| 释义 |
▪ I. strong, a.|strɒŋ|
Forms: 1–2 strang, strong, 3–6, 4–9 Sc. and north. strang, 4–5 Sc. and north. strange, 4–6 stronge, (4 stroong, 5 stronkg, stronke, strongge, strangg), 3– strong. See also strenger, strengest.
[OE. strang, strǫng, corresponding to OS. strang, MDu. stranc, strangh- (cf. OHG. strangô, MHG. strange, strongly, severely), ON. strang-r strong, severe:—OTeut. type *straŋgo-; a parallel type *straŋgjo- is represented by OE. stręnge severe (found only once), MLG., MDu. strenge (mod.Du. streng), OHG. strengi (MHG. strenge, mod.G. streng), severe, strict; also (adopted from German) Sw. sträng, Da. streng. The two types prob. originated as declensional variants from an OTeut. *straŋgu-. For the Teut. root *straŋg- see string n.
The umlaut form of the comparative and superlative (see strenger, strengest) was common down to the 15th c., but the form without umlaut appears already in OE.]
1. a. Of living beings, their body or limbs: Physically powerful; able to exert great muscular force. the stronger sex: the male sex.
c888[see strenger]. c1205Lay. 3547 Ich bi-tæche þe anne hængest godna & strongna. a1300[see strenger]. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 161 Take two stronge men and in themese caste hem. 1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 277 The strengeste man of troye had ynowh to doo to leye hit on his sholder. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxxviii. 13 Thinking to grip ws in his clowss strang. 1535Coverdale Ps. cxliii. 14 That oure oxen maye be stronge to laboure. 1577Googe tr. Heresbach's Husb. iii. 119 b, It must be sene to, that they [i.e. the horses in a team] be euen matched, least the stronger spoyle the weaker. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 1059 So rose the Danite strong..and wak'd Shorn of his strength. 1782Cowper Gilpin 154 So like an arrow swift he flew, Shot by an archer strong. 1819Byron Juan ii. liii, The bubbling cry Of some strong swimmer in his agony. 1819J. Foster Contrib. Eclectic Rev. (1844) I. 508 It was not..thought too much for persons of the stronger sex, to go and return many miles on foot. 1861Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xiv, He is as strong as a horse.
absol.c1290St. Michael 316 in S. Eng. Leg. 308 For mannes þoumbe strenguest is þare-fore he hatte ‘þe strongue’. 13..K. Alis. 7710 (Laud MS.), And Sampson also þe stronge [Linc. MS. theo fort]. 1697Dryden æneis x. 1054 Orses the strong to greater Strength must yield. 1817Scott Harold i. ix. 13 With the deed of the brave, and the blow of the strong.
(b) strong man: see as main entry below; also strong woman, a designation for a woman who publicly exhibits feats of strength, as in a circus.
[1936J. S. Clarke Circus Parade v. 46 Sandwina..was, until recently, the strongest woman in the world.] 1952R. Manning-Sanders Eng. Circus xx. 284 Coming now to the strong man act, let us say at once that ‘strong’ men and ‘strong’ women, are strong men and women. 1953K. Tennant Joyful Condemned xx. 193 Stretched on the sofa lay Rene McGarty..looking like something between a lady wrestler and a circus strong woman. 1975Listener 28 Aug. 275/3 Mildly humiliating experiences, such as being..manhandled by a circus strongwoman.
b. fig., as strong arm (of the law, etc.): see strong arm n. 1.
†c. Astrol. (See quot.) Obs. (Cf. 5 f.)
1819J. Wilson Dict. Astrol., Strong signs, ♌, {scorpio}, and {aquar}, because they are said to give strong athletic bodies.
d. Of an action: Performed with muscular strength.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. liv. (1495) 171 The fote [of a lion, etc.] is longe plane and holowe..and dystynguyth with toes for his stronge holdynge. 1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 76 His strokes myght not be susteyned of men, they were so strong and puyssant. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. xi. 18 [He] with strong flight did forcibly diuide The yielding aire. 1590Shakes. Com. Err. v. i. 148 Anon I wot not, by what strong escape He broke from those that had the guard of him. 1697Dryden æneis ix. 1040 He joints the Neck: and with a stroke so strong The Helm flies off. 1816Byron Prisoner of Chillon viii. 47, I burst my chain with one strong bound.
e. Of a runner, swimmer, oarsman, etc.: Having great staying power. Hence, of his ‘going’ or pace: Maintained with vigour; that does not flag.
1854Poultry Chron. II. 183 They are light on the wing, but not strong flyers. 1868Field 4 July 13/1 Atter made the running at a strong pace. 1879H. C. Powell Amateur Athletic Ann. 13 A very strong runner. 1883Sat. Rev. 24 Nov. 665/2 Too Good [a racehorse] took up the running and made it very strong to the Canal. 1886Ruskin Præterita I. xi. 379 He ran no risk but of a sound ducking, being, of course, a strong swimmer.
fig.1863Kinglake Crimea (ed. 3) I. iii. 38 Imagination, transcendent and strong of flight.
f. strong silent (type, etc.): see silent a. 1 a.
2. a. Physically vigorous or robust; capable of physical endurance or effort; not readily affected by disease; hale, healthy. Now often (predicatively) of one who has regained his normal health and vigour after illness.
† In legal enactments, said of a beggar: Able-bodied, fit for work, ‘stout’, ‘sturdy’.
a1225Ancr. R. 6 Vor þi mot þeos riwle chaungen hire misliche efter euch ones manere, & efter hire efne. Vor sum is strong, sum is unstrong. 1340Ayenb. 32 Þou art yong and strang þou sselt libbe long. c1400Rule St. Benet xxvii. 22 Þa þat ere strang and hale. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 239 Men wyche haue the complexcion hote and stronge. 1530–1Act 22 Hen. VIII, c. 12 §9 Whypped for a vagarant stronge begger. 1571in Hudson & Tingey Rec. Norwich (1910) II. 344 Thexpulcinge of stronge beggers. 1588Kyd Househ. Philos. Wks. (1901) 239 A youth of eighteene or twenty yeeres of age,..tough sinewed, and of a strong constitution. 1656Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. lxxvii. (1674) 104 He was a man full of years, but of so fresh and strong a complexion, as he seemed likely to live yet many Ages. 1785Cowper Task ii. 705 His head..Bespoke him past the bounds of freakish youth, But strong for service still, and unimpair'd. 1785in Jrnl. Friends Hist. Soc. (1918) 75, I find myself growing stronger. My cough is better. 1806Med. Jrnl. XV. 26 A gentleman..who had always enjoyed good health, being of a strong and robust constitution. 1840Marryat Poor Jack xxi, Old Nanny..was now quite strong again. 1888‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xxiii, Starlight was none too strong... He wanted good keep and rest for a month.
transf.1580Tusser Husb. (1878) 49 It signifieth land to be hartie and strong.
b. of the vital organs and their functions, the nerves, brain, † ‘spirits’, etc.
1398[see digestion 2]. 1672Temple Ess., Govt. Wks. 1731 I. 97 In more temperate Regions the Spirits are stronger, and more active, whereby Men become bolder in the Defence or Recovery of their Liberties. 1833Cycl. Pract. Med. I. 578/2 Persons, even with strong stomachs, are frequently under the necessity of taking some stimulant to assist its digestion. 1863M. E. Braddon J. Marchmont vi, That perpetual restlessness and disquietude which is cruelly wearying even to the strongest nerves. Ibid. viii, Mary Marchmont's story of a marriage arose out of the weakness of a brain, never too strong, and at that time very much enfeebled by the effect of a fever. 1905E. Clodd Animism §9. 47 Even the strongest of nerve among us are not [etc.].
c. of a plant or its parts.
c1420Pallad. on Husb. i. 88 The treen..Not crokid, lene, or seek, but hool & stronge. 1719London & Wise Compl. Gard. viii. 118 In speaking of a strong Tree, is meant a vigorous Tree. 1765Museum Rust. IV. 354 He has the same hundred and twenty acres in wheat as heretofore, and strong and hopeful. 1780Cowper Progr. Err. 359 Plants rais'd with tenderness are seldom strong. 1822Shelley Zucca ix, And light revived the plant, and from it grew Strong leaves and tendrils.
d. a strong head: capacity for taking much drink without becoming intoxicated.
[1814Scott Wav. xii, The Baron proceeded: ‘No, sir, though I am myself of a strong temperament, I abhor ebriety’.] 1822Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Confess. Drunkard, O pause, thou sturdy moralist, thou person of stout nerves and a strong head, whose liver is happily untouched.
3. a. Having great moral power for endurance or effort; firm in will or purpose; able to resist temptation; possessed of courage or fortitude; brave, resolute, steadfast.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lxv. 465 Ic wende ðæt ic wære swiðe strong on maneᵹum cræftum. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Estote fortes in bello, et cetera. Beoð stronge on fihte and fihteð wið þe ealde neddre and ȝef ȝie ben strengere, ȝie shulle fon to mede þat endeles kineriche. c1200Ormin 13326 Symon..All harrd, & strang, & stedefasst,..To stanndenn ȝæn þe laþe gast. c1315Shoreham Poems i. 358 He þat ine saule is strang Þat he wiþ-stent hi alle. c1400Rule St. Benet lxiv. 43 Sisters þat er strang and of gude lyuyng. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 226 Tho men wyche haue ouer lytill kneis they bene stronge of corage. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 15 Lyke as god conforted the chyldren of Israel, and bad them to be stronge and not to drede. 1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. i. 122 Be strong and prosperous In this resolue. 1783Cowper Valed. 61 [He] Should be..Prepar'd for martyrdom, and strong to prove A thousand ways the force of genuine love. 1815Shelley Alastor 181 His strong heart sunk and sickened with excess Of love. 1833Wordsw. Warning 160 Be strong in faith, bid anxious thoughts lie still. 1861Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xiii, His face was quiet, but full of confidence... Tom felt calmer and stronger as he met his eye. 1861F. W. Robinson No Church iii. ix. II. 282 A heart strong to love. 1864Tennyson En. Ard. 921 So past the strong heroic soul away.
b. Of actions or attributes.
c1200Ormin 7896 Forr cnapechild bitacneþþ uss Strang mahht i gode dedess. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 3678 Fewe wordes he spak, bot strange þai ware. 1490Caxton Eneydos i. 12 A grete multytude of noble companye, full of yougthe & of stronge corage. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, v. ii. 25, I haue labour'd With all my wits, my paines, and strong endeuors, To bring [etc.]. 1613― Hen. VIII, ii. i. 145 This Secret is so weighty, 'twill require A strong faith to conceale it. 1671Milton P.R. i. 159 E're I send him forth To conquer Sin and Death..By Humiliation and strong Sufferance. 1819Shelley Mask xlvi, 'Tis to be a slave in soul And to hold no strong control Over your own wills. 1905‘G. Thorne’ Lost Cause ix, The magistrates of London are quite ready to take a strong stand.
c. Of looks, voice, etc.: Indicative of strength of character.
1815Southey Roderick xxi. 123 For he was troubled while he gazed On the strong countenance and thoughtful eye Before him. 1885‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate ii, Attracted by something kindly and strong in the tone of his voice. 1891C. T. C. James Rom. Rigmarole vii, The lady with the strong face, and the piercing grey eyes.
d. Of a statesman, judge, commander: That makes his authority felt; powerful by force of will and capacity.
1889F. Cowper Capt. of Wight vi, As his appointment vested in his person the supreme civil as well as military command, his influence and authority were wide reaching—in other words, he was a ‘strong’ Captain. 1892Daily News 10 May 3/3 He was emphatically what is called a strong Judge, and the mental force which he wielded impressed those who saw and heard him at his work.
4. a. Of the mind or mental faculties: Powerful. Of the memory: Tenacious, retentive.
1390Gower Conf. II. 33 Althogh mi wit ne be noght strong, It is noght on mi will along, For that is besi nyht and day To lerne al that he lerne may. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. iii. (1495) 107 Yf a man be a grete waker and stronge of minde [L. memoria tenax], it sygnefyeth dryenesse of the brayne. c1440Alphabet of Tales 293 And þan þis hermett with a strong wytt removid his cell v myle ferrer fro þe watir. 1664Power Exp. Philos. i. 80 A Person he was of those strong Parts and Hopes. 1731–8Swift Pol. Conversat. Introd. 16 A strong Memory and constant Application..will be highly necessary. 1749Chesterfield Let. to Son 10 Jan., A strong mind sees things in their true proportions: a weak one views them through a magnifying medium. 1781Cowper Retirem. 698 Strong judgment lab'ring in the scripture mine. 1784― Tiroc. 137 Whose hum'rous vein, strong sense, and simple style, May teach the gayest, make the gravest smile. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iv. I. 507 His writings and his life furnish abundant proofs that he was not a man of strong sense. Ibid. vii. II. 170 Where he loved, he loved with the whole energy of his strong mind.
b. Of occupations: Requiring exertion of mental power. ? Obs.
