stiff drinks. precariousness of things is laid terrifyingly bare. The narrator ruminates on how close they came to disaster:

 One of the activities that Munro’s characters are perpetually doing — in addition to riding buses and having affairs — is drowning, or nearly drowning. “Miles City, Montana,” in “The Progress of Love” (1986), is the best of those stories. Parents of small children are advised to pour themselves stiff drinks.

No one dies (I feel OK in spoiling the story to this extent, since otherwise you might sensibly decide that it’s too brutal to read) but the precariousness of things is laid terrifyingly bare. The narrator ruminates on how close they came to disaster:

There’s something trashy about this kind of imagining, isn’t there? Something shameful. Laying your finger on the wire to get the safe shock, feeling a bit of what it’s like, then pulling back.

stiff drink

What is a stiff drink? A stiff drink is an alcoholic beverage containing strong alcohol. Literal definitions find that the term, stiff drink means a firm or potent mixture. It could be a high-proof liquor, beer, or wine at a bar or restaurant. Or it could be a mixture of liquors in a shot or cocktail.