| 释义 |
▪ I. thank, n.|θæŋk|
Forms: α. 1–4 þanc, (3 ðhanc), 1–5 þank, (3 Orm. þannk), 4 thanc (thang), 4–5 þanke, 4–6 thanck(e, 4–7 thanke, (6 thangke), 4– thank. β. 1 thonc, 1–4 þonc, 2 þeonk, 2– 5 þonk, (3 þong), 3–5 þonke, 4 þoncke.
[OE. þanc, þǫnc = OFris. thonk, OS. *thank (MDu. danc, D. dank), OHG., MHG. danc (G. dank), ON. þökk (:—þanku fem.), Sw. tack, Da. tak, Goth. þagks:—OTeut. *þankoz, f. ablaut stem þenk: þank: þunk: see think. The primary sense was therefore thought.]
I.
†1. = thought. Obs. (See also i-thank.)
735Bæda Death-song 2 Naeniᵹ uuiurthit thonc snotturra [or thoncsnotturra] than him thaarf sie. a900Andreas 557 (Gr.) Saᵹa þances gleaw þeᵹn, ᵹif þu cunne, hu þæt ᵹewurde be werum tweonum. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) lxxxvii[i]. 11 Ne on ðeostrum ne mæᵹ, þances ᵹehyᵹdum, æniᵹ wislicu wundur oncnawan. c1160Hatton Gosp. Matt. xv. 19 Of þare heorte cumeð þa yfele þankes [c 1000 ᵹeþancas]. c1175Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him..mid ufele þeonke. a1200Moral Ode 90 He þurþsicheþ uches monnes þonc. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 9 We..folȝeð on þonke, and on speche, and on dede, þat him is iqueme. a1225Ancr. R. 222 He..put..a swuc[h] þonc in hire softe heorte. c1300Prov. Hending i. in Sal. & Sat., etc. (1848) 270 Gode þonkes and monie þewes for te teche fele schrewes.
†2.
a. Favourable thought or feeling, good will; graciousness, grace, favour. Obs.
a1000Cædmon's Gen. 796 (Gr.) Þis is landa betst, þæt wit þurh uncres hearran þanc habban moston. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) ci. 15 [cii. 17] Oft he þearfendra bene þance ᵹehyrde. 1340Ave Maria in Rel. Ant. I. 42 Hayl Marie of thonke vol [Vulg. Luke i. 28 Ave! gratia plena]. 1609Bible (Douay) Ecclus. xii. 1 If thou wilt doe good, know to whom thou doest it, and there shal be much thanke [Vulg. gratia multa] in thy good deedes.
†b. The genitive case thanks, ME. thankes, lit. ‘of thought’, ‘of good will’, was used adverbially in sense ‘willingly, voluntarily’, esp. with preceding possessive pronoun, e.g. his thankes = with his consent, good will, or approval: so Godes thankes = Deo volente. Cf. unthankes, unwillingly. Obs.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. xiii, Sæᵹe me nu hwæðer se þin wela [þines] ðances swa diore seo, þe for his aᵹenre ᵹecynde. 1008Charter of Bp. Theodred in Birch Cart. Sax. III. 209 Mines erfes þat ic beᵹiten habbe & ᵹet biᵹete Godes þankes and hise haleᵹen. 1066O.E. Chron. (MS. C.), Tostiᵹ..nam of þam butse karlon sume mid him, sume þances sume unþances. 1154Ibid. an. 1140 (MS. Laud), Hi of Normandi wenden alle fra þe king.., sume here þankes & sume here un þankes. c1175Lamb. Hom. 17 Al swa þu waldest þet me dude þe þines þonkes. a1250Owl & Night. 70 Ek for þe þe sulue mose Hire þonkes wolde þe totose. c1386Chaucer Shipman's T. 188 Pardee, I wol nat faille yow, my thankes. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxi. 140 Þis ile dare na pilgrim come in ne nere it, þaire thankes. a1450Myrc Par. Pr. 891 Koghe þow not þenne þy þonkes.
†3. Kindly thought or feeling entertained towards any one for favour or services received; grateful thought, gratitude. Rarely in pl. Obs.
