The plague bacillus in the presence of the anti-plague immune body of the horse fixed complement of the normal guinea-pig and caused its disappearance from the mixture. 1903 Lancet 15 Aug. 447/2 In Tube B the complement becomes fixed to the treated corpuscles before sufficient immune-body can pass to the untreated corpuscles; as a matter of fact, immune-body does pass over, but by the time this has occurred all the complement has been fixed. 1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) vii. 85 As little as 0·00001 ml. of human serum..will fix complement in the presence of 0·1 ml. of human antiserum. 1970 Passmore & Robson Compan. Med. Stud. II. xxii. 12/1 Both IgG and IgM molecules have the capacity to fix complement. |
5. a. trans. To make (a colour, a drawing, photographic image, etc.) fast or permanent.
| 1665 Hooke Microgr. 79 Colours..capable of being..fixt with several kinds of Saline menstruums. 1750 Franklin Let. Wks. 1887 II. 170 This color, given by the flash from two jars only, will wipe off, but four jars fix it. 1845 Athenæum 22 Feb. 203 The first who succeeded in fixing the images taken by the camera. 1859 Gullick & Timbs Paint. 316 There is no satisfactory method of ‘fixing’ pastel paintings. 1875 tr. Vogel's Chem. Light i. 6 No means were then known to make the pictures durable..or as we now say, to fix them. |
† b. To set down in writing (F. fixer par écrit).
| 1630 Capt. Smith Trav. Ded. Wks. (1884) 808 Sir Robert Cotton..requested me to fix the whole course of my passages in a booke. 1656 North's Plutarch, Add. Lives 76 The Laws..(on Paper fixt)..pass the Seas. |
c. To give permanent form to (evanescent images).
| a 1834 Lamb Acting of Munden O for the power of the pencil to have fixed them when I awoke! |
6. a. To force into or overtake in a position from which escape is difficult; to ‘corner’, ‘nail’. lit. and fig.
| 1736 T. Lediard Life Marlborough 406 It was his opinion..that they should fix the Rebels at Preston. 1741 Richardson Pamela (1742) III. 371 As I entered one Room he went into another..At last I fixed him speaking to Rachel. |
b. To hold (a person) engaged or occupied, so as to prevent his leaving the spot.
| 1668 G. Etherege She Would if She Could i. ii, When Mr. Courtal has fixed 'em with a beer-glass or two, he intends to steal away. 1764 Foote Patron i. Wks. 1799 I. 334 Fix the old fellow so that she may not be miss'd. |
c. to fix (a person) with one's eyes: to direct upon him a steady gaze from which he cannot escape.
Cf. F. fixer avec l'œil, condemned by Littré as incorrect.
| 1792 F. Burney Diary 27 June, Mrs. Wells..fixed her eyes on Mrs. Crewe..Mrs. Crewe fixed her in return..with a firm, composed..look. 1879 F. W. Robinson Coward Consc. iii. xix, Ursula..‘fixed’ Mrs. Coombes with a steady, searching stare. 1894 Mrs. H. Ward Marcella I. 142 Marcella fixed him with her bright frank eyes. |
d. Of the eyes: To arrest (an object of vision) with the gaze, i.e. to have a steady vision of it.
| 1791 F. Burney Diary 4 Jun. (1842) V. 211 His eyes..could not fix any object steadily. |
† 7. To transfix. [After L. figere.] Obs. rare—1.
| 1638 G. Sandys Job xx. in Divine P. 27 While from the raging sword he vainely flyes, A Bow of Steele shall fixe his trembling thighes. |
II. To place definitely.
8. a. To place in a definite and more or less permanent position; to set, station. to fix up: to set up.
| 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 18 The Citizens..fixed on his grave stone this Epitaph. 1633 Marmion Fine Companion iii. ii, Were I a goddess..I would..fix you up A monument for your hypocrisy. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 8 The Pole-star..is..fixt in the tip of the little Beares taile. 1653 Walton Angler i. 7 Hee shall finde it fix'd before the Dialogues of Lucian. 1674 Dryden's Mall Ded. Wks. 1884 VIII. 508 The Glory I take in seeing your Name fixt in the Frontispiece. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xvi, It [a picture] was so very large that we had no place in the house to fix it. 1768 Sterne Sent. Journ. (1778) II. 199 The beds..were fixed up..near the fire. 1796 T. Twining Trav. Amer. (1894) 3 The dining-table was fixed in the middle of the room. |
b. To place, install (a person, oneself) in a position, with preparations for a stay; in early military use, † to set (oneself) in a posture of defence. to fix (a person) up (colloq.): to ‘put (him) up’, provide with quarters.
