quartern.

Brit.

/ˈk(w)ɔːtə/, U.S.

/ˈkwɔrdər/

Forms:

α. Middle English quarder, Middle English quarten (plural, transmission error), Middle English quarterces (plural, transmission error), Middle English quartier, Middle English quartyer, Middle English quartyr, Middle English quatar, Middle English quatter, Middle English qwatteer, Middle English–1500s quartar, Middle English–1500s quartir, Middle English–1500s quartre, Middle English–1500s (1700s– English regional) quater, Middle English–1600s quartere, Middle English–1600s qwarter, Middle English– quarter, 1500s quartter, 1500s quorter, 1500s qwartter, 1600s qwartyr, 1900s– quahteh (English regional (Yorkshire)); Scottish pre-1700 quartar, pre-1700 quartare, pre-1700 quartir, pre-1700 quartor, pre-1700 quarture, pre-1700 quartyr, pre-1700 quatir, pre-1700 quatris (plural), pre-1700 querter, pre-1700 qwartar, pre-1700 qwartare, pre-1700 qwarter, pre-1700 qwartere, pre-1700 1700s– quarter, 1900s– quorter (north-eastern).

β. late Middle English (1800s English regional (Yorkshire)) wharter; Scottish pre-1700 quhairter, pre-1700 quharter, 1800s– wharter (Shetland), 1900s– whaarter (Shetland), 1900s– whartir (Shetland).

γ. 1500s cauter, 1600s coter; Scottish (north-eastern) 1700s– corter, 1800s korter; Irish English (southern) 1800s cortere, 1800s curthere.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French quarter, quartier.

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman quarter, quartier, quartere, quartre, quater and Old French, Middle French, French quartier fourth part of an écu (c1100), portion of a territory (c1150), fourth part of a thing or collection of things (end of the 12th cent.), measure of land (1212 in Anglo-Norman), (in heraldry) quartering (early 13th cent.), quarter of an ell (1229), part of something not necessarily divided precisely into four (as cheese, bread, etc.) (13th cent.), (in butchery) each of the four parts into which the carcass of an animal is divided (beginning of the 14th cent. or earlier), (as measure of capacity) fourth part of a muid (1334), phase of the moon (c1377), each of the four parts of a garment (1387), period of three months (late 14th cent. with reference to a period of service to a superior), quarterly pay (14th cent. in Anglo-Norman), (as measure of grain) fourth part of a septier (a1408), large piece of wood (1408; perhaps also c1400 denoting a measure of wood), measure of capacity for oats (a1412 in Anglo-Norman), squared-off block of stone (1419), military quarters (c1462), part of a town (1480; 1674 denoting its inhabitants), (in shoemaking) rear part of a shoe (1577), form of warfare in which combatants were made prisoners and ransomed (1611; compare quartier de sauveté safe place which besieged forces could withdraw to when abandoning a place under siege (c1470); compare also donner quartier to give quarter (17th cent.), être sans quartier to be without pity (1647)), leather piece forming one of the sides of a saddle (1690) < classical Latin quartārius fourth part of any measure, especially of a sextarius, in post-classical Latin also a quarter of an aureus, a small gold piece (4th cent.) < quartus fourth (see quart n.²) + -ārius -er suffix². Compare post-classical Latin quarterium (neuter; also quartarium ) fourth part of any measure (5th cent.), fourth part in general (6th cent.; frequently from 11th cent. in British sources), quarter of a loaf (822), measure of grain (frequently from 12th cent. in British sources), quarter of a carcass (13th cent.), quarter of the human body, quarter of the year, quarter of a city, fourth of an ell (frequently from 13th cent. in British sources), plot of land (from 13th cent. in British sources), fourth of a yard (14th cent. in a British source), (in heraldry) quartering (14th or 15th cent. in British sources), division of land used in Ireland (1501 in a British source). Compare fourth n.Recorded earlier as a surname (William le Quarter (1267)), although this probably reflects the Anglo-Norman rather than the Middle English word. In sense 5b after Irish ceathrú quarter, division of land (Early Irish cethramthu < cethramad fourth); sometimes represented by carrow in place names, as Carrowroe (Sligo). Cotgrave provides the earliest evidence for sense 18a in both French and English; it would appear most likely that it arose in French, from the earlier use in the expression quartier de sauveté (see above). (The assertion of De Brieux ( Origines..de plusieurs façons de parler (1672) 16) that it arose in an agreement between the Dutch and Spanish, by which the ransom of an officer or private was to be a quarter of his pay, is at variance with the sense of the phrases to give or receive quarter.) As the name of a unit of measure sometimes with unmarked plural.

I. The fourth part of some usual measure or standard.

1. As a measure of capacity.

a. A measure of capacity for grain, coal, etc., varying greatly according to locality and the commodity measured; spec. (a) (in Britain, more fully imperial quarter) eight bushels (approx. 291 litres); (b) nine bushels (approx. 327 litres; used esp. for coal); †(c) one fourth of a peck (approx. 2.27 litres; obsolete). Usually with of (the commodity measured). Abbreviated qr. Now rare (chiefly historical).Presumably originating as the fourth part of a chaldron (32 or 36 bushels) or similar measure (cf. quot. 1600).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > eight bushels or quarter

quarterc1300

qr.1526

qtr.1571

quartern1583

raff1694

the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > peck > quarter of a peck

quarterc1300

beakment1673

stimpart1786

forpit1793

the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > thirty-two-forty bushels or chaldron > fourth part of a chaldron

quarterc1300

quartern1423

c1300 St. Nicholas (Laud) 130 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 244 Ane hondret quarters of þat corn.

c1330 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Auch.) 1424 A ston gret, þat weȝ seue quarters of whet.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 174 (MED) A quarter whete was at tuenty mark.

1434 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 101 (MED) I bequethe to Iohn Wodrof..v quarteres of coles.

c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 26 The ringis of golde..were..mesurid to the quantite of mesure of xij quarters.

?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. vii^v Four London busshels [of beans] fullye, and that is halfe a quarter.

1600 T. Hylles Arte Vulgar Arithmeticke f. 66^v 8.Bushels..make 1. Quarter, 4 Quarters..1 Chalder, 5 Quarters..1 Way.

1623 Althorp MS in J. N. Simpkinson Washingtons (1860) App. 48 For 3 coters of rye bought at Harleston.

1663 A. Cowley Ess. in Verse & Prose (1669) 129 In thy vast Barns Millions of Quarters store.

1763 Museum Rusticum (1764) 1 74 Wheat will one year sell for 5 l. a load (that is, five quarters).

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. xi. 222 The average price of the quarter of wheat in England seems not to have been estimated lower than four ounces of silver.

1803 J. Plymley Gen. View Agric. Shropshire xvii. 352 The quarter bushel is called a hoop, or peck; and the fourth of that is called a quarter.

1820 2nd Rep. Commissioners Weights & Meas. 29 in Parl. Papers VII. 473 Quarter... Devonshire: of Welsh coal or culm, 16 heaped bushels. Derbyshire: of lime at the wharfs, 8 level bushels: at the kilns, 8 heaped bushels. Yorkshire: of chopped bark, in some parts, 9 heaped bushels.

1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham Channel Islands App. B. 577 The English imperial quarter is equivalent to about two Guernsey quarters.

1886 Q. Rev. 162 387 Holding land on which he could sow three-quarters of an imperial quarter of corn and three imperial quarters of potatoes.

1901 Times 23 Dec. 13/5 The toll specified was: ‘For every quarter of coals landed within the harbour..3d.’... The plaintiffs claimed 3d. per quarter of 720 lb... Mr. Carver..said that the term ‘quarter’ in the schedule meant a quarter of a chaldron.

1911 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 503/2 The capacity of a malting is described by the number of quarters which are put through it every four days.

1926 R. H. Tawney Relig. & Rise Capitalism iii. 178 The pawnbroker who took a hundred quarters of wheat when he had lent ninety.

1986 J. Purkis Pref. to Wordsworth (BNC) (rev. ed.) 55 In 1795, after a severe winter and the failure of many crops,..the price of wheat in London was 108 shillings a quarter.

†b. In the Channel Islands: this used as a unit of value for land. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

?c1682 J. Warburton Treat. Hist. Guernsey (1822) 94 A man, that has either house or land which he wishes to dispose of..lets it, or more properly sells it to another to hold to him,..paying yearly so many quarter or bushels of wheat rent as they can agree for... He that has occasion to take up money on his estate, sells so many quarters.

1694 P. Falle Acct. Isle of Jersey ii. 85 The way of reckoning an Estate with us, is not by Pounds, but by Quarters of Wheat.

1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham Channel Islands iv. xxiv. 549 The Guernsey ‘quarter of rent’ is estimated as worth, on an average, twenty pounds currency.

2. As a measure of time.

a. A fourth part of the night; one of the four divisions or watches of a twelve-hour night. Now historical. †a quarter of the night (quot. c1330): nine p.m. (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > day and night > night > [noun] > watch or period into which night was divided

watchc1000

night watchOE

quarterc1330

vigilc1380

wakingc1384

quarter-nightc1390

morning watch1535

society > faith > worship > canonical hours > [noun] > fourth part of period between

quarterc1330

c1330 Short Metrical Chron. (Auch.) 1163 in PMLA (1931) 46 131 (MED) It was a quarter oþe niȝt þat þe fischer him ouer diȝt.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 127 Bi wacchis..of knyȝtis þat nyȝt is departid afore by foure parties and ordres of wacchis..for þe firste wakeþ in þe firste quarter [L. conticinio] of þe nyȝt and þe secounde in þe secounde quarter [L. conticinio].

c1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess 198 This god of slep..gan to goon..to Alcione..ther as she lay Ryght even a quarter [v.r. quater] before day.

1619 E. P. Country-mans Counsellor 224 And the third quarter of the Night contayning also 3 houers, was called the third watch.

1776 Bp. G. Horne Comm. Bk. Psalms II. (xc. 4) 62 The longest life of man, to a person who looks back upon it, may appear only as three hours, or one quarter of the night.

1873 L. Wallace Fair God ii. ix. 138 About the second quarter of the night two men came up the great street to the palace.

2001 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 120 689 The Midnight watch refers to the second quarter of the night, from about 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight.

b. A fourth part of a year; (formerly esp.) one of the four periods divided by the recognized quarter days (quarter day n.); (now usually) a period of three months over which financial transactions and reckonings (as the payment of bills, the calculation of earnings, etc.) are made. Also: one of four school or (U.S.) university terms in to which an academic year may be divided, typically containing about eleven weeks. (See also sense 8.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > period > year > [noun] > half or quarter year

quarter1389

raitha1400

Q1976

half-year-

1389 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 48 What man is take in to be brother schal paie..eueri quarter..iij d.

1435–6 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 242 (MED) Payd to Syr Steuen, owr prest, for iiije quarteris, þt is, Midsomer, Myelmasse, Cristmasse, and Estern.

a1500 (?a1425) Ipomedon (Harl.) (1889) 762 (MED) My greyhondes ranne not þis quartere.

1536 A. Borde Let. 1 Apr. in Fyrst Bk. Introd. Knowl. (1870) Foreword 60 To come to yow ons in a qwartter.

1591 ‘A. Foulweather’ Wonderfull Prognost. in Wks. (1883–4) II. 164 The predominant qualities of this quarter [sc. summer] is heate and drynesse.

a1610 J. Healey tr. Theophrastus Characters (1636) 40 A quarters rent of his house.

1623 Althorp MS in J. N. Simpkinson Washingtons (1860) App. 41 To the hoggheard for a coter's wages.

1739 J. Swift Verses on Death Dr. Swift: Nov. 1731 5 He must..change his Comrades once a Quarter.

1760 J. Wesley Let. 19 June (1931) IV. 98 Certainly you cannot remove without giving Mr. Crook a quarter's warning.

a1822 P. B. Shelley Peter Bell III vi, in Poet. Wks. (?1840) 243/1 Then seriatim, month and quarter, Appeared such mad tirades.

1836 Penny Cycl. V. 238 For a commercial education, a guinea a quarter is charged.

1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. iv. 29 The gentleman..proposes to take your apartments by the quarter.

1932 A. J. Cronin Hatter's Castle ii. iv Look at his bank balance—his wee Nessie was a fortnight late wi' her fees at the Academy this quarter.

1972 Sci. Amer. Oct. 14/3 I made two false starts at college, flunking out the first time,..then dropping out of college after two quarters.

1986 F. G. Rodgers & R. L. Shook IBM Way v. 98 You may decide today that by cutting your head count or reducing your advertising expenditures you can meet this quarter's goals.

2006 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 31 Oct. 15 Gross domestic product..rose at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the last quarter, down from 2.6 percent in the second quarter.

c. A fourth part of a lunar month. Also: the state or astronomical position of the moon when halfway between new and full moon ( first quarter) or between full and new moon ( last quarter); quadrature. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > period > a month or calendar month > [noun] > lunar month > periods within or phases of the moon

full moonOE

new moonOE

waningc1000

new of the moona1398

quarter?a1425

plenilune?a1475

neomeniaa1535

lunationc1549

interlune1561

wane1563

neomeny1569

dark of the moon1591

month of apparition1594

dark moon1615

plenilunium1615

moon1709

interlunation1813

quartering1880

the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > lunar month > [noun] > fourth part of

quarter?a1425

quartering1880

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 149 Þe moone may noȝt be sene þare bot in þe secund quartere [?a1425 Titus quarteroun].

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 2768 (MED) Sche gan anoon to casten..Whanne þat þe mone on heuen wolde aryse..And fonde a quarter was passid after pryme..And complete was seuen daies of hir age.

1546 tr. A. P. Gasser Prognostication sig. Bijb The last quarter of the mone shalbe on the. xxii. day at. vii. of the clock after noone.

1632 P. Massinger Maid of Honour i. i. sig. B1^v His sheepe sheering..Is in every quarter of the Moone, and constant.

1694 W. Holder Disc. Time v. 82 How near she is to her Quarters, Full, or next New-moon.

1728 H. Pemberton View Sir I. Newton's Philos. 201 But..in the quarters the moon..will be made to approach it [sc. the earth].

1799 M. Park Trav. Interior Districts Afr. xxi. 272 It is thought very unlucky to begin a journey, or any other work of consequence, in the last quarter.

1806 C. Lamb Let. 15 Jan. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1976) II. 200 Prudentia is in the last quarter of her tutelary shining over me.

1853 F. D. Maurice Prophets & Kings Old Test. xi. 189 We sometimes see the moon in her first quarter with one bright luminous border.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 553 When the moon appears exactly as a half-moon, 90° from the sun towards the east, she is in the first quarter.

1886 R. A. Proctor Moon (ed. 3) iii. 94 The first-quarter moon is in Virgo, and about twelve hours above the horizon.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xii. [Cyclops] 309 The virgin moon being then in her first quarter, it came to pass that those learned judges repaired them to the halls of law.

1981 P. H. Cadogan Moon i. 10 Aristarchus recognised that the angle between the Earth, the Moon and the Sun must be 90° when the Moon is at either first or last quarter.

2005 Grow your Own Dec. 50/2 The New Moon is for planting, the First Quarter for feeding, the Full Moon for harvest and the Last Quarter for destroying crop residue.

d. A fourth part of an hour; a point of time marking the transition from one fifteen-minute period to the next, as denoted by a mark on the dial of a clock or watch, the sound of a bell, etc. Chiefly used of the quarter before or after an hour; with to, before (Scottish and North American of, till) denoting the time fifteen minutes before the hour specified or implied, as a quarter to (nine, etc.); with past (also after) denoting the time fifteen minutes after the hour. Also without article.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > period > hour > [noun] > specific part of an hour

prickOE

momentumOE

prickleOE

punctOE

mileway1370

momenta1398

pointa1398

half-hourc1420

quartera1500

glass1599

semi-hore1623

scruple1728

part1806

the world > time > particular time > [noun] > the time or time of day > specific times of day

nooneOE

undernc1122

ninec1425

one1435

three o'clockc1460

twelve?1482

twelve hours?a1513

four o'clock?1578

six o'clock1693

quarter1871

kissing time1875

a1500 in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 318 (MED) The son aryseth a quarter of an owre after viij and goth downe iij quarters after iij.

1519 in J. Raine Fabric Rolls York Minster (1859) 269 Prime bell to seice a quarter after ix.

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. ii. 75 An hower in clamour and a quarter in rhewme.

1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love ii. iv. sig. E^v A quarter past eleuen, & n'ere a Nimph in Prospectiue.

1659 J. Mayne City Match (new ed.) ii. iii. 27 A fellow that turnes upon his toe In a steeple, and strikes quarters.

1765 J. Wesley Let. 18 Nov. (1931) IV. 315 In general, I desire you would go to bed about a quarter after nine.

1770 Public Advertiser 10 Mar. His Majesty's Levee began at a quarter past two.

1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. lxxxvii I've scarcely been ten minutes..At least a quarter it can hardly be.

1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Simeon Stylites in Poems (new ed.) II. 63 I shall die to-night, A quarter before twelve.

1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xiv. 183 ‘The quarter's gone!’ cried Mr. Tapley.

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. viii. 192 The quarter-to-ten bell..rang.

1871 Sci. Amer. 11 Feb. 102/2 When everything was tightened..and the propellor arranged to cause elevation, it was just quarter of one o'clock.

1920 J. S. Clouston Carrington's Cases ix. 135 I found myself sitting in a first-class smoking carriage with nearly quarter of an hour to spare.

1952 M. Laski Village vii. 119 If I'm not there by quarter to, you'll know I couldn't make it.

1966 H. Kemelman Saturday Rabbi went Hungry (1969) ii. 21 He said..that traffic would be heaviest between a quarter of and a quarter past seven.

1975 E. J. Tyler Clocks & Watches 28 More than merely striking the hour, they made their watches strike the quarters.

2007 Northern Echo (Nexis) 26 Jan. 8 When he hasn't shown up by quarter past, the game's refereed by a qualified fifth former..who copes admirably.

e. Sport. One of four equal periods of play in a match; (loosely) one fourth of the time taken to play a match.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > game or definite spell of play > period of play

half1876

quarter1889

period1898

forty1913

stanza1945

1889 Warren (Pa.) Ledger 27 Dec. They clearly outstayed their opponents,..winning as they pleased in the last quarter.

1911 P. H. Davis Football viii. 115 The periods of the game, the halves,..were replaced by quarters.

1922 P. D. Haughton Football & how to watch It ix. 191 In contrast to the preceding period this quarter was marked by excellent play.

1954 New Yorker 6 Nov. 87/1 The play of the afternoon came in the middle of the final quarter.

1969 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 13 July 48/2 Footscray made a great fight of it in the final quarter.

1993 Swimming Times Feb. 13/4 Water polo matchplay consists of four seven minute quarters, but with interruptions it can take an hour to complete a match.

2003 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 24 Aug. iii. 3/3 Thomas..ran effectively at times in the first quarter, his best run a nifty 9-yard cutback.

3. As a measure of weight.

a. One fourth of a pound (approx. 113 grams). Frequently with of (the commodity measured).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > pound > quarter of pound

quarter1389

quart?a1425

quarterna1425

1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 81 (MED) If ye alderman..for-sake ye office, he schal payen..a pownd waxe..ye den, a qwatteer.

c1450 Treat. Fishing in J. McDonald et al. Origins of Angling (1963) 153 (MED) Take smale ale a potell and stamp it with iij handful of walnot levys and a quarter of alom.

?c1450 in Anglia (1896) 18 296 (MED) A quarter of vergyn-wax þou take.

1711 tr. N. Lémery New Curiosities Art & Nature 94/1 To keep Mushrooms..being pretty well boiled, put to them about One Glass of Wine, and half a Quarter of Butter.

1824 M. Randolph Virginia House-wife 145 Add..three quarters of butter, and some grated nutmeg and lemon-peel.

1898 J. Paton Castlebraes ii. 43 A quarter o' Bacca tae Daidy.

1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren ix. 167 A one-man High-Street confectioner..was found to be offering..Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts 7d. per quarter.

1989 M. Horne Life, Love & Laughter (BNC) 21 Many boiled sweets and toffees were only tuppence a quarter.

b. One fourth of a hundredweight, either 28 lb (approx. 12.7 kg) or (in later use, esp. in the U.S.) 25 lb (approx. 11.3 kg). Abbreviated qr. Now chiefly historical.Ordinarily used in contexts where the hundredweight is also mentioned.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > hundredweight > quarter of hundredweight

quarterc1436

quartern1543

c1436 Domesday Ipswich (BL Add. 25011) in T. Twiss Black Bk. Admiralty (1873) II. 195 (MED) Of eche quarter of wood met by the comoun mesure, ob. of the seller.

a1500 Tracts Eng. Weights & Meas. 13 in Camden Misc. (1929) XV (MED) xiiij lb. make a stone or half a quarter off an c, xxviij lb.

1543 R. Record Ground of Artes i. sig. N.ii The halfe hundred is 56, the quarter 28 [pounde].

1588 Bk. of Charges in Dom. St. Papers CCXV. 88 4 quille of ropes wayeinge sixe hundred, a quarter, and one pound.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Quarter, in Weights, is a fourth part of the Quintal, or Hundred Weight... The Quarter is 28 Pounds Avoirdupois.

1772 J. Beekman Let. 1 Apr. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) II. 681 A Parcel of Necaraco Wood, of which 27 Tun 6 cwt. 2 quarters 14 lbs. is on my Accompt.

1875 R. H. Thurston Rep. Machinery & Manufactures in Rep. Commissioners U.S. Internat. Exhib. Vienna 1873 III. i. iv. 85 The load drawn on a level road was 79 tons, 19 hundredweights, 1 quarter,..including the weight of the machine itself.

1906 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 11 Apr. 4/3 Recently the writer received a consignment from England the weight of which was expressed in ‘tons’ of 2,240 pounds each, ‘hundredweights’ of 112 pounds, ‘quarters’ of twenty-eight pounds, and a few plain pounds over.

1973 William & Mary Q. 30 605 In seventeenth-century England there were at least three hundredweights in use for various commodities. The first of these weighed 100 pounds (45.36 kilograms),..equivalent to four quarters or to eight stone of 12½ pounds each... The second.., a newer measure of Plantagenet origin, weighed 112 pounds (50.80 kilograms) and equalled four quarters or eight stone of 14 pounds each.

†c. One fourth of a dram (approx. 443 mg). Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) A Quarter in Aver-du-Pois Weight is 28 pounds, and in the lesser Weights the fourth part of a Dram.

4. As a monetary unit.

a. A farthing. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > farthing

farthingc950

ferlingc1000

quadransOE

quarter1389

quadrantc1450

quatrinc1470

Q1530

quadrine1557

rag1592

qua1631

grig1657

Jack?c1690

fadge1789

daddler1900

1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 60 Euery broyer and syster shal offeryn ij quartre and j quartre to ye almes.

a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 146 Harrowers have usually 3d. and 3d. 2q[uarte]rs.

1982 S. B. Flexner Listening to Amer. 196 When the first colonists came to America, quarter was just becoming somewhat archaic English slang for a farthing.

b. North American. A coin worth one fourth of a dollar; the value of twenty-five cents.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > North American coins > U.S.

quarter dollar1615

bit1683

quarter1776

cent1782

dollar1785

dime1786

eagle1786

half-dollar1786

half-eagle1786

sharpshin1804

picayune1805

caser1825

pic1839

double eagle1849

slug1851

hog1859

pine tree money1859

martin bita1884

meter1940

1704 Boston News-let. 4 Dec. 2/1 Old Rix Dollars of the Empire..[value] 4 [s.] 6 [d.]... All Halves, Quarters and lesser Pieces are to Pass in Proportion to the above Rates.]

1776 Edinb. Advertiser 26 Nov. 340/3 The Congress..have coined a great quantity of copper tokens in every province, which bear the arms of the colony where they are struck, and are to pass for half dollars, quarters, eighths, and sixteenths.

1783 Maryland Gaz. 5 Sept. 3/3 Price half a dollar to grown people and a quarter to children.

1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 4 Here's a quarter for you.

1883 Harper's Mag. Nov. 950/2 Twenty..oranges for a quarter.

1912 J. Sandilands Western Canad. Dict. & Phrase-bk. Quarter, 25-cent piece, quarter of a dollar. The quarter-dollar bill, now rarely seen, is known as a Shin-plaster.

1969 D. R. Cressey Theft of Nation i. 6 Citizens who are required to spend a quarter here and a dollar there because someone, somewhere in the chain..must pay a tribute to criminals.

1994 BBC Holidays Oct. 36/2 Las Vegas is a slot-machine paradise. You'll see determined slot players systematically working their way through cupfuls of quarters.

2002 M. H. Clark Kitchen Privileges 91 The quickest way was via the Triborough Bridge into the Bronx, but that cost a quarter in tolls.

c. In British pre-decimal currency: a quarter of a pound sterling; five shillings, a crown. rare.

ΚΠ

1902 J. Greenwood Prisoner in Dock ix. 198 Not only did I have to pay to get 'em out, I lost a quarter as well.

5. As a measure of length or area.

a. Originally: one fourth of an ell (11¼ inches, approx. 28.6 cm). Later usually: one fourth of a yard (9 inches, approx. 22.9 cm). Also figurative. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > yard > the fourth part of a yard

quartera1400

a1400 in K. W. Engeroff Untersuchung ‘Usages of Winchester’ (1914) 52 (MED) Þe chaloun of fowre ellen and o quarter of langnesse shal habbe tweye ellen and an halfe to-fore þe tapener in þe werke.

1433 Rolls of Parl. IV. 451/2 Clothe of colour shold conteigne in lenght xxviii yerdes..and in brede vi quarters di.

a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 359 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 310 The stuarde in honde schalle haue a stafe, A fyngur gret, two wharters long.

1483 Act 1 Rich. III c. 8 Preamble Some of the same Clothes..ben drawen out..in Brede from .vii. Quarters unto the Brede of .ii. Yerdys.

1524 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 57 Item for j quarter of veluet to mynd my ladys grace Curtell.

1612 J. Smith Map of Virginia 9 His arrowes were fiue quarters long.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. iii. 109 Thou yard three quarters, halfe yard, quarter, naile.

1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Witney Blankets..from 10 to 12 quarters wide.

1800 C. Lee Amer. Accomptant iii. xvi. 226 How many yards of shalloon, 5 quarters wide, will line 15 coats?

1864 Times 30 Sept. 10/1 Double-dyed cloths, flannels, blue, green, and white serges, broadcloths, six quarters wide and of all colours.

1928 Progress Rev. (La Porte City, Iowa) 11 Oct. 5/1 Nine quarters wide Sheeting, yard... 43c.

b. A measure of land in Ireland. Now rare (historical in later use).See note in etymology. The measure apparently varied in size according to locality; values from 64 to 120 acres (25.9 to 48.6 hectares) have been suggested.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > Irish units

townlanda1500

ballyboe1550

quarter1585

poll1591

cartron1598

tate1607

quartern1679

subdenomination1720

1585 in R. O'Flaherty Chorogr. Descr. W. Connaught (1846) 323 Clarnrickard is divyded into six principall baronies..which contain..958 quarters of lande, everie quarter 120 acres.

1607 J. Davies Let. in Hist. Tracts (1787) 245 Every ballibetagh is divided into four quarters of lands, and every quarter into four taths.

1683 J. Keogh Acct. Roscommon (modernized text) in J. O'Donovan Tribes & Customs Hy-Fiachrach (1844) 453 I have been sometimes perplexed to know how many acres a quarter contains, but I have learned it is an uncertain measure.

1754 J. Lodge Peerage of Ireland I. 109 On 29th November 1610, he surrendered and assigned over to the King nine Towns, and three Quarters of Land next adjoining the Town of Coleraine.

1842 S. C. Hall & A. M. Hall Ireland II. 354 The lesser divisions were known by the various appellations of quarters, half quarters, ballyboes, gneeves, tates, &c.

1892 E. Lawless Grania II. 3 Mishmaan possesses but two townlands, containing six quarters each.

1945 Irish Bk. Lover Nov. 126 The fact that the identical lands given to the O Clery's had passed to the Gores is demonstrated by the regrant in 1629 of Dromenagh and six quarters of land containing 960 acres to Sir Ralph Gore.

†c. Nautical. One fourth of a fathom (18 inches, approx. 45.7 cm). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > arm as unit of length > outstretched arms or fathom > the fourth part of a fathom

quarter1625

1625 M. Pring in S. Purchas Pilgrimes I. v. vii. 646 We came ouer a spit where wee had but foure fathom and a halfe.., but drawing neerer vnto Lucepara, we had fiue fathom and a quarter.

1694 Jrnl. Voy. Barbadoes 11 Aug. in Coll. Voy. & Trav. (1732) 231/2 On a sudden we had but..four fathom and a half, which so frighted me that I let go my anchor in four fathom and a quarter.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Sounding If he judges it to be a quarter..more than any particular number, he calls, ‘And a quarter five!’

1855 Englishwoman in Russia 1 ‘By the quarter seven’ sang out..the sailor..engaged in heaving the lead.

1893 Harper's Mag. Jan. 184/1 ‘A quarter less twain.’ (10½ feet)—that is to say, a quarter of a fathom less than two fathoms.

d. North American. = quarter-section n. at Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > North American unit

quarter1804

quarter-section1804

1804 Fredericktown (Maryland) Herald 19 May 3/3 By Shell's place..to a gate-post at the going into F. Dorsey's old quarter, thence east.

1831 J. M. Peck Guide for Emigrants 257 Each quarter may be divided.., leaving eighty acres as the smallest tract.

1890 Stock Grower & Farmer 21 June 8/2 The southeastern quarter of section eight (8) township.., containing 160 acres.

1949 Jrnl. Farm Econ. 31 590 In North Dakota..the number of quarters of land which could be effectively handled by the prescribed labor force were estimated as follows.

1963 R. D. Symons Many Trails 25 Amos had filed on a quarter by the creek, and had a small log shack.

1993 Univ. Toronto Law Jrnl. 43 231 The mortgagee foreclosed on Lachuk's farm, but was able to return two of the three quarters of land.

2000 L. Scher & C. Scher Finding & Buying your Place in Country (ed. 5) viii. 117 (caption) Dividing a section into quarters and smaller parcels.

†6. The fourth part of a cask or barrel. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > liquid measure of capacity > specific units of liquid measure > barrel or cask as unit > quarter of a barrel

quarter1530

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 639/2 I dyd nat drinke to day, I dyd but moyste my lyppes with a quarter of wine.

1579 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 400 Martine Colepeper..setteth the pryce of a quarter of the best stronge ale at iij^s iiij^d.

1596 A. T. Rich Store-house lxvii. f. 13^v Take a quarter of stale Ale.

†7. Nautical. = quarter point n. (a) at Compounds 4. Obsolete.In quot. 1728: = quarter point n. (b) at Compounds 4.In bearings, indicating a quarter point off the first-named point in the direction of the second, as east-quarter-north (usually written as E.¼N.), etc. Now generally superseded by the use of degrees.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > compass > card of > point(s) of compass > fourth part of a point

quarter point1674

quarter1728

a1544 R. Barlow tr. M. Fernández de Enciso Brief Summe Geogr. (1932) 78 Ffrom cape Rodys to agre is 4 leges est quarter northest.

1703 tr. C. de Renneville Coll. Voy. Dutch E.-India Company 5 They thought they had discovered a Land lying North-East Quarter East.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Quarter of a Point, Wind, or Rhumb, is the fourth part of a Cardinal Point, Wind, or Rhumb; or of the distance between two Cardinal Points, Winds, &c... The Quarter contains an Arch of 11° 15′.

1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 156 The highest Tide..set in from east-quarter-north.

8. A quarterly instalment of an allowance or payment (cf. sense 2b). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > payment > [noun] > periodic payment > time of

term1393

Whitsunday1450

quarter1644

term day1681

term time1770

1644 R. Josselin Diary 6 Oct. (1976) 23 I now gave over to gather my Quarters my selfe, I left that worke to the Towne.

1679–88 in J. Y. Akerman Moneys Secret Services Charles II & James II (1851) (Camden) 63 Interest and gratuity for advancing the Dutchess of Portsmouth's quarter when she went into France.

1797 A. M. Bennett Beggar Girl II. xii. 153 Allows you three hundred pounds a year, and I am directed to pay you the first quarter down.

1850 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis II. xxx. 303 Pay me down the first quarter now.

?1863 T. Taylor Ticket-of-Leave Man 150 I'm paid quarterly now. Had my quarter today.

1933 Jrnl. Mod. Hist. 5 17 (note) France had promised 2,000,000 livres, and had paid the first quarter in Feb. 1662.

1970 Iowa City (Iowa) Press-Citizen 17 July a1 When she paid the amount requested by the statement, she unknowingly paid the first quarter of 1970 as well.

II. Any one of four equal or corresponding parts into which anything is or may be divided.

9. Any one of four parts of a body or carcass.

a. In plural. The four parts into which a human body may be divided, as was commonly done to a traitor after execution. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > part of body > [noun] > region > quarter > dead

quarterc1325

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 10875 A four half engelond is quarters isend were.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 244 His hede þei of smyten, to London was it born; þe dede body þe britten on four quarters torn.

a1500 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Chetham) l. 4235 Hedys and quarters lye in pecys And leggis cutt of by the knees.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 1971 I shuld..Spede the to spille..Brittonet þi body into bare qwarters.

1556 H. Machyn Diary (1848) 101 The iiij of March a young man..was hanged, drawn, and quartered... and ys hed was sett up the v day upon London bryge, and ys quarters was bered.

1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. xvi. 664/2 His wretched carkase was brought to London, where his false head was set sentinell vpon London-bridge, and his quarters were aduanced for terrour in seuerall parts of Kent.

1660 S. Pepys Diary 15 Oct. (1970) I. 266 This morning Mr. Carew was hanged and quartered..but his Quarters..are not to be hanged up.

1773 P. Brydone Tour Sicily & Malta II. xix*. 29 The quarters of a vast number of robbers were hung up upon hooks.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xii. 207 Their heads and quarters were still rotting on poles.

1935 Amer. Anthropologist 37 447 The Indians are not savage enough to cut the traitor into quarters after hanging him until he is dead.

1990 Hist. Relig. 30 81 In the severed quarters of a traitor displayed on the castle walls, the person who broke the integrity of the community was himself presented broken.

b. Any one of the four parts, each including a limb, into which the carcass of a quadruped may be divided, esp. for eating; (also) the fourth part of a bird, containing a leg or wing.See also fore-quarter n. at fore- prefix 2a(a), hindquarter at hind adj. and n.³ Compounds 1.fifth quarter: see fifth adj. and n. Compounds 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > part or joint of animal > [noun] > quarter

quarterc1330

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 453 (MED) Bestes þai [sc. hunters] brac and bare; In quarters þai hem wrouȝt.

a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 6 (MED) Take fayre beef of þe rybbys of þe fore quarterys.

a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 8 (MED) Þe chekyns by hom selfe þo sethe þer to, Hew hom in quarteres and lay hom inne.

?1566–7 G. Buchanan Opinion Reformation Univ. St. Andros in Vernacular Writings (1892) 6 Ane quartar of mouton.

1598 Househ. Bks. James VI & Anne 24–5 Apr. Ane venysoun quhairoff spendit in his majesties hous ane quarter.

1660 S. Pepys Diary 17 July (1970) I. 202 They bought a Quarter of lamb.

1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 21. ⁋13 A Butcher's Daughter..sometimes brings a Quarter of Mutton.

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. xi. 188 The four quarters of an ox weighing six hundred pounds.

1853 A. Soyer Pantropheon 147 Place a quarter of lamb in a saucepan.

1957 P. White Voss x. 276 Once the sheep had been dressed and cut up into convenient quarters, they..prepared to carry the meat across the hill.

2007 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 4 Jan. f1 Put the chicken quarter, skin side up, on top of the onion mixture, brush with the remaining olive oil.

c. Usually in plural. Applied to the corresponding parts of a live person or animal (now typically a horse), esp. to the hindquarters or haunches.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > part of body > [noun] > region > quarter

quarterc1425

quadrant1864

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > side > [noun] > hip

hipOE

haunch?c1225

sciaa1400

quarterc1425

hucklea1529

hetchill1601

huck1788

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun]

flitcha700

arse-endseOE

culec1220

buttockc1300

tail1303

toutec1305

nagea1325

fundamentc1325

tail-end1377

brawna1382

buma1387

bewschers?a1400

crouponc1400

rumplec1430

lendc1440

nachec1440

luddocka1475

rearwarda1475

croupc1475

rumpc1475

dock1508

hurdies1535

bunc1538

sitting place1545

bottom?c1550

prat1567

nates1581

backside1593

crupper1594

posteriorums1596

catastrophe1600

podex1601

posterior1605

seat1607

poop1611

stern1631

cheek1639

breeka1642

doup1653

bumkin1658

bumfiddle1661

assa1672

butt1675

quarter1678

foundation1681

toby1681

bung1691

rear1716

fud1722

moon1756

derrière1774

rass1790

stern-post1810

sit-down1812

hinderland1817

hinderling1817

nancy1819

ultimatum1823

behinda1830

duff?1837

botty1842

rear end1851

latter end1852

hinder?1857

sit1862

sit-me-down1866

stern-works1879

tuchus1886

jacksy-pardy1891

sit-upon1910

can1913

truck-end1913

sitzfleisch1916

B.T.M.1919

fanny1919

bot1922

heinie1922

beam1929

yas yas1929

keister1931

batty1935

bim1935

arse-end1937

twat1937

okole1938

bahookie1939

bohunkus1941

quoit1941

patoot1942

rusty-dusty1942

dinger1943

jacksie1943

zatch1950

ding1957

booty1959

patootie1959

buns1960

wazoo1961

tush1962

c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 13336 (MED) When thei to-gedir with speres rides..Some loste al his on quarter, Some his hede, & som his guttis.

c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure 3389 Abowte scho whirles the whele, and whirles me vndire, Till all my qwarters..whare qwaste al to peces.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. iii. sig. P Is not enough fowre quarters of a man, Withouten sword or shield, an hoste to quayle?

1665 R. Brathwait Comment Two Tales Chaucer 170 She had unnimbly rushed down upon her four Quarters, and..had done her Reverence.

1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 67 They put him to the Cudgel..They stoutly on his Quarters Laid.

1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship (at cited word) Quarters of a horse, are the fore and hind; the former comprize the shoulders, fore legs, &c. the latter the hips, legs, &c. behind.

1806 A. Duncan Nelson's Funeral 35 Two of his..servants walked at each side of the horse's quarter.

1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. i. vi. 26 Down came the staff on the quarters of the donkey.

1954 R. Dahl Someone like You 259 Thin mangy dogs with sores on their quarters.

1975 R. Guy You may know them as Sea Urchins 161 A little old lady in front of the Court House steps..gave me a nasty cut across the quarters with her umbrella.

2000 Farmers Weekly 18 Feb. (Farmlife section) 7/2 A horse can soon start to look cock-eyed when it loses muscle tone on its quarters.

10. In general use.

a. One of four usually equal parts into which something is or may be divided; a fourth part of (a specified thing).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > four > [noun] > division into four > a fourth part

fourth part, dealc1000

quarternc1300

quarterc1330

farthingdeala1400

quart?1454

fardel1508

qr.1526

qtr.1571

quaternity1633

fierdhalf1674

fourth1741

c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 1497 Gwichard smot Gij..Opon þe helme..Þat a quarter out fleye.

c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 18 (MED) This lymbe [sc. of an astronomical instrument] shaltow deuyde in 4 quarters by 2 diametral lynes.

a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 3184 Noon herte may thenke..A quarter of my woo and peyn.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 285 Than off the day three quartaris was went.

1564 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 124 About a quarter of a yere ago.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V i. ii. 215 Diuide your happy England into foure, Of which take you one quarter into France.

1650 N. Ward Discolliminium 49 And now I am 3 quarters Presbyterian, I keep one quarter still Independent.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 59 The four Quarters of the rolling Year.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 10. ¶6 I hope these my gentle Readers..will not grudge throwing away a Quarter of an Hour..on this Paper.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ii. 28 Garnish with Seville Orange cut in Quarters.

1798 ‘Mrs. Barnby’ Rock I. i. 9 Favour me with your company to my humble cell, about a quarter of a mile distant.

1841 Q. Rev. 67 358 Some quarter of a century ago.

1880 A. Geikie Elem. Lessons Physical Geogr. (new ed.) i. 29 Exactly a quarter of a circle, or 90°.

1919 H. J. Mackinder Democratic Ideals & Reality 96 Taken together, the regions of Arctic and Continental drainage measure nearly a half of Asia and a quarter of Europe.

1960 Times 16 Mar. 15/5 About a quarter of his body was severely scalded and he was likely to be in hospital for at least a month.

2004 Delicious June 56/3 Cut the tomatoes into quarters... Bake in the oven..until semi-dried.

b. Used adverbially, usually in a noun phrase with a or one, with the sense ‘to the extent of one fourth of the complete measure, distance, quantity, capacity, etc.’.

(a) Modifying a phrase introduced by as (also †so), expressing comparison to something else specified or implied. Cf. half adv. 1d.

ΚΠ

?1443 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 219 I may non leyser have to do wrytyn half a quarter so meche as I xulde seyn to yow yf I myth speke wyth yow.

1522 Sir T. Cheyne in State Papers (1849) VI. 88 He had rather ryde into England..then to ryde a quarter so farre to eny other Prince living.

1584 R. Wilson Three Ladies of London ii. sig. A.iiii And yet he borrowed not halfe a quarter so much as it cost.

1606 H. Peacham Art of Drawing ii. ii. 68 Take a quantity of let, and halfe as much siluer scum, or glasse tinne, &..a quarter as much of gum.

1704 J. Dennis Person of Quality's Answer 21 There are passages in several of our Plays, which I could heartily wish were out. But neither do I see a quarter so many as Mr. Collier does.

1818 T. Busby Gram. Music 69 A quaver is only one quarter as long as a Minim.

1867 E. B. Denison Astron. without Math. (ed. 3) 176 The fourth a quarter as wide, or one sixteenth as large.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 426 It didn't suit you one quarter as well as the other ducky little tammy toque.

1996 R. Gosden Cheating Time iii. 93 Auditory studies of an isolated tribe of Sudanese pastoralists, the Mabaan, show that they lose only a quarter as much of their sensitivity at all frequencies as Westerners.

(b) Modifying a prepositional phrase or an adverb of place.

ΚΠ

1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 37 Sumtyme ful side wynde, sumtyme quarter with hym and more.

1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §167 (note) The carriage being turned a quarter round upon the Turnpike, or Turnrail.

1861 T. A. Trollope La Beata I. ix. 254 Before the old wax-chandler had got a quarter through his hints and round~about explanations.

1935 W. S. Churchill Let. 1 Jan. in W. S. Churchill & C. S. Churchill Speaking for Themselves (1999) xvi. 369 I have begun to lengthen the brick wall with the balled pillars to Hill's cottage, and am already a quarter through the first bay.

1950 S. Thompson Old Time Dancing (1951) vi. 164 While the gentleman pivots, the lady takes a short Schottische step a quarter round her partner to the right.

1998 Yachts & Yachting 10 July 37/1 The boats with daggerboards were sailing with them a quarter up as the water was shallow.

ΚΠ

?1574 W. Bourne Regiment for Sea xiv. sig. L.ij If you remoue the transitory but a quarter y^e length of the transitorie to youwards.

1787 Daily Universal Reg. 5 Nov. 1/3 The Subscriber of Five Shillings and Sixpence will receive exactly a Quarter the benefits..of the Subscription at One Guinea.

1866 M. Oliphant Madonna Mary I. xiv. 247 She had not..a quarter the pleasures you have.

1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 236 I've never seen half, or quarter the muster we've got here lately.

1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 663 There is not one-quarter the amount of drunkenness.

1972 Daily Tel. 23 May 22/7 Although only a quarter the size of the typical hypermarket, it has..one-level parking, discount prices,..and late opening.

1994 New Scientist 13 Aug. 17/1 Today, some of the beetles are five times as heavy as their ancestors, while others are a quarter the original weight.

(d) Modifying an adjective or participle.

ΚΠ

1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller (ed. 2) sig. F3 Scoto..neuer came neere him one quarter in magicke reputation.

1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 10 My Tables are not yet one quarter emptied of my notes out of their Table.

1753 J. Wesley Let. 24 Sept. (1931) III. 107 The Chevalier's notions are about one quarter scriptural, one quarter Popish, and two quarters Mystic.

1837 C. Bathurst Notes on Nets 34 Bridling is done..on a spool a full quarter less in circumference than the one used in the body of the net.

1985 S. Hood Storm from Paradise (1988) 30 The parish church building (built 1819, 650 seatings but seldom more than a quarter full).

11. Heraldry.

a. One of the four parts into which a shield is divided by quartering (quartering n. 1a).The four quarters are: 1 dexter chief; 2 sinister chief; 3 dexter base; 4 sinister base. grand quarter: see grand adj., n., and adv. Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > escutcheon or shield > [noun] > division of shield > quarter

quarter1445

1445 in Trans. Bristol & Gloucs. Archaeol. Soc. (1898) 21 307 (MED) iii Roses of goules in a Bende of Silver; a Right Hand of the Bende in the left Quarter.

a1540 (c1460) G. Hay tr. Bk. King Alexander (1974) 1538 Ane duk..The quhilk ane egill in his blasone bare A lioun als into the tother quartare.

1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie v. i. 238 Without any charge occupying the quarters of the Escocheon.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Quarter is also apply'd to the Parts, or Members of the first Division of a Coat that is quartered, or divided into four Quarters.

1797 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 443/1 A perpendicular and horizontal line, which, crossing each other at the centre of the field, divide it into four equal parts called quarters.

1864 C. Boutell Heraldry Hist. & Pop. (ed. 3) iii. 16 The Grand Quarters of which the first and the fourth..are Quarterly-quartered.

1869 J. E. Cussans Handbk. Heraldry (rev. ed.) xii. 151 The second quarter of the Royal Arms of England.

1977 O. Neubecker Heraldry Sources, Symbols & Meaning 62 One increasingly popular design was the arrangement of several shields around a central shield, usually divided into not more than four quarters.

2003 Scotsman (Nexis) 27 Mar. 18 The Pope bears a gold letter ‘M’ in the fourth quarter of the papal shield to symbolise his Marian ideals.

b. A charge occupying one fourth of the shield, placed in chief.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > [noun] > less honourable charge > charge occupying one fourth of shield

quarter1592

1592 W. Wyrley Lord Chandos in True Vse Armorie 41 In gold Lord Basset dight Three Rubie piles, a quarter ermins bright.

1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie ii. vi. 61 The Quarter is an Ordinary of like composition with the Canton,..the quarter comprehendeth the full fourth.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Franc Quarter, is a Quarter single, or alone... This makes one of the honourable Parts of a Coat.

1838 Penny Cycl. XII. 141/2 The Quarter is, as its name imports, the fourth part of the shield, and is always placed in chief.

1866 J. E. Cussans Gram. Heraldry 20 The Quarter is formed by two lines drawn in the direction of the pale and fess, and meeting at the fess point.

1969 J. P. Brooke-Little Fox-Davies's Compl. Guide Heraldry 103 The quarter is not often met with in English armory, the best-known instance being the..coat of Shirley, Earl Ferrers, viz.: Paly of six or azure, a quarter ermine.

1991 Gesta 30 42 In our coat of arms, we have a checky, a border, and a quarter.

c. plural. The various coats of arms marshalled upon a shield; = quartering n. 1b; these as evidence of a person's noble descent. sixteen quarters n. [after French seize quartiers (1665)] now rare quartering displaying the arms of all direct ancestors for four generations on both sides of a family; this as proof of nobility.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > [noun] > armorial bearings or coat of arms > the various coats combined on a shield

quartering1610

quarter1680

1680 G. Mackenzie Sci. Herauldry xxiv. 81 When the Quarters are the Arms of great, and well known Families, then it is good Heraldry to say..He bears the Arms of such a Family in general, without Blazoning them.

1702 A. Nisbet Ess. Addit. Figures & Marks of Cadency 221 There are Ten or Twelve Principal Causes, which have given ground for Multiplying of Coats of Arms, and rightly Marshalling them, into distinct Quarters in one great Shield.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) There are sixteen Quarters required to prove Nobility, in Companies or Orders where none but Nobles are admitted.

1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. ix. 243 A baron of sixteen quarters.

1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. ii. 36/1 A duke's son that only knew there were two and thirty quarters on the family-coach.

1862 J. H. Gray in J. B. Burke Landed Gentry (ed. 4) I. p. ix The possession of sixteen noble quarters has been absolutely necessary in order to procure admission into..high places at [European] courts.

1922 Burlington Mag. Sept. 110/2 A shield at the college of Newark, or St. Mary the Greater, at Leicester, which bears identically the same six quarters, is assigned by Papworth..to Anne Boleyn.

1989 Metrop. Mus. Jrnl. 24 40/1 This seal in the quarters of the shield also shows the personal arms of Friedrich as Duke of Saxony.

III. Senses denoting position or place, and extended uses.

12.

a. Region, district, place, locality. Frequently in plural. Also figurative.The plural is sometimes used in much the same sense as the singular. With the prepositions from, in, to, this sense cannot always be clearly distinguished from 14c.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > [noun] > defined or limited portion of space > a particular extent or region

coastc1320

confinec1400

quarterc1400

region?1537

leet1567

demesne1597

floor1626

area1700

department1832

parallel1887

c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) 1901 (MED) Sexty cites in þat quarter He forbrent wiþ wylde-fyre.

1471 E. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 634 I trow sche be in ȝour quarters.

a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) iii. sig. N.v In this quarter here about vs.

1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. vii. 157 Suche commodities as the quartre beareth..wher they dwelle.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 689 Where we possess The Quarters of the North.

1734 G. Sale Preliminary Disc. i. 1 in tr. Koran In which quarter they dwelt in respect to the Jews.

1765 Museum Rusticum 4 377 There were in that single quarter [of France] above one hundred acres of transplanted cole-seed.

1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II of Spain I. ii. vi. 517 The marquis..had left the place on a visit to a distant quarter.

1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. v. 420 Troops flocked to him from all quarters.

1920 R. Fry Vision & Design (1981) 37 The artist may always find his satisfaction, the material for his picture, in the most unexpected quarters.

2005 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 12 July 20 The kinds of political treachery happening in every quarter of our country.

b. Without reference to locality: a particular but unspecified area, person, or part of a community, esp. regarded as a source of something.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a certain part of a community or things

quarter1685

1685 R. L'Estrange Observator Defended Ep. Ded. sig. A2^v I find no Abatement of Malicious Forgeries, and Scandals against me, from That Quarter [sc. the Church].

1702 E. Calamy Abridgm. Baxter's Life & Times xi. 577 He could scarce Preach a Sermon, but he was inform'd from some Quarter or other, that he Preach'd Sedition.

1740 S. Richardson Pamela I. xiv. 26 She has talk'd a little too freely of the kindnesses that have been shew'd her from a certain Quarter.

1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. viii. 668 The quarter from which this proposition proceeded..was no secret to him.

1821 J. W. Croker in Diary (1884) June 6 This is erroneous in fact,..but T. insisted he had it from a good quarter.

1886 E. Miller Textual Guide 27 This deference to B...leads the two learned Professors to follow it whenever it is supported by only slight testimony from other quarters.

1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps i. 34 The danger..would come from the very highest quarters, where there would be no thought of suspicion.

1970 T. Williams Let. 24 Sept. in Five O'Clock Angel (1991) 208 Audrey is in one of her..furies so no support can be expected from that quarter.

2006 Daily Tel. 24 Mar. 29/2 The idea, popular in some quarters, that, following the end of communism, all of Eastern Europe has devolved into a lawless sub-republic.

13.

a. A particular place or point (in a building, etc.); a part of something. In early use also figurative. Now rare (in later use passing into 16a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > [noun]

stowc888

stokea900

steadc1000

placec1250

fletc1275

roomc1330

spotc1400

where1443

quarter1448

plat1556

stour1583

situation1610

ubity1624

1448 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 226 Þey han made wyketis on euery quarter of þe hwse to schete owte atte.

c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 69 (MED) Þis wose of pride has viij cornerys, or viij quarterys.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 1051 At a quartar quhar fyr had nocht ourtayn Thai tuk thaim out fra that castell.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. QQvii^v That the Enemy may fynde in vs no quarter to entre.

1635 in J. Robertson & C. Innes Munimenta Univ. Glasguensis (1854) I. 252 The leach chambers laitlie buildit upon the northe quarter of the said College.

1724 S. Switzer et al. Pract. Fruit-gardener xx. 151 I hope..that it [sc. a fruit garden] be not confin'd to this or that particular Part or Quarter of the House or Garden.

1800 H. Craik Adelaide de Narbonne iv. 52 I was, therefore, conveyed to the Nunnery, and closely confined in a distant but commodious quarter of the building.

1872 Times 13 Jan. 4/5 The comfortable quarter of the house, the ‘coffee-room,’ is usually characterized by the non-supply of coffee.

1989 Asian Folklore Stud. 48 63 Each quarter of the house has its presiding deity, to which various offerings must be made.

b. A division or district of a town or city, esp. that occupied by a certain group or community, or having a particular character or use. Sometimes with modifying word, as Chinese, French, Jewish, etc. the Quarter: the Latin Quarter of Paris (see Latin adj. and n. Compounds 2).

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > part of town or city > [noun]

quarter1526

ferling1610

quartier1828

urban village1867

quartiere1888

section1907

poblacion1926

neighbourhood1929

precinct1942

village1949

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > part of town or city > [noun] > inhabited by similar people

quarter1798

colony1854

ghetto1892

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xiv. f. cj Goo out quickly into the stretes and quarters [1611 lanes] of the citie.

1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII c. 15 The said sainctuarymen..enter in euery parte and quarter of the same towne.

1602 Returne fr. Parnassus v. iv What newes with you in this quarter of the Citty?

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 31. ¶1 The several Shows that are exhibited in different Quarters of the Town.

1757 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. II. 329 Rome is divided into fourteen Rioni or quarters.

1798 J. Willock Voy. & Adventures J. Willock v. 129 The house allotted to us stood in the Jewish quarter of the city.

1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories 214 A narrow court..which leads into a moldering quarter of the city.

1882 Cent. Mag. June 189/1 Of the objects of interest in the Chinese ‘quarter’ of San Francisco..the theaters occupy a foremost place.

1919 W. S. Maugham Moon & Sixpence xxvii. 117 Lots of fellows in the Quarter share a studio.

1946 M. Lowry Let. 17 Dec. in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 666 We are living miles deep in the French quarter.

1955 R. Blesh Shining Trumpets (ed. 3) vii. 160 New Orleans' downtown is the old quarter north of Canal Street.

a1967 A. Ransome Autobiogr. (1976) xii. 120 In those days the Quarter did its best for hard-up students, and I was able to furnish my studio for next to nothing.

1984 J. Morris Journeys (1985) 129 The tight, tough island quarter called Gamla Stan,..the original nucleus of the city [of Stockholm].

1995 Mother Jones June 55/1 The Borgo Vecchio, a picturesque but fetid and rotting medieval quarter.

2001 S. Strum Barcelona: Guide Archit. i. 4 At the turn of the century..the Via Laietana was cut through the gothic quarter.

†c. A part of a gathering or assembly, army, camp, etc. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > of an assembly, camp, etc.

quarter1589

contingent1891

1589 Trve Coppie Voy. Spaine 11 We see it a thing almost impossible, at any your faires or publique assemblies to finde any quarter thereof sober.

1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. H2^v These quarters, spuadrons, and these regements.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. i. 64 Had all your Quarters been as safely kept, As that whereof I had the gouernment, We had not beene..surpriz'd.

14.

a. Each of four regions or quadrants into which the earth, sky, or horizon is conceived to be divided, corresponding to the four cardinal points of the compass; each of these four points.In quot. 1543: the lines of a compass rose indicating the cardinal points.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > region of the earth > quarter > [noun]

quartera1450

quart1559

the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > [noun] > one of

plagea1425

quartera1450

quadrature1601

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > compass > card of > point(s) of compass > principal points > one of

quartera1450

rhumb1594

quadrature1601

a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe i. §5. 12 The foure principales plages or quarters of the firmament.

a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Washington) (1965) 2192 (MED) God..made faire Adam, For his kinde shulde..Þe foure quarters of þis world fulfille.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rev. xx. 8 The people which are in the foure quarters [Gk. γωνίαις] of the erth.

1543 R. Record Ground of Artes i. sig. M.vii Y^e rose..is enuironed on the 4 quarters, w^t 4 flowre deluces.

1611 Bible (King James) 1 Chron. ix. 24 In foure quarters were the Porters: toward the East, West, North, and South.

1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Quarters of Heaven..in Astronomy, the Intersections of the Spheres as well in the World as in the Zodiack.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. ii. 136 We espied a sail in the northern quarter.

1800 tr. B. de Saint Pierre Voy. Isle of France 33 We perceived a surge coming from the west, which always precedes a wind from that quarter.

1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. ii. 58 Joceline..looked..to the four quarters of the horizon.

1835 J. Ross Narr. Second Voy. North-west Passage xv. 231 Venus was also seen in the southern quarter.

1957 P. White Voss v. 111 While his cobby horse kept him revolving, he was able to consider all quarters of the compass.

1989 Prediction May 9/1 Carry the talisman with you to the interview and burn it afterwards, scattering the ashes to the four quarters.

†b. Boundary or limit, esp. towards one of the points of the compass; side. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > [noun] > one of > boundary or side of

partyc1350

quarter1535

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Numbers xxxiv. 3 The South quarter shall begynne at the wyldernesse of Zin by Edom.

1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Hiii A drye dyche..goeth about .iii. sydes or quarters of the cytie. To the fowrth syde the ryuer it selfe serueth for a dytche.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 2 I wil first..descriue the quarteris and boundes of Scotland.

1611 Bible (King James) Josh. xviii. 14, 15 This was the West quarter. And the South quarter was from the end of Kiriath-iearim.

1698 J. Bilberg tr. Voy. Late King of Sweden iii. 40 We chose a Place some Paces from thence [sc. the turret]..where there was a free Prospect from the Northern Quarter.

1737 J. Hughes tr. Claudian Misc. in Prose & Verse 194 To the South Quarter where the City bends, A narrow Space of Land alone extends.

c. A direction or point of the compass, when more than four are mentioned or may be implied.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > direction > [noun]

sideOE

wayOE

coast1377

partc1380

airta1400

quarter1604

carriage1663

direction1665

range1678

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. v. 132 They reckon but twoo and thirty quarters of the windes [Sp. diferencias de vientos], for that more woulde confound the memorie.

1664 J. Evelyn Sylva (1679) 16 How speedily they [sc. oaks] spread, and dilate themselves to all quarters.

1674 N. Grew Veget. Trunks vi. §7 Setting down the respect it..hath to any Quarter in the Heavens.

1785 W. Cowper Task i. 373 Winds from all quarters agitate the air.

1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. ii. 29 From every quarter of the compass to which you turn for refuge.

1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. viii. 180 ‘Whew! sits the wind in that quarter?’ answered the justice.

1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxxii. 47 Speak now,..Ere to the wind's twelve quarters I take my endless way.

1944 M. Rukeyser in Coll. Poems (1978) 217 Raging from every quarter The winds attack this house.

1993 J. McKendrick Kiosk on Brink i. 30 The city was the city of winds which blew from the four points, the eight quarters of the windrose.

†15. Assigned or appropriate position. to keep quarter: to keep one's own place. to hold quarter with: to remain beside. quarter of assembly: a point of rendezvous for troops. See also close quarters n. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > lack of social communications or relations [verb (intransitive)]

to keep quarterc1550

uncompane1589

to have nothing to say to (also with)1603

to live in (also within) oneself1644

to keep oneself to oneself1748

to fight shy1778

to cultivate one's (own) garden1789

to hoe one's own row1832

the world > space > distance > nearness > be near to [verb (transitive)] > remain near to

to hold quarter withc1550

clap1608

to hang togethera1616

hug1824

cling1842

the world > space > place > position or situation > [noun] > appointed to or usually occupied by a person or thing

steadc888

seatc1275

placea1375

pewc1400

roomc1450

quarterc1550

instalment1589

tenement1592

berth1816

kennel1853

lieua1859

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 33 Gunnaris cum heir & stand by ȝour artailȝee euyrie gunnar til his auen quartar.

1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 79 They doe best that make this affection keepe quarter, and seuer it wholly from their serious affaires.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. iii. 19 Follow the noyse so farre as we haue quarter .