The sense of ‘gratitude, kindly or loving feeling for favour or benefit’ must have been developed between that of ‘good will, good feeling’ generally, and that of ‘the expression of gratitude’. But the feeling passes so naturally into its expression that it is not easy to separate them in the quotations, except by the accompanying verbs: to express one's thanks, and the archaic to con thanks, ought to mean to express one's feelings of gratitude; but to give, offer, return or receive thanks, ought to mean to give or receive the expression of gratitude; so to have thanks, but this is less clear. In many instances it is impossible to say which is meant; some of the examples given here may belong to 4.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9379 Muche þonc were it vs of god mid him vorto fiȝte. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1380 Haue I þryuandely þonk þurh my craft serued? c1374Chaucer Troylus iii. 1728 (1777) Þis encres of hardynesse and myght Com hym of loue, his ladyes thank to wynne. c1400Destr. Troy 12724 The lady..þonkit hym þroly with þonks in hir hert. c1420Brut 343 Þanne þei..went hom ayen yn-to her owne cuntre, with grete loue & moche þanke. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xvi. 19 Or the gift deliuerit be, The thank is frustrat and expyrd. a1677Barrow Wks. (1687) I. viii. 94 It was a satyrical answer (that of Aristotle)..who being asked..What doth the soonest grow old? replied..Thanks.
4. The expression of gratitude; the grateful acknowledgement of a benefit or favour.
†a. in sing. Obs.
† Gode þank, God-thank [= L. Deo gratias, F. grâce à Dieu], thanks (be) to God, thank God.
Beowulf 1779 Þæs siᵹ metode þanc, ecean dryhtne, þæs ðe ic on aldre ᵹe-bad. c888K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §4 Þa ᵹesceafta næren nanes þonces ne nanes weorðscipes wyrðe. c897― Gregory's Past. C. 2 Gode almiehteᵹum si ðonc ðætte we nu æniᵹne on stal habbað lareowa. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 1116 (Gr.) Him þæs þanc sie. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxvi. (Nycholas) 324 Thang to al-mychtty god he ȝaulde. c1440Promp. Parv. 490/1 Thanke, grates, graciarum accio, gratulamen. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 195/2 Thanke and glorye to god & honoure to the vyrgyne. 1534More Treat. Passion Introd., Wks. 1271/1 Turning to god with lawde and thanke. a1553Udall Royster D. ii. ii, Doughtie. He will thank you woman. Madge. I will none of his thanke. 1642Rogers Naaman 385 Is this the thanke which you returne to God?
c897K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. 9 Gode ðonc. Ibid. i. 27. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 11 Unbileue..is aiware aleid and rihte leue arered godeðonc. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2578 Þe King was gode þonk aboue in four batailes. c1300Havelok 2005 Þus wolde þe theues me haue reft, But godþank, he hauenet sure keft.
b. in plural. † Formerly sometimes const. as sing.
1340Ayenb. 18 Me..him ne yeldeþ þonkes of his guodes, þet he ous heþ ydo. 1481Caxton Reynard iv. (Arb.) 8 All hath he but lytyl thanks. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. iv. (Percy Soc.) 21 At whose encreace there is great thankes rendred. 1538Elyot, Grates, thankes. 1588Shakes. Tit. A. i. i. 215 Thankes to men Of Noble mindes, is Honourable Meede. 1592― Rom. & Jul. ii. vi. 23 Else is his thanks too much. 1651Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxxi. 191 Prayers precede, and Thanks succeed the benefit. 1753Hanway Trav. (1762) I. ii. xvi. 72 Our soldiers were fed luxuriously at the fisheries, for nothing more than thanks. 1805R. Fulton in Sinclair's Corr. (1831) II. 64, I return it to you with my sincere thanks. 1871R. Ellis Catullus xlix. 4 Thanks superlative unto thee Catullus Renders. 1881‘Rita’ My Lady Coquette iii, Yolande gives her a smile of thanks.
c. a thank (formerly also a thanks): an expression of gratitude; a thanking, a thank-you. Now rare.
