Fix / Firm

To Fix is to fasten in position securely or to make more or less permanent against change, esp. something already existing

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Fix v.t. 1. to make fast, firm, or stable. 2. to attach or place permanently. 3. to settle definitely; determine: to fix a price. 4. to direct [the eyes, the attention, etc.] steadily. 5. to attract and hold [the eye, the attention, etc.]. 6. to make set or rigid. 7. to put into permanent form. 8. to put or place [responsibility, blame, etc.] on a person. 9. to assign or refer to a definite place, time, etc. 10. to repair; mend. 11. to put in order; adjust or arrange; Fix your room! 12. to provide or supply with [something needed or wanted]. 13. Informal. to arrange matters with, or with respect to, esp. privately or dishonestly, so as to secure favorable action: to fix a jury or a game. 14. to prepare [a meal or food]. 15. Informal. to get even with: get revenge upon. 16. Informal. to castrate or spray [an animal, esp. a pet]. 17. Chem. a. to make stable in consistence or condition; reduce from fluidity or volatility to a more permanent state. b. to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a useful compound, as a nitrate fertilizer. 18. Photog. to render [an image] permanent by removing the light-sensitive silver halides. 19. Microscopy. to kill, make rigid, and preserve for microscopic study. -v.i. 20. to become fixed. 21. to become set; assume a rigid or solid form. 22. to become stable or permanent. 23. to settle down. 24. Dial. to prepare; plan [usually fol. by an infinitive]: I was just fixing to call you. 25. fix on or upon, to decide on; determine. 26. fix up. U.S. Informal. a. to arrange for. b. to provide with; furnish. c. to repair; renew. d. to smooth over, solve. -n. 27. Informal. a position from which it is difficult to escape; predicament. 28. Navig. a charted position of a vessel or aircraft, determined by two or more bearings taken on landmarks, heavenly bodies, etc. 29. the determining of the position of a ship, plane, etc., by mathematical, electronic, or other means. 30. Slang. an injection of heroin or other narcotic. [late ME fixe(n) < ML fixá(re) < L fix(us) fixed, ptp. of fígere to fasten] -Syn. 1, 2. fasten, secure, stabilize. Fix, Establish imply making firm or permanent. To Fix is to fasten in position securely or to make more or less permanent against change, esp. something already existing: to fix a bayonet on a gun; fix a principle in one's mind. To Establish is to make firm or permanent something (usually newly) originated, created, or ordained: to establish a business, a claim to property. 2. set, plant, implant. 3. establish, define. 11. repair, mend, correct, amend. 27. dilemma, plight, quandary. -Usage. 10. in the sense of repair Fix appears to have been used first in America, but there is evidence for its use in England as early as the beginning of the 19th century. Hence, no formal stigma attaches to such use, and those who persist in objecting to it for reasons of style are groundlessly prejudiced.

Firm adj. 1. not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid: firm ground. 2. securely fixed in place. 3. steady; not shaking or trembling: a firm hand. 4. not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable: a firm belief. 5. steadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles. 6. indicating firmness or determination: a firm expression. -v.t. v.i. 7. to make or become firm. -adv. 8. firmly. [< L firm(us); r. ME ferm < MF < L] -Syn. 1. Firm, Hard, Solid, Stiff are applied to substances that tend to retain their form unaltered in spite of pressure or force. Firm often implies that something has been brought from a more yielding state to a fixed or elastic one: The addition of pectin makes jellies firm. Hard is applied to substances so resistant that it is difficult to make any impression upon their surface or to penetrate their interior: as hard as a stone. Solid is applied to substances that without external support retain their form and resist pressure: Water in the form of ice is solid. It sometimes denotes the opposite of hollow: a solid block of marble. Stiff implies rigidity that resists a bending force: as stiff as a poker. 2. fast, stable. 4. established, confirmed. 5. determined, immovable, resolute. -Ant. 1. yielding, soft.

2 Firm n. 1. a partnership or unincorporated association of two or more persons for carrying on a business. 2. the name or title under which associated parties transact business: the firm of Smith & Jones. [< Sp firma signature from firmar to sign < L firmáre to strenthen, confirm < firm(us) FIRM1] -Syn. 1. company, business, concern, house.