conconnn.²

Brit.

/kɒn/,

/kʌn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

Etymology: < con v.²

The action or post of conning a ship, steerage.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > [noun]

steeringc1220

governailc1384

steeragec1450

con1812

1812 R. Southey in Edinb. Ann. Reg. 1810 3 i. 161 The old seaman..removed from the conn, when eye-sight and hearing begin to fail.

1825 H. B. Gascoigne Path to Naval Fame 95 'Tis ours to give directions by the Con.

1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. x. 163 He was at his station at the conn.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. at Conn The quarter-master..stands beside the wheel at the conn.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

conn.²

Brit.

/kɒn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

Etymology: Compare con v.³, and French cogner = frapper.

A rap with the knuckles, a knock, a fillip.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > with the hand > with the knuckles

con1620

noogie1968

1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote III. xxvi. 182 He rates him, as if he meant to give him half a dozen Cons [Sp. media docena de coscorrones] with his Sceptre.

1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. vi. iii. 176 A fellow in a blue coat fetches you the Devil's own con on your head.

1878 H. C. Adams Wykehamica 420 Con, a smart tap on the head administered generally with the knuckles.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

conn.³

Brit.

/kɒn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

northern dialect.

A squirrel.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Rodentia or rodent > [noun] > family Sciuridae (squirrel)

aquernea800

squirrel?a1366

bun1587

con?1590

scorel1671

sciurine1841

sciurid1907

?1590–1 J. Burel Passage of Pilgremer i, in Poems sig. N Thair wes the Pikit Porcapie, The Cunning, and the Con [L. vers. (1631) sciurus] all thrie.

16.. A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae (Hart's ed. 1615) iii I saw..The Con [not in ed. 1597] the Cuning and the Cat, Quhais dainty Downs with Dew were wat.

1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 88/1 Con, a squirrel.

1821 Lonsdale Mag. 2 124 [Lanc. Gloss.] Our young friend dissipated our fears by telling us that con was only the provincial name for a squirrel.

1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale

1878 in Cumbrld. Gloss.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

conn.⁴

Etymology: In sense 1, shortened < various words, as confidant n., conundrum n., conformist n., contract n.¹ In sense 2, shortened < confidence n. In sense 3, shortened < convict n.¹, conviction n. In sense 4, shortened < construe n.

1. colloquial or slang. As an occasional shortened form of various words, as confidant, conundrum, conformist, contract.

ΚΠ

1825 C. M. Westmacott Eng. Spy I. 30 We were soon the most inseparable cons.

1841 Fraser's Mag. 23 59 Pun, riddles, cons, etc. are low.

1882 Banner (newspr.) To what denomination the family belongs, whether they are Cons or Noncons.

1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Aug. 2/1 About the ‘contract system’..The men get some ‘con’, as they call it, or ‘plus’ pay, but for every penn'orth of ‘con’ the contractor gets two penn'orth of work out of them.

2. = confidence n. 10. Used attributively in con game, con man, con talk, etc. (Also elliptical). Originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > [noun] > confidence trick

confidence trick (game, etc.)1849

con1889

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > defrauder or swindler > [noun] > confidence trickster

magsman1822

confidence man1849

con artist1878

con man1889

T.B.1912

payoff man1927

pay-off1928

samfie1929

1889 Portland (Oregon) Mercury 29 June 1/7 It does not take an unsophisticated countryman to get swindled by the ‘con man’.

1896 G. Ade Artie i. 5 He was..puttin' up the large juicy con talk.

1896 G. Ade Artie i. 8 Not that I'm strong on the con talk.

1896 G. Ade Artie xiv. 131 If they wanted me to be president o' the whole shootin' match, I'd..grow some side-whiskers and put up as tall a con game as that old stiff we've got there now.

1901 ‘J. Flynt’ World of Graft 100 ‘It's mine,’ I said... ‘They took the con.’

1902 L. Mead How Words Grow (1907) 165 ‘A con’ is an abbreviation of confidence man.

1903 N.Y. Sun 30 Nov. 7 Two sailors say he worked the ‘con’ game on them.

1911 H. Quick Yellowstone Nights xii. 318 The cinnersure of the eye of every sure-thing or con-man on South Halsted street.

1925 E. Wallace King by Night xxxvi. 162 A burglar is a burglar, and never goes in for the ‘con’ game.

1928 E. Wallace Gunner ii. 24 Sam Larber, the con. man.

1928 F. N. Hart Bellamy Trial iii. 87 The stuff of which con men and race-track touts..are made.

1928 E. Wallace Gunner xxviii. 224 He's never done anything except con. work.

1935 W. H. Auden & C. Isherwood Dog beneath Skin i. 33 From con-man and coiner protect and bless.

1940 D. W. Maurer (title) The Big Con.

1951 J. B. Priestley Festival at Farbridge ii. ii. 310 You're a little gang of crooks, con types living on your wits.

1960 Observer 25 Dec. 7/6 Various petty fiddles and con games to which Christmas trading lent itself.

1961 J. Wain Weep before God 23 I could forgive Even the worst, the con. men who harangue Their fellow artists.

1967 Listener 21 Dec. 821/1 The intellectual theoreticians of visual pop culture have succeeded..in pulling a con.

3. Criminals' slang. = convict n.¹, conviction n.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prisoner > [noun]

prisona1225

prisonerc1384

enpresonéc1425

bird1580

warder1584

canary bird1593

penitentiala1633

convict1786

chum1819

lag1819

lagger1819

new chum1819

nut-brown1835

collegian1837

canary1840

Sydney duck1873

forty1879

zebra1882

con1893

yardbird1956

zek1968

1893 J. Hawthorne Confessions of Convict 11 Prisoners are known as ‘con’, which is short for convict, and the whole body of prisoners is designated ‘condom’—short for convictdom.

1925 N. Lucas Autobiogr. Crook xvii. 231 ‘Got any cons?’ he said. ‘I beg your pardon.’ ‘Cons—bin lagged afore?’

1926 J. Black You can't Win xix. 279 The other ‘cons’ will blackmail me.

1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xxvii. 266 For this breaking and entering lark at least eighteen months for a man with two cons... It was going to make four convictions for him.

1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 99 I had three really good friend among the con's.

1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 152 I already had two con's and had only been out of the nick a few weeks.

4. = construe n.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > learning > study > subject or object of study > [noun] > exercises or homework > doing grammar exercises

construe1844

con1905

1905 H. A. Vachell Hill iii We must mug up our ‘cons’ well enough to scrape along without ‘puns’ and extra school.

1906 Westm. Gaz. 17 Dec. 11/1 He ‘skewed’ his ‘cons’ and ‘reps’.

1910 R. Brooke Let. 25 Feb. (1968) 221 Many thanks for the con.

Derivatives

Hence (from sense 2). Originally U.S.

con v.⁵ (transitive) to persuade, to speak persuasively to; to dupe, to swindle.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle

defraud1362

deceivec1380

plucka1500

lurch1530

defeata1538

souse1545

lick1548

wipe1549

fraud1563

use1564

cozen1573

nick1576

verse1591

rooka1595

trim1600

skelder1602

firk1604

dry-shave1620

fiddle1630

nose1637

foista1640

doa1642

sharka1650

chouse1654

burn1655

bilk1672

under-enter1692

sharp1699

stick1699

finger1709

roguea1714

fling1749

swindle1773

jink1777

queer1778

to do over1781

jump1789

mace1790

chisel1808

slang1812

bucket1819

to clean out1819

give it1819

to put in the hole1819

ramp1819

sting1819

victimize1839

financier1840

gum1840

snakea1861

to take down1865

verneuk1871

bunco1875

rush1875

gyp1879

salt1882

daddle1883

work1884

to have (one) on toast1886

slip1890

to do (a person) in the eye1891

sugar1892

flay1893

to give (someone) the rinky-dink1895

con1896

pad1897

screw1900

short-change1903

to do in1906

window dress1913

ream1914

twist1914

clean1915

rim1918

tweedle1925

hype1926

clip1927

take1927

gazump1928

yentz1930

promote1931

to take (someone) to the cleaners1932

to carve up1933

chizz1948

stiff1950

scam1963

to rip off1969

to stitch up1970

skunk1971

to steal (someone) blind1974

diddle-

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, cheat, dupe [verb (transitive)]

belirtOE

bitruflea1250

begab1297

bobc1320

bedaffc1386

befool1393

mock1440

triflea1450

glaik?a1513

bedawa1529

fond?1529

allude1535

gulla1550

dolt1553

dor1570

poop1575

colt1579

foolify1581

assot1583

noddify1583

begecka1586

elude1594

wigeona1595

fool1598

noddy1600

fop1602

begull1605

waddle1606

woodcockize1611

bemocka1616

greasea1625

noddypoop1640

truff1657

bubble1668

cully1676

coaxc1679

dupe1704

to play off1712

noodle1769

idiotize1775

oxify1804

tomfool1835

sammyfoozle1837

trail1847

pipe lay1848

pigwidgeon1852

green1853

con1896

rib1912

shuck1959

1896 G. Ade Artie iv. 35 Don't try to con me with no such talk.

1900 G. Ade Fables in Slang 90 The Property Man gave it as his Opinion that Mansfield conned the Critics.

1908 G. H. Lorimer Jack Spurlock v. 103 The detective began to get a little angry. ‘You've been conned, Miss Grey... He's all to the bad.’