† to pick (get, win) a thank: see pick v.1 8 b. Obs.
13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1984 Vche mon þat he mette, he made hem a þonke, For his seruyse. 1474Caxton Chesse iii. vii. (1883) 139 To thende that they myght haue a thanke & be preysed. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. Pref. 5 b, Verye manye of those wryters seke to pike a thanke. a1577Gascoigne Herbs, etc. Wks. (1587) 119 While Pierce the plowman hopes to pick a thank. 1579–1627 [see pick v.1 8 b β]. 1601B. Jonson Poetaster iv. vii, Without a thankes, to be sent hence! 1678R. L'Estrange Seneca's Mor. i. xv. (1696) 81 He..contents himself with a bare Thank for a Requital. a1810Tannahill Poet. Wks. (1846) 67 With his lordship's thank. 1839Longfellow Black Kn. 47 The children drank, Gave many a courteous thank.
II. Phrases and phraseological uses.
5. a. thanks: a much abbreviated expression of gratitude for a favour received or recognition of a service; = I give you my thanks, my thanks to you, or the like. Also many thanks, best thanks.
1588Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 559 If your Ladiship would say thankes Pompey, I had done. La. Great thankes, great Pompey. 1605― Macb. ii. i. 30 Macb. Good repose the while! Banq. Thankes, Sir: the like to you! 1647Peacham Worth of a Penny 14 He answers you with Monosyllables,..Yes, No, That, Thankes, True, &c. 1803Forest of Hohenelbe I. 167 Thanks, Baron, for your good wishes. 1803Pitt in G. Rose's Diaries (1860) II. 16 Many thanks for your letter. 1866E. FitzGerald More Lett. (1901) 82 Don't you dislike the way some People have of saying perpetually ‘Thanks!’ instead of ‘Thank you’?.. It is like cutting Acknowledgment as short as possible... Thanks [is] about one of the most hideous monosyllables, even in the English Language. 1870M. Bridgman Rob. Lynne II. xiv. 299 ‘Would you like to read the letter, Robert?’ ‘No, thanks’.
b. With intensifying advbs. and phrases, as thanks awfully, thanks ever so, thanks a lot, thanks a million (orig. U.S.), thanks very much, etc. Also used ironically.
1890A. Tuer Thenks Awf'lly! i. 11 He at once burst into conversation: ‘Thenks awf'lly! I nurly missed the trine.’ 1911D. H. Lawrence Let. 7 Nov. (1962) I. 84 Dear Garnett: Just got your letter—I am very glad with the Nation—thanks very much. 1914‘Saki’ Beasts & Super-Beasts 217 If you lend me three pounds that ought to see me through comfortably. Thanks ever so. 1916E. F. Benson David Blaize vii. 134, I couldn't possibly. But thanks, most awfully. 1936Sat. Even. Post 12 Sept. 10/1 That was a swell lunch. Thanks a million. 1942N. Balchin Darkness falls from Air xiv. 237, I gave him a pound and said, ‘Thanks a lot.’ 1965Wodehouse Galahad at Blandings i. 8 The ‘Oh, thanks awfully’ which betrayed the other's English origin. 1966H. Nicholson Duckling in Capri xv. 194 ‘Spend it on Pam.’ ‘Shall I? Thanks a million.’ 1967Plays & Players Apr. 41/1 Trebor: Couldn't we go on an aeroplane, somewhere? Webster: No, we couldn't go on an aeroplane. Trebor: Thanks very much. 1972J. Mann Mrs Knox's Profession ii. 15 ‘Thanks ever so,’ he said, his voice an octave higher than usual. 1982‘J. Bell’ Innocent ii. 16 ‘You'll want a tray, love.’.. ‘Of course, thanks a lot.’
c. thanks be: ellipt. for ‘thanks be to God’, as an expression of relief or satisfaction. colloq.
1924D. Moore Fen's First Term ix. 97 Me 'arf dye, thanks be. 1942C. Milburn Diary 7 Oct. (1979) 154 Hats are to be fewer—I seem to have many, thanks be! 1963Times 4 Feb. 13/2 And thanks be, that aging design, the longer fitted jacket has not reappeared.