1759Johnson Rasselas xxxix, ‘The diversions of the women’, answered Pekuah, ‘were only childish play, by which the mind accustomed to stronger operations could not be kept busy.’ 1817G. Ticknor Life, Lett. & Jrnls. I. vii. 152 With all these strong occupations [business cares and scientific studies, etc.], and tastes, and high qualities, he is the chief magistrate of the canton.
5. a. Having great controlling power over persons and things, by reason of the possession of authority, resources, or inherent qualities; able to enforce one's will.
Beowulf 1844 (Gr.) Þu eart mæᵹenes strang and on mode frod, wis wordcwida. a1175Cott. Hom. 231 Hit ȝelamp þat an rice king wes strang and mihti. a1225St. Marher. 12 Þa þu strong were he wes muchele strengre me to witene wið þis. c1250Gen. & Ex. 1846 Ðe strong god of ysrael. a1300Cursor M. 14404 God..liuerd þaim fra pharaon, Fra pharaon þat was sa strang þat þam in seruage held lang. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 65 In the Realme ere long they [Hengist and Horsus] stronger arre, Then they which sought at first their helping hand. 1599A. Hume Poems, Ep. Mont-creif 204 The pure quhome strang oppressors dois oppres. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. ii. 198 What King so strong Can tie the gall vp in the slanderous tong? 1714G. Lockhart Mem. Scot. (ed. 3) 179 The Revolution Party only employ'd him..out of Fear; and as soon as they found themselves strong enough without him, they kicked him out of Doors. 1841F. E. Paget Tales of Village (1852) 172 The Church of England, strong in the aid of antiquity, tradition, and apostolicity. 1850Tennyson In Mem. Prol. 1 Strong Son of God. 1858Sat. Rev. 2 Jan. 6/2 Lord Palmerston boasts of having a strong Government, and he is determined to test and to parade its strength. 1860[see save v. 1 e].
b. absol. (and as postfixed epithet, the strong).
c825Vesp. Psalter liii. 5 [liv. 3] & ða strongan [L. fortes] sohtun sawle mine. c1205Lay. 20872 Swa wes Childriche þan strongen & þan riche. a1400–50Wars Alex. 2381 And for Strasagirs þe strang he of his strenth priued. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, v. iii. 311 For Conscience is a word that Cowards vse, Deuis'd at first to keepe the strong in awe. 1598Sylvester Du Bartas ii. ii. ii. Babylon 581 Th' ever-blessed soules Of Christ his champions..Shall dance to th' honour of the Strong of strongs. 1697Dryden æneis iii. 77 Who, when he saw the Pow'r of Troy decline, Forsook the weaker, with the strong to join. 1817Shelley Rev. Islam Ded. iv, I grow weary to behold The selfish and the strong still tyrannise. 1820Scott Monast. iv, It was a reign of minority, when the strongest had the best right. 1847Emerson Poems, Initial, etc. Love iii. 51 By right or wrong, Lands and goods go to the strong.
†c. strong of friends or friendship: possessed of powerful friends. Obs.
c1386Chaucer Doctor's T. 135 Hym thoughte he was nat able for to speede ffor she was strong of freendes. 1444Rolls of Parlt. V. 112 Suytz, triables in forein Shires, where thei be stronge of frendship.
d. Of things, sometimes personified.
a1225Ancr. R. 280 Þauh heo [humility] makie hire so lutel, & so meoke, & so smel, heo is þauh þinge strengest. 138.Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 341 As o virtu is strengere if it be gedrid, þan if it be scatrid, so o malis is strenger whanne it is gederid in o persone. 1382― Song Sol. viii. 6 For strong is as deth looue. 1390Gower Conf. III. 146 The Kinges question was this; Of thinges thre which strengest is, The wyn, the womman or the king. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. 149 Fortune is most and strangest euermore Quhare lest foreknawing or intelligence Is in the man. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. i. iii. 42 The strong necessity of Time, commands Our Seruices a-while. a1656Hales Gold. Rem. iii. (1673) 48 Now humane Authority at the strongest is but weak, but the multitude is the weakest part of humane Authority. 1706Prior Ode to Queen ix, Misguided Prince!..Confess the Force of Marlbrô's stronger Star. 1789Burns To Dr. Blacklock 29 Ye ken, ye ken, That strang necessity supreme is. 1793Cowper Beau's Reply 7 'Twas nature, Sir, whose strong behest Impell'd me to the deed. 1865H. Kingsley Hillyars & Burtons xlix, The old Adam was too strong for her.
e. Having great financial resources, rich. In Anglo-Irish, spec. of a farmer.
1622Bacon Hen. VII, 161 The Merchant-Aduenturers likewise, (beeing a strong Companie at that time, and well vnderset with rich Men, and good order,) did hold out brauely. a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Squirish, foolish; also one that pretends to Pay all Reckonings, and is not strong enough in the Pocket. 1726Swift Gulliver ii. vi. 113 He then desired to know..Whether, a Stranger with a strong Purse might not influence the vulgar Voters. 1820Belzoni Egypt & Nubia ii. 260, I should have..prepared the way for others stronger than myself in purse. 1845A. M. Hall Whiteboy viii. 64 He and his wife..have borne it [straw]—perhaps as a free gift from ‘a strong farmer’ —on their shoulders. 1873E. O'Curry Manners & Cust. Anc. Irish II. 35 The Bruighfer..being what would now be called in Munster a ‘strong farmer’, he was to set an example to his neighbours. 1885Times 3 Sept. 7/4 There must be a good deal of the article in the hands of ‘strong people’—that is, people who can wait..for a rise. 1888Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Oct. 6/1 The merchants make their purchases in London, with the exception of some very strong firms, which import stones direct from the Cape.
† f. Astrol. (See quot.) Cf. 1 c. Obs.
1819J. Wilson Dict. Astrol. 380 Planets are generally supposed to be strong when dignified either by house, exaltation, term, triplicity, or face, or by any accidental dignity.
6. a. Eminently able or qualified to succeed in something; well skilled or versed in some particular branch of knowledge or practice.
c1000ælfric Saints' Lives v. 6 He wæs..strang foreþingere. c1330King of Tars 657 Thou hast assayed goddes thyn, Wolte that ich asaye myn, Whether be better leche? And leove sire, trouwe on this, And leef on hym that strengor is. c1450Merlin iv. 60 And Merlyn, that full of stronge arte was,..shewed hym the voyde place. 1610Shakes. Temp. v. i. 269 His Mother was a Witch, and one so strong That could controle the Moone; make flowes, and ebs [etc.]. a1628Preston Breastpl. Love (1631) 188 Let that appeare by shewing thy selfe strong in thy actions. 1693Dryden Orig. & Progr. Satire in Juvenal (1697) Ded. p. iii, Yet I was stronger in Prophecy than I was in Criticism. 1694Penn Rise & Progr. Quakers i. 24 They were very Diligent, Plain and Serious; strong in Scripture, and bold in Profession. 1817Shelley Rev. Islam xi. xxiv, Genius is made strong to rear The monuments of man beneath the dome Of a new Heaven. 1833Q. Rev. XLIX. 399 Conolly [a jockey]..has a bad Irish seat, but he is very strong upon his horse, and his hand and head are good. 1852Thackeray Esmond iii. xi, I am not very strong in spelling. 1857Buckle Let. in Huth Life I. 138 The minor works of Fichte, which I could lend you if you find yourself strong enough in German to master them. 1885Manch. Exam. 26 Aug. 3/2 We think Mr. Gough is much stronger as a raconteur than as a logician. 1889W. H. Pollock etc. Fencing (Badm. Libr.) 105 A short man..should be strong in the parry and riposte. 1905Athenæum 30 Sept. 417/3 Advt., Wanted, Assistant Master [in a School of Art], strong in Design.
b. one's strong point: see strong point 1.
c. In athletic contests, of a side, crew, etc.: Possessed of ‘talent’; formidable as an opponent or competitor.
1860Baily's Mag. Sept. 428 Mr. Dark had taken down a strong team [of cricketers]. 1861Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xiii, [Bumping races.] Brazen-nose isn't so strong as usual. We sha'n't have much trouble there. 1862Baily's Mag. Oct. 199 We—England—are very strong, and, if we have the luck to go in first, shall, on that wicket, take a deal of getting out.
†d. to make oneself strong [= Fr. se faire fort]: to undertake; to affirm. Obs.
1477Caxton Jason 42 Put yow in my handes and cure, and I make me strong for to hele and make yow hole. Ibid. 120 b, I wil make me strong so to do if it be youre plaisir. c1500Melusine xxxvii. 296 And also other sayen, & make them strong that she is a spyryte of the fayry.
7. a. Powerful in arms; formidable as a fighting force (or as a commander) by reason of numbers, armament, position, etc.
a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 975 Næs se flota swa rang ne se here swa strang. c1205Lay. 14463 Heo uareð in þine londe mid hære swiðe stronge. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 354 Þo was þe compaynie strong & strengore þan it was er. a1300Cursor M. 15438 Þai armed þam þan al priueli, for to ma þam strang. c1470Henry Wallace v. 23 A hundreth men chargit, in armes strang. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 627 So strang power, sen weiris first began, Wes neuir sene ȝit with na levand man. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 31 An army strong she leau'd, To war on those, which him had of his realme bereau'd. 1601in Moryson Itin. ii. (1617) 126 Wee resolved to leave the Northerne Garrisons very strong in foote and horse. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. i. iv. 36 Pompey is strong at Sea. 1638Hamilton Papers (Camden) 45 Your Matti should prouyd for itt by furnising of Beruick and Cayrlyll uith good and strong garnisones. 1761Hume Hist. Eng. to Hen. VII (1762) I. ii. 49 Receiving in the spring a strong reinforcement of their countrymen. a1774Goldsm. Pref. & Introd. 7 Yrs. War Misc. Wks. (1837) I. 520 They will find England strong at sea.
b. Of an individual: Powerful or formidable as a combatant. Also fig.
a1450Le Morte Arth. 1860 Was non so stronge that hym with-stode. 1553Paynell tr. Dares Phryg. Destr. Troy E j, Agamemnon consideryng that his moste strongest and moste valiaunt men were slayne, retired. 1563Winȝet 83 Quest. To Rdr. Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 62 [God] sall steir wp in his contrare strangar kempis..than I am. 1864Tennyson Aylmer's F. 365 Where two fight The strongest wins.
c. Of a warlike operation: Performed or prosecuted with a powerful fighting force.
1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 37 Who lamentably complaining of the Turkes great crueltie, desyred stronge and continual aide. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 88 The French king made strong warre in Normandy. 1590Spenser F.Q. iii. iii. 52 King Vther now doth make Strong warre vpon the Paynim brethren. 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 22 Oh beate away the busie medling Fiend, That layes strong siege vnto this wretches soule. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. iv. 440 The enemy made a strong sally. 1870Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Sept. 8/1 The enemy opened strong fire on us.
d. With prefixed numerical determination: Powerful to the extent of (a specified number of men, ships, etc.). Hence gen. of a body or assembly of persons: Having the specified number.
1589Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 83 He despatched letters to the Nobilitie..with strait charge that they should bee in that place within three dayes with tenne thousand strong. 1592Soliman & Pers. iii. i. 48 Their fleete is weake; Their horse, I deeme them fiftie thousand strong. 1629Descr. S'hertogenbosh 34 The Enemies came..150 ships strong. 1702Lond. Gaz. No. 3831/2 The Body of French Forces.., being about 8000 strong. 1836W. Irving Astoria I. 253 A war party, three hundred strong, were prowling in the neighbourhood. 1847Grote Greece ii. xxxv. IV. 402 The entire Phenician fleet, no less than 600 ships strong, co⁓operated on the coast. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvi. III. 638 The garrison, thirteen hundred strong, marched out unarmed. 1860Dickens Uncomm. Trav. ix, As a congregation, we are fourteen strong. 1879B. Taylor Germ. Lit. 104 The Burgundians..settled, eighty thousand men strong, between Geneva and Lyons.
¶ transf. in jocular nonce-uses.
1601Shakes. Twel. N. iii. ii. 59, I haue beene deere to him lad, some two thousand strong, or so. 1719D'Urfey Pills I. 356 A Wife that's fair and Young,..and Forty Thousand strong.
e. Of a body of persons or things, a sect or party: Numerous. Also more explicitly strong in numbers.
1617–18J. Chamberlain in Crt. & Times Jas. I (1848) II. 62 Our East Indian fleet is setting out,..They go stronger and more than ever heretofore. 1656S. Holland Zara (1719) 71 But behold Shakespear and Fletcher (bringing with them a strong party) appeared. 1816Scott Old Mort. xxxvii, The Cameronians continued a sect strong in numbers and vehement in their political opinions. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair lxvii, A very strong party of excellent people consider her to be a most injured woman. 1854Surtees Handley Cr. iv. (1901) I. 28 The kennel was pretty strong in numbers. 1855Poultry Chron. III. 302 Keep the stocks strong in numbers.
f. Abundantly supplied with persons or things of a specified kind. Const. in.