1917 C. Mathewson Second Base Sloan xiv. 196 Don't let anyone con you into signing a contract.

1932 ‘Ex-Convict No. ——’ Dartmoor from Within viii. 241 I..laugh—loud and long. ‘Conned’—‘conned’ by a pair of kids. I, the wise guy,..‘conned’ by one of..[Nobby's] pupils on my very first night of freedom.

1961 ‘B. Wells’ Day Earth caught Fire vii. 112 Some crack-pot had conned the news~room into believing that smells coming up from the rhino and elephants that haunt that territory were causing pollution in the air breathed in Nigeria.

1962 Listener 26 Apr. 745/1 This mild tale of a shy boy conned into giving a girl a fortune.

1967 M. Reynolds After Some Tomorrow 7 Nobody can gamble it away from me or con me out of it.

Draft additions January 2011

con artist n. colloquial (originally U.S.) a person who perpetrates a confidence trick or fraud; a con man or swindler; also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > defrauder or swindler > [noun] > confidence trickster

magsman1822

confidence man1849

con artist1878

con man1889

T.B.1912

payoff man1927

pay-off1928

samfie1929

1878 Inter Ocean (Chicago) 28 Mar. 8/1 Before Justice Summerfield yesterday... John Harvey, alias William Williams, great ‘con’ artist, $100.

1898 Times (Washington D.C.) 17 Aug. 6/1 The ex-Pittsburg twirler was positively invincible as long as he wanted to be, and, up to the seventh inning, he gave the visiting ‘con’ artists but four hits.

1899 Washington Post 29 June 2/2 ‘Ha! ha! ha!’ laughs the pop-eyed con artist.

1914 G. S. Hall Adolescence (new ed.) 923 As a consequence, the child may become a ‘con artist’ to deal with the inconsistencies.

1967 ‘T. Wells’ Dead by Light of Moon xiii. 126 A street merchant is a con artist who pretends to sell stolen goods.

1987 K. Lette Girls' Night Out (1989) 184 I, not he, had been the con artist. Emotional break and enter.

2002 A. Bellin Poker Nation ix. 145 The mark of a great scam is that the con artist can stay right where he is, because the pigeon never figures out what went down.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

conn.⁵

Brit.

/kɒn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: convention n.

Etymology: Shortened < convention n.

Esp. among enthusiasts of science fiction and role-playing games: a convention, an organized gathering of people with a shared interest. Frequently as the final element in the names of such events.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > association for a common purpose > meeting or assembling for common purpose > [noun] > a meeting > types of

morn-speechOE

court1154

morrow-speech1183

conventicle1382

congregation1389

plenary session1483

journeyc1500

night school1529

assession1560

general meeting1565

family meeting1638

panegyris1647

desk1691

collegea1703

annual general meeting1725

mass meeting1733

panegyre1757

plenum1772

family council1797

coterie1805

Round Table1830

GA1844

indignation meeting1848

protest meeting1852

hui1858

primary1859

Quaker meeting1861

mothers' meeting1865

sit-down1868

town hall1912

jamboree1919

protest rally1921

con1940

face-to-face1960

morning prayers1961

struggle meeting1966

be-in1967

love-in1967

plenary1969

catch-up1972

rencontre1975

schmoozefest1976

1940 Astonishing Stories Oct. 108/2 If you get this issue the day it appears on your newsstands, you will have just about enough time left to make arrangements to attend the Chicon. (‘Chicon’:Fan argot for ‘Chicago Science Fiction Convention of 1940’.)

1944 J. B. Speer Fancyclopedia 55/1 In the summer of 1943, Art Widner and LRChauvenet..biked up to Obsequious Manor, Rockland, ME, to visit Norm Stanley. The only official action of the Con was to vote adoption of ‘fen’ as the plural for ‘fan’.

1970 (title) Con-Con: issues for Illinois Constitutional Convention.

1972 Los Angeles Times 29 Nov. iv. 16/6 They were still gathering momentum for the next convention. ‘See you at Equicon?’ said one guy to another. ‘Yeah, man, see you at Equicon.’

1980 Verbatim Autumn 10/1 Most conventions have names like Worldcon, Philcon,..and the like.

1994 Interzone Mar. 26/2 There's plenty of people out there who read sf and fantasy..who'd probably go pale at the thought of spending a weekend at a con.

This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

conv.¹

Brit.

/kɒn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

Forms: Present stem.

α. Middle English cun (1st singular indicative), Middle English cunnest (2nd singular indicative), Middle English kunnyth (3rd singular indicative), Middle English kwn (1st singular indicative), Middle English–1500s kun, 1500s–1600s cunne, 1500s–1700s (1800s English regional) cun; Scottish pre-1700 cowne, pre-1700 cunnis (3rd singular indicative), pre-1700 cwn, pre-1700 quin, pre-1700 1700s cunn, pre-1700 1700s–1900s cun, pre-1700 1800s cunne, 1900s kunn.

β. Middle English–1500s konne, Middle English–1600s conne, Middle English–1600s kon, 1500s– con, 1600s–1700s conn, 1700s conns (3rd singular indicative); also Scottish pre-1700 con, pre-1700 cone.

Past tense and past participle.

α. Middle English cunde, Middle English–1500s cund, Middle English–1600s cunned, 1500s cunnid, 1600s cun'd; Scottish pre-1700 cund, pre-1700 cunned.

β. Middle English conyd, Middle English– conned, 1500s kond, 1500s–1600s cond, 1600s–1700s conn'd.

Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: can v.¹

Etymology: Originally a variant of can v.¹: a weak verb formed in Middle English on cunn- , conn- , the infinitive stem of can v.¹ (see Forms 1α. and β. at that entry), used originally and chiefly in phrases like to con thanks (compare earlier to can thanks at can v.¹ Phrases 1), and also in senses corresponding to those of can v.¹ as a full verb (see can v.¹ I.).The (grammatically regular) weak verb was distinguished formally from the irregularly conjugated can v.¹ in the 2nd and 3rd singular present indicative, in the past indicative and past participle, and usually in the 1st singular indicative (compare, however, can v.¹ Forms 2a(i)β. for a graphically identical variant con , showing the original -a- rounded to -o- in the dialects of the west midlands and Lancashire). Forms of the two verbs overlapped in the infinitive, plural present indicative, and singular and plural subjunctive over the course of the 15th and in the beginning of the 16th cent., for as long as cunn- , conn- remained current as a stem of can v.¹ in its uses as an auxiliary verb (compare can v.¹ Forms 1α. and β. , 2c(i)α. , 3aα. , and 3b). Formally ambiguous post-1400 instances have been placed at this entry, although at that early stage of differentiation many of these are likely to have been perceived as uses of can v.¹ The β. forms are probably to some extent (especially in Middle English) purely graphic (showing o as a graph for short u ), and to some extent reflect a sporadic phonological change of -u- to -o- before nasal consonants (compare J. Wright Eng. Dial. Grammar (1905) §101). Compare the later development of grammatically regular forms of can v.¹ based on can- , historically the stem of the singular present indicative (and in the relevant period, of the infinitive): see discussion at can v.¹

†I. In phrases, with the sense ‘to acknowledge or express’.

a. transitive. to con thanks (also thank): to acknowledge one's gratitude; to express or offer thanks, to thank. Also: to feel gratitude. Cf. earlier to can thanks at can v.¹ Phrases 1. Cf. to come (a person) thanks at come v. Phrases 2d. Obsolete (chiefly English regional (northern) and Scottish in later use).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > gratitude > give thanks [verb]

to can thanks (also thank)OE

to con thanks (also thank)?c1335

to ken thankc1440

to come (a person) thanks1828

α.

?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 129 Þou cunnest me no þonk.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6398 Þai cund [Fairf. conned] him ai ful litell thanck.

c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1565 (MED) I kwn the thanke for thy come, it comfortes vs all.

a1475 ( S. Scrope tr. Dicts & Sayings Philosophers (Bodl. 943) (1999) 128 A good man kunnyth þe yeuer thank.

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. ii. 17 Thank or thew to kun me.

1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 25 I could have cunnid him greater thank if he had takin les paines.

1590 King James VI & I Let. 29 Feb. in Trans. Royal Irish Acad. (1828) 15 280 Quhais lampis I fynde burning prouydit with oyle thais uill I cunn thanke to & bring into the bankett house with me.

1615 E. Hoby Curry-combe To Rdr. sig. ¶4 If he cunne me small thankes, I shall yet comfort my selfe with the loyaltie of my seruiceable intention.

1764 T. Bridges Homer Travestie II. ix. 188 We shall cun no thanks.

1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 88/2 Cun thanks [printed thauks], to give thanks.

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) To Cun, or Cunne thanks, to give thanks, to express a sense of obligation.

