English

Alternative forms

• sticking place

Noun

sticking-place ‎(plural sticking-places)

1. (idiomatic, dated) The point at which a process or thing, especially a state of mind or emotion, reaches its greatest strength and remains steadfast; sticking point.
   • 1611, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act 1, scene 7:

     But **** your courage to the sticking-place,

     And we'll not fail.

   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution, Book 3.I. September:

     Old men, who heard it, will still tell you how the reverberating voice made all hearts swell, in that moment; and braced them to the sticking-place.

References

• “sticking-place” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)