The Clue
Stifled (9 letter answer)
The Answer
SMOTHERED
Tags
Notes
The answer SMOTHERED is so rare that it appears less than once every 2500 puzzles.
Definition
SMOTHER as a verb:
1. (smother, surround) = envelop completely; "smother the meat in gravy"
2. (smother, asphyxiate, suffocate) = deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing; "Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow"; "The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor"
3. (smother, stifle, strangle, muffle, repress) = conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn"
4. form an impenetrable cover over; "the butter cream smothered the cake"
5. (smother, put out) = deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion; "smother fires"
SMOTHERED as an adjective:
1. (smothered, stifled, strangled, suppressed) = held in check with difficulty; "a smothered cough"; "a stifled yawn"; "a strangled scream"; "suppressed laughter"
2. completely covered; "bonnets smothered with flowers"; "smothered chicken is chicken cooked in a seasoned gravy"