having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.
covered with adhesive or viscid matter: sticky hands.
(of the weather or climate) hot and humid: It was an unbearably sticky day.
requiring careful treatment; awkwardly difficult: a rather sticky diplomatic problem; Breaking the news is going to be sticky.
Informal. unpleasant; unfortunate; nasty: The villain of the story meets a sticky end.
noun,pluralstick·ies.
one of a number of small sheets of paper on a pad, each having an adhesive backing that allows it to be positioned and repositioned on smooth surfaces.
1727, "adhesive," from stick (v.). An Old English word for this was clibbor. First recorded 1864 in the sense of "sentimental;" 1915 with the meaning "difficult." Of weather, "hot and humid," from 1895. Sticky wicket is 1952, from British slang, in reference to cricket.
