belabourbelaborv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [verb (transitive)] > perform with labour, toil at
swinkc1175
travailc1384
laboura1393
ply1548
toil1552
sweat1589
belabour1604
drive1814
1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore v. i. 15 Husbands, whom they would belabour by all meanes possible to keepe em in their right wits.
1630 M. Drayton Muses Elizium viii. 73 Let the nimble hand belabour The whisteling Pipe.
a1677 I. Barrow Wks. (1686) III. 205 If the earth is belaboured with culture.
2.
a. To thrash or buffet with all one's might.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > beating or repeated striking > beat [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person
to-beatc893
threshOE
bustc1225
to lay on or upon?c1225
berrya1250
to-bunea1250
touchc1330
arrayc1380
byfrapc1380
boxc1390
swinga1400
forbeatc1420
peal?a1425
routa1425
noddlea1450
forslinger1481
wipe1523
trima1529
baste1533
waulk1533
slip1535
peppera1550
bethwack1555
kembc1566
to beat (a person) black and blue1568
beswinge1568
paik1568
trounce1568
canvass1573
swaddle?1577
bebaste1582
besoop1589
bumfeage1589
dry-beat1589
feague1589
lamback1589
clapperclaw1590
thrash1593
belam1595
lam1595
beswaddle1598
bumfeagle1598
belabour1600
tew1600
flesh-baste1611
dust1612
feeze1612
mill1612
verberate1614
bethumpa1616
rebuke1619
bemaul1620
tabor1624
maula1627
batterfang1630
dry-baste1630
lambaste1637
thunder-thump1637
cullis1639
dry-banga1640
nuddle1640
sauce1651
feak1652
cotton1654
fustigate1656
brush1665
squab1668
raddle1677
to tan (a person's) hide1679
slam1691
bebump1694
to give (a person) his load1694
fag1699
towel1705
to kick a person's butt1741
fum1790
devel1807
bray1808
to beat (also scare, etc.) someone's daylights out1813
mug1818
to knock (a person) into the middle of next week1821
welt1823
hidea1825
slate1825
targe1825
wallop1825
pounce1827
to lay into1838
flake1841
muzzle1843
paste1846
looder1850
frail1851
snake1859
fettle1863
to do over1866
jacket1875
to knock seven kinds of —— out of (a person)1877
to take apart1880
splatter1881
to beat (knock, etc.) the tar out of1884
to —— the shit out of (a person or thing)1886
to do up1887
to —— (the) hell out of1887
to beat — bells out of a person1890
soak1892
to punch out1893
stoush1893
to work over1903
to beat up1907
to punch up1907
cream1929
shellac1930
to —— the bejesus out of (a person or thing)1931
duff1943
clobber1944
to fill in1948
to bash up1954
to —— seven shades of —— out of (a person or thing)1976
to —— seven shades out of (a person or thing)1983
beast1990
becurry-
fan-
1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah 529 The tempest which belaboured him.
1609 S. Rowlands Dr. Merrie-man 9 His Maister tooke a Cudgell, And belabour'd him withall.
1719 J. Swift Quiet Life in Wks. (1735) II. 350 He saw Virago Nell belabor, With Dick's own Staff, his peaceful Neighbour.
1876 S. Smiles Life Sc. Naturalist i. 6 They were belaboured with every kind of weapon.
b. figurative. To assail with words.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > invective or abuse > abuse [verb (transitive)]
vilea1300
rebutc1330
revilea1393
arunt1399
stainc1450
brawl1474
vituper1484
rebalk1501
to call (rarely to speak) (all) to naught1542
rattle1542
vituperate1542
bedaub1570
beray1576
bespurt1579
wring1581
misuse1583
caperclaw1589
abuse1592
rail1592
exagitate1593
to shoot atc1595
belabour1596
to scour one's mouth on1598
bespurtle1604
conviciate1604
scandala1616
delitigate1623
betongue1639
bespatter1644
rant1647
palt1648
opprobriatea1657
pelt1658
proscind1659
inveigh1670
clapperclaw1692
blackguard1767
philippize1804
drub1811
foul-mouth1822
bullyrag1823
target1837
barge1841
to light on ——1842
slang1844
villainize1857
slangwhang1880
slam-bang1888
vituperize1894
bad-mouth1941
slag1958
zing1962
to dump on (occasionally all over)1967
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. O3v With..complements hee belaboured him till his eares tingled.
1779 W. Cowper Let. 31 Oct. (1979) I. 307 [He] has belabor'd that great Poet's Character with the most Industrious Cruelty.
1832 J. Austin Province Jurispr. vi. 352 Nonsense, wherewith the haters of improvement would belabour the audacious innovators.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online September 2019).
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