1620 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster ii. 18 Let me hold quarter with you, wee'le talke an houre Ont quickly.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 714 Swift to thir several Quarters hasted then The cumbrous Elements, Earth, Flood, Aire, Fire.

1702–11 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) i. s.v. A Quarter at a Siege, An Incampment upon any of the principal Avenues of the Place.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarters, a name given, at sea, to the several stations where the officers and crew of the ship of war are posted in action.

1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. Quarter of Assembly, the place where the troops meet to march from in body, and is the same as the place of rendezvous.

1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. x. 297 ‘Call the drummer,’ said Captain Wilson, ‘and let him beat to quarters.’

16.

a. Place of residence, dwelling place; (usually in plural) rooms, barracks, lodgings, esp. those allocated to soldiers, or to staff in domestic service (see also sense 16c). †quarters of refreshment: a place of rest and recuperation for troops on campaign (obsolete). to take up one's quarters: to establish oneself (in a place).head-, home, out-, summer, winter quarters, etc.: see the first element. to beat up the quarters of: see beat v.¹ 28.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > quarters

estre?c1225

liverya1400

efters1532

quarter1570

quarterage1577

quartering1625

apartment1689

camp1747

society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > quarters

lodging1475

quarter1570

allodgement1598

lodgement1598

cantonment1756

billet1830

society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > quarters > for respite or recuperation

quarters of refreshment1678

1570 G. Fenton tr. J. de Serres Disc. Ciuile Warres Fraunce ii. 144 After the two armies hadde long remayned one within viewe of an other, they retired into their seuerall quarters.

1591 W. Garrard & R. Hitchcock Arte of Warre 77 Let him remember..to bring backe again into his Quarter those souldiers hee hath led foorth to any enterprise.

1616 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor (rev. ed.) iv. vii, in Wks. I. 54 Turnebull, White-chappell, Shore-ditch, which were then my quarters.

1645 W. Browne Let. to Wood 9 Sept. in A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 122 (note) Our horse from Oxon. fell on the enemies quarters at Thame.

1678 London Gaz. No. 1318/4 On the side of Catalonia the Kings Troops are all in quarters of refreshment.

1702–11 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) 1 Quarters of Refreshment, the Place or Places, where Troops that haue been much harass'd, are put in to recover themselues, during some time of the Summer or Season for the Campaign.

1758 S. Johnson Idler 2 Sept. 169 I wandered with the regiment as the quarters were changed.

1807 T. De Quincey in ‘H. A. Page’ T. De Quincey: Life & Writings (1877) I. vii. 125 Mrs. Koster did me the honour to call at my quarters.

1812 Examiner 31 Aug. 549/2 His Majesty has sent the army into quarters of refreshment.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. i. v. 45 The grate which led to our quarter opened anew.

1862 B. Hemyng in H. Mayhew London Labour (new ed.) Extra vol. 242/1 One of those thieves who take up their quarters at hotels for the purpose of robbery.

1897 M. L. Hughes Mediterranean Fever ii. 62 The staff-sergeant..occupied a two-room quarter a few yards away.

1898 Argosy Nov. 685 The servants' quarters were at the rear and to the right.

1930 E. Colby in Our Army Mar. 28/1 The houses occupied by commissioned officers are called ‘officers' quarters’.

1970 D. Jacobson Rape of Tamar v. 66 I looked in the direction of the women's quarters of the palace.

2002 C. Williams Sugar & Slate 15 The window shutters close off the blast of the heat and the servants retreat to their quarters, first to eat and then to sleep.

†b. The compulsory provision by private individuals of lodging for troops; an instance of this; = free quarter n. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > upon private persons

coynye1449

free quartering1644

free quarter1645

quarter1647

1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 229 The Clergy are charged with Quarter, Cart-service, and purveying.

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xvii. 45 The most flourishing cities were oppressed by the intolerable weight of quarters.

c. U.S. Usually in plural; frequently with the. The cabins housing the slaves on a plantation; (in extended use) the area of a plantation in which slaves live. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > quarters > quarters for slaves on plantations

quarter1724

Negro quarters1733

settlement1827

1724 H. Jones Present State Virginia iv. 36 The Negroes live in small Cottages called Quarters.

1760 G. Washington Diary 26 Feb. (1925) I. 131 Began Plowing the Field by the Stable and Quarter for Oats and Clover.

1799 I. Weld Trav. N. Amer. xi. 84 Their quarters, the name whereby their habitations are called, are usually situated one or two hundred yards from the dwelling house.

1804 European Mag. 45 19/1 I walked away to the Quarter. [Note The place of abode for the negroes.]

1855 F. Douglass My Bondage & My Freedom (1984) vi. 103 Slaves do not come to the quarters for either breakfast or dinner, but..eat it in the field.

1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 111 Several cabins are placed near together, and they are called ‘the quarters’.

1889 Harper's Mag. Jan. 253 Let us go out to the quarters, grandpa; they will be dancing by now.

1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xvii. 282 Almost the entire population of the quarters volunteered their aid.

1916 J. B. Thoburn Stand. Hist. Oklahoma I. 261 ‘The quarters’..formed a picturesque feature of the old time plantation life.

1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. iv. 85 It sauntered on down the bark-covered road and into the quarters just as if it had really wanted to come.

1989 C. R. Wilson & W. Ferris Encycl. Southern Culture 555/1 On modern sugar plantations in Louisiana, the quarters—a villagelike settlement that once housed slaves—contain the dwellings of field laborers, tractor operators.

†d. A place of exercise for hounds. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1844 Sporting Rev. 11 209 If you have sufficient walks or quarters, as they are sometimes called, to enable you to bring your own [hounds], begin with a good stock at first.

17.

†a. Relations with, or conduct towards, another; esp. in to keep fair (also good) quarter(s) with. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > [noun]

conversationc1340

dolea1400

repairc1425

fellowshipc1450

frequentation?1520

communion1529

society1531

commerce1537

commercement1537

society1538

trade1555

intercourse1557

company1576

intercommunication1586

interdeal1591

entertain1602

consort1607

entregent1607

quarter1608

commercing1610

converse1610

trucka1625

congress1628

socialty1638

frequency1642

socialitya1649

socialness1727

intercommuniona1761

social life1812

dialogue1890

discourse1963

the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > make friends with [verb (transitive)] > have as a friend on one's side > remain in favour or on good terms with

to keep fair (also good) quarter(s) with1608

1608 G. Markham & L. Machin Dumbe Knight iii. sig. F2^v Did not you hold faire quarter and commerce With all the spies of Cypres?

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 173 Friends all..In quarter, and in termes, like bride and groome.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) ii. i. 107 So he would keepe faire quarter with his bed.

1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 131 Two, that were Competitors,..yet kept good Quarter betweene themselues.

1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 207 I find it to be hard wrestling to play fair with Christ and to keep good quarters with Him.

a1674 Earl of Clarendon Brief View Leviathan (1676) 153 The two next Kings..kept very fair quarter with Paschal.

b. (Good or fair) treatment or terms. archaic in later use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > behaviour towards another or treatment

entreatisea1513

treaturea1513

behaviour?1521

entreaty1525

entreating1529

entreatance1534

usage1536

entertainment1547

demeanour1548

tractation1548

treatingc1550

treatmentc1560

entreatment1563

demean1596

carriage1598

manage1608

measure1611

quarter1615

treaty1631

treatance1644

meanora1670

treat1671

comportment1697

the mind > language > speech > agreement > [noun] > terms of agreement

termc1350

meanc1425

articles?1507

capitulation1529

quarter1615

1615 R. Hamor True Disc. Present Estate Virginia 8 [The Indians] would without delay dispatch messengers to [their King], to know his purpose and pleasure, desiring faire quarter some 24 howers.

1649 Εἰκων Βασιλικη iv. 25 I never had any thoughts of going from my House at Whitehall, if I could have had but any reasonable fair Quarter.

1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 319 Lucian should have no better Quarter from him.

1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. Epist. & Gospels II. 268 No other Person must expect fair Quarter.

1735 Visct. Bolingbroke Diss. upon Parties (ed. 2) Ded. p. vii He would deserve certainly much better Quarter [etc.].

1826 W. Scott Woodstock III. ix. 264 Neither I nor my fellows will deliver it up but upon good quarter and conditions.

1826 W. Scott Woodstock III. ix. 264 They will give thee fair quarter.

1841 W. G. Simma Kinsmen II. xx. 235 ‘Good terms—good quarter—and I'll surrender;’ was his reply.

1950 Church Hist. 19 60 The discussion is urbane and good-tempered, with a vigorous pressing of one interpretation, but fair quarter given to the views rejected.

18.

a. Exemption from being immediately put to death granted to a vanquished opponent by the victor in a battle or fight; clemency or mercy shown in sparing the life of a person who surrenders. Frequently in to give (also receive) quarter. Formerly also in plural. †to cry quarter: to call for quarter (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > compassion > [noun] > mercy > quarter in battle

grith13..

quarter1611

the mind > emotion > compassion > feel pity or compassion [verb (intransitive)] > have mercy > show mercy > to conquered enemy

to give (also receive) quarter1611

the mind > emotion > compassion > quality of exciting pity > excite pity [verb (intransitive)] > ask for mercy

to cry (a person) mercyc1225

to cry quarter1720

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Quartier,..quarter, or faire war, wherein souldiers are taken prisoners and ransomed at a certaine rate.

c1644 MS. Hist. Somerville Family in W. Scott Rokeby (1813) Notes p. xv Having refused quarters, every man fell in the same order and ranke wherin he had foughten.

1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xxxvi. 41 He suffer'd Tilly to take that great town with so much effusion of bloud, because they wold receave no quarter.

1650 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 47. 686 I prosecuted, and in a very short time made him cry quarter, having shot his mizon Maste and Saile into the Sea.

1659 B. Harris in tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age (ed. 2) Contin. 308 Many were cut down, the Swedes giving no quarter.

1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 198 The Portuguese cried Quarter.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarters! is also an exclamation to implore mercy from a victorious enemy.

1788 J. Priestley Lect. Hist. v. lxii. 494 Civil wars are also peculiarly bloody, because less quarter is expected in them.

1816 Ld. Byron Siege of Corinth xxiv. 39 Cry For quarter, or for victory.

1829 R. W. H. Hardy Trav. Interior Mexico xii. 300 The Céres, like the Malay pirates of India, neither gave nor received quarter.

1841 G. P. R. James Brigand iii Several of them uttered a cry of ‘Quarter quarter’.

1897 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign ii. 32 The town was to be rushed in the night, and the whites to be slaughtered without quarter to any.

1940 J. Colville Diary 12 July in Fringes of Power (1985) 192 In war quarter is given, not on grounds of compassion but in order to discourage the enemy from fighting to the bitter end.

1991 T. Pakenham Scramble for Afr. xxvi. 485 They had to run the gauntlet of the Tigrean peasantry, who gave no quarter to the fugitives.

b. figurative and in extended use (usually in negative constructions).

ΚΠ

1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 68 He shews more true fortitude, that prayes quarter of..Truth.

1684 J. P. von Valcaren Relation Siege Vienna 51 Nor was there any quarter given to the Wine-Cellars of the Emperor's Ministers.

1725 D. Defoe Compl. Eng. Tradesman I. vii. 96 The tradesman can expect no quarter from his creditors.

1762 Ld. Kames Elements Crit. III. xix. 43 Mere witticisms, which ought to have no quarter.

1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna Pref. p. xxi There is no quarter given to Revenge, or Envy, or Prejudice.

1871 J. Morley Vauvenargues in Crit. Misc. (1878) 25 The Trappist theory of the conditions of virtue found no quarter with him.

1955 Times 29 June 3/1 Mr. Molinari-Pradelli gave no quarter to his singers and extracted every ounce of power out of the orchestra.

1972 F. Mowat Whale for Killing iv. 36 From this time forward whales were slaughtered without quarter.

2006 Daily Tel. 6 Dec. 20/3 A muscular pro-Americanism with no quarter given in the war against terror.

IV. In technical and specialized uses (in some of which the original sense is obscured, although many retain the notion of ‘a division, a section, a constituent or component part’).

19. Building. Chiefly in plural. A piece of wood four inches wide by two or four inches thick, used as an upright stud or short cross-beam in partitions and other framing. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > timber in pieces > piece of specific size

quarter1423

batten1658

wair1664

juffer1679

quarter piece1736

ufer1754

two-by-four1868

four-by-two1873

1423 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 156 (MED) To þe tymbermonger of wodstrete for vj bordes to dyuerse dores and..xiiij quarters for poonchyns and stodes.

1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 235 Sawyng of tymbre into plankes quarters Bourde & other necessaries.

1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Clostrum,..a rayle or other like thinge made of quarters.

1617 J. Minsheu Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas A quarter, a peece of timber commonly foure square, and foure inches thicke, as it were a quarter or fourth part of a beame.

1665 S. Pepys Diary 21 Sept. (1972) VI. 235 The posts and quarters in the walls.

1703 Moxon's Mech. Exercises (new ed.) 163 Single Quarters are..two Inches thick, and four Inches broad. The Double Quarters are sawen to Four Inches square.

1811 J. Parkins Young Man's Best Compan. 141 Plastering..between the quarters in partitioning.

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 627 If the workman find materials for rendering between quarters, one-fifth must be added for quarters.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 The English rule is to place the quarters at a distance not exceeding 14 inches.

1952 L. F. Salzman Building in Eng. xiii. 206 Since the seventeenth century these terms [sc. stanchion and puncheon] have been superseded by ‘quarters’, a term which is occasionally found earlier.

†20. Some kind of stroke or blow. Cf. quarter-blow n. at Compounds 4, quarter-stroke n. (a) at Compounds 4. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > [noun] > a stroke or blow

dintc897

swengOE

shutec1000

kill?c1225

swipc1275

stroke1297

dentc1325

touchc1325

knock1377

knalc1380

swapc1384

woundc1384

smitinga1398

lush?a1400

sowa1400

swaipa1400

wapc1400

smita1425

popc1425

rumbelowc1425

hitc1450

clope1481

rimmel1487

blow1488

dinga1500

quartera1500

ruska1500

tucka1500

recounterc1515

palta1522

nolpc1540

swoop1544

push1561

smot1566

veny1578

remnant1580

venue1591

cuff1610

poltc1610

dust1611

tank1686

devel1787

dunching1789

flack1823

swinge1823

looder1825

thrash1840

dolk1861

thresh1863

mace-blow1879

pulsation1891

nosebleeder1921

slosh1936

smackeroo1942

dab-

a1500 in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 309 Thy rakys, thy rowndis, they quarters abowte.

†21.

a. (A section of) the skirt of a coat or other garment. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > skirt

lapc897

quarter1501

dock1522

skirta1616

skirting1821

bell-skirt1907

1501 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 34 For ane elne wellus to be bakquartaris of the kingis wellus cote, that wes our litill.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Deut. xxii. 12 Thou shalt make gardes vpon the foure quarters of thy garment.

1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Falda The lap of a coate, the skirtes, the quarters of a coate.

1658 J. Mennes & J. Smith Wit Restor'd 167 Chill put on my zunday parrell That's lac't about the quarters.

a1797 J. Parkhurst Hebrew & Eng. Lexicon (1799) xi. 100/1 The conical flowers which the Jews were commanded to wear on the four quarters of their garments.

b. A piece of leather or fabric hanging down from a saddle. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > parts of saddle

saddle-boweOE

arsonc1300

saddle skirt1361

saddle-tree1364

skirtc1400

saddle panel1465

stock-tree1470

stock1497

pommela1500

tree1535

pillion cloth1540

port1548

saddle stock1548

pilch1552

bolster1591

cantle1591

shank-pilliona1599

pillowc1600

pad1604

crutch1607

sivet1607

saddle crutcha1614

saddle eaves1663

saddle tore1681

burr1688

head1688

narve1688

saddle seat1688

sidebar1688

torea1694

quarter1735

bands of a saddle1753

witherband1764

withers1764

peak1775

pillion-stick1784

boot-housing1792

saddle flap1798

saddle lap1803

fork1833

flap1849

horn1849

skirting1852

hunting-horn1854

head-plate1855

saddle horn1856

cantle bar1859

leaping-horn1859

straining1871

stirrup-bar1875

straining-leather1875

spring tree1877

leaping-head1881

officer-tree1894

monkey1911

monkey-strap1915

thigh roll1963

straining-web-

1735 Sportsman's Dict. Quarters of a Saddle, are the pieces of leather, or stuff, made fast to the lower part of the sides of a saddle, and hanging down below the saddle.

22.

a. Farriery. Each of the sides or lateral walls of a horse's hoof; (sometimes) the part of this immediately in front of the heel.false quarter: see false adj. 7.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [noun] > hoof > side of

quarter1523

out-quarter1727

1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 504 Some lokyd full smothely and had a fals quarter.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 397 You shall easily perceiue whether his griefe be in the inward quarter or in the outward quarter: the quarter is to be vnderstood, from the mid-hooue to the heele.

1685 London Gaz. No. 2054/4 A Brown Dun Mare..with..a false quarter in one of her fore Feet.

1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship s.v. Bleyme In order to know when a horse has this disorder, you must unshoe him,..after which you will discover upon one of the inner quarters near the frog, a red spot.

1829 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) I. Prelim. Treat. 37 The frog coming down in the middle between the quarters, adds greatly to the elasticity.

1892 S. J. J. Harger tr. A. Goubaux & G. Barrier Exterior of Horse (ed. 2) iv. 465/1 A vertical line drawn from the point of the shoulder should..leave between the two feet an interval equal to the width of the hoof, taken from one quarter to the other.

1997 M. A. Belknap Equine Dict. 337/1 Quarter, the portion of the hoof between the toe and the ground-side hoof surface and the coronary band on either side.

b. Farriery. The part of a horseshoe that protects the quarters of a horse's hoof. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > shoeing of horses > [noun] > horseshoe > parts of horseshoe

calkin1445

sponge1566

stopping1566

calk1587

spurn1696

quarter1727

welt1758

heel1770

cock1789

cork1806

seating1831

toe-weight1901

1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Cut If..the Horse Cuts himself, or interferes, thicken the inner Quarters or Spunges of his Shoes.

1788 J. Clark Treat. Prevention Dis. Horses xx. 423 I have always recommended..to have steel points screwed into the heels or quarters of each shoe.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter,..the rear or heel portion of a horseshoe.

1911 G. A. Martin Family Horse ix. 109 Various forms of shoes have been devised to correct the evil, the inner quarter being narrowed and thicker than the outside.

c. The rear section of a shoe or boot, extending from the back round either side of the foot; the piece of leather or other material forming this part.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter

quarter piece1688

quarter heel1727

quarter1753

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter > leather for

quarter piece1688

quarter heel1727

quarter1753

1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. l. 332 They wear slippers like women's shoes without quarters.

1817 M. Edgeworth Harrington & Ormond I. vi. 118 A slipper, with a heel so high, and a quarter so low.

1834 J. R. Planché Hist. Brit. Costume 315 The shoes were worn with longer quarters and larger buckles.

1885 Harper's Mag. Jan. 280/2 The small quarter and button piece are ‘closed’ on the large quarter.

1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 130 Derby... A tie shoe with eyelets and laces, the quarter and facings stitched on top of the vamp.

1996 L. O'Keefe Shoes 18 Next the appropriate height of the shoe's quarter is established: too high and it will rub the tendons; too low and the shoe will fail to grip the foot properly.

23. A bed, plot, or division in a garden, esp. a walled or kitchen garden.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > division or part of garden > [noun] > bed or plot

bedc1000

sollarc1440

garden stead1546

garden plot1548

quarter1565

square1615

orbell1635

area1658

earth-bed1757

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Area in hortis,..a platte or quarter.

1572 L. Mascall tr. D. Brossard L'Art et Maniere de Semer iii, in Bk. Plant & Graffe Trees 9 Ye may plante or set all your nuttes in one square or quarter togithers.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 118/1 Statues or Figures cut in Stone [are proper] to be in the quarters of the Garden.

1706 G. London & H. Wise Retir'd Gard'ner I. i. 12 Dig out of the Walks all the good Earth, and wheel or throw it into the Quarters.

1764 Museum Rusticum (1765) 3 xvi. 73 This year they began to attack a large quarter of new-grafted apples.

1831 G.Lindley Guide Orchard & Kitchen Garden ii.118 Open dwarfs are such as are generally planted on the borders, or in the quarters of the garden.

1999 S. Campbell Walled Kitchen Gardens 7 (caption) Four compartments, which are often referred to by gardeners as ‘the quarters’. Very large gardens may well be divided by further internal walls and cross-walks into more than four ‘quarters’.

24. Nautical.

a. The upper part of a ship's side aft of the beam; either of the two after parts, one on each side of the centreline. Sometimes with modifying word indicating the side, as port, starboard, etc., quarter. on the quarter: in a direction about midway between astern and on the beam.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > side(s) of vessel > [noun] > aft part of side

quarter1590

1590 J. White Fift. Voy. M. Iohn White West Indies & Virginia Oct. in R. Hakluyt Principal Nauigations (1599) II. ii. iv. 295 The 2. of October in the Morning we saw S. Michaels Iland on our Starre board quarter.

a1618 W. Raleigh Observ. Royal Navy (1650) 10 Otherwise the bow and quarter will utterly spoile her sayling.

1624 J. Taylor Brave Sea-fight in Wks. (1630) iii. 39/2 To clap the Portugall aboord on the Larboord quarter.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 226 All the Stern and Quarter of her was beaten to pieces, with the Sea.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (at cited word) If we were to divide the ship's sides into five equal portions..the first, from the stern, would be the quarter.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Bearing These bearings..which may be called mechanical, are on the beam..on the quarter [etc.].

1805 Log of H.M.S. Tonnant 21 Oct. in Ld. Nelson Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. 167 (note) The French Admiral's Ship under our quarter had lost her foremast.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast iv. 8 Leaving the land on our quarter.

1878 in G. P. Lathrop Masque of Poets 120 The sea that came over her quarter.

1957 L. T. C. Rolt Isambard Kingdom Brunel xi. 273 She lay with her stern and port quarter fully exposed.

1990 Lifeboat (RNLI) Spring 227/1 The lifeboat made good speed with the sea and swell on the starboard quarter.

2005 I. Dear & P. Kemp Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea (ed. 2) 449/1 Strictly, a ship's port or starboard quarter is on a bearing 45° from the stern, but the term is more often rather loosely applied to any point approximately on that bearing.

b. On a square-rigged ship: a section of a yard between the slings and the yardarm.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > spar > [noun] > yard > part between middle and end

arm?a1554

quarter1754

1754 M. Murray Treat. Ship-building & Navigation i. vii. 107 If the side of the triangle be supposed to be the diameter at the slings, the several divisions of line BC, from the point B, will be the diameters at the quarters.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Yard The distance between the slings and the yard-arms on each side, is..divided into quarters, which are distinguished into the first, second, third quarters, and yard-arms.

c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 25 The quarter of the mainyard.

1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 31 Q. Where are the quarters of a yard? A. A sixth the length of the yard from the yard arm on either side.

1955 C. W. T. Layton Dict. Naut. Words 282 Quarter of Yard, One-third of a yard between slings and lift on either side; being named ‘first’, ‘second’ and ‘third’ quarters from slings.

†25. Perhaps: a square block. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xxxvii. ii.604 In Portugall..there bee found great crystal quarters [Fr. de quartiers de crystal] or masses of a woonderful weight.

†26. Perhaps: a square space. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1656 ( in W. Dugdale Antiq. Warwickshire 355/1 Under every principall housing a goodly quarter for a Scutcheon of copper and gilt to be set in.

†27. Typography. One of the divisions of a forme of type. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. Dict. 388 Quarto's, Octavo's and Twelves Forms are Imposed in Quarters. They are called Quarters, not from their equal divisions; but because they are Imposed and Lockt up apart. Thus half the Short-Cross in a Twelves Form is called a Quarter, though it be indeed but one Sixth part of the Form.

†28. Equestrianism. An exercise in the manège (see quot.). Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II To work from Quarter, to Quarter, is to ride a Horse three Times an End upon the first of the four Lines of a Square, and then changing Hands to ride him three Times upon the second, and so to do upon the third and fourth.

†29. One of the four parts into which a road is divided by horse tracks and wheel ruts. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > parts of road > [noun] > part where vehicles run > division made by wheel-ruts

quarter1767

quartering1805

1767 A. Young Farmer's Lett. (1771) I. 445 A road..upon which the tracks may vary, without having quarters a yard high to cross.

1789 Trans. Soc. Arts 7 204 Gravelled roads,..where quarters are formed by carriages following in one continued track.

1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. Pl. xxxvii It is drawn by two horses abreast, the outside horse on the outer quarter, and the other in the path... Thus an inside and outside quarter are taken in going, and the others in returning.

1879 in Norfolk Archaeol. 8 172 Quarter, the portion of the road between the wheel ruts and the horse track.

30. Each of the four teats of a cow (occasionally, of a mare or other animal). Cf. quarter evil n. 2.

ΚΠ

1794 J. Billingsley Gen. View Agric. Somerset 110 This disorder frequently affects the udder, and brings on a false quarter, that is, a deprivation of milk in one teat.

1886 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (at cited word) When a cow..ceases to give milk from one teat, she is said to have lost a quarter.

1941 C. Reynolds Glory Hill Farm ix. 93 Our best milking cow was..proclaimed to be suffering from mastitis, and in consequence has permanently lost one quarter.

1970 G. E. Evans Where Beards wag All xiii. 143 If we found a cow had a very bad quarter (teat) what sounds a cruel practice was the only one under those conditions: the cow had to be cornered and this quarter was cut, and the pus was got out in that way.

1989 Horse & Hound 18 Apr. 77/2 Foals may take some time to appreciate that they will not get any milk out of a ‘quarter’.

†31. Architecture. A section of a Gothic arch. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter... A portion of a Gothic arch.

†32. Joinery. A section of a winding staircase. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter... A section of a winding stairs.

33. A section of a millstone dress (dress n. 12). Now rare.

ΚΠ

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1842/1 Quarter... A section of a millstone dress, consisting of a leader and its branches; the term is used irrespective of the number of degrees embraced in the sector.

1969 G. E. Evans Farm & Village xiv. 149 Each group of furrows that make up a harp or quarter of the dressed stone takes the shape of the strings of a harp... Usually the millwright makes nine or ten quarters or harp arrangements to his stone.

†34. That part of the side of a cask which lies between the chime and the widest point. Cf. quarter hoop n. at Compounds 4. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1842/1 The portion of the side of a cask intermediate between the chime and the bulge.

†35. A block of cork from which a round cork is shaped. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1842/1 Quarter... A parallelopiped of cork, blocked out and ready for rounding into a cork shape.

V. In various shortened and abbreviated forms (chiefly colloquial).

†36. Apparently short for ‘quarter barge’. Obsolete. rare.Cf. later quarter-galley n. at Compounds 4.

ΚΠ

1508–9 in Hist. MSS Comm.: 10th Rep.: App. Pt. V: MSS Marquis of Ormonde &c. (1885) 325 in Parl. Papers (C. 4576-I) XLII. 1 Noo boote shal bring woode butt only half barges and quarters... And every quarter to have iiii. men.

37. Chiefly North American = quarter-mile n. at Compounds 4.Earliest in quarter-racing n. at Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > types of race

quarter-mile1611

dead1635

diaulos1706

quarter1779

dead heat1796

match race1804

dash1836

sprint race1836

mile1851

road race1852

time trial1857

decider1858

all-ages1864

rough-up1864

hippodrome1867

distance running1868

team race1869

run-off1873

relay race1878

walk-away1879

title race1905

tortoise race1913

procession1937

stage1943

pace1968

prologue1973

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > mile > quarter of a mile

quarter-mile1611

quarter1779

1779 T. Anburey Let. 12 May in Trav. Interior Parts Amer. (1789) II. lxvi. 393 A diversion termed..quarter-racing.

1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. iv. 56 I can make myself heard a mile in these open fields, and his camp is but a short quarter from us.

1868 H. Woodruff & C. J. Foster Trotting Horse Amer. vii. 84 What's the use of a horse going a quarter fast? Now, they must go a quarter fast before they can go a mile fast.

1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds ii. 31 It was weeks before I could walk a quarter.

1899 Whitaker's Almanack 637/1 Harrison also won the ‘Quarter’ by a foot.

1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xi. 106 If you was of a notion to go climb one o' them high pine trees about a quarter to the east, hit'd make a mighty good stand.

1968 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald Jrnl. 15 Feb. 49 Curtis..won the 75-yard dash in nine seconds flat... Magrane also had a double, winning the quarter in :62.

2004 Hot Rod Horsepower Handbk. 132/3 The S.A.M. Camaro ran its best ever 11.474 and 120.45 miles per hour in the quarter.

38. Football. Now rare.

a. Rugby = quarterback n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions

wing-back1734

goalkeeper1789

outfielder1855

quarter1857

centre fielder1865

outfield1867

quarterback1867

right1867

centre1868

left wing1871

left-back1873

left half-back1873

centre forward1874

left-centre1877

right-centre1877

centre back1878

centre half-back1879

forward1879

back1880

right wing1880

right half-back1881

goaltender1882

right-winger1882

wing1882

centre half1884

left winger1884

inside1886

half1887

custodian1888

left half1888

midfielder1888

left wing1889

right half1889

centreman1890

midfield1890

outside right1890

outfieldsman1891

goalie1894

winger1896

infield1897

inside forward1897

inside right1897

outside forward1897

outside1898

outside left1900

rearguard1904

pivot1911

wing-man1942

keeper1957

link1958

linkman1963

midfield1976

1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. v. 114 The captain of quarters..spread his men..half-way between their own goal and the body of their own players-up.

1925 R. J. Phillips Scottish Rugby 13 Before the line of three halves was introduced [in 1833], the normal formation was one full-back, two halves, and two quarters.

b. American Football. = quarterback n. 2a.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > types of player

side tackle1809

nose guard1852

rusher1877

goalkicker1879

quarterback1879

runner1880

quarter1883

full back1884

left guard1884

snap-back1887

snapper-back1887

running back1891

tackle1891

defensive end1897

guard1897

interferer1897

receiver1897

defensive back1898

defensive tackle1900

safety man1901

ball carrier1902

defensive lineman1902

homebrew1903

offensive lineman1905

lineman1907

returner1911

signal caller1915

rover1916

interference1920

punt returner1926

pass rusher1928

tailback1930

safety1931

blocker1935

faker1938

scatback1946

linesman1947

flanker1953

platoon player1953

corner-back1955

pulling guard1955

split end1955

return man1957

slot-back1959

strong safety1959

wide receiver1960

line-backer1961

pocket passer1963

tight end1963

run blocker1967

wideout1967

blitzer1968

1883 Daily Citizen (Ottawa) 6 Nov. 1/7 The quarters, Fellowes and Sparks, were good although Sparks played a rather selfish game.

1893 W. C. Camp Bk. College Sports 120 The criss-cross or double pass is another excellent example of a disguised play, the ball being passed by the quarter to one of the backs.

1907 St. Nicholas (N.Y.) Sept. 1013/2 A line man could..take the ball from the quarter.

1914 P. Withington Bk. Athletics 58 In handling the team the quarter must have absolute command.

1958 Van Wert (Ohio) Times-Bull. 13 Sept. 6/8 Purdin..is being tried at quarterback. Purdin, who had never played quarter, is a fine runner and passer.

39. U.S. Music. Short for quarter-note n. (b) at Compounds 4.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > quarter-tone

quarter-note1627

quarter-tone1673

demi-semitone1866

quarter1902

1902 N.E.D. at Quarter sb. Quarter... a ‘quarter-note’ or crotchet in Music (U.S.).

1950 A. Lomax Mister Jelly Roll App. 281 The half-tone and quarter, then, are the value of the complete slur.

1989 Jrnl. Musicol. 7 201 The three slurred eighths moving to a quarter and the offbeat sforzandos and sixteenths create a strong motion from upbeat to downbeat.

2004 M. Miller Compl. Idiot's Guide Solos iii. 19 Just take a ‘smooth’ melody and make it more angular, by turning straight quarters and eighths into syncopated rhythms.

40. Military slang. (a) = quartermaster sergeant n. at quartermaster n. Compounds; (b) = quartermaster n. 1a. Also in plural. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer according to function > [noun] > quartermaster

quartermaster1590

fourrier1678

Q.M.1791

quartermaster captain1846

Q1916

quarter1917

quarter-bloke1918

quarter jack1930

1917 A. G. Empey Over Top 304 Quartermaster-Sergeant, or ‘Quarter’ as he is called. A non-commissioned officer in a company who..takes charge of the company stores.

1919 Athenæum 25 July 664/1 The legacy of the old Regular Army:—..‘Quarters’, short for Quarter-master-sergeant, as in ‘Here, quarters’—used by the private, in answer to his name, on ‘paying-out’ parade.

1963 M. Lowry Ultramarine (rev. ed.) ii. 60 Well, it's your business to get me up, quarter.

41. Originally U.S. plural. Quarter-finals (see quarter-final n.).

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > game or definite spell of play > specific one of series

heata1663

rubber game1793

round1837

rubber match1843

tie-match1864

final1880

postseason1882

semi-final1884

preliminary1886

cup-tie1895

play-off1895

tie1895

leg1899

repechage1899

qualifier1908

quarter-final1916

playdown1918

rounder1918

go-around1933

quick death1938

semi1942

pretrial1946

quarter1950

barrage1955

tie-breaker1961

semi-main1968

tie-break1970

breaker1979

1950 Troy (N.Y.) Times-Record 11 Mar. 10/4 The Motors..gasped out a comeback 79-77 victory over scrappy Clem's Clippers in the quarters Thursday.

1964 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily Times 28 Aug. 17/1 Pannagio won three-set matches from Richard Nathan and Comey in the quarters and semis.

1970 Holland (Mich.) Evening Sentinel 12 Aug. 13/3 In the quarters of the boys 18 singles, Lindsay (G) def. Dan Pauuwe (H), 6-4.

1978 Guardian Weekly 5 Feb. 24/2 The other semi-final was disappointing. Roscoe Tanner..had upset Bjorn Borg in the quarters.

1996 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 7 May 29/5 In another match, Western Rangers beat Neutral Stars 1–0 to also make it to the quarters.

Phrases

†P1.

a. to keep good quarter [probably < sense 13] : to keep good watch, to preserve good order (in a place). Obsolete. [With the context of quot. 1608 compare Middle French quartier de sauveté (see main etymology).]

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > control > be in control [verb (intransitive)] > regulate

to keep good quarter1608

direct1611

regulate1661

the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > watching or keeping guard > watch or keep guard [verb (intransitive)] > perform duty of watchman > keep good watch

to keep good quarter1608

1608 E. Grimeston in tr. J. F. Le Petit Gen. Hist. Netherlands xvi. 1294 All prisoners to be released, and good quarter kept, with other conditions.

a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) v. v. 20 Well: keepe good quarter, & good care to night.

1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme ii. viii. 76 To have made Man that he might be a Lord over the rest of the Creation. & keep good quarter among them.

b. to keep a (bad, etc.) quarter : to maintain a (bad, etc.) state of things, to behave in a (specified) manner; (hence without adjective) to make a noise or disturbance. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [verb (transitive)]

to keep a (bad, etc.) quarter1632

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > loudness > confused sound > [verb (intransitive)] > uproar or tumult

clamourc1400

rumblec1405

shout1513

racket1617

to keep a (bad, etc.) quarter1632

to raise a dust1649

obstreperate1765

row1797

uproar1834

to raise Cain1840

to raise the mischief1840

to raise (also lift) the roof1845

steven1855

tow-row1877

1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iii. 88 The Souldiers kept a bloody quarter among themselues.

1659 Commw. Ball. (Percy Soc.) 150 For all you kept such a quarter, you are out of the councell of state.

1668 S. Pepys Diary 29 Jan. (1976) IX. 42 They had fiddlers and danced and kept a quarter; which pleased me (though it disturbed me).

1689 R. Milward Selden's Table-talk 39 They keep a huge quarter when they carry it into the Cellar.

1736 R. Ainsworth Thes. Linguæ Latinæ What a quarter they keep in the market.

1760 G. Baretti Dict. Eng. & Ital. Lang. II. (at cited word) To keep a heavy quarter, fare un grande strepito.

P2. a bad (etc.) quarter of an hour [after French un mauvais quart d'heure : see mauvais quart d'heure n.] : a short but very unpleasant period of time.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > [noun] > stretch, period, or portion of time > period of certain character, condition, or events > bad or unpleasant period

a bad (etc.) quarter of an hour1766

the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > [noun] > unpleasantness > unpleasant period of time

time1647

a bad (etc.) quarter of an hour1766

mauvais quart d'heure1864

annus horribilis1867

1717 tr. A. F. Frézier Voy. South-Sea 110 Rablais's Quarter of an Hour, that is, when the Reckoning is to be paid.]

1766 tr. P. de Marivaux Agreeable Surprise in Poet. Blossoms 117 'Twill prove a bad quarter of an hour.

1799 C. Ludger tr. A. von Kotzebue Reconciliation iv. iv. 91 Courage Charlotte, a bad quarter of an hour has no more than fifteen minutes!

1875 A. Trollope Way we live Now II. lxii. 70 He was prepared..to console himself when the bad quarter of an hour should come with the remembrance that he had garnered up a store.

1887 J. Ball Notes Naturalist in S. Amer. 338 When I reached the station..I had an unpleasant quarter of an hour.

1909 Daily Chron. 30 Aug. 4/7 The ‘bad quarter of an hour’ we all know was first given a name by the heartless Louis XIII., who, looking at his watch on the day of the execution of Cinq-Mars, supposed that the poor young fellow ‘passait alors un mauvais quart d'heure’.

1922 C. Mackenzie Altar Steps xxi. 233 Mark fancied that it would be the prelate who would have the unpleasant quarter of an hour.

1999 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 7 Oct. c11 The women in the audience began to snarl and shriek, and Nation publisher Victor Navasky had a bad quarter-hour, as the French say, calming things down.

Compounds

C1.

a. General attributive, with sense ‘of, relating to, or designating the fourth part of something’.

quarter barrel n.

ΚΠ

1566 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1916) XI. 516 Ane quarter barrell of saip, iij li. x s.

1757 in R. Machin Probate Inventories Chetnole, Leigh & Yetminster (1976) Inv. 140 2 Quarter Barrells and a small one.

1882 ‘Ouida’ In Maremma I. 245 There is a trifle of oil, a quarter barrel.

1993 Wine Tidings Oct. 13/1 I realized I was 10 litres short of a 60-litre quarteau, or quarter barrel.

quarter bottle n.

ΚΠ

1854 S. J. B. Hale Mod. Househ. Cookery 10 Season with Cayenne pepper and salt to taste; finish with a quarter bottle of Sherry.

1915 H. G. Wells Boon ix. 333 One of those quarter-bottles of Perrier Jouet on a tray.

1977 J. R. L. Anderson Death in City v. 81 I ordered a quarter bottle of cognac.

1993 Super Marketing 13 Feb. 40/3 Even comparing the price of a quarter-bottle with a half-bottle can see a £2 price difference.

quarter century n.

ΚΠ

1818 ‘T. Brown’ Brighton I. 138 He has found nobility without dignity... This has been the case with more lords than one of the last quarter century.

1859 E. C. Gaskell Fear for Future in Fraser's Mag. Feb. 244/2 There are other changes..that have taken place within this quarter century, to which all my philosophy is unable to reconcile me.

1920 H. G. Wells Outl. Hist. xxix. 265/2 The opening quarter century of the Christian era was troubled by a usurper.

1979 Bookseller 23 June 2818/1 The Warsaw Bookfair continues towards its quarter century.

2001 B. Sloan I watched Wild Hog eat my Baby i. 23 The subtle changes that have taken place in ‘responsible journalism’ over the past quarter century.

† quarter-hogshead n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1793 in J. B. McMaster Life & Times Stephen Girard (1918) I. v. 208 There is some merchandise loaded on board from certain old friends of yours, 10 barrels of coffee and a quarter hogshead of white sugar.

1883 Official Catal. Internat. Fisheries Exhib. (ed. 4) 128 Quarter Hogsheads of Fairmaids.

1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles II. xxxviii. 259 The washing-tub stood..on the same old quarter-hogshead.

quarter hour n.

ΚΠ

1596–7 in J. Stuart Misc. Spalding Club (1841) I. 113 Ane quarter hour or thei suld hef bene lowsit.

1619 in J. Maidment Misc. Abbotsford Club (1837) 83 Within a quarter hour efter scho brocht a candle.

1766 G. Colman & D. Garrick Clandestine Marriage i. 17 Milor Ogelby and Sir Jean Melvile will be here in one quarter-hour.

1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxxvi. 392 My uneasy spirit kept dragging me back at quarter-hour intervals.

1977 Detroit Free Press 11 Dec. 24- a/1 The head of the department [should] have at least..90 quarter hours of criminal justice courses completed.

2000 D. Adebayo My Once upon Time (2001) xiii. 302 For a close quarter-hour we danced.

quarter-litre n.

ΚΠ

1859 N.Y. Times 1 Sept. 2/5 A man..declares that for sixty years he has drunk three quarter litres (nearly two bottles) of brandy, four cups of coffee, and four litres of cider a day.

1978 J. Sherwood Limericks of Lachasse iv. 48 [He] had drunk only a quarter-litre of light carafe wine.

2006 Observer (Nexis) 2 July 28 A quarter-litre of cooking oil, half a dozen eggs, and 4 kilos of rice and beans.

quarter pay n.

ΚΠ

1691 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) II. 275 The seamen shall be..kept in quarter pay till spring.

1798 tr. P. Barras & Lagarde Let. in Coll. State Papers War against France VI. ii. 14 The pensions of all military persons will be revised into half or quarter pay, discharged like it, exactly and monthly.

1843 J. F. Cooper Wyandotte I. ix. 141 With my present feelings, I should indeed be sorry to be on half-pay, or quarter-pay, were there such a thing.

1957 Times 31 Oct. 11/6 A scheme on such lines could probably yield quarter-pay pensions payable from 65 (for both sexes).

2003 Bath Chron. (Nexis) 25 Oct. 10 Long-suffering spa staff were yesterday told that they were being put on quarter pay for 12 weeks.

quarter pint n.

ΚΠ

1627 J. Taylor Armado sig. B6 By measure from the halfe quarter Pinte to the whole quarter Sacke.

1744 G. Berkeley Let. to Hanmer 21 Aug. in .A. C. Fraser Life & Lett. G. Berkeley (1871) viii. 299 You may take this quantity either in half-pint or quarter-pint glasses.

1853 Times 28 Dec. 6/2 The unhappy sufferers are duly restricted to their quarter-pint draughts of brown stout.

1978 R. Mills Comprehensive Educ. 15 Lunch was finished off with a quarter-pint bottle of milk.

2003 Org. Gardening Sept. 43/3 Roughly chop half a pound of rosehips and add them to the apple pulp with a further quarter pint of water.

quarter rations n.

ΚΠ

1824 Edinb. Advertiser 15 Oct. 245/1 The women and children of soldiers are to have one quarter rations.]

1827 Jrnl. Officer King's German Legion xviii. 181 The bread, which had been for some time limited to quarter rations, was now advanced to double the quantity.

1856 C. J. Lever Martins of Cro' Martin 201 A shipwrecked crew reduced to quarter-rations.

1994 Irish Times (Nexis) 4 June (Weekend Suppl.) 1 The UN food agency is now feeding a million Burundians and Rwandans with quarter rations.

quarter-truth n. [after half-truth n.]

ΚΠ

a1864 in S. S. Cox Eight Years in Congr. (1865) 367 Human nature is imperfect; it can ordinarily take in only half or quarter truths.

1954 Times 29 Oct. 9/4 We would in fact greatly prefer him, instead of trotting out misleading quarter-truths..to make it clear that he knew nothing about us.

1991 J. Simpson in Observer 28 Apr. 23/1 The war and the rebellions have changed everything in Baghdad. There's even information nowadays, instead of the old quarter-truths.

quarter yard n.

ΚΠ

?c1450 in Anglia (1896) 18 323 His stalke is quarter ȝerde longe.

1737 in Proc. Sessions London & Middlesex I. 15/1 Elizabeth Nugent, was indicted for stealing..1 quarter yard of cambrick.

1886 Petersons Mag. Jan. 99/2 The old-fashioned pagoda sleeve..is a quarter-yard or more wide at the hand.

1991 Ornament Autumn 43/3 I purchased a quarter yard of about ten fabrics, and brought plaited fabric imagery to life on my first jacket.

b. Forming adjectives and adverbs.

quarter-hourly adv. and adj.

ΚΠ

1851 Abstr. Papers Royal Soc. 1843–50 5 908 In Borneo an observatory was established at Sarawak, where observations were taken quarter-hourly for three months.

1860 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 7 317 This change, if quarter-hourly records be required, will make it necessary to re-wind the clock too often.

2001 Daily Mail (Nexis) 27 Jan. 41 The quarter-hourly chimes of the clock had prevented him from having a single decent night's sleep in six years.

quarter-inch adj.

ΚΠ

1684 Minutes Hudson's Bay Co. (1946) II. 291 2 penmaules 6 inch chissells, 6 halfe inch chissells, 6 quarter inch chissells.

1786 Daily Universal Reg. 4 July 3/2 A large Roman building,..the most curious and beautiful of the sort, ever beheld in that part of the kingdom. It is paved with quarter inch squares.

1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 58 Nearly all of them are to a quarter-inch scale.

1994 N.Y. Times 11 Jan. c 8/4 A tape drive, of which the most popular forms are quarter-inch cassette (QIC) and DAT cassettes, makes it more convenient to perform regular backups.

quarter-size adj.

ΚΠ

1830 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters (ed. 2) III. viii. 282 His own portrait, quarter size,..is very masterful and natural.

1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 3 A quarter-size ‘detective’ camera.

1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xiv. 208 The lake was sunk to quarter size, it had horrible raw banks of clay, that smelled of raw rottenish water.

1997 Independent 24 Jan. i. 1/1 The developers plan to spend $100m putting two quarter-size models in the air before the end of 1999.

quarter-striking adj.

ΚΠ

1866 Times 25 June 16/4 (advt.) A casket of valuable jewellery, including..a quarter striking clock, by Viner.

1959 Times 6 Mar. 12/5 A Breguet gold and enamelled quarter-striking, quarter-repeating clock watch.

2006 Western Mail (Cardiff) (Nexis) 3 June 30 Dating to around 1830, this clock has the desirable feature of a moonphase in the arch, as well as being quarter-striking—and it's in perfect condition.

quarter-witted adj. [after half-witted adj.]

ΚΠ

?1785 John Thompson's Man 14 An old mapsie, murlie, mupit,..weazel-faced, quarter-witted, punch-lipped..and idiotical World's Wonder.

1864 A. Wallace Sc. Tales iii. 38 A quarter-witted individual from Muthil.

1972 P. Green Shadow of Parthenon 128 They vaguely assume their young readers to be either quarter-witted miniature adults or innocent prelapsarian angels.

2005 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 29 Sept. 10 How to sum up the moronic morass of this half-baked, quarter-witted movie?

quarter-yearly adv.

ΚΠ

1693 in Acts & Laws Massachusetts-Bay (1724) 48 The Clerk of each Troop and Company, once a Quarter yearly, shall take an exact List of all Persons living within the Precincts of such Troop or Company.]

1791 Deb. Congr. U.S. (1834) II. 2012 The interest of the debt should be paid quarter-yearly.

1861 Army Regulations 154 Every officer having public money to account for, and failing to render his account thereof quarter-yearly,..will be promptly dismissed.

1996 Dominion (Wellington) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 2 The survey, which polls households quarter-yearly on their income and expenditure, is one of the most requested pieces of research performed by the company.

c. Chiefly in the names of coins: designating a monetary value one quarter that of the unit specified, or a coin of this value (now chiefly historical).

quarter-angel n.

ΚΠ

1544 in C. M. A. H. Williams Eng. Hist. Documents (1996) vi. 1015 The royal gold ‘being weight’ shall henceforth be of the value of 12s. the angel 8s., half angel 4s. and quarter angel 2s.

1726 S. M. Leake Nummi Britannici Historia 67 Angels, Half Angels,..and quarter Angels.

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 223 Quarter-angel.

1963 A. Feaveryear Pound Sterling 437 Angelets or half-angels were also issued in proportion at all periods, and quarter-angels in 1544 and from 1560 onwards.

2002 G. Davies Hist. Money v. 208 Tudor tradesmen had a bewildering variety of coinage denominations to supply their needs,..the half-pound, crown, half-crown, ryal, angel, half-angel, quarter-angel [etc.].

quarter dollar n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > North American coins > U.S.

quarter dollar1615

bit1683

quarter1776

cent1782

dollar1785

dime1786

eagle1786

half-dollar1786

half-eagle1786

sharpshin1804

picayune1805

caser1825

pic1839

double eagle1849

slug1851

hog1859

pine tree money1859

martin bita1884

meter1940

1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates xxiii. 676 Besides the dollars there are quarter dollars and halfe quarters [Fr. outre les talers il y a des quarts & demy quarts de talers].

1729 T. Prior Observ. Coin 64 Four Quarter Dollars, and each of them wanted a little of Weight.

1837 H. Martineau Society in Amer. II. 89 The lowest price..was a quarter-dollar per acre.

1904 J. Conrad Nostromo ii. vii. 208 He had also given her a quarter dollar, he mentioned carelessly.

1992 F. McLynn Hearts of Darkness ii. ix. 192 In lobesi pieces of pottery were chipped into wheels about the size of an American quarter dollar.

quarter ducat n.

ΚΠ

1639 J. Ford Ladies Triall v. sig. I3^v Pistoll a stragler for a quarter Ducate.

1766 T. Nugent Let. 1 Dec. in Trav. Germany (1768) II. xxi. 333 A quarter ducat, d°.

1860 Descr. Anc. & Mod. Coins (U.S. Bureau of Mint) 341 Quarter ducat. Obv. A lion rampant, wielding a sword, and supporting a shield.

1918 A. Lowell Can Grande's Castle 193 Come, I will throw in the moon. A quarter-ducat for the moon, good people.

2002 M. Talbot Business of Music i. 27 Sant' Angelo was still charging only one lira and eleven soldi (a quarter ducat) for nightly entry to the theatre.

quarter eagle n.

ΚΠ

1792 Senate Jrnl. 12 Jan. 92 There shall be..struck and coined..Quarter Eagles—each to be of the value of two dollars and a half dollar.

1874 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 524 Eagles..Half-eagles..Quarter-eagles.

1948 Catal. U.S. Gold Coins (Numismatic Gallery) 8 No quarter eagles were minted in 1799, 1800 or 1801.

1984 Coin Monthly Jan. 97/2 Quarter eagles of the early 1900s are the commonest on offer, in any grade of condition.

quarter-florin n.

ΚΠ

1707 W. Fleetwood Chronicon Preciosum ii. 21 The Quarter Floren he [sc. Fabian] calls a Farthing, val is. viiid.

1859 Times 28 Feb. 10/4 The cash payments of the Bank are not entirely suspended, for the public can still get a few quarter-florin coins in exchange for bank-notes.

1997 J. Cannon Oxf. Compan. Brit. Hist. 224 The innovation of Edward III's reign was the introduction in 1344 of gold coins—a florin (6 shillings), half-florin, and quarter-florin.

quarter-guinea n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > guinea or twenty-one shillings > half- or quarter-guinea

smelt1635

quarter-guinea1695

half-guinea1696

1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 11 A Guinea should be established at Four and Twenty Shillings, which, if Coined into Quarter-Guinea's, would be very useful in way of Trade.

1777 Ann. Reg. 1776 140 Quarter guineas more deficient in weight than..1 dwt. 8 grs.

1803 Hatchett in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 93 137 George I. a quarter-guinea.

1990 Jrnl. Econ. Hist. 50 792 The attempt to introduce a quarter-guinea coin..failed in 1718.

quarter noble n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > noble or angel > quarter-noble

farthing (of gold)1463

farthing-noble15..

quarter noble1577

1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 947/1 Before that time, there were no other coynes, but the Noble, halfe noble, and quarter noble.

1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 35 A Pound Weight of Gold..was to contain Thirty nine Nobles and a Half..or a proportionable Number of Half-Nobles, and Quarter-Nobles.

1714 W. Nicolson Eng. Hist. Libr. (ed. 2) iii. vii. 259 In the first Year of this Reign [sc. of Henry the Sixth] the Rose-Nobles, Half-Nobles and Quarter-Nobles, changed their Name and Value.

1841 Times 15 Apr. 5/2 There are silver groats of Henry V., 1413–1422, struck at Calais; and gold nobles and quarter-nobles.

1992 Guardian (Nexis) 24 Oct. 53 Prospecting on his 53rd birthday he dug up a gold quarter noble, dropped from someone's purse when Edward III was on the throne.

quarter-pound n.

ΚΠ

1778 J. Middleton Correct Bk. Interest 280 Account the Pence of one Day so many Pounds, so many quarter Pounds, so many Shillings, and so many Pence.

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 223 Quarter-pound.

quarter shekel n.

ΚΠ

1702 R. L'Estrange tr. Josephus Jewish Antiq. vi. v. in Wks. 154 The Servant told him that He Himself had a Quarter-Sicle left yet.

1899 J. Hastings Dict. Bible Extra vol. 652/1 The circumstance that some bread or a quarter shekel should be considered sufficient remuneration for him.

1904 J. Hastings Dict. Bible Extra vol. 652/1 Luckily, however, the servant has a quarter shekel, and this they propose to give him.

1996 Vetus Testamentum 46 448 Saul..makes sure that he has an adequate gratuity for the prophet, in this case, a quarter shekel of silver.

quarter-shilling n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > coin of 4d

quarter-shilling1561

fourpenny bit or piece1597

fourpence1852

Joey1865

Joe1882

fourpenny1883

1561 Procl. Abassing Coynes in Stafford Exam. Complaints (1876) 101 The Quarter shilling That was curraunt for iij d shalbe curraunt for ij d.

1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 50 Half-shillings, Groats, Quarter-Shillings, Half-Groats.

1762 T. Snelling View Silver Coin Eng. 28 All the pieces of the good silver, from the quarter shilling to the crown, are common, but the penny is extremely rare.

1870 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 33 61 The 10-farthing pieces..might gradually replace the 3d. piece, quarter shilling, now current.

1959 Times 8 Jan. 8 [In South Africa's new decimal currency] the sixpenny piece and threepenny piece..will most likely be designated a half-shilling and a quarter-shilling.

quarter sovereign n.

ΚΠ

1745 S. M. Leake Hist. Acct. Eng. Money (ed. 2) 247 There are some few half and quarter Sovereigns of this Sort, with Graining both upon the flat and thick Edge of the Rim.

1827 Times 22 Nov. 2/3 The other contained gold, whole, half, and quarter sovereigns, and sceptre pieces of King James.

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 224 James I—Gold [Coins]—Rose-royal..quarter-sovereign, Britain-crown.

1982 Times 4 Sept. 9/6 Dare one hope that..this 20p piece..will be replaced by one worthy to join the rest of our coinage? If so, let it be the more logical 25p piece, the ‘quarter sovereign’.

d. Military. With the name of a piece of ordnance: designating a small size of the item specified, as quarter cannon, quarter-culverin, quarter-slang, quarter-sling, etc. (cf. half adj. 8). Now chiefly historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [noun] > small or short pieces

murderer1495

curtala1509

minion1513

passe-volant1513

pikmoyane1513

saker1521

base1539

robinet1547

quarter cannon?a1549

bersec1550

murdresarc1550

yetling1558

battardc1565

demi-cannon1577

calabass1578

double curtal1582

demi-culverin1587

rabinet1596

murdering piece1601

drake1627

putter1646

cartow1650

putterlingc1650

minion drakea1661

cut1672

under-saker1678

murther1688

carronade1779

carthoun1849

?a1549 Inventory Henry VIII (1998) I. 102/2 Ordinaunce Artillery Munycyons... Quarter slynges.

a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 251 Small artaillȝie, that is to say..quarter fallcouns, slingis [etc.].

1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words at Quarto cannone A quarter Cannon, which is but weakely fortifide or mettalled.

1639 R. Ward Animadversions of Warre i. iv. xlv. 111 The Pellican or Bastard quarter-Culverin..the weight of her shot is 6.l...the weight of the Peece is 2550.l.

1684 J. P. von Valcaren Relation Siege Vienna 111 Quarter Cannon, each 12 pound 306.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Pellican The Name of an ancient Piece of Ordinance, equal to a Quarter-Culverin, and carrying a Ball of six Pounds.

1873 Amer. Cycl. 786/2 [Forty-eight, twenty-four, twelve, and six-pounders], called cannons, half cannons, quarter cannons, and falcons.

1997 W. C. Kirwin Powers Matchless ii. 50 At the fortress of Ancona there were examples of full cannon,..quarter cannon, culverin..and half culverin.

e. In the names of persons having or demonstrating a quarter (or a small part) of the attributes suggested by the second element.

† quarter carrier n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) i. ii. 108 Were he A quarter carrier of that honour, which His Enemy come in.

† quarter fairy n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

a1635 T. Randolph Amyntas v. vi. 106 in Poems (1638) They doe caper Like quarter Fairies at the least.

† quarter-ruler n. Obsolete

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > joint ruler > [noun] > one of specific number of

quartermaster1541

duumvir1600

quarter-ruler1610

tetrarcha1661

decemvir1703

quadrumvir1790

pentarch1798

duarch1848

decarch1852

dodecarch1882

1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God iv. xi. 169 Lette Iupiter be..but a quarter-ruler with his bretheren and sisters [L. modo inde suas partes sorori & fratribus cedat].

† quarter-tyrant n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1883) I. 116 The lawes..as some have written, were as quarter-tirants.

C2. With sense ‘quarterly, quarter's’ (cf. 2b) .

† quarter-almoner n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1638 W. Chillingworth Relig. Protestants Pref. to Author Charity Maintained sig. §§§3^v With an eye perhaps that themselves would be his quarter Almoners.

† quarter feast n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1616 B. Jonson Epicœne ii. iv, in Wks. I. 547 It is his quarter-feast, sir.

1763 H. Walpole in D. N. Smith Oxf. Bk. Eighteenth-Cent. Verse (1926) 483 And as each quarter feast comes round A silver penny shall be found Within the compass of her shoe.

quarter salary n.

ΚΠ

1728 Stamford Mercury 11 Jan. 15 A Quarter of the Civil List Pensions due at Christmas last is now paying; as is also a Quarter Salary and Extraordinaries to all his Majesty's Ministers in the Foreign Courts due at Michaelmas last.

1831 Frederick (Maryland) Town Herald 20 Aug. 1/6 If it had not been for a certain woman, Van Buren's out-fit and quarter salary would be saved.

1997 Notes & Rec. Royal Soc. 51 174 The signature of one of Mills's Executors for receiving Mills's quarter salary due at Michaelmas 1670.

† quarter sermon n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1571 E. Grindal Articles §62. sig. C.ij^v, in Iniunctions Prouince of Yorke Dioces, by exacting or taking excessiue fees, excessiue procurations, anie rewardes, or commodities, by the way of promotion, gift, contribution, helpe, redemption of penaunce, omission of quarter Sermons [etc.].

1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. L2 Preaching their quarter sermons themselues.

1602 in N. Malcolm Aspects of Hobbes (2002) i. 3 For want of quarter sermons and for not cathechisinge the younge.

† quarter-service n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1537 H. Latimer Injunctions to Clergy in Serm. & Remains (1845) (modernized text) II. 243 Any services in your churches, either trental, quarter-service, or other.

† quartersupper n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1592 in Acts Priv. Counc. New Ser. XXII. 564 Irysche customes as..Quartersupers called Quidraighe.

C3. Nautical. With sense ‘of, belonging to, or positioned on the quarter of a ship’ (sense 24a; see also the second element).

quarter-bitt n.

ΚΠ

1885 Times 29 Oct. 13/5 The port quarter bitts of the Normanton were torn away owing to the heavy strain, and the hawsers..were then carried to the forward bitts and there secured.

1919 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 27 July iv. 7/5 The woman took his arm and led him gently to a quarter-bitt, where he rested for a moment.

† quarter-check n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. viii. 94 Request that he will cast off the quarter check.

1897 J. Conrad Nigger of ‘Narcissus’ v. 114 ‘Let go your quarter-checks!’.. The ropes splashed heavily falling in the water.

quarter-davit n.

