filen.1
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ 1.
a. A metal (usually steel) instrument, having one or more of its surfaces covered with numerous small raised cutting edges or teeth, for abrading, reducing, or smoothing surfaces. to bite file, gnaw a file: figurative to make an attempt that can result only in vexatious failure (in allusion to the fable); similarly to lick a file (see quot. 1647).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > file > [noun]
filea800
the world > action or operation > endeavour > make an attempt or endeavour [verb (intransitive)] > attempt the impossible
to hunt for or catch a hare with a tabor1399
gnaw a file1484
to take hares with foxes1577
to seek a hare in a hen's nest1599
to wash a Negro (white)1611
to milk the bull (also he-goat, ram)1616
to lick a file1647
to set the tortoise to catch the hare1803
to look for a needle in a haystack1855
to bite file1880
a800 Corpus Gloss. (Sweet) 1234 Lima, fiil.
OE Riddle 71 4 Nu eom wraþra laf, fyres ond feole, fæste genearwad, wire geweorþad.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xliv. 12 The yren smyth with the file wroȝte.
1432 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 91 A vyle, and a forser with loke and kye.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope iii. xii She [the serpent] fond a fyle whiche she beganne to gnawe with her teethe.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) iii. 22 Ane file is ane instrument to file doune yrn.
1647 H. More Philos. Poems i. 11. cxii Like the mistaken Cat that lick'd the file.
1649 Bp. J. Hall Humble Motion to Parl. 26 As soone as they have done licking of this file.
1697 J. Evelyn Numismata vi. 214 The File..which they..use for the better smoothing of the Edges.
1774 J. Beattie Minstrel: 2nd Bk. xiv. 8 So gnaw'd the viper the corroding file.
1824 T. Tredgold Pract. Ess. Strength of Cast Iron 90 These bars yielded freely to the file.
1880 W. Cory Guide Mod. Eng. Hist. i. 105 He bit at the file of English obstinacy, and broke his teeth.
b. figurative esp. with reference to the polish imparted by a file. (Cf. the use of Latin lima.)
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > file > [noun] > polish imparted by
filec1230
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 147 He is þi file. þe misseið oðer misdeð þe.
a1637 B. Jonson Masque of Gypsies 98 in tr. Horace Art of Poetry (1640) From a tongue without a file, Heapes of Phrases, and no Stile.
a1639 H. Wotton Let. in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1685) 341 If it shall pass the file of your Judgment.
1749 M. Akenside Odes ii. i The nice touches of the critic's file.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Siphonida > sinu-pallialia > family Pholadidae > member of
Teredo1398
tree-worm1398
broma1555
worm1621
pholas1661
pirot1686
piddock1696
file1705
pholad1708
pileworm1733
file-shell1752
file-fish1774
ship-worm1778
rock-piercer1783
borer1789
pholadean1842
1705 J. Petiver in Philos. Trans. 1704–05 (Royal Soc.) 24 1955 The fine blush Jamaica File.
3. slang. An artful, cunning, or shrewd person. Also, a man, ‘fellow’, ‘cove’.[Cf. French slang lime sourde, lit. ‘a silent file’, in similar sense.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > cunning > [noun] > astuteness > person
Yorker1599
ferret1629
Yorkshire bite1801
file1819
gnostic1819
shrewdc1858
shrewd-head1916
shrewdie1916
piss-cutter1935
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 173 File, a person who has had a long course of experience in the arts of fraud..is termed an old file upon the town;..a man who is extremely cunning..is a deep file.
1819 Metropolis (ed. 2) I. 61 You're an old file. I know you well; you're as deep as Garrick.
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist III. xlii. 132 The Dodger..desired the jailer to communicate ‘the names of them two old files as was on the bench’.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lv. 494 All the old files of the Ring were in it.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. iv. 94 Old Blow-hard..was a dry old file.
1877 F. Ross et al. Gloss. Words Holderness ‘A deep awd file.’
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a. Simple attributive.
file-chisel n.
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-chisel.
file-cut n.
ΚΠ
1888 P. N. Hasluck Mech. Workshop Handybk. 86 This method of crossing the file-cuts..is recommended.
file-dust n.
ΚΠ
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 519 The file dust which commeth of lead.
1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) at File Little shavings or shreds..called file dust.
file-handle n.
ΚΠ
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. File-Handle.
file-mark n.
ΚΠ
1889 P. N. Hasluck Model Engineer's Handybk. 131 File marks running in straight parallel lines.
file-smith n.
ΚΠ
1865 Pall Mall Gaz. 19 Oct. 4 A meeting of the File~smiths' Union.
file-stroke n.
ΚΠ
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. i. 15 The Smooth file is to take out those cuts or file-stroaks that the fine file made.
1888 P. N. Hasluck Mech. Workshop Handybk. 84 Without stopping the file-strokes.
file-trade n.
ΚΠ
1887 Daily News 20 June 2/6 In the file trade there is apparently a slight change.
b. Objective.
file-cleaner n.
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-cleaner.
file-cutter n.
ΚΠ
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. iii. 55 File-Cutters also use it to make their Chissels.
1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 2 Sept. 4/2 The knife-grinders and file-cutters in Sheffield.
file-grinder n.
ΚΠ
1883 Daily News 25 June 2/8 The file-grinders still stand out.
file-maker n.
ΚΠ
1842 Bk. Trades 230 Some File-makers are in the habit of using the coal of burnt leather.
file-cutting n.
ΚΠ
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XIV. at File The most likely machine for file-cutting.
file-finishing n.
file-grinding adj.
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-grinding Machine, a machine for surfacing forged or rolled file-blanks to bring them to form previous to cutting.
file-nibbling n.
ΚΠ
1869 Times 1 Jan. 4 Mighty little will be done by such file-nibbling or tinkering over law of entail.
file-tempering n.
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-tempering.
C2. Special combinations. Also file-fish n.† file-fast adv. Obsolete ? securely.
file-blank n. a piece of soft steel, shaped and ground ready for cutting, to form a file; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > steel > [noun] > other pieces of steel
file-blank1874
tit1896
mesh1904
rebar1955
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-blank.
1892 P. L. Simmonds Commerc. Dict. Trade Products (rev. ed.) Suppl. File-blank Forger, a workman who prepares the crude material for the file-cutter.
file-card n. a card used for cleaning files.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > other cleaning methods, devices, or substances > [noun] > devices
comb-brush1611
pickler1758
pegwood1822
bottle washer1826
knife-board1829
riper1880
file-card1884
iron cloth1889
bottle-cleaner1896
soot-blower1930
1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. File Card.
1888 P. N. Hasluck Mech. Workshop Handybk. 86 These file cards are used in the same way as the scratch brushes.
file-carrier n. (see quot):
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > file > [noun] > handle or holder for
file-carrier1874
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-carrier, a tool-holder like the stock of a frame-saw.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > condition of being fast bound or firmly fixed > [adverb]
fasteOE
fastlyeOE
hardOE
hetefastea1225
file-fasta1250
sickerlyc1275
stiff1525
tighta1625
soundly1632
starkly1819
tightlya1865
bracingly1874
a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 109 Đe ueond..wearð i bunden uileueste [?c1225 Cleo. heteueste] mid te holie monnes beoden.
file-shell n. a species of Pholas, so called from the roughness of its shell.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Siphonida > sinu-pallialia > family Pholadidae > member of
Teredo1398
tree-worm1398
broma1555
worm1621
pholas1661
pirot1686
piddock1696
file1705
pholad1708
pileworm1733
file-shell1752
file-fish1774
ship-worm1778
rock-piercer1783
borer1789
pholadean1842
1752 J. Hill Gen. Nat. Hist. III. 177 The West Indian File-shell.
file snake n. a non-poisonous colubrid snake of the genus Mehelya, found in South Africa.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Colubridae > miscellaneous types of
grey snake1703
garter-snake1775
boomslang1793
scarlet snake1842
blunt head1869
tiger-snake1869
house snake1870
ground-snake1885
lycodont1887
mole snake1893
sling-snake1895
file snake1912
mussurana1914
1908 Ann. Transvaal Mus. 1 23 Simocephalus capensis (Smith). Three-cornered Snake. Vijlslang.]
1912 F. W. Fitzsimons Snakes S. Afr. iv. 96 Three-cornered or File Snakes..although found in most parts of South Africa, seem to be rather rare everywhere.
1931 Discovery Mar. 74/2 A file snake captured a frog.
1962 R. M. Isemonger Snakes Afr. 98 The file snake is generally feared by Africans, who associate its entry to their house with the death of a relative or friend.
file-stripper n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > file > [noun] > machine for recutting
file-stripper1874
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. File-stripper, a machine in which a worn-out file after being softened by heat, and slow cooling, is smoothed to prepare it for being re-cut.
Draft additions October 2011
file snake n. each of three large fish-eating aquatic snakes constituting the genus Acrochordus and family Acrochordidae , native to South-East Asia and Australia and having loose skin and coarse-textured tricuspid scales which give them a file-like appearance; also called wart snake.Formerly placed in the family Colubridae.
ΚΠ
1918 Queenslander 23 Feb. 29/2 The so-called ‘file’ snake of the Gulf of Van Diemen, Northern Territory, is one of the favourite foods of the aboriginal natives of the neighbourhood.
1936 Amer. Anthropologist 38 378 No pregnant woman may eat the large water snake popularly known as the Javan file snake (Acrochordus javanicus).