6. thanks to: Thanks be given to, or are due to; hence, Owing to, as a result of, in consequence of. (Often ironical.) So no thanks († thank) to, no credit to, not by virtue or merit of; not because or by reason of.
1633Earl of Manchester Al Mondo (1636) 115 It is no thankes to a man to pay that willingly, which he must doe of necessitie. 1633Bp. Hall Medit. & Vows (1851) 150 It is scarce any thank to me that he prevails. 1647Trapp Comm. Rev. iii. 4 No thank to the Pastour, who was a mercenary eye-servant. a1687Petty Pol. Arith. vi. (1691) 99 No thanks to any Laws which have been made to that purpose. 1737Pope Hor. Epist. ii. ii. 68 But (thanks to Homer) since I live and thrive, Indebted to no Prince or Peer alive. 1813Scott Rokeby v. vi, It is a sight but rarely spied, Thanks to man's wrath and woman's pride. 1894Westm. Gaz. 21 Aug. 3/3 The passengers—thanks, I expect, to the bitter cold—behaved more quietly at night than in the morning.
†7. in (on) thank, to thank, with pleased mind, with pleasure or satisfaction; pleasantly, graciously; with thanks, gratefully. Obs.
a1000Andreas 1114 (Gr.) Hie þa lac hraðe þeᵹon to þance. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 2442 Hie on þanc curon æðelinges est. a1300Cursor M. 15047 (Cott.) Þou tak to thanc þat we þe mak Sli mensking als we mai. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints vi. (Thomas) 12 Þat he in grete thank vil take, And als reward hym t[h]ankfully. c1400Rom. Rose 4577 He seyde, ‘In thank I shal it take, And high maister eeke thee make’. c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 9803 If I wist to thank ye wold it take, A mariage fayne wold I make. 1513Douglas æneis vii. v. 153, I grant thine axing, Troiane messinger, And ȝour rewardis ressauis in thank.
8. to can, con, cun (great, little) thank(s, to acknowledge or express gratitude, to make known gratitude, to give thanks, to thank. Obs. exc. dial.
See can v.1 10, con v.1 4.
†9. to have (or get) thank: to be thanked; also, to be thought worthy of thanks, to get the credit for, to have the merit or honour of (something); hence, contextually, thank = thanks due or merited, recompense, reward, credit, merit, and ironically discredit, blame. Obs.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xvii. 9 Ahne ðonc hafeð esne ðæm forðon dyde ða ðe him ᵹehaten hæfde? c1000Ags. Gosp. ibid., Hæfð se þeowa æniᵹne þanc forþam ðe he dyde þæt [etc.]? c1020Rule St. Benet v. (Logeman) 25 He for swylcere dæde æniᵹne ne begitt þanc. c1175Lamb. Hom. 137 Þa ðe doð god for to habben ðer of aȝen in þisse liue, nabbeð heo nenne þonc on eche weorlde. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9915 Þe wrecche luþer giwes..a riche presant..sende þis noble kinge, ac hor þonc was lute. a1300Cursor M. 13841 Þar-for haf he neuer thank! c1320Sir Tristr. 2081 Maister, þank haue ȝe. For þou me þis bode brouȝt Mi robe ȝiue y þe. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 452 For who so yeveth a yifte or dooth a grace, Do it by tyme, his thank ys wel the more. c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. vii. (1885) 125 Off somme man [h]is highnes shall haue more thanke ffor money then ffor lande. 1483Cath. Angl. 381/2 A Thanke, meritum, emericio, emericium. 1533Bellenden Livy ii. iv. (S.T.S.) I. 142 Thir twa lawis..war pronuncit allanerlie..be auctorite of þe said valerius (þat he mycht þarethrow haue þe thank þareof). 1539Bible (Great) Luke vi. 32 Yf ye loue them which loue you, what thanke haue ye? [so 1611, 1881; Tindale, what thanke are ye worthy of? Rhem. what thanke is to you?]. 1545Elyot Dict. s.v. Ineo, Gratiam inire, to get thanke or frendes with some pleasure done vnto them. 1584Mirr. Mag. 9 It is a work of more thank to preserue health, then to cure Sicknesse. 1600Nashe Summers Last Will Introd., He..must be making himselfe a publike laughing stock, & haue no thanke for his labor. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 4 The thanke of this is Gods, not yours. 1669R. Montagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 424 Lord Clarenden would have the thanks and credit of it.