1621in Foster Eng. Factories Ind. (1906) 337 Beinge thus strong in cash..wee have concluded the present dispeede. 1711–12Swift Jrnl. to Stella 16 Feb., The House of Lords is too strong in Whigs, notwithstanding the new creations. 1721De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 108 The king was strong in horse. 1874H. H. Cole Catal. Ind. Art S. Kens. Mus. App. 320 The India [Office] Museum..is specially strong in arms and textile fabrics. 1885Truth 28 May 848/2 Landscapes..in which this year's Academy is unusually strong. 1886Manch. Exam. 3 Nov. 3/1 The Quarterly for October is exceptionally strong in literary interest.
8. a. Of a fortress, town, country, or military position: Powerful for resistance; difficult to capture or invade; having powerful artificial or natural defences. Cf. stronghold.
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lx. 2 [lxi. 3] Þu..wære me stranga tor, stið wið feondum. c1205Lay. 6392 Þer he gon bulde castel swiðe strongne. c1400Mandeville (1839) xxv. 259 The King of Abcaz hathe the more strong Contree: and he alle weyes vigerously defendethe his Contree. c1440Promp. Parv. 188/1 Garsone, stronge place, municipium. c1450Merlin xxii. 380 But litill thei founde in the contrey to take to, ffor all was turned from theire power into stronke fortresses. 1523Wolsey in St. Papers Hen. VIII, VI. 202 Bray was not, ne coude be, made in shorte space strong or tenyble. 1592Stow Ann. (an. 1399) 508 Beawmareis was a strong Fortresse if it had byn manned and victualled. Ibid., There is a Castell..builded on a rocke, very strong by situation. Ibid. 509 The king was in Wales, which was a Countrey strong by reason of the Mountaines. 1667Milton P.L. xi. 655 Others to a Citie strong Lay Siege. 1673Temple Observ. United Prov. i. 44 This Countrey was strong by its nature and seat among the Waters that encompass and divide it. 1675–7Warwick Mem. Chas. I (1701) 233 Prince Rupert..found a strong house on the road..well mann'd, which gave him some short stop, before he clear'd it. 1711Swift Cond. Allies 72 France was to deliver up several of their strongest Towns in a Month. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xli, The situation of Udolpho rendered it too strong to be taken by open force. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. xxiv, [They] were gradually assembled, and placed in occupation of the strongest parts of the city. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. i. i, Longwi, our first strong-place on the borders, is fallen. a1868Ld. Brougham (Ogilvie), The hilly or strong country extended in those parts to no great distance from the towns. 1892Lady F. Verney Verney Mem. I. 113 The king's position on the high ground was extremely strong.
in fig. context.1638Chillingworth Relig. Prot. i. Concl. 411 Which by so weak a Champion can overcome such an Achilles for error even in his strongest holds. 1823Scott Quentin D. Introd., A subject which was strong ground to the Marquis.
b. Of a place of confinement, receptacle for valuables and the like: Difficult to escape from or break into. See also strong-box, strong room.
c1250Owl & Night. 1082 He hire bilek in one bure þat hire was stronge & sure. c1290Beket 431 in S. Eng. Leg. 119 And he him sente word a-ȝen þat he scholde..sethþe don him in strongue warde. 1436Rolls of Parlt. IV. 498/1 Putte hir in a stronge chaumbre. 1508Dunbar Flyting 151 Ane thowsand kiddis, wer thay in faldis full strang. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 434 Our prison strong. 1819Shelley Cenci i. i. 115, I rarely kill the body, which preserves, Like a strong prison, the soul within my power. 1837Dickens Pickw. xxxiii, They could hear the shouts of the populace, who were witnessing the removal of the reverend Mr. Stiggins to strong lodgings for the night.
9. a. Of material things: Capable of supporting strain or withstanding force, whether by cohesion of substance or by thickness; not easily broken, torn, injured, or forced out of shape; solidly made, massive, stout.
c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) cxl. 8 [cxli. 6] æt strangum stane [Vulg. juxta petram]. c1205Lay. 1567 [He] igrap of onnes monnes honde ana wiæx swiðe stronge. Ibid. 12424 Heo bi-gunnen feorlic ane swiðe deope dich &..ænne strongne stanene wal. c1250Owl & Night. 269 Ich habbe bile stif & strong & gode cleures scharp & longe. a1300[see strenger]. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xii. (Matthias) 278 [He] went furtht & hyme-self can hynge with a cord bath styth & strange. c1400Rom. Rose 1726 He streight up to his ere drough The stronge bowe. 1562Winȝet Last Blast Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 37 Strang chenis of irne. 1590Cobler Canterb. 3 His lims well set withall, Of a strong bone. 1588Kyd Househ. Philos. Wks. (1901) 240 Swifter then which [river] neuer ranne arrowe fro forth the strongest bow of Parthia. 1590Sir J. Smythe Disc. Conc. Weapons 3 b, Strong short arming Swords. 1600Shakes. Sonn. lxv, When rocks impregnable are not so stoute, Nor gates of steele so strong but time decayes? 1613― Hen. VIII, v. iv. 8 Fetch me a dozen Crab-tree staues, and strong ones. 1697Dryden æneis ii. 659 Himself..with his Axe repeated Stroaks bestows On the strong Doors. 1707Mortimer Husb. 46 They use large round rowls which are stuck with strong Oaken pins. 1728Pope Dunc. i. 150 There Caxton slept, with Wynkyn at his side, One clasp'd in wood, and one in strong cow-hide. 1765Museum Rust. IV. 330 It hath been said that an elliptic is not equally strong as a semicircular arch. 1829T. Castle Introd. Bot. 184 Plants..whose fruit is covered with a strong rind or hard woody shell. 1834McMurtrie Cuvier's Anim. Kingd. 57 Their hands are widened, armed with strong nails fitted to excavate the earth. 1861Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 44 Strong outer walls for defence were discarded. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 497 Sheets of strong blotting paper.
absol.1390Gower Conf. I. 24 The fieble meynd was with the stronge, So myhte it wel noght stonde longe.
b. fig. and in fig. context.
c1400Rule St. Benet Prol. 1 Þe ryght strang & doghty armur of obedience. 1605Shakes. Lear iv. vi. 170 Plate sinne [conj. Theobald; Fo. Place sinnes; Qo. omits] with Gold, and the strong Lance of Iustice, hurtlesse breakes. 1712Pope Ep. Miss Blount 67 This binds in ties more easy, yet more strong, The willing heart. 1818Shelley Julian 181 How strong the chains are which our spirit bind. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxvii, Doubting..whether Amy's hopes..rested on any thing stronger than a blinded attachment to Varney.
c. Of soil: Firm, tenacious, compact. Also, see quot. 1856.
c1000Sax. Leechd. I. 134 Ðeos wyrt.. bið cenned on fæstum landum & on strangum. 1591G. Clayton Mart. Discipl. 45 Aduertising..that the Pikemen..doe holde the great ende of their pikes fastned harde in stronge earth, to the ende the Pike may haue the greater force. 1721Mortimer Husb. (ed. 5) I. 87 Peat-Marle or Delving-Marle, which is close, strong, and very fat. 1764Museum Rust. IV. 31 Seemingly-opposite soils, viz. one set, shallow, light, gravelly; and the other, deep, strong, and rich. 1837Youatt Sheep xv. 498 Many a grazier has sustained considerable loss from having lambed his ewes thinly on strong land. 1842Loudon Suburban Hort. 54 Where a strong clayey soil is covered with a healthy vegetation. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 314 The wheat, which was then cultivated only on the strongest clay. 1856Morton Cycl. Agric. II. 726/1 Strong land, in Devons., is not clayey, but rich.
d. Of food: Solid, hard of digestion. Also fig. in phr. strong meat (alluding to Heb. v. 12: see quot. 1526), applied to something acceptable only to strong or instructed minds.
1526Tindale Heb. v. 12 Ye..are become soche as have nede off mylke, and no of stronge meate [Gr. στερεᾶς τροϕῆς]. 1711Swift Jrnl. to Stella 21 Apr., I ate but little to-day, and of the gentlest meat. I refused ham and pigeons,..because they were too strong. 1836A. Combe Physiol. Digestion (ed. 2) 276 Instead..of oppressing a weakened stomach by administering stronger food than it has the power of digesting.
fig.1837[see meat n. 1 b]. 1909H. G. Wells Tono-Bungay i. i. 26 Gulliver was there unexpurgated, strong meat for a boy perhaps. 1965Listener 21 Oct. 640/2 Nineteen Eighty-Four was prefaced by a warning that it was not for nervous listeners. There was no such warning before Shirley Jenkins's The Child... Yet this too was..strong meat, dealing..with the thought stream of a woman on the point of giving birth.
e. Of moulding-sand: See quot. 1888.
1843Holtzapffel Turning I. 332 A small portion of the strong facing-sand is rubbed through a fine sieve. 1888Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin., Strong Sand, tenacious foundry sand, containing a large proportion of loam and horse dung.
f. Mining. (a) Of a vein: Thick, massive. (b) See quots. 1883, 1886.
1839Murchison Silur. Syst. i. xiv. 177 In the same tract are strong courses of very pure concretionary limestone. 1877Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 159 The vein is very strong, and carries a very large proportion of quartz. 1883Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining 245 Strong, a word having reference to the character of a bind or metal, meaning that the argillaceous is largely mixed with the arenaceous or siliceous material. 1886J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 65 Strong, hard; not easily broken, e.g., strong coal.
g. Iron-founding. (See quot. 1888.)
1868Joynson Metals 42 Mr. Glynn names [as the best mixture] one-third strong iron from South Wales, and two-thirds of the more fluid metal. 1888Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin., Strong Iron, applied usually to mixtures of iron of various brands, together with scrap iron,..by which a definite grade of strength or toughness is obtained.
h. Of hair: Thick in fibre, coarse; stiff.
1726Swift Gulliver ii. vi. 103 Through these Holes I wove the strongest Hairs I could pick out. 1813Prichard Phys. Hist. Man vi. §6. 310 Their hair is strong, of a shining black.
i. Of wool: Broad-haired or coarse-fibred; the opposite of fine. Also Austral., of sheep, having such wool (W. 1911).
1885F. H. Bowman Struct. Wool Fibre 219 If..the fleece was of a superior quality, such as a fine Kent selected for quality, it would make ‘fine’ matching..If, however, the fleece was a strong Lincoln or Gloucester, it would probably only be classed as ‘neat’ matching. 1886Colonial & Ind. Exhib., Catal. Exhibits N.S. Wales (ed. 2) 20 Wool... Strong combing.
j. Carpentry. Of deals: see quot.
1843Civil Engin. & Arch. Jrnl. VI. 406/1 When the saw has..reduced them to small dimensions, they warp and twist like a piece of whalebone. Deals of this character are termed by carpenters ‘strong’.
†k. absol. as n. = forte n. 2.
1692Sir W. Hope Fencing Master 3 The Strong, Fort, or Prime of the Blade is Measured from the Shell..to the middle of the Blade.
10. Powerful in operative effect.
a. of a medicine, food or drink, poison, chemical reagent, etc.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lxi. 455 Onᵹean swelce mettrymnesse mon beðorfte stronges læcedomes. c1386Chaucer Pard. T. 539 This poyson is so strong and violent. c1400Rule St. Benet 1607 Wyne þat es myghty and strang. 1580T. Newton Approved Medicines 67 That kynde [of water-lily] which hath the white roote is more stronger. 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 18 Giue me some drinke, and bid the Apothecarie Bring the strong poyson that I bought of him. 1626Bacon Sylva §45 Scotch Skinck, (which is a Pottage of strong Nourishment). 1697Dryden æneis Ded. (a) 2 b, Acute Distempers require Medicines of a strong and speedy operation. 1815J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 667 The seeds..are sown upon a strong hotbed. 1821Scott Kenilw. v, I hate him like strong poison. 1843R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xx. 233, I often diminish supersecretion from the lung by strong hydragogue cathartics. 1876Abney Instr. Photogr. (ed. 3) 38 Always have a weak and a strong developer in the field. 1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 515 The above list gives them [i.e. astringent external applications] in order of their efficacy—from the weakest to the strongest.
b. of a mechanical agent.
1655Stanley Hist. Philos. ii. (1687) 65/1 The Stars are impelled by the condensation of the Air about the Poles, which the Sun makes more strong by compressing. 1675J. S[mith] Horolog. Dial. 78 The spring is always strongest when first wound up. 1680Moxon Mech. Exerc. x. 185 If the Pole prove too strong for their..Work, they will weaken it by cutting away part of the substance. 1824P. Hawker Instr. Yng. Sportsm. (ed. 3) 42 The solid cock..will admit of mainsprings as strong as you please.
c. Of a lens: Having great magnifying power.