2004 Oceanogr. & Marine Biol. 42 120 Sharp teeth are one such mechanism, as are the rows of extended ventral scales of marine file snakes (Acrochordidae) that enable the limbless reptiles to hold their slippery prey as they coil around them.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
filen.2
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ I. Senses chiefly representing French fil.† 1. A thread.† 2. The thread, course, or tenor (of a story, argument, etc.). Obsolete.
a. figurative. The thread of life. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > [noun] > expectation of life > thread of life
line of lifec1580
filleta1592
file1606
1606 N. Baxter Sir Philip Sydneys Ouránia sig. Nijv The fatall Sisters would not cut her file.
b. transferred. Of the nerves: A nerve-cord.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > nervous system > substance of nervous system > [noun] > nerve fibre > band or collection of
file1607
funiculus1824
nerve filament1839
fillet1840
nerve fibril1851
lemniscus1857
nerve cord1864
nerve bundle1865
nerve branch1874
nerve plexus1877
nerve tract1877
neuropilema1891
neuropil1894
fibre tract1904
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 284 A dubble file or thred to the toppe of the taile.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > drift, tenor, purport > [noun]
sentence?c1225
intent1303
tenora1387
intendment1390
strengthc1390
porta1393
meaningc1395
process1395
continencea1398
purposec1400
substance1415
purport1422
matterc1450
storyc1450
containing1477
contenu1477
retinue1484
fecka1500
content1513
drift1526
intention1532
vein1543
importing1548
scope1549
importance1552
course1553
force1555
sense?1556
file1560
intelliment?1562
proporta1578
preport1583
import1588
importment1602
carriage1604
morala1616
significancy1641
amount1678
purview1688
sentiment1713
capacity1720
spirit1742
message1828
thrust1968
messaging1977
1560 J. Knox et al. Buke Discipline in J. Knox Wks. (1848) II. 244 Following the fyle and dependence of the text.
a1599 E. Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vi. xxxvii, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Hh5v Ill fitting for this file, To sing of hilles & woods, mongst warres & Knights.
1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 x. 209 You must promise me that you will not interrupt the File of my doleful Narration.
a1639 H. Wotton View Life & Death Duke of Buckingham in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1685) 223 Let me resume the File of my Relation.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 116 If the file of his purposes be rightly considered.
3. figurative.1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 275 We hang uppe this accusation also upon the file of your other slaunderous lyes.1659 J. Arrowsmith Armilla Catechetica 200 This commination standeth upon the file in holy Scripture.† c. A catalogue, list, roll. Obsolete.
a. A string or wire, on which papers and documents are strung for preservation and reference. Later extended to various other appliances for holding papers so that they can be easily referred to.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > [noun] > filing > file
filace1434
file1525
box file1885
case file1904
accordion folder1913
1525 in Vicary's Anat. Bodie of Man (1888) App. viii. 214 Thapothecaries shall kepe the billis that they serue, vpon a fyle.
1649 Lanc. Tracts (Chetham Soc.) 233 Their examinations remaining still upon fyle in Manchester.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 9 Dec. (1972) VII. 402 Burning all the unnecessary letters which I have had upon my File for four or five years backward.
1732 Acc. Workhouses 175 Keep the tradesmen's notes upon a file.
a1777 S. Foote Devil upon Two Sticks (1778) ii. 29 There are some of their names, I am sure, that I never desire to see on my file.
1866 W. Collins Armadale II. iv. iii. 277 Some place in the City where all the papers are kept, as he calls it, in file.
1882 W. Black Shandon Bells vi A printed slip which the latter pulled off a file.
b. esp. one in a court of law to hold proceedings or documents in a cause, etc.; the list of documents, etc., in a cause.In the Court of Chancery the pleadings themselves were filed; in the Common Law Courts the pleadings and judgements were enrolled, and only affidavits and collateral documents were filed.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [noun] > wire on which strung
file1607
society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > [noun] > filing > file > in court of law
file1607
1607 J. Cowell Interpreter sig. Ff2/2 File..is a threed or wyer, whereon writs [etc.].
1631 in S. R. Gardiner Rep. Cases Star Chamber & High Comm. (1886) 42 The sentence of the court was..that the bill should be taken off the fyle, that [etc.].
1718 M. Prior Solomon on Vanity ii, in Poems Several Occasions (new ed.) 458 Causes unjudg'd disgrace the loaded file.
1805 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. V. 230 They will not, however, order the fine to be taken off the file.
1833 J. M. Mylne & B. Keen Rep. Cases Chancery II. 247 This was the only bill upon the file relative to the testator's estate.
1885 Law Times Rep. 52 681/2 A motion was made to take the affidavits off the file.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > list > [noun]
tableOE
scorec1325
billa1340
calendar?a1400
legendc1400
librarya1450
Ragmanc1450
Ragman rollc1450
cataloguea1464
repertory1542
scrowa1545
bedroll?1552
roll1565
file1566
state1582
inventory1589
brief1600
series1601
counter-roll1603
list1604
muster roll1605
cense1615
pinax1625
repertoirec1626
diagram1631
recensiona1638
repertorium1667
vocabulary1694
albe1697
enumeration1725
screed1748
album1753
tableau1792
roll-call1833
shopping list1923
laundry list1958
remainder list1977
1566 J. Partridge Worthie Hystorie Plasidas D iij Thus ended they their mortall race, their file was at an ende.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. iii. 10 Our present musters grow vpon the file, To fiue and twenty thousand men of choise.
1620 T. Dekker Dreame sig. C1v With Pens of Steele, Eternall Files to keepe Of euery Nation, since the Earth began.
1697 J. Dryden Disc. Epick Poetry in Prose Wks. (1800) III. 441 The file of heroick poets is very short.
1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi iii. iii. i. 183/2 It would not be improper, under this File to lodge the singular and surprizing Successes of his Prayers.
1795 E. Burke Lett. Peace Regic. France iv, in Wks. (1818) IX. 335 Catalogued files of murders.
4.
a. A collection of papers placed on a file, or merely arranged in order of date or subject for ready reference.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > [noun] > collection of papers
filea1626
a1626 F. Bacon Advice to G. Villiers in Wks. (1740) III. 566 After you have ranked them into several files, according to the subject matter.
1699 S. Garth Dispensary iii. 30 Then from the Compter he takes down the File, And with Prescriptions lights the solemn Pyle.
1806 Naval Chron. 15 113 Files of newspapers.
1806 Wilberforce in G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 212 Having just this moment got a file of letters.
1847 Ld. Houghton Let. 30 Nov. in T. W. Reid Life Ld. Houghton (1890) I. ix. 401 You can get at..the news-room a file of the Times.
1851 D. Jerrold St. Giles & St. James (new ed.) xii, in Writings I. 121 A man who has a file of receipts to show for everything.
1857 E. C. Gaskell Life C. Brontë II. iv. 114 She sent to Leeds for a file of the ‘Mercuries’ of 1812, '13, and '14.
b. Computing. A collection of related records stored for use by a computer and able to be processed by it. Also attributive and in other combinations.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file
data file1895
file1954
audio file1956
disc file1957
computer file1964
doc1986
1954 Jrnl. Assoc. Computing Machinery 1 8/2 A ‘master’ tape..contains the file of unit records as at the last date of processing.
1967 N. S. M. Cox & M. W. Grose Organization Bibliogr. Rec. by Computer 19 A file sequence may contain only one file, and this is generally the case when updating procedures are being carried out.
1969 Computers & Humanities 3 132 This search (once through the file), whether for a single interrogation or for several, is called a file-pass.
5. Heraldry. = label n.1 2 (but sometimes distinguished: cf. quot. 1727). [So in French.]
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > [noun] > less honourable charge > horizontal line across upper part
labela1400
file1562
1562 G. Legh Accedens of Armory f. 183 He beareth Argent, a fyle withe iii. Lambeaux Azure. For a difference some will call this a Labell of .iii. pointes.
a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1883) I. 120 The Cheveron..distinguished by a file with five labels to shew that he was a fifth brother.
1710 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. 5 May A Shield with a Cross Saltire and a File of 3 Points.
1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at File Some distinguish File and Label, calling the File the upper horizontal Line, and the Label the Point that issues from it.
1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry 61/1 File, or Label.
6. A disease, ? from its producing an appearance of lines or threads:† a. In trees—French fil. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > associated with particular type of plant > trees
wind-shake1545
file1600
joint-ache1601
wind-shock1664
measles1674
hidebound1678
carcinoma1832
knot1845
cup-defect1875
cup-shake1875
beech disease1905
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xlvii. 520 The file is a disease in trees that fretteth their barkes.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. v. 86/1 File in Trees, is a Disease that frets and corrupts the Bark.
b. In cattle. dialect.
ΚΠ
1892 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words ‘File in the foot’ is a disease peculiar to cattle and sheep.
II. Senses representing French file.
7. Military.figurative and in extended use.1614 T. Overbury et al. Characters in Wife now Widdow (4th impr.) sig. E3v Hunger and cold ranke in the same file [1614 (3rd impr.) field] with him.1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions i. ii. 20 That we be not in the first file of enhancers.1650 R. Stapleton tr. F. Strada De Bello Belgico ii. 44 He was by the Emperour valued in the first file of Nobility.c1665 L. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1973) To Children 11 In all his actions it [valour] ever marcht in the same file with wisedome.1700 R. Blackmore Song of Moses in Paraph. Job 193 The foaming Files o'ertook them in the Chase.1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day ii. 32 The radiant Files of Angels.1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 110 I the heir of all the ages, in the foremost files of time.
a. The number of men constituting the depth from front to rear of a formation in line, etc. in file: one behind the other. For Indian file n., single file n. see those adjectives. rank and file: see rank and file n.The front of a file is one man (the file-leader), the depth may be any number; but in the modern English formation of infantry it is only two, consisting of the front and the rear rank men.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [adverb]
in rank1581
in file1598
in rank and file1598
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > in (a) row(s) or line(s [phrase] > one behind the other
in file1598
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > line > file
file1598
string1627
rot1632
rat1646
counter-file1653
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres iii. 37 By file, I vnderstand all the line..of all the souldiers standing consequently one after another, from front to the traine.