10. to give thanks († thank, † to do thank(s), to express gratitude; spec. = ‘to give thanks to God’; now esp. of saying grace at a meal. arch.
971Blickl. Hom. 39 Don we..Drihtne þancas þe us þa wæstmas sealde. Ibid. 191 Þanc ic do, Crist þu ᵹoda hyrde. Ibid. 217 He..ælmihtiᵹum Gode þære ᵹife þanc sæᵹ de. 1477Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 1 To gyue therfore synguler louynges & thankes. 1526Tindale Matt. xxvi. 26 Jesus toke breed, and gave thankes, brake it, and gave it to his disciples. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. i. 162 Will you giue thankes, sweete Kate, or else shall I? 1765T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. I. 262 The general court..gave them thanks for their good services. 1808–18Jamieson s.v. Grace-drink, After the giving of thanks at the end of a meal. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. ix, All gave me fair thanks for the knightly manner of quitting myself towards them, except one.
11. to return thanks, to render thanks in return for a benefit or favour. Now chiefly used of the formal or public expression of thanks, or of grace at a meal.
1591–1780 [see return v. 20]. 1717Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess Mar 18 Apr., I returned her thanks, and..took my leave. 1803D. Wordsworth Jrnl. 27 Aug. (1941) I. 269 When breakfast was ended the mistress desired..her husband to ‘return thanks’. He said a short grace. 1827Edin. Weekly Jrnl. 28 Feb., He begged leave to return thanks for the honour which had been conferred on the Patrons of this excellent Institution. 1849C. Brontë Shirley vii, ‘Let us return thanks’, said he; which he did forthwith, and all quitted the table.
III. 12. attrib. and Comb., as thank-receiver, thanks-prayer; † thank-picking, thanks-freighted adjs.; † thank-render, a rendering of thanks, a thanksgiving; thanks-day, Thanksgiving Day (U.S.); thanksdoing, thanks-living (nonce-wds., after thanksgiving), action or conduct indicative of a thankful spirit. See also thank-offering, thanksgiving, etc.
1633Ford Love's Sacr. iv. i, Edged on by some *thank-picking parasite.
1786Cowper Let. to Lady Hesketh 31 Jan., I will constitute you my *Thank-receiver-general for whatsoever gift I shall receive hereafter.
1548Gest Pr. Masse in Dugdale Life (1840) App. i. 98 It is a forged worship and *thankerendre.
1696W. Bates Serm. Forgiveness 123 Let our thanksgiving be joined with *thanksdoing.
1882Spurgeon Treas. Dav. Ps. cxix. 65 We lose ourselves in adoring thanksgiving, and find ourselves again in careful *thanks-living.
1900Month Feb. 133 Passages..which seem to have reference to this primitive *Thanksprayer.
Add:[II.] [5.] [b.] Also, thanks loads.
1920F. Scott Fitzgerald in Smart Set July 15/2 Edith murmured a conventional ‘Thanks loads—cut in later,’ to the inconnu. 1944S. Bellow Dangling Man 171 ‘Thanks,’ Mrs. Bartlett whispered loudly from the dark square inlet of the lower hall. ‘Thanks loads.’
▪ II. thank, v.|θæŋk|
Forms: α. 1–2 þancian, 2–3 þankien, 3–5 þanken, 4–6 thanken, 4–7 thanke, thanck, (4 þ-, thanc, 4–5 þanky, thange), 5– thank. β. 1 ðoncian, 2 þonkien, 3–5 þonke(n, (3 þonki, 4 þonkke), 4–6 thonk, (5–6 thong).
[OE. þancian, þǫncian = OS. thankôn (MDu., Du. danken), OHG. dankôn (MHG., G. danken), ON. þakka (Sw. tacka, Da. takke):—OTeut. *þank-ôjan, f. *þankoz thank n.]