1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale Cun thanks, to give or render thanks.

1927 in Sc. National Dict. (1952) III. at Cun, cunn(e) , kun, con v.¹ I'll cun him nae thanks for that.

β. 1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) xvii. 35 He shal conne her thanke.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 475/1 I have conned hym good thanke: je luy ay sceu bon gré.1585 C. Clifford Schoole of Horsmanship f. 36 Ah, I con thee thankes for finding out so notable an errour as that is.1627 M. Wren Serm. 30 I will kon them small thanks.1672 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd i. 31 Which none called him to, and..none conn'd him thanks for.1691 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Words (ed. 2) Pref. Of common and general use in most counties of England..To cun, or con thanks; to give thanks.1704 I. Sharpe Plain-dealing 27 Mr. Norris (no doubt) will con him Thanks for that Noble Character of a Plagiarist.1721–1800 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Conn..to give, as I conn thanks.1744 R. North & M. North Life Sir D. North & Rev. J. North 166 We conned our Thanks, and came away.1844 tr. J. Grimm & W. Grimm in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 90/2 As they will again depart, comes the little manling a second time to the count, and after conning him thanks, handed him a sword, a salamander cloth, and a golden ring.1878 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie xx in Littell's Living Age 14 Dec. 661/1 She conned her nephew little thanks, and not being in the habit of dissembling, let him feel the same.1891 N.E.D. at Con v.¹ ‘I am sure, I con you thanks’ was said to me by an old man in London in 1880. J.A.H.M.1904 Dennison's Orcadian Sketches (new ed.) 3 De'll con him t'ank for his pains.

b. transitive. to con grame: to express one's indignation. to con gree: to express one's satisfaction. to con laud: to express praise. to con maugre: see maugre n. 2. Obsolete. [With to con grame , compare Old French saveir mal (12th cent.; Middle French savoir mal ), Middle French savoir desplaisir (a1500).

In to con gree after Anglo-Norman saver gre, Middle French savoir gre: see to can thanks at can v.¹ Phrases 1.

With to con maugre compare earlier to can maugre at maugre n. 2.]

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > be or become displeased [verb (intransitive)] > express displeasure

to con greea1400

the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > approve of, accept, or sanction [verb (transitive)] > express one's satisfaction

to con greec1500

the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > commend or praise [verb (transitive)]

heryc735

mickleeOE

loveOE

praise?c1225

upraisea1300

alosec1300

commenda1340

allow1340

laud1377

lose1377

avauntc1380

magnifya1382

enhancea1400

roosea1400

recommendc1400

recommanda1413

to bear up?a1425

exalt1430

to say well (also evil, ill, etc.) of (also by)1445

laudifyc1470

gloryc1475

advance1483

to bear out1485

prizec1485

to be or to have in laudationa1500

joya1500

extol1509

collaud1512

concend?1521

solemnize?1521

celebrate1522

stellify1523

to set up1535

well-word1547

predicate1552

glorify1557

to set forth1565

admire1566

to be up with1592

voice1594

magnificate1598

plaud1598

concelebrate1599

encomionize1599

to con laud1602

applauda1616

panegyrize1617

acclamate1624

to set offa1625

acclaim1626

raise1645

complement1649

encomiate1651

voguec1661

phrase1675

to set out1688

Alexander1700

talk1723

panegyricize1777

bemouth1799

eulogizea1810

rhapsodize1819

crack up1829

rhapsody1847

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 17659 All we cund [Vesp. cund, Trin. Cambr. coude, c1460 Laud cowde] þe mekil grame For þu grof iesu licame.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxvii. 529 That thei may conne yow gree.

c1500 Melusine (1895) 108 In such wise that ye shall konne me good gree & thanke therfore.

1602 Queen Elizabeth I in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. iii. i. 228 We con you many laudes for hauing so neerely approched the villainous Rebell.

II. Senses relating to knowing or learning.

†2. transitive. To know or have learned; = can v.¹ 2a. Obsolete.In quot. a1387 perhaps: †to learn and recite (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > have knowledge, know [verb (transitive)]

i-witec900

wit971

yknowOE

canOE

i-kenc1000

seeOE

yknowOE

understanda1131

knowlOE

can (or could) skillc1340

cona1387

havec1405

kyd1530

weeta1547

digest1549

wist1580

wis1606

savvy1686

sabe1850

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 217 (MED) Þere were famous bookes of mery gestes i-made and cunned [L. divulgata] opounliche in despite of hym.

a1425 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Magdalene Coll. Cambr.) (1850) 1 Cor. xiv. 7 Cunde [c1384 Douce 369(2) how schal it be kowd that is songun, a1425 New Coll. Oxf. knowen; L. quomodo scietur id quod canitur].

1481 W. Caxton tr. Myrrour of Worlde i. v. sig. c1 The first may not be perfightly conned withoute the laste.

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. i. 6 My myght may nothyng kon [rhymes son, won].

a1553 Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1583) II. 1395/2 And of hys owne courage nowe in the latter Booke hee will needes haue at one time 14. Uerses which he konneth pleasantly and perfectly.

1595 E. Spenser Colin Clouts come Home Againe sig. B4 Much more there is vnkend, then thou doest kon [rhyme a fon].

1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. vi. sig. R5^v They all were fled for feare, but whether, nether kond .

1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 53 Tunes, Measures..als' hee kons.

1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 156 That [this] should be..I no more conne, than that, etc.

1767 W. J. Mickle Concubine i. xxxiv. 22 What were she the better did she so, She conns, and freely sues her native Bent.

a. transitive. To get to know; to study or learn, esp. by repetition (mental or vocal); hence, in wider sense, to pore over, peruse, commit to memory; to inspect, scan, examine; = can v.¹ 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > learning > study > [verb (transitive)]

con?a1425

study1445

can1496

estudy1550

discur1586

to con over1605

the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > memorization > memorize, learn by heart [verb (transitive)]

record?c1225

renderc1380

to can by rotec1405

con?a1425

to con by heartc1449

can1496

to bear away1530

get1540

commend to memory1550

commit?1551

to con over1605

rotea1616

lodge1622

to get off by heart1709

memorize1834

rehearse1902

memorate1983

α.

?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Hunterian) f. 46^v (MED) Þe vtilite why þat it [sc. the brain] is þinne is be cause þat þo þingis þat were taken oþer cunned oþer knowen [L. apprehensa] miȝte þe liȝtlier passen þurȝ.

a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Paddock & Mouse l. 2931 in Poems (1981) 108 And it to cun perqueir se thow not tarrow.

1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. C.vi^v Thei had cund their lesson, & fel to their practise.

c1560 Sat. Toun Ladyes 83 in Maitland Poems (1830) 30 My counseill I geve generallie To all wemen..This lessoun for to quin perqueir.

1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Gij^v Those Rome doth cun [L. ediscit].

1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 1st Pt. iv. iv. sig. E.iij It behoues me to be secret or else my neck verse cun.

1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 665 An Oration which..Lysander should have cunned without booke.

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida ii. i. 17 Thy horse will sooner cunne an oration without booke, then thou learne praier without booke.

1668 E. Maynwaring Medicus Absolutus 67 He sits down and cuns his Lesson.

1691 A. Gavin Frauds Romish Monks vi. 269 They have leisure enough in their Monasteries to Study and Cun their Sermons.

β. c1480 (a1400) St. Alexis l. 112 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 444 Þai set hyme ayrly to þe schule, artis liberalis for-thy þat he suld cone.1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xi. 282 Conne ye well your lesson.c1500 Young Children's Bk. (Ashm. 61) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 25 This boke is made for chylder ȝonge..Sone it may be conyd & had.1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Feb. 92 A tale of truth, Which I cond of Tityrus in my youth.c1600 (?c1395) Pierce Ploughman's Crede (Trin. Cambr. R.3.15) (1873) l. 101 A man þat myȝte me willen [read wissen] For to conne my Crede.a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. v. 167 My speech..is excellently well pend, I haue taken great paines to con it. 1620 J. Ford Line of Life 22 A Lesson worthie to bee cond.a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 123 Wear Rosaries about their Necks to con Their Exercise of Devotion on.1689 M. Prior Epist. to F. Shephard 155 The books of which I'm chiefly fond, Are such, as you have whilom conn'd.1710 E. Ward Nuptial Dialogues & Deb. I. xxvii. 331 Your illit'rate Dunce..Cons his Lesson 'till by Heart 'tis got.1728 J. Swift To Stella in J. Swift et al. Misc. Last vol. 289 A Poet, starving in a Garret, Conning old Topicks like a Parrot.1787 S. Hoole Edward i. xxiv. 14 Together had they shared their Christmas cake, Their weekly stipend spent, and conned the self-same book.1832 E. Bulwer-Lytton Eugene Aram I. i. x. 159 When the flower had been duly conned.1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xii. 108 Patiently conning the page again and again.1865 A. Cary Ballads & Lyrics 111 Intent..to con the stranger's face.1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh I. 154 Persons who con pedigrees.1944 S. H. Adams Canal Town (1988) vi. 70 Horace conned his array of cures, liquid, powder, pill and wafer, with affection.1955 Times 9 June 2/6 He..stopped to con what he had written before advancing to be greeted.1978 S. King Stand (1990) ii. xlix. 631 Nadine had suggested they pick up a CB radio and start conning the forty channels.1988 L. Lipking Abandoned Women & Poetic Trad. ii. 35 When Byron went to school to ‘Eloisa,’ he was also conning lessons from a whole tradition.

b. transitive. to con by heart: to learn by heart. Also † to con by rote (obsolete). Cf. earlier to can by heart at can v.¹ Phrases 3, to can by rote at can v.¹ Phrases 3.In quot. c1449 probably still perceived as can v.¹: compare discussion in the etymology section.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > memorization > memorize, learn by heart [verb (transitive)]

record?c1225

renderc1380

to can by rotec1405

con?a1425

to con by heartc1449

can1496

to bear away1530

get1540

commend to memory1550

commit?1551

to con over1605

rotea1616

lodge1622

to get off by heart1709

memorize1834

rehearse1902

memorate1983

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 89 Manye..kunnen suche textis bi herte.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement iii. f. cclxxiii^v/2 I can konne more by herte in a daye than he can in a weke.