| 1697 W. Dampier Voy. I. 5 We..fixt ourselves against our Enemies, if we should be attack'd. 1825 Scott Fam. Lett. (1894) II. 349 After he has had his umbrella and portmanteau accommodated, and himself comfortably fixed [in a coach]. 1867 Trollope Chron. Barset I. xxxvi. 316 She fixed herself at her desk to write her letter. 1889 Mrs. C. Praed Rom. of Station 161 He'd..fix up Mr. Sabine comfortably for the night. |
c. To establish (a person) in a place of residence, a position or office; to take up (one's quarters, abode); to locate, settle (an industry, etc.) in a certain place. In pass., to be (comfortably or otherwise) ‘placed’ or circumstanced.
| 1638 Sir H. Wotton in Four C. Eng. Lett. 54 In any part where I shall understand you fixed. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age (ed. 2) i. xv. 27 John Calvin..fixed his Chayre at Geneva. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 353 Noah..fixed his Quarters somewhere in Mergiana. 1677 A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 134 Here this Trade of making Mum may be fixt with very great advantage. 1694 Dryden Love Triumphant Ep. Ded., Our decay'd Gentry..look about them for some illustrious Family, and there endeavour to fix their young Darling. 1702 C. Mather Magn. Chr. iv. (1853) II. 10 Conforming to the ceremonies of the church of England, he was fixed at Biddiford. 175. Hist. Young Lady of Distinction II. 214 He is fixing himself, as if he was to live here for ever. 1759 Robertson Hist. Scot. I. ii. 145 They determined to fix their residence at Edinburgh. 1803 Southey in Robberds Mem. W. Taylor I. 475 We are fixed here for some time. 1844 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. i. 282, I am happy to see them all comfortably fixed. 1861 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 39 The Hanse..fixed their factories in Lisbon, Bergen, and Novogorod. |
9. intr. for refl. To settle, take up a position; esp. to settle permanently, take up one's abode.
| 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 102 Bidding farewell to the world..[he] fixes at Zirmol. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 263 ¶4 The Dinner has crept..from Twelve o'clock to Three, and where it will fix no Body knows. 1737 Whiston Josephus' Antiq. xviii. vi. §5 Those [Governors] are not to fix there, but to stay a short time. 1760 Goldsm. Cit. W. xxv. ¶7 Wherever luxury once fixes, no art can either lessen or remove it. 1796 Jane Austen Pride & Prej. (1885) I. vi. 21, I had once some thoughts of fixing in town. 1801 Southey Thalaba vi. xiii, The solitary Bee..Seeking in vain one flower, whereon to fix. 1862 T. L. Peacock Wks. (1875) III. 300 Well, let us fix here. |
10. a. To take up one's position mentally. ? Obs.
| 1623 Massinger Dk. Milan ii. i, Take heed That you fix here, and feed no hope beyond it. 1646 H. Lawrence Comm. Angels 170 Your hope fixeth upon seeing him in heaven. 1655 Nicholas Papers (Camden) II. 332 Mais Dieu sur tout; and there I fix and pray. 1757 Chesterfield Lett. IV. cccxxi. 94, I am lost in astonishment and conjectures, and do not know where to fix. |
b. to fix on or fix upon: to settle one's choice on or upon; to decide upon, choose, select.
| 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav, lxxvi. 311, I was nominated unto him as the fittest he could fix upon. 1712 Pope Vertumnus 82 Of all these lovers..Fix on Vertumnus and reject the rest. 1823 H. J. Brooke Introd. Crystallogr. 229 Our choice would probably fix on that which was most predominant. 1855 Costello Stor. Screen 74 The night which Laloubière fixed upon for the carrying out of his plot. |
c. To decide, determine to (do something); also const. for with gerund, or with subord. sentence.