†1. intr. To give thanks. Obs. exc. as absol. of 3.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxvi 27, ᵹenimmende calic ðoncunco dyde vel ðoncade & sealde him. c975Rushw. Gosp. ibid., ᵹenom cælic þongade & salde heom. c1000Ags. Gosp. ibid., He ᵹenam þone calic þanciende. c1000ælfric Hom. II. 400 Drihten ðancode ærðan ðe he ða hlafas tobræce. c1290St. Brandan 595 in S. Eng. Leg. 236 Iudas þonkede reufolliche. c1500Melusine xxxvi. 247 ‘Fayre lordes’, said Geffray..‘that ought to be thanked for’ [indirect passive of ‘one ought to thank for that’].
†2. intr. in particular constructions.
a. To give thanks to a person (orig. with simple dat., at length treated as acc.: see 3). Obs.
c888K. ælfred Boeth. v. §3 Ðonca nu Gode þæt he ðe ᵹefultumade. a1000Cædmon's Satan 536 [Hi] þanceden þeodne, þæt hit þus ᵹelomp. c1000Ags. Gosp. Luke xvii. 16 He..feoll to his foten & him þancode. c1175Lamb. Hom. 153, Iþonked wurðe him [Let it be thanked to him]. a1450Le Morte Arth. 1478 On knes Felle thay..And thankyd All to god. 1508Dunbar Gold. Targe 101 Syne to dame Flora..Thay saluse, and thay thank a thousand syse. 1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 145 That persone, to whom onely..thou art bound to thanke.
†b. of (= on account of, for) a thing (orig. gen.): see c. Obs.
971Blickl. Hom. 43 Ne sceal he..to lyt þancian heora ælmessan. Ibid. 203 Hie..þancudan þæs siᵹes ðe hie ᵹefered hæfdon.
†c. (combining a and b) to a person (dat.), of a thing (orig. gen.), the dative (mostly a pronoun) passing into an accusative: the usual constr. in OE. and early ME.; passing into 3 b. Obs.
Beowulf 1397 Se gomela gode þancode..þæs se man ᵹespræc. a1000Cædmon's Gen. 257 (Gr.) He..sceolde his drihtne þancian þæs leanes. c1000ælfric Saints' Lives (1885) I. 104 Iulianus þa sona þæs þancode Gode. c1175Lamb. Hom. 39 Þet þu luuie þine drihten and him þonkien alles þinges. c1200Vices & Virtues 29 Þanke ðar-of ðine lauerde gode. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 197 Iob..þonkede him of þan wowe, alse dude ar of þe wele.
3. a. trans. To give thanks to; to express gratitude or obligation to. (Orig. intr. with dat.: see 2 a. By 1200 the dat. was treated as acc., and might be subject of the passive voice.) Sometimes const. that.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 3 Þanked be ure louerd ihesu crist. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1154 Vaire he þonkede is gode folc. Ibid. 9281 Ich þonke ȝou..Þat ȝe me so muche loue sseweþ. a1300Cursor M. 3321 (Cott.) Thancand god, til erth he fell. c1350Will. Palerne 2794 Þat we so scaþli ar a-schaped god mowe [we] þonk. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. xii. 48, I..þankede hure a þousand syþes. c1420Chron. Vilod. 461 Þey thongedone god and mournedone no more. 1537Wriothesley Chron. (Camden) I. 67 The maior and aldermen riding about the cittie thancking the people. 1598Shakes. Merry W. i. i. 293, I had rather walke here (I thanke you). 1648Hamilton Papers (Camden) 250 Powley is returned from London. He brings a most sleevles letter..which signifyes nothing... Judge if I thanked him. a1796Burns Selkirk Grace, We hae meat and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xxxvii, That he has subjects in Scotland, I think he may thank God and his sword. 1841Lane Arab. Nts. I. 114 The young prince kissed his hand and thanked him. 1906Outlook 18 Sept. 346 He who solicits a favour by letter not infrequently concludes with the phrase, ‘thanking you in anticipation’, which came into vogue some ten years ago.