1625 G. Markham Souldiers Accidence 6 A File..ought neuer to be aboue ten persons deepe.
1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia iii. ii. 291 It was impossible for men to march but in file.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 339 His Chariot..stood retir'd From off the files of warr. View more context for this quotation
1735 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. IV. 338 Each platoon had..eight in depth, for that was the usual depth of the files.
1790 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 535 Great Argyle led on his files.
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 47 The others..will first cover in file with precision.
1810 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1838) VI. 208 The 16th are very strong; when I saw them the other day they were 59 file a squadron.
1816 Ld. Byron Siege of Corinth xxiii. 39 Even as they fell, in files they lay.
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella I. i. x. 345 Riding along their broken files.
1864 W. W. Skeat tr. J. L. Uhland Songs & Ballads 243 The brave Fernando, Searching through the files of war.
b. Phrases: †to accept the files, to open one's own ranks for a charging enemy to enter. to double the files: to put two files in one and so make the ranks smaller; also figurative. to close their files, see close v. 10b to take the right-hand file, to take precedence.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)] > other
to take the right-hand file1616
first1635
to speak in capitals?1694
to take the (or a) lead1761
to play first (or second) fiddle1778
to play first violin1780
to be no great (some great, considerable, etc.) shakes1819
to pitch it strong1823
to come out strong1825
violin1895
repeat1923
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > honour > be honoured [verb (intransitive)] > take precedence
to take the right-hand file1616
precede1654
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form or reform [verb (intransitive)] > put two files in one
to double the files1616
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form or reform [verb (intransitive)] > open or close ranks
to close ranks or files1797
to accept the files1868
1616 J. Bingham in tr. Ælian Tactiks xxix. 137 Double your files to the right or left hand.
1630 P. Massinger Picture sig. H3 There are Many..who may take..the right hand file of you.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State i. i. 3 In her husbands absence she is wife and deputy-husband, which makes her double the files of her diligence.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at File To Double the Files.
1868 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea (ed. 4) IV. v. 163 It used to be said of the foreigners that they ‘accepted the files’.
c. A small body of men, formerly varying in number from two to twelve or more, but now usually two. Also, when ‘marching in files’ (see file-marching n. at Compounds 2), the two soldiers walking abreast.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > other formations
herse1523
shears1562
snail1579
rendy1581
saw battle1598
shear-battle1598
file1616
horn battle1635
sconce-battle1635
potence1760
echelon1796
marching order1819
harrow1876
zariba1887
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > unit of army > [noun] > squad, platoon, section, etc.
glub1382
scalec1400
platoon?a1547
maniple1574
squadron1579
squader1590
squadrant1614
file1616
squada1657
peloton1702
section1913
1616 J. Bingham in tr. Ælian Tactiks xxix. 136 When 16 men (that is a file) are so extended, that they possesse as much length as 32 should doe (that is, as 2 files).
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia vi. 239 They met with a file of Saluages that let fly their Arrowes.
1647 J. Sprigge Anglia Rediviva ii. iv. 94 12 files of men with fire-arms and Pikes.
1702 R. Steele Funeral v. 65 A File of Men, Bumpkin, is six Men.
1769 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. xxxi. 13 The General was escorted by a file of musqueteers.
1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 45 A File—Two Soldiers placed one behind the other when formed in ranks, but abreast when marching in file.
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy I. viii. 100 I shall send a sergeant and a file of marines, to fetch you.
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 262 A Non-commissioned Officer, with a file of men.
d. An individual soldier.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > [noun]
thanec893
knightc1175
soldiera1300
osteyoura1450
servitor?1570
marshalman1575
soldado1577
soldat1591
manat1610
camper1631
soldade1634
buff coata1670
swad1708
militaire1746
red herring1789
coolie1803
swaddy1819
swad-gill1819
scarlet runnerc1864
guffy1882
leatherneck1890
pongo1890
hoster1892
swatty1901
file1903
squaddie1933
brown job1943
1903 Med. Record 7 Feb. 227 (Cent. Dict. Suppl.) The poor file who has to carry it, as well as his gun and various other accoutrements.
1916 ‘B. Cable’ Action Front 105 ‘Dusty Miller’, the next file on his left,..spoke to him.
8. A row of persons, animals, or things placed one behind the other. the common file = ‘the common herd’ (obsolete or archaic) in file: one after another, in succession.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > [noun]
folkc888
peoplea1325
frapec1330
commona1350
common peoplea1382
commonsa1382
commontya1387
communityc1400
meiniec1400
commonaltya1425
commonsa1500
vulgarsa1513
many1526
meinie1532
multitude1535
the many-headed beast (also monster)1537
number1542
ignobility1546
commonitya1550
popular1554
populace1572
popularya1578
vulgarity?1577
populacya1583
rout1589
the vulgar1590
plebs1591
mobile vulgusc1599
popularity1599
ignoble1603
the million1604
plebe1612
plebeity1614
the common filea1616
the herda1616
civils1644
commonality1649
democracy1656
menu1658
mobile1676
crowd1683
vulgusa1687
mob1691
Pimlico parliament?1774
citizenry1795
polloi1803
demos1831
many-headed1836
hoi polloi1837
the masses1837
citizenhood1843
John Q.1922
wimble-wamble1937
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > [noun] > a line or row > of people or things one behind the other
tracec1385
filea1616
string1686
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > in order, sequence, or succession [phrase]
a-row?c1225
by rowc1230
on (also upon) a rowc1300
by and by1330
in a rowc1330
on rowc1330
in routc1390
in successionc1449
by succession(s)?a1475
in sequencea1575
in (also by) progression1660
member by member1726
in file1744
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iii. i. 399 The greater file of the subiect held the Duke to be wise. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. vii. 43 The common file..did budge From Rascals worse then they. View more context for this quotation
1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. iv. xxix. 364 This Hoarse Sound..seemeth to be nothing but the dividing of the Aire into innumerable and very small Files.
1714 A. Pope Rape of Lock (new ed.) i. 9 Here Files of Pins extend their shining Rows.
1740 W. Somervile Hobbinol iii. 230 Before him march in Files The rural Minstralsy.
1744 R. North & M. North Life Sir D. North & Rev. J. North 163 He furnished..one State-apartment of diverse Rooms in File.
1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey II. iii. viii. 118 I push my way into court through files of attorneys.
1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey IV. vi. i. 24 A double file of wine-glasses and goblets.
1835 H. Miller Scenes & Legends N. Scotl. xvii. 289 An endless file of bare gloomy cliffs.
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella I. i. xi. 374 Whose military prowess had raised him from the common file.
1839 C. Darwin in R. Fitzroy & C. Darwin Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle III. ii. 40 When the ants came to the road they changed their course, and in narrow files reascended the wall.
1842 W. Wordsworth Guilt & Sorrow iv, in Poems Early & Late Years 7 Long files of corn-stacks.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xvi. 192 The men were standing in silent file on each side of it.
1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle Lands iv. 121 A file of camels.
9. Chess. One of the eight lines of squares extending across the board from player to player. an open file: one on which no piece or pawn of either colour is standing. to seize the open file: to place a rook or the queen on the first square.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > chessboard > rank or file > file
file1614
1614 A. Saul Famous Game Chesse-play i. sig. A7v Imagine that the blacke King for his first draught playeth his owne Pawne into the third house in his owne file.
1680 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) iv. 39 The Rook goes backward and forward in any file.
1860 G. F. Pardon Handbk. Chess 15 The horizontal rows of squares are termed ranks and the vertical squares files.
10. The run or track of a hare; also, to run her file (see quot. 1838).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > thing hunted or game > [noun] > track
righta1425
view?1516
persue1530
abature1575
blemish1575
foil1575
marks1575
entry1627
gate1677
file1815
stain1832
1815 Sporting Mag. 45 109 It is strictly necessary to look into the hares' files for wires.
1838 W. Holloway Gen. Dict. Provincialisms When sportsmen say the hare runs her File, that is runs round the same track continually to foil or deceive the dogs.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a. † file-lead n. Obsolete
file-closer n.
ΚΠ
1836 J. Hildreth Dragoon Campaigns Rocky Mts. i. vi. 48 Next in order of inspection came the adjutant, and, commencing at the right of the line, ‘told off’ the battalion by equal troops, the subalterns taking their stations in the rank of file-closers.
1888 Harper's Mag. Apr. 788/1 The..officers hidden as file-closers behind their companies.
ΚΠ
1775 J. Ash New Dict. Eng. Lang. File-lead..the foremost man in the file.
file-leader n.
ΚΠ
1616 J. Bingham tr. Ælian Tactiks v. 42 Hee, that leadeth the file, who is also called the file-leader.
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 26 The file leaders preserve such distances as they ought from which ever hand they are to dress to.
1848 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. (rev. ed.) iv. viii. 233 Most people require a..file-leader.
file-mark n.
b. (In sense 4.)
file card n.
ΚΠ
1966 Eng. Stud. 47 200 It is as though a scholar..were to decide to re-arrange a mountainous stack of file-cards.
file copy n.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > copy > [noun] > other types of copy
fine paper copy1789
review book1796
advance copy1837
reading copy1847
manifold1852
review copy1859
press copy1891
working copy1897
file copy1899
binding copy1936
desk copy1942
ideal copy1949
society > communication > writing > written text > [noun] > transcript or copy > filed for reference, editor's copy
file copy1899
1899 Daily News 23 Jan. 4/7 Prudent swains might find a file copy extremely useful in general emergencies.
1909 Daily Chron. 2 Sept. 4/7 The file copy of ‘The Daily Chronicle’ of the same date.
1930 D. L. Sayers Strong Poison vi. 77 I don't think you could get a first edition in London for love or money. We have nothing here but our own file copies.
