Both Uses of
inflexible
in
Oliver Twist
- 'To London, ma'am,' resumed the inflexible beadle, 'by coach.†
Chpt 17 *
- …being in some sort tempted by time, place, and opportunity, to give utterance to certain soft nothings, which however well they may become the lips of the light and thoughtless, do seem immeasurably beneath the dignity of judges of the land, members of parliament, ministers of state, lord mayors, and other great public functionaries, but more particularly beneath the stateliness and gravity of a beadle: who (as is well known) should be the sternest and most inflexible among them all.†
Chpt 23
Definition:
-
(inflexible) not bendable or adaptablein various senses, including:
- not willing to compromise or make concessions -- as when a boss says "Do it my way or you're fired."
- not able to adjust well to different conditions -- as of a schedule that cannot be changed
- not easily bent without physical damage or injury -- as of brittle steel or person with stiff joints