1887Proc. Zool. Soc. 80 The punctuation much more distinctly visible anteriorly than posteriorly, where only traces of it can be seen under a strong lens.
d. Of a field of force.
1903J. J. Thomson Conduction of Electricity through Gases ii. 21 If we..apply a strong electric field between the plates. 1930Pauling & Goudsmit Structure of Line Spectra ix. 159 The resultant magnetic moment of the atom in a very strong field, such that the spins and orbital moments of the individual electrons are quantized relative to the field. 1978Pasachoff & Kutner University Astron. xxvii. 699 A related prediction of general relativity is that ‘clocks’ run slower in a stronger gravity field than they do in a weaker.
e. Physics. Applied to the strongest of the four known kinds of force between particles, which acts between nucleons and other hadrons when closer than about 10-13 cm. (so that protons in an atomic nucleus remain bound together despite the repulsive force due to their electric charge), and which conserves strangeness, parity, and isospin.
1947Nature 4 Oct. 453/2 We refer to any particle with a mass intermediate between that of a proton and an electron as a meson... In using this term, we do not imply that the corresponding particle necessarily has a strong interaction with nucleons. 1953Physical Rev. XCII. 833/2 Let us suppose that both..have interactions of three kinds: (i) Interactions that rigorously conserve isotopic spin. (We assume these to be strong.) (ii) Electromagnetic interactions... (iii) Other charge-dependent reactions, which we take to be very weak. 1954Progress Theoret. Physics XII. 107/2 Contrary to the case of electric charge, v-charge is defined only for such particles that have strong nuclear interactions and its conservation is violated by the weak interactions responsible for decays. 1973Sci. Amer. Aug. 34/2 All the particles discovered to date participate in strong interactions except the photon and the four weakly interacting leptons. 1975Nature 5 June 453/1 The electromagnetic interaction is responsible for the force between charged particles, its strength is 1/137 that of the strong force. 1978Pasachoff & Kutner University Astron. ix. 261 For nuclear fusion to begin, atomic nuclei must get close enough to each other so that the nuclear force, technically called the strong force, can play its part.
11. Severe, burdensome, oppressive.
†a. Of laws, punishments, suffering, condition of life, etc.: Hard to bear, rigorous, grievous. strong death: a violent or cruel death. Obs.
c893ælfred Oros. v. xii. §9 Ealle þa ᵹesetnessa þe þær to stronge wæron & to hearde he hie ealle ᵹedyde leohtran & liþran. 971Blickling Hom. 79 Wæs þæt wite swa strang, swa Godes ᵹeþeld ær mycel wæs. a1154O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1124, Se man þe æni god heafde him me hit beræfode mid strange ᵹeoldes & mid strange motes. c1205Lay. 5271 For heom comen stronge tidinge from Belin þon Kinge. a1225Ancr. R. 362 Uolk to-limed & to-toren mid stronge liflode & mid herde. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1811 Cristen men þat he vond to stronge deþ he broȝte. Ibid. 2933 Hii smite harde & made moni an strange wounde. a1300Cursor M. 3416 Wit-outen child his wijf was lang, And þat thoght ysaac ful strang. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 3321 Strong hit were for oure cite To be destruyed, & al þe contre. c1400Brut lii. (1906) 45 No man was so hardy for-to nempne God; & ho þat dede, anon he was put to strong deth. a1450Le Morte Arth. 1875 To bedde durste I ne noȝt dight, For drede ye hade som Aunter stronge. c1450Mirk's Festial 33 He..told of..the paynes of hell, how strong and how horrybly þay wern. c1485Digby Myst., Mary Magd. 1002 Yt ys In-tollerabyll to se or to tell, for ony creature, þat stronkg tourmentry. 1535Coverdale 2 Kings xxv. 3 On y⊇ nyenth daye of the fourth moneth was the honger so stronge in the cite, that the people of the londe had nothinge to eate. 1567Gude & Godlie Ball. 44 He said, I thrist, with all my micht, To saif mankynde fra panis strang. 1592Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iii. i. 195 But Ile Amerce you with so strong a fine, That you shall all repent the losse of mine.
†b. Of a storm, the weather, cold, etc.: Severe.
c1000Sax. Leechd. I. 326 Ðonne ne sceþþeð þe ne tunᵹol ne haᵹol ne strang storm. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1115, Ðises ᵹeares wæs swa strang winter mid snawe & mid forste, swa nan man þe þa lifode ær þan nan strengre ne ᵹemunde. c1250Owl & Night. 524 Hwenne nyhtes cumeþ longe & bryngeþ forstes starke & stronge. c1400Mandeville (1839) xxvi. 266 So is it fulle of Dragounes,..that no man dar not passe, but ȝif it be strong Wyntre. c1400Emare 665 Myȝth y onus gete lond, Of þe watur þat ys so stronge. c1425Eng. Conq. Irel. 66 In thys tyme was the weder so stronge, & the wynd so aweyward, that [etc.]. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 1741 Þar felle a storme strange. 1671T. Hunt Abeced. Scholast. 9 Let thy garments be long, When the cold is strong.
†c. Of a battle, fight, debate: Fierce, hotly contested. Obs.
c900Bæda's Hist. i. ix. (1890) 46 Wæs þis ᵹefeoht wælgrimre & strengre eallum þam ærᵹedonum. c1205Lay. 173 Wið Eneam he nom an feiht þæt wes feondliche strong. c1250Owl & Night. 5 Þat playd wes stif & starc & strong. c1400Brut cvj. 107 And þat batayle was wonder strong, for meny a man was þere slayn. a1450Le Morte Arth. 1583 Saugh nevir no man A stronger fyght. 1553Paynell tr. Dares Phryg. Destr. Troy F v b, The whiche caused the war to be a great deale y⊇ stronger & greater. 1613[Hayward] Lives 3 Norman Kings 8 Hee was ouerthrowne in a strong battaile.
d. Of disease: Severe. strong apoplexy = mod.L. apoplexia fortis (Path.): the sanguineous as distinguished from the serous or ‘weak’ variety. Of convulsions, shuddering, palpitation: Violent.
c1000Sax. Leechd. II. 226 Oft strang fefer becymð on þa men þe þa adle habbað. 1389in Eng. Gilds (1870) 30 No man schal ben excusyd of absence.., but it be for ye kyngges seruice er for stronge sekenesse. 1595Shakes. John iii. iv. 110 Before the curing of a strong disease Euen in the instant of repaire and health, The fit is strongest. 1754Richardson Grandison IV. 150 In that space, Lady Clementina's absences [= attacks of delirium] were stronger, but less frequent than before. 1815Scott Guy M. lv, A strong shuddering convulsed his iron frame for an instant. 1820J. Cooke Treat. Nervous Dis. I. i. 168 note, In the strong paroxysm, persons are said to lie entirely deprived of sensation and motion. Ibid. 169 In the perfect, or strong apoplexy, the respiration of the patient is generally much impeded. 1821Scott Kenilw. xl, Tressilian found himself, not without a strong palpitation of heart, in the presence of Elizabeth. 1825― Betrothed xiv, [She] fell into a strong shuddering fit. 1901T. J. Alldridge Sherbro xxvi. 296 After a couple of hours I was attacked by a strong fever.
†e. Of a crime, evil quality, etc.: Gross, flagrant. Of a malefactor: Flagrantly guilty. Obs.
c1290Beket 1229 in S. Eng. Leg. 141 So strong þeof nis non in engelonde. a1300Cursor M. 4426 Suilk es tresun of ille womman In werld es stranger funden nan. 13..K. Horn 1280 (Harl.), Þou..seydest ich wes traytour strong. a1400Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxxviii. 309 A þral..Þat for his gult strong and gret Wiþ his lord was so I-vet. c1400Laud Troy Bk. 18638 And thus was Troye dryuen doun And y-lore thorow strong tresoun. c1450Gesta Rom. 390 She sayde, ‘oute on the, stronge strompette!’ a1466Gregory Chron. in Hist. Coll. Cit. Lond. (Camden) 163 And that same yere there was a stronge thefe that was namyd Bolton was drawe, hanggyd, and i-quarteryde. 1518Sel. Cases Star Chamber (Selden Soc.) II. 137 John Powre..pykyd a quarell to hym..and Callyd hym strong thefe and extorcyoner. 1575Gammer Gurton iii. iii. 35 Where is the strong stued hore? 1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iv. i. 108 Bargulus the strong Illyrian Pyrate. 1593― Rich. II, v. iii. 59 Oh heinous, strong, and bold Conspiracie. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) VI. 554 When the abuse is so strong, gross, and complete, that every man of common sense, to whom it was stated, must exclaim against it.
f. Of a course of action, a ‘measure’: Extreme, high-handed.
1838Arnold Hist. Rome I. xvi. 320 The Roman constitution of 306 was as short-lived..as some of the strongest measures of the long parliament. 1885Law Times' Rep. LIII. 524/2, I think it would be rather a strong measure for me to decide now contrary to the authorities as there stated.
g. colloq. Of a payment, a charge: Heavy, ‘stiff.’
1669R. Montagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 459 Five hundred is a very strong pension as things stand in our Court. 1838Thackeray Yellowplush i. (1865) 8 Fourteen shillings a wick was a little too strong for two such rat⁓holes as he lived in.
12.
†a. Requiring great effort, arduous, difficult: chiefly const. inf. Obs.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 81 Þes ilke Mon is strong to sermonen. c1200Ormin 6326 & tatt iss swiþe strang & harrd To forþenn her onn eorþe. 12..Moral Ode 312 (Egerton MS.) in O.E. Hom. I. 179 It is strong to stonde longe, and liht it is to falle. a1250Prov. Alfred 145 Strong hit is to reowe a-yeyn þe séé þat floweþ. 1338R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 240 In Wales it is fulle strong to werre in Wynter tide. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 216 Stronge is to fynde and know condycones and good vertues and maneris of Pepil wythout longe Prewe. 1430–40Lydg. Daunce of Machabree in Bochas etc. (1554) 222 b, By many an hyll and many a strong vale I haue trauailed with many marchandise. 1474Caxton Chesse ii. iv. (1883) 49 Ther is no thynge so stronge as for to mayntene loue vnto the deth.
b. † Of country: Thickly covered with undergrowth (obs.).
c1400Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxx, Eke in þe tyme þat þe heedes of þe hertes beth tendre..þei abyde amonge clere speyes and in hye wodes, for stronge cuntre shulde per auenture do hem harme to hir hedes.
(b) In more recent Canad. use, strong wood(s) [tr. Canad. Fr. bois fort(s], a region of thick afforestation; freq. attrib. (see also quot. 1921).
1794D. M'Gillivray 12 Oct. Jrnl. (1929) 34 Soon after their departure 2 tribes of Assinoboines arrived..called Strong Wood &..Grand River Assiniboine [sic]. 1800A. Henry Jrnl. 5 Sept. in E. Coues New Light Early Hist. Greater Northwest (1897) i. iii. 83 We had a quarter of a mile of strong wood to pass through. 1861Canad. Naturalist Dec. 438 The Strong-wood Reindeer inhabit the thickly wooded parts of the District. 1921A. Heming Drama of Forests 15 The several zones of the Canadian wilderness are locally known as the Coast Country—the shores of the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay; the Barren Grounds—the treeless country between Hudson Bay and the Mackenzie River; the Strong Woods Country—the whole of that enormous belt of heavy timber that spans Canada from east to west; the Border Lands—the tracts of small, scattered timber that lie between the prairies and the northern forests; the Prairie Country; the Mountains; and the Big Lakes. 1969E. W. Morse Fur Trade Canoe Routes ii. iv. 45 The North Saskatchewan formed roughly the boundary of the ‘strong woods’ region where the furs were harvested.