| 1788 Trifler 206 He fix'd to come with some eclat to Town. 1794 Miss Gunning Packet IV. 35 They fixed for going to the parsonage early the next morning. 1813 Southey Nelson I. 132 It was immediately fixed that the brigadier should go. 1834 Keble in Card. Newman's Lett. (1891) II. 23, I have fixed to go to London next week. 1866 Times 29 Dec. 10/3 The lady had entirely fixed to lead a life of celibacy. |
11. a. To appoint or assign the precise position of; to refer (something) to a definite place, time, etc.; † to appoint or attribute exclusively to (some particular person, thing, etc.).
| 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. i. v. §1 [The ancients had various estimates of the length of the year;] what certainty can we possibly have which of them to fix their accounts to? 1692 Locke Educ. §15 When Custom has fixed his Eating to certain stated Periods, his Stomach will expect Victuals at the usual Hour. 1737 Johnson in Boswell (1791) I. 52 Here will I fix the limits of transgression. 1776 T. Jefferson Let. Writ. 1893 II. 88 The commissions..do not fix the officers to any particular battalion. 1790 Paley Horæ Paul. ii. 11 We have these circumstances each..fixed to a particular time. 1874 Newman Tracts Theol. & Eccl. 340 The full moon is not fixed to any certain day in either month. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) IV. 271 Wherever we fix a limit, space is springing up beyond. |
b. To allocate, determine the incidence of (a responsibility, liability, etc.). Also, to fix (a person) with costs, liability, etc.: to impose upon him the obligation of meeting or paying them.
| 1833 Ld. Brougham in Mylne & Keen Rep. II. 248 No degree of mistake..would entitle the Court to fix a next friend with costs. 1850 Florist June 159 Take care to fix your judges with the full responsibility of their decisions. 1884 Sir J. Bacon in Law Times' Rep. LII. 568/2 The liability with which the plaintiffs seek to fix them. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. III. lxxxvi. 151 The American plan of dividing powers..makes it hard to fix responsibility. |
12. To settle definitely; to appoint or assign with precision; to specify or determine. Const. at, for, to.
| 1660 R. Coke Power & Subj. 134 After some reasonable time fixt. 1694 Molesworth Acc. Denmark 223 The prices of all these Drugs are fixed. a 1715 Burnet Own Time II. 303 What definition or standard should be made for fixing the sense of so general a term. 1719 Free-Thinker No. 120 ¶6 The ordinary Meetings of the Senate..were fixed to the Day of the Calends. 1739 Chesterfield Wks. (1892) V. 500 Chronology..fixes the dates of facts. 1769 Goldsm. Rom. Hist. (1786) I. 319 He afterwards fixed the price of corn to a moderate standard. 1772 Franklin Wks. (1887) IV. 431 The opening of the session..is fixed for next Tuesday. 1821 Southey Life (1849) I. 42 This recollection..fixes the date to 1778, when I was four years old. 1825 Scott Fam. Lett. 13 May (1894) II. 265 Mr. Chantrey..has been down here fixing the place for the King's statue. 1869 E. A. Parkes Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 5 The War Office authorities have fixed the daily supply..at 8 gallons. 1876 Gladstone Homeric Synchr. 9 An endeavour to fix the place of Homer in History. |
| absol. 1748 in Sir J. Picton L'pool. Munic. Rec. (1886) II. 167 To paint an Altar Piece in such scripture-historical manner as the said Committee shall fix. |
13. To settle or determine the form of, give a permanent form to (language or literature).
| 1712 Swift Proposal 31 That some Method should be thought on for ascertaining and fixing our Language for ever. 1752 Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 223 Eminent and refined geniuses..fix the tongue by their writings. 1837 Hallam Hist. Lit. I. iii. i. §57. 241 The use of printing fixed the text of a whole edition. 1874 Maurice Friendship Bks. iii. 75 It [Wycliffe's Translation of the Bible] has fixed the language. |
14. a. To adjust, make ready for use (arms, instruments, etc.); to arrange in proper order. † to fix a shell: to fit it with a fuse. Also with up.