†b. Const. of a thing. Obs.
The continuation of 2 c; usual in ME.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 7 Ȝif we þonkiet ure drihten alles þinges þe he us sent. c1230Hali Meid. 19 To þonki godd of his grace & of his goddede. a1300Cursor M. 5304 Knele i sal befor þe king, And thank him of his grett mensking. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints v. (Johannes) 644 He..bad I suld..thange ȝou of ȝore gud vyl. c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1062 God thanke alwey of thyne ese and of thyne smert. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxi. 212, I thanke you of your courtesye. a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV 236 b, The Frenche kyng..thanked the kyng of Englande of his kynde offre.
c. Const. for a thing: now usual.
a1591H. Smith Serm. (1637) 133 He is not thankfull before God, which thanks him only for his benefits. 1653Holcroft Procopius i. 11 He thanckt the man much for his good will. 1715De Foe Fam. Instruct. i. i. (1841) I. 7 How must I thank him for it? 1764Goldsm. Trav. 72 And thanks his gods for all the good they gave. 1910W. H. Hudson Introd. Study Lit. Pref. 6, I have to thank my friend..for the invaluable assistance which..he has again rendered me.
d. fig. To make a return to a person in evidence of obligation or gratitude. (In quot. ironical.)
1821Scott Kenilw. xxvi, I were like to be thanked with a horse-whip.
e. In the future tense, used to express a request: I will thank you to do so-and-so. Now usu. ironic, implying a rebuke or command.
1813I. Pocock Miller & his Men i. iii. 9 Cockatrice!—I'll thank you for that portmanteau. 1843Thackeray Ravenswing vi, The page..instantly thanked her to pay his wages. 1852― Esmond iii. v, I want to speak with your employer, Mr. Leach. I'll thank ye go fetch him. 1907G. C. Whitworth Indian English xii. 248 The offence is much mitigated if..the word is followed by ‘if’ instead of the usual infinitive, as ‘I'll thank you to be quiet.’ a1912Mod. I will thank you to hand me my field-glass. I will thank you for a glass of water. 1930J. B. Priestley Angel Pavement i. 12 Just say to 'er: ‘Mrs. Cross 'as seen the note left.., and..Mrs. Cross'll thank her to keep 'er notes to 'erself in future till they're asked for.’ Just you tell 'er that, boy. 1940H. G. Wells Babes in Darkling Wood ii. ii. 160 No decent people are going to bother about it, Mother. And they will thank you not to be bothered about it. 1975‘D. Jordan’ Black Account ii. xx. 110 I'm here to sell tractors and I'll thank you to remember it.
f. Phr. to thank one for nothing: esp. in (I) thank you for nothing, an ironical expression indicating that the speaker thinks he has got or been offered nothing worth thanks.
1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 60 But perhaps these Pretenders mean the Iron or Steel shall be as soft as Lead, when the Iron or Steel is red-hot; if so, we may thank them for nothing. 1712Addison Spect. No. 391 ⁋3 Jupiter thanked him for nothing. 1754Foote Knights i. Wks. 1799 I. 67 Part with Favourite! no, I thank you for nothing. 1848[see thank you]. 1908A. Bennett Old Wives' Tale iv. v. 559 ‘Thank you for nothing!’ said Dick. ‘I don't want it.’ 1940W. S. Churchill Second World War (1949) I. ii. xxxiv. 548 Sweden will say ‘Thank you for nothing’ about any offers on our part to defend the Gällivare ironfield. 1975‘R. Player’ Let's talk of Graves v. 202 I'm not respectable. The Judge has just told everybody that—thank ye' for nothing, my Lord.