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes Pref. sig. ***iii These thynges must in any wyse bee cunned by herte, to thende that ye maye haue theim euer readie at hande.

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xxx. 554 Not to cun by heart, nor to write out.

1590 J. Greenwood Answere Giffords Def. 15 Conning phrases and formes of prayer by roate.

1624 A. Leighton Speculum Belli Sacri xxvii. 128 He had cunned by heart, the lesson of Q. Metellus, and had it often in his mouth.

a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 56 To conn by heart these prayers.

a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 211 To con the Authors Names by rote.

1746 G. Ridley Constit. in Church & State iii. 69 Christian Apostolical Lessons, which the Successors of St. Peter would do well to con by heart.

1881 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 667 Education, which consisted, not of investigating new phenomena, but of conning by rote what their ancestors had taught them.

1997 D. Nokes Jane Austen (1998) ii. ii. 78 He had already conned by heart the villain's soliloquies.

c. transitive. to con over: to read or study (a text) throughout or thoroughly; to consider (a matter) thoroughly.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > learning > study > [verb (transitive)]

con?a1425

study1445

can1496

estudy1550

discur1586

to con over1605

the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > memorization > memorize, learn by heart [verb (transitive)]

record?c1225

renderc1380

to can by rotec1405

con?a1425

to con by heartc1449

can1496

to bear away1530

get1540

commend to memory1550

commit?1551

to con over1605

rotea1616

lodge1622

to get off by heart1709

memorize1834

rehearse1902

memorate1983

1605 O. Ormerod Picture of Puritane sig. G^v They haue read and conned ouer Ramus his Logicke.

1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 2 By orderly conning over the visible and inferior creature.

1734 I. Watts Reliquiæ Juveniles (1789) 127 Ritillo..cons over his prayer-book.

1795 Elisa Powell I. ix. 192 You must not ask your sister to read it out, till she has first of all conned it over.

1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful II. xi. 247 I was conning over in my mind whom I should select.

1835 W. Whewell in I. Todhunter William Whewell (1876) II. 213 I have hardly had time to con over your examination papers.

1858 R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma xlix. 215 The Baronet conned the..matter over in his mind.

1876 W. Black Madcap Violet xlii. 367 He had conned over a few little bits of rhetoric.

1944 ‘N. Shute’ Pastoral iv. 91 She was sitting conning over the last details of her organization for the tenth time.

1972 Times 20 May 5/6 The minister's decision was afterwards to be conned over word by word and letter by letter to see if he had in any way misdirected himself.

2000 Independent (Nexis) 20 Mar. 5 I first found out about the existence of professional newspaper letter-writers as a teenager, living in my parents' house at Norwich and conning over a local daily.

†4. transitive. To cause to learn; to teach. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > education > teaching > [verb (transitive)]

i-taechec888

lerec900

iwisseOE

to teach a personc1000

wisc1000

ylereOE

avayc1315

readc1330

learna1382

informc1384

beteacha1400

form1399

kena1400

redec1400

indoctrinea1450

instructc1449

ensign1474

doctrine1475

introduct1481

lettera1500

endoctrinec1500

to have (a person) in schooling?1553

lesson1555

tutor1592

orthographize1596

pupil1599

con1612

indoctrinate1621

art1628

doctrinate1631

document1648

verse1672

documentizea1734

form1770

intuit1776

skill1809

indoctrinize1861

1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion xii. 206 In many secret skills shee had been cond her lere.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

conconnecunv.²

Brit.

/kɒn/,

/kʌn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

Forms: Also 1700s coun.

Etymology: apparently a weakened form of cond v. used in same sense. (Some think it has been associated with con v.¹ As a possible connection, the following has been cited: ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 506 Thei conne noght here Schipes stiere [i.e. they know not how to steer their ships].)

a. transitive. To direct the steering of (a ship) from some commanding position on shipboard.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (transitive)] > direct steering of

cond1612

con1626

1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 28 Cun the ship, spoune before the winde.

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 41 He that doth cun the ship cannot haue too much iudgement.

1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 120 The quarter Master that Conns the ship above.

1671 London Gaz. No. 580/2 The Officer that cund the ship.

1721–1800 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. (at cited word) To Cun a Ship, is to direct the Person at Helm how to steer her.

1829 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 26 730 Shoals, through which the 'Mudian pilot cunned the ship with great skill.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxiii. 185 Our captain, who was conning the ship from the fore-top-sail yard.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Conn, Con, or Cun, as pronounced by seamen.

1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island iii. xiii. 104 Long John stood by the steersman and conned the ship.

b. absol. To give sailing directions to the steersman.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (intransitive)] > direct steering

con1699

1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. iii. vi. 64 The ship by the mistake of him that con'd, broched too.

1746 Fool (1748) I. 198 The Quartermaster..couns to the Helmsman.

1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 12 You did not steer; but howsomever, you cunned all the way.

c. figurative.

ΚΠ

1648 Earl of Westmorland Otia Sacra (1879) 163 He onely happy is, and wise, Can Cun his Barque when Tempests rise.

1870 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. (1873) 1st Ser. 129 Do we not sometimes con our voyage by..the firm headlands of truth.

Derivatives

ˈconning n. (also cunning)

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > [noun] > directing steering

conning1626

1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 1 The Maister is to see the cunning [of] the Ship.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xi. 78 Now commences the process of ‘conning’.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

conv.³

Forms: Also conn.

Etymology: compare French cogner to knock on a nail or the like in order to drive it in; to strike one with anything, to knock; informally to beat, thrash. compare con n.²

dialect ? Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1721–1800 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Conn..to strike with the Fist.

1825 J. T. Brockett Gloss. North Country Words Con, to fillip.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

conadv.n.¹

Brit.

/kɒn/, U.S.

/kɑn/

Etymology: Shortened < Latin contra (preposition) against.

A. adv.

In pro and con, pro or con: see pro adv. I. Also rarely con and pro.

ΚΠ

?a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Sheep & Dog l. 1218 in Poems (1981) 50 Contra et pro, strait argumentis thay resolue.]

1572 R. Harrison in tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes To Rdr. The matter throughly handled Pro and Con.

1667 Second Advice in Second & Third Advice to Painter 15 Many Historians argue Con and Pro.

1819 Ld. Byron Let. 25 Jan. (1976) VI. 95 The rest..has never yet affected any human production ‘pro or con’.

B. n.¹

An instance of pro; hence, a reason, argument, or arguer against, esp. in pros and cons: see pros and cons at pro n.¹ 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > testing > debate, disputation, argument > putting forward for discussion > [noun] > arguments for or against > argument against > instance of

con1590

man of straw1599

antistrophon1611

why-not1611

againsta1817

counter-argument1862

1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. D2^v Such a quoile with pro and con, such vrging of Ergoes.

a1627 J. Fletcher & T. Middleton Nice Valour iii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Uuu2/2 Now for the Con.

1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 231 Whole Tomes of Pro's and Con's.

1872 W. Minto Man. Eng. Prose Lit. ii. ix. 572 He then proceeds to state the pros and cons.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

conprep.

Categories »

Italian:—Latin cum with, appearing in certain phrases, as con amore n.; esp. in musical directions, e.g. con affetto with feeling, con brio with spirit and force, con delicatezza with delicacy, con delirio with frenzy, con expressione with expression, con fuoco with fire, con moto with spirited movement, con spirito with spirit, etc.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online December 2019).

> see also

also refers to : con-prefix

n.²1812

n.³?1590

n.⁴1825

n.⁵1940

v.¹?c1335

v.²1626

v.³1721

adv.n.¹1572

prep.