1968 V. C. Clinton-Baddeley My Foe Outstretch'd ii. 27 I don't know why Miss Cragg couldn't give you a tape... I suppose..she's only got a file copy.
file cover n.
ΚΠ
1925 J. G. Bruce in E. F. Norton et al. Fight for Everest: 1924 vi. 349 A few file covers are useful to keep the correspondence on various subjects separate.
file signal n.
ΚΠ
1961 Lebende Sprachen 6 69/2 Office furniture, machines and supplies. File signal.
C2. † file-wort n. Obsolete Gerarde's rendering of botanical Latin fīlāgo, the name of a genus of plants.
file-fire n. firing by files, now called independent firing (opposed to volley-firing).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > [noun] > type of firing
point and blank1590
false fire1602
potting1613
point-blank1614
running fire1629
pounding1633
bulleting1635
platooning1706
sharp-shot1725
street firing1727
ricochet1740
fire curtain1744
plunging fire1747
reverse fire1758
sniping1773
enfilade1796
rapid fire1800
line-firing1802
concentric1804
sharpshooting1806
rake1810
sniping fire1821
cross-firing1837
file-firing1837
curved fire1854
night firing1856
file-fire1857
volley-firing1859
cross-fire1860
joy-firing1864
snap-shooting1872
stringing1873
pot-shooting1874
indirect fire1879
sweeping1907
rapid1913
curtain of fire1916
ripple1939
ripple-firing1940
ripple fire1961
1857 New Boy at Styles's in Househ. Words 9 May 436 The usual file-fire of glances was exchanged.
file-firing n. = file-fire n.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > [noun] > type of firing
point and blank1590
false fire1602
potting1613
point-blank1614
running fire1629
pounding1633
bulleting1635
platooning1706
sharp-shot1725
street firing1727
ricochet1740
fire curtain1744
plunging fire1747
reverse fire1758
sniping1773
enfilade1796
rapid fire1800
line-firing1802
concentric1804
sharpshooting1806
rake1810
sniping fire1821
cross-firing1837
file-firing1837
curved fire1854
night firing1856
file-fire1857
volley-firing1859
cross-fire1860
joy-firing1864
snap-shooting1872
stringing1873
pot-shooting1874
indirect fire1879
sweeping1907
rapid1913
curtain of fire1916
ripple1939
ripple-firing1940
ripple fire1961
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. vi. iii. 362 His Jurymen are charged to make feu de file, file-firing till the ground be clear.
1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 40 Independent or file firing may commence.
file-marching n. marching in files, by turning from a formation in line to the right or left, so that the line becomes a series of files facing to the right or left flank.
ΚΠ
1824 H. W. Torrens Field Exercise Army (rev. ed.) ii. 45 File marching may be adopted.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Compositae (composite plants) > [noun] > cudweeds
horewortc1400
chafeweed1548
chafewort1548
cudweed1548
cudwort1548
cartafilago1551
cottonweed1562
downweed1562
petty cotton1578
small cotton1578
file-wort1597
live forever1597
livelong1597
life-everlasting1629
white plantain1687
petty coy1736
cat's-foot1739
owl's crown1787
1597 J. Gerard Herball App. Filewort is Filago minor.
Draft additions 1993
file directory n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > organization > directory or sub-directory
directory1962
file directory1968
subdirectory1971
1968 IEEE Internat. Convention Digest 94/2 A code word or name for the file should be returned to the individual's local computer system and an entry made in his own individual file directory.
1983 WordStar Ref. Manual (Release 3.3) ix. 7 Use F at the Opening Menu to switch the File directory for your currently logged disk drive on or off.
Draft additions 1993
file handling n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > working with files
file handling1958
file management1967
1958 Communications Assoc. Computing Machinery 1 31 The file handling commands have been designed to facilitate the addition of new requests.
1980 C. S. French Computer Sci. xxxi. 265 The techniques apply mainly to sequential and Index Sequential file handling.
Draft additions 1993
file maintenance n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > maintaining files
file maintenance1959
1959 Business Computer Symposium iv. 157 (heading) Large scale file maintenance.
1986 Byte May 270/3 You..have access to file maintenance, textfont controls, and screen-element editing.
Draft additions 1993
file management n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > working with files
file handling1958
file management1967
1967 Proc. 21st Nat. Conf. Assoc. Computing Machinery 75 (heading) Design of a multi-level file management system.
1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 13 (advt.) 1-2-3 from Lotus, most popular spreadsheet, file management and business graphics program, is permanently built into the Portable.
Draft additions 1993
file-name n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > filename
file-name1971
1971 Communications ACM 14 409/1 It is assumed that there is a similarity of function between the data names of a programming language and the file names of an operating system.
1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 140/3 It does also display the filename along with a cursor which you can use to edit the filename.
Draft additions 1993
file organization n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > organization
file organization1959
1959 Proc. Western Joint Computer Conf. 1958 194 (heading) Methods of file organization for efficient use of IBM RAMAC Files.
1985 Byte Dec. 221/2 You can't just say, ‘Well, with version 4 we'll go to a totally new file organization,’ because then conversion programs will need writing.
Draft additions 1993
file transfer n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > data > [noun] > file > transferring files
file transfer1971
1971 Rev. Electr. Communication Lab. (Tokyo) Mar. 246 An addition of file transfer function made possible wide applications.
1986 Byte Oct. 300/1 Unless you absolutely need the ability to perform file transfers as a background task, there is no reason to purchase a high-priced commercial telecommunications program.
Draft additions 1993
file server n. Computing in a network or other multi-user system: a device which manages access to one or more separately stored files of data; cf. server n. 11b.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > network > [noun] > server
mainframe1957
host computer1966
server1969
file server1979
portal1990
1979 Computer Networks III. 396/1 When the file server gets a read or write request, it translates the logical file access request into one or more physical storage access requests.
1989 H. Alshawi et al. in B. Boguraev & T. Briscoe Computational Lexicogr. (new ed.) ii. 62 The Remote Procedure Call Protocol..provided the necessary functionality to incorporate the manager into a dictionary server node..—this bypassed the need for costly fileservers and proved the integrity of the design.
Draft additions February 2005
file extension n. Computing a string of characters affixed to a file name, usually preceded by a point and serving to indicate the type of file.
ΚΠ
1975 R. Clements Request for Comments (Network Working Group) (Electronic text) No. 683 The pathname is specified in the RETR or STOR verb. It includes the directory name, file name, file name extension, and version number.]
1981 Proc. 8th Symp. Operating Syst. Princ. (Assoc. Computing Machinery) 96/2 In the TOPS-10 operating system, every file has a 6-character file name and a 3-character file extension... The file extension indicates the nature of the contents of a file.
1988 Computers & Libraries Dec. 5 An MS-DOS filename can consist of up to eight characters;..then up to three more characters which are the file extension, sometimes called the filetype.
2004 Christchurch (N.Z.) Press (Nexis) 20 May c6 Safe file extensions include: .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .txt, .rtf, and .doc—although viruses can be contained in the code of .doc (Microsoft Word) files.
Draft additions March 2006
file space n. (a) the storage space available for paper files; (b) Computing (usually in form filespace) the memory space available (esp. to a particular user) for storing electronic files.
ΚΠ
1885 Washington Post 6 Nov. 1/7 The Treasury Department building..will have about 150,000 cubic feet additional of file space.
1959 Managem. Sci. 6 102 When the entry counter reaches the upper limit of the file space, the file contents are compacted to the bottom of the file space.
1986 R. L. Ward in J. A. Burden & R. A. Wright Teaching in Small College vi. 81 Aggregate demand, measured in terminal hours per student per week, file space per user, or some other appropriate metric, should be compared to usage levels reported by other colleges.
1999 P. E. Kneale Study Skills for Geogr. Students iv. 37 Mark items of interest as you search, to download via e-mail to your own filespace.
Draft additions August 2001
file transfer protocol n. Computing = FTP n.
ΚΠ
1971 A. Bhushan et al. Request for Comments (Network Working Group) (Electronic text) No. 172. 2 The file transfer protocol (FTP) is a user-level protocol for file transfer between host computers (including terminal IMP's), on the ARPA computer network.
1993 Online Access Spring 41/1 11 file transfer protocols are available including the popular Zmodem.
1998 R. Darnell et al. HTML 4 Unleashed iii. xii. 193 The File Transfer Protocol is still in use for retrieving files from FTP servers, though not as much as in earlier days.
Draft additions March 2014
file sharer n. Computing (originally) a piece of hardware or software which enables users to share files via a network; (now chiefly) a person who engages in file sharing (see file sharing n. at Additions).
ΚΠ
1983 Computerworld 24 Jan. 6/2 The Modus file sharer offers file security as well as the ability to share records, files, programs and messages among computers.
1992 Network World 13 Jan. 37/5 System 7 comes bundled with Apple's AppleShare file-sharer software.
2000 Metallicster in alt.activism.youth-rights (Usenet newsgroup) 20 June Napster is loved by many an eager file sharer and loathed by the creators of the media it distributes.
2002 Times 22 May ii. 3/6 Although some file-sharers recognise that what they are doing may be technically illegal, they don't consider it to be particularly immoral.
2010 Billboard 24 Apr. 11/1 The government may allow the implementation of penalties against persistent file sharers, such as restricting bandwidth speeds or suspending their accounts.
Draft additions March 2014
file sharing n. Computing the practice of making files available to other users of a network; (now esp.) the (often illicit) sharing of music or video files via the internet; frequently attributive.