ΚΠ

1833 J. E. Alexander Transatlantic Sketches II. ix. 233 They..placed them [sc. the passengers] with their baggage, in a boat hanging from the quarter davits.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-davits, pieces of iron or timber with sheaves or blocks at their outer ends, projecting from a vessel's quarters, to hoist boats up to.

1988 P. O'Brian Let. of Marque ii. 58 Her captain..was urging Jack not to get his boats off the booms—Tartarus had quarter-davits.

quarter fast n.

ΚΠ

1834 Naut. Mag. Sept. 514 It was necessary to..use these cables, which is much preferable to laying an anchor out for the larboard quarter-fast.

1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 117 Fast, a rope or chain by which a vessel is secured to a wharf or quay. They are called bow, head, quarter, and stern fasts.

1849 W. J. S. Pullen Jrnl. 22 Aug. in R. Maguire Jrnl. (1988) II. 457 All the boats [were]..swamped..by a sudden shift of wind..breaking their quarter fasts.

1913 B. Heckstall-Smith Dixon Kemp's Man. Yacht & Boat Sailing (ed. 11) 720/2 Quarter Fast.—A warp or rope made fast to the quarter.

quarter knee n. [compare knee n. 7a]

ΚΠ

1864 Times 4 Jan. 7/4 A quantity of wreckage, consisting of cabin fittings, lower and upper decks, timber, beams, quarter knees, and a large portion of the mainmast belonging to the ship Clifton.

1941 C. O'Brien Sea-boats, Oars, & Sails ii. 22 Breast-hook and quarter-knees..connect the gunwales with the stem and transom respectively.

2005 Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (Nexis) 15 May cu6 Plans were tacked up on the classroom walls telling the students how to put together gunwales, transoms, quarter knees and daggerboards.

† quarter-netting n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1615 J. van Spilbergen in R. Silverberg Longest Voy. (1997) vi. 445 Each commander, captain, or skipper, shall place them [sc. sailors] in a safe spot under the quarternettings fore and aft.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarter-netting, a sort of net-work, extended along the rails on the upper part of a ship's quarter.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-Nettings, the place alloted on the quarters for the stowage of hammocks.

1871 Zell's Pop. Encycl. II. 696/2 Long cloths of painted canvas, extending on the exterior side of the quarter-netting from the upper part of the galley of a ship to the gangway.

quarter port n.

ΚΠ

1711 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) at Transome To come in with a Ship's Transome, is just betwixt her Gun-Room-Port and her Quarter-Port.

1786 Edinb. Advertiser 26 May 1/3 I left Mr. Benger in the stern-gallery, and got out of the quarter-ports into the mizen chain, and jumped overboard.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-ports, those made in the after side-timbers and especially in round-stern vessels.

1959 F. Friedel Golden Age Amer. Hist. 347 The frigates were kept in this position by the fluke of the Shannon's anchor catching in the Chesapeake's quarter port.

quarter-rail n.

ΚΠ

1754 G. G. Beekman Let. 21 Oct. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 230 [Bad weather] Carried away her Quarter Rails on Starboard Quarter.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarter-rails, are narrow-moulded planks, generally of fir, reaching from the top of the stern to the gangway.

1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 139 Quarter-rails, rails fixed into stanchions from the stern to the gangway, and serving as a fence.

1981 P. O'Brian Ionian Mission (1996) x. 314 Babbington..was leaning on the quarter-rail with a very pretty young woman in a sort of pink, lacy garment.

quarter-railing n.

ΚΠ

1795 Let. 17 June in Look before you Leap (1796) iii. 48 The sea then struck her with such force that it knocked thirty persons down, at the same time staving in quarter-railing on the weather side.

1806 Times 13 Oct. 3/3 The General, being an excellent swimmer, made the quarter railing.

1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. II. vi. iii. 100 Antony..was leaning over the quarter railing of the galley.

1863 H. W. Longfellow Musician's Tale xx. i, in Tales Wayside Inn 156 He sat concealed,..behind the quarter-railing.

1922 Kansas (Missouri) City Star 12 Jan. 23 Turning, I was upon the quarter-railing in a single leap.

quarter stanchion n.

ΚΠ

1832 Times 23 Mar. 7/2 The William..carried away her quarter stanchion, bulwarks, stove her boat, and did other damage.

1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 243 Quarter-stanchions, strong stanchions in the quarters of a square-sterned vessel, one of which forms the outmost boundary of the stern on either side: it connects the main rail with the taffrail; [etc.].

1910 Times 29 July 4/2 He found that the cargo was not lost by perils of the sea, but by the absence of the quarter stanchions, which caused a weakness of structure.

C4.

† quarter-ail n. Obsolete Irish English and British regional = blackleg n. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle, horse, or sheep > [noun] > disorders of cattle or sheep > quarter-ill

quarter evila1722

black quarter1768

hyan1789

spauld-ill1793

quarter-ail1794

quarter ill1797

black spauld1807

1794 J. Billingsley Gen. View Agric. Somerset 109 A disorder provincially called the Quarter Ail, which is a mortification beginning at the hock.

1887 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 24 161 There is another contagious cattle disease, which generally attacks young animals of the best breeds, and is known in the Gaelic districts as ceat·ram·a-d·ub·, the ‘black quarter’, and elsewhere as black-leg or quarter-ail.

† quarter-ale n. Obsolete an ‘ale’ (ale n. 2) held by the people of a certain quarter (or perhaps quarterly).

ΚΠ

1574 Proviso in Lease in Worsley Hist. Isle Wight 210 If the Quarter shall need..to make a Quarter-Ale, or Church-Ale.

quarter-allowance n. (a) quarter of a (usual) ration or allowance; (b) a quarterly allowance.

ΚΠ

1699 A. Boyer Royal Dict. at Quartier Quarter-allowance.

1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins I. vi. 40 Though we had lived at quarter Allowance, and but just saved Life, our Food, except a little Water, was all gone, and this caused us quite to despair.

1898 Fresno (Calif.) Bee 17 Feb. 7/1 The people were on quarter allowance, with much sickness among the women and children.

1911 D. Brown in D. Frost Work & Community W. Afr. Migrant Workers (1999) 69 There is no compensation for injury from the company [for those injured or incapacitated]... There are six at present who are receiving quarter allowances from our contributions.

quarter-angled adj. that is at a quarter of a right angle, quarter-turned; also (Heraldry) = quadrate adj. 5.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > inclination > [adjective] > placed at an angle > specific

quarter-angled1775

1775 J. Adair Hist. Amer. Indians 269 Rushed off with impetuous violence, on a quarter-angled course.

1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry (at cited word) Quarter-Angled. Same as quadrat.

1997 S. Gubar Racechanges v. 174 With its subject's quarter-angled pose, arms slightly bent, the image does seem ‘a parody of men's fashion photography of the Sears catalog school.’

† quarter-armed adj. Obsolete rare designating a variety of three-spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus) with much reduced plating on the sides of the body.

ΚΠ

1880–4 F. Day Fishes Great Brit. & Ireland I. 239 Gasterosteus gymnurus... The quarter-armed or smooth-tailed stickleback.

† quarter-aspect n. Astrology Obsolete rare quartile aspect; quadrature.Worcester cites Brande, but the latter's Dict. Sci., Lit., & Arts (1842, 1853) lists only quartile aspect.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1860 J. E. Worcester Dict. Eng. Lang. Quarter-aspect, the aspect of two planets, whose position are at a distance of 90° on the zodiac.

quarter-badge n. Nautical (now historical) an ornamental window-surround, or a representation of a window, at the stern of a small sailing vessel.

ΚΠ

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Bouteilles, the quarter-badges of a ship.

1807 J. Robinson Archæol. Græca iv. xiv. 390 To the ἀκροστόλια in the prow answered the ἄϕλαστα, quarter-badges, in the stern.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-badge, artificial galleries; a carved ornament near the stern of those vessels which have no quarter-galleries.

1893 Man. Seamanship for Boys 10 Q. What are quarter badges? A. Carved ornaments near the stern.

1990 Herald Sun (Nexis) 19 Oct. Several of her carvings, including a quarterbadge—the frame which surrounds the window of the captain's cabin in the stern of the ship—..have made the finals of the National Woodwork Competition.

quarter ball n. Billiards a ball that strikes another so that a quarter of the one overlaps a quarter of the other.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > ball > ball in specific position

object ball1857

quarter ball1857

spot1857

player1868

cue-ball1873

object white1904

1857 M. Phelan Game of Billiards (ed. 2) iii. 58 In the quarter-ball, half-ball and fine ball strokes, the part of the cue ball which strikes the object-ball will exactly correspond to the part which is struck.

1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 34 If the half of one overlaps the half of the other, it is a half ball; and so on for a quarter ball. Anything less than a quarter ball is called a fine ball.

1999 Scunthorpe Evening Tel. (Nexis) 2 Mar. 28 The crowd were silent as his effort landed short which meant a nasty quarter ball pink into the middle bag.

† quarter basin n. Scottish Obsolete (perhaps) a basin which holds a quarter of a standard measure.

ΚΠ

1796 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum V. 442 A mickle quarter bason.

quarter bell n. a bell in a clock which sounds the quarter hours.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of

nut1428

peise1428

plumbc1450

Jack1498

clockwork1516

larum1542

Jack of the clockhouse1563

watch-wheel1568

work1570

plummeta1578

Jack of the clock1581

snail-cam1591

snail-work1591

pointer1596

quarter jack1604

mainspring1605

winder1606

notch-wheel1611

fusee1622

count-wheel1647

jack-wheel1647

frame1658

arbor1659

balance1660

fuse1674

hour-figure1675

stop1675

pallet1676

regulator1676

cock1678

movement1678

detent1688

savage1690

clock1696

pinwheel1696

starred wheel1696

swing-wheel1696

warning-wheel1696

watch1696

watch-part1696

hoop-wheel1704

hour-wheel1704

snail1714

step-wheel1714

tide-work1739

train1751

crutch1753

cannon pinion1764

rising board1769

remontoire1774

escapement1779

clock jack1784

locking plate1786

scapement1789

motion work1795

anchor escapement1798

scape1798

star-wheel1798

recoil escapement1800

recoiling pallet1801

recoiling scapement1801

cannon1802

hammer-tail1805

recoiling escapement1805

bottle jack1810

renovating spring1812

quarter-boy1815

pin tooth1817

solar wheel1819

impulse-teeth1825

pendulum wheel1825

pallet arbor1826

rewinder1826

rack hook1829

snail-wheel1831

quarter bell1832

tow1834

star pulley1836

watch train1838

clock train1843

raising-piece1843

wheelwork1843

gravity escapement1850

jumper1850

vertical escapement1850

time train1853

pin pallet1860

spade1862

dead well1867

stop-work1869

ringer1873

strike-or-silent1875

warning-piece1875

guard-pin1879

pendulum cock1881

warning-lever1881

beat-pin1883

fusee-piece1884

fusee-snail1884

shutter1884

tourbillion1884

tumbler1884

virgule1884

foliot1899

grasshopper1899

grasshopper escapement1899

trunk1899

pin lever1908

clock spring1933

1832 T. Reid Treat. Clock & Watch Making xi. 419 The improvement made on..the quarter bell studs..was effected by placing each bell separately on its own bell stud.

a1847 G. Aguilar Vale of Cedars (1851) xxii. 167 The last quarter-bell had chimed.

1872 H. T. Ellacombe Bells of Church in Church Bells Devon viii. 393 The four quarter bells were cast.

1999 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 30 Dec. 14 Above the dial jousting knights gallop around a turret as the quarter bells strike.

quarter bend n. a section of pipe bent into a quarter circle.

ΚΠ

1819 T. S. Peckston Theory & Pract. Gas-lighting xv. 291 Figure 9 is a bend-pipe. It is called a quarter-bend, eighth, or sixteenth-bend, as it forms such a part of the circle of the radius with which it may be struck.

1882 Manufacturer & Builder May 114/1 This is accomplished by placing in the brick warm-air flue a short metal pipe with a trumpet-formed mouth at its lower end, a quarter bend at the upper.

1978 R. P. Singhal Home Plumber's Bible xi. 292 You will need a T, a hub-top-long quarter bend, and a vertical piece of pipe.

1988 W. G. Nash Brickwork 2 (ed. 3) xiii. 174/1 (in figure) Grating..horizontal back inlet gully..sink waste..site concrete..quarter bend.

quarter-bill n. Nautical a list containing the names of the officers and crew of a ship, and the stations to which they are quartered in times of action.

ΚΠ

1743 P. Saumarez Log 20 June in G. Williams Documents Relating Anson's Voy. (1967) 200 Their quarter bill..amounted to 440 men.

c1745 J. Ambrose Tryal Capt. John Ambrose ix. 159/2 Was he always quartered at the Helm in the Quarter-Bills?

1850 H. Melville White-jacket lxxxix. 434 On the quarter-bills, these men were stationed at none of the great guns; on the station-bills, they had no posts at the ropes.

1995 R. Jolly Jackspeak 229 Quarterbill, a Watchbill showing the place of duty in action—or Action Station—of every man borne in the ship.

quarter binding n. a style of bookbinding in which the spine is bound in one material, typically leather, and the rest of the cover in another.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun]

antiquing1728

royal binding1808

Russia binding1817

gothique1818

half-binding1821

Roxburghe1839

paper cover1843

trade binding1874

tree-calf1879

Grolier1880

yapp1883

cloth-work1885

publisher's binding1885

tree-marble1885

treed calf1892

presentation binding1893

quarter leather1894

quarter calf1896

three-quarter binding1897

library binding1903

circuit-binding1909

publisher's cloth1911

quarter binding1912

loose back1923

open back1923

spring-back1923

spiral binding1949

1912 Monk & Lawrence Text Bk. Stationery Binding 140 Quarter binding. 55.

1932 A. F. Collins Bk. Crafts for Schools iii. 27 ‘Quarter-binding’..has the stronger material..on the back, and the weaker material..on the sides.

1978 A. W. Johnson Thames & Hudson Man. Bookbinding 216 (Gloss.) Quarter binding, an economical covering method in which the spine and part of the sides are covered in one material and a cheaper one is used on the remainder.

1998 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 30 June 22 Bookbinding is an ancient craft... Tutor Don Hampshire teaches students how to make basic, full, half, and quarter binding.

quarter blanket n. now rare a small blanket for a horse's back.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > other cloths

poitrel1490

bard1520

fore-cloth1526

bardingc1540

barb1566

pectoral1602

water-deck1721

rug1790

barbing1799

sweaters1828

quarter blanket1872

quarter cloth1894

peto1957

sweat rug1971

1872 N.Y. Herald 21 Nov. 1/3 (advt.) Horse blankets, hoods,..square sweat blankets, common stable blankets,..quarter blankets.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter-blanket..a small blanket generally used under the harness, covering the horse's back from the shoulders to the hips, though in some cases it extends no farther forward than the front of the pad.

1930 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 24 Jan. 9/5 Silver or gold mountings,..quarter blankets of leather or broadcloth.

quarter block n. Nautical a block fitted under the quarter of a yard (see sense 24b).

ΚΠ

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Poulies de retour d'écoutes de hune, the quarter-blocks for the top-sail sheets.

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 157 Thick-and-thin, or Quarter block, is a double block..used to lead down the topsail-sheets and clue-lines.

c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 38 Topsail sheets when made of chain are rove through gins instead of quarter blocks.

1926 Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio) 25 Aug. 4/3 A lower mainsheet block and two quarter-blocks, fathoms of galvanized chain, and two Nicholson's patent anchors.

2005 I. Dear & P. Kemp Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea (ed. 2) 449/2 Quarter blocks... are used to turn down to the deck running rigging, such as the sheets of an upper sail and clew lines of the lower sail, that runs along the yard.

quarter-bloke n. British Military slang now rare a quartermaster or quartermaster sergeant.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer according to function > [noun] > quartermaster

quartermaster1590

fourrier1678

Q.M.1791

quartermaster captain1846

Q1916

quarter1917

quarter-bloke1918

quarter jack1930

1918 L. N. Smith Lingo of No Man's Land (2014) 62 Quarter-blocke [sic], quarter master sergeant.

1919 Athenæum 1 Aug. 695/2 The Q.M.S. (the colour-sergeant or ‘Flag’ of the Old Army) is always called the ‘Quarter Bloke’ or ‘The Bloke’.

1920 Punch 18 Aug. 137/2 It's great..To eat a daintier kind of grub than quarter-blokes provide.

1944 Gen 30 Dec. 55/2 Nickly overstepped the mark when he suggested to the quarter-bloke..that he was flogging the rations.

1950 C. MacInnes To Victors the Spoils i. 21 I'll drop back there and talk to his quarter-bloke.

1971 S. Milligan Adolf Hitler 64 A man in the battery who had actually been with my father's Regiment..said he remembered my father as the Mad Quarter-bloke.

quarter-blood n. U.S. a person whose descent is only one quarter derived from a particular race (esp. North American Indian); (also) an animal, etc., only one fourth derived from a particular breed (in quot. 1943 used adjectivally).

ΘΚΠ

the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [noun] > person

mongrel1542

of (the) half blood1697

half-caste1758

half-breed1760

lip-lap1798

quarter-breed1821

half-blood1826

half-and-half1827

quarter-blood1827

quarter-caste1859

mixed blooda1862

brown1862

miscegen1864

yellowbelly1867

breed1870

redbone1890

miscegenate1898

high yellow1910

samba1958

lightie1991

1827 Western Luminary 1 Aug. 36/4 John Ross..has got a very small portion of Indian blood in his veins, his father being a Scotsman, and his mother a half or quarter blood.

1845 Knickerbocker Mar. 236 Of this description was a quarter-blood [sc. Indian], of great beauty.

1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds ii. 26 The straight black hair, and nose just aquiline enough to give piquancy to the countenance, indicated the quarter-blood.

1943 Sun (Baltimore) 11 Dec. 11/5 Medium shorn domestic fleeces have had a further small sale, mostly quarter-blood.

1991 Atlantic Sept. 70/1 In fifty years quarter-blood Kaws will be like full-bloods today. It'll be a tribe of no-bloods.

† quarter-blow n. Obsolete some kind of stroke or blow (cf. sense 20, and quarter-stroke n.); also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions

buttc1330

overheadc1400

stopc1450

quarter-strokea1456

rabbeta1500

rakea1500

traverse1547

flourish1552

quarter-blow1555

veny1578

alarm1579

venue1591

cut1593

time1594

caricado1595

fincture1595

imbroccata1595

mandritta1595

punta riversa1595

remove1595

stramazon1595

traversa1595

imbrocado1597

passado1597

counter-time1598

foinery1598

canvasado1601

montant1601

punto1601

stock1602

embrocadoc1604

pass1604

stuck1604

stramazo1606

home thrust1622

longee1625

falsify?1635

false1637

traversion1637

canvassa1641

parade1652

flanconade1664

parry1673

fore-stroke1674

allonge1675

contretemps1684

counter1684

disengaging1684

feint1684

passing1687

under-counter1687

stringere1688

stringering1688

tempo1688

volte1688

overlapping1692

repost1692

volt-coupe1692

volting1692

disarm?1700

stamp1705

passade1706

riposte1707

swoop1711

retreat1734

lunge1748

beat1753

disengage1771

disengagement1771

opposition1771

time thrust1771

timing1771

whip1771

shifting1793

one-two1809

one-two-three1809

salute1809

estramazone1820

remise1823

engage1833

engaging1833

risposta1838

lunging1847

moulinet1861

reprise1861

stop-thrust1861

engagement1881

coupé1889

scrape1889

time attack1889

traverse1892

cut-over1897

tac-au-tac riposte1907

flèche1928

replacement1933

punta dritta1961

1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. x. 221 Thei [sc. Tartares] fighte all with a quarter blow, and neither right downe, ne foyning.

1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. K3 Breaking a few quarter blowes with such countrey glaunces as they coulde.

1638 T. Heywood Wise Woman iv, in Wks. (1874) V. 330 I had my wards, and foynes, and quarter-blowes.

quarter-board n. †(in early use) some kind of board used in carpentry (obsolete); (later) Nautical (in plural) pieces of wood extended around a ship's quarters and stern (now historical).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > board or plank > types of

quarter-board1355

deal1400

fir-deala1450

planchettec1450

crust1486

deal-board1568

slab1573

scabbard1635

scale1683

scale-board1711

planchet1730

shinbin1791

rack deal1808

rack1835

shinlog1842

slabwood1844

1355–6 in W. H. St. J. Hope Windsor Castle (1913) I. 177 (MED) xxix quatterbordis.

1452 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 282 The selyng boord..shalbe quartere borde an inche thyk.

1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 296 Sawyng of certeyn tymbre into plankes [&] quarterbordes.

1548 in Acts Privy Council (1890) II. 174 Quarter boord, iij^ml.

1670 J. Smith England's Improvem. Reviv'd iii. 66 Tree-nails of all sizes, Planks, Inch-boards, Quarter-boards..and such like.

1786 Daily Universal Reg. 15 Dec. 4/1 On Monday the 13th November..we were struck by a heavy sea, which stove the quarter boards of both sides.

1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 242 Quarter-Boards or Top-gallant Quarter-Boards, a thin bulwark boarding, forming an additional height to the bulwarks at the after part of a vessel. They also get the name of Topgallant bulwarks.

2003 Libr. Jrnl. Rev. (Nexis) 15 Dec. 104 Fascinating sections on vestiges of shipbuilding techniques..such as the presence of ships' knees in house frames, rope handrails, and quarterboards.

quarter boat n. (a) a small boat hung on davits at a ship's quarter; (b) U.S. a boat containing living quarters for river workmen.

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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessels with other specific uses > [noun] > houseboat > type of

hulk1671

Tanka boat1839

shanty-boat1880

quarter boat1929

1805 E. Berry 13 Oct. in Ld. Nelson Disp. & Lett. (1846) VII. 118 (note) I ordered the weather quarter-boat to be cut away.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast vi. 13 The watch on deck were lowering away the quarter-boat.

1929 Sun (Baltimore) 23 Oct. 1/3 The President and his immediate party left Cincinnati..aboard the Greenbrier..and three other light craft—quarter boats, they are called—for the remaining members of the party.

1962 A. Davison In Wake of Gemini 228 A quarterboat is an operational center for the maintenance and repair department of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Commission.

2002 D. W. Shaw Sea shall embrace Them (2003) x. 110 He watched Gourlay set to launching the starboard quarter boat.

quarter-book n. †(a) perhaps: a book containing quarterly accounts (obsolete); (b) a book recording quartering or lodgings.

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c1689 in J. Y. Akerman Moneys Secret Services Charles II & James II (1851) 146 His allowance..for returning the quarter books to S^r Edmund Turner.

1732 H. Crouch Compl. Guide to Officers of Customs in Out-ports iv. 198 The Warrants granted for the Delivery of the Goods, are to be compared with the Collector's Quarter Book.

1848 Southern Literary Messenger Jan. 51/2 The conduct of Lieut. Chadds, of the Java, who threw his quarter book into the sea,..is still fresh in the memory of all naval men.

1994 16th Cent. Jrnl. 25 962 The first formal move to alleviate this condition took place in 1563 and produced a quarterbook that indicated what rooms where [sic] available for the members of the court as well as the stalls for their horses.

quarter boot n. (a) a boot reaching just above the ankle (cf. half-boot n.); (b) a leather boot (boot n.³ 5) used to protect the heels of a horse's forefeet from being injured by the hind feet.

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1817 Times 24 Apr. 2/1 William Parkington [sc. an escaped prisoner] has..strong striped cord breaches, quarter boots, and white stockings.

1873 Janesville (Wisconsin) Gaz. 5 Aug. In the first heat she caught her hind foot in her fore quarter boot, bringing her to a dead stand still.

1901 Munsey's Mag. Aug. 736/1 The hind feet were protected with the toe boots, while the action of the front feet was stimulated by the weight of the quarter boots, made of soft sheepskin or leather.

1963 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 25 Aug. 11 Fashion favorite quarter-boots for high-style stepping this fall.

1981 E. H. Edwards Country Life Bk. Saddlery & Equipm. 173/3 Quarter boots are designed to protect the heels and coronets of the front feet.

quarter-bound adj. (of a book) having quarter binding.

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society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [adjective]

full-bound1705

super-extra1774

half-bound1775

Etruscan1792

antique1794

Russia-bound1808

vellum-bound1836

vellum-covered1836

quarter-bound1842

cloth-bound1860

limp1863

cottage1874

monastic1880

parchment-bound1881

yapped1882

all along1888

Grolieresque1889

Maioli1890

perfect1890

treed calf1892

Lyonnais1893

hardback1894

dos-à-dos1952

perfect bound1960

spiral-bound1961

spiral1977

1842 Times 15 Jan. 8/2 (advt.) Alfieri Tragedie... Second edition... Neatly quarter-bound, each 1s. 6d.

1929 A. J. Vaughan Mod. Bookbinding iv. 217 Quarter Bound, where the back and some portion of the sides only of the binding consist of one material, and the remainder of the sides of another.

1999 Canberra Times (Nexis) 1 Aug. a25 A book bound with leather might be full-bound, half- bound..or quarter-bound, with just the corners and spine leather-covered.

quarter-boy n. a quarter-jack in the form of a boy (also figurative).

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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of

nut1428

peise1428

plumbc1450

Jack1498

clockwork1516

larum1542

Jack of the clockhouse1563

watch-wheel1568

work1570

plummeta1578

Jack of the clock1581

snail-cam1591

snail-work1591

pointer1596

quarter jack1604

mainspring1605

winder1606

notch-wheel1611

fusee1622

count-wheel1647

jack-wheel1647

frame1658

arbor1659

balance1660

fuse1674

hour-figure1675

stop1675

pallet1676

regulator1676

cock1678

movement1678

detent1688

savage1690

clock1696

pinwheel1696

starred wheel1696

swing-wheel1696

warning-wheel1696

watch1696

watch-part1696

hoop-wheel1704

hour-wheel1704

snail1714

step-wheel1714

tide-work1739

train1751

crutch1753

cannon pinion1764

rising board1769

remontoire1774

escapement1779

clock jack1784

locking plate1786

scapement1789

motion work1795

anchor escapement1798

scape1798

star-wheel1798

recoil escapement1800

recoiling pallet1801

recoiling scapement1801

cannon1802

hammer-tail1805

recoiling escapement1805

bottle jack1810

renovating spring1812

quarter-boy1815

pin tooth1817

solar wheel1819

impulse-teeth1825

pendulum wheel1825

pallet arbor1826

rewinder1826

rack hook1829

snail-wheel1831

quarter bell1832

tow1834

star pulley1836

watch train1838

clock train1843

raising-piece1843

wheelwork1843

gravity escapement1850

jumper1850

vertical escapement1850

time train1853

pin pallet1860

spade1862

dead well1867

stop-work1869

ringer1873

strike-or-silent1875

warning-piece1875

guard-pin1879

pendulum cock1881

warning-lever1881

beat-pin1883

fusee-piece1884

fusee-snail1884

shutter1884

tourbillion1884

tumbler1884

virgule1884

foliot1899

grasshopper1899

grasshopper escapement1899

trunk1899

pin lever1908

clock spring1933

1815 R. Southey Jrnl. Tour in Netherlands (1902) 227 Give me an honest clock that shows its face, and a quarter-boy standing at each side.

1826 R. Southey Vindiciæ Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ 260 The machinery..by which his own quarter-boys in Fleet-street perform their office.

1900 Academy 28 Apr. 365/1 The grotesque ‘quarter-boys’—corpulent cherubs on either side of the clock—beat the quarters on the dial.

1993 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 4 Sept. e1 Small groups regularly gather underneath the clock—one of the oldest in the country—to watch the Quarterboys strike the quarter hours.

quarter-bred adj. and n. (a) adj. of an animal: that is one quarter descended from a particular stock or pedigree; (b) n. New Zealand = quarterback n. 3 (also attributive or as adj.).

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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [noun] > Ovus Aries (domestic sheep) > specific breeds or members of > quarterback

quarter-bred1852

comeback1883

quarterback1891

1852 F. L. Olmsted Walks & Talks of Amer. Farmer in Eng. xx. 175 Experience has taught the dairy-men to prefer half or quarter bred stock to full bloods of any breed.

1882 Ogilvie's Imperial Dict. (new ed.) (at cited word) Quarter-bred,..having only one-fourth good blood: said of horses, cattle, &c.

1891 R. Wallace Rural Econ. Austral. & N.Z. xviii. 259 In 1890, the better portion of the greasy quarter-bred wool fetched 1s. 2½d.

a1948 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs (1951) 370 Comeback, a sheep three-quarters merino and one quarter long wool..but in New Zealand I think these sheep are often called quarterbreds or quarterbacks.

2001 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 8 July b4 From her childhood, Myers' interests revolved around horses. She raised Arabian and quarter-bred horses.

quarter-breed n. U.S. = quarter-blood n.

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the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [noun] > person

mongrel1542

of (the) half blood1697

half-caste1758

half-breed1760

lip-lap1798

quarter-breed1821

half-blood1826

half-and-half1827

quarter-blood1827

quarter-caste1859

mixed blooda1862

brown1862

miscegen1864

yellowbelly1867

breed1870

redbone1890

miscegenate1898

high yellow1910

samba1958

lightie1991

1821 Christian Watchman 14 July 1/5 I saw a white woman, the wife of a Mr. Dougherty, a quarter breed, baptized, with great solemnity.

1880 Harper's Mag. Dec. 31 All four were of mixed blood their mother having been a beautiful French quarter-breed.

1939 Florida: Guide to Southernmost State (Federal Writers' Project) i. 42 The young quarter-breed was tall and erect, with an expressive countenance.

2000 P. D. Cacek Canyons 155 He held his mate, a quarter-breed named Alana he'd found on a business trip.

† quarter bullet n. Obsolete rare a bullet divided into four or eight parts.

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1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xiv. 69 Quarter Bullets is..any bullet quartered in foure or eight parts.

quarter butt n. Billiards a cue intermediate in length between an ordinary cue and a half-butt (half-butt n.).

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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > cue

billiard-stick1588

stick1611

tack1688

mace1727

mast1731

cue1749

billiard-mace1785

long butt1846

quarter butt1869

half-butt1896

1869 J. Roberts & H. Buck Roberts on Billiards 136 Quarter-butt, a short butt, rather longer and much heavier than the cue, tipped with leather at the thick end, and used in playing up the table to double on balls in baulk.

1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 27 The cue-butt or quarter-butt is larger in diameter than the cue, about 5 feet long, and leathered at the bottom.

1992 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 14 Apr. a1 Back in the pen, Mike Young is putting away his $450 cue, a Gold Medal Barracuda called a ‘quarter butt’ because the bottom piece screws off.

quarter calf n. calfskin quarter binding.

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society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun]

antiquing1728

royal binding1808

Russia binding1817

gothique1818

half-binding1821

Roxburghe1839

paper cover1843

trade binding1874

tree-calf1879

Grolier1880

yapp1883

cloth-work1885

publisher's binding1885

tree-marble1885

treed calf1892

presentation binding1893

quarter leather1894

quarter calf1896

three-quarter binding1897

library binding1903

circuit-binding1909

publisher's cloth1911

quarter binding1912

loose back1923

open back1923

spring-back1923

spiral binding1949

1896 N.Y. Times 26 Apr. 8/5 (advt.) 1000 titles in children's books. Classiques Francais, Moliere, Racine, Corneille, etc., in quarter calf.

1956 Library 11 81 The binding has no corner-pieces; and so is properly called ‘quarter-calf’.

1994 Times (Nexis) 31 Dec. The facsimile edition..has been printed letterpress from etched metal plates..and handsomely bound in quarter calf.

quarter cart n. now rare (regional in later use) a kind of horse-drawn cart, spec. a farm cart designed so that the horse walks in front of one of the wheels (cf. sense 29). Sc. National Dict. at quarter records the sense (from east Lothian in 1967): ‘Quarter cart, a spring cart drawn by a pony or hackney formerly used for transporting light articles to and from a farm’.

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1771 H. Steward Catal. Furnit. Francis Laprimaudaye 1 A Whisky, Quarter Cart, two Pair of seasoned Chestnut Geldings, Harness for four Horses.

1789 Suffolk Inventory in Notes & Queries (1947) 27 Dec. 558/2 A quarter cart.

1791 J. H. Prince Let. in Orig. Lett. & Ess. 52 My next business was to procure a vehicle, and as I could get none but quarter carts at Arston, which I could not drive, I was necessitated to go to Cambridge.

1804 A. Young Gen. View Agric. Norfolk 227 Mr. Drake..carts off his turnips with quarter-carts.

1847 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 8 ii. 277 The carting off the cabbages..is done with a quarter-cart, as it is termed in Suffolk, having the shafts so placed that the horse walks before the right hand wheel; in other words, it ‘quarters’.

quarter-cask n. a small cask, a cask one quarter the usual or standard size; (in early use spec.) a quarter of a hogshead or a quarter of a butt.

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1651 G. Sylvester Let. 9 Aug. in V. T. Harlow Colonising Exped. to W. Indies & Guiana (1925) 52 [I] shall send you a barrell, and a quarter caske with lymes and lymjouse.

1704 Boston News-let. 21 Aug. 2/2 There's good..Wine to be Sold by the Pipe, Quarter Cask, or smaller Quantities.

1788 W. Gordon Hist. Independence U.S.A. ii. 108 In the palace cellar were dug up two quarter tasks of the same commodity [sc. gunpowder].

1849 H. Melville Redburn xxviii. 169 [Danby] would patronize his own ale himself, pouring down mug after mug, as if he took himself for one of his own quarter-casks.

1890 Cent. Dict. Quarter-cask, a small cask holding 28 gallons or thereabouts.

1991 Financial Times (Nexis) 25 May (FT Weekend) p. viii Wines sold in returnable, chestnut quarter-casks, holding the equivalent of 75 bottles apiece.

† quarter-cast adj. Obsolete rare (of a horse) having had one of the quarters of the hoof cut to treat disease of the foot.

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1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Quarter-cast (with Horsemen), a Horse is said to cast his Quarter, where for any Disorder in the Coffin, there is a Necessity to cut one of the Quarters of the Hoof.

1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship Quarter-cast. A horse is said to have cast his quarters when, for any affection of his foot, he has been obliged to have one quarter of his hoof cut away.

quarter-caste n. and adj. (a) n. a person of mixed ancestry who is a quarter from one descent and three-quarters from another, spec. (Australian and New Zealand) a person who is a quarter Australian Aboriginal or Maori and three-quarters white; (b) adj. relating to or designating such a person.

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the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [noun] > person

mongrel1542

of (the) half blood1697

half-caste1758

half-breed1760

lip-lap1798

quarter-breed1821

half-blood1826

half-and-half1827

quarter-blood1827

quarter-caste1859

mixed blooda1862

brown1862

miscegen1864

yellowbelly1867

breed1870

redbone1890

miscegenate1898

high yellow1910

samba1958

lightie1991

the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [adjective] > person

mongrel1566

mulatto-like1719

half-breeda1762

mixed breed1775

half-caste1789

half-blood1830

three-quarter-bred1902

quarter-caste1952

biracial1963

multiracial1964

1859 E. Money Wife & Ward ix. 133 She was only a quarter-caste,—or, in other words, was three parts English, and only one native.

1876 Littell's Living Age 7 Oct. 9/1 Julia..was a West-Indian creole (not a half or quarter caste, that is, but a pure white, island born).

1941 Argus (Melbourne) Week-end Mag. 15 Nov. 1/3 Slang applied to the aborigines occurs..only in the Far North, where the natives are commonly seen... Half-castes are ‘halfies’, and quarter-castes ‘creamies’.

1948 D. Ballantyne Cunninghams i. i. 6 Being up the duff to a young quarter-caste..was no joke.

1952 R. Finlayson Schooner came to Atia x. 51 The crew with the exception of the quartercaste mate were all Maori.

1979 Church Times 9 Mar. 4/3 Bishop Reeves is a ‘quarter-caste’ Maori and a graduate of St. Peter's College, Oxford.

2001 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 7 July 19 My father, Barry, is half-caste, so I suppose I am a quarter-caste.

quarter-chord n. Aeronautics a quarter of the length of a chord of an aerofoil, as measured backwards from the leading edge; the point on a chord this distance from the leading edge; (also, attributive) designating a line joining such points along the span of a wing.

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society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > [noun] > plane or aerofoil > chord or part of chord

chord1918

quarter-chord1946

1946 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 50 436/2 The centre of pressure is at the half-chord instead of approximately at the quarter-chord point.

1947 C. F. Toms Introd. Aeronautics i. 26 The quarter-point of the mean chords lies very nearly on the quarter-chord line of the wing.

1957 L. L. Beckford A.B.C. of Aeronaut. 98/2 This angle, known as Sweep Back, is measured between the lateral axis and a line drawn a quarter-chord back from the leading edges.

2000 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 358 3281 The aerofoil is subjected to a harmonic oscillation about its quarter-chord axis.

quarter circle n. the shape of a quarter of a circle; an arc describing a quarter of the circumference of a circle (cf. quadrant n.¹ 3); (also) a quarter of a revolution, ninety degrees.

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1595 J. Davis Seamans Secrets ii. sig. H2^v A quarter of a great Circle being drawne from the Pole, to the place whose Longitude is desired, and so continued to the Equinoctiall, that degree and minute in which the quarter circle dooth touch the Equator, is the Longitude of the same place.

1654 H. Phillippes Purchasers Pattern (ed. 2) 165 The half-Circle and quarter-Circle may be measured also by this rule, but other Sections are very hard and troublesome..without knowing the content of the whole Circle or Semicircle.

1853 J. H. Stocqueler Mil. Encycl. 114/1 If the battalion has been faced to the right, the men turn on this word a quarter-circle to the left.

1906 Official Handbk. Hockey Assoc. 120 In front of each goal shall be drawn a white line... This line shall be continued each way to meet the goal line by quarter-circles having the goal posts as centres.

2006 Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator (Nexis) 20 Jan. g16 Fold crepe in half over filling, then in half again to make a quarter circle.

quarter-circular adj. having the form of a quarter circle.

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1857 A. D. Sproat Endeavor towards Universal Alphabet 79 By swelling the simple marks, (half length and full length, straight and quarter circular letters) we double their number.

1895 Times 14 Jan. 11/3 The officials..after running through the one-mile professional race, over a quarter circular course,..abandoned the amateur competition.

2004 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch (Nexis) 8 Feb. s7 Between the quarter-circular colonnades are an impressive collection of statues.

quarter clock n. a clock that strikes the quarter hours.

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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > other types of clock

watch-clock1592

German clock1598

quarter clocka1631

wheel-clock1671

table clocka1684

month clock1712

astronomical clock1719

musical clock1721

repeater1725

Tompion1727

pulling clock1733

regulator1735

eight-day clock1741

regulator clock1750

French clock1757

repetition clock1765

day clock1766

striker1778

chiming clock1789

cuckoo-clock1789

night clock1823

telltale1827

carriage clock1828

fly-clock1830

steeple clock1830

telltale clock1832

skeleton clock1842

telegraph clock1842

star clock1850

weight-clock1850

prison clock1853

crystal clock1854

pillar scroll top clock1860

sheep's-head clock1872

presentation clock1875

pillar clock1880

stop-clock1881

Waterbury1882

calendar-clock1884

ting-tang clock1884

birdcage clock1886

sheep's head1887

perpetual calendar1892

bracket clock1894

Act of Parliament clock1899

cartel clock1899

banjo-clock1903

master clock1904

lantern clock1913

time clock1919

evolutionary clock1922

lancet clock1922

atomic clock1927

quartz clock1934

clock radio1946

real-time clock1953

organ clock1956

molecular clock1974

travelling clock2014

a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 139 There was never heard quarter clock to strike.

1675 J. Smith Horol. Dialogues iv. 49 The use of Quarter Clocks is, not onely to strike the full hour on a bell, but also to strike at the end of every Quarter of an hour.

1799 Times 14 Sept. 3/4 Some very fine old china and glass, an excellent eight-day spring quarter clock, a handsome gold watch.

1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 217 Quarter Clock, a clock that strikes or chimes at the quarter hours.

2004 Northern Echo (Nexis) 9 June 8 A Cambridge quarter clock with 15in main wheels.

quarter cloth n. (a) Nautical (usually in plural) a long piece of canvas going from the upper part of a ship's gallery to the gangway (now historical); (b) = quarter blanket n.

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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > other cloths

poitrel1490

bard1520

fore-cloth1526

bardingc1540

barb1566

pectoral1602

water-deck1721

rug1790

barbing1799

sweaters1828

quarter blanket1872

quarter cloth1894

peto1957

sweat rug1971

1768 J. Cremer Jrnl. 19 July in R. R. Bellamy Ramblin' Jack (1936) 162 Our Capⁿ Showed him great Respeckt..with Jack Ainshent & pennant Flying; quarter Cloath, etc, verey grand.

1894 Field 9 June 828/3 The names of his two horses embroidered on the quarter cloths.

1937 Times 27 Jan. 17/3 The Hon. Ronald Strutt has given the Duke of Norfolk a paddock quarter cloth and stirrup leathers.

2005 I. Dear & P. Kemp Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea (ed. 2) 449/2 Quarter-cloths,..normally painted red,..were fixed on the outboard side of the nettings... Their purpose was to protect the hammocks, stowed by day in the nettings, from any seas breaking aboard.

† quarter coal n. Obsolete rare a periodical allowance of coal made to miners.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

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1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 197 Quarter Coal... See Colliers' Coals.

quarter column n. Military a formation in which columns of troops march close together, one behind another.

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1799 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry (ed. 3) § cviii. 339 The head of the column halts, and the other divisions close up to quarter column.

1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 218/2 The quarter-column is the formation..most employed when large bodies of troops are working together.

1884 St. James's Gaz. 21 Aug. 5/2 A battalion of eight companies in quarter-column, that is, in column of companies one behind the other.

1999 Financial Mail (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 15 Oct. 30 They will form up in the same drill formation used a century ago—quarter column.

† quarter cord n. Mining, Obsolete a division of an area of ore-bearing rock allocated to a miner, measured as a linear section 7¼ yards long (a quarter of a mere: cf. mere n.² 2; approx. 6.63 metres) or a square with sides of this length.

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1681 T. Houghton Rara Avis in Terris 13 Article XV. We say, (by the custom of the Mine) that all Miners and their Servants may..empty their Sludge into some convenient place, within their length or quarter Cord.

1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Qijb Quartercord [is] a Measure used in laying out of Flats, 'tis a superficial Measure, and one fourth part of a Mear; it is a Square, each side being seven Yards and one Quarter long.

1851 T. Tapping Gloss. in Chron. Customs Lead Mines (E.D.S.) s.v. So long as a mine is wrought..everything upon the quarter cord belongs to the miner.

quarter course n. U.S. now rare a quarter-mile racecourse.

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1837 Spirit Times 29 July 185/2 Devoted as I am to the legitimate turf, I have ever regarded the Quarter Course, Quarter Horses, and Quarter Racing, as unworthy of the attention of the true sportsman.

1902 J. H. Mathes Gen. Forrest 364 A party of daredevils rode up in front of his tent and, staking off a quarter course, began racing their horses.

quarter-crack n. a fissure or sand crack in the side wall of a horse's hoof, typically originating in the coronary band; a condition so characterized.

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1859 Herbert's Hints to Horse-keepers xvii. 281 In riding over hard ground..the concussion of the gallop is very severe on the hoofs and legs; strains, inflammation in the feet, break down, and, worse than all, quarter-crack, are frequent penalties of a disregard of this suggestion.

1911 A. A. Holcombe in Spec. Rep. Dis. Horse (U.S. Dept. Agric.) (rev. ed.) 405 Toe-cracks are most common in the hind feet, while quarter-cracks nearly always affect the fore feet. The inside quarter is more liable to injury than the outside.

2005 Jrnl. Equine Vet. Sci. 24 48/1 Using growth factor to stimulate coronet band regrowth: using this technology in quarter-crack repair.

† quarter-curtsy n. Obsolete rare a slight curtsy.

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1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. l. 125 A quarter curt'sy, or slight inclination of the head.

quarter cut adj. and n. (a) (of wood) cut into quarters along its length; = quarter-sawn adj.; (b) wood cut in this way.

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1883 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 26 Sept. When ‘quarter cut’ scarcely any wood exceeds it [sc. gum] in beauty.

1895 Westm. Gaz. 30 Mar. 3/1 The skin of..all kinds of racing eights, is known as ‘quarter cut’.

1906 Manitoba Morning Free Press 9 Mar. 10/4 (advt.) Twelve only Rockers, in selected golden quarter-cut oak.

1979 C. Ford Making Mus. Instruments i. 23 On a quarter-cut plank of sycamore the grain is always closest and the figure most pronounced near the outside of the tree.

1993 G. McCulloch Ingenious Shop Aids & Jigs 197/2 Rift, more commonly known as quarter-cut, is produced from a log that has been cut in quarters lengthwise.

quarter distance n. Military a distance for ranks intermediate between half and close distance.

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society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > line > distance between troops

quarter distance1773

touch1788

1773 R. Lambart New Syst. Mil. Discipline v. iv. 226/2 Rear Ranks. Close to quarter distance.

1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 217 The rear [divisions] quicken their march, and close up to quarter distance.

1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 30 A Battalion in Close column should first open out to quarter-distance.

1992 T. D. Veve Duke of Wellington iii. 36 The duke sought further improvement in maneuvers such as..marching in full, half, or quarter distance columns.

quarter-ebb n. now rare the state or time of the tide when it has receded a quarter of the distance from its highest to its lowest point; cf. half ebb n.

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a1450 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Bodl. 619) (1872) ii. Suppl. §46. 59 Wheþir it be..half or quarter ebbe.

1582 R. Madox Diary 4 Apr. in E. S. Donno Elizabethan in 1582 (1976) 102 At 3 a clock, a quarter eb, we cam to an anchor.

1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 17 A spring tide, ebbe, a quarter ebbe, halfe ebbe.

1763 Philos. Trans. 1762 (Royal Soc.) 52 418 The first motion was most considerable, the sea advancing the first time to a quarter ebb.

1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. ii. 267 Measured from the sea at quarter-ebb tide.

1934 Geogr. Jrnl. 83 43 It is flowing..along the coast from Porthleven to Gunwalloe. Then it veers to south, and at quarter-ebb is going south-west.

quarter-elliptic adj. having the shape of a quarter of an ellipse; (Mechanics) designating a leaf spring having the profile of a quarter of an ellipse.

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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > types of suspension elements

quarter-elliptic1909

quarter-elliptical1909

wishbone1934

c1876 Draft-bk. Centennial Carriages 14/2 Binder Frères.—6 carriages, namely: Eight-spring Calèche,..English-quarter Elliptic-spring Coupé, [etc.].]

1909 Times 31 Mar. 18/4 This engine was shown complete within its frame, to which it is secured by four quarter-elliptic springs.

1963 A. Bird & F. Hutton-Stott Veteran Motor Car Pocketbk. 53 The characteristic reversed quarter-elliptic rear springs appear on the 5-litre model.

1999 Amer. Statistician 53 386/1 For asymmetric data [they]..constructed a quarter elliptic plot..where the ‘box’ consists of four quarter ellipses.

quarter-elliptical adj. = quarter-elliptic adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > types of suspension elements

quarter-elliptic1909

quarter-elliptical1909

wishbone1934

1909 R. W. A. Brewer Motor Car xiv. 140 When quarter-elliptical springs are used they may be either shackled to the side springs or pinned to them direct.

1937 Times 13 Apr. p. vi/4 The front wheels..are independently sprung, there being four quarter-elliptical springs to each wheel.

1974 D. Broek Elem. Engin. Fracture Mech. iii. 80 The application of fracture mechanics to these ‘corner cracks’ (quarter-elliptical) and to ‘surface flaws’ or ‘part-through’ cracks (semi-elliptical) requires knowledge of the stress intensity factor.

quarter face n. the face (of a person, the moon, etc.) when one quarter revealed; (Military) the action or position of facing quarter-way to the right or left (cf. half face n. 2).

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1616 B. Jonson Forrest xii. 29 in Wks. I Let them still, Turne, vpon scorned verse, their quarter-face.

1655 J. Shirley Gentleman of Venice v. iii The moon..will shew a quarter face.

1759 E. Fage Regular Form Discipline for Militia ii. 11 First Motion, The Officer makes a Quarter face to the Right.

1890 Overland Monthly May 501/2 The whole regiment, one thousand strong, cast about as one man, making a quarter face to the right.

1992 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. (Nexis) 10 Sept. e10 A quarter-face of the moon with a perimeter of stars was..illuminated from below by a light fixture.

† quarter-faced adj. Military Obsolete in a quarter face position.

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1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. i. 33 Remain quarter-faced to the right.

quarter fee n. †(a) a fee or allowance payable quarterly (obsolete); (b) historical money or service due from a vassal to a feudal superior, equal to a quarter the amount required to support one knight.

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1615 J. Stephens Satyrical Ess. 11 Clearkes and other knaves..Will take a pention or a quarter-fee.

1798 Edinb. Advertiser 16 Oct. 2/2 The quarter fees [sc. of the School] were, a few years since, considerably raised.

1891 Eng. Hist. Rev. 6 642 The original transcriber..has changed the quarter fee of Geoffrey fitz Piers into half a fee.

1942 Eng. Hist. Rev. 57 455 The difficulty raised by Hugh de Dutton's service of two footmen for his quarter fee at Ness.

2003 Times (Nexis) 10 Oct. [In 1300] the manor of Woodcroft was held by the Woodcroft family..for half a knight's fee,..with the Preston family as sub-tenants for a quarter fee.

† quarter-fish n. [ < quarter n. + fish n.²] Nautical Obsolete (usually in plural) one of four pieces of wood bound to a mast to strengthen it (cf. fish n.²).

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1826 W. James Naval Hist. Great Brit. (new ed.) VI. 169 To render them [sc. the masts] still more secure from the effects of shot, four large quarter-fishes are girthed upon them.

1832 R. Brindley Compend. Naval Archit. xi.106 Four quarter fishes, each three inches and half thick, reaching from a little above the main-deck to the top, hooped on after the mast was made.

1890 Cent. Dict. 4898/1 Quarter-fishes,..Stout pieces of wood hooped on to a mast to strengthen it.

quarter flood n. chiefly Nautical (now rare) the state or time when the tide is about a fourth of the way between low tide and high water (see quot. 1867).

ΚΠ

a1450 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Bodl. 619) (1872) ii. Suppl. §46. 59 Half flode, or quarter flode.

1582 R. Madox Diary 2 Apr. in E. S. Donno Elizabethan in 1582 (1976) 101 At a quarter flud we went a head with the mayn topsayl and so lowsyng we towed down past the Retch.

1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 17 [The sea] flowes, quarter floud, high water, or a still water.

1775 Let. 23 Apr. in J. Zevin Social Stud. for Twenty-First Cent. (2000) i. vi. 118 I..landed them on a point of marsh or mudland which is overflowed with the last quarter flood.

1801 Ld. Nelson 15 Aug. in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) IV. 460 At last quarter-flood, at the Pier-head.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. at Flood When the water begins to rise, it is called a young flood, next it is quarter-flood, half-flood, and top of flood, or high water.

1910 Times 11 July 3/2 The tide was last quarter flood of about 1½ knots force.

† quarter-foot n. Obsolete rare = quarter-hoof n.

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1711 London Gaz. No. 4888/4 A quarter Foot the near Foot behind.

† quarter-four n. Obsolete some kind of long pole or plank (cf. sense 19, and quarter-board n.).

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1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 66 Take a Carpenter with you at low tide, and let him bring a Hand-spike..and a nine Foot Pantile-lath or a Quarter-four..and I will venture..he can thrust down the Pantile-lath to the Rock.

quarter-galley n. Nautical (now historical) a galley of about one quarter the full or typical size; cf. half-galley n.

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1741 Let. in Ann. Europe. 1741 (1743) IV. i. ii. 257 I had a warm Attack with four Spanish Privateers, (a Flag and three Pennants) whom I took to be Half and Quarter Galleys.

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 238 Half and Quarter Galleys are rigged and navigated the same as galleys; and take this denomination from their being much shorter.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. at Galley There are also half-galleys and quarter-galleys, but found..to be of little utility except in fine weather.

1970 P. O'Brian Master & Commander (new ed.) iv. 109 She's an Algerine—a quarter-galley.

quarter girth n. one quarter of the circumference of the trunk of a tree, esp. as a measurement used to calculate the cubic content of timber (cf. quarter girth measure n.).

ΚΠ

1725 J. Hammond Pract. Surveyor vii. 79 Let a Tree be 24 Foot and a Half long, and its Quarter Girth 17 inches and one fourth; to find the solid Content [etc.].

1779 C. Vyse Key to Tutor's Guide ii. ii. 305 Measurement of Solids..By Rule I. Thus, first 42 ÷ 4 = 10,5 Quarter Girth.

1856 Times 12 Sept. 4/6 Logs of from 12 to 15 feet long each. None to be less than 12 inches in quarter girth.

1894 W. Stevenson Wood 194 The Hoppus measure by string, quarter girth..on round timber, is an overmeasure in favour of the buyer.

1918 Eng. Hist. Rev. 33 480 The method of measuring timber is to multiply the length by the quarter girth (at the middle point of the tree) and subtract a sixth for bark in the case of oak and elm.

2005 Forestry & Brit. Timber (Nexis) 3 Feb. 36 With a length of 16ft and mid-diameter of 30.75in quarter-girth (39in dia), it contained a volume of 105 Hoppus feet.

quarter girth measure n. a method of measuring the cubic content of a tree trunk or similar piece of timber by dividing the product of its length in feet and the square of its quarter girth in inches by 144; = Hoppus n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > [noun] > determination of cubic content of a solid > specific system of cubic measurement

centrobaric1624

off-square1662

Hoppus1894

quarter girth measure1909

1909 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 72 43 In the four principal forest kingdoms of Germany..the State forests aggregate 10,372,913 acres, the average annual yield per acre for 1907 being 53 cubic feet (quarter girth measure).

1954 W. E. Hiley Woodland Managem. ix. 127 Quarter girth or ‘hoppus’ measure. The volume of a felled log is determined by its length and the area of the cross section half way along it. The length is measured by a long tape,..and the middle girth by a specially marked short tape, known as a quarter-girth tape.

2003 G. Webster & H. A. Osmaston Hist. Uganda Forest Department 1951–1965 App. 130 Hoppus or Quarter-girth measure.

quarter grain n. the grain shown in a piece of quarter-sawn timber where the growth rings appear as parallel lines and the medullary rays are visible on the face.

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1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 187 The Quarter-grain..is that Grain which is seen to run in straight Lines towards the Pitch.

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 612 Clear them [sc. laths] into thicknesses by the quarter grain.

1904 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 17 Sept. 4/5 Of 245 kinds of wood treated upon, 186 photo-micrographs of sections across the grain, flat and face or quarter-grain are submitted.

1997 D. O'Donoghue Hamlyn Bk. Woodworking xii. 198/3 Modern quarter sawing: less labour intensive and wasteful. Most planks have some quarter grain.

quarter ground n. now historical a division of land in the Isle of Man and Ireland; = quarterland n.

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1593 in M. A. Mills Anc. Ordinances & Statute Laws Isle of Man (1821) 76 To pay for every Quarter Ground in respect of their..Custom Turves.

1836 Times 8 Aug. 5/5 A party of these marauders..obliged Egan to turn the poor man out of his employment..and to lower the price of quarter ground.

1957 R. D. Edwards Great Famine 444 The meaning of the word ‘conacre’ has never been satisfactorily explained. The practice had other names—‘rood land’ in Ulster, ‘quarter ground’ in Limerick.

† quarter-head n. Obsolete a kind of brad or flat-nail, perhaps with a hook or projection at the end.

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1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 35 Quarter-heads, or Bill-brads for soft Wood-floors.

1774 J. Carter Builder's Mag. at Brads Joiners-Brads, flooring-Brads, batten-Brads, bill-Brads, or quarter-heads, &c.

quarter heel n. †(a) = sense 22c (obsolete); (b) North American a metal protective covering or plate fitted to the heel of a shoe, a heel-cap.

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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter

quarter piece1688

quarter heel1727

quarter1753

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter > leather for

quarter piece1688

quarter heel1727

quarter1753

1727 A. Hamilton New Acct. E. Indies I. vii. 67 Their Shoes..very low and stiff at the Quarter-heels.

1787 B. Bell Syst. Surg. xxxvi. 150 A third strap..had its ends passed on each side of the foot through a noose..that came round the quarter-heel of the shoe.

1975 Modesto (Calif.) Bee 30 Oct. a4/5 (advt.) Heavy pile lining and insole. Long wearing molded sole and quarter heel.

1999 Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.) (Nexis) 6 Mar. g16 Steel quarter heels on our boots, along with jangling spurs, meant..we would make a good deal of noise.

quarter-hollow n. a concave moulding (moulding n.¹ 2b) that has an arc which is (approximately) a quarter circle; (also) an engraving tool used to make convex or concave mouldings (more fully quarter-hollow tool).

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1847 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxiv. 519 Convex mouldings are frequently made by rectilinear tools..but the bead..the astragal..or the quarter hollows..facilitate the process..and enable it to be repeated any number of times with exact uniformity.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter-hollow Tool,..a chisel (c, Fig. 4066) for making convex moldings.

1891 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. (new ed.) at Quarter-hollow In arch., etc., a concave molding the arc of which is, or approaches, 90°, or a quadrant: the converse of a quarter-round.

1957 F. S. Meyer Handbk. Ornament 199 The last, as a quarter-hollow forms the transition between fillet and shaft.

1999 J. P. McAleer Rochester Cathedral iv. 65 The southeastern half-Romanesque/half-Gothic pier has a more elaborate base..consisting of two thin rolls above a narrow quarter-hollow.

† quarter-hoof n. Obsolete rare (perhaps) a horse's hoof with one of the quarters cut (cf. quarter-cast adj.).

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1713 London Gaz. No. 5148/12 A Quarter-hoof on one of his hind Feet.

quarter hoop n. a hoop used to bind the staves of a barrel, esp. one placed intermediately between the middle of the barrel and either of its ends.

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1853 Times 9 Feb. 2/6 (advt.) The heads and staves of the casks to be of sound oak timber,..the bilge and quarter hoops not less than one inch and a half wide each.

?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 155/2 Quarter Hoop Maker, Bender, Shaver.

1972 Bottlers' Year Bk. 1972–3 194 The ‘quarter’ hoops.

2003 San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Tribune (Nexis) 26 Dec. d1 When buying barrels, look for ones with steel quarter hoops that do not align directly with the face of the barrel rack.

† quarter-hung adj. Obsolete rare (of a gun) having trunnions whose pivotal axis is below the line of the bore.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

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1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter-hung,..said of a gun whose trunnions have their axis below the line of bore.

quarter-in-the-slot adj. U.S. (of a machine) actuated by the fall of a quarter dollar inserted through a slot; cf. penny-in-the-slot adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > coin-operated

penny-in-the-slot1889

slot-machine1891

quarter-in-the-slot1903

coin-in-the-slot1904

coin-operated1960

1890 N.Y. Times 15 June 12/6 The seats of the theatre in question happened to be equipped with the drop-a-quarter-in-a-slot opera glass boxes.]

1903 R. L. McCardell Conversat. Chorus Girl 80 Mama de Branscombe had a quarter-in-the slot gas meter put in.

1927 N.Y. Times 28 Mar. 1/3 The Photomaton—the quarter-in-the-slot automatic photographing device which has been in use in this city since last September.

1984 Daily Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pa.) 19 July 44/1 Thousands of the quarter-in-the-slot music boxes remain unregistered, which isn't legal.

quarter-iron n. Nautical (now historical) a boom-iron on the quarter of a yard.

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c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 75 On each quarter is a quarter-iron that opens with a hinge to allow the topmast studding sail booms to be raised or lowered.

1926 G. B. Douglas Ship Model Bk. v. 192/2 On the end of the lower yard a boom was fixed..and..an iron ring, quarter-iron, was fastened to the yard.

quarter ladder n. Nautical (now rare) a rope ladder leading from the quarterdeck to the poop deck of a ship.

ΚΠ

1760 Voy. & Cruises Commodore Walker ii. iii. 182 He..got up by the quarter-ladder in at the cabin window.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Ladder Quarter-ladders, two ladders of rope, depending from the right and left side of a ship's stern.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-Ladder, from the quarter-deck to the poop.

quarter leather n. quarter binding in leather.