| 1663 Pepys Diary 12 July, I found..the arms well fixed, charged, and primed. 1666 Earl of Orrery State Papers (1743) I. 241 We have in every garrison one gunsmith..who buys arms for us, and fixes them up privately. 1697 W. Dampier Voy. I. iii. 45 We went back..to fix our Rigging, which was shattered in the Fight. 1701 Farquhar Sir H. Wildair ii. i, Are all things set in order? the toilet fixed, the bottles and combs put in form? 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1776) D d, No shells, fixed during the service, are to be kitted. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 287, I thought it a good opportunity to fix my german flute. 1797 Washington Let. Writ. 1892 XIII. 417 To have the press fixed for copying. |
b. In wider sense (chiefly U.S. colloq.): To arrange, get ready, put in order; to put to rights, make tidy, ‘rig up’; spec. to prepare (food or drink). Also with off, over, and up and const. for (doing something). to fix out, ‘to set out, display, adorn, supply, fit out’ (Cent.); to fix the table (see quot. 18422); to fix one's face, etc.: to put on or rearrange one's make-up, etc.
| 1725 S. Willard in H. S. Nourse Early Rec. Lancaster, Mass. (1884) 237, I fixed the men out with stores. [1769 Bickerstaff Dr. Last ii. vii, We'd fix things directly; I'll settle whatever you please upon her.] 1783 Jas. Smith Tour 1 Dec. in Ohio State Archaeol. & Hist. Q. (1907) XVI. 360 After having fixed up our luggage and taken breakfast we started from Capt. Owsley's. 1804 W. Clark in Lewis & Clark Orig. Jrnls. (1905) VII. 301 Captain Lewis..has been detained at St. Louis to fix off the Osage chiefs. 1832 Macaulay Life & Lett. (1883) I. 272 As soon as I was fixed in my best and had breakfasted. 1839 Marryat Diary Amer. Ser. i. II. 228 ‘Shall I fix your coat or your breakfast first?’ 1839 F. Trollope Dom. Manners Amer. (1949) 414 You must fix me a drink. 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes (1850) 101/2 You are advised to have recourse to Doctor so and so, who will ‘fix you’ in no time. 1842 ― Amer. Notes II. ii. 46 You call upon a gentleman in a country town, and his help informs you that he is ‘fixing himself’ just now, but will be down directly: by which you are to understand that he is dressing. Ibid., You inquire..whether breakfast will be ready soon, and he tells you..they were ‘fixing the tables’: in other words, laying the cloth. 1853 J. G. Baldwin Flush Times Alabama 99 Tom had unfortunately fixed him for visiting his mother on crutches. 1856 Knickerbocker June XLVII. 617 Only point me out your traps, and I'll send them up to the hotel, and fix you off all as square as a box. 1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie V. (1887) 77 Come here, girls, and fix yourselves in the glass. 1873 C. M. Yonge Pillars of House IV. xlv. 278 He examined the last roll of proof..and said..‘I can fix off a sheet for you.’ 1882 A. Edwardes Ballroom Repent. I. 4 None of the physicians in Europe can fix her up. 1883 ‘Mark Twain’ Life on Mississippi 286 The feud..could have been fixed up, easy enough. 1884 Miss Wilkins in Harper's Mag. July 304/2 I'll hev to fix me up some thoroughwort tea. 1889 ‘Mark Twain’ Connecticut Yankee 21 We fixed up an agreement. 1891 B. Harte First Family of Tasajara ii, Mother'll fix you suthin' hot. 1893 W. Tirebuck Sweetheart Gwen ii. iii. 223 It's the weekly meeting and I fix the table. 1908 R. W. Chambers Firing Line xxi. 367 Use a sponge and cold water and fix your hair and put on your shoes. 1917 C. Mathewson Second Base Sloan 279 Tell him to show that to the man at the ticket office and he will fix him out. 1928 A. Waugh Last Chukka 87 Why don't we go into the club now, and fix it up? 1933 A. Christie Ld. Edgware Dies ii. 23 Come in here and talk to me while I fix my face. 1936 Wodehouse Laughing Gas ii. 23 They come to take me out to some party, and they find me in my kitchen in a gingham wrapper, fixing a Welsh rarebit. 1941 J. P. Marquand H. M. Pulham, Esq. xxiv. 385 When we did have a guest, Gladys had to move..into the old nursery, which we never had got around to fixing over. 1947 Auden Age of Anxiety (1948) v. 103 Cutting sandwiches and fixing drinks. 1953 N. Gordimer Lying Days ii. vii. 69 In my room..I fixed my hair this way and that. 1962 K. Orvis Damned & Destroyed xiii. 88, I should go and fix my face. 1969 A. Glyn Dragon Variation iii. 74 She..went to the bathroom, bathed her face and fixed it. |
c. Orig. and chiefly U.S. to fix (a person): to deal with, settle or ‘do for’ (a person); to kill (a person). to fix it: to arrange matters. any way you can fix it: whatever you do, contrive as you may. to fix (another's) flint: to settle or ‘do for’ him.
