Green’s Dictionary of Slang

affected, stand-offish, snobbish.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Starched affected, proud, stiff.
1748		Richardson Clarissa (1810) VII 142: A starch’d, conceited coxcomb!
1759		J. Townley High Life Below Stairs I ii: Now for a Cast of my Office—A Starch Phiz, a canting Phrase, and as many Lies as necessary—Hem!
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Starched. Stiff, prim, formal, affected.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1838		T. Haliburton Clockmaker II 216: There are some friends here atakin’ of a glass o’ grog along with me and a pipe; – won’t you join us? Well, said I, I don’t care if I do; I won’t be starched.
1855		T. Haliburton Nature and Human Nature II 64: ‘Liddy,’ sais I, ‘don’t be so pesky starched.’.
1930		H. Ashton Doctor Serocold (1936) 160: I never came across anyone quite so starched.