13. Of movements or conditions: Intense.
a. Of a current of air or water, a wind, tide, stream: Having force of movement.
strong breeze, strong gale (Naut.): see quot. 1867.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xiv. 30 Ᵹesæh ec wind strong [L. ventum validum], ondreard. 1388Wyclif Exod. x. 19 The Lord..made a moost strong wynd to blowe fro the west. a1420Anturs of Arth. v, By þe stremys so strange, þat swyftly swoghes. c1620A. Hume Brit. Tongue i. v, Nether daer I, with al the oares of reason, row against so strang a tyde. 1697Dryden æneis v. 251 As when you stem'd the strong Malæan Flood. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xliv, The wind was strong, and the baron watched his lamp with anxiety. 1807Wordsw. Force of Prayer 30 The river was strong, and the rocks were steep. 1841Dickens Barn. Rudge lviii, A stone-floored room, where there was..a strong thorough draft of air. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xviii. IV. 239 At eight the next morning the tide came back strong. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Strong Breeze, that which reduces a ship to double-reefed topsails, jib, and spanker. Ibid., Strong Gale, that strength of wind under which close-reefed topsails and storm-staysails are usually carried when close-hauled. 1913M. Roberts Salt of the Sea x. 234 We ran on and on, faster and faster yet—for the tide was under her stronger and stronger, every minute.
transf.1754Gray Progr. Poesy 8 Now the rich stream of music winds along Deep, majestic, smooth, and strong.
b. of the pulse, respiration.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xxiv. (1495) 72 Strenger hete [in man] makyth stronger pulse. 1624Burton Anat. Mel. i. iii. ii. ii. (ed. 2) 176 Short breath, hard winde, strange [1632 strong] pulse. 1785Cowper Task iv. 348 While ev'ry breath, by respiration strong Forc'd downward, is consolidated soon Upon their jutting chests. 1876J. S. Bristowe Th. & Pract. Med. (1878) 493 The pulse may be strong or weak, or in other words hard or soft. The former resists compression by the finger, the latter is easily obliterated by it.
c. Of fire, heat, an internal process, etc.: Intense, energetic, vigorously active.
c1290St. Christopher 191 in S. Eng. Leg. 277 He let don þat oþur in strong fuyr. 1398[see b]. 1608Shakes. Per. i. ii. 41 A sparke, To which that sparke giues heate, and stronger Glowing. a1626Bacon New Atl. 37 A Weake Heate of the Stomach will turne them into good Chylus; As well as a Strong Heate would Meate otherwise prepared. 1666Boyle Orig. Forms & Qual. 172 If, for instance, you expose a Sphære or Bullet of Lead to a strong fire, it will [etc.]. 1765Museum Rust. IV. 405 Red Colour for the use of Enamel Painters, which will bear repeated and sufficiently strong fires without change. 1826Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 60 By attenuating lower in summer, the beer does become..disposed to fretting and staleness— the result of too strong a fermentation. 1857Miller Elem. Chem., Org. 144 By a stronger heat they are decomposed. 1874W. Gregor Echo Olden Time N. Scot. 111 If it [sc. the wort] fermented strongly, or, as it was expressed, if it was strong on the barm.
d. Of the voice, a sound: Powerful, loud and firm.
a1000Cædmon's Gen. 525 (Gr.) Þonne ic siᵹedrihten, mihtiᵹne god mæðlan ᵹehyrde strangre stemne. 14..Tundale's Vis. 1145 He herde a strong dynne of þonder. 1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secr. 231 And a grete hey and stronge voice tokenyth a stronge and an hardy man. 1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. iv. iv. §1 The eares of the people they haue therfore filled with strong clamour. 1764in Reliquary (1860) I. 63 A Clergyman..whose voice is strong, and pronunciation distinct. 1788Cowper Dog & Water-lily 25 But with a chirrup [to the dog] clear and strong,..I thence withdrew. 1836Dubourg Violin ix. (1878) 273 His violoncellos..are of the finest quality of tone—not so strong and fiery as old Forster's, but, sweetness and purity excelling them. 1908R. Bagot A. Cuthbert xxviii. 373 Her voice rang out clear and strong.
†e. Of sleep: Deep, sound. Obs. rare.
c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xvi. 370 They beganne all to fall in a stronge slepe.
† f. Of a magnitude: Great, unusual. Obs.
c1400Destr. Troy 1574 The Stretis were streght & of a stronge brede.
g. Of illumination, light, shadow, colour: Vivid, intense.
1658W. Sanderson Graphice 66 In what places, you will have those strong and high lights, and reflections to fall. 1665Phil. Trans. I. 122 The Shaddows..seem to be stronger. 1704Newton Optics i. ii. v. (1721) 130 We are not to expect a strong and full white, such as is that of Paper, but some dusky obscure one. 1781Cowper Convers. 331 The southern sash admits too strong a light. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxiii, The strong rays [of moonlight] enabled her also to perceive the ravages which the siege had made. 1815J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 724 All strong lights must be relieved by deep shades. 1820Belzoni Egypt & Nubia iii. 328 They [the fish] were of a strong blue silvered colour. 1831Brewster Nat. Magic viii. (1832) 195 Two strong lights may be made to produce darkness! 1885Athenæum 23 May 669/1 A foreground of whitish sun⁓blanched clay reflects the strong sungleam falling there.
fig.1711Swift Examiner No. 39 ⁋9 The Shame of having their Crimes expos'd to open View in the strongest Colours. 1769Robertson Chas. V, iv. Wks. 1851 III. 573 He painted, in the strongest colours, the emperor's want of discernment. 1833J. Rush Philos. Hum. Voice xxxi. (ed. 2) 240 And this may serve to set the power of intonation in the strongest light.
h. Of effort, movement, pressure, etc.: Forcible.
1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xix. (1842) 533 It is better to make it [sc. the pressure] rather stronger when the glass is returned, than when drawn towards the body. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. v. i, You cannot without strong elbowing get to the counter. 1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 19 An architect..putting in the details of a design by means of strong pressure with a hard pencil.
i. Of feeling, conviction, belief: Intense, fervid. Of party views or principles: Uncompromising, thoroughgoing.
c1200Ormin 14461 Forr defless þewwess hafenn aȝȝ Strang niþ ȝæn Cristess þewwess. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. ii. 28 But her two other sisters..both their champions bad Pursew the end of their strong enmity. 1600Shakes. A.Y.L. i. iii. 28 Is it possible on such a sodaine, you should fall into so strong a liking with old Sir Roulands yongest sonne? 1610― Temp. ii. i. 208 My strong imagination see's a Crowne Dropping vpon thy head. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 492 Hate stronger, under shew of Love well feign'd. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxiii, That there should be light in this chamber, and at this hour, excited her strong surprise. 1839Thackeray Fatal Boots Mar., The desire for the boots was so strong, that have them I must at any rate. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 200 A strong sense of duty. 1850Athenæum 7 Dec. 1282/1 We confess to a strong interest..in the proposed change. 1881Morley Cobden xxix. II. 243 M. Rouher, who was then Minister of Commerce, professed strong Free-trade views. 1902‘Violet Jacob’ Sheep-Stealers xii, The sheep-stealer too was at all times a taciturn man with deep prejudices and strong loves and hates.
j. Of a person: Firmly convinced, decided in opinion; colloq., laying great stress on something. Often qualifying a party designation: Zealous, uncompromising, thoroughgoing.
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 276 In all maters stronge in theyr owne opinion. 1598Shakes. Merry W. iv. vi. 27 Her Mother, (euen strong against that match And firme for Doctor Caius). 1599Marston Ant. & Mel. v, I was mightie strong in thought we should have shut up night with an olde comedie. 1625Bacon Ess., Of Counsel (Arb.) 329 In choice of Committees for ripening Businesse, for the Counsell, it is better to choose Indifferent persons, then to make an Indifferency, by putting in those, that are strong, on both sides. 1679Tryal R. Langhorn 26, L.C.J. Is Anthony a Papist? Mr. Bus. Yes, a very strong Papist. 1711Addison Spect. No. 126 ⁋8, I find however that the Knight is a much stronger Tory in the Country than in Town. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xix. IV. 350 For Bohun was as strong a Tory as a conscientious man who had taken the oaths could possibly be. 1858Sears Athan. iii. iii. 274 The Essenes..were strong anti-materialists. 1882Morley Cobden xxix. II. 255 The Emperor was strong for a commercial treaty with England. 1859Mrs. Stowe Minister's Wooing xxx, ‘Some folks say,’ said Candace, ‘that dreaming about white horses is a certain sign. Jinny Styles is very strong about that.’ 1883Mrs. E. Kennard Right Sort xxiv, I doubt very much if Mary, who is so strong on the proprieties, will consider you and Mr. McGrath sufficient chaperones.
k. Of a hold: Not easily dislodged, firm, tenacious. So to take strong root. Chiefly fig. (Cf. 9.)
1699South Serm. (1727) IV. 517 Nothing has so strong and fast an Hold upon the Nature and Mind of Man, as that which delights it. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxx, His friend's unusual finery had taken a strong hold of his imagination.
14. Having its specific property in a high degree.
†a. Of coin: Containing much precious metal.
1469in Archæologia XV. 168 Whanne the seid money be founde atte the assaye..to stronge or to feble all only in weght or all only in allaye.
b. Of a liquor: Containing a large proportion of spirit or alcohol. See also strong drink, strong water 2.
to think strong beer of oneself: to have an unduly high opinion of oneself (nonce-use; cf. small beer 1 c).
c1000Sax. Leechd. I. 172 Ᵹyf þu þas wyrte sylst þicᵹean on strangon wine. 1530Tindale Answ. More Pref., Wks. (1572) 248/2 Ale & bere of the strongest. 1598Shakes. Merry W. iii. v. 114 And then to be stopt in like a strong distillation with stinking Cloathes. 1618Owles Almanacke 46 Small beere shall be for dyet-keepers, but strong twang shall proue as good as bagg-pudden. 1669Sir K. Digby's Closet opened 126 To twenty Gallons of the Strong-wort he puts eight or ten pound..of honey. 1671Milton Samson 553– 4 O madness, to think use of strongest wines And strongest drinks our chief support of health. 1707Mortimer Husb. 567 Which quantity will make a Barrel of Strong-Beer, and a Barrel and a half of Ale, and one Hogs⁓head and half of Small-Beer. 1762Bickerstaff Love in Village iii. ix, I tipsey brother!—I—that never touch a drop of any thing strong from year's end to year's end. 1837Southey Doctor IV. Interch. xvi. 382, I am more inclined, as my Master insinuates, to think Strong Beer of myself. 1843Pereira Food & Diet 422 Wines which contain a comparatively small quantity of it [sc. alcohol] are denominated light wines;..while those which are rich in it are termed strong or generous wines.
c. Of an infusion, solution, etc.: Having a large preponderance of the solid ingredient or of the flavouring element; having little dilution.
1716Pope Basset-table 108 The Tea's too strong. 1721Ramsay Prospect of Plenty 161 They'll..stow them [herrings] wi' strang brine. a1777in Jrnl. Friends' Hist. Soc. (1904) Oct. 187 To these 2 Quarts of strong Jelly you may put a Pinte of Rhenish. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. xxiv. (1842) 611 Put two ounces of acetate of potassa into a retort, with its weight of strong sulphuric acid. 1866Reade Griffith Gaunt II. xii. 195 Make him soup as strong as strong. 1873T. H. Green Introd. Pathol. (ed. 2) 351 A drop of strong glycerine. 1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VII. 583 Antral and attic cavities washed out with strong antiseptic solution.
d. strong of: largely or greatly impregnated or flavoured with.
1617Moryson Itin. i. 26 These waters are so strong of brimstone, as the very smoake warmeth them that come neere. 1709T. Robinson Nat. Hist. Westmld. & Cumbld. vii. 44 Upon the inside of this Fell, breaks out a Chalybiate Water, very strong of the Mineral. 1769Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 215 When the water is strong of the apple, add to it the juice of a lemon. 1846Dickens Pictures from Italy 49 German sausages, strong of garlick. 1861Ramsay Remin. Ser. ii. 124 ‘Oh, vera good, mem; it's just some strong o' the apple’ (a common country expression for beer which is rather tart or sharp).
fig.1745Young Night-Thoughts viii. 15 Men, who think nought so strong of the romance, So rank Knight-errant, as a Real Friend. 1901A. Hope Tristram of Blent xxvi. 356 This situation was deliciously strong of the Tristrams.
e. Of a semi-liquid substance: Stiff, viscid.
1683Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xxiv. ⁋11 If it be small Letter.., the Inck must be Strong..: But if it be great Letter.., he makes Soft Inck serve. 1761Phil. Trans. LII. 150, I had it varnished over several times with strong varnish, or japan. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 1266 (Varnish) Keep it boiling until it feels strong and stringy between the fingers.
f. Of flour (see quots.).
1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 349 When wheat is translucent..it is best suited to the common baker, as affording what is called strong flour; that is, flour that rises boldly with yeast into a spongy dough. 1905Westm. Gaz. 16 Sept. 7/1 But the bakers want a ‘strong’ flour—one that holds more water and makes more bread.
15. Affecting the sense of taste or smell in a high degree.
a. Powerful in odour, strong-smelling; spec. having a powerful unpleasant smell. Also of an odour.