| 1836 Col. Crockett's Exploits 125 The people in Texas would have nothing to do with that affair, nohow they could fix it. 1840 Haliburton Clockm. Ser. iii. xii, Their manners are rude..They want their flints fixed for 'em. 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes II. ii. 46 You beg a porter to collect your luggage, and he entreats you not to be uneasy, for he'll ‘fix it presently’. 1843 Haliburton Sam Slick in Eng. I. ii, A wet day is considerable tiresome..any way you can fix it. 1859 O. W. Holmes Prof. Breakf.-t. i. (1891) 15 If you can't fix it so as to be born here [Boston], you can come and live here. 1860 Hotten Slang Dict. (ed. 2) 140 To fix one's flint for him, i.e., to settle his hash. 1874 ‘Mark Twain’ Let. (1917) I. 216 I'll close the door against them all—which will ‘fix’ all of the lot. 1875 Chicago Tribune 25 Sept. 7/1 McDonald..said, ‘I'll fix you, Fiddler Neary.’ He drew a weapon. 1876 C. C. Robinson Gloss. Mid-Yorksh. 42/1 To ‘fix’ the flint of any person, is to serve him out. 1942 Wodehouse Money in Bank (1946) xii. 106 ‘Don't you worry. I'll fix him.’..‘How do you mean, fix?’ ‘Just fix.’ ‘You wouldn't croak him?’ Mrs Molloy laughed merrily at the whimsical thought. 1957 Times Lit. Suppl. 8 Nov. 670/3 He tries to ‘fix’ her by another [lawsuit], but she wins that too. Unhappily, Seymour ‘fixes’ it so that her besotted husband gets custody of the younger child. |
d. orig. U.S. ‘To make favourable to one's purposes’ (Bartlett), to ‘square’, usu. by illegal means, esp. bribery.
| 1790 in Jrnl. Wm. Maclay (1927) 248 It is expected of us that we should fix the Governor of Pennsylvania. 1872 G. P. Burnham Mem. U.S. Secret Service 72 When Biebusch saw this man in Court, whom he fancied he had ‘fixed’ for certain, the criminal wilted. 1881 Standard 7 Sept. 5/2 It is true that they talk of ‘fixing’ a horse, but they also use ‘nobbling’ in the same sense. 1886 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 15 July, An organized attempt is being made to fix the jury. Ibid. 24 Aug. 4/3 Fixing Legislatures. 1908 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 230/2 A jockey or a pugilist is ‘fixed’. 1941 L. A. G. Strong Bay ix. 229 She had ignored the difficulty of fixing Muriel. 1959 Daily Tel. 10 Dec. 20/3 He was told that a [driving] test could be ‘fixed’ for {pstlg}10. 1960 Guardian 18 Oct. 8/2 The mere suspicion that matches were being ‘fixed’ would be disastrous for the game. |
e. To mend, repair. orig. U.S.
| a 1762 S. Niles Wars in Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll. (1861) ii. 401 A number of hands came to fix our whale-boats. 1870 ‘Mark Twain’ Sk. New & Old (1875) 20 [I] finally took the watch to another watchmaker... He fixed it, and gave it a fresh start. 1947 ‘N. Shute’ Chequer Board iii. 59 They fixed the vicar's Austin Seven. 1949 F. Sargeson I saw in my Dream 37 Arnold was fixing his motor bike. |
f. To castrate, sterilize (an animal).
| 1930 D. H. Lawrence Nettles 21 Is he a gentleman or a lady?—Neither, my dear! I had him fixed. It saves him from so many undesirable associations. 1962 Coast to Coast 1961–62 13 Many years ago he had chosen Silvanus from a litter of kittens, and Brett had ‘fixed’ it, as he had ‘fixed’ so many male animals on the farm. 1970 Washington Post 30 Sept. B7 ‘If you fix a stallion,’ said Dawnita, ‘something happens. He just doesn't have as much action.’ |
15. (See quot.)
