Brewer's: Stick

A composing stick is a hand instrument into which a compositor places the letters to be set up. Each row or line of letters is pushed home and held in place by a movable “setting rule,” against which the thumb presses. When a stick is full, the matter set up is transferred to a “galley” (q.v.), and from the galley it is transferred to the “chase” (q.v.). Called a stick because the compositor sticks the letters into it.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language