1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 6692 And yhit þe fire þat bryn þam sal, Sal gyfe a st[r]ang stynk with-alle. c1475Henryson Poems III. (S.T.S.) 151 With reid nettill seid in strang wesche to steip. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lix. 9 That fulle dismemberit hes my meter, And poysound it with strang salpeter. 1567in H. Campbell Love-lett. Q. Scots App. (1824) 61 The longer the dirt is hidden, it is the stronger. 1607Shakes. Cor. i. i. 61 They say poore Suters haue strong breaths. 1626Bacon Sylva §835 For those kinde of Smells, that we haue mentioned, are all Strong, and doe Pull and Vellicate the Sense. 1664Butler Hud. ii. i. 755 Which makes him have so strong a breath, Each night he stinks a Queen to death. 1728Pope Dunc. ii. 105 [He] from th' effluvia [of ordure] strong Imbibes new life. 1882Floyer Unexpl. Baluchistan 151 Bushire..contains more filth and strong smells in proportion to its size than any other town.
b. Powerful in flavour or taste; strong-tasting; rank. Also of a flavour or taste.
c1000Sax. Leechd. I. 310 Þa [leaf] syndon stranges swæces. 1599Massinger, etc. Old Law ii. i, Tis like a cheese too strong of the Runnet. 1644Digby Nat. Bodies xvii. §5. 149 They thought that paines well recompenced, by finding it in the tast to grow stronger and stronger. 1659Howell Lex. Tetragl., Eng. Prov., As strong as Mustard. 1719London & Wise Compl. Gard. iv. 66 Its Pulp is very buttery,..and Taste agreeable; the only fault is, that 'tis a little strong towards the Core. 1830Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 202 The water is hot, has a strong taste. 1837Dickens Pickw. xxxii, The cheese went a great way, for it was very strong. 1893R. Lydekker Horns & Hoofs 116 The flesh of other buck ibex is so strong as to be quite uneatable. 1908R. Bagot A. Cuthbert vii. 65 Commercial travellers..smoking the strongest of black cigars.
16. Having a powerful effect on the mind or will.
a. Of motives, impulses, temptations, etc.: Powerful; adapted to prevail; hard to resist. Of passions: Capable of great intensity; hard to control.
a1225Ancr. R. 32 Habbeð reouþe of þeo þet beoth ine stronge temptaciuns. 1567Gude & Godlie Ball. 66, I am compassit round about, With sore and strang temptatioun. 1600Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. vii. 118 Let gentlenesse my strong enforcement be. 1598B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. ii. iii, When such strong motives muster, and make head Against her single peace. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 934 Inducement strong To us, as likely tasting to attaine Proportional ascent. Ibid. x. 265 Goe whither Fate and inclination strong Leads thee. 1692Atterbury Serm. (1726) I. 13 By the Means of our Will, and that strong Bent towards Gratitude which the Author of our Nature hath implanted in it. 1779Mirror No. 65 A man of warm affections and strong passions. 1815Shelley Alastor 274 A strong impulse urged His steps to the sea-shore. 1823F. Clissold Ascent Mt. Blanc 20, I felt a strong inclination to sleep. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 662 Both were impelled by the strongest pressure of hope and fear to criminate him. 1891M. Roberts Land-travel & Sea-faring 57 In truth the nomadic instinct was always strong in me.
b. Of argument, evidence, proof, etc.: Powerful to demonstrate or convince; hard to confute or overthrow.
c1449Pecock Repr. v. viii. 527 Confirmacioun in strengist maner to this argument may be this: That Holi Writt [etc.]. 1471[see strengest]. 1565R. Shacklock tr. Hosius 8 b, Stronger obiections..then he was able to solute. 1601Shakes. All's Well iv. ii. 59 My reasons are most strong. 1608― Per. iv. ii. 38 Besides the sore tearmes we stand vpon with the gods, wilbe strong with vs for giuing ore. 1696Vanbrugh Relapse ii. i, You have many stronger Claims than that, Berinthia, whenever you think fit to plead your Title. 1742–3Johnson's Deb. Wks. 1811 XIV. 390 Nor can any argument be offered for the present bill more strong than that. 1770Luckombe Hist. Printing 13 The fact is strong, and..passes for certain evidence of the age of books. 1784Sir J. Hawkins Walton's Angler (ed. 4) 107 note, The presumption therefore is very strong, that both were written by..Christopher Harvey. 1831Brewster Nat. Magic v. (1832) 104 The shadow of the pin falling in the direction A B is a stronger proof to the eye that the light is coming from the right hand. 1857Miller Elem. Chem., Org. (1862) 236 A strong argument against the admission of the view that [etc.]. 1861Paley æschylus (ed. 2) Supplices 764 note, There is a strong probability that they are right. 1892Law Times' Rep. LXVII. 251/2 The evidence as to this is too strong to be discarded.
c. Of a case: Well-supported by evidence or precedent.
1698in Sir H. Dalrymple Decis. (1792) 8 Which quadrates with the present case, which is yet stronger than it. 1737Gentl. Mag. VII. 297 The Case..mentioned in Coke 4. Inst. 228. is by no Means so strong. 1863Cowden Clarke Shaks. Char. xvi. 391 Shakespeare has made out a strong case for Shylock. 1885Law Rep. 15 Q.B.D. 320 This seems to me a much stronger case than Heaven v. Pender, where it was held that the defendant was liable.
17. Having legal force.
†a. Of a document: Valid (obs.).
b. Of dispositions, sanctions, etc.: Effectual.
c1450Godstow Reg. 145 Both partyes maade hit stronge by puttyng to þere seelys. 1544tr. Littleton's Tenures iii. v. 81 Yf he receyue the payment in any other place, thys is good ynoughe and as stronge for the feoffour, as yf [etc.]. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, iv. i. 235 There should'st thou finde one heynous Article,..cracking the strong Warrant of an Oath. 1600― Sonn. lviii, Be where you list, your charter is so strong, That you your selfe may priuiledge your time To what you will. 1741Cases Equity Time of Talbot 181 The Nature of the Provision is strong enough for this Purpose, without any express Words. 1765Pet. in Walker v. Spence 4 It would be quite inconsistent, that a right of hypothec should have stronger effects than a right of property. 1765Blackstone Comm. Introd §2. I. 54 Neither do divine or natural duties..receive any stronger sanction from being also declared to be duties by the law of the land. 1838Arnold Hist. Rome I. xvi. 316 The old laws for the security of personal liberty were confirmed afresh, and received a stronger sanction.
18. Vividly perceptible, marked, definite.
a. of mental impressions.
1697Addison Dryden's Virg. Georg. Ess. ⁋⁋1, We receive more strong and lively Ideas of things from his words, than we cou'd have done from the Objects themselves. 1748W. Melmoth Fitzosborne Lett. lvii. (1749) II. 84 While the impression of that national belief remained strong upon their minds. 1854Surtees Handley Cr. xxxix. (1901) II. 21 ‘We can't do with less,’ replied the lady, the cares of dinner strong upon her. 1894J. T. Fowler Adamnan Introd. 56 The local traditions..are still very strong. 1897P. Warung Tales Old Regime 139 The circumstances..are still strong in my recollection. 1902‘Violet Jacob’ Sheep-Stealers xiv, ‘Ah, I was younger then,’ replied Harry, with all the wisdom of his twenty-five years strong upon him.
b. Of resemblance, contrast: Marked.
1796E. Inchbald Nature & Art xi. (1820) 26 A strong family resemblance appeared between the two youths. 1842Borrow Bible in Spain xxxiv, Nothing could exhibit a stronger contrast to the desolate tracts..through which we had lately passed, than [etc.]. 1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 1/2 It will not be necessary to describe any other lathes..as there is a very strong family likeness amongst them. 1898‘Merriman’ Roden's Corner ix. 98 Von Holzen was in strong contrast to the two Englishmen.
c. Of national or dialectal pronunciation: Strongly-marked, broad.
1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xxi, A tattered cadie..exclaimed in a strong north-country tone, ‘Ta deil ding out her Cameronian een.’ 1842Sir T. Martin in Fraser's Mag. Dec. 654/1 A strong Banffshire accent. 1859Habits of Gd. Society 64 The ballads of Moore may gain much from a strong Irish brogue, but [etc.]. 1890Conan Doyle White Company xxiv, ‘I come,’ he shouted.., with a strong Breton accent.
†d. Of the features: Coarse, ugly. Obs.
1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho i, Each was rendered more impressive by the grotesque habits and strong features of the guides and other attendants. 1817J. Evans Excurs. Windsor, etc. 48 Heidegger once laid a wager..that..his lordship would not be able to produce so hideous a face in all London! A woman was found whose features, at first sight, were thought stronger than his.
e. Of a line: Broad, thick. Also, vivid in colour (cf. 13 g).
1731Art of Drawing & Paint. 4 Then if the Print or Picture is done by a good Master, see which Lines are strong, and which are tender and soft: Imitate them. 1796Cavalry Instr. Table, The strong Line denotes the Front. 1831Brewster Optics x. 85 [Of Fraunhofer's lines] D is in the orange, and is a strong double line, easily seen..; E is in the green, and consists of several, the middle one being the strongest.
f. Of the outlines of an object in a landscape or picture: Bold, not faint. Also fig.
1818Shelley Julian & Maddalo 106 The broad sun sunk behind it [a bell in a tower], and it tolled In strong and black relief. 1862Whittier Astræa at the Capitol 63 On our ground of grief Rise day by day in strong relief The prophecies of better things.
g. Photogr. Of a negative: Having marked contrast of light and shade; dense.
1892A. Brothers Photogr. 80 Strong, intense negatives are best printed by daylight.
h. That is in a high degree what is indicated.
1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VII. 415 According as the individuals in whom the lesions specified occur are ‘visuals’, or strong ‘auditives’.
19. a. Of language, an expression, a word: Emphatic; signifying or implying much; not moderate. strong language: see language n.1 3.
1697Dryden æneis Ded. (a) 4, The work of Tragedy is on the Passions, and in Dialogue, both of them abhor strong Metaphors, in which the Epopee delights. 1796Jane Austen Pride & Prej. xxiv, I must think your language too strong in speaking of both. 1836W. Irving Astoria III. 245 He expressed his indignation in the strongest terms. 1845Thackeray Cornhill to Cairo v. Wks. 1878 VII. 597 The shabbiness of this place [Greece] actually beats Ireland and that is a strong word. 1884E. Yates Recoll. II. 330 Exercising my power, I struck out some strong expressions. 1900Chamberlain in Daily News 24 Sept. 2/4 Scandalous is a strong word, but weak people always use the strongest words.
b. Of a protest, recommendation, etc.: Emphatic, strongly-worded, urgent.
1733Budgell Bee No. 2. I. 71 The Prussian Minister made the strongest Instances in favour of these Officers, but to no Purpose. 1768Boswell Corsica ii. (ed. 2) 94 The prince of Wirtemburg..sent an express to the emperour, with a very strong letter. 1830Ellenborough Diary (1881) II. 372 Told Lord Cleveland I had transmitted his letter with a strong recommendation. 1844H. H. Wilson Brit. India II. 15 Strong remonstrances were addressed to the Court of Khatmandu. 1912Times 19 Oct. 8/2 Strong protests were made by several members against Mr. Harper's proposal.
c. Math. Of a mathematical entity or concept: implying more than others of its kind; defined by more conditions.
1950W. Feller Introd. Probability Theory I. viii. 156 We shall prove a much stronger statement. 1955M. Loève Probability Theory 18 Now we can..use the supplementary requirement that the additive property of P remains valid for denumerable sums... This is the celebrated Borel stong law of large numbers. 1964A. P. & W. Robertson Topological Vector Spaces iii. 47 This topology is denoted by β(E′, E) and is sometimes called the strong topology on E′. 1971G. Glauberman in Powell & Higman Finite Simple Groups i. 44 Here the condition of p-stability is too strong to be useful. 1979Proc. London Math. Soc. XXXVIII. 338 We say that a linear operator L on {scrM} is a strong Feller operator if Lf{elem}{scrC} whenever f{elem}{scrM}k.
20. Of literary or artistic work: Vigorous or forceful in style or execution.
1746Francis tr. Horace, Art of Poetry 422 Good Sense, that Fountain of the Muse's Art, Let the strong Page of Socrates impart. 1749Chesterfield Let. to Son 24 Nov., I should prefer moderate matter, adorned with all the beauties and elegancies of style, to the strongest matter in the world, ill-worded, and ill-delivered. 1822Q. Mus. Mag. IV. 118 Mr. Horsley's [glee] is in his pure, strong, legitimate manner. 1905Daily Chron. 16 Aug. 3/2 What the publishers call a ‘strong’ book. 1913J. Collier in 19th Cent. Mar. 603 He might have made a stronger picture, he could hardly have made a more beautiful one.
21. Comm. Of prices: Tending to steadiness or to a rise; not fluctuating or depressed.
1870Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Sept. 9/2 The Home Funds are, if anything, rather stronger in tone. 1890Daily News 6 Jan. 2/3 Coal is very strong in price. Ibid. 1 Sept. 2/5 Pig iron is strong at 43s. 6d. for cinder. 1895Ibid. 14 Oct. 2/6 Producers have been stronger in their prices.
22. Gram. In various applications (opposed to weak).
a. Of Teutonic ns. and adjs., their inflexions, etc.: Belonging to any of those declensions in which the OTeut. stem ended otherwise than in n.
b. Of Teut. verbs and their inflexions: Forming the pa. tense and pa. pple. by means of vowel-gradation in the root-syllable, as the Eng. give, break. Hence occas. used with reference to other Indo-Germanic langs., e.g. in strong aorist, applied in Gr. grammar to the ‘second aorist’ (ἔλιπον) in contradistinction to the ‘weak’ or sigmatic aorist (ἔλειψα). Occas. transf. with reference to non-Teutonic languages.
c. In Sanskrit grammar, applied to the unreduced form of noun-stems, and to those cases which are formed on the ‘strong’ stem.