ΚΠ
1967 Operations Res. 15 177 Time-sharing and file-sharing computer systems.
1975 Computerworld 14 May 19 File-Sharing commands..allow one CPU to transfer data or request data from a file or I/O device that is part of another CPU system.
1995 L. Mui What you need to know when you can't find UNIX Syst. Administrator (1998) 92 Most UNIX systems today support some sort of remote file sharing.
2000 Infoworld 14 Aug. 5/4 The Napster model of peer-to-peer file sharing seems to have inspired Intel to apply similar technologies.
2005 Sydney Morning Herald 21 May 17/7 The final chapter of the Star Wars saga..has been leaked onto a big file-sharing network just hours after opening in cinemas.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† filen.3
Obsolete.
A girl, woman; also in a bad sense, a concubine, a whore.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > young person > young woman > [noun]
daughterOE
maidenOE
young womanOE
mayc1175
burdc1225
maidc1275
wenchc1290
file1303
virginc1330
girla1375
damselc1380
young ladya1393
jilla1425
juvenclec1430
young person1438
domicellea1464
quean1488
trull1525
pulleta1533
Tib1533
kittyc1560
dell1567
gillian1573
nymph1584
winklota1586
frotion1587
yuffrouw1589
pigeon1592
tit1599
nannicock1600
muggle1608
gixy1611
infanta1611
dilla1627
tittiea1628
whimsy1631
ladykin1632
stammel1639
moggie1648
zitellaa1660
baggagea1668
miss1668
baby1684
burdie1718
demoiselle1720
queanie?1800
intombi1809
muchacha1811
jilt1816
titter1819
ragazza1827
gouge1828
craft1829
meisie1838
sheila1839
sixteenc1840
chica1843
femme1846
muffin1854
gel1857
quail1859
kitten1870
bud1880
fräulein1883
sub-debutante1887
sweet-and-twenty1887
flapper1888
jelly1889
queen1894
chick1899
pusher1902
bit of fluff1903
chicklet1905
twist and twirl1905
twist1906
head1913
sub-deb1916
tabby1916
mouse1917
tittie1918
chickie1919
wren1920
bim1922
nifty1923
quiff1923
wimp1923
bride1924
job1927
junior miss1927
hag1932
tab1932
sort1933
palone1934
brush1941
knitting1943
teenybopper1966
weeny-bopper1972
Valley Girl1982
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > [noun] > illicit intimacy > person > a mistress
chevesea700
wifeOE
bed-sister1297
concubine1297
leman1297
file1303
speciala1400
womanc1400
chamberer?a1425
mistress?a1439
cousin1470
doxy?1515
doll1560
pinnacea1568
nobsya1575
lier-by1583
sweetheart1589
she-friend1600
miss1606
underput1607
concupy1609
lig-by1610
factoress1611
leveret1617
night-piece1621
belly-piece1632
dolly1648
lie-bya1656
madamc1660
small girl1671
natural1674
convenient1676
lady of the lake1678
pure1688
tackle1688
sultana1703
kind girl1712
bosom-slave1728
pop1785
chère amie1792
fancy-woman1819
hetaera1820
fancy-piece1821
poplolly1821
secondary wife1847
other woman1855
fancy-girl1892
querida1902
wifelet1983
1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 4540 To rage wyþ ylka fyle [gl. maydgerle].
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. vii. 135 Dame purnele a prestes file, prioresse worth hue neuere.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
† filen.4
Obsolete.
A worthless person (male or female); a rascal.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > worthlessness > worthless person > [noun]
ribalda1250
brethelingc1275
filec1300
waynouna1350
waster1352
lorel1362
losel1362
land-leaper1377
javelc1400
leftc1400
lorerc1400
shackerellc1420
brethel1440
never-thrift1440
ne'er-thrifta1450
never-thrivinga1450
nebulona1475
breelc1485
naughty pack?1534
brathel1542
unsel155.
pelf1551
wandrel?1567
land-loper1570
scald1575
baggage1594
arrant1605
good-for-nothing1611
hilding1611
vauneant1621
idle-pack1624
thimble-maker1654
never-do-well1664
ne'er-be-good1675
shack1682
vagabond1686
shag-bag1699
houndsfoot1710
blackguard1732
ne'er-do-well1737
trumpery1738
rap1742
good-for-naught1773
rip1781
mauvais sujet1793
scamp1808
waffie1808
loose fish1809
ne'er-do-good1814
hard bargain1818
vaurien1829
sculpin1834
shicer1846
wastrel1847
scallywag1848
shack-bag1855
beat1865
rodney1877
git1939
no-hoper1944
piss artist1962
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > low or vulgar person > [noun]
gadlinga1300
geggea1300
churlc1300
filec1300
jot1362
scoutc1380
beggara1400
carla1400
turnbroach14..
villainc1400
gnoffc1405
fellowc1425
cavelc1430
haskardc1487
hastardc1489
foumart1508
strummel?a1513
knapper1513
hogshead?1518
jockeya1529
dreng1535
sneakbill1546
Jack1548
rag1566
scald1575
huddle and twang1578
sneaksby1580
companion1581
lowling1581
besognier1584
patchcock1596
grill1597
sneaksbill1602
scum1607
turnspit1607
cocoloch1610
compeer1612
dust-worm1621
besonioa1625
world-worma1625
besognea1652
gippo1651
Jacky1653
mechanic1699
fustya1732
grub-worm1752
raff1778
person1782
rough scuff1816
spalpeen1817
bum1825
sculpin1834
soap-lock1840
tinka1843
'Arry1874
scruff1896
scruffo1959
society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > [noun] > worthlessness > good-for-nothing person
brethelingc1275
filec1300
dogc1330
ribald1340
waynouna1350
waster1352
lorel1362
losel1362
land-leaper1377
triflera1382
brothelc1390
javelc1400
leftc1400
lorerc1400
shackerellc1420
brethel1440
never-thrift1440
vagrant1444
ne'er-thrifta1450
never-thrivinga1450
nebulona1475
breelc1485
naughty pack?1534
brathel1542
carrion1547
slim1548
unsel155.
pelf1551
shifterc1562
rag1566
wandrel?1567
land-loper1570
nothing-worth1580
baggage1594
roly-poly1602
bash-rag1603
arrant1605
ragabash?1609
flabergullion1611
hilding1611
hard bargain1612
slubberdegullion1612
vauneant1621
knick-knacker1622
idle-pack1624
slabberdegullion1653
thimble-maker1654
whiffler1659
never-do-well1664
good-for-nought1671
ne'er-be-good1675
shack1682
vagabond1686
shabaroon1699
shag-bag1699
houndsfoot1710
ne'er-do-well1737
trumpery1738
rap1742
hallion1789
scamp1808
waffie1808
ne'er-do-good1814
vaurien1829
sculpin1834
shicer1846
good-for-nothing1847
wastrel1847
scallywag1848
shack-bag1855
beat1865
toe-rag1875
rodney1877
toe-ragger1896
low-lifer1902
punk1904
lowlife1909
ringtail1916
git1939
no-hoper1944
schlub1950
piss artist1962
dead leg1964
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2499 Men mithe thethen a mile Here him rore, that fule file.
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 95 Þat did Roberd trauaile for nouht, he was a file.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 715 Sorful bicom þat fals file.
c1450 Douce MS. 559 (Bodl.) Quest. 240 My brotheres wyfe may be a fyle.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† filen.5
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ slang. Obsolete.
A pick-pocket. Also, file-cloy, file-lifter.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > pickpocket or cutpurse > [noun] > pickpocket
fig-boyc1555
foister1585
foist1591
pickpocket1591
bung1600
diver1608
pocket-picker1622
pocketeerc1626
bung-nipper1659
file1673
filer1674
shark1707
hoister1708
knuckle1781
knuckler1801
buzzgloak1819
cly-faker1819
fingersmith1819
knuck1819
fogle hunter1821
buzzman1832
nobbler1839
wire1851
gonoph1853
wirer1857
dip1859
moll-tooler1859
buzzer1862
hook1863
snotter1864
tool1865
pocket-cutter1885
dipper1889
pogue-hunter1896
pick1902
finger1925
whizz1925
whizzer1925
prat diggera1931
whizz-boy1931
whizz-man1932
reefer1935
1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 191 The sixth is a Foyl-cloy.
1676 Warning for House-keepers (title page) Budg and Snudg, File-lifter, Tongue-padder, the private Theif.
1695 W. Kennett Parochial Antiq. Gloss. at Putta A file, or pick-pocket whore.
1708 P. A. Motteux Wks. F. Rabelais (1737) V. 218 Pickpockets, Divers, Buttocking-Foiles.
1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. at Bulk Bulk and File, is when one jostles you while another picks your pocket.
1725 New Canting Dict. File-Cloy, a Pickpocket, Thief or Rogue.
1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild iv. xiii, in Misc. III. 382 A Pick-pocket, or, in truer Language, a File.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† filen.6
Obsolete.
Apparently = Fylde, proper name of a district in Lancashire.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > British Isles > England > [noun] > districts of England
wealdOE
Oxon.c1439
the Stannaries1455
Midland1555
Home Counties1695
Islandshire1705
lakes1774
file1775
potteries1795
the Shires1796
Tyneside1824
lakeland1829
Lake District1835
lake country1842
Wessex1868
Shakespeare country1900
Geordieland1901
cherry country1902
1775 E. Barry Observ. Wines Ancients 416 The..files of Lancashire.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
filen.7
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ U.S. local.
A cloth used for wiping a floor or a table after scrubbing, a house-flannel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > mopping or swabbing > mop or swab
swipple14..
mapplea1406
malkin1440
mop1496
makron1552
swabber1606
swab1787
swab-stick1839
file1851
squilgee1851
1851 S. Warner Wide Wide World II. xlvi. 228 ‘A file!’ said Ellen... ‘O I remember now... I didn't know what you meant. Margery calls it a dishcloth, or a floorcloth, or something else’.