g. Ejaculatory phrases, as thank God († I thank God (obs.), God be thanked, etc.), thank goodness, thank heaven. Also thank God for that (now freq. in weakened use); thank God hold (Mountaineering): an easy hold at the top of a difficult climb. See also god 9 e. to thank one's (or the) stars, to congratulate oneself on one's good fortune: see star.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 134 Þanked be God of heuen. 1340Ayenb. 196 God be yhered and y-þonked. 1426Test. Ebor. (Surtees) I. 76, I..in gud mynd, thanket be God. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 530 Hole & sounde, thanked be god. 1530Palsgr. 754/2, I am one of them, God be thanked! 1599Shakes. Much Ado iii. v. 15 Yes I thank God, I am as honest as any man liuing, that is an old man, and no honester then I. 1614B. Jonson Barth. Fair Induct., Yet I kept the Stage in Master Tarleton's time, I thanke my starres. 1730Fielding Temple Beau iv. iii, Sir Harry, you may thank your stars that conducted you to me. 1796F. Burney Camilla III. 99 Now..I have not the gift of writing, at which, thank God, I have left off repining. 1811L. M. Hawkins C'tess & Gertr. III. 283, I was all that, thank goodness, as I always say, last grass. 1834T. Hawkins Mem. Ichthyos. & Plesiosauri 42 But I should..thank the stars and the Cholera that it was no worse. 1840Thackeray Shabby-genteel Story ii, I am here, thank Heaven, quite alone. 1872[see goodness 5]. 1918A. P. McKishnie Willow, the Wisp xxi. 303 His world was at rest, once more. Thank God for that! 1949G. Davenport Family Fortunes iii. ii. 222 ‘Thank God for that,’ he said. 1955S. Styles Introd. Mountaineering xi. 127 The term thank-god hold, which has become part of British climbing jargon, originated on the third ascent of the slab on Route II, Lliwedd East Buttress, when as each climber got his hand over the good knob at the top he expressed his heartfelt gratitude in the same two words. 1978P. Gillman Fitness on Foot v. 67 A sense of relief on reaching the top of a difficult climb to discover enormous holds to finish on. These are known as ‘thank God’ holds. 1978I. B. Singer Shosha i. 16 Thank God, I found friends among members of the Writer's Club.
h. In negative conditional sentences as an ironical understatement, as he would not thank you for doing it, he would be displeased if you did it. Cf. thank you A. 3.
[1739–40Richardson Pamela (1740) I. xxiv. 65 Now I did not thank her for this, as I told her afterwards (for it brought a great deal of Trouble upon me).] 1873Trollope Phineas Redux (1874) I. iv. 32 His party would not thank him for ventilating a measure which..might well be postponed. 1896Kipling Seven Seas 148 The things I knew was proper you wouldn't thank me to give. And the things I knew was rotten you said was the way to live. 1970‘A. Gilbert’ Death wears Mask i. 19 Miss Alice wouldn't thank you for tying her into a chair. 1983M. Hinxman Corpse now Arriving ii. 14 He was probably in the middle of some world-shattering story and wouldn't thank her for the interruption.
†4.
a. With dative of person (indirect obj.) and accusative of thing (direct obj.): = 3 b or c. Obs. (Cf. tell v. 3 (a).)
c1175Lamb. Hom. 5 We ahte to..þonkien hit ure drihten þe hit us lende. a1300Cursor M. 16219 Herod thankes þe þi sand. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 17 We haue no lymes to labore with; vr lord we hit þonken. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 271 Mair the King spak nocht, Bot thankit thame thair deid.
b. With the thing as sole obj.: To return thanks for, express one's gratitude for; to repay. rare.
c1470Ashby Dicta Philos. 925 A goode man thanketh euery benefete, After the yeuers possibilite. 1818Byron Mazeppa xx, Charles forgot To thank his tale. 1819― Juan i. cxii, His young lip thank'd it with a grateful kiss. 1867Morris Jason xv. 226 And I am well aweary of it now, And of my toil, thanked with hard word and blow.
5. To give the thanks or credit for something to; to consider or hold responsible; esp. in ironical use, = to blame.
1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 189 Him that brought hym vp, and whome both he and his father may thanke for all theyr good fortune. 1667Milton P.L. x. 736 Who..but..will curse My Head,..For this we may thank Adam; but his thanks Shall be the execration. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxi, She might thank herself for what happened. 1885Sir N. Lindley in Law Rep. 14 Q.B. Div. 817 If..any mistake was made by the sheriff, the defendant had only himself to thank for it. |