In these uses strong and weak are translations of the G. stark and schwach, the grammatical senses of which are due to Jakob Grimm. The reason for the choice of these terms to denote the two classes of declension was prob. that in German the formal distinction of case is weakened in the n declensions by the disappearance of the original case-endings. (Some scholars, following the letter of Grimm's own definition, inconveniently restrict the term ‘strong’ to the vocalic stems, so that the stems ending in other consonants than n form a third class, neither ‘strong’ nor ‘weak’.) The ablaut-verbs were designated as ‘strong’ because in them the form of the root sufficed to express past time without the adventitious aid of a tense-suffix.
a.1841Latham Eng. Lang. 58 In A.S...there is the Weak, or Simple Declension for words ending in a Vowel (as Eage, Steorra, Tunga), and the Strong, or Complex Declension for words ending in a Consonant (Smið, Sprǽc, Leáf).
b.1833Philol. Museum II. 385 No weak verb ever in process of time became strong, while strong verbs do become weak. 1841Latham Eng. Lang. 277 The German Grammarians call the Tenses formed by a change of vowel, the Strong Tenses, the Strong Verbs, the Strong Conjugation, or the Strong Order. Ibid. 278 The Strong Præterites are formed from the Present by changing the vowel, as sing, sang, speak, spoke. 1871Earle Philol. Eng. Tongue §274 There is a slow continual tendency in these strong verbs to merge themselves gradually into the more numerous class of the weak verbs. 1946Binchy & Bergin tr. Thurneysen's Gram. Old Irish 335 According to the way in which these stems are formed, two main classes of verbs can be distinguished, for which the terms ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ verbs are borrowed from the grammar of the Germanic languages. Strong verbs are without exception primary... Weak verbs are for the most part denominative. 1962C. Watkins Indo-European Origins of Celtic Verb ii. 116 In the strong (non-derivative) verb..the present still exhibits numerous divergent formations.
c.1863Benfey Sansk. Gram. §220 There are some nouns which have a strong and a weak form... Some have even three, a strong, a weak, and a weakest form.
¶ Incorrect use.
1858–9G. P. Marsh Lect. Engl. Lang. (1860) 335 The strong inflections, or those consisting in a letter-change, as present run, past ran, singular man, plural men.
23. Phonetics and Prosody. Of a syllable: Bearing stress or metrical ictus. Of a consonant-sound: Characterized by force of utterance. Also in Music, accented.
1792J. Burnet (Ld. Monboddo) Orig. & Progr. Lang. iii. iii. VI. 237 Emphasis, by which one word in a sentence is sounded much louder and stronger than the other words. 1852Proc. Philol. Soc. V. 153 A compound verse, composed of two parts, in each of which two dactyls..were followed by a long syllable, that is, a foot catalectic on the strong syllable, was alternated with the ancient epic verse. 1856Faris El-Shidiac Pract. Gram Arabic 3 {arDadfull}. The true sound of this letter must be learnt by the ear. It is like a strong d. 1869Ouseley Counterp. Canon & Fugue iii. 12 Every bar contains two beats, one down-beat, and one up-beat; or, as Cherubini and others name them, a strong or accented time, and a weak or unaccented time.
24. a. Card-playing. Of a player: Holding commanding cards (in a specified suit). Of a hand or suit: Composed of commanding cards. Of a card: Of high and commanding value.
1862‘Cavendish’ Whist (1864) 59 It is conversely a disadvantage to trump a doubtful card when you are strong in trumps. 1864W. Pole Theory Whist (1870) 18 A strong hand is difficult to define, further than as one likely to make many tricks; a weak one the contrary. Ibid. 34 It can only be warranted by very strong cards in all other suits. 1879‘Cavendish’ Card Ess. 184 If I only live long enough,..perhaps some day my strong suit will be trumps! 1900J. Doe Bridge Man. 31 The Dealer should go No Trumps with two very strong suits, one other suit weakly guarded, and the fourth not guarded at all. Ibid. 32 If his Spades are fairly strong he should leave the declaration to his partner.
attrib.1886‘Cavendish’ Whist (ed. 16) App. 288 The original leader (a strong suit player), leads queen of a plain suit.
b. Hence fig., as (one's) strong suit: something at which one excels. Also strong card, a particular advantage or forte. colloq.
1865‘Mark Twain’ Sketches New & Old (1875) 33 Jumping on a dead level was his strong suit. 1884,1898[see suit n. 20 a]. 1899Ade Fables in Slang 138 Marie was a Strong Card. The Male Patrons of the Establishment hovered around the Desk long after paying their Checks. Within a Month the Receipts of the Place had doubled. 1936E. M. Forster Abinger Harvest i. 16 As my husband points out, that is one of our strong cards. 1940G. Frankau Self-Portrait lxiii. 388 Adaptability has always been one of my strong suits. 1970R. Lowell Notebook 140 Dating children with trash was your strong suit.
25. Comb. In parasynthetic adjs., as strong-armed, strong-backed, strong-brained, etc. See also strong-breathed, -headed, -minded.
a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 944 [Arrows] stronge poynted euerychoon. c1374[see faithed ppl. a. 1]. 1412–20Lydg. Chron. Troy i. 1252 A rial chef cite..Strong wallid & towred rounde aboute. a1425tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula etc. 6 For that the pacient was strong herted, and suffrid wele sharp þingis. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. i. ii. 77 O well-knit Sampson, strong ioynted Sampson. 1592― Ven. & Ad. 111 Strong-temperd steele his stronger strength obayed. 1656Cowley Pindar. Odes, Plagues Egypt xi, The houses and strong-body'ed Trees it broke. 1657Whole Duty Man (1755) 194 These stronger-brained Drinkers. 1677Lond. Gaz. No. 1233/4 A bright bay Nag, very strong quartered. 1780Burke Œcon. Reform. Wks. III. 233 A man of a long-sighted and a strong-nerved humanity. 1785Burns Addr. to Deil iv, On the strong-wing'd Tempest flyin. 1785Strong-bodied [see baas]. 1822Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Bks. & Reading, To be strong-backed and neat-bound is the desideratum of a volume. 1850J. G. Whittier Elliott in National Era 10 Jan. 6/4 Strong-armed as Thor! 1858Homans Cycl. Comm. 434/2 Fine, long, and strong-stapled cotton. 1863Tennyson On Transl. Homer 1 These lame hexameters the strong-wing'd music of Homer! 1868Ruskin Pol. Econ. Art Addenda 200 A great deal may, indeed, be done..by a nation strong-elbowed and strong-hearted as we are. 1868J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. I. 331 Then the stronger souled men betook themselves to preparation for violent deaths. 1899Lady M. Verney Verney Mem. IV. 80 She came of a strong-willed family. 1907Munsey's Mag. Dec. 309/1 The piccola looked up at the dark..strong-jawed face. 1922Joyce Ulysses 525 He wrote pencilled messages offering his nuptial partner to all strongmembered males. 1922D. H. Lawrence England, my England (1924) 82 He looked so strong-blooded and healthy. 1926― Plumed Serpent vii. 130 White men sitting there would have been strong-muscled and frank. a1930― Etruscan Places (1932) iii. 74 This sense of vigorous, strong-bodied liveliness is characteristic of the Etruscans. 1930S. Spender Twenty Poems 3 Weapons men use, stone, sling, and strong-thewed bow He will not know. 1931R. Graves To Whom Else? 11 With their strong-gutted and capacious bellies Digested stones and glass like ostriches. 1944Blunden Shells by Stream 31 Strong-elbowed and with wondrous beard, Whose statue's this? 1960C. Day Lewis Buried Day ii. 44 My father..[had] the expression of an actor playing the part of a strong-charactered, resolute, if moody, man. 1978W. F. Buckley Stained Glass xvii. 169 He was strong-jawed, with a splotchy face that showed the ravages of frostbite.
26. Special comb.: strong-back, (a) any of several plants used in the West Indies to make medicinal infusions; (b) Naut. (see quot. 1867); also, a spar across boat-davits, to which the boat is secured at sea (Cent. Dict. 1891), and in extended uses, esp. a beam placed across an access cover to secure it in position; strong bark, a tree or shrub of the genus Bourreria, found in the West Indies and tropical America; strong-eyed a. chiefly N.Z., of a sheep-dog: possessed of good powers of controlling sheep; hence strong eye, (N.Z., a sheep-dog with) this ability; strong house, (a) a fortified house, a castle; (b) (see quot. 1797); strong joint U.S. slang (see quots. 1935, 1938); strong-like a. Sc., having an appearance of strength; strong-man's-weed, the plant Petiveria alliacea, found in the West Indies and used there for its stimulating and sudorific properties; strong stress Prosody, accentuation which falls on syllables separated by a varying number of unstressed syllables, characteristic of certain poetic traditions, as Old English alliterative verse.
1738Phil. Trans. XL. 350 Pittoniæ similis [frutex]. In the Bahama Islands it is called *Strong-back; a Decoction of the Bark is used there to strengthen the Stomach, and restore the Appetite. 1863A. Young Naut. Dict. 397 Strong-back, for the Chain Cable. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Strong-back, the same with Samson's post (which see). Also, an adaptation of a strong piece of wood over the windlass, to lift the turns of a chain-cable clear of it. 1927M. W. Beckwith Notes Jamaican Ethnobotany 28 Strong-back..For a weak back drink a little as tea each day. 1927G. Bradford Gloss. Sea Terms 176/2 Strongback, a steel (or wood) beam placed across a hatch to support the sections of the hatch covers... A spar lashed to and running between the old style davits to steady them and to aid in controlling and securing the boat. 1953C. S. Forester Hornblower & Atropos xvi. 253 The next morning Hornblower watched launch and longboat start off with strongbacks erected in their sterns, and blocks and tackles rigged on them. 1953Caribbean Q. III. i. 10 There are two or three kinds of strong-back (to make strengthening tea). 1970M. Slater Caribbean Cooking for Pleasure 21/2 In Jamaica, fish soup is ‘Fish Tea’ and sometimes called ‘Strong Back’, but this term is applied to anything nourishing ‘make strong back’. 1977Austral. Sailing Jan. 38/3 The strongback on which the mast is stepped is made as a complete trussed girder beam which is placed as a unit inside the shell.
1864Grisebach Flora Brit. W. Ind. 788/1 *Strong-bark. 1884Sargent Rep. Forests N. Amer. 114 Bourreria Havanensis... Strong Bark.
1934J. Lilico Sheep Dog Mem. 4 My father..taught me how to prevent the several faults that the *strong-eyed young dog will assuredly acquire if not taken in time. 1949G. W. C. Hartley Shepherd's Dogs ii. 3 Excessively strong-eyed dogs. Ibid. 5 The pup is from a ‘strong-eye’ strain. 1952Arena (N.Z.) xxxi. 2 Shepherding the stragglers would be Charlie's strong-eyes, Beau and Belle. 1977Field 13 Jan. 55/2 A dog which can ‘will’ his sheep into submission requires what shepherds term a strong (or dominant) eye.
1649–50Cromwell Let. 15 Feb. in Carlyle, From thence I marched to a *Strong-house belonging to Sir Richard Everard. 1797B. S. Barton New Views Orig. Tribes Amer. p. xxxviii, The Senecas, Mohawks, Onondagos, Cayugas, and Oneidas, constitute the confederacy which has long been known by the name of the Five Nations. This confederacy, or compact, is called by the Indians themselves the Strong-House. 1875W. McIlwraith Guide Wigtownshire 104 A strong-house was built here at an early date.
1926Maines & Grant Wise-Crack Dict. 14/1 *Strong joint, unfair or cheater's game. 1935N. Ersine Underworld & Prison Slang 73 Strong joint, a crooked gambling house. 1938F. Chester Shot Full xi. 98 A ‘pick-out’. This is another form of ‘strong-joint’, or never-win game. 1963Strong-joint [see flat joint s.v. flat a. 15].
1782J. Brown Nat. & Revealed Relig. ii. i. 139 He..doth accomplish those promises..which he had the *strongest-like reasons to shift. 1789J. Williams Min. Kingd. I. 420 Some of these are dull and strong like.
1864Grisebach Flora Brit. W. Ind. 788/1 *Strong-man's-weed.
1959PMLA LXXIV. i. 588 The two main alternative principles of English meter..are actually two kinds of stress—*strong stress (the Old English, the Piers Plowman tradition) and syllable stress (the Chaucer-Tennyson tradition). 1973Studies in Eng. Lit.: Eng. Number (Tokyo) 22 There was no mention of Anglo-Saxon verse as a forerunner of sprung rhythm... There is..little reason to suppose that Hopkins derived his sprung rhythm from strong-stress verse.