单词	con
释义	conconnn.² Brit. /kɒn/, /kʌn/, U.S. /kɑn/ Etymology: < con v.² The action or post of conning a ship, steerage. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > [noun] steeringc1220 governailc1384 steeragec1450 con1812 1812 R. Southey in Edinb. Ann. Reg. 1810 3 i. 161 The old seaman..removed from the conn, when eye-sight and hearing begin to fail. 1825 H. B. Gascoigne Path to Naval Fame 95 'Tis ours to give directions by the Con. 1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. x. 163 He was at his station at the conn. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. at Conn The quarter-master..stands beside the wheel at the conn. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). conn.² Brit. /kɒn/, U.S. /kɑn/ Etymology: Compare con v.³, and French cogner = frapper. A rap with the knuckles, a knock, a fillip. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > with the hand > with the knuckles con1620 noogie1968 1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote III. xxvi. 182 He rates him, as if he meant to give him half a dozen Cons [Sp. media docena de coscorrones] with his Sceptre. 1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. vi. iii. 176 A fellow in a blue coat fetches you the Devil's own con on your head. 1878 H. C. Adams Wykehamica 420 Con, a smart tap on the head administered generally with the knuckles. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). conn.³ Brit. /kɒn/, U.S. /kɑn/ northern dialect. A squirrel. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Rodentia or rodent > [noun] > family Sciuridae (squirrel) aquernea800 squirrel?a1366 bun1587 con?1590 scorel1671 sciurine1841 sciurid1907 ?1590–1 J. Burel Passage of Pilgremer i, in Poems sig. N Thair wes the Pikit Porcapie, The Cunning, and the Con [L. vers. (1631) sciurus] all thrie. 16.. A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae (Hart's ed. 1615) iii I saw..The Con [not in ed. 1597] the Cuning and the Cat, Quhais dainty Downs with Dew were wat. 1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 88/1 Con, a squirrel. 1821 Lonsdale Mag. 2 124 [Lanc. Gloss.] Our young friend dissipated our fears by telling us that con was only the provincial name for a squirrel. 1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale 1878 in Cumbrld. Gloss. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). conn.⁴ Etymology: In sense 1, shortened < various words, as confidant n., conundrum n., conformist n., contract n.¹ In sense 2, shortened < confidence n. In sense 3, shortened < convict n.¹, conviction n. In sense 4, shortened < construe n. 1. colloquial or slang. As an occasional shortened form of various words, as confidant, conundrum, conformist, contract. ΚΠ 1825 C. M. Westmacott Eng. Spy I. 30 We were soon the most inseparable cons. 1841 Fraser's Mag. 23 59 Pun, riddles, cons, etc. are low. 1882 Banner (newspr.) To what denomination the family belongs, whether they are Cons or Noncons. 1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Aug. 2/1 About the ‘contract system’..The men get some ‘con’, as they call it, or ‘plus’ pay, but for every penn'orth of ‘con’ the contractor gets two penn'orth of work out of them. 2. = confidence n. 10. Used attributively in con game, con man, con talk, etc. (Also elliptical). Originally U.S. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > [noun] > confidence trick confidence trick (game, etc.)1849 con1889 the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > defrauder or swindler > [noun] > confidence trickster magsman1822 confidence man1849 con artist1878 con man1889 T.B.1912 payoff man1927 pay-off1928 samfie1929 1889 Portland (Oregon) Mercury 29 June 1/7 It does not take an unsophisticated countryman to get swindled by the ‘con man’. 1896 G. Ade Artie i. 5 He was..puttin' up the large juicy con talk. 1896 G. Ade Artie i. 8 Not that I'm strong on the con talk. 1896 G. Ade Artie xiv. 131 If they wanted me to be president o' the whole shootin' match, I'd..grow some side-whiskers and put up as tall a con game as that old stiff we've got there now. 1901 ‘J. Flynt’ World of Graft 100 ‘It's mine,’ I said... ‘They took the con.’ 1902 L. Mead How Words Grow (1907) 165 ‘A con’ is an abbreviation of confidence man. 1903 N.Y. Sun 30 Nov. 7 Two sailors say he worked the ‘con’ game on them. 1911 H. Quick Yellowstone Nights xii. 318 The cinnersure of the eye of every sure-thing or con-man on South Halsted street. 1925 E. Wallace King by Night xxxvi. 162 A burglar is a burglar, and never goes in for the ‘con’ game. 1928 E. Wallace Gunner ii. 24 Sam Larber, the con. man. 1928 F. N. Hart Bellamy Trial iii. 87 The stuff of which con men and race-track touts..are made. 1928 E. Wallace Gunner xxviii. 224 He's never done anything except con. work. 1935 W. H. Auden & C. Isherwood Dog beneath Skin i. 33 From con-man and coiner protect and bless. 1940 D. W. Maurer (title) The Big Con. 1951 J. B. Priestley Festival at Farbridge ii. ii. 310 You're a little gang of crooks, con types living on your wits. 1960 Observer 25 Dec. 7/6 Various petty fiddles and con games to which Christmas trading lent itself. 1961 J. Wain Weep before God 23 I could forgive Even the worst, the con. men who harangue Their fellow artists. 1967 Listener 21 Dec. 821/1 The intellectual theoreticians of visual pop culture have succeeded..in pulling a con. 3. Criminals' slang. = convict n.¹, conviction n. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prisoner > [noun] prisona1225 prisonerc1384 enpresonéc1425 bird1580 warder1584 canary bird1593 penitentiala1633 convict1786 chum1819 lag1819 lagger1819 new chum1819 nut-brown1835 collegian1837 canary1840 Sydney duck1873 forty1879 zebra1882 con1893 yardbird1956 zek1968 1893 J. Hawthorne Confessions of Convict 11 Prisoners are known as ‘con’, which is short for convict, and the whole body of prisoners is designated ‘condom’—short for convictdom. 1925 N. Lucas Autobiogr. Crook xvii. 231 ‘Got any cons?’ he said. ‘I beg your pardon.’ ‘Cons—bin lagged afore?’ 1926 J. Black You can't Win xix. 279 The other ‘cons’ will blackmail me. 1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xxvii. 266 For this breaking and entering lark at least eighteen months for a man with two cons... It was going to make four convictions for him. 1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 99 I had three really good friend among the con's. 1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 152 I already had two con's and had only been out of the nick a few weeks. 4. = construe n. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > study > subject or object of study > [noun] > exercises or homework > doing grammar exercises construe1844 con1905 1905 H. A. Vachell Hill iii We must mug up our ‘cons’ well enough to scrape along without ‘puns’ and extra school. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 17 Dec. 11/1 He ‘skewed’ his ‘cons’ and ‘reps’. 1910 R. Brooke Let. 25 Feb. (1968) 221 Many thanks for the con. Derivatives Hence (from sense 2). Originally U.S. con v.⁵ (transitive) to persuade, to speak persuasively to; to dupe, to swindle. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle defraud1362 deceivec1380 plucka1500 lurch1530 defeata1538 souse1545 lick1548 wipe1549 fraud1563 use1564 cozen1573 nick1576 verse1591 rooka1595 trim1600 skelder1602 firk1604 dry-shave1620 fiddle1630 nose1637 foista1640 doa1642 sharka1650 chouse1654 burn1655 bilk1672 under-enter1692 sharp1699 stick1699 finger1709 roguea1714 fling1749 swindle1773 jink1777 queer1778 to do over1781 jump1789 mace1790 chisel1808 slang1812 bucket1819 to clean out1819 give it1819 to put in the hole1819 ramp1819 sting1819 victimize1839 financier1840 gum1840 snakea1861 to take down1865 verneuk1871 bunco1875 rush1875 gyp1879 salt1882 daddle1883 work1884 to have (one) on toast1886 slip1890 to do (a person) in the eye1891 sugar1892 flay1893 to give (someone) the rinky-dink1895 con1896 pad1897 screw1900 short-change1903 to do in1906 window dress1913 ream1914 twist1914 clean1915 rim1918 tweedle1925 hype1926 clip1927 take1927 gazump1928 yentz1930 promote1931 to take (someone) to the cleaners1932 to carve up1933 chizz1948 stiff1950 scam1963 to rip off1969 to stitch up1970 skunk1971 to steal (someone) blind1974 diddle- the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, cheat, dupe [verb (transitive)] belirtOE bitruflea1250 begab1297 bobc1320 bedaffc1386 befool1393 mock1440 triflea1450 glaik?a1513 bedawa1529 fond?1529 allude1535 gulla1550 dolt1553 dor1570 poop1575 colt1579 foolify1581 assot1583 noddify1583 begecka1586 elude1594 wigeona1595 fool1598 noddy1600 fop1602 begull1605 waddle1606 woodcockize1611 bemocka1616 greasea1625 noddypoop1640 truff1657 bubble1668 cully1676 coaxc1679 dupe1704 to play off1712 noodle1769 idiotize1775 oxify1804 tomfool1835 sammyfoozle1837 trail1847 pipe lay1848 pigwidgeon1852 green1853 con1896 rib1912 shuck1959 1896 G. Ade Artie iv. 35 Don't try to con me with no such talk. 1900 G. Ade Fables in Slang 90 The Property Man gave it as his Opinion that Mansfield conned the Critics. 1908 G. H. Lorimer Jack Spurlock v. 103 The detective began to get a little angry. ‘You've been conned, Miss Grey... He's all to the bad.’ 1917 C. Mathewson Second Base Sloan xiv. 196 Don't let anyone con you into signing a contract. 1932 ‘Ex-Convict No. ——’ Dartmoor from Within viii. 241 I..laugh—loud and long. ‘Conned’—‘conned’ by a pair of kids. I, the wise guy,..‘conned’ by one of..[Nobby's] pupils on my very first night of freedom. 1961 ‘B. Wells’ Day Earth caught Fire vii. 112 Some crack-pot had conned the news~room into believing that smells coming up from the rhino and elephants that haunt that territory were causing pollution in the air breathed in Nigeria. 