1860 in J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 3)
1889 in J. S. Farmer Americanisms
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
filev.1
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ 1. absolute.1680 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) i. 10 Others have made them [false dice] by filing and rounding.1888 P. N. Hasluck Mech. Workshop Handybk. 85 Take an old file and file away steadily.
a. transitive. To rub smooth, reduce the surface of, with a file. to file (one's) teeth: (figurative) to render harmless. to file in (or †a) two: to cut in two by filing.In the contextual use ‘to sharpen’ (weapons) sometimes associated with affile v.1
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > work with tools or equipment [verb (intransitive)] > other tools or equipment
filec1230
to blow the bellowsc1440
pump1508
vice1612
plane1678
shovel1685
turn1796
brake1862
pestle1866
chisel1873
roll1881
slice1893
leverage1937
monkeywrench1993
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)] > with a file
to file in (or a) twoc1230
the world > action or operation > safety > make safe or secure [verb (transitive)] > make safe or not dangerous > make harmless
unarm1569
to file (one's) teeth1599
cicurate1606
disenvenoma1711
scotch1726
defang1919
neutralize1937
sterilize1939
declaw1940
recuperate1967
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 147 Nis hit or acurset. þe iwurðeð swartre & ruhre se hit is ifilet mare?
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2225 A deneȝ ax..Fyled in a fylor.
c1420 Chron. Vilod. 354 And a file to file þis nayle a two.
1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 6 Pinnes..shal..haue..the point well and rounde, filled, canted and sharped.
1553 R. Eden tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India sig. Ciij He fyleth & whetteth his horne on a stone.
1599 Master Broughtons Lett. Answered i. 6 It is..time enough to file your teeth, or muzzle you.
1696 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) IV. 65 Some persons are committed for fyling the edges of new shillings.
1787 T. Holcroft tr. Life Baron Trenck (1886) II. 33 I filed the iron which passed through it on the outside.
1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) at File Leaving the surface that has been filed more or less smooth.
b. figurative. To remove the roughness of; to smooth, polish, elaborate to perfection. Also, to wear down; to bring into (a certain condition) as if by filing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)] > purify or refine
slick1340
filec1400
polishc1400
burnish1526
polite1535
extirpate1548
purify1548
soften1579
purgea1582
refine1592
mellow1593
civilize1596
rarefy1600
incivilize1603
sublimate1624
alembicate1627
chastise1627
sublime1631
calcine1635
gentilize1635
ennoble1636
subtilize1638
deconcoct1655
sublimizea1729
smooth1762
absterge1817
decrassify1855
sandpaper1890
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > elegance > compose elegantly [verb (transitive)] > refine or make more elegant
file1551
raise1581
refine1582
smooth1667
the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > cause bad condition in [verb (transitive)] > cause to waste away > wear away or down > (as) by rubbing
grate1555
fray1710
fridge1761
rub1791
file1837
scuff1909
the world > time > change > change [verb (transitive)] > turn or bring to a condition
workOE
cast1711
file1889
c1400 Rom. Rose 3812 His tunge was fyled sharpe & square.
1551 R. Record Pathway to Knowl. (title page) All fresshe fine wittes by me are filed.
1568 T. Howell Arbor of Amitie f. 42 Nor he that files his smoothed speeche.
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets lxxxv. sig. F2v Precious phrase by all the Muses fil'd . View more context for this quotation
1700 J. Dryden Fables Pref. sig. *Av Dante had begun to file their Language, at least in Verse.
1757 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) IX. 192 The Treatise..which he has had leisure for many years to revise, file, correct, and strengthen against all objections.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe I. ii. 40 And file your tongue to a little more courtesy.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xli. 451 His bones [were] sharp and thin..the iron teeth of confinement and privation had been slowly filing them down for twenty years.
1889 Temple Bar Nov. 406 Lads who would be filed into business shape.
2. To remove (roughnesses, part of a surface, etc.) by filing. Now only with away, off. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away > remove or displace by scratching, scraping, stripping, or cutting
bestrip1065
file?c1225
to cut awayc1320
raze1419
screeve?1440
rakec1475
to scrape out, forth1530
scrata1560
scrabble1657
scamble1707
peel1787
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 140 Heis þi file & fileð awei þirust.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. xxvii. 58 They which would file away most from the largenes of that offer.
a1618 W. Raleigh Advice of Sonne (1651) 7 Death hath already filed from you the better part of your natural forces.
a1625 J. Fletcher Noble Gentleman i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Dd2/1 That..Files of all rudenesse, and uncivill haviour.
1670 Earl of Clarendon Ess. in Tracts (1727) 216 He will never file away the stain.
1707 J. Norris Pract. Treat. Humility iii. 154 It [Humility]..files off the roughnesses of our passions.
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 291 They adjusted the balance by filing away some of the thickness of the longest part of the beam.
1850 H. Rogers Ess. II. iv. 204 What was required was to file away asperities [in language].
1859 Ld. Tennyson Vivien in Idylls of King 126 So grated down and filed away with thought.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
filev.2
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ 1. figurative.1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 78 He will not vouchsafe himselfe to file his hands vpon so base..a person.1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. ii. sig. E A word that I abhorre to file my lips with.† c. intransitive for reflexive. To become soiled. Obsolete.† d. absol. Also intransitive, to void excrement. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To render (materially) foul, filthy or dirty; to pollute, dirty; to destroy the cleanness or purity of; = defile v.1 2. Obsolete exc. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirty [verb (transitive)]
uncleanseOE
horyc1200
befoulc1320
behorewe1340
file1340
flobber1377
smatterc1386
foulc1400
slurryc1440
filtha1450
sowla1450
sollc1480
bawdy1495
squagea1500
arrayc1525
ray1526
bawdc1529
beray1530
filthify1545
belime1555
soss1557
embroyn1566
dirt1570
filthy1581
turpifya1586
dirty1591
muck1618
bedirt1622
bedirty1623
smooch1631
dight1632
fewma1637
snuddle1661
bepaw1684
puddle1698
nasty1707
muddify1739
scavenger1806
mucky1828
squalidize1837
mullock1861
muddy1893
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > pollute or defile [verb (transitive)]
afileeOE
besmiteeOE
shenda950
befilec1000
bisulienc1200
defoulc1320
file1340
foilc1380
smota1387
lime1390
solwea1400
surda1400
infectc1425
filtha1450
poison?a1513
defile1530
polluve1533
inquinate1542
pollute1548
contaminate1563
bumfiddlec1595
impure1598
conspurcate1600
defoil1601
sullya1616
vilify1615
deturpate1623
impiate1623
defedate1628
dreg1628
contemerate1650
spot1741
empoison1775
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > be polluted [verb (intransitive)]
sulea1250
begoc1275
file1607
1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 2348 A thyng es fouler þat may file Þan þe thyng þat it fyles.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 136 No festiual frok but fyled with werkkez.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. clxxxxvii. f. cxviiiv He felyd the holy lyker with the fruyte of his wombe.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xxiv Yf any shepe..be fyled with dong about the tayle.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 446 Oft fylit my feit in mony foull fen.
1607 G. Wilkins Miseries Inforst Mariage sig. I4 As not to file my hands in villaines blood.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 384 You need not file the House for want of Legs to carry you to the Midding.
1753 Trial J. Stewart App. 84 A piece which is laid by foul, will..file one's finger.
1792 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum IV. 389 Her face wad fyle the Logan water.
1825 R. Southey Tale of Paraguay iii. 44 No art of barbarous ornament had..'filed her face.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. File, to defile.
b. Proverbs.
ΚΠ
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 100 Dahet habbe that ilke beste, That fuleth his owe nest.
1568 Newe Comedie Iacob & Esau ii. iii. sig. C.iv Clawe a churle by the tayle, and he will file your hand.
1823 J. Galt Entail II. xx. 190 It's a foul bird that files its ain nest.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirt > soiled condition > become soiled [verb (intransitive)]
solwe1303
soil1530
file1565
sully1598
1565 J. Calfhill Aunswere Treat. Crosse f. 53v Hys garmentes neuer filed, nor hys shooes..waxed old.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > defecation or urination > defecation > [verb (intransitive)]
dritea1000
to do one's filthheadc1300
shit?c1335
to go to siegec1400
scumbera1425
cack1436
to do one's easementa1438
to ease nature, ease oneselfc1440
skite1449
to do of one's needingsc1475
fen1486
dung1508
spurge1530
to cover his feet1535
lask1540
stool1540
to exonerate nature1542
file1564
fiant1575
cucka1605
wray1620
exonerate1631
excrement1632
to do one's ease1645
sir-reverence1665
excrementizec1670
nest1679
poop1689
move1699
defecate1837
crap1874
mire1918
to make a mess1928
mess1937
to go poo-poo (also poo-poos)1960
potty1972
to do a whoopsie (or whoopsies)1973
pooh1975
1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Catech. & Other Pieces (1844) 62 If doves, or any other fowls or beasts file upon their [i.e. the images] heads, they perceive it not.