▸ Cryptogr. Of, relating to or designating an encryption system which is particularly difficult to break; spec. (esp. in Computing) designating encryption which is effectively impossible to break without the decryption key.
1973Sci. Amer. May 21/2 Intuitive guides that he believed would lead to strong ciphers. 1984Dr. Dobb's Jrnl. Aug. 44/1 This article discusses the construction of a strong file encryption system for CP/M, which we will call ‘TNT’. 1989Network World (Nexis) 30 Oct. 58 Simple authentication is nothing more than password verification; strong authentication involves the use of public key cryptography techniques. 1998Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 22 July h10 Government policies forbid companies to export encryption products with more than 40-bit encryption. The administration argues that if strong encryption were available everywhere, terrorists and spies would be able to freely mask all their misdeeds.
▸ strong safety n. Amer. Football a defensive player who typically plays opposite the strong side of the offensive line, behind the linebackers but closer to the line of scrimmage than the free safety; (also) the position occupied by such a player; cf. free safety n. at free adj. and n. and adv. Special uses 2.
1962Brainerd (Minnesota) Daily Dispatch (Electronic text) 22 Aug. Lamson..has been getting plenty of work at the *strong safety slot. 1991Football Action '91 9/2 Swilling will move to strong safety this season. 2006Sports Illustr. (Electronic ed.) 25 Sept. 50 [He] broke free from the grasp of strong safety Sammy Knight and raced into the end zone.
▸ strong side n. Amer. Football the side of a formation (at the line of scrimmage) having the most players; (also) the side of the offensive formation on which the tight end lines up.
1905F. H. Yost Football for Player & Spectator 239 This play strikes on the *strong side. 1959Bennington (Vermont) Evening Banner 1 Oct. 4/5 Graham was promoted to the strong-side guard post. 2003Windsor (Ont.) Star (Nexis) 25 July c1 Slated to play the strong side,..Bailey will struggle against larger NFL tight ends.
▪ II. strong, adv.|strɒŋ|
Forms: 1, 4 strange, 1–5 stronge, 4– north. and Sc. strang, 4– strong.
[OE. strange, strǫnge = OHG. strango: see strong a.]
1. a. Qualifying a verb or predication: = strongly adv. Obs. exc. as in b, c. † more stronger: = a fortiori.
c900Bæda's Hist. i. xxvii. (1890) 68 Þeah ðe þæt wiite hwene heardor & strongor don sy. a1000Boeth. Metr. vi. 15 Heo strange ᵹeondstyred on staðu beateð. a1250Owl & Night. 254 Þeos vle..wes of teoned swiþe stronge. a1300K. Horn 304 (Camb.) Wel longe Ihc habbe þe luued stronge. a1300Cursor M. 24100 On mi sorou mai be nan end, It stikes me sua strang. 13..K. Alis. 1609 (Laud MS.) Þe fote men & þai on hors Trauaileden stronge her cors. c1400Gamelyn 397 Gamelyn þat stood y-bounde stronge. c1425Seven Sag. (P.) 197 This house that is so strange dyȝt. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iii. 86 Soo stronge he spored his horse, that he wente ayenste Reynawde. 1532St. German's Dial. Laws Eng. ii. xxviii. 61 b, I suppose..that more stronger he maye appoyntte at what age suche wylles as be made shalbe perfourmed. 1570Sat. Poems Reform. xviii. 63 His Father [ye] wyrreit strang. 1641J. Jackson True Evang. T. ii. 98 The more weary [the Oxe] is, the more strong doth he fixe his footings. 1679Moxon Mech. Exerc. ix. 160 The stronger it is forced in, the faster the Hook sticks. 1697Dryden æneis xi. 1249 The Bow⁓string touch'd her Breast, so strong she drew. 1705H. Blackwell Engl. Fencing-Master 34 If that Thrust be made at you, parry strong, and thrust at the same time. 1767Warburton in W. & Hurd Lett. (1809) 407 G.S. was stronger engraved on your fancy than B.S. 1768–74Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 81 Whatever affects a man's private interests, touches him stronger than those of the community, or mankind in general. 1841Catlin N. Amer. Ind. i. (1844) I. 10 The reader will be disposed to forgive me for dwelling so long and so strong on the justness of the claims.
b. Used regularly with certain verbs, as blow, flow, grow, run, smell, etc. (Often indistinguishable from the complementary use of the adj.)
1422Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 174 The course of the ryuer So stronge and So styfe rane. c1560Jack Jugler (facs.) E j, Many here smell strong but none so ranke as he. 1596Ralegh Discov. Guiana 53 A slent of northerly wind that blew very strong. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 475 The Current setting strong to the E.N.E. a1778W. Anderson in Cook's 3rd Voy. iii. ix. (1784) II. 143 This wind..sometimes blows strong, though generally moderate. 1813Sporting Mag. XLI. 85 His antagonist..run strong in, leaving the other three hundred yards in the rear. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xi. III. 110 The Whig peers..mustered strong, and spoke warmly. a1861T. Woolner My Beautiful Lady, Her Shadow vi, Thro' pastures and thro' fields where corn grew strong.
c. In colloq. phrases. to come it strong: to go to great lengths; to display great activity, energy, boldness, etc.; to make statements which are hard to credit. to come out strong: to make a big display or impression; to ‘launch out’; to declare or express oneself vigorously. to come on strong (orig. U.S.), to adopt or exhibit aggressive behaviour; to perform or contest successfully. to go it strong: to act vigorously or recklessly. to go strong on: to support or advocate energetically (? obs.). to be going strong: to be vigorous, thriving, or prosperous. to pitch it strong: to indulge in ‘tall’ talk; to make exaggerated or incredible statements.
1812,1825–[see come v. 28, 29]. 1837T. Hook Jack Brag xi, I can come it strong in that line. 1840[see go v. 46 c]. 1841Hood Tale of Trumpet 281 Unless the Managers pitch it strong. 1844Disraeli Coningsby ii. vi, ‘We go strong on the Church?’ said Mr. Taper. 1844Dickens Mart. Chuz. xlviii, He was a man as might have come out strong. 1850Thackeray Pendennis xxxvi, They've took a house in Grosvenor Place, and are coming out strong. 1853C. M. Yonge Heir of Redclyffe xliii, ‘Over-worked, I suppose’, said Charles, ‘I thought he was coming it pretty strong these last few weeks.’ 1860Players I. 147 Many a fair lady must have lost her heart when she saw Mr. J. M. on his twentieth birthday, when he came out ‘strong’ at a fancy dress ball. 1861Meredith Evan Harrington xiv, By Jove! this comes it strong. Fancy the snipocracy here—eh? 1863Reade Hard Cash xxxix, Well, I am thinking the 'Tiser is pitching it rather strong. 1866A. Halliday in Dickens, etc. Mugby Junction, Engine-driver 26/2, I used to make that journey to Brighton in fifty-two minutes. The papers said forty-nine minutes, but that was coming it a little too strong. 1879Oxf. & Camb. Undergrad. Jrnl. 6 Nov. 65/1 A grand meeting in the Sheldonian..at which Canon Farrar came out rather strong. 1898Punch 22 Oct. 186/3 And though, just now, we're going strong, The brandy cannot last for long. 1913Daily Graphic 26 Mar. 17/2 ‘Everybody's Doing It’ and ‘The Reaper's Dream’ are still going very strong. 1970H. E. Roberts Third Ear 5/2 Come on strong, to do something to a superlative degree, to an extreme; to ‘pour it on’. 1976Honolulu Star-Bull. 21 Dec. e–1/5 Young guys who've never had experience come on too strong and that's how a fight with a host starts. 1979Tucson (Arizona) Citizen 28 Apr. b. 1/1 The Kings came on strong at the onset of the third period, outscoring the Suns, 15-6.
†2. Qualifying an adj.: Extremely, very. Obs.
c1400Brut cxxxiii. 138 When he saw þat he was so stronge sike. c1450Merlin iii. 52, I will tomorowe go to an Abbey, and feyne me stronge sike.
3. Comb.
a. with pa. pples., as strong-built, strong-knit, strong-made, strong-set, etc.
c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 4305 Now, godë fadir, how mochil monye In your strong bounden chist is, we yow preye? 1577–87Holinshed Chron. III. 1226/1 A big, broad, strong set fellow. a1586Sidney Arcadia iii. xii. §10. (1912) 424 The unfaythfull armour yeelding to the swoordes strong-guided sharpenesse. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, ii. iii. 21 His strong knit Limbs. a1592Marlowe Jew of Malta Prol. 22 A strong built Citadell. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d' Alf. ii. 308 Their strong-sowne pockets. c1656Sir H. Cholmley Mem. (1787) 11 He was..withal big and strong-made. 1690Lond. Gaz. No. 2579/4 A very strong turn'd Gelding. 1757Dyer Fleece iii. 382 To cast the strong-flung shuttle. 1776Burney Hist. Mus. I. 59 There must have been other characteristic and strong-marked distinctions. 1820Hazlitt Lect. Dram. Lit. 66 The same strong-braced tone of passionate declamation is kept up. 1823Scott Quentin D. v, His firm and strong-set teeth. 1864Tennyson En. Ard. 30 If they quarrell'd, Enoch stronger-made Was master. 1899Westm. Gaz. 12 Sept. 5/3 It became apparent that the jockeys of the American horses did not want a strong-run race.
b. with pres. pples., as strong-beating, strong-growing, strong-smelling, etc.
1598Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. iii. Furies 616 The Ram for Physick takes strong-senting Rue. 1619A. Newman Pleasures Vision D 7, In her [sc. woman's] strong-drawing fraile society. 1642H. More Song of Soul i. i. 59 That large strong-beating flood That gars the Poet write. 1731Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Hyacinthus, At which Time you must separate all the strong flowering Roots. 1761Glover Medea iii. vi. 52 The strong-constraining spell hath tam'd The restif blast. c1770H. Glasse Compl. Confectioner 286 The aromatic, balsamic, oily, and strong-smelling plants. 1842Loudon Suburban Hort. 423 The stronger-growing plums, such as the Washington. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xxx, He..held her..tight pressed against his strong-beating heart. 1880‘Brooksby’ Hunting Countries ii. 212 Mounted on a bold, strong-jumping horse. 1898J. A. Gibbs Cotswold Vill. 227 The hares in this district are remarkably big and strong-running.
▪ III. strong, v.
Forms: 1–2 strangian, strongian, 3 strange-n, 3–5 stronge-n.
[OE. strangian, f. strang strong a. (OE. had also ᵹestrangian intr. and trans.: see B.-T. Suppl.). Cf. OHG. strangên intr.]
†a. intr. To become strong. Obs.
b. trans. To make strong, strengthen. Also, to cause (one) to smell strong. Now only U.S. local.
c. to strong it, to behave excessively, to exaggerate. slang.
a.c825Vesp. Psalter lxiv. [lxv.] 4 Word unrehtwisra strongadun [Vulg. prævaluerunt] ofer us. c1000ælfric Gram. xxvi. (Z.) 154 Uigeo, ic strangiᵹe. c1175Lamb. Hom. 13 Þet eower heorte erȝian swiðe and eower feond stronȝian.
b.971Blickling Hom. 249 He þær wunode mid him seofon daᵹas, lærende and strangenda hire heortan on ᵹeleafan ures Drihtnes Hælendes Cristes. c1000ælfric Saints' Lives xxxiii. 255 Pafnuntius þa wearð micclan ᵹestrangod þurh hire trymenesse. c1205Lay. 4461 Þe castles heo nomen alle & strangede þa walles. Ibid. 8239 Androgeus forð rihtes nom alle his cnihtes..& iwenden in to Kent to his ane castle & hine strongede wel. c1315Shoreham Poems i. 340 And wanne a man hit onderuangeþ, Ine saule hit hine strangeþ. c1450Mirk's Festial 229 For maydenhode ys lytyll helpe wyth, but yf hyt be strongyt wyth pacience.
1913H. Kephart Our Southern Highlanders xiii. 283 A verb will be coined from an adverb... Or from an adjective... Baby, that onion 'll strong ye! 1941E. P. O'Donnell Great Big Doorstep xviii. 250 The coffee gunna strong you soon, darling.
c.1964New Statesman 10 Apr. 555/2 ‘To strong it’ means to overdo something, like taking more than 30 purple hearts in one night. 1970G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard iii. 108 Don't you think that's stronging it?
▪ IV. strong, n. Austral. slang.
[f. the adj.]
In the phr. the strong of (a person or thing) = the strength of s.v. strength n. 2 e.
1916A. Wright Under Cloud 31 Don't yer want to own up? Some reason for wantin’ to preserve yer incog, I suppose. What's th’ strong of it? 1938X. Herbert Capricornia 566 What's the strong of you? What's the questioning for? I've done nuthin’. 1959E. Lambert Glory thrown In 161 ‘What's the strong of this joint?’ demanded Doc brusquely. ‘Not an undertaker's is it?’
▪ V. strong
obs. pa. pple. of string v. |