1962 Listener 26 Apr. 745/1 This mild tale of a shy boy conned into giving a girl a fortune. 1967 M. Reynolds After Some Tomorrow 7 Nobody can gamble it away from me or con me out of it. Draft additions January 2011 con artist n. colloquial (originally U.S.) a person who perpetrates a confidence trick or fraud; a con man or swindler; also in extended use. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > defrauder or swindler > [noun] > confidence trickster magsman1822 confidence man1849 con artist1878 con man1889 T.B.1912 payoff man1927 pay-off1928 samfie1929 1878 Inter Ocean (Chicago) 28 Mar. 8/1 Before Justice Summerfield yesterday... John Harvey, alias William Williams, great ‘con’ artist, $100. 1898 Times (Washington D.C.) 17 Aug. 6/1 The ex-Pittsburg twirler was positively invincible as long as he wanted to be, and, up to the seventh inning, he gave the visiting ‘con’ artists but four hits. 1899 Washington Post 29 June 2/2 ‘Ha! ha! ha!’ laughs the pop-eyed con artist. 1914 G. S. Hall Adolescence (new ed.) 923 As a consequence, the child may become a ‘con artist’ to deal with the inconsistencies. 1967 ‘T. Wells’ Dead by Light of Moon xiii. 126 A street merchant is a con artist who pretends to sell stolen goods. 1987 K. Lette Girls' Night Out (1989) 184 I, not he, had been the con artist. Emotional break and enter. 2002 A. Bellin Poker Nation ix. 145 The mark of a great scam is that the con artist can stay right where he is, because the pigeon never figures out what went down. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2022). conn.⁵ Brit. /kɒn/, U.S. /kɑn/ Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: convention n. Etymology: Shortened < convention n. Esp. among enthusiasts of science fiction and role-playing games: a convention, an organized gathering of people with a shared interest. Frequently as the final element in the names of such events. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > association for a common purpose > meeting or assembling for common purpose > [noun] > a meeting > types of morn-speechOE court1154 morrow-speech1183 conventicle1382 congregation1389 plenary session1483 journeyc1500 night school1529 assession1560 general meeting1565 family meeting1638 panegyris1647 desk1691 collegea1703 annual general meeting1725 mass meeting1733 panegyre1757 plenum1772 family council1797 coterie1805 Round Table1830 GA1844 indignation meeting1848 protest meeting1852 hui1858 primary1859 Quaker meeting1861 mothers' meeting1865 sit-down1868 town hall1912 jamboree1919 protest rally1921 con1940 face-to-face1960 morning prayers1961 struggle meeting1966 be-in1967 love-in1967 plenary1969 catch-up1972 rencontre1975 schmoozefest1976 1940 Astonishing Stories Oct. 108/2 If you get this issue the day it appears on your newsstands, you will have just about enough time left to make arrangements to attend the Chicon. (‘Chicon’:Fan argot for ‘Chicago Science Fiction Convention of 1940’.) 1944 J. B. Speer Fancyclopedia 55/1 In the summer of 1943, Art Widner and LRChauvenet..biked up to Obsequious Manor, Rockland, ME, to visit Norm Stanley. The only official action of the Con was to vote adoption of ‘fen’ as the plural for ‘fan’. 1970 (title) Con-Con: issues for Illinois Constitutional Convention. 1972 Los Angeles Times 29 Nov. iv. 16/6 They were still gathering momentum for the next convention. ‘See you at Equicon?’ said one guy to another. ‘Yeah, man, see you at Equicon.’ 1980 Verbatim Autumn 10/1 Most conventions have names like Worldcon, Philcon,..and the like. 1994 Interzone Mar. 26/2 There's plenty of people out there who read sf and fantasy..who'd probably go pale at the thought of spending a weekend at a con. This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022). conv.¹ Brit. /kɒn/, U.S. /kɑn/ Forms: Present stem. α. Middle English cun (1st singular indicative), Middle English cunnest (2nd singular indicative), Middle English kunnyth (3rd singular indicative), Middle English kwn (1st singular indicative), Middle English–1500s kun, 1500s–1600s cunne, 1500s–1700s (1800s English regional) cun; Scottish pre-1700 cowne, pre-1700 cunnis (3rd singular indicative), pre-1700 cwn, pre-1700 quin, pre-1700 1700s cunn, pre-1700 1700s–1900s cun, pre-1700 1800s cunne, 1900s kunn. β. Middle English–1500s konne, Middle English–1600s conne, Middle English–1600s kon, 1500s– con, 1600s–1700s conn, 1700s conns (3rd singular indicative); also Scottish pre-1700 con, pre-1700 cone. Past tense and past participle. α. Middle English cunde, Middle English–1500s cund, Middle English–1600s cunned, 1500s cunnid, 1600s cun'd; Scottish pre-1700 cund, pre-1700 cunned. β. Middle English conyd, Middle English– conned, 1500s kond, 1500s–1600s cond, 1600s–1700s conn'd. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: can v.¹ Etymology: Originally a variant of can v.¹: a weak verb formed in Middle English on cunn- , conn- , the infinitive stem of can v.¹ (see Forms 1α. and β. at that entry), used originally and chiefly in phrases like to con thanks (compare earlier to can thanks at can v.¹ Phrases 1), and also in senses corresponding to those of can v.¹ as a full verb (see can v.¹ I.).The (grammatically regular) weak verb was distinguished formally from the irregularly conjugated can v.¹ in the 2nd and 3rd singular present indicative, in the past indicative and past participle, and usually in the 1st singular indicative (compare, however, can v.¹ Forms 2a(i)β. for a graphically identical variant con , showing the original -a- rounded to -o- in the dialects of the west midlands and Lancashire). Forms of the two verbs overlapped in the infinitive, plural present indicative, and singular and plural subjunctive over the course of the 15th and in the beginning of the 16th cent., for as long as cunn- , conn- remained current as a stem of can v.¹ in its uses as an auxiliary verb (compare can v.¹ Forms 1α. and β. , 2c(i)α. , 3aα. , and 3b). Formally ambiguous post-1400 instances have been placed at this entry, although at that early stage of differentiation many of these are likely to have been perceived as uses of can v.¹ The β. forms are probably to some extent (especially in Middle English) purely graphic (showing o as a graph for short u ), and to some extent reflect a sporadic phonological change of -u- to -o- before nasal consonants (compare J. Wright Eng. Dial. Grammar (1905) §101). Compare the later development of grammatically regular forms of can v.¹ based on can- , historically the stem of the singular present indicative (and in the relevant period, of the infinitive): see discussion at can v.¹ †I. In phrases, with the sense ‘to acknowledge or express’. 1. a. transitive. to con thanks (also thank): to acknowledge one's gratitude; to express or offer thanks, to thank. Also: to feel gratitude. Cf. earlier to can thanks at can v.¹ Phrases 1. Cf. to come (a person) thanks at come v. Phrases 2d. Obsolete (chiefly English regional (northern) and Scottish in later use). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > gratitude > give thanks [verb] to can thanks (also thank)OE to con thanks (also thank)?c1335 to ken thankc1440 to come (a person) thanks1828 α. ?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 129 Þou cunnest me no þonk. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6398 Þai cund [Fairf. conned] him ai ful litell thanck. c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1565 (MED) I kwn the thanke for thy come, it comfortes vs all. a1475 ( S. Scrope tr. Dicts & Sayings Philosophers (Bodl. 943) (1999) 128 A good man kunnyth þe yeuer thank. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. ii. 17 Thank or thew to kun me. 1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 25 I could have cunnid him greater thank if he had takin les paines. 1590 King James VI & I Let. 29 Feb. in Trans. Royal Irish Acad. (1828) 15 280 Quhais lampis I fynde burning prouydit with oyle thais uill I cunn thanke to & bring into the bankett house with me. 1615 E. Hoby Curry-combe To Rdr. sig. ¶4 If he cunne me small thankes, I shall yet comfort my selfe with the loyaltie of my seruiceable intention. 1764 T. Bridges Homer Travestie II. ix. 188 We shall cun no thanks. 1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 88/2 Cun thanks [printed thauks], to give thanks. 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) To Cun, or Cunne thanks, to give thanks, to express a sense of obligation. 1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale Cun thanks, to give or render thanks. 1927 in Sc. National Dict. (1952) III. at Cun, cunn(e) , kun, con v.¹ I'll cun him nae thanks for that. β. 1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) xvii. 35 He shal conne her thanke.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 475/1 I have conned hym good thanke: je luy ay sceu bon gré.1585 C. Clifford Schoole of Horsmanship f. 36 Ah, I con thee thankes for finding out so notable an errour as that is.1627 M. Wren Serm. 30 I will kon them small thanks.1672 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd i. 31 Which none called him to, and..none conn'd him thanks for.1691 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Words (ed. 2) Pref. Of common and general use in most counties of England..To cun, or con thanks; to give thanks.1704 I. Sharpe Plain-dealing 27 Mr. Norris (no doubt) will con him Thanks for that Noble Character of a Plagiarist.1721–1800 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Conn..to give, as I conn thanks.1744 R. North & M. North Life Sir D. North & Rev. J. North 166 We conned our Thanks, and came away.1844 tr. J. Grimm & W. Grimm in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 90/2 As they will again depart, comes the little manling a second time to the count, and after conning him thanks, handed him a sword, a salamander cloth, and a golden ring.1878 G. Macdonald Sir Gibbie xx in Littell's Living Age 14 Dec. 661/1 She conned her nephew little thanks, and not being in the habit of dissembling, let him feel the same.1891 N.E.D. at Con v.