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Difference between Be stiff-necked and Have a stiff neck

be stiff-necked —(also: be hard-necked) be stubborn or haughty:

  • She was stiff-necked, but he would make her see reason.

have a stiff necksuffer from a condition in which the head cannot be moved without pain:

  • By the time the train pulled into the station, he had a stiff neck and an aching back.

Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase have the neck—(coll.) have the insolence; be presumptuous enough to do smth.:

  • I asked her how she had the neck to come to the area to open a community center, while she was cutting community jobs.