stýfa úr hnefa

Icelandic

Etymology

From stýfa (“shorten”) + úr (“from”) + hnefa, the dative of hnefi (“fist”).

Verb

stýfa úr hnefa

1. (rare, with accusative) to eat something from one's hand (not using utensils), to take a bite of something in one's hand, to bite apart

   Maðurinn þagði en stýfði svo brauðið úr hnefa.

   The man was quiet but then started to eat the bread.