¹ ‘I am sure, I con you thanks’ was said to me by an old man in London in 1880. J.A.H.M.1904 Dennison's Orcadian Sketches (new ed.) 3 De'll con him t'ank for his pains. b. transitive. to con grame: to express one's indignation. to con gree: to express one's satisfaction. to con laud: to express praise. to con maugre: see maugre n. 2. Obsolete. [With to con grame , compare Old French saveir mal (12th cent.; Middle French savoir mal ), Middle French savoir desplaisir (a1500). In to con gree after Anglo-Norman saver gre, Middle French savoir gre: see to can thanks at can v.¹ Phrases 1. With to con maugre compare earlier to can maugre at maugre n. 2.] ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > be or become displeased [verb (intransitive)] > express displeasure to con greea1400 the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > approve of, accept, or sanction [verb (transitive)] > express one's satisfaction to con greec1500 the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > commend or praise [verb (transitive)] heryc735 mickleeOE loveOE praise?c1225 upraisea1300 alosec1300 commenda1340 allow1340 laud1377 lose1377 avauntc1380 magnifya1382 enhancea1400 roosea1400 recommendc1400 recommanda1413 to bear up?a1425 exalt1430 to say well (also evil, ill, etc.) of (also by)1445 laudifyc1470 gloryc1475 advance1483 to bear out1485 prizec1485 to be or to have in laudationa1500 joya1500 extol1509 collaud1512 concend?1521 solemnize?1521 celebrate1522 stellify1523 to set up1535 well-word1547 predicate1552 glorify1557 to set forth1565 admire1566 to be up with1592 voice1594 magnificate1598 plaud1598 concelebrate1599 encomionize1599 to con laud1602 applauda1616 panegyrize1617 acclamate1624 to set offa1625 acclaim1626 raise1645 complement1649 encomiate1651 voguec1661 phrase1675 to set out1688 Alexander1700 talk1723 panegyricize1777 bemouth1799 eulogizea1810 rhapsodize1819 crack up1829 rhapsody1847 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 17659 All we cund [Vesp. cund, Trin. Cambr. coude, c1460 Laud cowde] þe mekil grame For þu grof iesu licame. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxvii. 529 That thei may conne yow gree. c1500 Melusine (1895) 108 In such wise that ye shall konne me good gree & thanke therfore. 1602 Queen Elizabeth I in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. iii. i. 228 We con you many laudes for hauing so neerely approched the villainous Rebell. II. Senses relating to knowing or learning. †2. transitive. To know or have learned; = can v.¹ 2a. Obsolete.In quot. a1387 perhaps: †to learn and recite (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > have knowledge, know [verb (transitive)] i-witec900 wit971 yknowOE canOE i-kenc1000 seeOE yknowOE understanda1131 knowlOE can (or could) skillc1340 cona1387 havec1405 kyd1530 weeta1547 digest1549 wist1580 wis1606 savvy1686 sabe1850 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 217 (MED) Þere were famous bookes of mery gestes i-made and cunned [L. divulgata] opounliche in despite of hym. a1425 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Magdalene Coll. Cambr.) (1850) 1 Cor. xiv. 7 Cunde [c1384 Douce 369(2) how schal it be kowd that is songun, a1425 New Coll. Oxf. knowen; L. quomodo scietur id quod canitur]. 1481 W. Caxton tr. Myrrour of Worlde i. v. sig. c1 The first may not be perfightly conned withoute the laste. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. i. 6 My myght may nothyng kon [rhymes son, won]. a1553 Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1583) II. 1395/2 And of hys owne courage nowe in the latter Booke hee will needes haue at one time 14. Uerses which he konneth pleasantly and perfectly. 1595 E. Spenser Colin Clouts come Home Againe sig. B4 Much more there is vnkend, then thou doest kon [rhyme a fon]. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. vi. sig. R5^v They all were fled for feare, but whether, nether kond . View more context for this quotation 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 53 Tunes, Measures..als' hee kons. 1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 156 That [this] should be..I no more conne, than that, etc. 1767 W. J. Mickle Concubine i. xxxiv. 22 What were she the better did she so, She conns, and freely sues her native Bent. 3. a. transitive. To get to know; to study or learn, esp. by repetition (mental or vocal); hence, in wider sense, to pore over, peruse, commit to memory; to inspect, scan, examine; = can v.¹ 3. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > study > [verb (transitive)] con?a1425 study1445 can1496 estudy1550 discur1586 to con over1605 the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > memorization > memorize, learn by heart [verb (transitive)] record?c1225 renderc1380 to can by rotec1405 con?a1425 to con by heartc1449 can1496 to bear away1530 get1540 commend to memory1550 commit?1551 to con over1605 rotea1616 lodge1622 to get off by heart1709 memorize1834 rehearse1902 memorate1983 α. ?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Hunterian) f. 46^v (MED) Þe vtilite why þat it [sc. the brain] is þinne is be cause þat þo þingis þat were taken oþer cunned oþer knowen [L. apprehensa] miȝte þe liȝtlier passen þurȝ. a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Paddock & Mouse l. 2931 in Poems (1981) 108 And it to cun perqueir se thow not tarrow. 1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. C.vi^v Thei had cund their lesson, & fel to their practise. c1560 Sat. Toun Ladyes 83 in Maitland Poems (1830) 30 My counseill I geve generallie To all wemen..This lessoun for to quin perqueir. 1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Pistles in tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Gij^v Those Rome doth cun [L. ediscit]. 1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 1st Pt. iv. iv. sig. E.iij It behoues me to be secret or else my neck verse cun. 1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 665 An Oration which..Lysander should have cunned without booke. 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida ii. i. 17 Thy horse will sooner cunne an oration without booke, then thou learne praier without booke. 1668 E. Maynwaring Medicus Absolutus 67 He sits down and cuns his Lesson. 1691 A. Gavin Frauds Romish Monks vi. 269 They have leisure enough in their Monasteries to Study and Cun their Sermons. β. c1480 (a1400) St. Alexis l. 112 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 444 Þai set hyme ayrly to þe schule, artis liberalis for-thy þat he suld cone.1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xi. 282 Conne ye well your lesson.c1500 Young Children's Bk. (Ashm. 61) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 25 This boke is made for chylder ȝonge..Sone it may be conyd & had.1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Feb. 92 A tale of truth, Which I cond of Tityrus in my youth.c1600 (?c1395) Pierce Ploughman's Crede (Trin. Cambr. R.3.15) (1873) l. 101 A man þat myȝte me willen [read wissen] For to conne my Crede.a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. v. 167 My speech..is excellently well pend, I haue taken great paines to con it. View more context for this quotation1620 J. Ford Line of Life 22 A Lesson worthie to bee cond.a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 123 Wear Rosaries about their Necks to con Their Exercise of Devotion on.1689 M. Prior Epist. to F. Shephard 155 The books of which I'm chiefly fond, Are such, as you have whilom conn'd.1710 E. Ward Nuptial Dialogues & Deb. I. xxvii. 331 Your illit'rate Dunce..Cons his Lesson 'till by Heart 'tis got.1728 J. Swift To Stella in J. Swift et al. Misc. Last vol. 289 A Poet, starving in a Garret, Conning old Topicks like a Parrot.1787 S. Hoole Edward i. xxiv. 14 Together had they shared their Christmas cake, Their weekly stipend spent, and conned the self-same book.1832 E. Bulwer-Lytton Eugene Aram I. i. x. 159 When the flower had been duly conned.1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xii. 108 Patiently conning the page again and again.1865 A. Cary Ballads & Lyrics 111 Intent..to con the stranger's face.1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh I. 154 Persons who con pedigrees.1944 S. H. Adams Canal Town (1988) vi. 70 Horace conned his array of cures, liquid, powder, pill and wafer, with affection.1955 Times 9 June 2/6 He..stopped to con what he had written before advancing to be greeted.1978 S. King Stand (1990) ii. xlix. 631 Nadine had suggested they pick up a CB radio and start conning the forty channels.1988 L. Lipking Abandoned Women & Poetic Trad. ii. 35 When Byron went to school to ‘Eloisa,’ he was also conning lessons from a whole tradition. b. transitive. to con by heart: to learn by heart. Also † to con by rote (obsolete). Cf. earlier to can by heart at can v.¹ Phrases 3, to can by rote at can v.¹ Phrases 3.In quot. c1449 probably still perceived as can v.¹: compare discussion in the etymology section. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > memorization > memorize, learn by heart [verb (transitive)] record?c1225 renderc1380 to can by rotec1405 con?a1425 to con by heartc1449 can1496 to bear away1530 get1540 commend to memory1550 commit?1551 to con over1605 rotea1616 lodge1622 to get off by heart1709 memorize1834 rehearse1902 memorate1983 c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 89 Manye..kunnen suche textis bi herte. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement iii. f. cclxxiii^v/2 I can konne more by herte in a daye than he can in a weke. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes Pref. sig. **iii These thynges must in any wyse bee cunned by herte, to thende that ye maye haue theim euer readie at hande. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig.* xxx. 554 Not to cun by heart, nor to write out. 1590 J. Greenwood Answere Giffords Def. 15 Conning phrases and formes of prayer by roate. 1624 A. Leighton Speculum Belli Sacri xxvii. 128 He had cunned by heart, the lesson of Q. Metellus, and had it often in his mouth. a1670 J. Hacket Scrinia Reserata (1693) ii. 56 To conn by heart these prayers. a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 211 To con the Authors Names by rote. 1746 G. Ridley Constit. in Church & State iii. 69 Christian Apostolical Lessons, which the Successors of St. Peter would do well to con by heart. 1881 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 667 Education, which consisted, not of investigating new phenomena, but of conning by rote what their ancestors had taught them. 1997 D. Nokes Jane Austen (1998) ii. ii. 78 He had already conned by heart the villain's soliloquies. c. transitive. to con over: to read or study (a text) throughout or thoroughly; to consider (a matter) thoroughly. ΘΚΠ society > education > learning > study > [verb (transitive)] con?a1425 study1445 can1496 estudy1550 discur1586 to con over1605 the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > memorization > memorize, learn by heart [verb (transitive)] record?c1225 renderc1380 to can by rotec1405 con?a1425 to con by heartc1449 can1496 to bear away1530 get1540 commend to memory1550 commit?1551 to con over1605 rotea1616 lodge1622 to get off by heart1709 memorize1834 rehearse1902 memorate1983 1605 O. Ormerod Picture of Puritane sig. G^v They haue read and conned ouer Ramus his Logicke. 1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 2 By orderly conning over the visible and inferior creature. 1734 I. Watts Reliquiæ Juveniles (1789) 127 Ritillo..cons over his prayer-book. 1795 Elisa Powell I. ix. 192 You must not ask your sister to read it out, till she has first of all conned it over. 1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful II. xi. 247 I was conning over in my mind whom I should select. 1835 W. Whewell in I. Todhunter William Whewell (1876) II. 213 I have hardly had time to con over your examination papers. 1858 R. S. Surtees Ask Mamma xlix. 215 The Baronet conned the..matter over in his mind. 1876 W. Black Madcap Violet xlii. 367 He had conned over a few little bits of rhetoric. 1944 ‘N. Shute’ Pastoral iv. 91 She was sitting conning over the last details of her organization for the tenth time. 1972 Times 20 May 5/6 The minister's decision was afterwards to be conned over word by word and letter by letter to see if he had in any way misdirected himself. 2000 Independent (Nexis) 20 Mar. 5 I first found out about the existence of professional newspaper letter-writers as a teenager, living in my parents' house at Norwich and conning over a local daily. †4. transitive. To cause to learn; to teach. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > education > teaching > [verb (transitive)] i-taechec888 lerec900 iwisseOE to teach a personc1000 wisc1000 ylereOE avayc1315 readc1330 learna1382 informc1384 beteacha1400 form1399 kena1400 redec1400 indoctrinea1450 instructc1449 ensign1474 doctrine1475 introduct1481 lettera1500 endoctrinec1500 to have (a person) in schooling?1553 lesson1555 tutor1592 orthographize1596 pupil1599 con1612 indoctrinate1621 art1628 doctrinate1631 document1648 verse1672 documentizea1734 form1770 intuit1776 skill1809 indoctrinize1861 1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion xii. 206 In many secret skills shee had been cond her lere. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022). conconnecunv.² Brit. /kɒn/, /kʌn/, U.S. /kɑn/ Forms: Also 1700s coun. Etymology: apparently a weakened form of cond v. used in same sense. (Some think it has been associated with con v.¹ As a possible connection, the following has been cited: ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 506 Thei conne noght here Schipes stiere [i.e. they know not how to steer their ships].) a. transitive. To direct the steering of (a ship) from some commanding position on shipboard. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (transitive)] > direct steering of cond1612 con1626 1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 28 Cun the ship, spoune before the winde. 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 41 He that doth cun the ship cannot haue too much iudgement. 1657 R. Ligon True Hist. Barbados 120 The quarter Master that Conns the ship above. 1671 London Gaz. No. 580/2 The Officer that cund the ship. 1721–1800 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. (at cited word) To Cun a Ship, is to direct the Person at Helm how to steer her. 1829 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 26 730 Shoals, through which the 'Mudian pilot cunned the ship with great skill. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxiii. 185 Our captain, who was conning the ship from the fore-top-sail yard. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Conn, Con, or Cun, as pronounced by seamen. 1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island iii. xiii. 104 Long John stood by the steersman and conned the ship. b. absol. To give sailing directions to the steersman. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (intransitive)] > direct steering con1699 1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. iii. vi. 64 The ship by the mistake of him that con'd, broched too. 1746 Fool (1748) I. 198 The Quartermaster..couns to the Helmsman. 1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 12 You did not steer; but howsomever, you cunned all the way. c. figurative. ΚΠ 1648 Earl of Westmorland Otia Sacra (1879) 163 He onely happy is, and wise, Can Cun his Barque when Tempests rise. 1870 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. (1873) 1st Ser. 129 Do we not sometimes con our voyage by..the firm headlands of truth. Derivatives ˈconning n. (also cunning) ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > [noun] > directing steering conning1626 1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 1 The Maister is to see the cunning [of] the Ship. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xi. 78 Now commences the process of ‘conning’. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). conv.³ Forms: Also conn. Etymology: compare French cogner to knock on a nail or the like in order to drive it in; to strike one with anything, to knock; informally to beat, thrash. compare con n.² dialect ? Obsolete. ΚΠ 1721–1800 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Conn..to strike with the Fist. 1825 J. T. Brockett Gloss. North Country Words Con, to fillip. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online December 2021). conadv.n.¹ Brit. /kɒn/, U.S. /kɑn/ Etymology: Shortened < Latin contra (preposition) against. A. adv. In pro and con, pro or con: see pro adv. I. Also rarely con and pro. ΚΠ ?a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Sheep & Dog l. 1218 in Poems (1981) 50 Contra et pro, strait argumentis thay resolue.] 1572 R. Harrison in tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes To Rdr. The matter throughly handled Pro and Con. 1667 Second Advice in Second & Third Advice to Painter 15 Many Historians argue Con and Pro. 1819 Ld. Byron Let. 25 Jan. (1976) VI. 95 The rest..has never yet affected any human production ‘pro or con’. B. n.¹ An instance of pro; hence, a reason, argument, or arguer against, esp. in pros and cons: see pros and cons at pro n.¹ 1a. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > testing > debate, disputation, argument > putting forward for discussion > [noun] > arguments for or against > argument against > instance of con1590 man of straw1599 antistrophon1611 why-not1611 againsta1817 counter-argument1862 1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. D2^v Such a quoile with pro and con, such vrging of Ergoes. a1627 J. Fletcher & T. Middleton Nice Valour iii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Uuu2/2 Now for the Con. 1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 231 Whole Tomes of Pro's and Con's. 1872 W. Minto Man. Eng. Prose Lit. ii. ix. 572 He then proceeds to state the pros and cons. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). conprep. Categories » Italian:—Latin cum with, appearing in certain phrases, as con amore n.; esp. in musical directions, e.g. con affetto with feeling, con brio with spirit and force, con delicatezza with delicacy, con delirio with frenzy, con expressione with expression, con fuoco with fire, con moto with spirited movement, con spirito with spirit, etc. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online December 2019). > see also also refers to : con-prefix < n.²1812n.²1812n.³?1590n.⁴1825n.⁵1940v.¹?c1335v.²1626v.³1721adv.n.¹1572prep. see also
随便看	rareeshow rareeshow box rareeshow man rareeshow performance rareeshowmanism rarefaction rarefactional rarefactions rarefactive rarefeathered rarefeatured rarefelt rarefiable rarefication rarefied rarefier rarefiers rarefies rarefy rarefying rarelier rareliest rarely rarely catch a person tardy rarely ever

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