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society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun]

antiquing1728

royal binding1808

Russia binding1817

gothique1818

half-binding1821

Roxburghe1839

paper cover1843

trade binding1874

tree-calf1879

Grolier1880

yapp1883

cloth-work1885

publisher's binding1885

tree-marble1885

treed calf1892

presentation binding1893

quarter leather1894

quarter calf1896

three-quarter binding1897

library binding1903

circuit-binding1909

publisher's cloth1911

quarter binding1912

loose back1923

open back1923

spring-back1923

spiral binding1949

1894 J. Bonar Catal. Libr. Adam Smith 3 1 vol. 8vo, quarter leather.

1938 L. M. Harrod Librarians' Gloss. 124 Quarter leather. A term used to describe a book with a leather spine and cloth sides.

1963 B. C. Middleton Hist. Eng. Craft Bookbinding Technique xi. 160 It was not uncommon on the Continent in the Middle Ages for books to be bound in quarter-leather.

1995 Carpworld July 142/1 For investors and aficionados..there is an edition limited to just 137 copies, which will be bound in quarter leather.

quarter left n. Military (now rare) one quarter of a right angle towards the left (also used adverbially).

ΚΠ

1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 93 The..command will be given, Squadrons..Quarter or Half Left.

1916 J. N. Hall Kitchener's Mob viii. 117 Watch me clip the next one. Quarter left it is, this side the old 'ouse with the 'ole in the wall.

quarter-light n. a small window; spec. (a) Nautical a porthole; †(b) a side-window in the body of a closed carriage, as distinct from the door-light (obsolete); (c) a small, usually triangular side-window on a motor vehicle for ventilation and the admission of light.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > carriage for conveying persons > [noun] > parts of > window

side glass1679

quarter-light1765

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > types of window

side glass1679

wind wing1934

quarter-light1938

1765 London Mag. Aug. 409/1 Having a quarter light in the cabin I very often looked out, and last saw she had hawled up her main sail.

1822 Times 2 Feb. 3/2 The latter then uncovered her quarter-lights, and..commenced a close and well directed cannonade.

1866 Times 11 June 3 Sociable Landau to be sold, a bargain..: it is very light, with front quarter lights.

1881 Daily News 15 Sept. 3/2 The engine..struck the side of the three last carriages..smashed a number of the ‘quarter lights’.

1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 157 The thick glass in the quarter-lights, the thinner plate in the door-lights, are not bought for nothing.

1938 Times 13 Oct. 8/4 The quarter lights are taken as far aft as possible.

1976 ‘Z. Stone’ Modigliani Scandal iii. i. 113 He..[was] driving with the quarter-light open and enjoying the fresh air.

2006 Daily Post (Liverpool) (Nexis) 31 May 25 The tiny triangular quarterlights at the leading lower edge of the front side windows add a patch of daylight where normally there would be a solid A-pillar.

† quarter-look n. Obsolete a cursory or surreptitious glance.

ΚΠ

1605 B. Jonson Sejanus v. sig. L3 Creatures, vnto whom..I would not haue vouchsaf'd a quarter-looke, Or peice of face.

a1640 P. Massinger Bashful Lover i. i. 158 in 3 New Playes (1655) Observe his posture, But with a quarter-look.

quarter-mile n. one fourth of a mile (approx. 0.402 km); a race over this distance.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > types of race

quarter-mile1611

dead1635

diaulos1706

quarter1779

dead heat1796

match race1804

dash1836

sprint race1836

mile1851

road race1852

time trial1857

decider1858

all-ages1864

rough-up1864

hippodrome1867

distance running1868

team race1869

run-off1873

relay race1878

walk-away1879

title race1905

tortoise race1913

procession1937

stage1943

pace1968

prologue1973

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > mile > quarter of a mile

quarter-mile1611

quarter1779

1611 in H. Maule Reg. de Panmure (1874) I. p. xcv And thearfra agane neir ane qwarter mile.

1796 Edinb. Advertiser 10 June 376/2 The mail coach from Glasgow to London passing within a quarter mile of the lands.

1891 N.E.D at Enter v. Have you entered for the Quarter-mile?

1895 Westm. Gaz. 11 Jan. 5/2 A quarter-mile straight race for professionals.

1908 H. Day King Spruce xxvi The snub-line down the steep quarter-mile..made a cut-off that doubled the efficiency of the teams.

1997 Time Out 10 Sept. 138/4 With the European record for the quarter-mile [in dragster racing] currently standing at 4.98 seconds, you could sneeze and miss an entire run.

quarter-miler n. a person, horse, etc., who runs or specializes in running quarter-mile races.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing on foot > [noun] > racing specific distance > runner

miler1838

sprinter1841

quarter-miler1893

marathoner1908

half-miler1959

four-minute miler1963

ultra-marathoner1978

ultra-runner1978

1893 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 29 June Brokaw is improving every day and may develop into a very swift quarter miler.

1899 Daily News 19 July 6/5 The quarter-miler was only just leading.

1976 K. Reddick Horses 87 The history of the Quarter Horse dates back to colonial days in the Carolinas and Virginia, where match racing..was a popular sport. The competing horses (quarter-milers) were developed from local ponies.

1993 Chicago Tribune 19 June ii. 6/6 It included..Michael Johnson, the world's top-ranked quarter-miler.

quarter moon n. (a) the moon as it appears with a quarter of its face illuminated, a crescent moon; (b) a time when the moon is at its first or last quarter (see sense 2c); the moon as it appears at such a time (with half its face illuminated).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > lunar orbit > [noun] > quadrature

quartile1517

quadrate1555

quadrature1555

quarter moon1601

square1667

the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > phase > [noun] > crescent moon

crescent1530

increscent1572

quarter moon1601

meniscus1686

sharp moon1686

sickle-moon1876

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 121 With horned points like to a quarter moone [Fr. comme vn croissant].

1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 55 The Course of irregular Tides about the Quartermoons.

1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 158 Now I will make dis avail me at de change of every quarter-moon.

1947 L. P. Hartley Eustace & Hilda v. 91 The quarter-moon was resting on the roofs.

1977 A. Desai in P. Collenette Winter's Tales 23 19 He..went about dividing the melon into quarter-moon portions.

1987 Cape Cod Life Apr.–May 76/2 In between, at the quarter moons, are the more moderate neap tides.

quarter-night n. the time when a quarter of the night has passed (rare after 15th cent.; now poetic).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > day and night > night > [noun] > watch or period into which night was divided

watchc1000

night watchOE

quarterc1330

vigilc1380

wakingc1384

quarter-nightc1390

morning watch1535

c1390 G. Chaucer Miller's Tale 3516 A Monday next at quarter nyght Shal falle a reyn.

c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn 474 (MED) Kit went to bed & blewe out al the liȝte, And by that tyme it was nere hond quarter nyȝt.

1760 C. Johnstone Chrysal I. ii. xi. 212 This is quarter-night (said the justice) and here the ladies are come!

1975 C. Wright Bloodlines 45 Born in the quarter-night, brash Tongue on the tongueless ward, the moon down.

quarter-note n. Music (a) = quarter-tone n.; (b) North American a crotchet; also attributive as quarter-note rest.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > duration of notes > [noun] > crotchet

crotchetc1440

quarter-note1627

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > quarter-tone

quarter-note1627

quarter-tone1673

demi-semitone1866

quarter1902

1627 F. Bacon Sylva sylvarum §110 We haue no Musicke of Quarter-Notes; And it may be, they are not capable of Harmony; For we see the Halfe-Notes themselues doe but interpose sometimes.

1667 C. Simpson Compend. Pract. Musick 100 I am slow to believe that any good Musick (especially of many Parts) can be composed by Quarter-Notes, although I hear some talk much of it.

1763 J. Brown Diss. Poetry & Music v. 63 Quarter-Notes;..an Interval which no human Ear can precisely distinguish.

1774 Barrington in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 63 264 Such a minute interval..when a quarter-note for example might be required.

1869 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 7 Mar. Giving to this note but half its value and..retarding the time because the sixteenth-notes seem more difficult to execute than the eighth-notes or quarter-notes.

1958 R. P. Blesh & H. Janis They all played Ragtime iv. 77 Unaccented eighth notes alternating with accented quarter notes.

1989 Guitar Player Mar. 42/2 Mwenda used his thumb to play..the usual steady flow of quarter-notes.

quarter-pace n. Architecture a resting place or landing where two flights of stairs converge at right angles to each other in a quarter turn.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > stairs > [noun] > landing

half-pace1611

landing-place1611

rest1611

resting place1645

plate1661

hearth-pacec1675

foot pace1679

stand1709

flat1730

quarter-pace1730

landing1789

landing floor1856

1730 E. Oakley Mag. Archit., Perspective, & Sculpt. iii. 75 It is sometimes necessary to put Steps in the Quarter Paces... Where the Quarter Pace is four Foot, put four Steps.

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 594 Where the height of a story is considerable, resting places are necessary, which go under the name of quarter-paces, and half-paces, according as the passenger..has to describe a quadrant or semi-circle.

2001 Archit. Hist. 44 317 A short flight very awkwardly entered from one end of the hall, a quarterpace and then..three flights..separated by further quarterpaces.

quarter partition n. Building a partition or dividing wall whose framework is made of ‘quarters’ (sense 19).

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1762 Act vesting Certain Estates St. Botolph, Billingsgate 7 Carpenters work..to divide the Stair Case from the Warehouse by a Quarter Partition.

1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 363 Proprietors of houses and grounds must..give three months' notice to pull down old party-walls, party-arches, party fence-walls, or quarter partitions.

1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. ii. iii. 543 The scantlings of the timbers of a quarter partition should vary according to the extent of bearing.

1867 Times 25 Jan. 12/3 (advt.) The remaining portion of the old Farringdon-Street station; comprising the timber roof, quarter partitions, upright timbers, external lining boards.

1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 365 Quarter partition, A stud wall.

quarter peal n. Campanology a short peal comprising one quarter of the number of changes in a full peal.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > bell-ringing > [noun] > going through all the changes > changes > specific

set peal16..

grandsire1668

whole pull1668

bob1671

peal1671

course1677

set changes1677

single1684

single change1688

Plain Bob1702

Stedman1731

Superlative Surprise1788

touch1788

triple1798

triple bob major1809

maximus1813

royal1813

call changes1837

slam1854

cater1872

cinques1872

triple change1872

plain hunt1874

plain hunting1874

quarter peal1888

method1901

short course1904

1888 A. P. Heywood Treat. on ‘Duffield’ vii. 53 (heading) Quarter peal.

1931 E. Morris Hist. Change Ringing iii. 53 The above twice repeated will come round at the quarter peal end.

1980 Times 7 Apr. 3/1 Bellringers at the parish church rang a quarter peal.

quarter-pierced adj. Heraldry (of a cross) having a square hole in the centre where the bars intersect (cf. quater-pierced adj.).

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1646 R. Butcher Surv. & Antiq. Stamford viii. 29 Moleneux of Haughton..beares Azure, A Crosse Molyne quarter pierced Argent.

1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Quarter Pierced, in Heraldry is when there is a hole of a square form made in the middle of a Cross.

1867 C. Boutell Eng. Heraldry vi. 55 If a small square is pierced at the intersection of the limbs, it is ‘quarter-pierced’.

1968 G. Spriggs Coat of Arms x. lxxiii. 3 The unidentified coat-of-arms..is painted below. It can be blazoned: ‘Or on a cross quarterpierced four lions rampant of the field’.

2001 Art Bull. 83 275 Over all, escutcheon, quarterly cross quarter-pierced.

quarter-plate n. a photographic plate measuring 3¼ × 4¼ inches (approx. 8.3 x 10.8 cm); (also) a photograph reproduced from such a plate; frequently attributive.

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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > plates and films > [noun] > plate > types of

screen plate1843

whole plate1850

quarter-plate1854

wet plate1859

stripping-film1885

gelatin dry plate1890

panchromatic1906

1854 Times 3 Mar. 14/2 Includes camera, first-rate double combination quarter plate lens.

1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 66 Carriers, to carry quarter plates or lantern-size plates.

1890 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 273 A beginner buying his first quarter-plate outfit.

1997 Countryman Spring 43 Quarter-plate cameras and more recent box cameras complete the collection.

quarter-ply n. rare (attributive) material made to a quarter of a standard thickness, or composed of a quarter of the usual number of layers.

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1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 3 Three yards of ragged and faded quarter-ply carpeting.

1995 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) (Nexis) 2 Apr. c3 Recently the county switched to cheaper quarter-ply toilet paper.

quarter point n. Nautical (now chiefly historical) (a) the fourth part of a point of the compass, corresponding to an angle of 2° 48′ 45″ or the 128th part of a circle; †(b) each of the thirty-two points of the compass, separated by an angle of 11° 15′; (also) each of the sixteen intermediate points among these (called north by east, north-east by north, etc.) (obsolete). Cf. sense 7.

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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > compass > card of > point(s) of compass > fourth part of a point

quarter point1674

quarter1728

1674 Gellibrand's Epitome Navigation sig. G2^v The other Columns of each Page are distinguished by the Points and quarter Points of the Compasses.

1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. I. 314/1 Each point of the compass contains the 32d part of 360, that is 11¼ degrees, or 11° 15′; consequently the half point is 5° 37′ 30″, and the quarter point 2° 48′ 45″.

1840 F. Marryat Olla Podrida III. 26 How was it possible that a man could navigate a ship with only one quarter point of the compass in his head?

1921 S. E. Morison Maritime Hist. Mass. i. 6 When a northeast snowstorm obscured Boston Light, a mistake of a quarter-point fetched up many a good ship on Cohasset rocks or the Graves.

1982 P. Clissold Layton's Dict. Naut. Words (rev. ed.) Boxing the Compass, reciting the points, or quarter points, of the compass in correct order.

† quarter-pointed n. Heraldry Obsolete a charge consisting of a triangle with its base on the left edge of the shield and its apex at the centre, occupying approximately a quarter of the shield as divided by diagonal lines (per saltire).

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1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory i. x. 100 He [sc. Dier] beareth Azure, a Square, or Squire, or point removed, or Quarter Pointed,..extending from dexter Chief to the Base, and terminated in the Fesse point Or... This is Just the fourth part of the partition of a Salter, and may fitly be termed a Quarter per Salter, as the quarter is from the quarterly partition.

1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry 106/1 Quarter-Pointed, or Quarter per Saltier. Also termed a squire, or point removed.

quarter pole n. U.S. a pole marking the quarter-mile distance on a racecourse.

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1831 Amer. Turf Reg. & Sporting Mag. Oct. 93 Before they had proceeded fifty yards, she was clear more than a length, and by the time they reached the first quarter-pole, she had opened a gap of something like fifteen yards.

1868 H. Woodruff & C. J. Foster Trotting Horse Amer. xxxi. 259 At the quarter-pole she had recovered her stroke.

1894 Outing 24 142/2 Held his place until the quarter-pole was reached.

1991 Sports Illustr. 3 June 8/3 A horse he had in front by 10 lengths broke its leg at the quarter pole one night.

quarter post n. U.S. (a) Surveying a post marking the boundary of a quarter-section of land; (b) Horse Racing = quarter pole n.

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1833 Ohio Repository 28 June 1/4 Said quarter is bounded as follows, viz: Beginning at a post standing in, or near the centre of said section, (or the quarter post standing on the west side of said section,) and running east 60 rods [etc.].

1874 Hamilton (Ohio) Examiner 8 Oct. 1/4 Gloster fell behind before he reached the quarter post, and remained behind several lengths.

1991 Chicago Daily Herald 20 May vi. 3/1 Commencing at the quarter post in the East line of said section; thence West along the quarter section line 5.19 chains.

2004 Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.) (Nexis) 1 May 29 If he gets clear off the start, and stays clear of the pack to the quarter post..he just might do it.

quarter-pounder n. (a) Angling a fish weighing a quarter of a pound; (b) (also with capital initials) a hamburger made with a quarter of a pound of beef (a proprietary name in the United States).

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the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > meat dishes > [noun] > hamburger

quarter-pounder1847

Hamburg steak1884

Hamburger1889

Salisbury steak1897

cheeseburgerc1930

nutburger1934

Wimpy1935

burger1939

lamburger1939

beefburger1940

sausage-burger1942

Sloppy Joe1942

turtleburger1946

mooseburger1948

jumboburger1959

Big Mac1969

soy burger1973

slider1974

soya burger1974

the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > pound > that which weighs specific fraction of pound

quarter-pounder1847

half-pounder1886

1847 Spirit of Times 18 Sept. 351/1 From this place you have fair fishing for quarter pounders.

1946 R. A. Knox Retreat for Priests viii. 82 Trying his luck as he crossed the lake, and bringing in his two quarter-pounders.

1972 Bucks County (Pa.) Courier Times 3 June 14/3 The Commission..charged McDonald's with illegally increasing prices of the quarter pounders at 500 company-owned carryouts.

2003 Macon (Georgia) Tel. (Nexis) 15 Sept. d The 77-year-old was using shrimp to catch catfish, and in his first half-hour had caught only one quarter-pounder that he threw back.

2004 New Yorker 20 Sept. 91/2 Reuben had wolfed down three Quarter Pounders, two orders of French fries, and a giant Coke.

† quarter-quibble n. Obsolete (perhaps) a poor or weak pun or quibble (quibble n. 1).

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a1658 J. Cleveland Clievelandi Vindiciæ (1677) 138 He makes a Transition from Common Law to Common Reason, and he hopes to be scored up for that Quarter-Quibble.

1669 J. Dryden Wild Gallant i. i. 2 A bare clinch will serve the turn; a Carwichet, a Quarterquibble, or a Punn.

1729 T. Cooke Tales 96 Quarter-quibbles made his Heart right glad.

quarter-race n. U.S. now historical a race for horses over a distance of a quarter of a mile; an event featuring this.

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1787 H. Williamson Lett. Sylvius to Freemen Inhabitants of U.S. i. 12 We have seen a young Buck..on his way to [a] quarter-race, fitted out..with..more silver on his saddle and bridle, than the value of his father's estate.

1792 Descr. Kentucky 12 His time is employed in quarter-races, cock-fights.

1889 Harper's Mag. Aug. 386/2 [They] had foot-races for themselves, and quarter-races for their horses.

1995 B. C. Daniels Puritans at Play (1996) 174 In New England, as in the American South, the most popular type of race was the quarter-race.

quarter-racer n. U.S. (now rare) = quarter horse n.

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1779 T. Anburey Let. 14 Aug. in Trav. Interior Parts Amer. (1789) II. lxviii. 421 His horse..had been an old quarter-racer.

1887 Olean (N.Y.) Democrat 26 May Simon hitched the mule to the wagon..an' away they went like a quarter racer on the humstretch.

1968 Odessa (Texas) Amer. 25 July 3 c/4 Laico Bird, Floyd H. Jones' tiny filly who became the world's richest quarter racer as a two-year-old, is certain to be the standout in the trials.

quarter-racing n. U.S. the holding of quarter-races; (now also) the racing of quarter horses.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > types of racing

steeple-hunting1772

quarter-racing1779

roading1787

pony racing1809

steeplechasing1816

steeple running1818

steeple racing1840

horse-trotting1857

plating1865

trotting1883

chasing1886

flat-racing1886

harness racing1901

flapping1911

flapper1928

point-to-pointing1952

pointing1976

1779 T. Anburey Let. 12 May in Trav. Interior Parts Amer. (1789) II. lxvi. 393 A diversion termed..quarter-racing.

1784 J. F. D. Smyth Tour U.S.A. I. ii. 14 In the southern part of the colony, and in North Carolina, they are much attached to quarter racing, which is always a match between two horses, to run one quarter of a mile streight [sic] out.

1889 Harper's Mag. Sept. 554/1 Foot-racing for the men and quarter-racing for the horses.

1907 Washington Post 7 Apr. iv. 1/2 The great game in those days was quarter racing. Plenty of Georgians owned really good race horses.

2004 Lexington (Kentucky) Herald Leader (Nexis) 3 July c10 Short distances are a major appeal of quarter horse racing... You can get caught at the wire in quarter racing, too.

quarter rack n. now rare a rack (rack n.⁴ 5b) which regulates the striking of the quarters in a clock.

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1764 Gen. Mag. Arts & Sci. June 308/1 The particulars of this curious repeating watch are as follows... Hour hammer,..Rack, chain, and pully,..Quarter and half quarter rack.

1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 108/2 When the quarter-rack is brought back to its original position..the part m will have passed between the end R of the all-or-nothing.

1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 80 The quarter rack has two sets of three ratchet teeth each.

1958 L. E. C. Hughes & C. F. Tweney Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 693 The snail in a chiming clock or repeater-watch which controls the number of teeth picked up on the quarter rack.

† quarter-ranger n. Obsolete rare (perhaps) the ranger or keeper of a certain quarter.

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1616 T. Overbury et al. Characters in His Wife (9th impr.) sig. R7 The gallowes are his purlues in which the hangman and hee are the quarter rangers.

quarter-repeater n. a repeating watch or clock which strikes the quarter hours.

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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > particular types of watch

German watch1611

larum watch1619

clock-watch1625

minute watch1660

pendulum watch1664

watch1666

alarm watch1669

finger watch1679

string-watch1686

scout1688

balance-watch1690

hour-watch1697

warming-pan1699

minute pendulum watch1705

jewel watch1711

suit1718

repeater1725

Tompion1727

pendulum spring1728

second-watch1755

Geneva watch1756

cylinder-watch1765

watch-paper1777

ring watch1788

verge watch1792

watch lamp1823

hack1827

bull's-eye1833

vertical watch1838

quarter-repeater1840

turnip1840

hunting-watch1843

minute repeater1843

hunter1851

job watch1851

Geneva1852

watch-lining1856

touch watch1860

musical watch1864

lever1865

neep1866

verge1871

independent seconds watch1875

stem-winder1875

demi-hunter1884

fob-watch1884

three-quarter plate1884

wrist-watch1897

turnip-watch1898

sedan-chair watch1904

Rolex1922

Tank watch1923

strap watch1926

chatelaine watch1936

sedan clock1950

quartz watch1969

pulsar1970

1840 Times 6 Nov. 8/4 (advt.) Pianofortes, harp, and flutes, valuable flat quarter repeater by Viner, Regent-street.

1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 224 In a quarter repeater the last hour is struck, and afterwards the number of quarters that have elapsed since.

1976 P. O'Donnell Last Day in Limbo i. 26 A quarter-repeater by Breguet, with..blue-steel moon hands.

2001 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 17 Feb. 32–3 Top watch..was a silver quarter-repeater by John Ellicott at [£]1,250.

quarter-rest n. Music a rest equal in time to a quarter-note, a crotchet-rest.

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c1851 H. W. Greatorex Coll. Psalm & Hymn Tunes p. v/2 Half rest,..quarter Rest,..eighth rest,..sixteenth rest.

1891 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) Quarter-rest... a rest or sign for silence, equivalent in time-value to a quarter-note; a crotchet-rest.

1998 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News (Nexis) 13 Dec. j1 Cantu writes a sequence of quarter-notes and quarter-rests on the chalkboard and has the kids clap the rhythm.

quarter right adv. Military (now rare) one quarter of a right angle towards the right.

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1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 72 The Troops..wheel quarter right.

1932 Times 24 Oct. 11/2 The C.I.V. Infantry..distinguished themselves just as much..by changing front quarter right under a hot fire, thus preventing our centre from being pierced.

quarter-road n. (a) a road that marks the boundary of a quarter (now historical); †(b) a road with quarters separated by horse-track and ruts (obsolete).

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society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [noun] > for wheeled vehicles

wheel-waya785

quarter-road1749

wheel-road1823

motorway1897

1749 R. Lindsay Hist. Scotl. 1436 to 1565 v. 368 The same year there arose great troubles in the borders of Scotland and England, called the Quarter-roads.

1767 A. Young Farmer's Lett. 282 A broad-wheel waggon will go in any quarter-road.

1876 Mississippi in 1875 II. 1615 There were six killed on the Edgefield plantation... They were right in the quarter road.

1991 R. B. Fleming Railway King of Canada i. 6 The first surveyor of Eldon Township left many abrupt double curves in the quarter roads, which settlers attributed to his fondness for whiskey.

quarter-round n. chiefly Architecture a convex moulding (moulding n.¹ 2b) having an outline of a quarter-circle, an ovolo or echinus; also attributive, as quarter round moulding, quarter round tool, etc.

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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > projecting moulding(s)

tablementa1400

tabling1410

projecture1563

rib1608

watering table1609

tableting1610

ledge1611

quarter-round1664

cornice1670

bolection1708

dress1726

tablet?1756

dressing1789

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > convex moulding

roundel1535

ovoloa1652

quarter-round1664

round1673

baguette1728

half-round1842

the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [adjective] > spherical or globular > quarter of a sphere

quarter-round1963

1664 J. Evelyn tr. R. Fréart Parallel Antient Archit. i. xxxiv. 80 The remedy is at hand by adding a few Leaves or other Carvings.., with Eggs upon the quarter round.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Echinus Termed..Ovolo by the Italians; but the English Workmen commonly call it the Quarter-round.

1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty xii. 171 Let us observe the ‘ovolo’, or quarter-round, in a cornice.

1853 J. H. Parker Some Acct. Domest. Archit. II. vi. 272 The arches and purlins are well moulded, with the quarter round and fillet.

1894 J. J. Holtzapffel Ornamental or Complex Turning ix. i. 490 The external mouldings of the frame were then completed with a quarter hollow and a quarter round tool.

1937 Times 12 May 15 Next comes the warm room of the [Roman] bath system, and..part of the cement floor, skirted with a quarter round moulding.

1963 C. R. Cowell et al. Inlays, Crowns, & Bridges iii. 23 A quarter-round bur for contra-angle handpieces is used to cut 2-mm. pinholes.

2002 Sun (Baltimore) (Nexis) 13 Apr. d1 I went over to the neighborhood hardware store and bought some 8-foot long sections of quarter-round.

quarter-sack n. (originally) a sack capable of holding a quarter of grain, etc.; (later) one quarter of a sack of a specified or standard size, or the contents of this.

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society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > bag > [noun] > sack > of specific size

quarter-sackc1422

bushel-poke?1523

the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > bag or sack as unit

pokec1300

sack1314

pocket1350

quarter-sackc1422

mailc1503

bag1679

sugar-bag1963

c1422 T. Hoccleve Dialogus (Durh.) l. 669 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 134 Thy wordes fille wolde a quarter sak.

?1567 Merie Tales Master Skelton sig. Cvii^v The miller hauyng a great quarter sacke.

a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Cambr. 156 Quarter-sacks were here first used, men commonly carrying..eight bushels of Barly.

1726 J. Laurence New Syst. Agric. iv. 133 Horn-Shavings are sold for Eight Shillings and Six-pence the Quarter Sack.

1853 Times 6 Dec. 8/2 Flour.—Transactions have been lighter the past fortnight..though small lots of 1,000 and 2,000 sacks went off at 9.25 for whole sacks, and a slight advance for half and quarter sacks.

a1979 B. D'J. Pancake Stories (1983) 65 Brownie never sold anything bigger than a quarter-sack of nails before noon.

2004 Toronto Star (Nexis) 10 Aug. a10 Soldiers from the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army controlling the area distributed a quarter sack of maize flour to each family.

quarter-saw v. transitive to saw (a log) radially into quarters, to produce (a board, etc.) by quarter sawing; also intransitive with object implied.

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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > build or construct with wood [verb (transitive)] > saw > in specific manner or with specific saw

rip1532

whip-saw1842

buck1870

jigsaw1873

ripsaw1881

mill1886

saw-kerf1886

quarter-saw1890

buzz1925

plain saw1951

1890 J. H. Miner Mill & Lumberman's Success 120 This is the only profitable way to quarter-saw.

1896 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 13 Dec. 22/3 (advt.) New mode of quarter-sawing oak lumber.

1934 Archit. Rev. 76 64/1 When logs are riven or quarter-sawn the large rays which form the silver grain are revealed to the fullest extent.

1974 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 29 Dec. 15/2 When the logs have reached the proper degree of dryness staves will be quarter sawn from them. That is, the flat boards will radiate out from the centre of the log like segments of an orange.

2002 Sault Star (Sault Saint Marie, Ont.) (Nexis) 2 Feb. e3 The wood of the chair has been quarter-sawed to bring out the rays.

quarter-sawed adj. = quarter-sawn adj.

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1883 Manufacturer & Builder June 126/3 There is no lumber that will shrink so little and wear so long as quarter-sawed.

1900 G. Ade Fables in Slang 140 A Quarter-Sawed Oak Chiffonier.

1994 Harrowsmith Apr.–May 54/1 Quartersawed lumber undergoes minimal expansion and contraction in response to changes in humidity.

quarter sawing n. the method or action of producing boards by sawing a log radially into quarters and then sawing each quarter into boards so that the growth rings make angles of greater than 45° with the faces of the boards.

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society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > [noun] > sawing or cutting > specific

ripsawing1842

through-and-through sawing1876

rift sawing1881

quarter sawing1883

whip-sawing1885

sawmilling1901

plain sawing1931

1883 Manufacturer & Builder June 126/3 The expense of quarter-sawing would be considerably in excess of the usual way of manufacture.

1898 S. B. Green Forestry in Minnesota 299 Quarter-sawing... The log is first quartered and then sawed into boards, cutting then alternately from each face of the quarter of the log.

1968 F. Hilton Craft Technol. for Carpenters & Joiners i. 17 (heading) Quarter or rift sawing.

1994 Harrowsmith Apr. 54/1 Some special milling techniques do cost more than plain-sawing... One example is ordinary quartersawing, which produces lumber in which the growth rings of the wood lie at right angles to the broadest face of each board.

quarter-sawn adj. subjected to or produced by quarter-sawing.

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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [adjective] > cut or sawn > cut or sawn in specific manner

quarter cleft1666

listed1842

through-and-through-sawn1870

half-timber1874

rotary-cut1877

quarter-sawn1878

mill-run1881

flat-sawn1882

plain-sawed1888

plain-sawn1895

rift-sawn1895

radial sawn1958

radial sawed1972

1878 Manufacturer & Builder June 136/3 Quarter-sawn oak cannot crack.

1966 A. W. Lewis Gloss. Woodworking Terms 74 Quarter-sawn boards shrink less and are less liable to warp than other boards.

1990 Pract. Woodworking Mar. 94/1 (advt.) Walnut..lime, quartersawn oak, (brown and tiger), American red oak.

quarter screw n. now rare each of the four screws in the compensation balance of a watch or clock, which can be repositioned or replaced by heavier or lighter screws in order to neutralize the effects of temperature variation.

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1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 67 Drawing out the quarter screws of the balance nearest the fast position..and setting in the ones nearest the slow position.

1948 A. L. Rawlings Sci. Clocks & Watches (ed. 2) viii. 147 The quarter screws, which would be useful even in a common watch for poising the balance, are hardly ever seen when sham compensation screws are provided.

1958 L. E. C. Hughes & C. F. Tweney Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 749 The screws in the rim of a compensation balance, excluding the quarter screws.

quarter seal n. Scottish now chiefly historical one of the seals of the Chancery of Scotland, having the shape and impression of a fourth part (the top half of the obverse and reverse) of the Great Seal.

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1498 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. 185 The sade Schir Wilyeam producit the sade recognicione of the quarter sele under the quhilt walx.

1578 Kirkcudbright B. Rec. I. 85 With ane precept of sesing vnder the quarter sele.

1632 Stewartry Court Bk. Monteith 15 May Tua brevis of tutorie extract furth of our soverane lordis chancellarie vnder his hienes quarter seall.

1706 Act 6 Anne c. 11 Art. xxiv The privy seal..quarter seal and seals of Courts now used in Scotland.

1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 451 Royal grants proceeding on signatures, and passing the Privy Seal, Quarter Seal or Great Seal, according as they convey rights of greater or less consequence.

1922 Eng. Hist. Rev. 37 271 The quarter-seal of the Scottish Chancery..is not a quarter-seal at all, but a seal in the shape of a semicircle..modelled on the obverse and reverse of the great seal.

1931 Encycl. Law Scotl. XII. 395 The Quarter Seal is still used for gifts by the Crown as ultimus haeres.

1998 D. M. Walker Legal Hist. Scotl. V. vi. 152 The Quarter Seal was..continued by the Treaty of Union. It was a half-moon in shape and may represent a broken seal.

quarter-section n. North American a measure of land equal to a quarter of a square mile or 160 acres (approx. 64.7 hectares).

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the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > North American unit

quarter1804

quarter-section1804

1804 Statutes at Large II. 281 Public lands of the United States, the sale of which is authorized by law, may..be purchased..in entire sections, in half sections, or in quarter sections.

1879 B. Disraeli Speech 18 Sept. 2/3 Every man of fair character who comes to Canada, has a right..to obtain what is called a quarter-section of land.

1882 Contemp. Rev. Aug. 233 Each township, section, and quarter-section..marked off by mounds and posts.

1958 Herald-Tribune (Grand Prairie, Alberta) 10 Feb. 22/1 The quarter section was surrounded by a fence eight poles high with stakes held together by willow wands.

1995 Experience Lac du Bonnet Spring 24/2 An acreage a few kilometers north of Lac du Bonnet. It was a quarter-section of land with some cultivated acreage.

quarter-sight n. Military (now historical) (chiefly in plural) a sight (sight n.¹ 14b) engraved on the base ring of a cannon in quarter degrees and used to set its elevation.

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1840 Penny Cycl. XVI. 483/2 A scale of quarter degrees is graduated on the base ring... These quarter-sights, as they are called, serve to give the gun an elevation not exceeding three degrees.

1860 H. Douglas Treat. Naval Gunnery (ed. 5) iv. ii. 446 The line may be taken over the top of the piece, and the elevation afterwards regulated by the quarter-sight.

1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) 385/2 In smooth-bore guns, quarter-sights are cut on the upper quarter of the base ring, and numbered up to 3°.

1911 J. R. J. Jocelyn Hist. Royal Artillery i. 27 Quarter-sights were cut on the 28-pounders and lower natures.

2004 C. Henry & B. Delf Napoleonic Naval Armaments i. 15 The only standard sights available to the naval gunner were the quarter sights engraved on the breech ring.

quarter-sling n. Nautical (now historical) one of the supports attached to a yard on either side of its centre.

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1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-Slings, are supports attached to a yard or other spar at one or both sides of (but not in) its centre.

1955 C. W. T. Layton Dict. Naut. Words & Terms 283 Quarter Slings, standing lifts of a yard, made of chain or rope, used in 16^th century.

quarter snail n. a snail (snail n.¹ 5a) which forms part of the quarter hour striking mechanism on a clock or watch.

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1764 Dublin Mag. June 385/2 The particulars of this curious watch are as follows, viz... The quarter and half quarter snail and canon pinion, [etc.].

1816 J. Smith Mechanic 405 R is the quarter locking lever, S the end which falls upon the quarter-snail.

1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 80 The quarter snail attached to the canon pinion is doubled.

1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 693 Quarter snail (Horol.). The snail in a chiming clock or repeater-watch which controls the number of teeth picked up on the quarter rack.

1999 Catal. Summer in www.antique-watch.com (2007) (O.E.D. Archive) The pierced gilt hour wheel and polished steel quarter snail [are] visible through the centre of the blue steel plate.

quarter-space n. Architecture = quarter-pace n.

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1793 P. Nicholson Carpenter's New Guide Contents 8 To find the moulds of a stair-case circular on the plan, with a quarter space in it.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 915/1 French-flyers,..stairs that fly forwards until they reach within a length of a stair from the wall, where a quarter space occurs.

1999 J. S. Curl Dict. Archit. 632/2 Quarter-space: landing half the size of a half-space, where flights are set at 90° to each other.

† quarter-spells n. Obsolete rare some kind of game.

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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other specific games > [noun] > others

sitisota1400

papsea1450

half-bowl1477

pluck at the crow1523

white and black1555

running game1581

blow-pointa1586

hot cocklesa1586

one penny1585

cockelty bread1595

pouch1600

venter-point1600

hinch-pinch1603

hardhead1606

poor and rich1621

rowland-hoe1622

hubbub1634

handicap?a1653

owl1653

ostomachy1656

prelledsa1660

quarter-spellsa1660

yert-point1659

bob-her1702

score1710

parson has lost his cloak1712

drop (also throw) (the) handkerchief1754

French Fox1759

goal1765

warpling o' the green1768

start1788

kiss-in-the-ring1801

steal-clothes1809

steal-coat1816

petits paquets1821

bocce1828

graces1831

Jack-in-the-box1836

hot hand1849

sparrow-mumbling1852

Aunt Sally1858

gossip1880

Tambaroora1882

spoof1884

fishpond1892

nim1901

diabolo1906

Kim's game1908

beaver1910

treasure-hunt1913

roll-down1915

rock scissors paper1927

scissors cut paper1927

scissors game1927

the dozens1928

toad in the hole1930

game1932

scissors paper stone1932

Roshambo1936

Marco Polo1938

scavenger hunt1940

skish1940

rock paper scissors1947

to play chicken1949

sounding1962

joning1970

arcade game1978

a1660 N. Bacon Annalls of Ipswche (1884) 105 John Lackford accused for cheating at Games called Whistilds, Prelleds, and Quarter spells.

quarter square n. Mathematics one quarter of the square of a number (esp. with reference to a method for multiplying two numbers by subtracting one quarter of the square of their difference from one quarter of the square of their sum); usually in plural.

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the world > relative properties > number > arithmetic or algebraic operations > [noun] > multiplication > into or by itself > square > fourth part of

quarter square1841

1841 Penny Cycl. XIX. 199/2 A table which gives the squares of the halves of numbers will, by the addition of the squares of the halves or quarter-squares, give the product.

1946 A. Fletcher et al. Index Math. Tables 36 Glaisher has pointed out that the triangular numbers provide a useful variant of the quarter-squares method of multiplication.

1993 Amer. Math. Monthly 100 352 The use of identity 4AB = (A + B)² − (A − B)², which is sometimes referred to as the method of ‘quarter squares’.

quarter-stake n. †(a) a wooden stake used as a support for a tree (obsolete); (b) U.S. Surveying a stake marking the boundary of a quarter-section of land; (in quot. 1826) a stake marking a quarter of a mile on a road.

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1670 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) ii. 12 Empale them with three good quarter stakes of competent length set in triangle and made fast to one another by short pieces above and beneath.

1826 Road from Wheeling to Missouri (U.S. House Document 51) 27 The fourth quarter stake, or that at the termination of each mile, has a notch in each of its four edges.

1839 Acts of Legislature of State of Michigan 147 There shall be laid out and established a state road..running thence north northwesterly..to the quarter stake of sections twenty-one and twenty-two.

1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings 2 Section-corners and quarter-stakes, eighties, and forties, and fractions, are plain enough when one is habituated to them.

1993 Chicago Daily Herald 17 Mar. (Classified section) 7/1 Commencing at a point 7.15 chains north of the quarter stake in the south line of said Section and running thence south.

quarter-stretch n. U.S. a stretch (stretch n. 8a) a quarter of a mile long, esp. the first or last quarter mile of a racecourse; (also) a race run over this.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > course or track > parts of

run-in1799

quarter-stretch1830

home run1833

hurdle1833

back stretch1839

home stretch1841

straight1846

last lap1848

straightaway1878

home straight1880

stretch1895

back-straight1905

the wall1974

1830 Amer. Turf Reg. & Sporting Mag. May 431 It being evident in the quarter stretch that Eclipse would win this heat, Henry was reined up, and came in several lengths behind.

1836 N.Y. Spirit of Times 9 July 162/1 Bay still disclaimed racing, but would run the quarter stretch for $100 to amuse the company.

1883 H. Watterson Oddities Southern Life 439 He ran a quarter stretch down the low grounds of the base.

1905 D. G. Phillips Plum Tree xiii. 176 Even had I been disposed to rein in and congratulate myself at the quarter-stretch, I could not have done it.

1985 News (Frederick, Maryland) 7 Nov. a7/5 They were in the last quarter-stretch when Sleepy Tom took off like a flash of summer lightning, leaving the field in his dust.

quarter-stroke n. †(a) = quarter-blow n. (obsolete); (b) the stroke with which a clock marks the quarter hours; also figurative.In quot. a1456: a blow with a quarterstaff.

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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions

buttc1330

overheadc1400

stopc1450

quarter-strokea1456

rabbeta1500

rakea1500

traverse1547

flourish1552

quarter-blow1555

veny1578

alarm1579

venue1591

cut1593

time1594

caricado1595

fincture1595

imbroccata1595

mandritta1595

punta riversa1595

remove1595

stramazon1595

traversa1595

imbrocado1597

passado1597

counter-time1598

foinery1598

canvasado1601

montant1601

punto1601

stock1602

embrocadoc1604

pass1604

stuck1604

stramazo1606

home thrust1622

longee1625

falsify?1635

false1637

traversion1637

canvassa1641

parade1652

flanconade1664

parry1673

fore-stroke1674

allonge1675

contretemps1684

counter1684

disengaging1684

feint1684

passing1687

under-counter1687

stringere1688

stringering1688

tempo1688

volte1688

overlapping1692

repost1692

volt-coupe1692

volting1692

disarm?1700

stamp1705

passade1706

riposte1707

swoop1711

retreat1734

lunge1748

beat1753

disengage1771

disengagement1771

opposition1771

time thrust1771

timing1771

whip1771

shifting1793

one-two1809

one-two-three1809

salute1809

estramazone1820

remise1823

engage1833

engaging1833

risposta1838

lunging1847

moulinet1861

reprise1861

stop-thrust1861

engagement1881

coupé1889

scrape1889

time attack1889

traverse1892

cut-over1897

tac-au-tac riposte1907

flèche1928

replacement1933

punta dritta1961

a1456 (a1426) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 676 (MED) His wyff haþe taught him to pleyne at þe staff; Hir quarter-strooke were so large and rounde Þat his rigge þe towche was alwey founde.

1559 J. Aylmer Harborowe sig. H They must know their quarter strookes, and the waye how to defende their head.

1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Epitome D ij Such a precher..as this, would quickly with his quarter strokes, ouerturne al religion.

1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 531 The clock-work tintinnabulum of rhyme,..such mere quarter-strokes are not for me.

1857 A. J. H. Duganne Tenant-House xi. 136 Hours stole away; and quarter strokes tinkled again and again upon the golden ball of the elaborate mantel clock.

1934 Times 30 Apr. 11/3 The quarters at Westminster are struck on four bells, and their well-known tune is more decorative than the plain quarter strokes of St. Paul's.

2000 Independent (Nexis) 16 Jan. 28 Midnight on the day of your execution. The Newgate clock struck hitherto unheeded in the background, but now every quarter-stroke is a stitch in the shroud.

quarter-stuff n. †(a) = quarter timber n. (c) (obsolete); (b) wood cut to a quarter of an inch in thickness (now rare).

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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > timber in pieces > piece of specific size > collectively

quartering1703

quarter-stuff1712

thick-stuff1769

1682 Wks. 5/145, fols 135–37 in Archit. Hist. (1999) 42 214 The frameing of which are to be out of inch and quarter stuff.]

1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 71 They make use..of Quarter-Stuff for large Plinths and Facias.

1799 Naval Chron. 2 389 Timber.., blocks, quarterstuff, candles.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1844/1 Quarter-stuff,..plank one quarter inch thick.

1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 693 Quarter stuff (Carp.). A board ¼ in. thick.

1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 365 Quarter stuff, (pre-20c) boards that are .25 inch thick.

† quarter-tackle n. Nautical Obsolete a type of tackle fixed on the quarter of a yard and used to hoist heavy items on and off a ship; earliest in attributive use, in quarter tackle pendant (see pendant n. 4).

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1762 Gen. Hist. Sieges & Battles iii. 191 Quarter-tackle-pendants..are fastened on the quarters of the yard, and are used for taking in or hoisting provisions, &c.

1815 W. Burney Falconer's New Universal Dict. Marine (rev. ed.) Quarter-tackle, a strong tackle fixed occasionally upon the quarter of the main or fore-yard, to hoist boats and heavy packages into and out of the ship.

1892 Rio Grande Republican (Las Cruces, New Mexico) 8 Apr. 3/2 He called upon the lieutenant in charge of the sappers and miners, asking that some arrangements be made so that the quarter tackles and recoil tackles could be worked.

† quarter-tale n. Obsolete rare reckoning of (grain) by quarters.

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a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 137 For buryinge of corne by quarter-taile..to have vjd. a quarter for barley, iiijd. a quarter for oates.

quarter timber n. †(a) quartered timber (obsolete); (b) Nautical (in plural) the timbers used in framing the quarters of a vessel (now rare); †(c) timber in the form of quarters (sense 19) (obsolete).

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1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 488 The quarter timber, or that which runneth with foure grains, is simply the best.

1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 243 Quarter-timbers, the framing timbers in a vessel's quarter.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1844/1 Quarter-timber,..scantling from 2 to 6 inches deep.

1955 Mariner's Mirror 41 310 Then comes the foot hooks (footocks), the quarter timbers and the bow timbers.

quarter-tonal adj. characterized by quarter tones; consisting of or based on quarter tones.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [adjective] > style by tonal organization > specific

enharmonian1603

enharmonic1603

harmonical1603

enharmoniac1681

polytonic1892

quarter-tonal1912

atonal1922

polytonal1923

pandiatonic1937

tritonal1944

serial1947

dodecaphonic1950

pantonal1958

1912 Times 6 Sept. 8/5 We believe that the tonal scale will die soon, and the quarter tonal will never come to birth.

1934 S. R. Nelson All about Jazz i. 13 Maddening is that persistent beat of the tom-toms and these quarter-tonal intervals gradually rising to an overwhelming climax.

1982 Southern Rag xii. 18/3 He explored that sort of quarter-tonal thing by having great scallops taken out of his fretboard.

quarter-tonality n. the quality or condition of being quarter-tonal; this as a musical system or style.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [noun] > style by tonal organization > specific

enharmonic1603

chromaticism1879

atonality1922

polytonality1923

bitonality1927

diatonism1927

atonalism1928

quarter-tonality1930

diatonicism1931

pentatonism1931

tritonality1931

pandiatonicism1937

microtonality1946

pantonality1946

dodecaphonism1951

dodecaphony1952

serialism1955

pentatonicism1958

minimalism1981

tonalism1990

1930 Proc. Musical Assoc. Apr. 92 We are dogged by such words as tonality,..quartertonality, modality.

1947 Penguin Music Mag. Sept. 11 The romantic composers of the nineteenth century..needed a new instrument—neo-modality, atonality, polytonality, quarter-tonality.

1999 Jrnl. Amer. Folklore 112 452 The voicing of ornamented vibrato..invokes the quarter tonality characteristic of Middle Eastern music.

quarter-tone n. Music one half of a semitone (frequently attributive).

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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > quarter-tone

quarter-note1627

quarter-tone1673

demi-semitone1866

quarter1902

1673 M. Locke Present Pract. Musick 15 By Harmonical Proportion of whole, half, and quarter Tones..[they] advance to That we call Composition, the Mother of all Vocal and Instrumental Musick.

1774 Steele in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 65 71 The enharmonic genus requires intervals of the diesis, or quartertone.

1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music (at cited word) The Quarter-Tone is of two kinds, viz. the major-enharmonic..and the enharmonic minor.

1866 C. Engel Introd. Study National Music ii. 45 The seven intervals of the Hindu Scale..are subdivided into twenty-two srooti, corresponding to quarter-tones.

1891 C. R. Day Mus. & Mus. Instruments S. India ii. 20 The quarter-tone system used in Syria.

1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! v. 311 The quarter-tone quartets of Aloys Haba..differ from the quartets of Brahms only through being written in the quarter-tone scale.

1959 Collins Mus. Encycl. 524/1 Alois Hába has written a number of compositions..for quarter-tone piano, and for quarter-tone harmonium.

2003 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 7 Dec. ii. 40/6 A keethara: an unusual piano with a dual keyboard, one tuned to Western scales, the other to Eastern quarter-tones.

quarter-track n. †(a) = quarter course n. (obsolete); (b) a soundtrack recorded on one quarter of the width of a magnetic tape, resulting in four parallel tracks; usually attributive; (c) a quarter of a race track.

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society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > [adjective] > recorded by specific system

taped1892

phonographed1897

acoustic1926

acoustical1926

stereophonic1927

monaural1931

multitracked1931

binaural1933

multitrack1935

tape-recorded1951

telediphoned1952

stereo1954

multi-taped1955

monophonic1958

pretaped1958

mono1960

audiotaped1962

multichannel1962

quarter-track1962

Dolby1966

quadraphonic1968

tetraphonic1969

periphonic1970

quad1970

quadrasonic1970

Dolbyized1971

QS1972

Dolbyed1973

premix1977

quadro1977

1856 Defiance (Ohio) Democrat 5 Apr. We have a nice quarter track up here, wont you walk up and see the pony run?

1888 J. C. Harris Free Joe 10 There was a quarter-track,..if he chose..horse-racing.

1962 R. E. B. Hickman Magn. Recording Handbk. (ed. 3) iii. 29 Present day domestic magnetic tape recorders normally employ dual track (half-track) recording on ¼ in. tape, although four track (quarter track) recording, with alternate tracks recorded in the same direction, is also common practice.

1967 P. Spring Tape Recorders iv. 41 A correct head alignment is very much more important than in the case of a quarter-track tape recorder.

1975 G. J. King Audio Handbk. x. 226 (caption) A mono recorder lays one track on each half of the tape, the track then having approximately the width of two quarter tracks.

2004 Tennessean (Nexis) 20 June c7 Steve Pendergrass turned a 50-lap SuperTruck into a blowout, finishing almost a quarter-track ahead of runnerup David Brown.

quarter-turn n. (a) a turn of 90°; this action or manoeuvre; †(b) a firearm with a barrel whose rifling (rifling n.³) twists through 90° down its length (obsolete).

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1637 R. Monro Abridgem. Exerc. in Exped. Scots Regim. ii. 189 Close the Ranks and Files,..then say. To the right hand the quarter turne halfe or whole, as the occasion and the ground doth permit, and then say.

1692 J. Moxon Epitome Whole Art of War i. 27 The three Files G, make a quarter turn to the right.

1757 A. Cooper Compl. Distiller i. xvi. 73 Have a Pipe with a Stop-cock,..so that upon a half, or a quarter Turn, it may continually supply a little Stream of hot Water.

1810 Sporting Mag. 36 272 A quarter turn, which is the kind of rifle the line uses.

1954 W. Faulkner Fable 303 It made a rigid quarter-turn.

1995 Denver Post 11 June t6/2 In double-jacking, one miner would hammer a 4-foot hand steel while another held it, rotating it a quarter-turn after each strike.

quarter-turn v. (a) transitive to turn through 90°, spec. to turn (a bell) 90° on its stock; (b) intransitive to make a quarter-turn.

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the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > turn round or to face a direction > make a quarter turn

quarter-turn1906

the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > turn (something) to a (different) direction > turn round > by a quarter turn

quarter-turn1906

society > faith > artefacts > furniture > bell > [verb (transitive)] > cause bell to make quarter-turn

quarter-turn1906

1906 Sammelbände der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft 7 404 The Tenor..and 7 larger of the other bells..were ‘quarter-turned’ at the canons; to give a new surface of the sound-bow, in place of that indented by 150 years' uninterrupted wear, to the clapper.

1934 D. L. Sayers Nine Tailors 73 Rector was saying the other day as she [sc. a bell] did soon ought ter be quarter-turned.

1954 W. Faulkner Fable 384 Some twenty men with a sergeant, who halted and quarter-turned and stood them at ease.

1964 G. C. Kunzle Parallel Bars ix. 403 Quarter turn into handstand on one bar, squat off with straight legs dismount.

1992 M. Margetts Classic Crafts 98/3 Slit through the fold with a sharp knife. Quarter turn the paper to the right, fold in half again and slit.

quarter-turning n. the action or process of making a quarter-turn, spec. the turning of a bell 90° on its stock.

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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > making or fitting instruments > [noun] > fitting bell

stocking1450

clappering1526

quarter-turning1901

1901 H. E. Bulwer Gloss. Techn. Terms Bells & Ringing 3 Quarter-turning, re-attaching a bell to its ‘stock’ at right angles (or less) to its former position with reference to the latter, in order that the ‘clapper’ may strike on a fresh segment of the ‘sound-bow’.

1979 Church Times 5 Oct. 5/1 The bells [were] unsafe as they were. The bell-founders had recommended quarter-turning.

quarter twist n. a twist of 90°, a quarter-turn; frequently attributive, esp. designating a mechanism which imparts motion at a right angle to some other part, as quarter-twist belt, quarter-twist drive, etc.

ΚΠ

1800 Carpenters' Rules of Work (Boston) 32 Working a common quarter twist rail and capping the first post [of a stair].

1859 Sci. Amer. 21 Nov. 329/1 The pulleys from which motion is taken for the heads, which run with quarter-twist belts.

1912 P. A. Amos Processes of Flour Manuf. xx. 166 The driving is obtained..from a central vertical shaft, which..is driven direct, with pulley and quarter-twist drive beneath the floor.

1951 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 38 309 This cataphyll and its axillary bud..are turned only one fourth of the way round... If this quarter twist were not put into effect the axillary buds..would point straight up in the air or straight down in the soil.

2003 Wichita (Kansas) Eagle (Nexis) 8 Feb. c1 Remove spent blooms by grabbing the stem with thumb and forefinger, giving it a quarter twist and pulling straight up.

quarter-vine n. rare a vine of south-eastern North America, Bignonia capreolata (family Bignoniaceae), having a stem that readily splits into quarters because of a distinctive pattern of growth, with the xylem and phloem divided into four divisions; also called cross-vine.

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1886 Bot. Gaz. 11 36 Bignonia capreolata was..known to the inhabitants, who call it the Quarter-vine, from the fact that by a little twisting the stems will cleave longitudinally along the planes whose cross-section gives the well-known ‘cross’ which has caused it to be called the ‘Cross-vine’.

1949 L. H. Bailey Man. Cultivated Plants (rev. ed.) 902 B. capreolata..Trumpet-flower. Cross-Vine. Quarter-Vine.

1970 D. S. Corell et al. Man. Vascular Plants Texas 1443 Quarter-vine, climbing in trees in moist woods in the e. Tex. pinelands.

quarter-voided adj. Heraldry = quarter-pierced adj.

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1661 S. Morgan Sphere of Gentry ii. iii. 29 Or..a Crosse quarter-voided azure.

1894 H. Gough & J. Parker Gloss. Terms Heraldry (ed. 2) 152 When..the cross is composed..of five pieces or divisions, the central being that of the field, the term quarter-pierced is used. Heraldic writers have, however, invented various terms, e.g. quarter-voided and square-pierced.

2007 www.houseofnames.com 21 Feb. (O.E.D. Archive) The cross..may be quarter-pierced or quarter-voided with the central piece where the two bars overlap removed, or voided, meaning that the center of the cross is the same colour as the field.

quarter-watch n. Nautical a ship's watch composed of a quarter of the crew.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > crew > watch

quarter-watch1625

watch1626

1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (MS BL Add. 21571) f. 148v Quarter-watche, that ys when one Quarter of the Companye ded watch at a tyme.

1702–11 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) 11 Quarter-Watch is when a Quarter of the Ship's Company watches, which is us'd in Harbour, when there is no Danger.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms at Bordée Faire la petite Bordee, to set the quarter-watch.

1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S.: Hist. & Methods II. 229 On the whaling ground..they stand ‘quarter-watches’.

1998 Amer. Spectator (Nexis) July Her skipper..could not drag the harbor,..but he did mount a nighttime quarter watch instead of the usual anchor watch.

quarter-wave adj. Physics (a) adj.having a thickness or a length equal to a quarter of the wavelength of a transmitted or received wave; (b) n.a length or distance equal to a quarter of a wavelength.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [adjective] > of specific wavelength

quarter-wave1872

1872 J. D. Everett Deschanel's Elem. Treat. Nat. Philos. IV. lxv. 1048 When circularly-polarized light is transmitted through a Fresnel's rhomb, or through a quarter-wave plate, it becomes plane-polarized.

1894 Proc. Royal Soc. 57 81 The electrometer throws were about three times as great with an abnormal part a quarter-wave long as with one a half-wave long.

1939 Econometrica 7 61 We need only put together two operators a quarter-wave apart, to obtain a harmonic operator.

1995 Nature 30 Mar. 409/2 Piezo-ceramic sensors for distance measurements are covered with a quarter-wave layer of aerogel for acoustic impedance.

quarter-wave plate n. Optics and Crystallography a plate of a birefringent substance cut parallel to the optic axis and of such a thickness that it introduces a phase difference of 90 degrees between ordinary and extraordinary rays passing normally through it.

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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > refraction > [noun] > double refraction > substance

quarter-wave plate1872

1970 D. W. Tenquist et al. Univ. Optics II. iii. 109 Quarter-wave plates are usually made of quartz or of mica (sandwiched between glass plates).

1992 S. P. Maran Astron. & Astrophysics Encycl. 195/1 The quarter-wave plate has the effect of mapping the elliptical polarized states following the crystal into linear polarization states.

quarter-wheeling n. Military (now historical) the action or manoeuvre of turning through a quarter of a circle.

ΚΠ

1692 J. Moxon Epitome Whole Art of War 28 They that made the Quarter Wheeling, wheel by half Conversion to the Right.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Quarter Quarter Wheeling..in the Military Art, is a Motion whereby the Front of a Body of Men is turn'd round to where the Flank was.

1865 C. T. Brooks tr. J. P. F. Richter Hesperus II. xlv. 436 I had unfortunately, during the quarter-wheelings and manual evolutions of my defence, run my shoulder-blade upon the point of a sword.

1979 S. Ross From Flintlock to Rifle i. 36 To deploy from column into line, Guibert called for the use of quarter wheeling or the employment of the same method used to get from line to column.

† quarter-wood n. Obsolete = quarter timber n. (a).

ΚΠ

1611 in Cheshire Gloss. 275 Quarter wood att the wiche howses.