1607 G. Wilkins Miseries Inforst Mariage sig. D4 Oathes are..like smoake through a chimney, that files all the waye it goes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > production of disease > make diseased [verb (transitive)] > infect
infecta1398
touch?c1400
smit1428
file1456
disease1467
fect?1541
tache?1541
tack1601
smittle1625
1456 Sc. Acts James II (1814) §6 And not lat þame pas away fra þe place..to fyle þe cuntre about thame.
3. To render morally foul or polluted; to destroy the ideal purity of; to corrupt, taint, sully; = defile v.1 3. Obsolete exc. archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > corruption > [verb (transitive)]
forbraidc888
besmiteeOE
awemOE
filec1175
soila1250
envenomc1300
beshrewc1325
shrew1338
corrumpa1340
corrupt1382
subvertc1384
tache1390
poison1395
infect?c1400
intoxicatec1450
deprave1482
corrup1483
rust1493
turkess?1521
vitiate1534
prevary?1541
depravate1548
fester?1548
turkish1560
wry1563
taint1573
disalter1579
prevaricate1595
sophisticate1597
invitiate1598
fashion1600
tack1601
debauch1603
deturpate1623
disaltern1635
ulcer1642
deboise1654
Neronize1673
demoralize1794
bedevil1800
society > morality > moral evil > moral or spiritual degeneration > degrading or impairing morally > degrade or impair morally [verb (transitive)] > pollute or defile
afileeOE
awemOE
filec1175
wemc1175
soila1250
foulc1330
defoula1340
bleckc1380
blemishc1380
pollutea1382
tache1390
sulpa1400
vilec1400
spota1413
stain1446
defilec1450
violate1490
tan1530
smear1549
beray1576
moil1596
discolour1598
smut1601
bespurtle1604
sullya1616
commaculatec1616
decolour?c1622
collutulate1623
deturpate1623
berust1631
smutch1640
discolorate1651
smoot1683
tarnish1695
tar1817
dirten1987
c1175 Cott. Hom. 205 Ich habbe..mid flesches fulðe ifuled me.]
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1959 Þatt nan ne shollde filedd ben Wiþþ hæþenndom þurrh macche.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 287/314 Alle þo..þat his ordre fuylden ouȝt with..worldes feo.
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter Prol. To confourme men þat are filyd in adam til crist in newnes of lyf.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 882 She haþ me fuyled wiþ her synne.
R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle Mending of Life 129 No man filys hym-self with wardly bisynes after þat he truly has ioyd in lufe euerlastyng.
a1522 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) iv. Prol. 104 Is that trew lufe, gude faith and fame to fyle?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iii. i. 66 For Banquo's Issue haue I fil'd my Minde. View more context for this quotation
1816 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto III cxiii. 61 Had I not filed my mind, which thus itself subdued.
1861 A. Trollope Framley Parsonage III. ii. 25 Why had he thus filed his mind?
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > loss of chastity > deprive of chastity [verb (transitive)] > a woman
forliec1275
defoulc1290
dishonour1393
defilea1400
file?a1400
spilla1400
foilc1440
diviciatec1470
foul?1473
fulyie1505
vitiate1547
dishonest1565
fray1567
out1922
?a1400 Morte Arth. 978 He has forsede hir and fylede.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. x. 96 For me was she neuer fylyd.
a1586 Peblis to Play in W. A. Craigie Maitland Folio MS (1919) I. 180 Ȝe fylit me fy for schame quod scho.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > damage to reputation > sullying or staining of reputation > stain or sully [verb (transitive)]
filea1325
foulc1330
tache1390
dark?c1400
distain1406
smita1413
blemish1414
black?c1425
defoul1470
maculate?a1475
macule1484
tan1530
staina1535
spota1542
smear1549
blot1566
besmear1579
defile1581
attaint1590
soila1596
slubber1599
tack1601
woad1603
besmirch1604
blur1604
to breathe upon ——1608
be-smut1610
clouda1616
sullya1616
taint1623
smutch1640
blackena1649
to cast, put, throw (etc.) a slur on or upon (a person or thing)1654
beslur1675
tarnish1695
blackwash1762
carbonify1792
smirch1820
tattoo1884
dirten1987
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3498 Tac ðu nogt in idel min name, Ne swer it les to fele in gamen.
c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Harl.) xvii. 62 He made the new lawe, & fylid not þat othir.
c1470 J. Hardyng Chron. ccxviii. v They the trewce had broken and did fyle.
1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) iv. xxi. sig. bb.ii If he hath broken & fyled ye preuyleges of ye chyrche.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 8120 Euery lede will þe lacke and þi lose file.
1594 King James VI in P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) IV. 217 That so wise and provident a prince [Elizabeth]..should be so fyled and contemned by a great number of her own subjects.
a1600 Doctrynall Good Servauntes in E. F. Rimbault Anc. Poet. Tracts 16th Cent. (1842) 10 A good name that none dooth fyle.
1673 Siege in W. Davenant Wks. iii. 75/1 The bold Warrier, that hath deserv'd Fame whose Deeds engros'd All publick noise once feel'd [mod. ed. fil'd] his victories Are quite forgot.
a. To charge with a crime, accuse. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > accusation, charge > accuse [verb (transitive)] > accuse of or charge with
tee871
upbraidc1000
acoupc1300
retc1300
becalla1325
charge138.
impeachc1380
putc1380
blamea1400
appeach1430
gredea1450
articlea1460
filea1500
slander1504
to lay to one's charge1535
aggravate1541
to charge (a person) with1559
reproach1570
attaint1586
impute1596
censure1634
arraign1672
saddle1794
inculpate1799
society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > accusation, allegation, or indictment > charge, accuse, or indict [verb (transitive)]
wrayc725
forwrayOE
beclepec1030
challenge?c1225
indict1303
appeachc1315
aditea1325
appeal1366
impeachc1380
reprovea1382
arraigna1400
calla1400
raign?a1425
to put upa1438
present?a1439
ditec1440
detectc1449
articlec1450
billc1450
peach1465
attach1480
denounce1485
aret1487
accusea1500
filea1500
delate1515
crimea1550
panel1560
articulate1563
prosecute1579
impleada1600
to have up1605
reprosecute1622
tainta1625
criminatea1646
affect1726
to pull up1799
rap1904
run1909
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxvii. 360 To thare prynces thay can hym fyle.
c1560 in J. Raine Depositions Courts Durham (1845) 64 Mr. Ratlyf was in great greif that Doon shuld fyll his man Dixon for certain shepe.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 376 You are busy to clear your self when no Body files you.
1759 J. Lauder Decisions I. 14 They..were ready to file, by their delation, sundry gentlewomen.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > judging > conviction or judicial condemnation > convict or condemn [verb (transitive)]
fordeemc1000
attain1330
filec1330
condemna1340
shape1340
dem1377
convictc1380
reprovea1382
damnc1384
overtakea1393
attainta1400
taintc1400
commita1425
vanquish1502
convincea1535
cast1536
convanquish1540
deprehend1598
forejudge1603
do1819
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 173 Þe courte opon him sat, þe quest filed him & schent.
1525 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. I. *131 Quhil þai had..fylit þame of þe said slauchtir.
1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem iv. i. §5 Gif anie man is fyled or condemned of that crime.
1673–50 J. Row Hist. Kirk Scotl. (1842) 387 He was noted as if he had fylled him.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > [adjective]
mixedc1300
pollutea1382
infectc1384
unpurea1398
fouledc1400
drossyc1420
polluteda1425
defouledc1440
dreggyc1440
feculent1471
filed1483
violate?c1500
feding1502
fly-blown1528
cankered1530
defiled1530
contagious1547
dregful1552
contaminatea1555
menstruous1560
dreggish1561
conspurcate1563
empoisoned1581
inquinated?1593
pollutionate1593
fly-bitten1598
impure1598
druggy1599
contaminated1609
transboundary1918
1483 Cath. Angl. 130/2 Filed, deturpatus.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. i. sig. Cc5v She lightly lept out of her filed bedd, And to her weapon ran.
1593 Queen Elizabeth I tr. Boethius De Consolatione Philosophiæ in Queen Elizabeth's Englishings (1899) 95 His fyled conscience.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
filev.3
/fʌɪl/, U.S. /faɪl/ 1. figurative and in extended use.1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 292 Let not this accusation of Osorius be filed uppe amongst the other hys false reproches and lyes.1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. ii. sig. B7v Dan Chaucer..On fames eternall beadroll worthie to be fyled . View more context for this quotation1632 P. Massinger Maid of Honour iv. iii. sig. H3v I am no Church-man, Such a one must file it on record.1647 R. Fanshawe tr. B. Guarini Pastor Fido 187 Thou dost file One Lye upon another well.1754 J. Short in Philos. Trans. 1753 (Royal Soc.) 48 14 F. Frisi..files it up, as the sixth of the errors, which he says have been discovered in the Principia.1778 Arminian Mag. 1 201 Lest I should be filed upon that chain.figurative.1619 T. Middleton Inner-Temple Masque C i b Thy faire desires in Vertue's Court are fil'de.1744 E. Young Complaint: Night the Seventh 26 Let Conscience file the Sentence in her Court.
a. transitive †To string upon a thread (obsolete); to place (documents) on a file; to place (papers) in consecutive order for preservation and reference. Also, †to file together, to file up (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > arrange and store written records [verb (transitive)]
keep1552
file1581
administrate1969
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > arrange in (a) row(s) or line(s [verb (transitive)] > string together
enfile1393
file1581
string1612
thread1633
bead1883
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 613 Their maner is to bore holes through them, and then to file them vp into chains and collars.
1631 B. Jonson Staple of Newes i. ii. 76 in Wks. II They..sort, and file, And seale the newes, and issue them.
1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures xxxvi. 142 At her arm-pits hung a many of little idols..filed together.
1682 N. Grew Anat. Plants Pref. sig. A2 A Letter..now filed amongst others in the Custody of the Royal Society.
1770 B. Franklin Wks. (1887) IV. 364 No care is taken to file the newspapers.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. ii. 16 Miss Abbey filed her receipts.
b. spec. To place (a document) in a due manner among the records of a court or public office; esp. to file a bill (in Chancery), to file an information. Also, †to file up (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court papers > [verb (transitive)] > lodge document in court
enter1425
enrol1495
file1511
affile1512
encorpore1523
box1789
society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > arrange and store written records [verb (transitive)] > specific
file1511
filace1537
archive1934
1511–12 Act 3 Hen. VIII c. 23 §3 The same accomptes..to be taken and filed up in the Pipe.
