| 释义 |
near hand, adv., prep., and a. Now only Sc. and dial.
Also near-hand, nearhand; nerand, 6 Sc. neirand.
[near adv.2 and hand n.]
A. adv.
1. Close at hand, close by.
a1300Cursor M. 2844 Al þe land Þat our a-boute þam lai ner hand. 1375Barbour Bruce xvi. 538 Men of the cost of Yngland, That duelt on Hummyr or neirhand. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2221 A larger house was made nere⁓hande. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 13 Of nychtbour men that duelt than neirand by. 1582N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. 157 note, They met with spices better cheap, and nerer hand then at Grangalor. 1635Swan Spec. M. (1670) 103 Which..makes the black seem to be far off, and the white near hand. 1653Holcroft Procopius, Vandal Wars ii. 31 Uliaris..fled into the Church of a Village near hand. 1795Montford Castle II. 146 One ran before to a cottage, near hand, to order a bed. 1858Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 373 There is no other place nearer hand where I could get any good.
b. Close to a place or person.
1375Barbour Bruce ix. 129 Till the Slevach thai com neirhand. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 1999 As he..nere⁓hande to þe house leend. 1645Rutherford Tryal & Tri. Faith (1845) 62 It is good to border with Christ, and to be near-hand to him. 1836Haliburton Clockm. Ser. i. xii. (1837) 106 A lady that had a plantation near hand to hisn.
†c. At close quarters; closely. Obs. rare.
a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV 218 This battaill was fought so nere hande, that kyng Edwarde was constrained to fight his awne person. 1670R. Lassels Voy. Italy ii. 45, I arrived at the great terras..and there saw the thirteen statues of our Saviour and the twelve Apostles near hand, which seem below little taller than the statue of our tallest men.
†d. to go near hand: To be economical. Obs.—1
a1626Andrewes Serm. Wks. 1843 V. 546 This is that that makes the devil so good a husband and thrifty, and to go near hand.
2. Nearly, almost. (Common c 1300–1600.)
13..Cursor M. 989 (Gött.), Adam was put vte nerehand nakid. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 1, I awaked there-with witles nerehande. 14..Sir Beues (O.) 3560 He had Beuys nerehande slayne. c1471Fortescue Wks. (1869) 468 Lords and Officers, had nerehand as many matters of their own..as had the Kyng. 1530Palsgr. 718/1 He syghed tyll his herte dyd nerehande bruste. 1600Holland Livy xxviii. v. 671 He destroid all the standing corne, which now was neere-hand ripe. 1677Cary Chronol. 267 This makes near hand a Years difference. 1730Ramsay Fables, Two Cats & Ch. 42 Thus he went on, Till baith the haves were near⁓hand done. 1785Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xiii, Sax thousand years are near hand fled. 1818Scott Rob Roy xxix, His race is near-hand run. 1865G. Macdonald A. Forbes xii, We're a' keepit in..and nearhan' hungert.
B. prep. Near to, close to (a place, person, point of time, or action).
a1300Cursor M. 758 Þe nedder nerhand hir gun draw. c1340Hampole Psalter lxx. 12 God is nerehand his lufers. 1418E.E. Wills (1882) 43 Nerhande holichyrche. a1450Le Morte Arth. 2898 Whan it was nyghed nere hand none. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxii. 79, I say nocht, schir, ȝow to repreif; Bot doutles, I ga rycht neir hand it. 1577–8Reg. Privy Council Scot. II. 666 The said Alexander..wes not present at the doing thairof nor neir hand the samyn. 1633Rutherford Lett. xxix. (1862) I. 104 Your winter-night is near spent, it is near hand the dawning. 1792New Year's Morning 13 (E.D.D.), They filled it near han' the brim. 1868G. Macdonald R. Falconer xxiii, We war near-han' the hoose. 1877N.W. Linc. Gloss. s.v., Don't thou go near-hand Ned.
C. adj. Near. (See also Eng. Dial. Dict.)
1835Clare Rustic Muse 158 The near-hand stubble-field..Showed the dimmed blaze of poppies.
So † near hands adv., almost. Obs. rare—1.
c1460Towneley Myst. xiii. 11 In fayth we are nere handys outt of the doore. |