1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner ii. 18 To make it [sc. a support for trees] with quarter wood and bind them with Iron or brasse wyre.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	quarter
释义	quartern. Brit. /ˈk(w)ɔːtə/, U.S. /ˈkwɔrdər/ Forms: α. Middle English quarder, Middle English quarten (plural, transmission error), Middle English quarterces (plural, transmission error), Middle English quartier, Middle English quartyer, Middle English quartyr, Middle English quatar, Middle English quatter, Middle English qwatteer, Middle English–1500s quartar, Middle English–1500s quartir, Middle English–1500s quartre, Middle English–1500s (1700s– English regional) quater, Middle English–1600s quartere, Middle English–1600s qwarter, Middle English– quarter, 1500s quartter, 1500s quorter, 1500s qwartter, 1600s qwartyr, 1900s– quahteh (English regional (Yorkshire)); Scottish pre-1700 quartar, pre-1700 quartare, pre-1700 quartir, pre-1700 quartor, pre-1700 quarture, pre-1700 quartyr, pre-1700 quatir, pre-1700 quatris (plural), pre-1700 querter, pre-1700 qwartar, pre-1700 qwartare, pre-1700 qwarter, pre-1700 qwartere, pre-1700 1700s– quarter, 1900s– quorter (north-eastern). β. late Middle English (1800s English regional (Yorkshire)) wharter; Scottish pre-1700 quhairter, pre-1700 quharter, 1800s– wharter (Shetland), 1900s– whaarter (Shetland), 1900s– whartir (Shetland). γ. 1500s cauter, 1600s coter; Scottish (north-eastern) 1700s– corter, 1800s korter; Irish English (southern) 1800s cortere, 1800s curthere. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymons: French quarter, quartier. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman quarter, quartier, quartere, quartre, quater and Old French, Middle French, French quartier fourth part of an écu (c1100), portion of a territory (c1150), fourth part of a thing or collection of things (end of the 12th cent.), measure of land (1212 in Anglo-Norman), (in heraldry) quartering (early 13th cent.), quarter of an ell (1229), part of something not necessarily divided precisely into four (as cheese, bread, etc.) (13th cent.), (in butchery) each of the four parts into which the carcass of an animal is divided (beginning of the 14th cent. or earlier), (as measure of capacity) fourth part of a muid (1334), phase of the moon (c1377), each of the four parts of a garment (1387), period of three months (late 14th cent. with reference to a period of service to a superior), quarterly pay (14th cent. in Anglo-Norman), (as measure of grain) fourth part of a septier (a1408), large piece of wood (1408; perhaps also c1400 denoting a measure of wood), measure of capacity for oats (a1412 in Anglo-Norman), squared-off block of stone (1419), military quarters (c1462), part of a town (1480; 1674 denoting its inhabitants), (in shoemaking) rear part of a shoe (1577), form of warfare in which combatants were made prisoners and ransomed (1611; compare quartier de sauveté safe place which besieged forces could withdraw to when abandoning a place under siege (c1470); compare also donner quartier to give quarter (17th cent.), être sans quartier to be without pity (1647)), leather piece forming one of the sides of a saddle (1690) < classical Latin quartārius fourth part of any measure, especially of a sextarius, in post-classical Latin also a quarter of an aureus, a small gold piece (4th cent.) < quartus fourth (see quart n.²) + -ārius -er suffix². Compare post-classical Latin quarterium (neuter; also quartarium ) fourth part of any measure (5th cent.), fourth part in general (6th cent.; frequently from 11th cent. in British sources), quarter of a loaf (822), measure of grain (frequently from 12th cent. in British sources), quarter of a carcass (13th cent.), quarter of the human body, quarter of the year, quarter of a city, fourth of an ell (frequently from 13th cent. in British sources), plot of land (from 13th cent. in British sources), fourth of a yard (14th cent. in a British source), (in heraldry) quartering (14th or 15th cent. in British sources), division of land used in Ireland (1501 in a British source). Compare fourth n.Recorded earlier as a surname (William le Quarter (1267)), although this probably reflects the Anglo-Norman rather than the Middle English word. In sense 5b after Irish ceathrú quarter, division of land (Early Irish cethramthu < cethramad fourth); sometimes represented by carrow in place names, as Carrowroe (Sligo). Cotgrave provides the earliest evidence for sense 18a in both French and English; it would appear most likely that it arose in French, from the earlier use in the expression quartier de sauveté (see above). (The assertion of De Brieux ( Origines..de plusieurs façons de parler (1672) 16) that it arose in an agreement between the Dutch and Spanish, by which the ransom of an officer or private was to be a quarter of his pay, is at variance with the sense of the phrases to give or receive quarter.) As the name of a unit of measure sometimes with unmarked plural. I. The fourth part of some usual measure or standard. 1. As a measure of capacity. a. A measure of capacity for grain, coal, etc., varying greatly according to locality and the commodity measured; spec. (a) (in Britain, more fully imperial quarter) eight bushels (approx. 291 litres); (b) nine bushels (approx. 327 litres; used esp. for coal); †(c) one fourth of a peck (approx. 2.27 litres; obsolete). Usually with of (the commodity measured). Abbreviated qr. Now rare (chiefly historical).Presumably originating as the fourth part of a chaldron (32 or 36 bushels) or similar measure (cf. quot. 1600). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > eight bushels or quarter quarterc1300 qr.1526 qtr.1571 quartern1583 raff1694 the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > peck > quarter of a peck quarterc1300 beakment1673 stimpart1786 forpit1793 the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > thirty-two-forty bushels or chaldron > fourth part of a chaldron quarterc1300 quartern1423 c1300 St. Nicholas (Laud) 130 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 244 Ane hondret quarters of þat corn. c1330 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Auch.) 1424 A ston gret, þat weȝ seue quarters of whet. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 174 (MED) A quarter whete was at tuenty mark. 1434 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 101 (MED) I bequethe to Iohn Wodrof..v quarteres of coles. c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 26 The ringis of golde..were..mesurid to the quantite of mesure of xij quarters. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. vii^v Four London busshels [of beans] fullye, and that is halfe a quarter. 1600 T. Hylles Arte Vulgar Arithmeticke f. 66^v 8.Bushels..make 1. Quarter, 4 Quarters..1 Chalder, 5 Quarters..1 Way. 1623 Althorp MS in J. N. Simpkinson Washingtons (1860) App. 48 For 3 coters of rye bought at Harleston. 1663 A. Cowley Ess. in Verse & Prose (1669) 129 In thy vast Barns Millions of Quarters store. 1763 Museum Rusticum (1764) 1 74 Wheat will one year sell for 5 l. a load (that is, five quarters). 1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. xi. 222 The average price of the quarter of wheat in England seems not to have been estimated lower than four ounces of silver. View more context for this quotation 1803 J. Plymley Gen. View Agric. Shropshire xvii. 352 The quarter bushel is called a hoop, or peck; and the fourth of that is called a quarter. 1820 2nd Rep. Commissioners Weights & Meas. 29 in Parl. Papers VII. 473 Quarter... Devonshire: of Welsh coal or culm, 16 heaped bushels. Derbyshire: of lime at the wharfs, 8 level bushels: at the kilns, 8 heaped bushels. Yorkshire: of chopped bark, in some parts, 9 heaped bushels. 1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham Channel Islands App. B. 577 The English imperial quarter is equivalent to about two Guernsey quarters. 1886 Q. Rev. 162 387 Holding land on which he could sow three-quarters of an imperial quarter of corn and three imperial quarters of potatoes. 1901 Times 23 Dec. 13/5 The toll specified was: ‘For every quarter of coals landed within the harbour..3d.’... The plaintiffs claimed 3d. per quarter of 720 lb... Mr. Carver..said that the term ‘quarter’ in the schedule meant a quarter of a chaldron. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 503/2 The capacity of a malting is described by the number of quarters which are put through it every four days. 1926 R. H. Tawney Relig. & Rise Capitalism iii. 178 The pawnbroker who took a hundred quarters of wheat when he had lent ninety. 1986 J. Purkis Pref. to Wordsworth (BNC) (rev. ed.) 55 In 1795, after a severe winter and the failure of many crops,..the price of wheat in London was 108 shillings a quarter. †b. In the Channel Islands: this used as a unit of value for land. Obsolete. ΚΠ ?c1682 J. Warburton Treat. Hist. Guernsey (1822) 94 A man, that has either house or land which he wishes to dispose of..lets it, or more properly sells it to another to hold to him,..paying yearly so many quarter or bushels of wheat rent as they can agree for... He that has occasion to take up money on his estate, sells so many quarters. 1694 P. Falle Acct. Isle of Jersey ii. 85 The way of reckoning an Estate with us, is not by Pounds, but by Quarters of Wheat. 1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham Channel Islands iv. xxiv. 549 The Guernsey ‘quarter of rent’ is estimated as worth, on an average, twenty pounds currency. 2. As a measure of time. a. A fourth part of the night; one of the four divisions or watches of a twelve-hour night. Now historical. †a quarter of the night (quot. c1330): nine p.m. (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > time > day and night > night > [noun] > watch or period into which night was divided watchc1000 night watchOE quarterc1330 vigilc1380 wakingc1384 quarter-nightc1390 morning watch1535 society > faith > worship > canonical hours > [noun] > fourth part of period between quarterc1330 c1330 Short Metrical Chron. (Auch.) 1163 in PMLA (1931) 46 131 (MED) It was a quarter oþe niȝt þat þe fischer him ouer diȝt. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 127 Bi wacchis..of knyȝtis þat nyȝt is departid afore by foure parties and ordres of wacchis..for þe firste wakeþ in þe firste quarter [L. conticinio] of þe nyȝt and þe secounde in þe secounde quarter [L. conticinio]. c1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess 198 This god of slep..gan to goon..to Alcione..ther as she lay Ryght even a quarter [v.r. quater] before day. 1619 E. P. Country-mans Counsellor 224 And the third quarter of the Night contayning also 3 houers, was called the third watch. 1776 Bp. G. Horne Comm. Bk. Psalms II. (xc. 4) 62 The longest life of man, to a person who looks back upon it, may appear only as three hours, or one quarter of the night. 1873 L. Wallace Fair God ii. ix. 138 About the second quarter of the night two men came up the great street to the palace. 2001 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 120 689 The Midnight watch refers to the second quarter of the night, from about 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight. b. A fourth part of a year; (formerly esp.) one of the four periods divided by the recognized quarter days (quarter day n.); (now usually) a period of three months over which financial transactions and reckonings (as the payment of bills, the calculation of earnings, etc.) are made. Also: one of four school or (U.S.) university terms in to which an academic year may be divided, typically containing about eleven weeks. (See also sense 8.) ΘΚΠ the world > time > period > year > [noun] > half or quarter year quarter1389 raitha1400 Q1976 half-year- 1389 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 48 What man is take in to be brother schal paie..eueri quarter..iij d. 1435–6 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 242 (MED) Payd to Syr Steuen, owr prest, for iiije quarteris, þt is, Midsomer, Myelmasse, Cristmasse, and Estern. a1500 (?a1425) Ipomedon (Harl.) (1889) 762 (MED) My greyhondes ranne not þis quartere. 1536 A. Borde Let. 1 Apr. in Fyrst Bk. Introd. Knowl. (1870) Foreword 60 To come to yow ons in a qwartter. 1591 ‘A. Foulweather’ Wonderfull Prognost. in Wks. (1883–4) II. 164 The predominant qualities of this quarter [sc. summer] is heate and drynesse. a1610 J. Healey tr. Theophrastus Characters (1636) 40 A quarters rent of his house. 1623 Althorp MS in J. N. Simpkinson Washingtons (1860) App. 41 To the hoggheard for a coter's wages. 1739 J. Swift Verses on Death Dr. Swift: Nov. 1731 5 He must..change his Comrades once a Quarter. 1760 J. Wesley Let. 19 June (1931) IV. 98 Certainly you cannot remove without giving Mr. Crook a quarter's warning. a1822 P. B. Shelley Peter Bell III vi, in Poet. Wks. (?1840) 243/1 Then seriatim, month and quarter, Appeared such mad tirades. 1836 Penny Cycl. V. 238 For a commercial education, a guinea a quarter is charged. 1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. iv. 29 The gentleman..proposes to take your apartments by the quarter. 1932 A. J. Cronin Hatter's Castle ii. iv Look at his bank balance—his wee Nessie was a fortnight late wi' her fees at the Academy this quarter. 1972 Sci. Amer. Oct. 14/3 I made two false starts at college, flunking out the first time,..then dropping out of college after two quarters. 1986 F. G. Rodgers & R. L. Shook IBM Way v. 98 You may decide today that by cutting your head count or reducing your advertising expenditures you can meet this quarter's goals. 2006 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 31 Oct. 15 Gross domestic product..rose at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the last quarter, down from 2.6 percent in the second quarter. c. A fourth part of a lunar month. Also: the state or astronomical position of the moon when halfway between new and full moon ( first quarter) or between full and new moon ( last quarter); quadrature. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > time > period > a month or calendar month > [noun] > lunar month > periods within or phases of the moon full moonOE new moonOE waningc1000 new of the moona1398 quarter?a1425 plenilune?a1475 neomeniaa1535 lunationc1549 interlune1561 wane1563 neomeny1569 dark of the moon1591 month of apparition1594 dark moon1615 plenilunium1615 moon1709 interlunation1813 quartering1880 the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > lunar month > [noun] > fourth part of quarter?a1425 quartering1880 ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 149 Þe moone may noȝt be sene þare bot in þe secund quartere [?a1425 Titus quarteroun]. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 2768 (MED) Sche gan anoon to casten..Whanne þat þe mone on heuen wolde aryse..And fonde a quarter was passid after pryme..And complete was seuen daies of hir age. 1546 tr. A. P. Gasser Prognostication sig. Bijb The last quarter of the mone shalbe on the. xxii. day at. vii. of the clock after noone. 1632 P. Massinger Maid of Honour i. i. sig. B1^v His sheepe sheering..Is in every quarter of the Moone, and constant. 1694 W. Holder Disc. Time v. 82 How near she is to her Quarters, Full, or next New-moon. 1728 H. Pemberton View Sir I. Newton's Philos. 201 But..in the quarters the moon..will be made to approach it [sc. the earth]. 1799 M. Park Trav. Interior Districts Afr. xxi. 272 It is thought very unlucky to begin a journey, or any other work of consequence, in the last quarter. 1806 C. Lamb Let. 15 Jan. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1976) II. 200 Prudentia is in the last quarter of her tutelary shining over me. 1853 F. D. Maurice Prophets & Kings Old Test. xi. 189 We sometimes see the moon in her first quarter with one bright luminous border. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 553 When the moon appears exactly as a half-moon, 90° from the sun towards the east, she is in the first quarter. 1886 R. A. Proctor Moon (ed. 3) iii. 94 The first-quarter moon is in Virgo, and about twelve hours above the horizon. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xii. [Cyclops] 309 The virgin moon being then in her first quarter, it came to pass that those learned judges repaired them to the halls of law. 1981 P. H. Cadogan Moon i. 10 Aristarchus recognised that the angle between the Earth, the Moon and the Sun must be 90° when the Moon is at either first or last quarter. 2005 Grow your Own Dec. 50/2 The New Moon is for planting, the First Quarter for feeding, the Full Moon for harvest and the Last Quarter for destroying crop residue. d. A fourth part of an hour; a point of time marking the transition from one fifteen-minute period to the next, as denoted by a mark on the dial of a clock or watch, the sound of a bell, etc. Chiefly used of the quarter before or after an hour; with to, before (Scottish and North American of, till) denoting the time fifteen minutes before the hour specified or implied, as a quarter to (nine, etc.); with past (also after) denoting the time fifteen minutes after the hour. Also without article. ΘΚΠ the world > time > period > hour > [noun] > specific part of an hour prickOE momentumOE prickleOE punctOE mileway1370 momenta1398 pointa1398 half-hourc1420 quartera1500 glass1599 semi-hore1623 scruple1728 part1806 the world > time > particular time > [noun] > the time or time of day > specific times of day nooneOE undernc1122 ninec1425 one1435 three o'clockc1460 twelve?1482 twelve hours?a1513 four o'clock?1578 six o'clock1693 quarter1871 kissing time1875 a1500 in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 318 (MED) The son aryseth a quarter of an owre after viij and goth downe iij quarters after iij. 1519 in J. Raine Fabric Rolls York Minster (1859) 269 Prime bell to seice a quarter after ix. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. ii. 75 An hower in clamour and a quarter in rhewme. View more context for this quotation 1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love ii. iv. sig. E^v A quarter past eleuen, & n'ere a Nimph in Prospectiue. View more context for this quotation 1659 J. Mayne City Match (new ed.) ii. iii. 27 A fellow that turnes upon his toe In a steeple, and strikes quarters. 1765 J. Wesley Let. 18 Nov. (1931) IV. 315 In general, I desire you would go to bed about a quarter after nine. 1770 Public Advertiser 10 Mar. His Majesty's Levee began at a quarter past two. 1822 Ld. Byron Vision of Judgm. lxxxvii I've scarcely been ten minutes..At least a quarter it can hardly be. 1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Simeon Stylites in Poems (new ed.) II. 63 I shall die to-night, A quarter before twelve. 1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xiv. 183 ‘The quarter's gone!’ cried Mr. Tapley. 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. viii. 192 The quarter-to-ten bell..rang. 1871 Sci. Amer. 11 Feb. 102/2 When everything was tightened..and the propellor arranged to cause elevation, it was just quarter of one o'clock. 1920 J. S. Clouston Carrington's Cases ix. 135 I found myself sitting in a first-class smoking carriage with nearly quarter of an hour to spare. 1952 M. Laski Village vii. 119 If I'm not there by quarter to, you'll know I couldn't make it. 1966 H. Kemelman Saturday Rabbi went Hungry (1969) ii. 21 He said..that traffic would be heaviest between a quarter of and a quarter past seven. 1975 E. J. Tyler Clocks & Watches 28 More than merely striking the hour, they made their watches strike the quarters. 2007 Northern Echo (Nexis) 26 Jan. 8 When he hasn't shown up by quarter past, the game's refereed by a qualified fifth former..who copes admirably. e. Sport. One of four equal periods of play in a match; (loosely) one fourth of the time taken to play a match. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > game or definite spell of play > period of play half1876 quarter1889 period1898 forty1913 stanza1945 1889 Warren (Pa.) Ledger 27 Dec. They clearly outstayed their opponents,..winning as they pleased in the last quarter. 1911 P. H. Davis Football viii. 115 The periods of the game, the halves,..were replaced by quarters. 1922 P. D. Haughton Football & how to watch It ix. 191 In contrast to the preceding period this quarter was marked by excellent play. 1954 New Yorker 6 Nov. 87/1 The play of the afternoon came in the middle of the final quarter. 1969 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 13 July 48/2 Footscray made a great fight of it in the final quarter. 1993 Swimming Times Feb. 13/4 Water polo matchplay consists of four seven minute quarters, but with interruptions it can take an hour to complete a match. 2003 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 24 Aug. iii. 3/3 Thomas..ran effectively at times in the first quarter, his best run a nifty 9-yard cutback. 3. As a measure of weight. a. One fourth of a pound (approx. 113 grams). Frequently with of (the commodity measured). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > pound > quarter of pound quarter1389 quart?a1425 quarterna1425 1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 81 (MED) If ye alderman..for-sake ye office, he schal payen..a pownd waxe..ye den, a qwatteer. c1450 Treat. Fishing in J. McDonald et al. Origins of Angling (1963) 153 (MED) Take smale ale a potell and stamp it with iij handful of walnot levys and a quarter of alom. ?c1450 in Anglia (1896) 18 296 (MED) A quarter of vergyn-wax þou take. 1711 tr. N. Lémery New Curiosities Art & Nature 94/1 To keep Mushrooms..being pretty well boiled, put to them about One Glass of Wine, and half a Quarter of Butter. 1824 M. Randolph Virginia House-wife 145 Add..three quarters of butter, and some grated nutmeg and lemon-peel. 1898 J. Paton Castlebraes ii. 43 A quarter o' Bacca tae Daidy. 1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren ix. 167 A one-man High-Street confectioner..was found to be offering..Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts 7d. per quarter. 1989 M. Horne Life, Love & Laughter (BNC) 21 Many boiled sweets and toffees were only tuppence a quarter. b. One fourth of a hundredweight, either 28 lb (approx. 12.7 kg) or (in later use, esp. in the U.S.) 25 lb (approx. 11.3 kg). Abbreviated qr. Now chiefly historical.Ordinarily used in contexts where the hundredweight is also mentioned. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > hundredweight > quarter of hundredweight quarterc1436 quartern1543 c1436 Domesday Ipswich (BL Add. 25011) in T. Twiss Black Bk. Admiralty (1873) II. 195 (MED) Of eche quarter of wood met by the comoun mesure, ob. of the seller. a1500 Tracts Eng. Weights & Meas. 13 in Camden Misc. (1929) XV (MED) xiiij lb. make a stone or half a quarter off an c, xxviij lb. 1543 R. Record Ground of Artes i. sig. N.ii The halfe hundred is 56, the quarter 28 [pounde]. 1588 Bk. of Charges in Dom. St. Papers CCXV. 88 4 quille of ropes wayeinge sixe hundred, a quarter, and one pound. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Quarter, in Weights, is a fourth part of the Quintal, or Hundred Weight... The Quarter is 28 Pounds Avoirdupois. 1772 J. Beekman Let. 1 Apr. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) II. 681 A Parcel of Necaraco Wood, of which 27 Tun 6 cwt. 2 quarters 14 lbs. is on my Accompt. 1875 R. H. Thurston Rep. Machinery & Manufactures in Rep. Commissioners U.S. Internat. Exhib. Vienna 1873 III. i. iv. 85 The load drawn on a level road was 79 tons, 19 hundredweights, 1 quarter,..including the weight of the machine itself. 1906 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 11 Apr. 4/3 Recently the writer received a consignment from England the weight of which was expressed in ‘tons’ of 2,240 pounds each, ‘hundredweights’ of 112 pounds, ‘quarters’ of twenty-eight pounds, and a few plain pounds over. 1973 William & Mary Q. 30 605 In seventeenth-century England there were at least three hundredweights in use for various commodities. The first of these weighed 100 pounds (45.36 kilograms),..equivalent to four quarters or to eight stone of 12½ pounds each... The second.., a newer measure of Plantagenet origin, weighed 112 pounds (50.80 kilograms) and equalled four quarters or eight stone of 14 pounds each. †c. One fourth of a dram (approx. 443 mg). Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) A Quarter in Aver-du-Pois Weight is 28 pounds, and in the lesser Weights the fourth part of a Dram. 4. As a monetary unit. a. A farthing. Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > farthing farthingc950 ferlingc1000 quadransOE quarter1389 quadrantc1450 quatrinc1470 Q1530 quadrine1557 rag1592 qua1631 grig1657 Jack?c1690 fadge1789 daddler1900 1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 60 Euery broyer and syster shal offeryn ij quartre and j quartre to ye almes. a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 146 Harrowers have usually 3d. and 3d. 2q[uarte]rs. 1982 S. B. Flexner Listening to Amer. 196 When the first colonists came to America, quarter was just becoming somewhat archaic English slang for a farthing. b. North American. A coin worth one fourth of a dollar; the value of twenty-five cents. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > North American coins > U.S. quarter dollar1615 bit1683 quarter1776 cent1782 dollar1785 dime1786 eagle1786 half-dollar1786 half-eagle1786 sharpshin1804 picayune1805 caser1825 pic1839 double eagle1849 slug1851 hog1859 pine tree money1859 martin bita1884 meter1940 1704 Boston News-let. 4 Dec. 2/1 Old Rix Dollars of the Empire..[value] 4 [s.] 6 [d.]... All Halves, Quarters and lesser Pieces are to Pass in Proportion to the above Rates.] 1776 Edinb. Advertiser 26 Nov. 340/3 The Congress..have coined a great quantity of copper tokens in every province, which bear the arms of the colony where they are struck, and are to pass for half dollars, quarters, eighths, and sixteenths. 1783 Maryland Gaz. 5 Sept. 3/3 Price half a dollar to grown people and a quarter to children. 1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 4 Here's a quarter for you. 1883 Harper's Mag. Nov. 950/2 Twenty..oranges for a quarter. 1912 J. Sandilands Western Canad. Dict. & Phrase-bk. Quarter, 25-cent piece, quarter of a dollar. The quarter-dollar bill, now rarely seen, is known as a Shin-plaster. 1969 D. R. Cressey Theft of Nation i. 6 Citizens who are required to spend a quarter here and a dollar there because someone, somewhere in the chain..must pay a tribute to criminals. 1994 BBC Holidays Oct. 36/2 Las Vegas is a slot-machine paradise. You'll see determined slot players systematically working their way through cupfuls of quarters. 2002 M. H. Clark Kitchen Privileges 91 The quickest way was via the Triborough Bridge into the Bronx, but that cost a quarter in tolls. c. In British pre-decimal currency: a quarter of a pound sterling; five shillings, a crown. rare. ΚΠ 1902 J. Greenwood Prisoner in Dock ix. 198 Not only did I have to pay to get 'em out, I lost a quarter as well. 5. As a measure of length or area. a. Originally: one fourth of an ell (11¼ inches, approx. 28.6 cm). Later usually: one fourth of a yard (9 inches, approx. 22.9 cm). Also figurative. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > yard > the fourth part of a yard quartera1400 a1400 in K. W. Engeroff Untersuchung ‘Usages of Winchester’ (1914) 52 (MED) Þe chaloun of fowre ellen and o quarter of langnesse shal habbe tweye ellen and an halfe to-fore þe tapener in þe werke. 1433 Rolls of Parl. IV. 451/2 Clothe of colour shold conteigne in lenght xxviii yerdes..and in brede vi quarters di. a1475 Bk. Curtasye (Sloane 1986) l. 359 in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 310 The stuarde in honde schalle haue a stafe, A fyngur gret, two wharters long. 1483 Act 1 Rich. III c. 8 Preamble Some of the same Clothes..ben drawen out..in Brede from .vii. Quarters unto the Brede of .ii. Yerdys. 1524 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 57 Item for j quarter of veluet to mynd my ladys grace Curtell. 1612 J. Smith Map of Virginia 9 His arrowes were fiue quarters long. a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. iii. 109 Thou yard three quarters, halfe yard, quarter, naile. View more context for this quotation 1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Witney Blankets..from 10 to 12 quarters wide. 1800 C. Lee Amer. Accomptant iii. xvi. 226 How many yards of shalloon, 5 quarters wide, will line 15 coats? 1864 Times 30 Sept. 10/1 Double-dyed cloths, flannels, blue, green, and white serges, broadcloths, six quarters wide and of all colours. 1928 Progress Rev. (La Porte City, Iowa) 11 Oct. 5/1 Nine quarters wide Sheeting, yard... 43c. b. A measure of land in Ireland. Now rare (historical in later use).See note in etymology. The measure apparently varied in size according to locality; values from 64 to 120 acres (25.9 to 48.6 hectares) have been suggested. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > Irish units townlanda1500 ballyboe1550 quarter1585 poll1591 cartron1598 tate1607 quartern1679 subdenomination1720 1585 in R. O'Flaherty Chorogr. Descr. W. Connaught (1846) 323 Clarnrickard is divyded into six principall baronies..which contain..958 quarters of lande, everie quarter 120 acres. 1607 J. Davies Let. in Hist. Tracts (1787) 245 Every ballibetagh is divided into four quarters of lands, and every quarter into four taths. 1683 J. Keogh Acct. Roscommon (modernized text) in J. O'Donovan Tribes & Customs Hy-Fiachrach (1844) 453 I have been sometimes perplexed to know how many acres a quarter contains, but I have learned it is an uncertain measure. 1754 J. Lodge Peerage of Ireland I. 109 On 29th November 1610, he surrendered and assigned over to the King nine Towns, and three Quarters of Land next adjoining the Town of Coleraine. 1842 S. C. Hall & A. M. Hall Ireland II. 354 The lesser divisions were known by the various appellations of quarters, half quarters, ballyboes, gneeves, tates, &c. 1892 E. Lawless Grania II. 3 Mishmaan possesses but two townlands, containing six quarters each. 1945 Irish Bk. Lover Nov. 126 The fact that the identical lands given to the O Clery's had passed to the Gores is demonstrated by the regrant in 1629 of Dromenagh and six quarters of land containing 960 acres to Sir Ralph Gore. †c. Nautical. One fourth of a fathom (18 inches, approx. 45.7 cm). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > arm as unit of length > outstretched arms or fathom > the fourth part of a fathom quarter1625 1625 M. Pring in S. Purchas Pilgrimes I. v. vii. 646 We came ouer a spit where wee had but foure fathom and a halfe.., but drawing neerer vnto Lucepara, we had fiue fathom and a quarter. 1694 Jrnl. Voy. Barbadoes 11 Aug. in Coll. Voy. & Trav. (1732) 231/2 On a sudden we had but..four fathom and a half, which so frighted me that I let go my anchor in four fathom and a quarter. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Sounding If he judges it to be a quarter..more than any particular number, he calls, ‘And a quarter five!’ 1855 Englishwoman in Russia 1 ‘By the quarter seven’ sang out..the sailor..engaged in heaving the lead. 1893 Harper's Mag. Jan. 184/1 ‘A quarter less twain.’ (10½ feet)—that is to say, a quarter of a fathom less than two fathoms. d. North American. = quarter-section n. at Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > North American unit quarter1804 quarter-section1804 1804 Fredericktown (Maryland) Herald 19 May 3/3 By Shell's place..to a gate-post at the going into F. Dorsey's old quarter, thence east. 1831 J. M. Peck Guide for Emigrants 257 Each quarter may be divided.., leaving eighty acres as the smallest tract. 1890 Stock Grower & Farmer 21 June 8/2 The southeastern quarter of section eight (8) township.., containing 160 acres. 1949 Jrnl. Farm Econ. 31 590 In North Dakota..the number of quarters of land which could be effectively handled by the prescribed labor force were estimated as follows. 1963 R. D. Symons Many Trails 25 Amos had filed on a quarter by the creek, and had a small log shack. 1993 Univ. Toronto Law Jrnl. 43 231 The mortgagee foreclosed on Lachuk's farm, but was able to return two of the three quarters of land. 2000 L. Scher & C. Scher Finding & Buying your Place in Country (ed. 5) viii. 117 (caption) Dividing a section into quarters and smaller parcels. †6. The fourth part of a cask or barrel. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > liquid measure of capacity > specific units of liquid measure > barrel or cask as unit > quarter of a barrel quarter1530 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 639/2 I dyd nat drinke to day, I dyd but moyste my lyppes with a quarter of wine. 1579 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 400 Martine Colepeper..setteth the pryce of a quarter of the best stronge ale at iij^s iiij^d. 1596 A. T. Rich Store-house lxvii. f. 13^v Take a quarter of stale Ale. †7. Nautical. = quarter point n. (a) at Compounds 4. Obsolete.In quot. 1728: = quarter point n. (b) at Compounds 4.In bearings, indicating a quarter point off the first-named point in the direction of the second, as east-quarter-north (usually written as E.¼N.), etc. Now generally superseded by the use of degrees. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > compass > card of > point(s) of compass > fourth part of a point quarter point1674 quarter1728 a1544 R. Barlow tr. M. Fernández de Enciso Brief Summe Geogr. (1932) 78 Ffrom cape Rodys to agre is 4 leges est quarter northest. 1703 tr. C. de Renneville Coll. Voy. Dutch E.-India Company 5 They thought they had discovered a Land lying North-East Quarter East. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) A Quarter of a Point, Wind, or Rhumb, is the fourth part of a Cardinal Point, Wind, or Rhumb; or of the distance between two Cardinal Points, Winds, &c... The Quarter contains an Arch of 11° 15′. 1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 156 The highest Tide..set in from east-quarter-north. 8. A quarterly instalment of an allowance or payment (cf. sense 2b). Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > payment > [noun] > periodic payment > time of term1393 Whitsunday1450 quarter1644 term day1681 term time1770 1644 R. Josselin Diary 6 Oct. (1976) 23 I now gave over to gather my Quarters my selfe, I left that worke to the Towne. 1679–88 in J. Y. Akerman Moneys Secret Services Charles II & James II (1851) (Camden) 63 Interest and gratuity for advancing the Dutchess of Portsmouth's quarter when she went into France. 1797 A. M. Bennett Beggar Girl II. xii. 153 Allows you three hundred pounds a year, and I am directed to pay you the first quarter down. 1850 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis II. xxx. 303 Pay me down the first quarter now. ?1863 T. Taylor Ticket-of-Leave Man 150 I'm paid quarterly now. Had my quarter today. 1933 Jrnl. Mod. Hist. 5 17 (note) France had promised 2,000,000 livres, and had paid the first quarter in Feb. 1662. 1970 Iowa City (Iowa) Press-Citizen 17 July a1 When she paid the amount requested by the statement, she unknowingly paid the first quarter of 1970 as well. II. Any one of four equal or corresponding parts into which anything is or may be divided. 9. Any one of four parts of a body or carcass. a. In plural. The four parts into which a human body may be divided, as was commonly done to a traitor after execution. Now historical. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > part of body > [noun] > region > quarter > dead quarterc1325 c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 10875 A four half engelond is quarters isend were. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 244 His hede þei of smyten, to London was it born; þe dede body þe britten on four quarters torn. a1500 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Chetham) l. 4235 Hedys and quarters lye in pecys And leggis cutt of by the knees. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 1971 I shuld..Spede the to spille..Brittonet þi body into bare qwarters. 1556 H. Machyn Diary (1848) 101 The iiij of March a young man..was hanged, drawn, and quartered... and ys hed was sett up the v day upon London bryge, and ys quarters was bered. 1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. xvi. 664/2 His wretched carkase was brought to London, where his false head was set sentinell vpon London-bridge, and his quarters were aduanced for terrour in seuerall parts of Kent. 1660 S. Pepys Diary 15 Oct. (1970) I. 266 This morning Mr. Carew was hanged and quartered..but his Quarters..are not to be hanged up. 1773 P. Brydone Tour Sicily & Malta II. xix. 29 The quarters of a vast number of robbers were hung up upon hooks. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng.* III. xii. 207 Their heads and quarters were still rotting on poles. 1935 Amer. Anthropologist 37 447 The Indians are not savage enough to cut the traitor into quarters after hanging him until he is dead. 1990 Hist. Relig. 30 81 In the severed quarters of a traitor displayed on the castle walls, the person who broke the integrity of the community was himself presented broken. b. Any one of the four parts, each including a limb, into which the carcass of a quadruped may be divided, esp. for eating; (also) the fourth part of a bird, containing a leg or wing.See also fore-quarter n. at fore- prefix 2a(a), hindquarter at hind adj. and n.³ Compounds 1.fifth quarter: see fifth adj. and n. Compounds 1. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > part or joint of animal > [noun] > quarter quarterc1330 c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 453 (MED) Bestes þai [sc. hunters] brac and bare; In quarters þai hem wrouȝt. a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 6 (MED) Take fayre beef of þe rybbys of þe fore quarterys. a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 8 (MED) Þe chekyns by hom selfe þo sethe þer to, Hew hom in quarteres and lay hom inne. ?1566–7 G. Buchanan Opinion Reformation Univ. St. Andros in Vernacular Writings (1892) 6 Ane quartar of mouton. 1598 Househ. Bks. James VI & Anne 24–5 Apr. Ane venysoun quhairoff spendit in his majesties hous ane quarter. 1660 S. Pepys Diary 17 July (1970) I. 202 They bought a Quarter of lamb. 1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 21. ⁋13 A Butcher's Daughter..sometimes brings a Quarter of Mutton. 1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. xi. 188 The four quarters of an ox weighing six hundred pounds. View more context for this quotation 1853 A. Soyer Pantropheon 147 Place a quarter of lamb in a saucepan. 1957 P. White Voss x. 276 Once the sheep had been dressed and cut up into convenient quarters, they..prepared to carry the meat across the hill. 2007 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 4 Jan. f1 Put the chicken quarter, skin side up, on top of the onion mixture, brush with the remaining olive oil. c. Usually in plural. Applied to the corresponding parts of a live person or animal (now typically a horse), esp. to the hindquarters or haunches. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > part of body > [noun] > region > quarter quarterc1425 quadrant1864 the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > side > [noun] > hip hipOE haunch?c1225 sciaa1400 quarterc1425 hucklea1529 hetchill1601 huck1788 the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun] flitcha700 arse-endseOE culec1220 buttockc1300 tail1303 toutec1305 nagea1325 fundamentc1325 tail-end1377 brawna1382 buma1387 bewschers?a1400 crouponc1400 rumplec1430 lendc1440 nachec1440 luddocka1475 rearwarda1475 croupc1475 rumpc1475 dock1508 hurdies1535 bunc1538 sitting place1545 bottom?c1550 prat1567 nates1581 backside1593 crupper1594 posteriorums1596 catastrophe1600 podex1601 posterior1605 seat1607 poop1611 stern1631 cheek1639 breeka1642 doup1653 bumkin1658 bumfiddle1661 assa1672 butt1675 quarter1678 foundation1681 toby1681 bung1691 rear1716 fud1722 moon1756 derrière1774 rass1790 stern-post1810 sit-down1812 hinderland1817 hinderling1817 nancy1819 ultimatum1823 behinda1830 duff?1837 botty1842 rear end1851 latter end1852 hinder?1857 sit1862 sit-me-down1866 stern-works1879 tuchus1886 jacksy-pardy1891 sit-upon1910 can1913 truck-end1913 sitzfleisch1916 B.T.M.1919 fanny1919 bot1922 heinie1922 beam1929 yas yas1929 keister1931 batty1935 bim1935 arse-end1937 twat1937 okole1938 bahookie1939 bohunkus1941 quoit1941 patoot1942 rusty-dusty1942 dinger1943 jacksie1943 zatch1950 ding1957 booty1959 patootie1959 buns1960 wazoo1961 tush1962 c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 13336 (MED) When thei to-gedir with speres rides..Some loste al his on quarter, Some his hede, & som his guttis. c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure 3389 Abowte scho whirles the whele, and whirles me vndire, Till all my qwarters..whare qwaste al to peces. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. iii. sig. P Is not enough fowre quarters of a man, Withouten sword or shield, an hoste to quayle? 1665 R. Brathwait Comment Two Tales Chaucer 170 She had unnimbly rushed down upon her four Quarters, and..had done her Reverence. 1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 67 They put him to the Cudgel..They stoutly on his Quarters Laid. 1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship (at cited word) Quarters of a horse, are the fore and hind; the former comprize the shoulders, fore legs, &c. the latter the hips, legs, &c. behind. 1806 A. Duncan Nelson's Funeral 35 Two of his..servants walked at each side of the horse's quarter. 1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. i. vi. 26 Down came the staff on the quarters of the donkey. 1954 R. Dahl Someone like You 259 Thin mangy dogs with sores on their quarters. 1975 R. Guy You may know them as Sea Urchins 161 A little old lady in front of the Court House steps..gave me a nasty cut across the quarters with her umbrella. 2000 Farmers Weekly 18 Feb. (Farmlife section) 7/2 A horse can soon start to look cock-eyed when it loses muscle tone on its quarters. 10. In general use. a. One of four usually equal parts into which something is or may be divided; a fourth part of (a specified thing). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > four > [noun] > division into four > a fourth part fourth part, dealc1000 quarternc1300 quarterc1330 farthingdeala1400 quart?1454 fardel1508 qr.1526 qtr.1571 quaternity1633 fierdhalf1674 fourth1741 c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 1497 Gwichard smot Gij..Opon þe helme..Þat a quarter out fleye. c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 18 (MED) This lymbe [sc. of an astronomical instrument] shaltow deuyde in 4 quarters by 2 diametral lynes. a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 3184 Noon herte may thenke..A quarter of my woo and peyn. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 285 Than off the day three quartaris was went. 1564 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 124 About a quarter of a yere ago. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V i. ii. 215 Diuide your happy England into foure, Of which take you one quarter into France. 1650 N. Ward Discolliminium 49 And now I am 3 quarters Presbyterian, I keep one quarter still Independent. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 59 The four Quarters of the rolling Year. View more context for this quotation 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 10. ¶6 I hope these my gentle Readers..will not grudge throwing away a Quarter of an Hour..on this Paper. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ii. 28 Garnish with Seville Orange cut in Quarters. 1798 ‘Mrs. Barnby’ Rock I. i. 9 Favour me with your company to my humble cell, about a quarter of a mile distant. 1841 Q. Rev. 67 358 Some quarter of a century ago. 1880 A. Geikie Elem. Lessons Physical Geogr. (new ed.) i. 29 Exactly a quarter of a circle, or 90°. 1919 H. J. Mackinder Democratic Ideals & Reality 96 Taken together, the regions of Arctic and Continental drainage measure nearly a half of Asia and a quarter of Europe. 1960 Times 16 Mar. 15/5 About a quarter of his body was severely scalded and he was likely to be in hospital for at least a month. 2004 Delicious June 56/3 Cut the tomatoes into quarters... Bake in the oven..until semi-dried. b. Used adverbially, usually in a noun phrase with a or one, with the sense ‘to the extent of one fourth of the complete measure, distance, quantity, capacity, etc.’. (a) Modifying a phrase introduced by as (also †so), expressing comparison to something else specified or implied. Cf. half adv. 1d. ΚΠ ?1443 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 219 I may non leyser have to do wrytyn half a quarter so meche as I xulde seyn to yow yf I myth speke wyth yow. 1522 Sir T. Cheyne in State Papers (1849) VI. 88 He had rather ryde into England..then to ryde a quarter so farre to eny other Prince living. 1584 R. Wilson Three Ladies of London ii. sig. A.iiii And yet he borrowed not halfe a quarter so much as it cost. 1606 H. Peacham Art of Drawing ii. ii. 68 Take a quantity of let, and halfe as much siluer scum, or glasse tinne, &..a quarter as much of gum. 1704 J. Dennis Person of Quality's Answer 21 There are passages in several of our Plays, which I could heartily wish were out. But neither do I see a quarter so many as Mr. Collier does. 1818 T. Busby Gram. Music 69 A quaver is only one quarter as long as a Minim. 1867 E. B. Denison Astron. without Math. (ed. 3) 176 The fourth a quarter as wide, or one sixteenth as large. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 426 It didn't suit you one quarter as well as the other ducky little tammy toque. 1996 R. Gosden Cheating Time iii. 93 Auditory studies of an isolated tribe of Sudanese pastoralists, the Mabaan, show that they lose only a quarter as much of their sensitivity at all frequencies as Westerners. (b) Modifying a prepositional phrase or an adverb of place. ΚΠ 1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 37 Sumtyme ful side wynde, sumtyme quarter with hym and more. 1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §167 (note) The carriage being turned a quarter round upon the Turnpike, or Turnrail. 1861 T. A. Trollope La Beata I. ix. 254 Before the old wax-chandler had got a quarter through his hints and round~about explanations. 1935 W. S. Churchill Let. 1 Jan. in W. S. Churchill & C. S. Churchill Speaking for Themselves (1999) xvi. 369 I have begun to lengthen the brick wall with the balled pillars to Hill's cottage, and am already a quarter through the first bay. 1950 S. Thompson Old Time Dancing (1951) vi. 164 While the gentleman pivots, the lady takes a short Schottische step a quarter round her partner to the right. 1998 Yachts & Yachting 10 July 37/1 The boats with daggerboards were sailing with them a quarter up as the water was shallow. (c) Modifying a noun phrase with the. Cf. half adj. 1b. ΚΠ ?1574 W. Bourne Regiment for Sea xiv. sig. L.ij If you remoue the transitory but a quarter y^e length of the transitorie to youwards. 1787 Daily Universal Reg. 5 Nov. 1/3 The Subscriber of Five Shillings and Sixpence will receive exactly a Quarter the benefits..of the Subscription at One Guinea. 1866 M. Oliphant Madonna Mary I. xiv. 247 She had not..a quarter the pleasures you have. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 236 I've never seen half, or quarter the muster we've got here lately. 1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 663 There is not one-quarter the amount of drunkenness. 1972 Daily Tel. 23 May 22/7 Although only a quarter the size of the typical hypermarket, it has..one-level parking, discount prices,..and late opening. 1994 New Scientist 13 Aug. 17/1 Today, some of the beetles are five times as heavy as their ancestors, while others are a quarter the original weight. (d) Modifying an adjective or participle. ΚΠ 1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller (ed. 2) sig. F3 Scoto..neuer came neere him one quarter in magicke reputation. 1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 10 My Tables are not yet one quarter emptied of my notes out of their Table. 1753 J. Wesley Let. 24 Sept. (1931) III. 107 The Chevalier's notions are about one quarter scriptural, one quarter Popish, and two quarters Mystic. 1837 C. Bathurst Notes on Nets 34 Bridling is done..on a spool a full quarter less in circumference than the one used in the body of the net. 1985 S. Hood Storm from Paradise (1988) 30 The parish church building (built 1819, 650 seatings but seldom more than a quarter full). 11. Heraldry. a. One of the four parts into which a shield is divided by quartering (quartering n. 1a).The four quarters are: 1 dexter chief; 2 sinister chief; 3 dexter base; 4 sinister base. grand quarter: see grand adj., n., and adv. Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > escutcheon or shield > [noun] > division of shield > quarter quarter1445 1445 in Trans. Bristol & Gloucs. Archaeol. Soc. (1898) 21 307 (MED) iii Roses of goules in a Bende of Silver; a Right Hand of the Bende in the left Quarter. a1540 (c1460) G. Hay tr. Bk. King Alexander (1974) 1538 Ane duk..The quhilk ane egill in his blasone bare A lioun als into the tother quartare. 1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie v. i. 238 Without any charge occupying the quarters of the Escocheon. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Quarter is also apply'd to the Parts, or Members of the first Division of a Coat that is quartered, or divided into four Quarters. 1797 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 443/1 A perpendicular and horizontal line, which, crossing each other at the centre of the field, divide it into four equal parts called quarters. 1864 C. Boutell Heraldry Hist. & Pop. (ed. 3) iii. 16 The Grand Quarters of which the first and the fourth..are Quarterly-quartered. 1869 J. E. Cussans Handbk. Heraldry (rev. ed.) xii. 151 The second quarter of the Royal Arms of England. 1977 O. Neubecker Heraldry Sources, Symbols & Meaning 62 One increasingly popular design was the arrangement of several shields around a central shield, usually divided into not more than four quarters. 2003 Scotsman (Nexis) 27 Mar. 18 The Pope bears a gold letter ‘M’ in the fourth quarter of the papal shield to symbolise his Marian ideals. b. A charge occupying one fourth of the shield, placed in chief. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > charge: device on shield > [noun] > less honourable charge > charge occupying one fourth of shield quarter1592 1592 W. Wyrley Lord Chandos in True Vse Armorie 41 In gold Lord Basset dight Three Rubie piles, a quarter ermins bright. 1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie ii. vi. 61 The Quarter is an Ordinary of like composition with the Canton,..the quarter comprehendeth the full fourth. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Franc Quarter, is a Quarter single, or alone... This makes one of the honourable Parts of a Coat. 1838 Penny Cycl. XII. 141/2 The Quarter is, as its name imports, the fourth part of the shield, and is always placed in chief. 1866 J. E. Cussans Gram. Heraldry 20 The Quarter is formed by two lines drawn in the direction of the pale and fess, and meeting at the fess point. 1969 J. P. Brooke-Little Fox-Davies's Compl. Guide Heraldry 103 The quarter is not often met with in English armory, the best-known instance being the..coat of Shirley, Earl Ferrers, viz.: Paly of six or azure, a quarter ermine. 1991 Gesta 30 42 In our coat of arms, we have a checky, a border, and a quarter. c. plural. The various coats of arms marshalled upon a shield; = quartering n. 1b; these as evidence of a person's noble descent. sixteen quarters n. [after French seize quartiers (1665)] now rare quartering displaying the arms of all direct ancestors for four generations on both sides of a family; this as proof of nobility. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > [noun] > armorial bearings or coat of arms > the various coats combined on a shield quartering1610 quarter1680 1680 G. Mackenzie Sci. Herauldry xxiv. 81 When the Quarters are the Arms of great, and well known Families, then it is good Heraldry to say..He bears the Arms of such a Family in general, without Blazoning them. 1702 A. Nisbet Ess. Addit. Figures & Marks of Cadency 221 There are Ten or Twelve Principal Causes, which have given ground for Multiplying of Coats of Arms, and rightly Marshalling them, into distinct Quarters in one great Shield. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) There are sixteen Quarters required to prove Nobility, in Companies or Orders where none but Nobles are admitted. 1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. ix. 243 A baron of sixteen quarters. 1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. ii. 36/1 A duke's son that only knew there were two and thirty quarters on the family-coach. 1862 J. H. Gray in J. B. Burke Landed Gentry (ed. 4) I. p. ix The possession of sixteen noble quarters has been absolutely necessary in order to procure admission into..high places at [European] courts. 1922 Burlington Mag. Sept. 110/2 A shield at the college of Newark, or St. Mary the Greater, at Leicester, which bears identically the same six quarters, is assigned by Papworth..to Anne Boleyn. 1989 Metrop. Mus. Jrnl. 24 40/1 This seal in the quarters of the shield also shows the personal arms of Friedrich as Duke of Saxony. III. Senses denoting position or place, and extended uses. 12. a. Region, district, place, locality. Frequently in plural. Also figurative.The plural is sometimes used in much the same sense as the singular. With the prepositions from, in, to, this sense cannot always be clearly distinguished from 14c. ΘΚΠ the world > space > [noun] > defined or limited portion of space > a particular extent or region coastc1320 confinec1400 quarterc1400 region?1537 leet1567 demesne1597 floor1626 area1700 department1832 parallel1887 c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) 1901 (MED) Sexty cites in þat quarter He forbrent wiþ wylde-fyre. 1471 E. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 634 I trow sche be in ȝour quarters. a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) iii. sig. N.v In this quarter here about vs. 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. vii. 157 Suche commodities as the quartre beareth..wher they dwelle. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 689 Where we possess The Quarters of the North. View more context for this quotation 1734 G. Sale Preliminary Disc. i. 1 in tr. Koran In which quarter they dwelt in respect to the Jews. 1765 Museum Rusticum 4 377 There were in that single quarter [of France] above one hundred acres of transplanted cole-seed. 1855 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Philip II of Spain I. ii. vi. 517 The marquis..had left the place on a visit to a distant quarter. 1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. v. 420 Troops flocked to him from all quarters. 1920 R. Fry Vision & Design (1981) 37 The artist may always find his satisfaction, the material for his picture, in the most unexpected quarters. 2005 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 12 July 20 The kinds of political treachery happening in every quarter of our country. b. Without reference to locality: a particular but unspecified area, person, or part of a community, esp. regarded as a source of something. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a certain part of a community or things quarter1685 1685 R. L'Estrange Observator Defended Ep. Ded. sig. A2^v I find no Abatement of Malicious Forgeries, and Scandals against me, from That Quarter [sc. the Church]. 1702 E. Calamy Abridgm. Baxter's Life & Times xi. 577 He could scarce Preach a Sermon, but he was inform'd from some Quarter or other, that he Preach'd Sedition. 1740 S. Richardson Pamela I. xiv. 26 She has talk'd a little too freely of the kindnesses that have been shew'd her from a certain Quarter. 1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. viii. 668 The quarter from which this proposition proceeded..was no secret to him. 1821 J. W. Croker in Diary (1884) June 6 This is erroneous in fact,..but T. insisted he had it from a good quarter. 1886 E. Miller Textual Guide 27 This deference to B...leads the two learned Professors to follow it whenever it is supported by only slight testimony from other quarters. 1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps i. 34 The danger..would come from the very highest quarters, where there would be no thought of suspicion. 1970 T. Williams Let. 24 Sept. in Five O'Clock Angel (1991) 208 Audrey is in one of her..furies so no support can be expected from that quarter. 2006 Daily Tel. 24 Mar. 29/2 The idea, popular in some quarters, that, following the end of communism, all of Eastern Europe has devolved into a lawless sub-republic. 13. a. A particular place or point (in a building, etc.); a part of something. In early use also figurative. Now rare (in later use passing into 16a). ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > [noun] stowc888 stokea900 steadc1000 placec1250 fletc1275 roomc1330 spotc1400 where1443 quarter1448 plat1556 stour1583 situation1610 ubity1624 1448 M. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 226 Þey han made wyketis on euery quarter of þe hwse to schete owte atte. c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 69 (MED) Þis wose of pride has viij cornerys, or viij quarterys. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 1051 At a quartar quhar fyr had nocht ourtayn Thai tuk thaim out fra that castell. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. QQvii^v That the Enemy may fynde in vs no quarter to entre. 1635 in J. Robertson & C. Innes Munimenta Univ. Glasguensis (1854) I. 252 The leach chambers laitlie buildit upon the northe quarter of the said College. 1724 S. Switzer et al. Pract. Fruit-gardener xx. 151 I hope..that it [sc. a fruit garden] be not confin'd to this or that particular Part or Quarter of the House or Garden. 1800 H. Craik Adelaide de Narbonne iv. 52 I was, therefore, conveyed to the Nunnery, and closely confined in a distant but commodious quarter of the building. 1872 Times 13 Jan. 4/5 The comfortable quarter of the house, the ‘coffee-room,’ is usually characterized by the non-supply of coffee. 1989 Asian Folklore Stud. 48 63 Each quarter of the house has its presiding deity, to which various offerings must be made. b. A division or district of a town or city, esp. that occupied by a certain group or community, or having a particular character or use. Sometimes with modifying word, as Chinese, French, Jewish, etc. the Quarter: the Latin Quarter of Paris (see Latin adj. and n. Compounds 2). ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > part of town or city > [noun] quarter1526 ferling1610 quartier1828 urban village1867 quartiere1888 section1907 poblacion1926 neighbourhood1929 precinct1942 village1949 society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > town or city > part of town or city > [noun] > inhabited by similar people quarter1798 colony1854 ghetto1892 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xiv. f. cj Goo out quickly into the stretes and quarters [1611 lanes] of the citie. 1541 Act 33 Hen. VIII c. 15 The said sainctuarymen..enter in euery parte and quarter of the same towne. 1602 Returne fr. Parnassus v. iv What newes with you in this quarter of the Citty? 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 31. ¶1 The several Shows that are exhibited in different Quarters of the Town. 1757 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. II. 329 Rome is divided into fourteen Rioni or quarters. 1798 J. Willock Voy. & Adventures J. Willock v. 129 The house allotted to us stood in the Jewish quarter of the city. 1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories 214 A narrow court..which leads into a moldering quarter of the city. 1882 Cent. Mag. June 189/1 Of the objects of interest in the Chinese ‘quarter’ of San Francisco..the theaters occupy a foremost place. 1919 W. S. Maugham Moon & Sixpence xxvii. 117 Lots of fellows in the Quarter share a studio. 1946 M. Lowry Let. 17 Dec. in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 666 We are living miles deep in the French quarter. 1955 R. Blesh Shining Trumpets (ed. 3) vii. 160 New Orleans' downtown is the old quarter north of Canal Street. a1967 A. Ransome Autobiogr. (1976) xii. 120 In those days the Quarter did its best for hard-up students, and I was able to furnish my studio for next to nothing. 1984 J. Morris Journeys (1985) 129 The tight, tough island quarter called Gamla Stan,..the original nucleus of the city [of Stockholm]. 1995 Mother Jones June 55/1 The Borgo Vecchio, a picturesque but fetid and rotting medieval quarter. 2001 S. Strum Barcelona: Guide Archit. i. 4 At the turn of the century..the Via Laietana was cut through the gothic quarter. †c. A part of a gathering or assembly, army, camp, etc. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > of an assembly, camp, etc. quarter1589 contingent1891 1589 Trve Coppie Voy. Spaine 11 We see it a thing almost impossible, at any your faires or publique assemblies to finde any quarter thereof sober. 1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. H2^v These quarters, spuadrons, and these regements. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. i. 64 Had all your Quarters been as safely kept, As that whereof I had the gouernment, We had not beene..surpriz'd. View more context for this quotation 14. a. Each of four regions or quadrants into which the earth, sky, or horizon is conceived to be divided, corresponding to the four cardinal points of the compass; each of these four points.In quot. 1543: the lines of a compass rose indicating the cardinal points. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > region of the earth > quarter > [noun] quartera1450 quart1559 the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > [noun] > one of plagea1425 quartera1450 quadrature1601 society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > compass > card of > point(s) of compass > principal points > one of quartera1450 rhumb1594 quadrature1601 a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe i. §5. 12 The foure principales plages or quarters of the firmament. a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Washington) (1965) 2192 (MED) God..made faire Adam, For his kinde shulde..Þe foure quarters of þis world fulfille. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rev. xx. 8 The people which are in the foure quarters [Gk. γωνίαις] of the erth. 1543 R. Record Ground of Artes i. sig. M.vii Y^e rose..is enuironed on the 4 quarters, w^t 4 flowre deluces. 1611 Bible (King James) 1 Chron. ix. 24 In foure quarters were the Porters: toward the East, West, North, and South. View more context for this quotation 1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Quarters of Heaven..in Astronomy, the Intersections of the Spheres as well in the World as in the Zodiack. 1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. ii. 136 We espied a sail in the northern quarter. 1800 tr. B. de Saint Pierre Voy. Isle of France 33 We perceived a surge coming from the west, which always precedes a wind from that quarter. 1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. ii. 58 Joceline..looked..to the four quarters of the horizon. 1835 J. Ross Narr. Second Voy. North-west Passage xv. 231 Venus was also seen in the southern quarter. 1957 P. White Voss v. 111 While his cobby horse kept him revolving, he was able to consider all quarters of the compass. 1989 Prediction May 9/1 Carry the talisman with you to the interview and burn it afterwards, scattering the ashes to the four quarters. †b. Boundary or limit, esp. towards one of the points of the compass; side. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > [noun] > one of > boundary or side of partyc1350 quarter1535 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Numbers xxxiv. 3 The South quarter shall begynne at the wyldernesse of Zin by Edom. 1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Hiii A drye dyche..goeth about .iii. sydes or quarters of the cytie. To the fowrth syde the ryuer it selfe serueth for a dytche. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 2 I wil first..descriue the quarteris and boundes of Scotland. 1611 Bible (King James) Josh. xviii. 14, 15 This was the West quarter. And the South quarter was from the end of Kiriath-iearim. 1698 J. Bilberg tr. Voy. Late King of Sweden iii. 40 We chose a Place some Paces from thence [sc. the turret]..where there was a free Prospect from the Northern Quarter. 1737 J. Hughes tr. Claudian Misc. in Prose & Verse 194 To the South Quarter where the City bends, A narrow Space of Land alone extends. c. A direction or point of the compass, when more than four are mentioned or may be implied. ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > [noun] sideOE wayOE coast1377 partc1380 airta1400 quarter1604 carriage1663 direction1665 range1678 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. v. 132 They reckon but twoo and thirty quarters of the windes [Sp. diferencias de vientos], for that more woulde confound the memorie. 1664 J. Evelyn Sylva (1679) 16 How speedily they [sc. oaks] spread, and dilate themselves to all quarters. 1674 N. Grew Veget. Trunks vi. §7 Setting down the respect it..hath to any Quarter in the Heavens. 1785 W. Cowper Task i. 373 Winds from all quarters agitate the air. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. ii. 29 From every quarter of the compass to which you turn for refuge. 1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. viii. 180 ‘Whew! sits the wind in that quarter?’ answered the justice. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxxii. 47 Speak now,..Ere to the wind's twelve quarters I take my endless way. 1944 M. Rukeyser in Coll. Poems (1978) 217 Raging from every quarter The winds attack this house. 