1511–12 Act 3 Hen. VIII c. 23 §5 The Kinges said lettres missives annexed and fyled to the same Accomptes.
1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes iii, in Wks. 213/1 He..therwith brought in those letters and filed them among the recordes of the court.
1677 London Gaz. No. 1211/4 If they do not forthwith File and Enter all such their Proceedings.
1769 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. 305 When an information is filed.
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 80/1 An office copy of the executors' accounts..filed the first of October, 1774.
1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 20 Leaving two daughters, who..afterwards filed a bill in Chancery against the trustees.
1835 T. P. Granger Tomlins' Law-dict. (ed. 4) I. at Bankrupt 11 By what Acts..a Trader may become a Bankrupt... If any..trader shall file..a declaration..that he is insolvent..the..secretary of bankrupts..shall sign a memorandum that such declaration hath been filed.
1853 J. B. Marsden Hist. Early Puritans (ed. 2) 387 The king..cancelled the judgments filed against him.
1886 Williams in Encycl. Brit. XX. 342/1 The difference between filing and registration is that the documents filed are filed without alteration, while only an epitome is usually registered.
1957 Encycl. Brit. III. 66/2 An act of bankruptcy is committed..if he [sc. the debtor] files in court a declaration of inability to pay his debts.
1966 Times 12 Aug. 14/4 About 80 of the world's larger foreign companies whose shares are traded in the United States have filed public financial information about their operations.
c. North American. To file a claim on or upon, assert a title to, apply for (a piece of land or a mining claim); also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > claim at law > [verb (transitive)] > assert ownership of
demand1485
assert1652
enter1733
vindicatea1859
file1871
1871 Scribner's Monthly 2 254 The half-breed who had ‘filed on’ the claim alongside Lindley's.
1879 [see sense 4c]. 1893 Congress. Rec. 11 Feb. 1470/1 Many persons filed upon these lands.
1910 W. A. Fraser Red Meekins (1921) 194 First thing in the mornin' we'll hike to the outside an' file the claim.
1911 J. F. Wilson Land Claimers 2 The relinquishment has been made in Portland where you filed.
1932 T. G. Springer Sagebrush Buckaroo (1933) xxii. 252 You thought to stake out all the locations, file on them with dummies, and..get the cream!
1948 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 4 Dec. 70/2 He..had assays made and was on the way to file his claim, but I got him drunk and filed myself.
1968 R. M. Patterson Finlay's River 29 F. H. Davis was the first man alert enough to stake the fraction and get in first to the mining recorder's office to file.
d. Of a newspaper reporter: to transmit (a story, information, etc.) to his newspaper.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > journalism > [verb (transitive)] > report > transmit report to newspaper
file1954
1954 D. Dodge Lights of Skaro ii. 57 A reporter could file one, and only one, story the Party didn't like before they cancelled his visa.
1964 New Statesman 13 Mar. 387/2 They agreed not to file their stories for that morning's British papers.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > arrange in sequence or series [verb (transitive)]
filec1470
settle1551
serialize1852
seriate1878
sequence1954
c1470 J. Hardyng Chron. vii. i In balade thus it shall be made and fyled.
a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 435 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 313 Gromes palettis shyn fyle and make litere.
1607 F. Beaumont Woman Hater i. ii. sig. B1v I would haue my seuerall courses, and my dishes well fil'd.
1682 N. Grew Anat. Plants iv. ii. i. 164 Not being filed one just over another, but alternately.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > arrangement in (a) row(s) or line(s > arrange in (a) row(s) or line(s [verb (transitive)] > one behind the other
file1598
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres iii. 44 The other halfe is to be brought vnto the traine of the pikes, and there filed in like maner.
1623 J. Bingham tr. Xenophon Hist. 87 They stood a hundred deepe..filing themselues one opposite to the other.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xviii. 200 The King of Sweden never filed his men above six deep in one company.
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) ii. §1 One man is ranked with another, another filed before him, according to the quality of his desert. View more context for this quotation
4. † b. To march in line, keep pace with; in quot. figurative. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To march or move in file. Also with away, etc. to file off, ‘to wheel off by files from moving in a spacious front, and march in length’ (Stocqueler Mil. Encycl.).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > going on foot > go on foot [verb (intransitive)] > in order
troop1592
file1616
crocodile1889
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > work with tools or equipment [verb (transitive)] > filing, polishing, or smoothing tool
planea1398
pumicea1425
roll?1523
plain1535
pounce1580
file1616
smooth-file1683
plane1726
sandpaper1846
pumice-stone1851
paper1875
lap1881
sand1928
the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > smoothness > make smooth [verb (transitive)] > by filing
file1616
elimate1623
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > form (line, column, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > cause (soldiers) to diverge
to file off1616
1616 J. Bingham in tr. Ælian Tactiks xix. 109 The first [kind of Rhombe] both filedn and ranked, this neither fileth, nor ranketh.
1703 London Gaz. No. 3914/5 Some of their Battalions filed up several steep and narrow Passages.
1704 London Gaz. No. 4054/1 At night they filed and stood to the Northward.
1708 London Gaz. No. 4475/3 The Enemy filed off..towards the Thickets.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. ix. iii. 331 This fair Creature entering the Field of Battle, immediately filed to that Wing where [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 118 The whole divisions then file from their reverse flanks.
1808 W. Scott Marmion i. xxxii. 54 Till, filing from the gate, had past That noble train, their Lord the last.
1813 in Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1838) XI. 101 The French troops shall file out tomorrow morning.
1858 N. Hawthorne Fr. & Ital. Jrnls. (1872) I. 70 A party of Americans filed into his studio.
1876 F. E. Trollope Charming Fellow I. iv. 48 The players file off in the wake of the host.
1883 E. E. Hale in Harper's Mag. Dec. 145/2 They filed away for the south.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > agree, harmonize, or be congruous with [verb (transitive)]
conspirec1384
accorda1393
to stand with ——c1449
to sit with ——a1500
correspond1545
resound1575
square1583
quader1588
to comport with1591
sympathize1594
beset1597
range1600
even1602
consort1607
to run with ——1614
countenancea1616
hita1616
sympathy1615
filea1625
quadrate?1630
consist1638
commensurate1643
commensure1654
to strike in1704
jig1838
harmonize1852
chime in with1861
equate1934
to tie in1938
to tune in1938
to tie up1958
the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [verb (transitive)] > advance at equal rate with
to hold a wayOE
to keep (also hold) pace1583
evena1616
filea1625
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iii. ii. 172 My endeauors, Haue euer come too short of my Desires, Yet fill'd [mod. edd. filed] with my Abilities. View more context for this quotation]
a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) i. ii. sig. C1v Too light..To fyle with her affections.
c. U.S. to file upon: to march upon, occupy (vacant land). Also with on.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > taking possession > take possession of [verb (transitive)] > take (land) into occupation
occupya1382
to take up1478
to file upon1871
1871 E. Eggleston in Scribner's Monthly 2 254 The half-breed who had ‘filed on’ the claim alongside Lindsley's.
1879 H. King in Scribner's Monthly Nov. 132/1 Intervals not yet ‘filed upon’ or ‘opened up’.
5. transitive. To cause or order (soldiers) to file off.
ΚΠ
1831 Examiner 338/1 When the soldiers had returned..they were filed off in four divisions to receive billets for the night.
Derivatives
ˈfiling adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [adjective] > diverging
filing1616
1616 J. Bingham in tr. Ælian Tactiks xix. 110 The filing Rhombe began at the front point, & reare-point, & proceeded to the flanks.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† filev.4
slang. Obsolete.
To pick pockets. Also, to file a cly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > picking pockets > pick pockets [verb (intransitive)]
figc1555
nip1592
dive1699
file1699
pickpocket1822
wire1853
dip1857
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew at Tout Do you Bulk and I'll File, if you'll jostle him, I will Pick his Pocket.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew at Cly Filed a Cly, Pickt a Pocket.
Derivatives
ˈfiler n. a pick-pocket.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > pickpocket or cutpurse > [noun] > pickpocket
fig-boyc1555
foister1585
foist1591
pickpocket1591
bung1600
diver1608
pocket-picker1622
pocketeerc1626
bung-nipper1659
file1673
filer1674
shark1707
hoister1708
knuckle1781
knuckler1801
buzzgloak1819
cly-faker1819
fingersmith1819
knuck1819
fogle hunter1821
buzzman1832
nobbler1839
wire1851
gonoph1853
wirer1857
dip1859
moll-tooler1859
buzzer1862
hook1863
snotter1864
tool1865
pocket-cutter1885
dipper1889
pogue-hunter1896
pick1902
finger1925
whizz1925
whizzer1925
prat diggera1931
whizz-boy1931
whizz-man1932
reefer1935
1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester (1680) i. 5 Filers, Budgies, Droppers..&c...may all pass under the general..appellation of Rooks.
1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth III. 100 A Filer my Sister, a Filcher my Brother.
ˈfiling n. the action of file v.1, in combination filing-lay, pocket-picking.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > picking pockets > [noun]
pocket-picking1662
palmistry1711
pickpocketing1742
filing-lay1743
pickpocketry1756
buzzing1819
fogle drawing1823
fogle hunting1823
pickpocketism1830
cly-faking1862
dipping1882
prat-digging1908
whizz1925
whizzing1925
1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild iv. ii, in Misc. III. 298 I am committed for the Filing-Lay.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
<
n.1a800
n.21525
n.31303n.4c1300n.51673n.61775
n.71851v.1?c1225v.2c1175v.3c1470v.41674