stay of execution

: a large strong rope usually of wire used to support a mast

: guy:2

: to secure upright with or as if with stays

: to incline (a mast) forward, aft, or to one side by the stays

: to go about : tack

: to stop going forward : pause

: to stop doing something : cease

: to continue in a place or condition : remain

: the action of halting : the state of being stopped

: a stopping or suspension of procedure or execution by judicial or executive order

: self-control, moderation

: one that serves as a prop : support

: a thin firm strip (as of plastic) used for stiffening a garment or part (such as a shirt collar)

: a corset stiffened with bones

: to provide physical or moral support for : sustain

: to fix on something as a foundation

: the act or process of executing : performance

: a putting to death especially as a legal penalty

: the process of enforcing a legal judgment (as against a debtor)