1993 J. McKendrick Kiosk on Brink i. 30 The city was the city of winds which blew from the four points, the eight quarters of the windrose. †15. Assigned or appropriate position. to keep quarter: to keep one's own place. to hold quarter with: to remain beside. quarter of assembly: a point of rendezvous for troops. See also close quarters n. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > lack of social communications or relations [verb (intransitive)] to keep quarterc1550 uncompane1589 to have nothing to say to (also with)1603 to live in (also within) oneself1644 to keep oneself to oneself1748 to fight shy1778 to cultivate one's (own) garden1789 to hoe one's own row1832 the world > space > distance > nearness > be near to [verb (transitive)] > remain near to to hold quarter withc1550 clap1608 to hang togethera1616 hug1824 cling1842 the world > space > place > position or situation > [noun] > appointed to or usually occupied by a person or thing steadc888 seatc1275 placea1375 pewc1400 roomc1450 quarterc1550 instalment1589 tenement1592 berth1816 kennel1853 lieua1859 c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 33 Gunnaris cum heir & stand by ȝour artailȝee euyrie gunnar til his auen quartar. 1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 79 They doe best that make this affection keepe quarter, and seuer it wholly from their serious affaires. a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. iii. 19 Follow the noyse so farre as we haue quarter . View more context for this quotation 1620 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster ii. 18 Let me hold quarter with you, wee'le talke an houre Ont quickly. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 714 Swift to thir several Quarters hasted then The cumbrous Elements, Earth, Flood, Aire, Fire. View more context for this quotation 1702–11 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) i. s.v. A Quarter at a Siege, An Incampment upon any of the principal Avenues of the Place. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarters, a name given, at sea, to the several stations where the officers and crew of the ship of war are posted in action. 1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. Quarter of Assembly, the place where the troops meet to march from in body, and is the same as the place of rendezvous. 1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. x. 297 ‘Call the drummer,’ said Captain Wilson, ‘and let him beat to quarters.’ 16. a. Place of residence, dwelling place; (usually in plural) rooms, barracks, lodgings, esp. those allocated to soldiers, or to staff in domestic service (see also sense 16c). †quarters of refreshment: a place of rest and recuperation for troops on campaign (obsolete). to take up one's quarters: to establish oneself (in a place).head-, home, out-, summer, winter quarters, etc.: see the first element. to beat up the quarters of: see beat v.¹ 28. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > quarters estre?c1225 liverya1400 efters1532 quarter1570 quarterage1577 quartering1625 apartment1689 camp1747 society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > quarters lodging1475 quarter1570 allodgement1598 lodgement1598 cantonment1756 billet1830 society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > quarters > for respite or recuperation quarters of refreshment1678 1570 G. Fenton tr. J. de Serres Disc. Ciuile Warres Fraunce ii. 144 After the two armies hadde long remayned one within viewe of an other, they retired into their seuerall quarters. 1591 W. Garrard & R. Hitchcock Arte of Warre 77 Let him remember..to bring backe again into his Quarter those souldiers hee hath led foorth to any enterprise. 1616 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor (rev. ed.) iv. vii, in Wks. I. 54 Turnebull, White-chappell, Shore-ditch, which were then my quarters. 1645 W. Browne Let. to Wood 9 Sept. in A. Wood Life & Times (1891) I. 122 (note) Our horse from Oxon. fell on the enemies quarters at Thame. 1678 London Gaz. No. 1318/4 On the side of Catalonia the Kings Troops are all in quarters of refreshment. 1702–11 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) 1 Quarters of Refreshment, the Place or Places, where Troops that haue been much harass'd, are put in to recover themselues, during some time of the Summer or Season for the Campaign. 1758 S. Johnson Idler 2 Sept. 169 I wandered with the regiment as the quarters were changed. 1807 T. De Quincey in ‘H. A. Page’ T. De Quincey: Life & Writings (1877) I. vii. 125 Mrs. Koster did me the honour to call at my quarters. 1812 Examiner 31 Aug. 549/2 His Majesty has sent the army into quarters of refreshment. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. i. v. 45 The grate which led to our quarter opened anew. 1862 B. Hemyng in H. Mayhew London Labour (new ed.) Extra vol. 242/1 One of those thieves who take up their quarters at hotels for the purpose of robbery. 1897 M. L. Hughes Mediterranean Fever ii. 62 The staff-sergeant..occupied a two-room quarter a few yards away. 1898 Argosy Nov. 685 The servants' quarters were at the rear and to the right. 1930 E. Colby in Our Army Mar. 28/1 The houses occupied by commissioned officers are called ‘officers' quarters’. 1970 D. Jacobson Rape of Tamar v. 66 I looked in the direction of the women's quarters of the palace. 2002 C. Williams Sugar & Slate 15 The window shutters close off the blast of the heat and the servants retreat to their quarters, first to eat and then to sleep. †b. The compulsory provision by private individuals of lodging for troops; an instance of this; = free quarter n. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > [noun] > upon private persons coynye1449 free quartering1644 free quarter1645 quarter1647 1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 229 The Clergy are charged with Quarter, Cart-service, and purveying. 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xvii. 45 The most flourishing cities were oppressed by the intolerable weight of quarters. c. U.S. Usually in plural; frequently with the. The cabins housing the slaves on a plantation; (in extended use) the area of a plantation in which slaves live. Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > accommodation or lodging > [noun] > quarters > quarters for slaves on plantations quarter1724 Negro quarters1733 settlement1827 1724 H. Jones Present State Virginia iv. 36 The Negroes live in small Cottages called Quarters. 1760 G. Washington Diary 26 Feb. (1925) I. 131 Began Plowing the Field by the Stable and Quarter for Oats and Clover. 1799 I. Weld Trav. N. Amer. xi. 84 Their quarters, the name whereby their habitations are called, are usually situated one or two hundred yards from the dwelling house. 1804 European Mag. 45 19/1 I walked away to the Quarter. [Note The place of abode for the negroes.] 1855 F. Douglass My Bondage & My Freedom (1984) vi. 103 Slaves do not come to the quarters for either breakfast or dinner, but..eat it in the field. 1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 111 Several cabins are placed near together, and they are called ‘the quarters’. 1889 Harper's Mag. Jan. 253 Let us go out to the quarters, grandpa; they will be dancing by now. 1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xvii. 282 Almost the entire population of the quarters volunteered their aid. 1916 J. B. Thoburn Stand. Hist. Oklahoma I. 261 ‘The quarters’..formed a picturesque feature of the old time plantation life. 1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. iv. 85 It sauntered on down the bark-covered road and into the quarters just as if it had really wanted to come. 1989 C. R. Wilson & W. Ferris Encycl. Southern Culture 555/1 On modern sugar plantations in Louisiana, the quarters—a villagelike settlement that once housed slaves—contain the dwellings of field laborers, tractor operators. †d. A place of exercise for hounds. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1844 Sporting Rev. 11 209 If you have sufficient walks or quarters, as they are sometimes called, to enable you to bring your own [hounds], begin with a good stock at first. 17. †a. Relations with, or conduct towards, another; esp. in to keep fair (also good) quarter(s) with. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > [noun] conversationc1340 dolea1400 repairc1425 fellowshipc1450 frequentation?1520 communion1529 society1531 commerce1537 commercement1537 society1538 trade1555 intercourse1557 company1576 intercommunication1586 interdeal1591 entertain1602 consort1607 entregent1607 quarter1608 commercing1610 converse1610 trucka1625 congress1628 socialty1638 frequency1642 socialitya1649 socialness1727 intercommuniona1761 social life1812 dialogue1890 discourse1963 the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > make friends with [verb (transitive)] > have as a friend on one's side > remain in favour or on good terms with to keep fair (also good) quarter(s) with1608 1608 G. Markham & L. Machin Dumbe Knight iii. sig. F2^v Did not you hold faire quarter and commerce With all the spies of Cypres? a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 173 Friends all..In quarter, and in termes, like bride and groome. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) ii. i. 107 So he would keepe faire quarter with his bed. View more context for this quotation 1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 131 Two, that were Competitors,..yet kept good Quarter betweene themselues. 1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 207 I find it to be hard wrestling to play fair with Christ and to keep good quarters with Him. a1674 Earl of Clarendon Brief View Leviathan (1676) 153 The two next Kings..kept very fair quarter with Paschal. b. (Good or fair) treatment or terms. archaic in later use. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > behaviour towards another or treatment entreatisea1513 treaturea1513 behaviour?1521 entreaty1525 entreating1529 entreatance1534 usage1536 entertainment1547 demeanour1548 tractation1548 treatingc1550 treatmentc1560 entreatment1563 demean1596 carriage1598 manage1608 measure1611 quarter1615 treaty1631 treatance1644 meanora1670 treat1671 comportment1697 the mind > language > speech > agreement > [noun] > terms of agreement termc1350 meanc1425 articles?1507 capitulation1529 quarter1615 1615 R. Hamor True Disc. Present Estate Virginia 8 [The Indians] would without delay dispatch messengers to [their King], to know his purpose and pleasure, desiring faire quarter some 24 howers. 1649 Εἰκων Βασιλικη iv. 25 I never had any thoughts of going from my House at Whitehall, if I could have had but any reasonable fair Quarter. 1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 319 Lucian should have no better Quarter from him. 1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. Epist. & Gospels II. 268 No other Person must expect fair Quarter. 1735 Visct. Bolingbroke Diss. upon Parties (ed. 2) Ded. p. vii He would deserve certainly much better Quarter [etc.]. 1826 W. Scott Woodstock III. ix. 264 Neither I nor my fellows will deliver it up but upon good quarter and conditions. 1826 W. Scott Woodstock III. ix. 264 They will give thee fair quarter. 1841 W. G. Simma Kinsmen II. xx. 235 ‘Good terms—good quarter—and I'll surrender;’ was his reply. 1950 Church Hist. 19 60 The discussion is urbane and good-tempered, with a vigorous pressing of one interpretation, but fair quarter given to the views rejected. 18. a. Exemption from being immediately put to death granted to a vanquished opponent by the victor in a battle or fight; clemency or mercy shown in sparing the life of a person who surrenders. Frequently in to give (also receive) quarter. Formerly also in plural. †to cry quarter: to call for quarter (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > compassion > [noun] > mercy > quarter in battle grith13.. quarter1611 the mind > emotion > compassion > feel pity or compassion [verb (intransitive)] > have mercy > show mercy > to conquered enemy to give (also receive) quarter1611 the mind > emotion > compassion > quality of exciting pity > excite pity [verb (intransitive)] > ask for mercy to cry (a person) mercyc1225 to cry quarter1720 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Quartier,..quarter, or faire war, wherein souldiers are taken prisoners and ransomed at a certaine rate. c1644 MS. Hist. Somerville Family in W. Scott Rokeby (1813) Notes p. xv Having refused quarters, every man fell in the same order and ranke wherin he had foughten. 1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xxxvi. 41 He suffer'd Tilly to take that great town with so much effusion of bloud, because they wold receave no quarter. 1650 Severall Proc. Parl. No. 47. 686 I prosecuted, and in a very short time made him cry quarter, having shot his mizon Maste and Saile into the Sea. 1659 B. Harris in tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age (ed. 2) Contin. 308 Many were cut down, the Swedes giving no quarter. 1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 198 The Portuguese cried Quarter. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarters! is also an exclamation to implore mercy from a victorious enemy. 1788 J. Priestley Lect. Hist. v. lxii. 494 Civil wars are also peculiarly bloody, because less quarter is expected in them. 1816 Ld. Byron Siege of Corinth xxiv. 39 Cry For quarter, or for victory. 1829 R. W. H. Hardy Trav. Interior Mexico xii. 300 The Céres, like the Malay pirates of India, neither gave nor received quarter. 1841 G. P. R. James Brigand iii Several of them uttered a cry of ‘Quarter quarter’. 1897 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign ii. 32 The town was to be rushed in the night, and the whites to be slaughtered without quarter to any. 1940 J. Colville Diary 12 July in Fringes of Power (1985) 192 In war quarter is given, not on grounds of compassion but in order to discourage the enemy from fighting to the bitter end. 1991 T. Pakenham Scramble for Afr. xxvi. 485 They had to run the gauntlet of the Tigrean peasantry, who gave no quarter to the fugitives. b. figurative and in extended use (usually in negative constructions). ΚΠ 1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 68 He shews more true fortitude, that prayes quarter of..Truth. 1684 J. P. von Valcaren Relation Siege Vienna 51 Nor was there any quarter given to the Wine-Cellars of the Emperor's Ministers. 1725 D. Defoe Compl. Eng. Tradesman I. vii. 96 The tradesman can expect no quarter from his creditors. 1762 Ld. Kames Elements Crit. III. xix. 43 Mere witticisms, which ought to have no quarter. 1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna Pref. p. xxi There is no quarter given to Revenge, or Envy, or Prejudice. 1871 J. Morley Vauvenargues in Crit. Misc. (1878) 25 The Trappist theory of the conditions of virtue found no quarter with him. 1955 Times 29 June 3/1 Mr. Molinari-Pradelli gave no quarter to his singers and extracted every ounce of power out of the orchestra. 1972 F. Mowat Whale for Killing iv. 36 From this time forward whales were slaughtered without quarter. 2006 Daily Tel. 6 Dec. 20/3 A muscular pro-Americanism with no quarter given in the war against terror. IV. In technical and specialized uses (in some of which the original sense is obscured, although many retain the notion of ‘a division, a section, a constituent or component part’). 19. Building. Chiefly in plural. A piece of wood four inches wide by two or four inches thick, used as an upright stud or short cross-beam in partitions and other framing. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > timber in pieces > piece of specific size quarter1423 batten1658 wair1664 juffer1679 quarter piece1736 ufer1754 two-by-four1868 four-by-two1873 1423 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 156 (MED) To þe tymbermonger of wodstrete for vj bordes to dyuerse dores and..xiiij quarters for poonchyns and stodes. 1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 235 Sawyng of tymbre into plankes quarters Bourde & other necessaries. 1565–73 T. Cooper Thesaurus Clostrum,..a rayle or other like thinge made of quarters. 1617 J. Minsheu Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas A quarter, a peece of timber commonly foure square, and foure inches thicke, as it were a quarter or fourth part of a beame. 1665 S. Pepys Diary 21 Sept. (1972) VI. 235 The posts and quarters in the walls. 1703 Moxon's Mech. Exercises (new ed.) 163 Single Quarters are..two Inches thick, and four Inches broad. The Double Quarters are sawen to Four Inches square. 1811 J. Parkins Young Man's Best Compan. 141 Plastering..between the quarters in partitioning. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 627 If the workman find materials for rendering between quarters, one-fifth must be added for quarters. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 The English rule is to place the quarters at a distance not exceeding 14 inches. 1952 L. F. Salzman Building in Eng. xiii. 206 Since the seventeenth century these terms [sc. stanchion and puncheon] have been superseded by ‘quarters’, a term which is occasionally found earlier. †20. Some kind of stroke or blow. Cf. quarter-blow n. at Compounds 4, quarter-stroke n. (a) at Compounds 4. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > [noun] > a stroke or blow dintc897 swengOE shutec1000 kill?c1225 swipc1275 stroke1297 dentc1325 touchc1325 knock1377 knalc1380 swapc1384 woundc1384 smitinga1398 lush?a1400 sowa1400 swaipa1400 wapc1400 smita1425 popc1425 rumbelowc1425 hitc1450 clope1481 rimmel1487 blow1488 dinga1500 quartera1500 ruska1500 tucka1500 recounterc1515 palta1522 nolpc1540 swoop1544 push1561 smot1566 veny1578 remnant1580 venue1591 cuff1610 poltc1610 dust1611 tank1686 devel1787 dunching1789 flack1823 swinge1823 looder1825 thrash1840 dolk1861 thresh1863 mace-blow1879 pulsation1891 nosebleeder1921 slosh1936 smackeroo1942 dab- a1500 in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 309 Thy rakys, thy rowndis, they quarters abowte. †21. a. (A section of) the skirt of a coat or other garment. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > skirt lapc897 quarter1501 dock1522 skirta1616 skirting1821 bell-skirt1907 1501 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 34 For ane elne wellus to be bakquartaris of the kingis wellus cote, that wes our litill. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Deut. xxii. 12 Thou shalt make gardes vpon the foure quarters of thy garment. 1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Falda The lap of a coate, the skirtes, the quarters of a coate. 1658 J. Mennes & J. Smith Wit Restor'd 167 Chill put on my zunday parrell That's lac't about the quarters. a1797 J. Parkhurst Hebrew & Eng. Lexicon (1799) xi. 100/1 The conical flowers which the Jews were commanded to wear on the four quarters of their garments. b. A piece of leather or fabric hanging down from a saddle. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > parts of saddle saddle-boweOE arsonc1300 saddle skirt1361 saddle-tree1364 skirtc1400 saddle panel1465 stock-tree1470 stock1497 pommela1500 tree1535 pillion cloth1540 port1548 saddle stock1548 pilch1552 bolster1591 cantle1591 shank-pilliona1599 pillowc1600 pad1604 crutch1607 sivet1607 saddle crutcha1614 saddle eaves1663 saddle tore1681 burr1688 head1688 narve1688 saddle seat1688 sidebar1688 torea1694 quarter1735 bands of a saddle1753 witherband1764 withers1764 peak1775 pillion-stick1784 boot-housing1792 saddle flap1798 saddle lap1803 fork1833 flap1849 horn1849 skirting1852 hunting-horn1854 head-plate1855 saddle horn1856 cantle bar1859 leaping-horn1859 straining1871 stirrup-bar1875 straining-leather1875 spring tree1877 leaping-head1881 officer-tree1894 monkey1911 monkey-strap1915 thigh roll1963 straining-web- 1735 Sportsman's Dict. Quarters of a Saddle, are the pieces of leather, or stuff, made fast to the lower part of the sides of a saddle, and hanging down below the saddle. 22. a. Farriery. Each of the sides or lateral walls of a horse's hoof; (sometimes) the part of this immediately in front of the heel.false quarter: see false adj. 7. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [noun] > hoof > side of quarter1523 out-quarter1727 1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 504 Some lokyd full smothely and had a fals quarter. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 397 You shall easily perceiue whether his griefe be in the inward quarter or in the outward quarter: the quarter is to be vnderstood, from the mid-hooue to the heele. 1685 London Gaz. No. 2054/4 A Brown Dun Mare..with..a false quarter in one of her fore Feet. 1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship s.v. Bleyme In order to know when a horse has this disorder, you must unshoe him,..after which you will discover upon one of the inner quarters near the frog, a red spot. 1829 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) I. Prelim. Treat. 37 The frog coming down in the middle between the quarters, adds greatly to the elasticity. 1892 S. J. J. Harger tr. A. Goubaux & G. Barrier Exterior of Horse (ed. 2) iv. 465/1 A vertical line drawn from the point of the shoulder should..leave between the two feet an interval equal to the width of the hoof, taken from one quarter to the other. 1997 M. A. Belknap Equine Dict. 337/1 Quarter, the portion of the hoof between the toe and the ground-side hoof surface and the coronary band on either side. b. Farriery. The part of a horseshoe that protects the quarters of a horse's hoof. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > shoeing of horses > [noun] > horseshoe > parts of horseshoe calkin1445 sponge1566 stopping1566 calk1587 spurn1696 quarter1727 welt1758 heel1770 cock1789 cork1806 seating1831 toe-weight1901 1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Cut If..the Horse Cuts himself, or interferes, thicken the inner Quarters or Spunges of his Shoes. 1788 J. Clark Treat. Prevention Dis. Horses xx. 423 I have always recommended..to have steel points screwed into the heels or quarters of each shoe. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter,..the rear or heel portion of a horseshoe. 1911 G. A. Martin Family Horse ix. 109 Various forms of shoes have been devised to correct the evil, the inner quarter being narrowed and thicker than the outside. c. The rear section of a shoe or boot, extending from the back round either side of the foot; the piece of leather or other material forming this part. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter quarter piece1688 quarter heel1727 quarter1753 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter > leather for quarter piece1688 quarter heel1727 quarter1753 1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea I. l. 332 They wear slippers like women's shoes without quarters. 1817 M. Edgeworth Harrington & Ormond I. vi. 118 A slipper, with a heel so high, and a quarter so low. 1834 J. R. Planché Hist. Brit. Costume 315 The shoes were worn with longer quarters and larger buckles. 1885 Harper's Mag. Jan. 280/2 The small quarter and button piece are ‘closed’ on the large quarter. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 130 Derby... A tie shoe with eyelets and laces, the quarter and facings stitched on top of the vamp. 1996 L. O'Keefe Shoes 18 Next the appropriate height of the shoe's quarter is established: too high and it will rub the tendons; too low and the shoe will fail to grip the foot properly. 23. A bed, plot, or division in a garden, esp. a walled or kitchen garden. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > division or part of garden > [noun] > bed or plot bedc1000 sollarc1440 garden stead1546 garden plot1548 quarter1565 square1615 orbell1635 area1658 earth-bed1757 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Area in hortis,..a platte or quarter. 1572 L. Mascall tr. D. Brossard L'Art et Maniere de Semer iii, in Bk. Plant & Graffe Trees 9 Ye may plante or set all your nuttes in one square or quarter togithers. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 118/1 Statues or Figures cut in Stone [are proper] to be in the quarters of the Garden. 1706 G. London & H. Wise Retir'd Gard'ner I. i. 12 Dig out of the Walks all the good Earth, and wheel or throw it into the Quarters. 1764 Museum Rusticum (1765) 3 xvi. 73 This year they began to attack a large quarter of new-grafted apples. 1831 G.Lindley Guide Orchard & Kitchen Garden ii.118 Open dwarfs are such as are generally planted on the borders, or in the quarters of the garden. 1999 S. Campbell Walled Kitchen Gardens 7 (caption) Four compartments, which are often referred to by gardeners as ‘the quarters’. Very large gardens may well be divided by further internal walls and cross-walks into more than four ‘quarters’. 24. Nautical. a. The upper part of a ship's side aft of the beam; either of the two after parts, one on each side of the centreline. Sometimes with modifying word indicating the side, as port, starboard, etc., quarter. on the quarter: in a direction about midway between astern and on the beam. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > side(s) of vessel > [noun] > aft part of side quarter1590 1590 J. White Fift. Voy. M. Iohn White West Indies & Virginia Oct. in R. Hakluyt Principal Nauigations (1599) II. ii. iv. 295 The 2. of October in the Morning we saw S. Michaels Iland on our Starre board quarter. a1618 W. Raleigh Observ. Royal Navy (1650) 10 Otherwise the bow and quarter will utterly spoile her sayling. 1624 J. Taylor Brave Sea-fight in Wks. (1630) iii. 39/2 To clap the Portugall aboord on the Larboord quarter. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 226 All the Stern and Quarter of her was beaten to pieces, with the Sea. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (at cited word) If we were to divide the ship's sides into five equal portions..the first, from the stern, would be the quarter. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Bearing These bearings..which may be called mechanical, are on the beam..on the quarter [etc.]. 1805 Log of H.M.S. Tonnant 21 Oct. in Ld. Nelson Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. 167 (note) The French Admiral's Ship under our quarter had lost her foremast. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast iv. 8 Leaving the land on our quarter. 1878 in G. P. Lathrop Masque of Poets 120 The sea that came over her quarter. 1957 L. T. C. Rolt Isambard Kingdom Brunel xi. 273 She lay with her stern and port quarter fully exposed. 1990 Lifeboat (RNLI) Spring 227/1 The lifeboat made good speed with the sea and swell on the starboard quarter. 2005 I. Dear & P. Kemp Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea (ed. 2) 449/1 Strictly, a ship's port or starboard quarter is on a bearing 45° from the stern, but the term is more often rather loosely applied to any point approximately on that bearing. b. On a square-rigged ship: a section of a yard between the slings and the yardarm. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > spar > [noun] > yard > part between middle and end arm?a1554 quarter1754 1754 M. Murray Treat. Ship-building & Navigation i. vii. 107 If the side of the triangle be supposed to be the diameter at the slings, the several divisions of line BC, from the point B, will be the diameters at the quarters. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Yard The distance between the slings and the yard-arms on each side, is..divided into quarters, which are distinguished into the first, second, third quarters, and yard-arms. c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 25 The quarter of the mainyard. 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys' Training Ships Royal Navy 31 Q. Where are the quarters of a yard? A. A sixth the length of the yard from the yard arm on either side. 1955 C. W. T. Layton Dict. Naut. Words 282 Quarter of Yard, One-third of a yard between slings and lift on either side; being named ‘first’, ‘second’ and ‘third’ quarters from slings. †25. Perhaps: a square block. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xxxvii. ii.604 In Portugall..there bee found great crystal quarters [Fr. de quartiers de crystal] or masses of a woonderful weight. †26. Perhaps: a square space. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1656 ( in W. Dugdale Antiq. Warwickshire 355/1 Under every principall housing a goodly quarter for a Scutcheon of copper and gilt to be set in. †27. Typography. One of the divisions of a forme of type. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. Dict. 388 Quarto's, Octavo's and Twelves Forms are Imposed in Quarters. They are called Quarters, not from their equal divisions; but because they are Imposed and Lockt up apart. Thus half the Short-Cross in a Twelves Form is called a Quarter, though it be indeed but one Sixth part of the Form. †28. Equestrianism. An exercise in the manège (see quot.). Obsolete. ΚΠ 1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II To work from Quarter, to Quarter, is to ride a Horse three Times an End upon the first of the four Lines of a Square, and then changing Hands to ride him three Times upon the second, and so to do upon the third and fourth. †29. One of the four parts into which a road is divided by horse tracks and wheel ruts. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > parts of road > [noun] > part where vehicles run > division made by wheel-ruts quarter1767 quartering1805 1767 A. Young Farmer's Lett. (1771) I. 445 A road..upon which the tracks may vary, without having quarters a yard high to cross. 1789 Trans. Soc. Arts 7 204 Gravelled roads,..where quarters are formed by carriages following in one continued track. 1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. Pl. xxxvii It is drawn by two horses abreast, the outside horse on the outer quarter, and the other in the path... Thus an inside and outside quarter are taken in going, and the others in returning. 1879 in Norfolk Archaeol. 8 172 Quarter, the portion of the road between the wheel ruts and the horse track. 30. Each of the four teats of a cow (occasionally, of a mare or other animal). Cf. quarter evil n. 2. ΚΠ 1794 J. Billingsley Gen. View Agric. Somerset 110 This disorder frequently affects the udder, and brings on a false quarter, that is, a deprivation of milk in one teat. 1886 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester (at cited word) When a cow..ceases to give milk from one teat, she is said to have lost a quarter. 1941 C. Reynolds Glory Hill Farm ix. 93 Our best milking cow was..proclaimed to be suffering from mastitis, and in consequence has permanently lost one quarter. 1970 G. E. Evans Where Beards wag All xiii. 143 If we found a cow had a very bad quarter (teat) what sounds a cruel practice was the only one under those conditions: the cow had to be cornered and this quarter was cut, and the pus was got out in that way. 1989 Horse & Hound 18 Apr. 77/2 Foals may take some time to appreciate that they will not get any milk out of a ‘quarter’. †31. Architecture. A section of a Gothic arch. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter... A portion of a Gothic arch. †32. Joinery. A section of a winding staircase. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter... A section of a winding stairs. 33. A section of a millstone dress (dress n. 12). Now rare. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1842/1 Quarter... A section of a millstone dress, consisting of a leader and its branches; the term is used irrespective of the number of degrees embraced in the sector. 1969 G. E. Evans Farm & Village xiv. 149 Each group of furrows that make up a harp or quarter of the dressed stone takes the shape of the strings of a harp... Usually the millwright makes nine or ten quarters or harp arrangements to his stone. †34. That part of the side of a cask which lies between the chime and the widest point. Cf. quarter hoop n. at Compounds 4. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1842/1 The portion of the side of a cask intermediate between the chime and the bulge. †35. A block of cork from which a round cork is shaped. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1842/1 Quarter... A parallelopiped of cork, blocked out and ready for rounding into a cork shape. V. In various shortened and abbreviated forms (chiefly colloquial). †36. Apparently short for ‘quarter barge’. Obsolete. rare.Cf. later quarter-galley n. at Compounds 4. ΚΠ 1508–9 in Hist. MSS Comm.: 10th Rep.: App. Pt. V: MSS Marquis of Ormonde &c. (1885) 325 in Parl. Papers (C. 4576-I) XLII. 1 Noo boote shal bring woode butt only half barges and quarters... And every quarter to have iiii. men. 37. Chiefly North American = quarter-mile n. at Compounds 4.Earliest in quarter-racing n. at Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > types of race quarter-mile1611 dead1635 diaulos1706 quarter1779 dead heat1796 match race1804 dash1836 sprint race1836 mile1851 road race1852 time trial1857 decider1858 all-ages1864 rough-up1864 hippodrome1867 distance running1868 team race1869 run-off1873 relay race1878 walk-away1879 title race1905 tortoise race1913 procession1937 stage1943 pace1968 prologue1973 the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > mile > quarter of a mile quarter-mile1611 quarter1779 1779 T. Anburey Let. 12 May in Trav. Interior Parts Amer. (1789) II. lxvi. 393 A diversion termed..quarter-racing. 1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. iv. 56 I can make myself heard a mile in these open fields, and his camp is but a short quarter from us. 1868 H. Woodruff & C. J. Foster Trotting Horse Amer. vii. 84 What's the use of a horse going a quarter fast? Now, they must go a quarter fast before they can go a mile fast. 1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds ii. 31 It was weeks before I could walk a quarter. 1899 Whitaker's Almanack 637/1 Harrison also won the ‘Quarter’ by a foot. 1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xi. 106 If you was of a notion to go climb one o' them high pine trees about a quarter to the east, hit'd make a mighty good stand. 1968 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald Jrnl. 15 Feb. 49 Curtis..won the 75-yard dash in nine seconds flat... Magrane also had a double, winning the quarter in :62. 2004 Hot Rod Horsepower Handbk. 132/3 The S.A.M. Camaro ran its best ever 11.474 and 120.45 miles per hour in the quarter. 38. Football. Now rare. a. Rugby = quarterback n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > players or positions wing-back1734 goalkeeper1789 outfielder1855 quarter1857 centre fielder1865 outfield1867 quarterback1867 right1867 centre1868 left wing1871 left-back1873 left half-back1873 centre forward1874 left-centre1877 right-centre1877 centre back1878 centre half-back1879 forward1879 back1880 right wing1880 right half-back1881 goaltender1882 right-winger1882 wing1882 centre half1884 left winger1884 inside1886 half1887 custodian1888 left half1888 midfielder1888 left wing1889 right half1889 centreman1890 midfield1890 outside right1890 outfieldsman1891 goalie1894 winger1896 infield1897 inside forward1897 inside right1897 outside forward1897 outside1898 outside left1900 rearguard1904 pivot1911 wing-man1942 keeper1957 link1958 linkman1963 midfield1976 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. v. 114 The captain of quarters..spread his men..half-way between their own goal and the body of their own players-up. 1925 R. J. Phillips Scottish Rugby 13 Before the line of three halves was introduced [in 1833], the normal formation was one full-back, two halves, and two quarters. b. American Football. = quarterback n. 2a. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > American football > [noun] > types of player side tackle1809 nose guard1852 rusher1877 goalkicker1879 quarterback1879 runner1880 quarter1883 full back1884 left guard1884 snap-back1887 snapper-back1887 running back1891 tackle1891 defensive end1897 guard1897 interferer1897 receiver1897 defensive back1898 defensive tackle1900 safety man1901 ball carrier1902 defensive lineman1902 homebrew1903 offensive lineman1905 lineman1907 returner1911 signal caller1915 rover1916 interference1920 punt returner1926 pass rusher1928 tailback1930 safety1931 blocker1935 faker1938 scatback1946 linesman1947 flanker1953 platoon player1953 corner-back1955 pulling guard1955 split end1955 return man1957 slot-back1959 strong safety1959 wide receiver1960 line-backer1961 pocket passer1963 tight end1963 run blocker1967 wideout1967 blitzer1968 1883 Daily Citizen (Ottawa) 6 Nov. 1/7 The quarters, Fellowes and Sparks, were good although Sparks played a rather selfish game. 1893 W. C. Camp Bk. College Sports 120 The criss-cross or double pass is another excellent example of a disguised play, the ball being passed by the quarter to one of the backs. 1907 St. Nicholas (N.Y.) Sept. 1013/2 A line man could..take the ball from the quarter. 1914 P. Withington Bk. Athletics 58 In handling the team the quarter must have absolute command. 1958 Van Wert (Ohio) Times-Bull. 13 Sept. 6/8 Purdin..is being tried at quarterback. Purdin, who had never played quarter, is a fine runner and passer. 39. U.S. Music. Short for quarter-note n. (b) at Compounds 4. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > quarter-tone quarter-note1627 quarter-tone1673 demi-semitone1866 quarter1902 1902 N.E.D. at Quarter sb. Quarter... a ‘quarter-note’ or crotchet in Music (U.S.). 1950 A. Lomax Mister Jelly Roll App. 281 The half-tone and quarter, then, are the value of the complete slur. 1989 Jrnl. Musicol. 7 201 The three slurred eighths moving to a quarter and the offbeat sforzandos and sixteenths create a strong motion from upbeat to downbeat. 2004 M. Miller Compl. Idiot's Guide Solos iii. 19 Just take a ‘smooth’ melody and make it more angular, by turning straight quarters and eighths into syncopated rhythms. 40. Military slang. (a) = quartermaster sergeant n. at quartermaster n. Compounds; (b) = quartermaster n. 1a. Also in plural. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer according to function > [noun] > quartermaster quartermaster1590 fourrier1678 Q.M.1791 quartermaster captain1846 Q1916 quarter1917 quarter-bloke1918 quarter jack1930 1917 A. G. Empey Over Top 304 Quartermaster-Sergeant, or ‘Quarter’ as he is called. A non-commissioned officer in a company who..takes charge of the company stores. 1919 Athenæum 25 July 664/1 The legacy of the old Regular Army:—..‘Quarters’, short for Quarter-master-sergeant, as in ‘Here, quarters’—used by the private, in answer to his name, on ‘paying-out’ parade. 1963 M. Lowry Ultramarine (rev. ed.) ii. 60 Well, it's your business to get me up, quarter. 41. Originally U.S. plural. Quarter-finals (see quarter-final n.). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [noun] > game or definite spell of play > specific one of series heata1663 rubber game1793 round1837 rubber match1843 tie-match1864 final1880 postseason1882 semi-final1884 preliminary1886 cup-tie1895 play-off1895 tie1895 leg1899 repechage1899 qualifier1908 quarter-final1916 playdown1918 rounder1918 go-around1933 quick death1938 semi1942 pretrial1946 quarter1950 barrage1955 tie-breaker1961 semi-main1968 tie-break1970 breaker1979 1950 Troy (N.Y.) Times-Record 11 Mar. 10/4 The Motors..gasped out a comeback 79-77 victory over scrappy Clem's Clippers in the quarters Thursday. 1964 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily Times 28 Aug. 17/1 Pannagio won three-set matches from Richard Nathan and Comey in the quarters and semis. 1970 Holland (Mich.) Evening Sentinel 12 Aug. 13/3 In the quarters of the boys 18 singles, Lindsay (G) def. Dan Pauuwe (H), 6-4. 1978 Guardian Weekly 5 Feb. 24/2 The other semi-final was disappointing. Roscoe Tanner..had upset Bjorn Borg in the quarters. 1996 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 7 May 29/5 In another match, Western Rangers beat Neutral Stars 1–0 to also make it to the quarters. Phrases †P1. a. to keep good quarter [probably < sense 13] : to keep good watch, to preserve good order (in a place). Obsolete. [With the context of quot. 1608 compare Middle French quartier de sauveté (see main etymology).] ΘΚΠ society > authority > control > be in control [verb (intransitive)] > regulate to keep good quarter1608 direct1611 regulate1661 the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > watching or keeping guard > watch or keep guard [verb (intransitive)] > perform duty of watchman > keep good watch to keep good quarter1608 1608 E. Grimeston in tr. J. F. Le Petit Gen. Hist. Netherlands xvi. 1294 All prisoners to be released, and good quarter kept, with other conditions. a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) v. v. 20 Well: keepe good quarter, & good care to night. View more context for this quotation 1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme ii. viii. 76 To have made Man that he might be a Lord over the rest of the Creation. & keep good quarter among them. b. to keep a (bad, etc.) quarter : to maintain a (bad, etc.) state of things, to behave in a (specified) manner; (hence without adjective) to make a noise or disturbance. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [verb (transitive)] to keep a (bad, etc.) quarter1632 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > loudness > confused sound > [verb (intransitive)] > uproar or tumult clamourc1400 rumblec1405 shout1513 racket1617 to keep a (bad, etc.) quarter1632 to raise a dust1649 obstreperate1765 row1797 uproar1834 to raise Cain1840 to raise the mischief1840 to raise (also lift) the roof1845 steven1855 tow-row1877 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iii. 88 The Souldiers kept a bloody quarter among themselues. 1659 Commw. Ball. (Percy Soc.) 150 For all you kept such a quarter, you are out of the councell of state. 1668 S. Pepys Diary 29 Jan. (1976) IX. 42 They had fiddlers and danced and kept a quarter; which pleased me (though it disturbed me). 1689 R. Milward Selden's Table-talk 39 They keep a huge quarter when they carry it into the Cellar. 1736 R. Ainsworth Thes. Linguæ Latinæ What a quarter they keep in the market. 1760 G. Baretti Dict. Eng. & Ital. Lang. II. (at cited word) To keep a heavy quarter, fare un grande strepito. P2. a bad (etc.) quarter of an hour [after French un mauvais quart d'heure : see mauvais quart d'heure n.] : a short but very unpleasant period of time. ΘΚΠ the world > time > [noun] > stretch, period, or portion of time > period of certain character, condition, or events > bad or unpleasant period a bad (etc.) quarter of an hour1766 the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > [noun] > unpleasantness > unpleasant period of time time1647 a bad (etc.) quarter of an hour1766 mauvais quart d'heure1864 annus horribilis1867 1717 tr. A. F. Frézier Voy. South-Sea 110 Rablais's Quarter of an Hour, that is, when the Reckoning is to be paid.] 1766 tr. P. de Marivaux Agreeable Surprise in Poet. Blossoms 117 'Twill prove a bad quarter of an hour. 1799 C. Ludger tr. A. von Kotzebue Reconciliation iv. iv. 91 Courage Charlotte, a bad quarter of an hour has no more than fifteen minutes! 1875 A. Trollope Way we live Now II. lxii. 70 He was prepared..to console himself when the bad quarter of an hour should come with the remembrance that he had garnered up a store. 1887 J. Ball Notes Naturalist in S. Amer. 338 When I reached the station..I had an unpleasant quarter of an hour. 1909 Daily Chron. 30 Aug. 4/7 The ‘bad quarter of an hour’ we all know was first given a name by the heartless Louis XIII., who, looking at his watch on the day of the execution of Cinq-Mars, supposed that the poor young fellow ‘passait alors un mauvais quart d'heure’. 1922 C. Mackenzie Altar Steps xxi. 233 Mark fancied that it would be the prelate who would have the unpleasant quarter of an hour. 1999 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 7 Oct. c11 The women in the audience began to snarl and shriek, and Nation publisher Victor Navasky had a bad quarter-hour, as the French say, calming things down. Compounds C1. a. General attributive, with sense ‘of, relating to, or designating the fourth part of something’. quarter barrel n. ΚΠ 1566 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1916) XI. 516 Ane quarter barrell of saip, iij li. x s. 1757 in R. Machin Probate Inventories Chetnole, Leigh & Yetminster (1976) Inv. 140 2 Quarter Barrells and a small one. 1882 ‘Ouida’ In Maremma I. 245 There is a trifle of oil, a quarter barrel. 1993 Wine Tidings Oct. 13/1 I realized I was 10 litres short of a 60-litre quarteau, or quarter barrel. quarter bottle n. ΚΠ 1854 S. J. B. Hale Mod. Househ. Cookery 10 Season with Cayenne pepper and salt to taste; finish with a quarter bottle of Sherry. 1915 H. G. Wells Boon ix. 333 One of those quarter-bottles of Perrier Jouet on a tray. 1977 J. R. L. Anderson Death in City v. 81 I ordered a quarter bottle of cognac. 1993 Super Marketing 13 Feb. 40/3 Even comparing the price of a quarter-bottle with a half-bottle can see a £2 price difference. quarter century n. ΚΠ 1818 ‘T. Brown’ Brighton I. 138 He has found nobility without dignity... This has been the case with more lords than one of the last quarter century. 1859 E. C. Gaskell Fear for Future in Fraser's Mag. Feb. 244/2 There are other changes..that have taken place within this quarter century, to which all my philosophy is unable to reconcile me. 1920 H. G. Wells Outl. Hist. xxix. 265/2 The opening quarter century of the Christian era was troubled by a usurper. 1979 Bookseller 23 June 2818/1 The Warsaw Bookfair continues towards its quarter century. 2001 B. Sloan I watched Wild Hog eat my Baby i. 23 The subtle changes that have taken place in ‘responsible journalism’ over the past quarter century. † quarter-hogshead n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1793 in J. B. McMaster Life & Times Stephen Girard (1918) I. v. 208 There is some merchandise loaded on board from certain old friends of yours, 10 barrels of coffee and a quarter hogshead of white sugar. 1883 Official Catal. Internat. Fisheries Exhib. (ed. 4) 128 Quarter Hogsheads of Fairmaids. 1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles II. xxxviii. 259 The washing-tub stood..on the same old quarter-hogshead. quarter hour n. ΚΠ 1596–7 in J. Stuart Misc. Spalding Club (1841) I. 113 Ane quarter hour or thei suld hef bene lowsit. 1619 in J. Maidment Misc. Abbotsford Club (1837) 83 Within a quarter hour efter scho brocht a candle. 1766 G. Colman & D. Garrick Clandestine Marriage i. 17 Milor Ogelby and Sir Jean Melvile will be here in one quarter-hour. 1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxxvi. 392 My uneasy spirit kept dragging me back at quarter-hour intervals. 1977 Detroit Free Press 11 Dec. 24- a/1 The head of the department [should] have at least..90 quarter hours of criminal justice courses completed. 2000 D. Adebayo My Once upon Time (2001) xiii. 302 For a close quarter-hour we danced. quarter-litre n. ΚΠ 1859 N.Y. Times 1 Sept. 2/5 A man..declares that for sixty years he has drunk three quarter litres (nearly two bottles) of brandy, four cups of coffee, and four litres of cider a day. 1978 J. Sherwood Limericks of Lachasse iv. 48 [He] had drunk only a quarter-litre of light carafe wine. 2006 Observer (Nexis) 2 July 28 A quarter-litre of cooking oil, half a dozen eggs, and 4 kilos of rice and beans. quarter pay n. ΚΠ 1691 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) II. 275 The seamen shall be..kept in quarter pay till spring. 1798 tr. P. Barras & Lagarde Let. in Coll. State Papers War against France VI. ii. 14 The pensions of all military persons will be revised into half or quarter pay, discharged like it, exactly and monthly. 1843 J. F. Cooper Wyandotte I. ix. 141 With my present feelings, I should indeed be sorry to be on half-pay, or quarter-pay, were there such a thing. 1957 Times 31 Oct. 11/6 A scheme on such lines could probably yield quarter-pay pensions payable from 65 (for both sexes). 2003 Bath Chron. (Nexis) 25 Oct. 10 Long-suffering spa staff were yesterday told that they were being put on quarter pay for 12 weeks. quarter pint n. ΚΠ 1627 J. Taylor Armado sig. B6 By measure from the halfe quarter Pinte to the whole quarter Sacke. 1744 G. Berkeley Let. to Hanmer 21 Aug. in .A. C. Fraser Life & Lett. G. Berkeley (1871) viii. 299 You may take this quantity either in half-pint or quarter-pint glasses. 1853 Times 28 Dec. 6/2 The unhappy sufferers are duly restricted to their quarter-pint draughts of brown stout. 1978 R. Mills Comprehensive Educ. 15 Lunch was finished off with a quarter-pint bottle of milk. 2003 Org. Gardening Sept. 43/3 Roughly chop half a pound of rosehips and add them to the apple pulp with a further quarter pint of water. quarter rations n. ΚΠ 1824 Edinb. Advertiser 15 Oct. 245/1 The women and children of soldiers are to have one quarter rations.] 1827 Jrnl. Officer King's German Legion xviii. 181 The bread, which had been for some time limited to quarter rations, was now advanced to double the quantity. 1856 C. J. Lever Martins of Cro' Martin 201 A shipwrecked crew reduced to quarter-rations. 1994 Irish Times (Nexis) 4 June (Weekend Suppl.) 1 The UN food agency is now feeding a million Burundians and Rwandans with quarter rations. quarter-truth n. [after half-truth n.] ΚΠ a1864 in S. S. Cox Eight Years in Congr. (1865) 367 Human nature is imperfect; it can ordinarily take in only half or quarter truths. 1954 Times 29 Oct. 9/4 We would in fact greatly prefer him, instead of trotting out misleading quarter-truths..to make it clear that he knew nothing about us. 1991 J. Simpson in Observer 28 Apr. 23/1 The war and the rebellions have changed everything in Baghdad. There's even information nowadays, instead of the old quarter-truths. quarter yard n. ΚΠ ?c1450 in Anglia (1896) 18 323 His stalke is quarter ȝerde longe. 1737 in Proc. Sessions London & Middlesex I. 15/1 Elizabeth Nugent, was indicted for stealing..1 quarter yard of cambrick. 1886 Petersons Mag. Jan. 99/2 The old-fashioned pagoda sleeve..is a quarter-yard or more wide at the hand. 1991 Ornament Autumn 43/3 I purchased a quarter yard of about ten fabrics, and brought plaited fabric imagery to life on my first jacket. b. Forming adjectives and adverbs. quarter-hourly adv. and adj. ΚΠ 1851 Abstr. Papers Royal Soc. 1843–50 5 908 In Borneo an observatory was established at Sarawak, where observations were taken quarter-hourly for three months. 1860 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 7 317 This change, if quarter-hourly records be required, will make it necessary to re-wind the clock too often. 2001 Daily Mail (Nexis) 27 Jan. 41 The quarter-hourly chimes of the clock had prevented him from having a single decent night's sleep in six years. quarter-inch adj. ΚΠ 1684 Minutes Hudson's Bay Co. (1946) II. 291 2 penmaules 6 inch chissells, 6 halfe inch chissells, 6 quarter inch chissells. 1786 Daily Universal Reg. 4 July 3/2 A large Roman building,..the most curious and beautiful of the sort, ever beheld in that part of the kingdom. It is paved with quarter inch squares. 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 58 Nearly all of them are to a quarter-inch scale. 1994 N.Y. Times 11 Jan. c 8/4 A tape drive, of which the most popular forms are quarter-inch cassette (QIC) and DAT cassettes, makes it more convenient to perform regular backups. quarter-size adj. ΚΠ 1830 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters (ed. 2) III. viii. 282 His own portrait, quarter size,..is very masterful and natural. 1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 3 A quarter-size ‘detective’ camera. 1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xiv. 208 The lake was sunk to quarter size, it had horrible raw banks of clay, that smelled of raw rottenish water. 1997 Independent 24 Jan. i. 1/1 The developers plan to spend $100m putting two quarter-size models in the air before the end of 1999. quarter-striking adj. ΚΠ 1866 Times 25 June 16/4 (advt.) A casket of valuable jewellery, including..a quarter striking clock, by Viner. 1959 Times 6 Mar. 12/5 A Breguet gold and enamelled quarter-striking, quarter-repeating clock watch. 2006 Western Mail (Cardiff) (Nexis) 3 June 30 Dating to around 1830, this clock has the desirable feature of a moonphase in the arch, as well as being quarter-striking—and it's in perfect condition. quarter-witted adj. [after half-witted adj.] ΚΠ ?1785 John Thompson's Man 14 An old mapsie, murlie, mupit,..weazel-faced, quarter-witted, punch-lipped..and idiotical World's Wonder. 1864 A. Wallace Sc. Tales iii. 38 A quarter-witted individual from Muthil. 1972 P. Green Shadow of Parthenon 128 They vaguely assume their young readers to be either quarter-witted miniature adults or innocent prelapsarian angels. 2005 Leicester Mercury (Nexis) 29 Sept. 10 How to sum up the moronic morass of this half-baked, quarter-witted movie? quarter-yearly adv. ΚΠ 1693 in Acts & Laws Massachusetts-Bay (1724) 48 The Clerk of each Troop and Company, once a Quarter yearly, shall take an exact List of all Persons living within the Precincts of such Troop or Company.] 1791 Deb. Congr. U.S. (1834) II. 2012 The interest of the debt should be paid quarter-yearly. 1861 Army Regulations 154 Every officer having public money to account for, and failing to render his account thereof quarter-yearly,..will be promptly dismissed. 1996 Dominion (Wellington) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 2 The survey, which polls households quarter-yearly on their income and expenditure, is one of the most requested pieces of research performed by the company. c. Chiefly in the names of coins: designating a monetary value one quarter that of the unit specified, or a coin of this value (now chiefly historical). quarter-angel n. ΚΠ 1544 in C. M. A. H. Williams Eng. Hist. Documents (1996) vi. 1015 The royal gold ‘being weight’ shall henceforth be of the value of 12s. the angel 8s., half angel 4s. and quarter angel 2s. 1726 S. M. Leake Nummi Britannici Historia 67 Angels, Half Angels,..and quarter Angels. 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 223 Quarter-angel. 1963 A. Feaveryear Pound Sterling 437 Angelets or half-angels were also issued in proportion at all periods, and quarter-angels in 1544 and from 1560 onwards. 2002 G. Davies Hist. Money v. 208 Tudor tradesmen had a bewildering variety of coinage denominations to supply their needs,..the half-pound, crown, half-crown, ryal, angel, half-angel, quarter-angel [etc.]. quarter dollar n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > North American coins > U.S. quarter dollar1615 bit1683 quarter1776 cent1782 dollar1785 dime1786 eagle1786 half-dollar1786 half-eagle1786 sharpshin1804 picayune1805 caser1825 pic1839 double eagle1849 slug1851 hog1859 pine tree money1859 martin bita1884 meter1940 1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates xxiii. 676 Besides the dollars there are quarter dollars and halfe quarters [Fr. outre les talers il y a des quarts & demy quarts de talers]. 1729 T. Prior Observ. Coin 64 Four Quarter Dollars, and each of them wanted a little of Weight. 1837 H. Martineau Society in Amer. II. 89 The lowest price..was a quarter-dollar per acre. 1904 J. Conrad Nostromo ii. vii. 208 He had also given her a quarter dollar, he mentioned carelessly. 1992 F. McLynn Hearts of Darkness ii. ix. 192 In lobesi pieces of pottery were chipped into wheels about the size of an American quarter dollar. quarter ducat n. ΚΠ 1639 J. Ford Ladies Triall v. sig. I3^v Pistoll a stragler for a quarter Ducate. 1766 T. Nugent Let. 1 Dec. in Trav. Germany (1768) II. xxi. 333 A quarter ducat, d°. 1860 Descr. Anc. & Mod. Coins (U.S. Bureau of Mint) 341 Quarter ducat. Obv. A lion rampant, wielding a sword, and supporting a shield. 1918 A. Lowell Can Grande's Castle 193 Come, I will throw in the moon. A quarter-ducat for the moon, good people. 2002 M. Talbot Business of Music i. 27 Sant' Angelo was still charging only one lira and eleven soldi (a quarter ducat) for nightly entry to the theatre. quarter eagle n. ΚΠ 1792 Senate Jrnl. 12 Jan. 92 There shall be..struck and coined..Quarter Eagles—each to be of the value of two dollars and a half dollar. 1874 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 524 Eagles..Half-eagles..Quarter-eagles. 1948 Catal. U.S. Gold Coins (Numismatic Gallery) 8 No quarter eagles were minted in 1799, 1800 or 1801. 1984 Coin Monthly Jan. 97/2 Quarter eagles of the early 1900s are the commonest on offer, in any grade of condition. quarter-florin n. ΚΠ 1707 W. Fleetwood Chronicon Preciosum ii. 21 The Quarter Floren he [sc. Fabian] calls a Farthing, val is. viiid. 1859 Times 28 Feb. 10/4 The cash payments of the Bank are not entirely suspended, for the public can still get a few quarter-florin coins in exchange for bank-notes. 1997 J. Cannon Oxf. Compan. Brit. Hist. 224 The innovation of Edward III's reign was the introduction in 1344 of gold coins—a florin (6 shillings), half-florin, and quarter-florin. quarter-guinea n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > guinea or twenty-one shillings > half- or quarter-guinea smelt1635 quarter-guinea1695 half-guinea1696 1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 11 A Guinea should be established at Four and Twenty Shillings, which, if Coined into Quarter-Guinea's, would be very useful in way of Trade. 1777 Ann. Reg. 1776 140 Quarter guineas more deficient in weight than..1 dwt. 8 grs. 1803 Hatchett in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 93 137 George I. a quarter-guinea. 1990 Jrnl. Econ. Hist. 50 792 The attempt to introduce a quarter-guinea coin..failed in 1718. quarter noble n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > noble or angel > quarter-noble farthing (of gold)1463 farthing-noble15.. quarter noble1577 1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 947/1 Before that time, there were no other coynes, but the Noble, halfe noble, and quarter noble. 1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 35 A Pound Weight of Gold..was to contain Thirty nine Nobles and a Half..or a proportionable Number of Half-Nobles, and Quarter-Nobles. 1714 W. Nicolson Eng. Hist. Libr. (ed. 2) iii. vii. 259 In the first Year of this Reign [sc. of Henry the Sixth] the Rose-Nobles, Half-Nobles and Quarter-Nobles, changed their Name and Value. 1841 Times 15 Apr. 5/2 There are silver groats of Henry V., 1413–1422, struck at Calais; and gold nobles and quarter-nobles. 1992 Guardian (Nexis) 24 Oct. 53 Prospecting on his 53rd birthday he dug up a gold quarter noble, dropped from someone's purse when Edward III was on the throne. quarter-pound n. ΚΠ 1778 J. Middleton Correct Bk. Interest 280 Account the Pence of one Day so many Pounds, so many quarter Pounds, so many Shillings, and so many Pence. 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 223 Quarter-pound. quarter shekel n. ΚΠ 1702 R. L'Estrange tr. Josephus Jewish Antiq. vi. v. in Wks. 154 The Servant told him that He Himself had a Quarter-Sicle left yet. 1899 J. Hastings Dict. Bible Extra vol. 652/1 The circumstance that some bread or a quarter shekel should be considered sufficient remuneration for him. 1904 J. Hastings Dict. Bible Extra vol. 652/1 Luckily, however, the servant has a quarter shekel, and this they propose to give him. 1996 Vetus Testamentum 46 448 Saul..makes sure that he has an adequate gratuity for the prophet, in this case, a quarter shekel of silver. quarter-shilling n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > coin of 4d quarter-shilling1561 fourpenny bit or piece1597 fourpence1852 Joey1865 Joe1882 fourpenny1883 1561 Procl. Abassing Coynes in Stafford Exam. Complaints (1876) 101 The Quarter shilling That was curraunt for iij d shalbe curraunt for ij d. 1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 50 Half-shillings, Groats, Quarter-Shillings, Half-Groats. 1762 T. Snelling View Silver Coin Eng. 28 All the pieces of the good silver, from the quarter shilling to the crown, are common, but the penny is extremely rare. 1870 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 33 61 The 10-farthing pieces..might gradually replace the 3d. piece, quarter shilling, now current. 1959 Times 8 Jan. 8 [In South Africa's new decimal currency] the sixpenny piece and threepenny piece..will most likely be designated a half-shilling and a quarter-shilling. quarter sovereign n. ΚΠ 1745 S. M. Leake Hist. Acct. Eng. Money (ed. 2) 247 There are some few half and quarter Sovereigns of this Sort, with Graining both upon the flat and thick Edge of the Rim. 1827 Times 22 Nov. 2/3 The other contained gold, whole, half, and quarter sovereigns, and sceptre pieces of King James. 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 224 James I—Gold [Coins]—Rose-royal..quarter-sovereign, Britain-crown. 1982 Times 4 Sept. 9/6 Dare one hope that..this 20p piece..will be replaced by one worthy to join the rest of our coinage? If so, let it be the more logical 25p piece, the ‘quarter sovereign’. d. Military. With the name of a piece of ordnance: designating a small size of the item specified, as quarter cannon, quarter-culverin, quarter-slang, quarter-sling, etc. (cf. half adj. 8). Now chiefly historical. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > piece of artillery > [noun] > small or short pieces murderer1495 curtala1509 minion1513 passe-volant1513 pikmoyane1513 saker1521 base1539 robinet1547 quarter cannon?a1549 bersec1550 murdresarc1550 yetling1558 battardc1565 demi-cannon1577 calabass1578 double curtal1582 demi-culverin1587 rabinet1596 murdering piece1601 drake1627 putter1646 cartow1650 putterlingc1650 minion drakea1661 cut1672 under-saker1678 murther1688 carronade1779 carthoun1849 ?a1549 Inventory Henry VIII (1998) I. 102/2 Ordinaunce Artillery Munycyons... Quarter slynges. a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 251 Small artaillȝie, that is to say..quarter fallcouns, slingis [etc.]. 1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words at Quarto cannone A quarter Cannon, which is but weakely fortifide or mettalled. 1639 R. Ward Animadversions of Warre i. iv. xlv. 111 The Pellican or Bastard quarter-Culverin..the weight of her shot is 6.l...the weight of the Peece is 2550.l. 1684 J. P. von Valcaren Relation Siege Vienna 111 Quarter Cannon, each 12 pound 306. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Pellican The Name of an ancient Piece of Ordinance, equal to a Quarter-Culverin, and carrying a Ball of six Pounds. 1873 Amer. Cycl. 786/2 [Forty-eight, twenty-four, twelve, and six-pounders], called cannons, half cannons, quarter cannons, and falcons. 1997 W. C. Kirwin Powers Matchless ii. 50 At the fortress of Ancona there were examples of full cannon,..quarter cannon, culverin..and half culverin. e. In the names of persons having or demonstrating a quarter (or a small part) of the attributes suggested by the second element. † quarter carrier n. Obsolete ΚΠ a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) i. ii. 108 Were he A quarter carrier of that honour, which His Enemy come in. View more context for this quotation † quarter fairy n. Obsolete ΚΠ a1635 T. Randolph Amyntas v. vi. 106 in Poems (1638) They doe caper Like quarter Fairies at the least. † quarter-ruler n. Obsolete ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > joint ruler > [noun] > one of specific number of quartermaster1541 duumvir1600 quarter-ruler1610 tetrarcha1661 decemvir1703 quadrumvir1790 pentarch1798 duarch1848 decarch1852 dodecarch1882 1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God iv. xi. 169 Lette Iupiter be..but a quarter-ruler with his bretheren and sisters [L. modo inde suas partes sorori & fratribus cedat]. † quarter-tyrant n. Obsolete ΚΠ a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1883) I. 116 The lawes..as some have written, were as quarter-tirants. C2. With sense ‘quarterly, quarter's’ (cf. 2b) . † quarter-almoner n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1638 W. Chillingworth Relig. Protestants Pref. to Author Charity Maintained sig. §§§3^v With an eye perhaps that themselves would be his quarter Almoners. † quarter feast n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1616 B. Jonson Epicœne ii. iv, in Wks. I. 547 It is his quarter-feast, sir. View more context for this quotation 1763 H. Walpole in D. N. Smith Oxf. Bk. Eighteenth-Cent. Verse (1926) 483 And as each quarter feast comes round A silver penny shall be found Within the compass of her shoe. quarter salary n. ΚΠ 1728 Stamford Mercury 11 Jan. 15 A Quarter of the Civil List Pensions due at Christmas last is now paying; as is also a Quarter Salary and Extraordinaries to all his Majesty's Ministers in the Foreign Courts due at Michaelmas last. 1831 Frederick (Maryland) Town Herald 20 Aug. 1/6 If it had not been for a certain woman, Van Buren's out-fit and quarter salary would be saved. 1997 Notes & Rec. Royal Soc. 51 174 The signature of one of Mills's Executors for receiving Mills's quarter salary due at Michaelmas 1670. † quarter sermon n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1571 E. Grindal Articles §62. sig. C.ij^v, in Iniunctions Prouince of Yorke Dioces, by exacting or taking excessiue fees, excessiue procurations, anie rewardes, or commodities, by the way of promotion, gift, contribution, helpe, redemption of penaunce, omission of quarter Sermons [etc.]. 1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. L2 Preaching their quarter sermons themselues. 