| 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., Fix, to fettle or line with a fix or fettling..the hearth of a puddling furnace. |
16. intr. a. To intend; to arrange, get ready, make preparations, for or to do something. Also with out and up. U.S.
| 1716 B. Church Hist. Philip's War (1865) i. 140 He fixes for another Expedition. 1779 D. Livermore in Coll. New Hampsh. Hist. Soc. (1850) VI. 335 Troops are busy in clearing and fixing for laying the foundations of the huts. 1829–1943 in Wentworth Amer. Dial. Dict. 1854–5 in N. E. Eliason Tarheel Talk (1956) iv. 136 Aunt Lizy is just fixing to go to church. 1871 Mrs. Stowe Old Town Fireside T. 55 He was a fixin' out for the voyage. 1875 ‘Mark Twain’ Speeches (1923) 55 You fix up for the drought. 1907 Springfield (Mass.) Weekly Republ. 22 Aug. 6 What a pretty night! The moon is fixing to shine! 1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 32, I meet..schoolgirls..so painted up they look as if they was fixin'..to be bad. 1935 J. B. Priestley Wonder Hero iv. §3. 121, I may be able to fix up for you both to go out to supper afterwards. 1970 H. E. Roberts Third Ear 6/2 Fixin' to, about to do something; to be ready or to intend to. |
b. (Usually with up.) To put oneself in proper trim; to dress up; to spruce up.
| 1783 Jas. Smith Tour 7 Dec. in Ohio State Archaeol. & Hist. Q. (1907) XVI. 361 We fixed up and started from our encampment as soon as it was well light. 1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life vii. 51, I fixed up, and joined old Major Russell again. 1845 S. Judd Margaret iii. 393 Pa and Ma..were for fixing up a little. a 1852 F. M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers (1883) xxvi. 116 She looked as if she'd fixed in a wonderful hurry. 1873 J. H. Beadle Undevel. West x. 177 When we can build larger houses it will be time to fix up. 1929 W. Faulkner Sartoris iii. iii. 202 You better go to the bathroom and fix up. 1964 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 26 Feb. (1970) 75 They were readying a press conference... I fixed up a bit and went down with Lynda. |
c. intr. and trans. To inject (oneself) with narcotics. (Cf. fix n. 4.) slang (orig. U.S.).
| 1938 Amer. Speech XIII. 184/1 To fix, to take narcotics. 1962 K. Orvis Damned & Destroyed ix. 59 No wonder you're setting there so smug and relaxed. You fixed this morning. You're floating! 1963 A. Trocchi Cain's Book 78 The one vital coil in him is the bitter knowledge that he can choose to fix again. 1967 M. M. Glatt et al. Drug Scene vii. 87 At first I ‘fixed’ only once a week, then more often, and after about six months I was addicted. 1969 Guardian 8 July 18/1 The Association for the Prevention of Addiction's centre..shelters addicts and allows them to ‘fix’ themselves from 10.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. |
▸ trans. orig. U.S. With up. a. To arrange for (a person) to be provided with.
| 1905 B. Tarkington Conquest of Canaan v. 86 Can you fix me up with something different? 1968 Times 5 Oct. 26/6 Erna Low Travel Service can fix you up with an eight-day holiday. 2002 Weekly Standard (Washington, D.C.) 17 June 4/3 Gary Regan..jumped behind the bar to fix us up with bourbon sidecars and Manhattans. |
b. To encourage or arrange for (a person, couple, etc.) to embark upon a romantic or sexual relationship; to arrange a date for. Freq. with with.
| 1933 S. Kingsley Men in White i. i. 29 Pete. Fix him up... Shorty. It'd do him good. That's the trouble with love—it kills your sex-life. 1955 ‘P. Dennis’ Auntie Mame vii. 160 If you're having any trouble getting a girl, old man, I can fix you up with Mollie's cousin, Gloria Upson. 1984 A. Maupin Babycakes (1989) xxiii. 151 Don't fix them up, Brian... She's too much of a vulture. 1996 H. Fielding Bridget Jones's Diary (1997) 282 The minute I decide I like Mark Darcy, everyone immediately stops trying to fix me up with him. |