1602 in N. Malcolm Aspects of Hobbes (2002) i. 3 For want of quarter sermons and for not cathechisinge the younge. † quarter-service n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1537 H. Latimer Injunctions to Clergy in Serm. & Remains (1845) (modernized text) II. 243 Any services in your churches, either trental, quarter-service, or other. † quartersupper n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1592 in Acts Priv. Counc. New Ser. XXII. 564 Irysche customes as..Quartersupers called Quidraighe. C3. Nautical. With sense ‘of, belonging to, or positioned on the quarter of a ship’ (sense 24a; see also the second element). quarter-bitt n. ΚΠ 1885 Times 29 Oct. 13/5 The port quarter bitts of the Normanton were torn away owing to the heavy strain, and the hawsers..were then carried to the forward bitts and there secured. 1919 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 27 July iv. 7/5 The woman took his arm and led him gently to a quarter-bitt, where he rested for a moment. † quarter-check n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. viii. 94 Request that he will cast off the quarter check. 1897 J. Conrad Nigger of ‘Narcissus’ v. 114 ‘Let go your quarter-checks!’.. The ropes splashed heavily falling in the water. quarter-davit n. ΚΠ 1833 J. E. Alexander Transatlantic Sketches II. ix. 233 They..placed them [sc. the passengers] with their baggage, in a boat hanging from the quarter davits. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-davits, pieces of iron or timber with sheaves or blocks at their outer ends, projecting from a vessel's quarters, to hoist boats up to. 1988 P. O'Brian Let. of Marque ii. 58 Her captain..was urging Jack not to get his boats off the booms—Tartarus had quarter-davits. quarter fast n. ΚΠ 1834 Naut. Mag. Sept. 514 It was necessary to..use these cables, which is much preferable to laying an anchor out for the larboard quarter-fast. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 117 Fast, a rope or chain by which a vessel is secured to a wharf or quay. They are called bow, head, quarter, and stern fasts. 1849 W. J. S. Pullen Jrnl. 22 Aug. in R. Maguire Jrnl. (1988) II. 457 All the boats [were]..swamped..by a sudden shift of wind..breaking their quarter fasts. 1913 B. Heckstall-Smith Dixon Kemp's Man. Yacht & Boat Sailing (ed. 11) 720/2 Quarter Fast.—A warp or rope made fast to the quarter. quarter knee n. [compare knee n. 7a] ΚΠ 1864 Times 4 Jan. 7/4 A quantity of wreckage, consisting of cabin fittings, lower and upper decks, timber, beams, quarter knees, and a large portion of the mainmast belonging to the ship Clifton. 1941 C. O'Brien Sea-boats, Oars, & Sails ii. 22 Breast-hook and quarter-knees..connect the gunwales with the stem and transom respectively. 2005 Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (Nexis) 15 May cu6 Plans were tacked up on the classroom walls telling the students how to put together gunwales, transoms, quarter knees and daggerboards. † quarter-netting n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1615 J. van Spilbergen in R. Silverberg Longest Voy. (1997) vi. 445 Each commander, captain, or skipper, shall place them [sc. sailors] in a safe spot under the quarternettings fore and aft. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarter-netting, a sort of net-work, extended along the rails on the upper part of a ship's quarter. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-Nettings, the place alloted on the quarters for the stowage of hammocks. 1871 Zell's Pop. Encycl. II. 696/2 Long cloths of painted canvas, extending on the exterior side of the quarter-netting from the upper part of the galley of a ship to the gangway. quarter port n. ΚΠ 1711 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) at Transome To come in with a Ship's Transome, is just betwixt her Gun-Room-Port and her Quarter-Port. 1786 Edinb. Advertiser 26 May 1/3 I left Mr. Benger in the stern-gallery, and got out of the quarter-ports into the mizen chain, and jumped overboard. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-ports, those made in the after side-timbers and especially in round-stern vessels. 1959 F. Friedel Golden Age Amer. Hist. 347 The frigates were kept in this position by the fluke of the Shannon's anchor catching in the Chesapeake's quarter port. quarter-rail n. ΚΠ 1754 G. G. Beekman Let. 21 Oct. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 230 [Bad weather] Carried away her Quarter Rails on Starboard Quarter. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Quarter-rails, are narrow-moulded planks, generally of fir, reaching from the top of the stern to the gangway. 1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 139 Quarter-rails, rails fixed into stanchions from the stern to the gangway, and serving as a fence. 1981 P. O'Brian Ionian Mission (1996) x. 314 Babbington..was leaning on the quarter-rail with a very pretty young woman in a sort of pink, lacy garment. quarter-railing n. ΚΠ 1795 Let. 17 June in Look before you Leap (1796) iii. 48 The sea then struck her with such force that it knocked thirty persons down, at the same time staving in quarter-railing on the weather side. 1806 Times 13 Oct. 3/3 The General, being an excellent swimmer, made the quarter railing. 1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. II. vi. iii. 100 Antony..was leaning over the quarter railing of the galley. 1863 H. W. Longfellow Musician's Tale xx. i, in Tales Wayside Inn 156 He sat concealed,..behind the quarter-railing. 1922 Kansas (Missouri) City Star 12 Jan. 23 Turning, I was upon the quarter-railing in a single leap. quarter stanchion n. ΚΠ 1832 Times 23 Mar. 7/2 The William..carried away her quarter stanchion, bulwarks, stove her boat, and did other damage. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 243 Quarter-stanchions, strong stanchions in the quarters of a square-sterned vessel, one of which forms the outmost boundary of the stern on either side: it connects the main rail with the taffrail; [etc.]. 1910 Times 29 July 4/2 He found that the cargo was not lost by perils of the sea, but by the absence of the quarter stanchions, which caused a weakness of structure. C4. † quarter-ail n. Obsolete Irish English and British regional = blackleg n. 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of cattle, horse, or sheep > [noun] > disorders of cattle or sheep > quarter-ill quarter evila1722 black quarter1768 hyan1789 spauld-ill1793 quarter-ail1794 quarter ill1797 black spauld1807 1794 J. Billingsley Gen. View Agric. Somerset 109 A disorder provincially called the Quarter Ail, which is a mortification beginning at the hock. 1887 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 24 161 There is another contagious cattle disease, which generally attacks young animals of the best breeds, and is known in the Gaelic districts as ceat·ram·a-d·ub·, the ‘black quarter’, and elsewhere as black-leg or quarter-ail. † quarter-ale n. Obsolete an ‘ale’ (ale n. 2) held by the people of a certain quarter (or perhaps quarterly). ΚΠ 1574 Proviso in Lease in Worsley Hist. Isle Wight 210 If the Quarter shall need..to make a Quarter-Ale, or Church-Ale. quarter-allowance n. (a) quarter of a (usual) ration or allowance; (b) a quarterly allowance. ΚΠ 1699 A. Boyer Royal Dict. at Quartier Quarter-allowance. 1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins I. vi. 40 Though we had lived at quarter Allowance, and but just saved Life, our Food, except a little Water, was all gone, and this caused us quite to despair. 1898 Fresno (Calif.) Bee 17 Feb. 7/1 The people were on quarter allowance, with much sickness among the women and children. 1911 D. Brown in D. Frost Work & Community W. Afr. Migrant Workers (1999) 69 There is no compensation for injury from the company [for those injured or incapacitated]... There are six at present who are receiving quarter allowances from our contributions. quarter-angled adj. that is at a quarter of a right angle, quarter-turned; also (Heraldry) = quadrate adj. 5. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > inclination > [adjective] > placed at an angle > specific quarter-angled1775 1775 J. Adair Hist. Amer. Indians 269 Rushed off with impetuous violence, on a quarter-angled course. 1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry (at cited word) Quarter-Angled. Same as quadrat. 1997 S. Gubar Racechanges v. 174 With its subject's quarter-angled pose, arms slightly bent, the image does seem ‘a parody of men's fashion photography of the Sears catalog school.’ † quarter-armed adj. Obsolete rare designating a variety of three-spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus) with much reduced plating on the sides of the body. ΚΠ 1880–4 F. Day Fishes Great Brit. & Ireland I. 239 Gasterosteus gymnurus... The quarter-armed or smooth-tailed stickleback. † quarter-aspect n. Astrology Obsolete rare quartile aspect; quadrature.Worcester cites Brande, but the latter's Dict. Sci., Lit., & Arts (1842, 1853) lists only quartile aspect.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1860 J. E. Worcester Dict. Eng. Lang. Quarter-aspect, the aspect of two planets, whose position are at a distance of 90° on the zodiac. quarter-badge n. Nautical (now historical) an ornamental window-surround, or a representation of a window, at the stern of a small sailing vessel. ΚΠ 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Bouteilles, the quarter-badges of a ship. 1807 J. Robinson Archæol. Græca iv. xiv. 390 To the ἀκροστόλια in the prow answered the ἄϕλαστα, quarter-badges, in the stern. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-badge, artificial galleries; a carved ornament near the stern of those vessels which have no quarter-galleries. 1893 Man. Seamanship for Boys 10 Q. What are quarter badges? A. Carved ornaments near the stern. 1990 Herald Sun (Nexis) 19 Oct. Several of her carvings, including a quarterbadge—the frame which surrounds the window of the captain's cabin in the stern of the ship—..have made the finals of the National Woodwork Competition. quarter ball n. Billiards a ball that strikes another so that a quarter of the one overlaps a quarter of the other. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > ball > ball in specific position object ball1857 quarter ball1857 spot1857 player1868 cue-ball1873 object white1904 1857 M. Phelan Game of Billiards (ed. 2) iii. 58 In the quarter-ball, half-ball and fine ball strokes, the part of the cue ball which strikes the object-ball will exactly correspond to the part which is struck. 1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 34 If the half of one overlaps the half of the other, it is a half ball; and so on for a quarter ball. Anything less than a quarter ball is called a fine ball. 1999 Scunthorpe Evening Tel. (Nexis) 2 Mar. 28 The crowd were silent as his effort landed short which meant a nasty quarter ball pink into the middle bag. † quarter basin n. Scottish Obsolete (perhaps) a basin which holds a quarter of a standard measure. ΚΠ 1796 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum V. 442 A mickle quarter bason. quarter bell n. a bell in a clock which sounds the quarter hours. ΘΚΠ the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of nut1428 peise1428 plumbc1450 Jack1498 clockwork1516 larum1542 Jack of the clockhouse1563 watch-wheel1568 work1570 plummeta1578 Jack of the clock1581 snail-cam1591 snail-work1591 pointer1596 quarter jack1604 mainspring1605 winder1606 notch-wheel1611 fusee1622 count-wheel1647 jack-wheel1647 frame1658 arbor1659 balance1660 fuse1674 hour-figure1675 stop1675 pallet1676 regulator1676 cock1678 movement1678 detent1688 savage1690 clock1696 pinwheel1696 starred wheel1696 swing-wheel1696 warning-wheel1696 watch1696 watch-part1696 hoop-wheel1704 hour-wheel1704 snail1714 step-wheel1714 tide-work1739 train1751 crutch1753 cannon pinion1764 rising board1769 remontoire1774 escapement1779 clock jack1784 locking plate1786 scapement1789 motion work1795 anchor escapement1798 scape1798 star-wheel1798 recoil escapement1800 recoiling pallet1801 recoiling scapement1801 cannon1802 hammer-tail1805 recoiling escapement1805 bottle jack1810 renovating spring1812 quarter-boy1815 pin tooth1817 solar wheel1819 impulse-teeth1825 pendulum wheel1825 pallet arbor1826 rewinder1826 rack hook1829 snail-wheel1831 quarter bell1832 tow1834 star pulley1836 watch train1838 clock train1843 raising-piece1843 wheelwork1843 gravity escapement1850 jumper1850 vertical escapement1850 time train1853 pin pallet1860 spade1862 dead well1867 stop-work1869 ringer1873 strike-or-silent1875 warning-piece1875 guard-pin1879 pendulum cock1881 warning-lever1881 beat-pin1883 fusee-piece1884 fusee-snail1884 shutter1884 tourbillion1884 tumbler1884 virgule1884 foliot1899 grasshopper1899 grasshopper escapement1899 trunk1899 pin lever1908 clock spring1933 1832 T. Reid Treat. Clock & Watch Making xi. 419 The improvement made on..the quarter bell studs..was effected by placing each bell separately on its own bell stud. a1847 G. Aguilar Vale of Cedars (1851) xxii. 167 The last quarter-bell had chimed. 1872 H. T. Ellacombe Bells of Church in Church Bells Devon viii. 393 The four quarter bells were cast. 1999 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 30 Dec. 14 Above the dial jousting knights gallop around a turret as the quarter bells strike. quarter bend n. a section of pipe bent into a quarter circle. ΚΠ 1819 T. S. Peckston Theory & Pract. Gas-lighting xv. 291 Figure 9 is a bend-pipe. It is called a quarter-bend, eighth, or sixteenth-bend, as it forms such a part of the circle of the radius with which it may be struck. 1882 Manufacturer & Builder May 114/1 This is accomplished by placing in the brick warm-air flue a short metal pipe with a trumpet-formed mouth at its lower end, a quarter bend at the upper. 1978 R. P. Singhal Home Plumber's Bible xi. 292 You will need a T, a hub-top-long quarter bend, and a vertical piece of pipe. 1988 W. G. Nash Brickwork 2 (ed. 3) xiii. 174/1 (in figure) Grating..horizontal back inlet gully..sink waste..site concrete..quarter bend. quarter-bill n. Nautical a list containing the names of the officers and crew of a ship, and the stations to which they are quartered in times of action. ΚΠ 1743 P. Saumarez Log 20 June in G. Williams Documents Relating Anson's Voy. (1967) 200 Their quarter bill..amounted to 440 men. c1745 J. Ambrose Tryal Capt. John Ambrose ix. 159/2 Was he always quartered at the Helm in the Quarter-Bills? 1850 H. Melville White-jacket lxxxix. 434 On the quarter-bills, these men were stationed at none of the great guns; on the station-bills, they had no posts at the ropes. 1995 R. Jolly Jackspeak 229 Quarterbill, a Watchbill showing the place of duty in action—or Action Station—of every man borne in the ship. quarter binding n. a style of bookbinding in which the spine is bound in one material, typically leather, and the rest of the cover in another. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun] antiquing1728 royal binding1808 Russia binding1817 gothique1818 half-binding1821 Roxburghe1839 paper cover1843 trade binding1874 tree-calf1879 Grolier1880 yapp1883 cloth-work1885 publisher's binding1885 tree-marble1885 treed calf1892 presentation binding1893 quarter leather1894 quarter calf1896 three-quarter binding1897 library binding1903 circuit-binding1909 publisher's cloth1911 quarter binding1912 loose back1923 open back1923 spring-back1923 spiral binding1949 1912 Monk & Lawrence Text Bk. Stationery Binding 140 Quarter binding. 55. 1932 A. F. Collins Bk. Crafts for Schools iii. 27 ‘Quarter-binding’..has the stronger material..on the back, and the weaker material..on the sides. 1978 A. W. Johnson Thames & Hudson Man. Bookbinding 216 (Gloss.) Quarter binding, an economical covering method in which the spine and part of the sides are covered in one material and a cheaper one is used on the remainder. 1998 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 30 June 22 Bookbinding is an ancient craft... Tutor Don Hampshire teaches students how to make basic, full, half, and quarter binding. quarter blanket n. now rare a small blanket for a horse's back. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > other cloths poitrel1490 bard1520 fore-cloth1526 bardingc1540 barb1566 pectoral1602 water-deck1721 rug1790 barbing1799 sweaters1828 quarter blanket1872 quarter cloth1894 peto1957 sweat rug1971 1872 N.Y. Herald 21 Nov. 1/3 (advt.) Horse blankets, hoods,..square sweat blankets, common stable blankets,..quarter blankets. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter-blanket..a small blanket generally used under the harness, covering the horse's back from the shoulders to the hips, though in some cases it extends no farther forward than the front of the pad. 1930 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 24 Jan. 9/5 Silver or gold mountings,..quarter blankets of leather or broadcloth. quarter block n. Nautical a block fitted under the quarter of a yard (see sense 24b). ΚΠ 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Poulies de retour d'écoutes de hune, the quarter-blocks for the top-sail sheets. 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 157 Thick-and-thin, or Quarter block, is a double block..used to lead down the topsail-sheets and clue-lines. c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 38 Topsail sheets when made of chain are rove through gins instead of quarter blocks. 1926 Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio) 25 Aug. 4/3 A lower mainsheet block and two quarter-blocks, fathoms of galvanized chain, and two Nicholson's patent anchors. 2005 I. Dear & P. Kemp Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea (ed. 2) 449/2 Quarter blocks... are used to turn down to the deck running rigging, such as the sheets of an upper sail and clew lines of the lower sail, that runs along the yard. quarter-bloke n. British Military slang now rare a quartermaster or quartermaster sergeant. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer according to function > [noun] > quartermaster quartermaster1590 fourrier1678 Q.M.1791 quartermaster captain1846 Q1916 quarter1917 quarter-bloke1918 quarter jack1930 1918 L. N. Smith Lingo of No Man's Land (2014) 62 Quarter-blocke [sic], quarter master sergeant. 1919 Athenæum 1 Aug. 695/2 The Q.M.S. (the colour-sergeant or ‘Flag’ of the Old Army) is always called the ‘Quarter Bloke’ or ‘The Bloke’. 1920 Punch 18 Aug. 137/2 It's great..To eat a daintier kind of grub than quarter-blokes provide. 1944 Gen 30 Dec. 55/2 Nickly overstepped the mark when he suggested to the quarter-bloke..that he was flogging the rations. 1950 C. MacInnes To Victors the Spoils i. 21 I'll drop back there and talk to his quarter-bloke. 1971 S. Milligan Adolf Hitler 64 A man in the battery who had actually been with my father's Regiment..said he remembered my father as the Mad Quarter-bloke. quarter-blood n. U.S. a person whose descent is only one quarter derived from a particular race (esp. North American Indian); (also) an animal, etc., only one fourth derived from a particular breed (in quot. 1943 used adjectivally). ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [noun] > person mongrel1542 of (the) half blood1697 half-caste1758 half-breed1760 lip-lap1798 quarter-breed1821 half-blood1826 half-and-half1827 quarter-blood1827 quarter-caste1859 mixed blooda1862 brown1862 miscegen1864 yellowbelly1867 breed1870 redbone1890 miscegenate1898 high yellow1910 samba1958 lightie1991 1827 Western Luminary 1 Aug. 36/4 John Ross..has got a very small portion of Indian blood in his veins, his father being a Scotsman, and his mother a half or quarter blood. 1845 Knickerbocker Mar. 236 Of this description was a quarter-blood [sc. Indian], of great beauty. 1878 J. H. Beadle Western Wilds ii. 26 The straight black hair, and nose just aquiline enough to give piquancy to the countenance, indicated the quarter-blood. 1943 Sun (Baltimore) 11 Dec. 11/5 Medium shorn domestic fleeces have had a further small sale, mostly quarter-blood. 1991 Atlantic Sept. 70/1 In fifty years quarter-blood Kaws will be like full-bloods today. It'll be a tribe of no-bloods. † quarter-blow n. Obsolete some kind of stroke or blow (cf. sense 20, and quarter-stroke n.); also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions buttc1330 overheadc1400 stopc1450 quarter-strokea1456 rabbeta1500 rakea1500 traverse1547 flourish1552 quarter-blow1555 veny1578 alarm1579 venue1591 cut1593 time1594 caricado1595 fincture1595 imbroccata1595 mandritta1595 punta riversa1595 remove1595 stramazon1595 traversa1595 imbrocado1597 passado1597 counter-time1598 foinery1598 canvasado1601 montant1601 punto1601 stock1602 embrocadoc1604 pass1604 stuck1604 stramazo1606 home thrust1622 longee1625 falsify?1635 false1637 traversion1637 canvassa1641 parade1652 flanconade1664 parry1673 fore-stroke1674 allonge1675 contretemps1684 counter1684 disengaging1684 feint1684 passing1687 under-counter1687 stringere1688 stringering1688 tempo1688 volte1688 overlapping1692 repost1692 volt-coupe1692 volting1692 disarm?1700 stamp1705 passade1706 riposte1707 swoop1711 retreat1734 lunge1748 beat1753 disengage1771 disengagement1771 opposition1771 time thrust1771 timing1771 whip1771 shifting1793 one-two1809 one-two-three1809 salute1809 estramazone1820 remise1823 engage1833 engaging1833 risposta1838 lunging1847 moulinet1861 reprise1861 stop-thrust1861 engagement1881 coupé1889 scrape1889 time attack1889 traverse1892 cut-over1897 tac-au-tac riposte1907 flèche1928 replacement1933 punta dritta1961 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. x. 221 Thei [sc. Tartares] fighte all with a quarter blow, and neither right downe, ne foyning. 1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. K3 Breaking a few quarter blowes with such countrey glaunces as they coulde. 1638 T. Heywood Wise Woman iv, in Wks. (1874) V. 330 I had my wards, and foynes, and quarter-blowes. quarter-board n. †(in early use) some kind of board used in carpentry (obsolete); (later) Nautical (in plural) pieces of wood extended around a ship's quarters and stern (now historical). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > board or plank > types of quarter-board1355 deal1400 fir-deala1450 planchettec1450 crust1486 deal-board1568 slab1573 scabbard1635 scale1683 scale-board1711 planchet1730 shinbin1791 rack deal1808 rack1835 shinlog1842 slabwood1844 1355–6 in W. H. St. J. Hope Windsor Castle (1913) I. 177 (MED) xxix quatterbordis. 1452 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 282 The selyng boord..shalbe quartere borde an inche thyk. 1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 296 Sawyng of certeyn tymbre into plankes [&] quarterbordes. 1548 in Acts Privy Council (1890) II. 174 Quarter boord, iij^ml. 1670 J. Smith England's Improvem. Reviv'd iii. 66 Tree-nails of all sizes, Planks, Inch-boards, Quarter-boards..and such like. 1786 Daily Universal Reg. 15 Dec. 4/1 On Monday the 13th November..we were struck by a heavy sea, which stove the quarter boards of both sides. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 242 Quarter-Boards or Top-gallant Quarter-Boards, a thin bulwark boarding, forming an additional height to the bulwarks at the after part of a vessel. They also get the name of Topgallant bulwarks. 2003 Libr. Jrnl. Rev. (Nexis) 15 Dec. 104 Fascinating sections on vestiges of shipbuilding techniques..such as the presence of ships' knees in house frames, rope handrails, and quarterboards. quarter boat n. (a) a small boat hung on davits at a ship's quarter; (b) U.S. a boat containing living quarters for river workmen. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessels with other specific uses > [noun] > houseboat > type of hulk1671 Tanka boat1839 shanty-boat1880 quarter boat1929 1805 E. Berry 13 Oct. in Ld. Nelson Disp. & Lett. (1846) VII. 118 (note) I ordered the weather quarter-boat to be cut away. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast vi. 13 The watch on deck were lowering away the quarter-boat. 1929 Sun (Baltimore) 23 Oct. 1/3 The President and his immediate party left Cincinnati..aboard the Greenbrier..and three other light craft—quarter boats, they are called—for the remaining members of the party. 1962 A. Davison In Wake of Gemini 228 A quarterboat is an operational center for the maintenance and repair department of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Commission. 2002 D. W. Shaw Sea shall embrace Them (2003) x. 110 He watched Gourlay set to launching the starboard quarter boat. quarter-book n. †(a) perhaps: a book containing quarterly accounts (obsolete); (b) a book recording quartering or lodgings. ΚΠ c1689 in J. Y. Akerman Moneys Secret Services Charles II & James II (1851) 146 His allowance..for returning the quarter books to S^r Edmund Turner. 1732 H. Crouch Compl. Guide to Officers of Customs in Out-ports iv. 198 The Warrants granted for the Delivery of the Goods, are to be compared with the Collector's Quarter Book. 1848 Southern Literary Messenger Jan. 51/2 The conduct of Lieut. Chadds, of the Java, who threw his quarter book into the sea,..is still fresh in the memory of all naval men. 1994 16th Cent. Jrnl. 25 962 The first formal move to alleviate this condition took place in 1563 and produced a quarterbook that indicated what rooms where [sic] available for the members of the court as well as the stalls for their horses. quarter boot n. (a) a boot reaching just above the ankle (cf. half-boot n.); (b) a leather boot (boot n.³ 5) used to protect the heels of a horse's forefeet from being injured by the hind feet. ΚΠ 1817 Times 24 Apr. 2/1 William Parkington [sc. an escaped prisoner] has..strong striped cord breaches, quarter boots, and white stockings. 1873 Janesville (Wisconsin) Gaz. 5 Aug. In the first heat she caught her hind foot in her fore quarter boot, bringing her to a dead stand still. 1901 Munsey's Mag. Aug. 736/1 The hind feet were protected with the toe boots, while the action of the front feet was stimulated by the weight of the quarter boots, made of soft sheepskin or leather. 1963 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 25 Aug. 11 Fashion favorite quarter-boots for high-style stepping this fall. 1981 E. H. Edwards Country Life Bk. Saddlery & Equipm. 173/3 Quarter boots are designed to protect the heels and coronets of the front feet. quarter-bound adj. (of a book) having quarter binding. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [adjective] full-bound1705 super-extra1774 half-bound1775 Etruscan1792 antique1794 Russia-bound1808 vellum-bound1836 vellum-covered1836 quarter-bound1842 cloth-bound1860 limp1863 cottage1874 monastic1880 parchment-bound1881 yapped1882 all along1888 Grolieresque1889 Maioli1890 perfect1890 treed calf1892 Lyonnais1893 hardback1894 dos-à-dos1952 perfect bound1960 spiral-bound1961 spiral1977 1842 Times 15 Jan. 8/2 (advt.) Alfieri Tragedie... Second edition... Neatly quarter-bound, each 1s. 6d. 1929 A. J. Vaughan Mod. Bookbinding iv. 217 Quarter Bound, where the back and some portion of the sides only of the binding consist of one material, and the remainder of the sides of another. 1999 Canberra Times (Nexis) 1 Aug. a25 A book bound with leather might be full-bound, half- bound..or quarter-bound, with just the corners and spine leather-covered. quarter-boy n. a quarter-jack in the form of a boy (also figurative). ΘΚΠ the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of nut1428 peise1428 plumbc1450 Jack1498 clockwork1516 larum1542 Jack of the clockhouse1563 watch-wheel1568 work1570 plummeta1578 Jack of the clock1581 snail-cam1591 snail-work1591 pointer1596 quarter jack1604 mainspring1605 winder1606 notch-wheel1611 fusee1622 count-wheel1647 jack-wheel1647 frame1658 arbor1659 balance1660 fuse1674 hour-figure1675 stop1675 pallet1676 regulator1676 cock1678 movement1678 detent1688 savage1690 clock1696 pinwheel1696 starred wheel1696 swing-wheel1696 warning-wheel1696 watch1696 watch-part1696 hoop-wheel1704 hour-wheel1704 snail1714 step-wheel1714 tide-work1739 train1751 crutch1753 cannon pinion1764 rising board1769 remontoire1774 escapement1779 clock jack1784 locking plate1786 scapement1789 motion work1795 anchor escapement1798 scape1798 star-wheel1798 recoil escapement1800 recoiling pallet1801 recoiling scapement1801 cannon1802 hammer-tail1805 recoiling escapement1805 bottle jack1810 renovating spring1812 quarter-boy1815 pin tooth1817 solar wheel1819 impulse-teeth1825 pendulum wheel1825 pallet arbor1826 rewinder1826 rack hook1829 snail-wheel1831 quarter bell1832 tow1834 star pulley1836 watch train1838 clock train1843 raising-piece1843 wheelwork1843 gravity escapement1850 jumper1850 vertical escapement1850 time train1853 pin pallet1860 spade1862 dead well1867 stop-work1869 ringer1873 strike-or-silent1875 warning-piece1875 guard-pin1879 pendulum cock1881 warning-lever1881 beat-pin1883 fusee-piece1884 fusee-snail1884 shutter1884 tourbillion1884 tumbler1884 virgule1884 foliot1899 grasshopper1899 grasshopper escapement1899 trunk1899 pin lever1908 clock spring1933 1815 R. Southey Jrnl. Tour in Netherlands (1902) 227 Give me an honest clock that shows its face, and a quarter-boy standing at each side. 1826 R. Southey Vindiciæ Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ 260 The machinery..by which his own quarter-boys in Fleet-street perform their office. 1900 Academy 28 Apr. 365/1 The grotesque ‘quarter-boys’—corpulent cherubs on either side of the clock—beat the quarters on the dial. 1993 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 4 Sept. e1 Small groups regularly gather underneath the clock—one of the oldest in the country—to watch the Quarterboys strike the quarter hours. quarter-bred adj. and n. (a) adj. of an animal: that is one quarter descended from a particular stock or pedigree; (b) n. New Zealand = quarterback n. 3 (also attributive or as adj.). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [noun] > Ovus Aries (domestic sheep) > specific breeds or members of > quarterback quarter-bred1852 comeback1883 quarterback1891 1852 F. L. Olmsted Walks & Talks of Amer. Farmer in Eng. xx. 175 Experience has taught the dairy-men to prefer half or quarter bred stock to full bloods of any breed. 1882 Ogilvie's Imperial Dict. (new ed.) (at cited word) Quarter-bred,..having only one-fourth good blood: said of horses, cattle, &c. 1891 R. Wallace Rural Econ. Austral. & N.Z. xviii. 259 In 1890, the better portion of the greasy quarter-bred wool fetched 1s. 2½d. a1948 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs (1951) 370 Comeback, a sheep three-quarters merino and one quarter long wool..but in New Zealand I think these sheep are often called quarterbreds or quarterbacks. 2001 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 8 July b4 From her childhood, Myers' interests revolved around horses. She raised Arabian and quarter-bred horses. quarter-breed n. U.S. = quarter-blood n. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [noun] > person mongrel1542 of (the) half blood1697 half-caste1758 half-breed1760 lip-lap1798 quarter-breed1821 half-blood1826 half-and-half1827 quarter-blood1827 quarter-caste1859 mixed blooda1862 brown1862 miscegen1864 yellowbelly1867 breed1870 redbone1890 miscegenate1898 high yellow1910 samba1958 lightie1991 1821 Christian Watchman 14 July 1/5 I saw a white woman, the wife of a Mr. Dougherty, a quarter breed, baptized, with great solemnity. 1880 Harper's Mag. Dec. 31 All four were of mixed blood their mother having been a beautiful French quarter-breed. 1939 Florida: Guide to Southernmost State (Federal Writers' Project) i. 42 The young quarter-breed was tall and erect, with an expressive countenance. 2000 P. D. Cacek Canyons 155 He held his mate, a quarter-breed named Alana he'd found on a business trip. † quarter bullet n. Obsolete rare a bullet divided into four or eight parts. ΚΠ 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xiv. 69 Quarter Bullets is..any bullet quartered in foure or eight parts. quarter butt n. Billiards a cue intermediate in length between an ordinary cue and a half-butt (half-butt n.). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > cue billiard-stick1588 stick1611 tack1688 mace1727 mast1731 cue1749 billiard-mace1785 long butt1846 quarter butt1869 half-butt1896 1869 J. Roberts & H. Buck Roberts on Billiards 136 Quarter-butt, a short butt, rather longer and much heavier than the cue, tipped with leather at the thick end, and used in playing up the table to double on balls in baulk. 1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ Billiards 27 The cue-butt or quarter-butt is larger in diameter than the cue, about 5 feet long, and leathered at the bottom. 1992 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 14 Apr. a1 Back in the pen, Mike Young is putting away his $450 cue, a Gold Medal Barracuda called a ‘quarter butt’ because the bottom piece screws off. quarter calf n. calfskin quarter binding. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun] antiquing1728 royal binding1808 Russia binding1817 gothique1818 half-binding1821 Roxburghe1839 paper cover1843 trade binding1874 tree-calf1879 Grolier1880 yapp1883 cloth-work1885 publisher's binding1885 tree-marble1885 treed calf1892 presentation binding1893 quarter leather1894 quarter calf1896 three-quarter binding1897 library binding1903 circuit-binding1909 publisher's cloth1911 quarter binding1912 loose back1923 open back1923 spring-back1923 spiral binding1949 1896 N.Y. Times 26 Apr. 8/5 (advt.) 1000 titles in children's books. Classiques Francais, Moliere, Racine, Corneille, etc., in quarter calf. 1956 Library 11 81 The binding has no corner-pieces; and so is properly called ‘quarter-calf’. 1994 Times (Nexis) 31 Dec. The facsimile edition..has been printed letterpress from etched metal plates..and handsomely bound in quarter calf. quarter cart n. now rare (regional in later use) a kind of horse-drawn cart, spec. a farm cart designed so that the horse walks in front of one of the wheels (cf. sense 29). Sc. National Dict. at quarter records the sense (from east Lothian in 1967): ‘Quarter cart, a spring cart drawn by a pony or hackney formerly used for transporting light articles to and from a farm’. ΚΠ 1771 H. Steward Catal. Furnit. Francis Laprimaudaye 1 A Whisky, Quarter Cart, two Pair of seasoned Chestnut Geldings, Harness for four Horses. 1789 Suffolk Inventory in Notes & Queries (1947) 27 Dec. 558/2 A quarter cart. 1791 J. H. Prince Let. in Orig. Lett. & Ess. 52 My next business was to procure a vehicle, and as I could get none but quarter carts at Arston, which I could not drive, I was necessitated to go to Cambridge. 1804 A. Young Gen. View Agric. Norfolk 227 Mr. Drake..carts off his turnips with quarter-carts. 1847 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 8 ii. 277 The carting off the cabbages..is done with a quarter-cart, as it is termed in Suffolk, having the shafts so placed that the horse walks before the right hand wheel; in other words, it ‘quarters’. quarter-cask n. a small cask, a cask one quarter the usual or standard size; (in early use spec.) a quarter of a hogshead or a quarter of a butt. ΚΠ 1651 G. Sylvester Let. 9 Aug. in V. T. Harlow Colonising Exped. to W. Indies & Guiana (1925) 52 [I] shall send you a barrell, and a quarter caske with lymes and lymjouse. 1704 Boston News-let. 21 Aug. 2/2 There's good..Wine to be Sold by the Pipe, Quarter Cask, or smaller Quantities. 1788 W. Gordon Hist. Independence U.S.A. ii. 108 In the palace cellar were dug up two quarter tasks of the same commodity [sc. gunpowder]. 1849 H. Melville Redburn xxviii. 169 [Danby] would patronize his own ale himself, pouring down mug after mug, as if he took himself for one of his own quarter-casks. 1890 Cent. Dict. Quarter-cask, a small cask holding 28 gallons or thereabouts. 1991 Financial Times (Nexis) 25 May (FT Weekend) p. viii Wines sold in returnable, chestnut quarter-casks, holding the equivalent of 75 bottles apiece. † quarter-cast adj. Obsolete rare (of a horse) having had one of the quarters of the hoof cut to treat disease of the foot. ΚΠ 1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Quarter-cast (with Horsemen), a Horse is said to cast his Quarter, where for any Disorder in the Coffin, there is a Necessity to cut one of the Quarters of the Hoof. 1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship Quarter-cast. A horse is said to have cast his quarters when, for any affection of his foot, he has been obliged to have one quarter of his hoof cut away. quarter-caste n. and adj. (a) n. a person of mixed ancestry who is a quarter from one descent and three-quarters from another, spec. (Australian and New Zealand) a person who is a quarter Australian Aboriginal or Maori and three-quarters white; (b) adj. relating to or designating such a person. ΘΚΠ the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [noun] > person mongrel1542 of (the) half blood1697 half-caste1758 half-breed1760 lip-lap1798 quarter-breed1821 half-blood1826 half-and-half1827 quarter-blood1827 quarter-caste1859 mixed blooda1862 brown1862 miscegen1864 yellowbelly1867 breed1870 redbone1890 miscegenate1898 high yellow1910 samba1958 lightie1991 the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > mixed race > [adjective] > person mongrel1566 mulatto-like1719 half-breeda1762 mixed breed1775 half-caste1789 half-blood1830 three-quarter-bred1902 quarter-caste1952 biracial1963 multiracial1964 1859 E. Money Wife & Ward ix. 133 She was only a quarter-caste,—or, in other words, was three parts English, and only one native. 1876 Littell's Living Age 7 Oct. 9/1 Julia..was a West-Indian creole (not a half or quarter caste, that is, but a pure white, island born). 1941 Argus (Melbourne) Week-end Mag. 15 Nov. 1/3 Slang applied to the aborigines occurs..only in the Far North, where the natives are commonly seen... Half-castes are ‘halfies’, and quarter-castes ‘creamies’. 1948 D. Ballantyne Cunninghams i. i. 6 Being up the duff to a young quarter-caste..was no joke. 1952 R. Finlayson Schooner came to Atia x. 51 The crew with the exception of the quartercaste mate were all Maori. 1979 Church Times 9 Mar. 4/3 Bishop Reeves is a ‘quarter-caste’ Maori and a graduate of St. Peter's College, Oxford. 2001 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 7 July 19 My father, Barry, is half-caste, so I suppose I am a quarter-caste. quarter-chord n. Aeronautics a quarter of the length of a chord of an aerofoil, as measured backwards from the leading edge; the point on a chord this distance from the leading edge; (also, attributive) designating a line joining such points along the span of a wing. ΘΚΠ society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > [noun] > plane or aerofoil > chord or part of chord chord1918 quarter-chord1946 1946 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 50 436/2 The centre of pressure is at the half-chord instead of approximately at the quarter-chord point. 1947 C. F. Toms Introd. Aeronautics i. 26 The quarter-point of the mean chords lies very nearly on the quarter-chord line of the wing. 1957 L. L. Beckford A.B.C. of Aeronaut. 98/2 This angle, known as Sweep Back, is measured between the lateral axis and a line drawn a quarter-chord back from the leading edges. 2000 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 358 3281 The aerofoil is subjected to a harmonic oscillation about its quarter-chord axis. quarter circle n. the shape of a quarter of a circle; an arc describing a quarter of the circumference of a circle (cf. quadrant n.¹ 3); (also) a quarter of a revolution, ninety degrees. ΚΠ 1595 J. Davis Seamans Secrets ii. sig. H2^v A quarter of a great Circle being drawne from the Pole, to the place whose Longitude is desired, and so continued to the Equinoctiall, that degree and minute in which the quarter circle dooth touch the Equator, is the Longitude of the same place. 1654 H. Phillippes Purchasers Pattern (ed. 2) 165 The half-Circle and quarter-Circle may be measured also by this rule, but other Sections are very hard and troublesome..without knowing the content of the whole Circle or Semicircle. 1853 J. H. Stocqueler Mil. Encycl. 114/1 If the battalion has been faced to the right, the men turn on this word a quarter-circle to the left. 1906 Official Handbk. Hockey Assoc. 120 In front of each goal shall be drawn a white line... This line shall be continued each way to meet the goal line by quarter-circles having the goal posts as centres. 2006 Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator (Nexis) 20 Jan. g16 Fold crepe in half over filling, then in half again to make a quarter circle. quarter-circular adj. having the form of a quarter circle. ΚΠ 1857 A. D. Sproat Endeavor towards Universal Alphabet 79 By swelling the simple marks, (half length and full length, straight and quarter circular letters) we double their number. 1895 Times 14 Jan. 11/3 The officials..after running through the one-mile professional race, over a quarter circular course,..abandoned the amateur competition. 2004 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch (Nexis) 8 Feb. s7 Between the quarter-circular colonnades are an impressive collection of statues. quarter clock n. a clock that strikes the quarter hours. ΘΚΠ the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > other types of clock watch-clock1592 German clock1598 quarter clocka1631 wheel-clock1671 table clocka1684 month clock1712 astronomical clock1719 musical clock1721 repeater1725 Tompion1727 pulling clock1733 regulator1735 eight-day clock1741 regulator clock1750 French clock1757 repetition clock1765 day clock1766 striker1778 chiming clock1789 cuckoo-clock1789 night clock1823 telltale1827 carriage clock1828 fly-clock1830 steeple clock1830 telltale clock1832 skeleton clock1842 telegraph clock1842 star clock1850 weight-clock1850 prison clock1853 crystal clock1854 pillar scroll top clock1860 sheep's-head clock1872 presentation clock1875 pillar clock1880 stop-clock1881 Waterbury1882 calendar-clock1884 ting-tang clock1884 birdcage clock1886 sheep's head1887 perpetual calendar1892 bracket clock1894 Act of Parliament clock1899 cartel clock1899 banjo-clock1903 master clock1904 lantern clock1913 time clock1919 evolutionary clock1922 lancet clock1922 atomic clock1927 quartz clock1934 clock radio1946 real-time clock1953 organ clock1956 molecular clock1974 travelling clock2014 a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 139 There was never heard quarter clock to strike. 1675 J. Smith Horol. Dialogues iv. 49 The use of Quarter Clocks is, not onely to strike the full hour on a bell, but also to strike at the end of every Quarter of an hour. 1799 Times 14 Sept. 3/4 Some very fine old china and glass, an excellent eight-day spring quarter clock, a handsome gold watch. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 217 Quarter Clock, a clock that strikes or chimes at the quarter hours. 2004 Northern Echo (Nexis) 9 June 8 A Cambridge quarter clock with 15in main wheels. quarter cloth n. (a) Nautical (usually in plural) a long piece of canvas going from the upper part of a ship's gallery to the gangway (now historical); (b) = quarter blanket n. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > other cloths poitrel1490 bard1520 fore-cloth1526 bardingc1540 barb1566 pectoral1602 water-deck1721 rug1790 barbing1799 sweaters1828 quarter blanket1872 quarter cloth1894 peto1957 sweat rug1971 1768 J. Cremer Jrnl. 19 July in R. R. Bellamy Ramblin' Jack (1936) 162 Our Capⁿ Showed him great Respeckt..with Jack Ainshent & pennant Flying; quarter Cloath, etc, verey grand. 1894 Field 9 June 828/3 The names of his two horses embroidered on the quarter cloths. 1937 Times 27 Jan. 17/3 The Hon. Ronald Strutt has given the Duke of Norfolk a paddock quarter cloth and stirrup leathers. 2005 I. Dear & P. Kemp Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea (ed. 2) 449/2 Quarter-cloths,..normally painted red,..were fixed on the outboard side of the nettings... Their purpose was to protect the hammocks, stowed by day in the nettings, from any seas breaking aboard. † quarter coal n. Obsolete rare a periodical allowance of coal made to miners.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 197 Quarter Coal... See Colliers' Coals. quarter column n. Military a formation in which columns of troops march close together, one behind another. ΚΠ 1799 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry (ed. 3) § cviii. 339 The head of the column halts, and the other divisions close up to quarter column. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 218/2 The quarter-column is the formation..most employed when large bodies of troops are working together. 1884 St. James's Gaz. 21 Aug. 5/2 A battalion of eight companies in quarter-column, that is, in column of companies one behind the other. 1999 Financial Mail (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 15 Oct. 30 They will form up in the same drill formation used a century ago—quarter column. † quarter cord n. Mining, Obsolete a division of an area of ore-bearing rock allocated to a miner, measured as a linear section 7¼ yards long (a quarter of a mere: cf. mere n.² 2; approx. 6.63 metres) or a square with sides of this length. ΚΠ 1681 T. Houghton Rara Avis in Terris 13 Article XV. We say, (by the custom of the Mine) that all Miners and their Servants may..empty their Sludge into some convenient place, within their length or quarter Cord. 1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Qijb Quartercord [is] a Measure used in laying out of Flats, 'tis a superficial Measure, and one fourth part of a Mear; it is a Square, each side being seven Yards and one Quarter long. 1851 T. Tapping Gloss. in Chron. Customs Lead Mines (E.D.S.) s.v. So long as a mine is wrought..everything upon the quarter cord belongs to the miner. quarter course n. U.S. now rare a quarter-mile racecourse. ΚΠ 1837 Spirit Times 29 July 185/2 Devoted as I am to the legitimate turf, I have ever regarded the Quarter Course, Quarter Horses, and Quarter Racing, as unworthy of the attention of the true sportsman. 1902 J. H. Mathes Gen. Forrest 364 A party of daredevils rode up in front of his tent and, staking off a quarter course, began racing their horses. quarter-crack n. a fissure or sand crack in the side wall of a horse's hoof, typically originating in the coronary band; a condition so characterized. ΚΠ 1859 Herbert's Hints to Horse-keepers xvii. 281 In riding over hard ground..the concussion of the gallop is very severe on the hoofs and legs; strains, inflammation in the feet, break down, and, worse than all, quarter-crack, are frequent penalties of a disregard of this suggestion. 1911 A. A. Holcombe in Spec. Rep. Dis. Horse (U.S. Dept. Agric.) (rev. ed.) 405 Toe-cracks are most common in the hind feet, while quarter-cracks nearly always affect the fore feet. The inside quarter is more liable to injury than the outside. 2005 Jrnl. Equine Vet. Sci. 24 48/1 Using growth factor to stimulate coronet band regrowth: using this technology in quarter-crack repair. † quarter-curtsy n. Obsolete rare a slight curtsy. ΚΠ 1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. l. 125 A quarter curt'sy, or slight inclination of the head. quarter cut adj. and n. (a) (of wood) cut into quarters along its length; = quarter-sawn adj.; (b) wood cut in this way. ΚΠ 1883 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 26 Sept. When ‘quarter cut’ scarcely any wood exceeds it [sc. gum] in beauty. 1895 Westm. Gaz. 30 Mar. 3/1 The skin of..all kinds of racing eights, is known as ‘quarter cut’. 1906 Manitoba Morning Free Press 9 Mar. 10/4 (advt.) Twelve only Rockers, in selected golden quarter-cut oak. 1979 C. Ford Making Mus. Instruments i. 23 On a quarter-cut plank of sycamore the grain is always closest and the figure most pronounced near the outside of the tree. 1993 G. McCulloch Ingenious Shop Aids & Jigs 197/2 Rift, more commonly known as quarter-cut, is produced from a log that has been cut in quarters lengthwise. quarter distance n. Military a distance for ranks intermediate between half and close distance. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > line > distance between troops quarter distance1773 touch1788 1773 R. Lambart New Syst. Mil. Discipline v. iv. 226/2 Rear Ranks. Close to quarter distance. 1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 217 The rear [divisions] quicken their march, and close up to quarter distance. 1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 30 A Battalion in Close column should first open out to quarter-distance. 1992 T. D. Veve Duke of Wellington iii. 36 The duke sought further improvement in maneuvers such as..marching in full, half, or quarter distance columns. quarter-ebb n. now rare the state or time of the tide when it has receded a quarter of the distance from its highest to its lowest point; cf. half ebb n. ΚΠ a1450 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Bodl. 619) (1872) ii. Suppl. §46. 59 Wheþir it be..half or quarter ebbe. 1582 R. Madox Diary 4 Apr. in E. S. Donno Elizabethan in 1582 (1976) 102 At 3 a clock, a quarter eb, we cam to an anchor. 1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 17 A spring tide, ebbe, a quarter ebbe, halfe ebbe. 1763 Philos. Trans. 1762 (Royal Soc.) 52 418 The first motion was most considerable, the sea advancing the first time to a quarter ebb. 1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. ii. 267 Measured from the sea at quarter-ebb tide. 1934 Geogr. Jrnl. 83 43 It is flowing..along the coast from Porthleven to Gunwalloe. Then it veers to south, and at quarter-ebb is going south-west. quarter-elliptic adj. having the shape of a quarter of an ellipse; (Mechanics) designating a leaf spring having the profile of a quarter of an ellipse. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > types of suspension elements quarter-elliptic1909 quarter-elliptical1909 wishbone1934 c1876 Draft-bk. Centennial Carriages 14/2 Binder Frères.—6 carriages, namely: Eight-spring Calèche,..English-quarter Elliptic-spring Coupé, [etc.].] 1909 Times 31 Mar. 18/4 This engine was shown complete within its frame, to which it is secured by four quarter-elliptic springs. 1963 A. Bird & F. Hutton-Stott Veteran Motor Car Pocketbk. 53 The characteristic reversed quarter-elliptic rear springs appear on the 5-litre model. 1999 Amer. Statistician 53 386/1 For asymmetric data [they]..constructed a quarter elliptic plot..where the ‘box’ consists of four quarter ellipses. quarter-elliptical adj. = quarter-elliptic adj. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [adjective] > types of suspension elements quarter-elliptic1909 quarter-elliptical1909 wishbone1934 1909 R. W. A. Brewer Motor Car xiv. 140 When quarter-elliptical springs are used they may be either shackled to the side springs or pinned to them direct. 1937 Times 13 Apr. p. vi/4 The front wheels..are independently sprung, there being four quarter-elliptical springs to each wheel. 1974 D. Broek Elem. Engin. Fracture Mech. iii. 80 The application of fracture mechanics to these ‘corner cracks’ (quarter-elliptical) and to ‘surface flaws’ or ‘part-through’ cracks (semi-elliptical) requires knowledge of the stress intensity factor. quarter face n. the face (of a person, the moon, etc.) when one quarter revealed; (Military) the action or position of facing quarter-way to the right or left (cf. half face n. 2). ΚΠ 1616 B. Jonson Forrest xii. 29 in Wks. I Let them still, Turne, vpon scorned verse, their quarter-face. 1655 J. Shirley Gentleman of Venice v. iii The moon..will shew a quarter face. 1759 E. Fage Regular Form Discipline for Militia ii. 11 First Motion, The Officer makes a Quarter face to the Right. 1890 Overland Monthly May 501/2 The whole regiment, one thousand strong, cast about as one man, making a quarter face to the right. 1992 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. (Nexis) 10 Sept. e10 A quarter-face of the moon with a perimeter of stars was..illuminated from below by a light fixture. † quarter-faced adj. Military Obsolete in a quarter face position. ΚΠ 1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. i. 33 Remain quarter-faced to the right. quarter fee n. †(a) a fee or allowance payable quarterly (obsolete); (b) historical money or service due from a vassal to a feudal superior, equal to a quarter the amount required to support one knight. ΚΠ 1615 J. Stephens Satyrical Ess. 11 Clearkes and other knaves..Will take a pention or a quarter-fee. 1798 Edinb. Advertiser 16 Oct. 2/2 The quarter fees [sc. of the School] were, a few years since, considerably raised. 1891 Eng. Hist. Rev. 6 642 The original transcriber..has changed the quarter fee of Geoffrey fitz Piers into half a fee. 1942 Eng. Hist. Rev. 57 455 The difficulty raised by Hugh de Dutton's service of two footmen for his quarter fee at Ness. 2003 Times (Nexis) 10 Oct. [In 1300] the manor of Woodcroft was held by the Woodcroft family..for half a knight's fee,..with the Preston family as sub-tenants for a quarter fee. † quarter-fish n. [ < quarter n. + fish n.²] Nautical Obsolete (usually in plural) one of four pieces of wood bound to a mast to strengthen it (cf. fish n.²). ΚΠ 1826 W. James Naval Hist. Great Brit. (new ed.) VI. 169 To render them [sc. the masts] still more secure from the effects of shot, four large quarter-fishes are girthed upon them. 1832 R. Brindley Compend. Naval Archit. xi.106 Four quarter fishes, each three inches and half thick, reaching from a little above the main-deck to the top, hooped on after the mast was made. 1890 Cent. Dict. 4898/1 Quarter-fishes,..Stout pieces of wood hooped on to a mast to strengthen it. quarter flood n. chiefly Nautical (now rare) the state or time when the tide is about a fourth of the way between low tide and high water (see quot. 1867). ΚΠ a1450 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Bodl. 619) (1872) ii. Suppl. §46. 59 Half flode, or quarter flode. 1582 R. Madox Diary 2 Apr. in E. S. Donno Elizabethan in 1582 (1976) 101 At a quarter flud we went a head with the mayn topsayl and so lowsyng we towed down past the Retch. 1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 17 [The sea] flowes, quarter floud, high water, or a still water. 1775 Let. 23 Apr. in J. Zevin Social Stud. for Twenty-First Cent. (2000) i. vi. 118 I..landed them on a point of marsh or mudland which is overflowed with the last quarter flood. 1801 Ld. Nelson 15 Aug. in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) IV. 460 At last quarter-flood, at the Pier-head. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. at Flood When the water begins to rise, it is called a young flood, next it is quarter-flood, half-flood, and top of flood, or high water. 1910 Times 11 July 3/2 The tide was last quarter flood of about 1½ knots force. † quarter-foot n. Obsolete rare = quarter-hoof n. ΚΠ 1711 London Gaz. No. 4888/4 A quarter Foot the near Foot behind. † quarter-four n. Obsolete some kind of long pole or plank (cf. sense 19, and quarter-board n.). ΚΠ 1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 66 Take a Carpenter with you at low tide, and let him bring a Hand-spike..and a nine Foot Pantile-lath or a Quarter-four..and I will venture..he can thrust down the Pantile-lath to the Rock. quarter-galley n. Nautical (now historical) a galley of about one quarter the full or typical size; cf. half-galley n. ΚΠ 1741 Let. in Ann. Europe. 1741 (1743) IV. i. ii. 257 I had a warm Attack with four Spanish Privateers, (a Flag and three Pennants) whom I took to be Half and Quarter Galleys. 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 238 Half and Quarter Galleys are rigged and navigated the same as galleys; and take this denomination from their being much shorter. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. at Galley There are also half-galleys and quarter-galleys, but found..to be of little utility except in fine weather. 1970 P. O'Brian Master & Commander (new ed.) iv. 109 She's an Algerine—a quarter-galley. quarter girth n. one quarter of the circumference of the trunk of a tree, esp. as a measurement used to calculate the cubic content of timber (cf. quarter girth measure n.). ΚΠ 1725 J. Hammond Pract. Surveyor vii. 79 Let a Tree be 24 Foot and a Half long, and its Quarter Girth 17 inches and one fourth; to find the solid Content [etc.]. 1779 C. Vyse Key to Tutor's Guide ii. ii. 305 Measurement of Solids..By Rule I. Thus, first 42 ÷ 4 = 10,5 Quarter Girth. 1856 Times 12 Sept. 4/6 Logs of from 12 to 15 feet long each. None to be less than 12 inches in quarter girth. 1894 W. Stevenson Wood 194 The Hoppus measure by string, quarter girth..on round timber, is an overmeasure in favour of the buyer. 1918 Eng. Hist. Rev. 33 480 The method of measuring timber is to multiply the length by the quarter girth (at the middle point of the tree) and subtract a sixth for bark in the case of oak and elm. 2005 Forestry & Brit. Timber (Nexis) 3 Feb. 36 With a length of 16ft and mid-diameter of 30.75in quarter-girth (39in dia), it contained a volume of 105 Hoppus feet. quarter girth measure n. a method of measuring the cubic content of a tree trunk or similar piece of timber by dividing the product of its length in feet and the square of its quarter girth in inches by 144; = Hoppus n. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > [noun] > determination of cubic content of a solid > specific system of cubic measurement centrobaric1624 off-square1662 Hoppus1894 quarter girth measure1909 1909 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 72 43 In the four principal forest kingdoms of Germany..the State forests aggregate 10,372,913 acres, the average annual yield per acre for 1907 being 53 cubic feet (quarter girth measure). 1954 W. E. Hiley Woodland Managem. ix. 127 Quarter girth or ‘hoppus’ measure. The volume of a felled log is determined by its length and the area of the cross section half way along it. The length is measured by a long tape,..and the middle girth by a specially marked short tape, known as a quarter-girth tape. 2003 G. Webster & H. A. Osmaston Hist. Uganda Forest Department 1951–1965 App. 130 Hoppus or Quarter-girth measure. quarter grain n. the grain shown in a piece of quarter-sawn timber where the growth rings appear as parallel lines and the medullary rays are visible on the face. ΚΠ 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 187 The Quarter-grain..is that Grain which is seen to run in straight Lines towards the Pitch. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 612 Clear them [sc. laths] into thicknesses by the quarter grain. 1904 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 17 Sept. 4/5 Of 245 kinds of wood treated upon, 186 photo-micrographs of sections across the grain, flat and face or quarter-grain are submitted. 1997 D. O'Donoghue Hamlyn Bk. Woodworking xii. 198/3 Modern quarter sawing: less labour intensive and wasteful. Most planks have some quarter grain. quarter ground n. now historical a division of land in the Isle of Man and Ireland; = quarterland n. ΚΠ 1593 in M. A. Mills Anc. Ordinances & Statute Laws Isle of Man (1821) 76 To pay for every Quarter Ground in respect of their..Custom Turves. 1836 Times 8 Aug. 5/5 A party of these marauders..obliged Egan to turn the poor man out of his employment..and to lower the price of quarter ground. 1957 R. D. Edwards Great Famine 444 The meaning of the word ‘conacre’ has never been satisfactorily explained. The practice had other names—‘rood land’ in Ulster, ‘quarter ground’ in Limerick. † quarter-head n. Obsolete a kind of brad or flat-nail, perhaps with a hook or projection at the end. ΚΠ 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 35 Quarter-heads, or Bill-brads for soft Wood-floors. 1774 J. Carter Builder's Mag. at Brads Joiners-Brads, flooring-Brads, batten-Brads, bill-Brads, or quarter-heads, &c. quarter heel n. †(a) = sense 22c (obsolete); (b) North American a metal protective covering or plate fitted to the heel of a shoe, a heel-cap. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter quarter piece1688 quarter heel1727 quarter1753 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > quarter > leather for quarter piece1688 quarter heel1727 quarter1753 1727 A. Hamilton New Acct. E. Indies I. vii. 67 Their Shoes..very low and stiff at the Quarter-heels. 1787 B. Bell Syst. Surg. xxxvi. 150 A third strap..had its ends passed on each side of the foot through a noose..that came round the quarter-heel of the shoe. 1975 Modesto (Calif.) Bee 30 Oct. a4/5 (advt.) Heavy pile lining and insole. Long wearing molded sole and quarter heel. 1999 Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.) (Nexis) 6 Mar. g16 Steel quarter heels on our boots, along with jangling spurs, meant..we would make a good deal of noise. quarter-hollow n. a concave moulding (moulding n.¹ 2b) that has an arc which is (approximately) a quarter circle; (also) an engraving tool used to make convex or concave mouldings (more fully quarter-hollow tool). ΚΠ 1847 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. xxiv. 519 Convex mouldings are frequently made by rectilinear tools..but the bead..the astragal..or the quarter hollows..facilitate the process..and enable it to be repeated any number of times with exact uniformity. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter-hollow Tool,..a chisel (c, Fig. 4066) for making convex moldings. 1891 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. (new ed.) at Quarter-hollow In arch., etc., a concave molding the arc of which is, or approaches, 90°, or a quadrant: the converse of a quarter-round. 1957 F. S. Meyer Handbk. Ornament 199 The last, as a quarter-hollow forms the transition between fillet and shaft. 1999 J. P. McAleer Rochester Cathedral iv. 65 The southeastern half-Romanesque/half-Gothic pier has a more elaborate base..consisting of two thin rolls above a narrow quarter-hollow. † quarter-hoof n. Obsolete rare (perhaps) a horse's hoof with one of the quarters cut (cf. quarter-cast adj.). ΚΠ 1713 London Gaz. No. 5148/12 A Quarter-hoof on one of his hind Feet. quarter hoop n. a hoop used to bind the staves of a barrel, esp. one placed intermediately between the middle of the barrel and either of its ends. ΚΠ 1853 Times 9 Feb. 2/6 (advt.) The heads and staves of the casks to be of sound oak timber,..the bilge and quarter hoops not less than one inch and a half wide each. ?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 155/2 Quarter Hoop Maker, Bender, Shaver. 1972 Bottlers' Year Bk. 1972–3 194 The ‘quarter’ hoops. 2003 San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Tribune (Nexis) 26 Dec. d1 When buying barrels, look for ones with steel quarter hoops that do not align directly with the face of the barrel rack. † quarter-hung adj. Obsolete rare (of a gun) having trunnions whose pivotal axis is below the line of the bore.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quarter-hung,..said of a gun whose trunnions have their axis below the line of bore. quarter-in-the-slot adj. U.S. (of a machine) actuated by the fall of a quarter dollar inserted through a slot; cf. penny-in-the-slot adj. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > coin-operated penny-in-the-slot1889 slot-machine1891 quarter-in-the-slot1903 coin-in-the-slot1904 coin-operated1960 1890 N.Y. Times 15 June 12/6 The seats of the theatre in question happened to be equipped with the drop-a-quarter-in-a-slot opera glass boxes.] 1903 R. L. McCardell Conversat. Chorus Girl 80 Mama de Branscombe had a quarter-in-the slot gas meter put in. 1927 N.Y. Times 28 Mar. 1/3 The Photomaton—the quarter-in-the-slot automatic photographing device which has been in use in this city since last September. 1984 Daily Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pa.) 19 July 44/1 Thousands of the quarter-in-the-slot music boxes remain unregistered, which isn't legal. quarter-iron n. Nautical (now historical) a boom-iron on the quarter of a yard. ΚΠ c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 75 On each quarter is a quarter-iron that opens with a hinge to allow the topmast studding sail booms to be raised or lowered. 1926 G. B. Douglas Ship Model Bk. v. 192/2 On the end of the lower yard a boom was fixed..and..an iron ring, quarter-iron, was fastened to the yard. quarter ladder n. Nautical (now rare) a rope ladder leading from the quarterdeck to the poop deck of a ship. ΚΠ 1760 Voy. & Cruises Commodore Walker ii. iii. 182 He..got up by the quarter-ladder in at the cabin window. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Ladder Quarter-ladders, two ladders of rope, depending from the right and left side of a ship's stern. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-Ladder, from the quarter-deck to the poop. quarter leather n. quarter binding in leather. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > manufacture or production of books > book-binding > type of binding > [noun] antiquing1728 royal binding1808 Russia binding1817 gothique1818 half-binding1821 Roxburghe1839 paper cover1843 trade binding1874 tree-calf1879 Grolier1880 yapp1883 cloth-work1885 publisher's binding1885 tree-marble1885 treed calf1892 presentation binding1893 quarter leather1894 quarter calf1896 three-quarter binding1897 library binding1903 circuit-binding1909 publisher's cloth1911 quarter binding1912 loose back1923 open back1923 spring-back1923 spiral binding1949 1894 J. Bonar Catal. Libr. Adam Smith 3 1 vol. 8vo, quarter leather. 1938 L. M. Harrod Librarians' Gloss. 124 Quarter leather. A term used to describe a book with a leather spine and cloth sides. 1963 B. C. Middleton Hist. Eng. Craft Bookbinding Technique xi. 160 It was not uncommon on the Continent in the Middle Ages for books to be bound in quarter-leather. 1995 Carpworld July 142/1 For investors and aficionados..there is an edition limited to just 137 copies, which will be bound in quarter leather. quarter left n. Military (now rare) one quarter of a right angle towards the left (also used adverbially). ΚΠ 1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 93 The..command will be given, Squadrons..Quarter or Half Left. 1916 J. N. Hall Kitchener's Mob viii. 117 Watch me clip the next one. Quarter left it is, this side the old 'ouse with the 'ole in the wall. quarter-light n. a small window; spec. (a) Nautical a porthole; †(b) a side-window in the body of a closed carriage, as distinct from the door-light (obsolete); (c) a small, usually triangular side-window on a motor vehicle for ventilation and the admission of light. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > carriage for conveying persons > [noun] > parts of > window side glass1679 quarter-light1765 society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > types of window side glass1679 wind wing1934 quarter-light1938 1765 London Mag. Aug. 409/1 Having a quarter light in the cabin I very often looked out, and last saw she had hawled up her main sail. 1822 Times 2 Feb. 3/2 The latter then uncovered her quarter-lights, and..commenced a close and well directed cannonade. 1866 Times 11 June 3 Sociable Landau to be sold, a bargain..: it is very light, with front quarter lights. 1881 Daily News 15 Sept. 3/2 The engine..struck the side of the three last carriages..smashed a number of the ‘quarter lights’. 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 157 The thick glass in the quarter-lights, the thinner plate in the door-lights, are not bought for nothing. 1938 Times 13 Oct. 8/4 The quarter lights are taken as far aft as possible. 1976 ‘Z. Stone’ Modigliani Scandal iii. i. 113 He..[was] driving with the quarter-light open and enjoying the fresh air. 2006 Daily Post (Liverpool) (Nexis) 31 May 25 The tiny triangular quarterlights at the leading lower edge of the front side windows add a patch of daylight where normally there would be a solid A-pillar. † quarter-look n. Obsolete a cursory or surreptitious glance. ΚΠ 1605 B. Jonson Sejanus v. sig. L3 Creatures, vnto whom..I would not haue vouchsaf'd a quarter-looke, Or peice of face. View more context for this quotation a1640 P. Massinger Bashful Lover i. i. 158 in 3 New Playes (1655) Observe his posture, But with a quarter-look. quarter-mile n. one fourth of a mile (approx. 0.402 km); a race over this distance. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > types of race quarter-mile1611 dead1635 diaulos1706 quarter1779 dead heat1796 match race1804 dash1836 sprint race1836 mile1851 road race1852 time trial1857 decider1858 all-ages1864 rough-up1864 hippodrome1867 distance running1868 team race1869 run-off1873 relay race1878 walk-away1879 title race1905 tortoise race1913 procession1937 stage1943 pace1968 prologue1973 the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > mile > quarter of a mile quarter-mile1611 quarter1779 1611 in H. Maule Reg. de Panmure (1874) I. p. xcv And thearfra agane neir ane qwarter mile. 1796 Edinb. Advertiser 10 June 376/2 The mail coach from Glasgow to London passing within a quarter mile of the lands. 1891 N.E.D at Enter v. Have you entered for the Quarter-mile? 1895 Westm. Gaz. 11 Jan. 5/2 A quarter-mile straight race for professionals. 1908 H. Day King Spruce xxvi The snub-line down the steep quarter-mile..made a cut-off that doubled the efficiency of the teams. 1997 Time Out 10 Sept. 138/4 With the European record for the quarter-mile [in dragster racing] currently standing at 4.98 seconds, you could sneeze and miss an entire run. quarter-miler n. a person, horse, etc., who runs or specializes in running quarter-mile races. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing on foot > [noun] > racing specific distance > runner miler1838 sprinter1841 quarter-miler1893 marathoner1908 half-miler1959 four-minute miler1963 ultra-marathoner1978 ultra-runner1978 1893 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 29 June Brokaw is improving every day and may develop into a very swift quarter miler. 1899 Daily News 19 July 6/5 The quarter-miler was only just leading. 1976 K. Reddick Horses 87 The history of the Quarter Horse dates back to colonial days in the Carolinas and Virginia, where match racing..was a popular sport. The competing horses (quarter-milers) were developed from local ponies. 1993 Chicago Tribune 19 June ii. 6/6 It included..Michael Johnson, the world's top-ranked quarter-miler. quarter moon n. (a) the moon as it appears with a quarter of its face illuminated, a crescent moon; (b) a time when the moon is at its first or last quarter (see sense 2c); the moon as it appears at such a time (with half its face illuminated). ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > lunar orbit > [noun] > quadrature quartile1517 quadrate1555 quadrature1555 quarter moon1601 square1667 the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > phase > [noun] > crescent moon crescent1530 increscent1572 quarter moon1601 meniscus1686 sharp moon1686 sickle-moon1876 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 121 With horned points like to a quarter moone [Fr. comme vn croissant]. 1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 55 The Course of irregular Tides about the Quartermoons. 1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. vi. 158 Now I will make dis avail me at de change of every quarter-moon. 1947 L. P. Hartley Eustace & Hilda v. 91 The quarter-moon was resting on the roofs. 1977 A. Desai in P. Collenette Winter's Tales 23 19 He..went about dividing the melon into quarter-moon portions. 1987 Cape Cod Life Apr.–May 76/2 In between, at the quarter moons, are the more moderate neap tides. quarter-night n. the time when a quarter of the night has passed (rare after 15th cent.; now poetic). ΘΚΠ the world > time > day and night > night > [noun] > watch or period into which night was divided watchc1000 night watchOE quarterc1330 vigilc1380 wakingc1384 quarter-nightc1390 morning watch1535 c1390 G. Chaucer Miller's Tale 3516 A Monday next at quarter nyght Shal falle a reyn. c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn 474 (MED) Kit went to bed & blewe out al the liȝte, And by that tyme it was nere hond quarter nyȝt. 1760 C. Johnstone Chrysal I. ii. xi. 212 This is quarter-night (said the justice) and here the ladies are come! 1975 C. Wright Bloodlines 45 Born in the quarter-night, brash Tongue on the tongueless ward, the moon down. quarter-note n. Music (a) = quarter-tone n.; (b) North American a crotchet; also attributive as quarter-note rest. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > duration of notes > [noun] > crotchet crotchetc1440 quarter-note1627 society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > quarter-tone quarter-note1627 quarter-tone1673 demi-semitone1866 quarter1902 1627 F. Bacon Sylva sylvarum §110 We haue no Musicke of Quarter-Notes; And it may be, they are not capable of Harmony; For we see the Halfe-Notes themselues doe but interpose sometimes. 1667 C. Simpson Compend. Pract. Musick 100 I am slow to believe that any good Musick (especially of many Parts) can be composed by Quarter-Notes, although I hear some talk much of it. 1763 J. Brown Diss. Poetry & Music v. 63 Quarter-Notes;..an Interval which no human Ear can precisely distinguish. 1774 Barrington in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 63 264 Such a minute interval..when a quarter-note for example might be required. 1869 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 7 Mar. Giving to this note but half its value and..retarding the time because the sixteenth-notes seem more difficult to execute than the eighth-notes or quarter-notes. 1958 R. P. Blesh & H. Janis They all played Ragtime iv. 77 Unaccented eighth notes alternating with accented quarter notes. 1989 Guitar Player Mar. 42/2 Mwenda used his thumb to play..the usual steady flow of quarter-notes. quarter-pace n. Architecture a resting place or landing where two flights of stairs converge at right angles to each other in a quarter turn. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > stairs > [noun] > landing half-pace1611 landing-place1611 rest1611 resting place1645 plate1661 hearth-pacec1675 foot pace1679 stand1709 flat1730 quarter-pace1730 landing1789 landing floor1856 1730 E. Oakley Mag. Archit., Perspective, & Sculpt. iii. 75 It is sometimes necessary to put Steps in the Quarter Paces... Where the Quarter Pace is four Foot, put four Steps. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 594 Where the height of a story is considerable, resting places are necessary, which go under the name of quarter-paces, and half-paces, according as the passenger..has to describe a quadrant or semi-circle. 2001 Archit. Hist. 44 317 A short flight very awkwardly entered from one end of the hall, a quarterpace and then..three flights..separated by further quarterpaces. quarter partition n. Building a partition or dividing wall whose framework is made of ‘quarters’ (sense 19). ΚΠ 1762 Act vesting Certain Estates St. Botolph, Billingsgate 7 Carpenters work..to divide the Stair Case from the Warehouse by a Quarter Partition. 1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 363 Proprietors of houses and grounds must..give three months' notice to pull down old party-walls, party-arches, party fence-walls, or quarter partitions. 1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. ii. iii. 543 The scantlings of the timbers of a quarter partition should vary according to the extent of bearing. 1867 Times 25 Jan. 12/3 (advt.) The remaining portion of the old Farringdon-Street station; comprising the timber roof, quarter partitions, upright timbers, external lining boards. 1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 365 Quarter partition, A stud wall. quarter peal n. Campanology a short peal comprising one quarter of the number of changes in a full peal. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > bell-ringing > [noun] > going through all the changes > changes > specific set peal16.. grandsire1668 whole pull1668 bob1671 peal1671 course1677 set changes1677 single1684 single change1688 Plain Bob1702 Stedman1731 Superlative Surprise1788 touch1788 triple1798 triple bob major1809 maximus1813 royal1813 call changes1837 slam1854 cater1872 cinques1872 triple change1872 plain hunt1874 plain hunting1874 quarter peal1888 method1901 short course1904 1888 A. P. Heywood Treat. on ‘Duffield’ vii. 53 (heading) Quarter peal. 1931 E. Morris Hist. Change Ringing iii. 53 The above twice repeated will come round at the quarter peal end. 1980 Times 7 Apr. 3/1 Bellringers at the parish church rang a quarter peal. quarter-pierced adj. Heraldry (of a cross) having a square hole in the centre where the bars intersect (cf. quater-pierced adj.). ΚΠ 1646 R. Butcher Surv. & Antiq. Stamford viii. 29 Moleneux of Haughton..beares Azure, A Crosse Molyne quarter pierced Argent. 1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Quarter Pierced, in Heraldry is when there is a hole of a square form made in the middle of a Cross. 1867 C. Boutell Eng. Heraldry vi. 55 If a small square is pierced at the intersection of the limbs, it is ‘quarter-pierced’. 1968 G. Spriggs Coat of Arms x. lxxiii. 3 The unidentified coat-of-arms..is painted below. It can be blazoned: ‘Or on a cross quarterpierced four lions rampant of the field’. 2001 Art Bull. 83 275 Over all, escutcheon, quarterly cross quarter-pierced. quarter-plate n. a photographic plate measuring 3¼ × 4¼ inches (approx. 8.3 x 10.8 cm); (also) a photograph reproduced from such a plate; frequently attributive. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > plates and films > [noun] > plate > types of screen plate1843 whole plate1850 quarter-plate1854 wet plate1859 stripping-film1885 gelatin dry plate1890 panchromatic1906 1854 Times 3 Mar. 14/2 Includes camera, first-rate double combination quarter plate lens. 1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 66 Carriers, to carry quarter plates or lantern-size plates. 1890 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 273 A beginner buying his first quarter-plate outfit. 1997 Countryman Spring 43 Quarter-plate cameras and more recent box cameras complete the collection. quarter-ply n. rare (attributive) material made to a quarter of a standard thickness, or composed of a quarter of the usual number of layers. ΚΠ 1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 3 Three yards of ragged and faded quarter-ply carpeting. 1995 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) (Nexis) 2 Apr. c3 Recently the county switched to cheaper quarter-ply toilet paper. quarter point n. Nautical (now chiefly historical) (a) the fourth part of a point of the compass, corresponding to an angle of 2° 48′ 45″ or the 128th part of a circle; †(b) each of the thirty-two points of the compass, separated by an angle of 11° 15′; (also) each of the sixteen intermediate points among these (called north by east, north-east by north, etc.) (obsolete). Cf. sense 7. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > compass > card of > point(s) of compass > fourth part of a point quarter point1674 quarter1728 1674 Gellibrand's Epitome Navigation sig. G2^v The other Columns of each Page are distinguished by the Points and quarter Points of the Compasses. 1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. I. 314/1 Each point of the compass contains the 32d part of 360, that is 11¼ degrees, or 11° 15′; consequently the half point is 5° 37′ 30″, and the quarter point 2° 48′ 45″. 1840 F. Marryat Olla Podrida III. 26 How was it possible that a man could navigate a ship with only one quarter point of the compass in his head? 1921 S. E. Morison Maritime Hist. Mass. i. 6 When a northeast snowstorm obscured Boston Light, a mistake of a quarter-point fetched up many a good ship on Cohasset rocks or the Graves. 1982 P. Clissold Layton's Dict. Naut. Words (rev. ed.) Boxing the Compass, reciting the points, or quarter points, of the compass in correct order. † quarter-pointed n. Heraldry Obsolete a charge consisting of a triangle with its base on the left edge of the shield and its apex at the centre, occupying approximately a quarter of the shield as divided by diagonal lines (per saltire). ΚΠ 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory i. x. 100 He [sc. Dier] beareth Azure, a Square, or Squire, or point removed, or Quarter Pointed,..extending from dexter Chief to the Base, and terminated in the Fesse point Or... This is Just the fourth part of the partition of a Salter, and may fitly be termed a Quarter per Salter, as the quarter is from the quarterly partition. 1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry 106/1 Quarter-Pointed, or Quarter per Saltier. Also termed a squire, or point removed. quarter pole n. U.S. a pole marking the quarter-mile distance on a racecourse. ΚΠ 1831 Amer. Turf Reg. & Sporting Mag. Oct. 93 Before they had proceeded fifty yards, she was clear more than a length, and by the time they reached the first quarter-pole, she had opened a gap of something like fifteen yards. 1868 H. Woodruff & C. J. Foster Trotting Horse Amer. xxxi. 259 At the quarter-pole she had recovered her stroke. 1894 Outing 24 142/2 Held his place until the quarter-pole was reached. 1991 Sports Illustr. 3 June 8/3 A horse he had in front by 10 lengths broke its leg at the quarter pole one night. quarter post n. U.S. (a) Surveying a post marking the boundary of a quarter-section of land; (b) Horse Racing = quarter pole n. ΚΠ 1833 Ohio Repository 28 June 1/4 Said quarter is bounded as follows, viz: Beginning at a post standing in, or near the centre of said section, (or the quarter post standing on the west side of said section,) and running east 60 rods [etc.]. 1874 Hamilton (Ohio) Examiner 8 Oct. 1/4 Gloster fell behind before he reached the quarter post, and remained behind several lengths. 1991 Chicago Daily Herald 20 May vi. 3/1 Commencing at the quarter post in the East line of said section; thence West along the quarter section line 5.19 chains. 2004 Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.) (Nexis) 1 May 29 If he gets clear off the start, and stays clear of the pack to the quarter post..he just might do it. quarter-pounder n. (a) Angling a fish weighing a quarter of a pound; (b) (also with capital initials) a hamburger made with a quarter of a pound of beef (a proprietary name in the United States). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > meat dishes > [noun] > hamburger quarter-pounder1847 Hamburg steak1884 Hamburger1889 Salisbury steak1897 cheeseburgerc1930 nutburger1934 Wimpy1935 burger1939 lamburger1939 beefburger1940 sausage-burger1942 Sloppy Joe1942 turtleburger1946 mooseburger1948 jumboburger1959 Big Mac1969 soy burger1973 slider1974 soya burger1974 the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > pound > that which weighs specific fraction of pound quarter-pounder1847 half-pounder1886 1847 Spirit of Times 18 Sept. 351/1 From this place you have fair fishing for quarter pounders. 1946 R. A. Knox Retreat for Priests viii. 82 Trying his luck as he crossed the lake, and bringing in his two quarter-pounders. 1972 Bucks County (Pa.) Courier Times 3 June 14/3 The Commission..charged McDonald's with illegally increasing prices of the quarter pounders at 500 company-owned carryouts. 2003 Macon (Georgia) Tel. (Nexis) 15 Sept. d The 77-year-old was using shrimp to catch catfish, and in his first half-hour had caught only one quarter-pounder that he threw back. 2004 New Yorker 20 Sept. 91/2 Reuben had wolfed down three Quarter Pounders, two orders of French fries, and a giant Coke. † quarter-quibble n. Obsolete (perhaps) a poor or weak pun or quibble (quibble n. 1). ΚΠ a1658 J. Cleveland Clievelandi Vindiciæ (1677) 138 He makes a Transition from Common Law to Common Reason, and he hopes to be scored up for that Quarter-Quibble. 1669 J. Dryden Wild Gallant i. i. 2 A bare clinch will serve the turn; a Carwichet, a Quarterquibble, or a Punn. 1729 T. Cooke Tales 96 Quarter-quibbles made his Heart right glad. quarter-race n. U.S. now historical a race for horses over a distance of a quarter of a mile; an event featuring this. ΚΠ 1787 H. Williamson Lett. Sylvius to Freemen Inhabitants of U.S. i. 12 We have seen a young Buck..on his way to [a] quarter-race, fitted out..with..more silver on his saddle and bridle, than the value of his father's estate. 1792 Descr. Kentucky 12 His time is employed in quarter-races, cock-fights. 1889 Harper's Mag. Aug. 386/2 [They] had foot-races for themselves, and quarter-races for their horses. 1995 B. C. Daniels Puritans at Play (1996) 174 In New England, as in the American South, the most popular type of race was the quarter-race. quarter-racer n. U.S. (now rare) = quarter horse n. ΚΠ 1779 T. Anburey Let. 14 Aug. in Trav. Interior Parts Amer. (1789) II. lxviii. 421 His horse..had been an old quarter-racer. 1887 Olean (N.Y.) Democrat 26 May Simon hitched the mule to the wagon..an' away they went like a quarter racer on the humstretch. 1968 Odessa (Texas) Amer. 25 July 3 c/4 Laico Bird, Floyd H. Jones' tiny filly who became the world's richest quarter racer as a two-year-old, is certain to be the standout in the trials. quarter-racing n. U.S. the holding of quarter-races; (now also) the racing of quarter horses. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > [noun] > types of racing steeple-hunting1772 quarter-racing1779 roading1787 pony racing1809 steeplechasing1816 steeple running1818 steeple racing1840 horse-trotting1857 plating1865 trotting1883 chasing1886 flat-racing1886 harness racing1901 flapping1911 flapper1928 point-to-pointing1952 pointing1976 1779 T. Anburey Let. 12 May in Trav. Interior Parts Amer. (1789) II. lxvi. 393 A diversion termed..quarter-racing. 1784 J. F. D. Smyth Tour U.S.A. I. ii. 14 In the southern part of the colony, and in North Carolina, they are much attached to quarter racing, which is always a match between two horses, to run one quarter of a mile streight [sic] out. 1889 Harper's Mag. Sept. 554/1 Foot-racing for the men and quarter-racing for the horses. 1907 Washington Post 7 Apr. iv. 1/2 The great game in those days was quarter racing. Plenty of Georgians owned really good race horses. 2004 Lexington (Kentucky) Herald Leader (Nexis) 3 July c10 Short distances are a major appeal of quarter horse racing... You can get caught at the wire in quarter racing, too. quarter rack n. now rare a rack (rack n.⁴ 5b) which regulates the striking of the quarters in a clock. ΚΠ 1764 Gen. Mag. Arts & Sci. June 308/1 The particulars of this curious repeating watch are as follows... Hour hammer,..Rack, chain, and pully,..Quarter and half quarter rack. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 108/2 When the quarter-rack is brought back to its original position..the part m will have passed between the end R of the all-or-nothing. 1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 80 The quarter rack has two sets of three ratchet teeth each. 1958 L. E. C. Hughes & C. F. Tweney Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 693 The snail in a chiming clock or repeater-watch which controls the number of teeth picked up on the quarter rack. † quarter-ranger n. Obsolete rare (perhaps) the ranger or keeper of a certain quarter. ΚΠ 1616 T. Overbury et al. Characters in His Wife (9th impr.) sig. R7 The gallowes are his purlues in which the hangman and hee are the quarter rangers. quarter-repeater n. a repeating watch or clock which strikes the quarter hours. ΘΚΠ the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > particular types of watch German watch1611 larum watch1619 clock-watch1625 minute watch1660 pendulum watch1664 watch1666 alarm watch1669 finger watch1679 string-watch1686 scout1688 balance-watch1690 hour-watch1697 warming-pan1699 minute pendulum watch1705 jewel watch1711 suit1718 repeater1725 Tompion1727 pendulum spring1728 second-watch1755 Geneva watch1756 cylinder-watch1765 watch-paper1777 ring watch1788 verge watch1792 watch lamp1823 hack1827 bull's-eye1833 vertical watch1838 quarter-repeater1840 turnip1840 hunting-watch1843 minute repeater1843 hunter1851 job watch1851 Geneva1852 watch-lining1856 touch watch1860 musical watch1864 lever1865 neep1866 verge1871 independent seconds watch1875 stem-winder1875 demi-hunter1884 fob-watch1884 three-quarter plate1884 wrist-watch1897 turnip-watch1898 sedan-chair watch1904 Rolex1922 Tank watch1923 strap watch1926 chatelaine watch1936 sedan clock1950 quartz watch1969 pulsar1970 1840 Times 6 Nov. 8/4 (advt.) Pianofortes, harp, and flutes, valuable flat quarter repeater by Viner, Regent-street. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 224 In a quarter repeater the last hour is struck, and afterwards the number of quarters that have elapsed since. 1976 P. O'Donnell Last Day in Limbo i. 26 A quarter-repeater by Breguet, with..blue-steel moon hands. 2001 Western Daily Press (Nexis) 17 Feb. 32–3 Top watch..was a silver quarter-repeater by John Ellicott at [£]1,250. quarter-rest n. Music a rest equal in time to a quarter-note, a crotchet-rest. ΚΠ c1851 H. W. Greatorex Coll. Psalm & Hymn Tunes p. v/2 Half rest,..quarter Rest,..eighth rest,..sixteenth rest. 1891 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) Quarter-rest... a rest or sign for silence, equivalent in time-value to a quarter-note; a crotchet-rest. 1998 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News (Nexis) 13 Dec. j1 Cantu writes a sequence of quarter-notes and quarter-rests on the chalkboard and has the kids clap the rhythm. quarter right adv. Military (now rare) one quarter of a right angle towards the right. ΚΠ 1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 72 The Troops..wheel quarter right. 1932 Times 24 Oct. 11/2 The C.I.V. Infantry..distinguished themselves just as much..by changing front quarter right under a hot fire, thus preventing our centre from being pierced. quarter-road n. (a) a road that marks the boundary of a quarter (now historical); †(b) a road with quarters separated by horse-track and ruts (obsolete). ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > road > [noun] > for wheeled vehicles wheel-waya785 quarter-road1749 wheel-road1823 motorway1897 1749 R. Lindsay Hist. Scotl. 1436 to 1565 v. 368 The same year there arose great troubles in the borders of Scotland and England, called the Quarter-roads. 1767 A. Young Farmer's Lett. 282 A broad-wheel waggon will go in any quarter-road. 1876 Mississippi in 1875 II. 1615 There were six killed on the Edgefield plantation... They were right in the quarter road. 1991 R. B. Fleming Railway King of Canada i. 6 The first surveyor of Eldon Township left many abrupt double curves in the quarter roads, which settlers attributed to his fondness for whiskey. quarter-round n. chiefly Architecture a convex moulding (moulding n.¹ 2b) having an outline of a quarter-circle, an ovolo or echinus; also attributive, as quarter round moulding, quarter round tool, etc. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > projecting moulding(s) tablementa1400 tabling1410 projecture1563 rib1608 watering table1609 tableting1610 ledge1611 quarter-round1664 cornice1670 bolection1708 dress1726 tablet?1756 dressing1789 society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > convex moulding roundel1535 ovoloa1652 quarter-round1664 round1673 baguette1728 half-round1842 the world > space > shape > curvature > curved three-dimensional shape or body > [adjective] > spherical or globular > quarter of a sphere quarter-round1963 1664 J. Evelyn tr. R. Fréart Parallel Antient Archit. i. xxxiv. 80 The remedy is at hand by adding a few Leaves or other Carvings.., with Eggs upon the quarter round. 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Echinus Termed..Ovolo by the Italians; but the English Workmen commonly call it the Quarter-round. 1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty xii. 171 Let us observe the ‘ovolo’, or quarter-round, in a cornice. 1853 J. H. Parker Some Acct. Domest. Archit. II. vi. 272 The arches and purlins are well moulded, with the quarter round and fillet. 1894 J. J. Holtzapffel Ornamental or Complex Turning ix. i. 490 The external mouldings of the frame were then completed with a quarter hollow and a quarter round tool. 1937 Times 12 May 15 Next comes the warm room of the [Roman] bath system, and..part of the cement floor, skirted with a quarter round moulding. 1963 C. R. Cowell et al. Inlays, Crowns, & Bridges iii. 23 A quarter-round bur for contra-angle handpieces is used to cut 2-mm. pinholes. 2002 Sun (Baltimore) (Nexis) 13 Apr. d1 I went over to the neighborhood hardware store and bought some 8-foot long sections of quarter-round. quarter-sack n. (originally) a sack capable of holding a quarter of grain, etc.; (later) one quarter of a sack of a specified or standard size, or the contents of this. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > bag > [noun] > sack > of specific size quarter-sackc1422 bushel-poke?1523 the world > relative properties > measurement > the scientific measurement of volume > measure(s) of capacity > [noun] > dry measure > specific dry measure units > bag or sack as unit pokec1300 sack1314 pocket1350 quarter-sackc1422 mailc1503 bag1679 sugar-bag1963 c1422 T. Hoccleve Dialogus (Durh.) l. 669 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 134 Thy wordes fille wolde a quarter sak. ?1567 Merie Tales Master Skelton sig. Cvii^v The miller hauyng a great quarter sacke. a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Cambr. 156 Quarter-sacks were here first used, men commonly carrying..eight bushels of Barly. 1726 J. Laurence New Syst. Agric. iv. 133 Horn-Shavings are sold for Eight Shillings and Six-pence the Quarter Sack. 1853 Times 6 Dec. 8/2 Flour.—Transactions have been lighter the past fortnight..though small lots of 1,000 and 2,000 sacks went off at 9.25 for whole sacks, and a slight advance for half and quarter sacks. a1979 B. D'J. Pancake Stories (1983) 65 Brownie never sold anything bigger than a quarter-sack of nails before noon. 2004 Toronto Star (Nexis) 10 Aug. a10 Soldiers from the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army controlling the area distributed a quarter sack of maize flour to each family. quarter-saw v. transitive to saw (a log) radially into quarters, to produce (a board, etc.) by quarter sawing; also intransitive with object implied. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > build or construct with wood [verb (transitive)] > saw > in specific manner or with specific saw rip1532 whip-saw1842 buck1870 jigsaw1873 ripsaw1881 mill1886 saw-kerf1886 quarter-saw1890 buzz1925 plain saw1951 1890 J. H. Miner Mill & Lumberman's Success 120 This is the only profitable way to quarter-saw. 1896 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 13 Dec. 22/3 (advt.) New mode of quarter-sawing oak lumber. 1934 Archit. Rev. 76 64/1 When logs are riven or quarter-sawn the large rays which form the silver grain are revealed to the fullest extent. 1974 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 29 Dec. 15/2 When the logs have reached the proper degree of dryness staves will be quarter sawn from them. That is, the flat boards will radiate out from the centre of the log like segments of an orange. 2002 Sault Star (Sault Saint Marie, Ont.) (Nexis) 2 Feb. e3 The wood of the chair has been quarter-sawed to bring out the rays. quarter-sawed adj. = quarter-sawn adj. ΚΠ 1883 Manufacturer & Builder June 126/3 There is no lumber that will shrink so little and wear so long as quarter-sawed. 1900 G. Ade Fables in Slang 140 A Quarter-Sawed Oak Chiffonier. 1994 Harrowsmith Apr.–May 54/1 Quartersawed lumber undergoes minimal expansion and contraction in response to changes in humidity. quarter sawing n. the method or action of producing boards by sawing a log radially into quarters and then sawing each quarter into boards so that the growth rings make angles of greater than 45° with the faces of the boards. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > [noun] > sawing or cutting > specific ripsawing1842 through-and-through sawing1876 rift sawing1881 quarter sawing1883 whip-sawing1885 sawmilling1901 plain sawing1931 1883 Manufacturer & Builder June 126/3 The expense of quarter-sawing would be considerably in excess of the usual way of manufacture. 1898 S. B. Green Forestry in Minnesota 299 Quarter-sawing... The log is first quartered and then sawed into boards, cutting then alternately from each face of the quarter of the log. 1968 F. Hilton Craft Technol. for Carpenters & Joiners i. 17 (heading) Quarter or rift sawing. 1994 Harrowsmith Apr. 54/1 Some special milling techniques do cost more than plain-sawing... One example is ordinary quartersawing, which produces lumber in which the growth rings of the wood lie at right angles to the broadest face of each board. quarter-sawn adj. subjected to or produced by quarter-sawing. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [adjective] > cut or sawn > cut or sawn in specific manner quarter cleft1666 listed1842 through-and-through-sawn1870 half-timber1874 rotary-cut1877 quarter-sawn1878 mill-run1881 flat-sawn1882 plain-sawed1888 plain-sawn1895 rift-sawn1895 radial sawn1958 radial sawed1972 1878 Manufacturer & Builder June 136/3 Quarter-sawn oak cannot crack. 1966 A. W. Lewis Gloss. Woodworking Terms 74 Quarter-sawn boards shrink less and are less liable to warp than other boards. 1990 Pract. Woodworking Mar. 94/1 (advt.) Walnut..lime, quartersawn oak, (brown and tiger), American red oak. quarter screw n. now rare each of the four screws in the compensation balance of a watch or clock, which can be repositioned or replaced by heavier or lighter screws in order to neutralize the effects of temperature variation. ΚΠ 1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 67 Drawing out the quarter screws of the balance nearest the fast position..and setting in the ones nearest the slow position. 1948 A. L. Rawlings Sci. Clocks & Watches (ed. 2) viii. 147 The quarter screws, which would be useful even in a common watch for poising the balance, are hardly ever seen when sham compensation screws are provided. 1958 L. E. C. Hughes & C. F. Tweney Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 749 The screws in the rim of a compensation balance, excluding the quarter screws. quarter seal n. Scottish now chiefly historical one of the seals of the Chancery of Scotland, having the shape and impression of a fourth part (the top half of the obverse and reverse) of the Great Seal. ΚΠ 1498 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. 185 The sade Schir Wilyeam producit the sade recognicione of the quarter sele under the quhilt walx. 1578 Kirkcudbright B. Rec. I. 85 With ane precept of sesing vnder the quarter sele. 1632 Stewartry Court Bk. Monteith 15 May Tua brevis of tutorie extract furth of our soverane lordis chancellarie vnder his hienes quarter seall. 1706 Act 6 Anne c. 11 Art. xxiv The privy seal..quarter seal and seals of Courts now used in Scotland. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 451 Royal grants proceeding on signatures, and passing the Privy Seal, Quarter Seal or Great Seal, according as they convey rights of greater or less consequence. 1922 Eng. Hist. Rev. 37 271 The quarter-seal of the Scottish Chancery..is not a quarter-seal at all, but a seal in the shape of a semicircle..modelled on the obverse and reverse of the great seal. 1931 Encycl. Law Scotl. XII. 395 The Quarter Seal is still used for gifts by the Crown as ultimus haeres. 1998 D. M. Walker Legal Hist. Scotl. V. vi. 152 The Quarter Seal was..continued by the Treaty of Union. It was a half-moon in shape and may represent a broken seal. quarter-section n. North American a measure of land equal to a quarter of a square mile or 160 acres (approx. 64.7 hectares). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of area > [noun] > a system or process of measuring land > North American unit quarter1804 quarter-section1804 1804 Statutes at Large II. 281 Public lands of the United States, the sale of which is authorized by law, may..be purchased..in entire sections, in half sections, or in quarter sections. 1879 B. Disraeli Speech 18 Sept. 2/3 Every man of fair character who comes to Canada, has a right..to obtain what is called a quarter-section of land. 1882 Contemp. Rev. Aug. 233 Each township, section, and quarter-section..marked off by mounds and posts. 1958 Herald-Tribune (Grand Prairie, Alberta) 10 Feb. 22/1 The quarter section was surrounded by a fence eight poles high with stakes held together by willow wands. 1995 Experience Lac du Bonnet Spring 24/2 An acreage a few kilometers north of Lac du Bonnet. It was a quarter-section of land with some cultivated acreage. quarter-sight n. Military (now historical) (chiefly in plural) a sight (sight n.¹ 14b) engraved on the base ring of a cannon in quarter degrees and used to set its elevation. ΚΠ 1840 Penny Cycl. XVI. 483/2 A scale of quarter degrees is graduated on the base ring... These quarter-sights, as they are called, serve to give the gun an elevation not exceeding three degrees. 1860 H. Douglas Treat. Naval Gunnery (ed. 5) iv. ii. 446 The line may be taken over the top of the piece, and the elevation afterwards regulated by the quarter-sight. 1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) 385/2 In smooth-bore guns, quarter-sights are cut on the upper quarter of the base ring, and numbered up to 3°. 1911 J. R. J. Jocelyn Hist. Royal Artillery i. 27 Quarter-sights were cut on the 28-pounders and lower natures. 2004 C. Henry & B. Delf Napoleonic Naval Armaments i. 15 The only standard sights available to the naval gunner were the quarter sights engraved on the breech ring. quarter-sling n. Nautical (now historical) one of the supports attached to a yard on either side of its centre. ΚΠ 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Quarter-Slings, are supports attached to a yard or other spar at one or both sides of (but not in) its centre. 1955 C. W. T. Layton Dict. Naut. Words & Terms 283 Quarter Slings, standing lifts of a yard, made of chain or rope, used in 16^th century. quarter snail n. a snail (snail n.¹ 5a) which forms part of the quarter hour striking mechanism on a clock or watch. ΚΠ 1764 Dublin Mag. June 385/2 The particulars of this curious watch are as follows, viz... The quarter and half quarter snail and canon pinion, [etc.]. 1816 J. Smith Mechanic 405 R is the quarter locking lever, S the end which falls upon the quarter-snail. 1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 80 The quarter snail attached to the canon pinion is doubled. 1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 693 Quarter snail (Horol.). The snail in a chiming clock or repeater-watch which controls the number of teeth picked up on the quarter rack. 1999 Catal. Summer in www.antique-watch.com (2007) (O.E.D. Archive) The pierced gilt hour wheel and polished steel quarter snail [are] visible through the centre of the blue steel plate. quarter-space n. Architecture = quarter-pace n. ΚΠ 1793 P. Nicholson Carpenter's New Guide Contents 8 To find the moulds of a stair-case circular on the plan, with a quarter space in it. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 915/1 French-flyers,..stairs that fly forwards until they reach within a length of a stair from the wall, where a quarter space occurs. 1999 J. S. Curl Dict. Archit. 632/2 Quarter-space: landing half the size of a half-space, where flights are set at 90° to each other. † quarter-spells n. Obsolete rare some kind of game. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other specific games > [noun] > others sitisota1400 papsea1450 half-bowl1477 pluck at the crow1523 white and black1555 running game1581 blow-pointa1586 hot cocklesa1586 one penny1585 cockelty bread1595 pouch1600 venter-point1600 hinch-pinch1603 hardhead1606 poor and rich1621 rowland-hoe1622 hubbub1634 handicap?a1653 owl1653 ostomachy1656 prelledsa1660 quarter-spellsa1660 yert-point1659 bob-her1702 score1710 parson has lost his cloak1712 drop (also throw) (the) handkerchief1754 French Fox1759 goal1765 warpling o' the green1768 start1788 kiss-in-the-ring1801 steal-clothes1809 steal-coat1816 petits paquets1821 bocce1828 graces1831 Jack-in-the-box1836 hot hand1849 sparrow-mumbling1852 Aunt Sally1858 gossip1880 Tambaroora1882 spoof1884 fishpond1892 nim1901 diabolo1906 Kim's game1908 beaver1910 treasure-hunt1913 roll-down1915 rock scissors paper1927 scissors cut paper1927 scissors game1927 the dozens1928 toad in the hole1930 game1932 scissors paper stone1932 Roshambo1936 Marco Polo1938 scavenger hunt1940 skish1940 rock paper scissors1947 to play chicken1949 sounding1962 joning1970 arcade game1978 a1660 N. Bacon Annalls of Ipswche (1884) 105 John Lackford accused for cheating at Games called Whistilds, Prelleds, and Quarter spells. quarter square n. Mathematics one quarter of the square of a number (esp. with reference to a method for multiplying two numbers by subtracting one quarter of the square of their difference from one quarter of the square of their sum); usually in plural. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > arithmetic or algebraic operations > [noun] > multiplication > into or by itself > square > fourth part of quarter square1841 1841 Penny Cycl. XIX. 199/2 A table which gives the squares of the halves of numbers will, by the addition of the squares of the halves or quarter-squares, give the product. 1946 A. Fletcher et al. Index Math. Tables 36 Glaisher has pointed out that the triangular numbers provide a useful variant of the quarter-squares method of multiplication. 1993 Amer. Math. Monthly 100 352 The use of identity 4AB = (A + B)² − (A − B)², which is sometimes referred to as the method of ‘quarter squares’. quarter-stake n. †(a) a wooden stake used as a support for a tree (obsolete); (b) U.S. Surveying a stake marking the boundary of a quarter-section of land; (in quot. 1826) a stake marking a quarter of a mile on a road. ΚΠ 1670 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) ii. 12 Empale them with three good quarter stakes of competent length set in triangle and made fast to one another by short pieces above and beneath. 1826 Road from Wheeling to Missouri (U.S. House Document 51) 27 The fourth quarter stake, or that at the termination of each mile, has a notch in each of its four edges. 1839 Acts of Legislature of State of Michigan 147 There shall be laid out and established a state road..running thence north northwesterly..to the quarter stake of sections twenty-one and twenty-two. 1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings 2 Section-corners and quarter-stakes, eighties, and forties, and fractions, are plain enough when one is habituated to them. 1993 Chicago Daily Herald 17 Mar. (Classified section) 7/1 Commencing at a point 7.15 chains north of the quarter stake in the south line of said Section and running thence south. quarter-stretch n. U.S. a stretch (stretch n. 8a) a quarter of a mile long, esp. the first or last quarter mile of a racecourse; (also) a race run over this. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > [noun] > course or track > parts of run-in1799 quarter-stretch1830 home run1833 hurdle1833 back stretch1839 home stretch1841 straight1846 last lap1848 straightaway1878 home straight1880 stretch1895 back-straight1905 the wall1974 1830 Amer. Turf Reg. & Sporting Mag. May 431 It being evident in the quarter stretch that Eclipse would win this heat, Henry was reined up, and came in several lengths behind. 1836 N.Y. Spirit of Times 9 July 162/1 Bay still disclaimed racing, but would run the quarter stretch for $100 to amuse the company. 1883 H. Watterson Oddities Southern Life 439 He ran a quarter stretch down the low grounds of the base. 1905 D. G. Phillips Plum Tree xiii. 176 Even had I been disposed to rein in and congratulate myself at the quarter-stretch, I could not have done it. 1985 News (Frederick, Maryland) 7 Nov. a7/5 They were in the last quarter-stretch when Sleepy Tom took off like a flash of summer lightning, leaving the field in his dust. quarter-stroke n. †(a) = quarter-blow n. (obsolete); (b) the stroke with which a clock marks the quarter hours; also figurative.In quot. a1456: a blow with a quarterstaff. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions buttc1330 overheadc1400 stopc1450 quarter-strokea1456 rabbeta1500 rakea1500 traverse1547 flourish1552 quarter-blow1555 veny1578 alarm1579 venue1591 cut1593 time1594 caricado1595 fincture1595 imbroccata1595 mandritta1595 punta riversa1595 remove1595 stramazon1595 traversa1595 imbrocado1597 passado1597 counter-time1598 foinery1598 canvasado1601 montant1601 punto1601 stock1602 embrocadoc1604 pass1604 stuck1604 stramazo1606 home thrust1622 longee1625 falsify?1635 false1637 traversion1637 canvassa1641 parade1652 flanconade1664 parry1673 fore-stroke1674 allonge1675 contretemps1684 counter1684 disengaging1684 feint1684 passing1687 under-counter1687 stringere1688 stringering1688 tempo1688 volte1688 overlapping1692 repost1692 volt-coupe1692 volting1692 disarm?1700 stamp1705 passade1706 riposte1707 swoop1711 retreat1734 lunge1748 beat1753 disengage1771 disengagement1771 opposition1771 time thrust1771 timing1771 whip1771 shifting1793 one-two1809 one-two-three1809 salute1809 estramazone1820 remise1823 engage1833 engaging1833 risposta1838 lunging1847 moulinet1861 reprise1861 stop-thrust1861 engagement1881 coupé1889 scrape1889 time attack1889 traverse1892 cut-over1897 tac-au-tac riposte1907 flèche1928 replacement1933 punta dritta1961 a1456 (a1426) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 676 (MED) His wyff haþe taught him to pleyne at þe staff; Hir quarter-strooke were so large and rounde Þat his rigge þe towche was alwey founde. 1559 J. Aylmer Harborowe sig. H They must know their quarter strookes, and the waye how to defende their head. 1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Epitome D ij Such a precher..as this, would quickly with his quarter strokes, ouerturne al religion. 1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 531 The clock-work tintinnabulum of rhyme,..such mere quarter-strokes are not for me. 1857 A. J. H. Duganne Tenant-House xi. 136 Hours stole away; and quarter strokes tinkled again and again upon the golden ball of the elaborate mantel clock. 1934 Times 30 Apr. 11/3 The quarters at Westminster are struck on four bells, and their well-known tune is more decorative than the plain quarter strokes of St. Paul's. 2000 Independent (Nexis) 16 Jan. 28 Midnight on the day of your execution. The Newgate clock struck hitherto unheeded in the background, but now every quarter-stroke is a stitch in the shroud. quarter-stuff n. †(a) = quarter timber n. (c) (obsolete); (b) wood cut to a quarter of an inch in thickness (now rare). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > timber in pieces > piece of specific size > collectively quartering1703 quarter-stuff1712 thick-stuff1769 1682 Wks. 5/145, fols 135–37 in Archit. Hist. (1999) 42 214 The frameing of which are to be out of inch and quarter stuff.] 1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 71 They make use..of Quarter-Stuff for large Plinths and Facias. 1799 Naval Chron. 2 389 Timber.., blocks, quarterstuff, candles. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1844/1 Quarter-stuff,..plank one quarter inch thick. 1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. (ed. 3) 693 Quarter stuff (Carp.). A board ¼ in. thick. 1996 W. Bucher Dict. Building Preserv. 365 Quarter stuff, (pre-20c) boards that are .25 inch thick. † quarter-tackle n. Nautical Obsolete a type of tackle fixed on the quarter of a yard and used to hoist heavy items on and off a ship; earliest in attributive use, in quarter tackle pendant (see pendant n. 4). ΚΠ 1762 Gen. Hist. Sieges & Battles iii. 191 Quarter-tackle-pendants..are fastened on the quarters of the yard, and are used for taking in or hoisting provisions, &c. 1815 W. Burney Falconer's New Universal Dict. Marine (rev. ed.) Quarter-tackle, a strong tackle fixed occasionally upon the quarter of the main or fore-yard, to hoist boats and heavy packages into and out of the ship. 1892 Rio Grande Republican (Las Cruces, New Mexico) 8 Apr. 3/2 He called upon the lieutenant in charge of the sappers and miners, asking that some arrangements be made so that the quarter tackles and recoil tackles could be worked. † quarter-tale n. Obsolete rare reckoning of (grain) by quarters. ΚΠ a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 137 For buryinge of corne by quarter-taile..to have vjd. a quarter for barley, iiijd. a quarter for oates. quarter timber n. †(a) quartered timber (obsolete); (b) Nautical (in plural) the timbers used in framing the quarters of a vessel (now rare); †(c) timber in the form of quarters (sense 19) (obsolete). ΚΠ 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 488 The quarter timber, or that which runneth with foure grains, is simply the best. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 243 Quarter-timbers, the framing timbers in a vessel's quarter. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1844/1 Quarter-timber,..scantling from 2 to 6 inches deep. 1955 Mariner's Mirror 41 310 Then comes the foot hooks (footocks), the quarter timbers and the bow timbers. quarter-tonal adj. characterized by quarter tones; consisting of or based on quarter tones. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [adjective] > style by tonal organization > specific enharmonian1603 enharmonic1603 harmonical1603 enharmoniac1681 polytonic1892 quarter-tonal1912 atonal1922 polytonal1923 pandiatonic1937 tritonal1944 serial1947 dodecaphonic1950 pantonal1958 1912 Times 6 Sept. 8/5 We believe that the tonal scale will die soon, and the quarter tonal will never come to birth. 1934 S. R. Nelson All about Jazz i. 13 Maddening is that persistent beat of the tom-toms and these quarter-tonal intervals gradually rising to an overwhelming climax. 1982 Southern Rag xii. 18/3 He explored that sort of quarter-tonal thing by having great scallops taken out of his fretboard. quarter-tonality n. the quality or condition of being quarter-tonal; this as a musical system or style. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [noun] > style by tonal organization > specific enharmonic1603 chromaticism1879 atonality1922 polytonality1923 bitonality1927 diatonism1927 atonalism1928 quarter-tonality1930 diatonicism1931 pentatonism1931 tritonality1931 pandiatonicism1937 microtonality1946 pantonality1946 dodecaphonism1951 dodecaphony1952 serialism1955 pentatonicism1958 minimalism1981 tonalism1990 1930 Proc. Musical Assoc. Apr. 92 We are dogged by such words as tonality,..quartertonality, modality. 1947 Penguin Music Mag. Sept. 11 The romantic composers of the nineteenth century..needed a new instrument—neo-modality, atonality, polytonality, quarter-tonality. 1999 Jrnl. Amer. Folklore 112 452 The voicing of ornamented vibrato..invokes the quarter tonality characteristic of Middle Eastern music. quarter-tone n. Music one half of a semitone (frequently attributive). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > quarter-tone quarter-note1627 quarter-tone1673 demi-semitone1866 quarter1902 1673 M. Locke Present Pract. Musick 15 By Harmonical Proportion of whole, half, and quarter Tones..[they] advance to That we call Composition, the Mother of all Vocal and Instrumental Musick. 1774 Steele in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 65 71 The enharmonic genus requires intervals of the diesis, or quartertone. 1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music (at cited word) The Quarter-Tone is of two kinds, viz. the major-enharmonic..and the enharmonic minor. 1866 C. Engel Introd. Study National Music ii. 45 The seven intervals of the Hindu Scale..are subdivided into twenty-two srooti, corresponding to quarter-tones. 1891 C. R. Day Mus. & Mus. Instruments S. India ii. 20 The quarter-tone system used in Syria. 1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! v. 311 The quarter-tone quartets of Aloys Haba..differ from the quartets of Brahms only through being written in the quarter-tone scale. 1959 Collins Mus. Encycl. 524/1 Alois Hába has written a number of compositions..for quarter-tone piano, and for quarter-tone harmonium. 2003 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 7 Dec. ii. 40/6 A keethara: an unusual piano with a dual keyboard, one tuned to Western scales, the other to Eastern quarter-tones. quarter-track n. †(a) = quarter course n. (obsolete); (b) a soundtrack recorded on one quarter of the width of a magnetic tape, resulting in four parallel tracks; usually attributive; (c) a quarter of a race track. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > [adjective] > recorded by specific system taped1892 phonographed1897 acoustic1926 acoustical1926 stereophonic1927 monaural1931 multitracked1931 binaural1933 multitrack1935 tape-recorded1951 telediphoned1952 stereo1954 multi-taped1955 monophonic1958 pretaped1958 mono1960 audiotaped1962 multichannel1962 quarter-track1962 Dolby1966 quadraphonic1968 tetraphonic1969 periphonic1970 quad1970 quadrasonic1970 Dolbyized1971 QS1972 Dolbyed1973 premix1977 quadro1977 1856 Defiance (Ohio) Democrat 5 Apr. We have a nice quarter track up here, wont you walk up and see the pony run? 1888 J. C. Harris Free Joe 10 There was a quarter-track,..if he chose..horse-racing. 1962 R. E. B. Hickman Magn. Recording Handbk. (ed. 3) iii. 29 Present day domestic magnetic tape recorders normally employ dual track (half-track) recording on ¼ in. tape, although four track (quarter track) recording, with alternate tracks recorded in the same direction, is also common practice. 1967 P. Spring Tape Recorders iv. 41 A correct head alignment is very much more important than in the case of a quarter-track tape recorder. 1975 G. J. King Audio Handbk. x. 226 (caption) A mono recorder lays one track on each half of the tape, the track then having approximately the width of two quarter tracks. 2004 Tennessean (Nexis) 20 June c7 Steve Pendergrass turned a 50-lap SuperTruck into a blowout, finishing almost a quarter-track ahead of runnerup David Brown. quarter-turn n. (a) a turn of 90°; this action or manoeuvre; †(b) a firearm with a barrel whose rifling (rifling n.³) twists through 90° down its length (obsolete). ΚΠ 1637 R. Monro Abridgem. Exerc. in Exped. Scots Regim. ii. 189 Close the Ranks and Files,..then say. To the right hand the quarter turne halfe or whole, as the occasion and the ground doth permit, and then say. 1692 J. Moxon Epitome Whole Art of War i. 27 The three Files G, make a quarter turn to the right. 1757 A. Cooper Compl. Distiller i. xvi. 73 Have a Pipe with a Stop-cock,..so that upon a half, or a quarter Turn, it may continually supply a little Stream of hot Water. 1810 Sporting Mag. 36 272 A quarter turn, which is the kind of rifle the line uses. 1954 W. Faulkner Fable 303 It made a rigid quarter-turn. 1995 Denver Post 11 June t6/2 In double-jacking, one miner would hammer a 4-foot hand steel while another held it, rotating it a quarter-turn after each strike. quarter-turn v. (a) transitive to turn through 90°, spec. to turn (a bell) 90° on its stock; (b) intransitive to make a quarter-turn. ΘΚΠ the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > turn round or to face a direction > make a quarter turn quarter-turn1906 the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > turn (something) to a (different) direction > turn round > by a quarter turn quarter-turn1906 society > faith > artefacts > furniture > bell > [verb (transitive)] > cause bell to make quarter-turn quarter-turn1906 1906 Sammelbände der Internationalen Musikgesellschaft 7 404 The Tenor..and 7 larger of the other bells..were ‘quarter-turned’ at the canons; to give a new surface of the sound-bow, in place of that indented by 150 years' uninterrupted wear, to the clapper. 1934 D. L. Sayers Nine Tailors 73 Rector was saying the other day as she [sc. a bell] did soon ought ter be quarter-turned. 1954 W. Faulkner Fable 384 Some twenty men with a sergeant, who halted and quarter-turned and stood them at ease. 1964 G. C. Kunzle Parallel Bars ix. 403 Quarter turn into handstand on one bar, squat off with straight legs dismount. 1992 M. Margetts Classic Crafts 98/3 Slit through the fold with a sharp knife. Quarter turn the paper to the right, fold in half again and slit. quarter-turning n. the action or process of making a quarter-turn, spec. the turning of a bell 90° on its stock. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > making or fitting instruments > [noun] > fitting bell stocking1450 clappering1526 quarter-turning1901 1901 H. E. Bulwer Gloss. Techn. Terms Bells & Ringing 3 Quarter-turning, re-attaching a bell to its ‘stock’ at right angles (or less) to its former position with reference to the latter, in order that the ‘clapper’ may strike on a fresh segment of the ‘sound-bow’. 1979 Church Times 5 Oct. 5/1 The bells [were] unsafe as they were. The bell-founders had recommended quarter-turning. quarter twist n. a twist of 90°, a quarter-turn; frequently attributive, esp. designating a mechanism which imparts motion at a right angle to some other part, as quarter-twist belt, quarter-twist drive, etc. ΚΠ 1800 Carpenters' Rules of Work (Boston) 32 Working a common quarter twist rail and capping the first post [of a stair]. 1859 Sci. Amer. 21 Nov. 329/1 The pulleys from which motion is taken for the heads, which run with quarter-twist belts. 1912 P. A. Amos Processes of Flour Manuf. xx. 166 The driving is obtained..from a central vertical shaft, which..is driven direct, with pulley and quarter-twist drive beneath the floor. 1951 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 38 309 This cataphyll and its axillary bud..are turned only one fourth of the way round... If this quarter twist were not put into effect the axillary buds..would point straight up in the air or straight down in the soil. 2003 Wichita (Kansas) Eagle (Nexis) 8 Feb. c1 Remove spent blooms by grabbing the stem with thumb and forefinger, giving it a quarter twist and pulling straight up. quarter-vine n. rare a vine of south-eastern North America, Bignonia capreolata (family Bignoniaceae), having a stem that readily splits into quarters because of a distinctive pattern of growth, with the xylem and phloem divided into four divisions; also called cross-vine. ΚΠ 1886 Bot. Gaz. 11 36 Bignonia capreolata was..known to the inhabitants, who call it the Quarter-vine, from the fact that by a little twisting the stems will cleave longitudinally along the planes whose cross-section gives the well-known ‘cross’ which has caused it to be called the ‘Cross-vine’. 1949 L. H. Bailey Man. Cultivated Plants (rev. ed.) 902 B. capreolata..Trumpet-flower. Cross-Vine. Quarter-Vine. 1970 D. S. Corell et al. Man. Vascular Plants Texas 1443 Quarter-vine, climbing in trees in moist woods in the e. Tex. pinelands. quarter-voided adj. Heraldry = quarter-pierced adj. ΚΠ 1661 S. Morgan Sphere of Gentry ii. iii. 29 Or..a Crosse quarter-voided azure. 1894 H. Gough & J. Parker Gloss. Terms Heraldry (ed. 2) 152 When..the cross is composed..of five pieces or divisions, the central being that of the field, the term quarter-pierced is used. Heraldic writers have, however, invented various terms, e.g. quarter-voided and square-pierced. 2007 www.houseofnames.com 21 Feb. (O.E.D. Archive) The cross..may be quarter-pierced or quarter-voided with the central piece where the two bars overlap removed, or voided, meaning that the center of the cross is the same colour as the field. quarter-watch n. Nautical a ship's watch composed of a quarter of the crew. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > crew > watch quarter-watch1625 watch1626 1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (MS BL Add. 21571) f. 148v Quarter-watche, that ys when one Quarter of the Companye ded watch at a tyme. 1702–11 Mil. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4) 11 Quarter-Watch is when a Quarter of the Ship's Company watches, which is us'd in Harbour, when there is no Danger. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms at Bordée Faire la petite Bordee, to set the quarter-watch. 1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S.: Hist. & Methods II. 229 On the whaling ground..they stand ‘quarter-watches’. 1998 Amer. Spectator (Nexis) July Her skipper..could not drag the harbor,..but he did mount a nighttime quarter watch instead of the usual anchor watch. quarter-wave adj. Physics (a) adj.having a thickness or a length equal to a quarter of the wavelength of a transmitted or received wave; (b) n.a length or distance equal to a quarter of a wavelength. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [adjective] > of specific wavelength quarter-wave1872 1872 J. D. Everett Deschanel's Elem. Treat. Nat. Philos. IV. lxv. 1048 When circularly-polarized light is transmitted through a Fresnel's rhomb, or through a quarter-wave plate, it becomes plane-polarized. 1894 Proc. Royal Soc. 57 81 The electrometer throws were about three times as great with an abnormal part a quarter-wave long as with one a half-wave long. 1939 Econometrica 7 61 We need only put together two operators a quarter-wave apart, to obtain a harmonic operator. 1995 Nature 30 Mar. 409/2 Piezo-ceramic sensors for distance measurements are covered with a quarter-wave layer of aerogel for acoustic impedance. quarter-wave plate n. Optics and Crystallography a plate of a birefringent substance cut parallel to the optic axis and of such a thickness that it introduces a phase difference of 90 degrees between ordinary and extraordinary rays passing normally through it. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > refraction > [noun] > double refraction > substance quarter-wave plate1872 1872 J. D. Everett Deschanel's Elem. Treat. Nat. Philos. IV. lxv. 1048 When circularly-polarized light is transmitted through a Fresnel's rhomb, or through a quarter-wave plate, it becomes plane-polarized. 1970 D. W. Tenquist et al. Univ. Optics II. iii. 109 Quarter-wave plates are usually made of quartz or of mica (sandwiched between glass plates). 1992 S. P. Maran Astron. & Astrophysics Encycl. 195/1 The quarter-wave plate has the effect of mapping the elliptical polarized states following the crystal into linear polarization states. quarter-wheeling n. Military (now historical) the action or manoeuvre of turning through a quarter of a circle. ΚΠ 1692 J. Moxon Epitome Whole Art of War 28 They that made the Quarter Wheeling, wheel by half Conversion to the Right. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Quarter Quarter Wheeling..in the Military Art, is a Motion whereby the Front of a Body of Men is turn'd round to where the Flank was. 1865 C. T. Brooks tr. J. P. F. Richter Hesperus II. xlv. 436 I had unfortunately, during the quarter-wheelings and manual evolutions of my defence, run my shoulder-blade upon the point of a sword. 1979 S. Ross From Flintlock to Rifle i. 36 To deploy from column into line, Guibert called for the use of quarter wheeling or the employment of the same method used to get from line to column. † quarter-wood n. Obsolete = quarter timber n. (a). ΚΠ 1611 in Cheshire Gloss. 275 Quarter wood att the wiche howses. 1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons French Gardiner ii. 18 To make it [sc. a support for trees] with quarter wood and bind them with Iron or brasse wyre. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). quarterv. Brit. /ˈk(w)ɔːtə/, U.S. /ˈkwɔrdər/ Forms: see quarter n.; also Scottish pre-1700 quarterrit (past participle). Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: quarter n. Etymology: < quarter n. Compare Anglo-Norman quartrer to divide (the body of a person) into four parts (late 14th cent. or earlier), Anglo-Norman quartilier, quartiller, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French quarteler, Anglo-Norman and Middle French quartiler to cut, break, or divide into four (13th cent. or earlier), to destroy (late 13th cent. or earlier), (in heraldry) to quarter (early 14th cent. or earlier), Middle French quartoyer to divide into four (1484), post-classical Latin quarterare, quarterire to divide into four (13th cent. in a British source), to divide (the body of a criminal) into four parts (c1340, 15th cent. in British sources), (in heraldry) to place or bear (a charge or coat of arms) quarterly upon a shield (from 14th cent. in British sources).In Middle English prefixed and unprefixed forms of the past participle are attested (see y- prefix). With sense 10a perhaps compare French cartayer (1740), probably < quart quart n.² + -ayer , variant of -oyer , suffix forming verbs. Compare also quart v.² 1. To cut into quarters. a. transitive. To divide (the body of a person, esp. a traitor or criminal) into four parts. Also figurative. Cf. hang v. 3, draw v. 2. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > execute [verb (transitive)] > quarter quartera1387 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 267 He was first i-dampned and þan to drawe with horses, and þan an honged by þe þrote, and þan i-quartered [?a1475 anon. tr. dividede into iiij partes; L. in quarteria divisus], and to deled in dyvers places of Engelond. a1475 J. Shirley Death James (BL Add. 5467) in Miscellanea Scotica (1818) II. 23 (MED) With an old rusty axe the said hongman smot of thare hedes, and there quartard hem. 1508 W. Kennedy Flyting (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 214 Hang Dunbar, Quarter and draw. 1553–4 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 283 For ane ax to quarter thame with. a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. i. 507 Hang'd in the frowning wrinkle of her brow, And quarter'd in her heart. View more context for this quotation 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. i. 2 The very Gospell it selfe,..is quartered, mangled, and reiected. 1662 in Proc. Soc. Antiquaries Scotl. 22 222 The said James said..he wished he had been quartered quick when she went from home yesterday. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 346 Being discover'd, betray'd,..hang'd, quarter'd. 1766 J. Entick New Hist. London II. xv. 330 Cornish was, on the 23d of the same month, hanged, drawn and quartered, at the end of King's-street, Cheapside. 1828 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. III. I. 20 At present the one hangs property, and the two quarter it. 1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 614 A few..were set apart for the hideous office of quartering the captives. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. x. [Wandering Rocks] 230 Down there Emmet was hanged, drawn and quartered. 1997 BBC Top Gear Mag. Nov. 298/3 If we printed an advert which promoted smoking..we'd be hung, drawn and quartered by the Advertising Standards Authority. b. transitive. Generally: to divide (anything) into four (roughly) equal or equivalent parts. Formerly also with †out (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > four > [verb (transitive)] > divide into four quarter1646 quadrisect1714 a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 18 (MED) Take a Capoun..& sethe hym in Water..&..quarter hym. c1500 in Prymer (E.E.T.S.) xlix Take a penyworthe of hyt, and quarter hyt in fowre. a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. D^v The streetes..Quarters the towne in foure equiuolence. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 284 As for the divisions of the yeare, and the quartering out this remarkable standard of time [etc.] . View more context for this quotation 1733 A. Pope Impertinent 10 He knows..Whose Place is quarter'd out, three Parts in four. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ix. 114 Pare and quarter your Apples, and take out the Cores. 1860 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth lvi So [to] halve their land instead of quartering it. 1957 Saltire Rev. 4 309 She quartered her pie, [and] dipped it in tomato sauce. 1994 C. McWilliam Debatable Land (1995) v. 123 With his penknife, Alec quartered the skin of an orange. †2. a. transitive. To divide into parts fewer or more than four. Also with out. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (transitive)] to-shedc888 to-dealeOE dealc950 twemea1023 to-doOE to-shiftc1122 brittenc1175 sunderc1230 depart1297 parta1300 twain15.. dividec1380 minisha1382 dressc1410 dissever1417 sever1435 quarterc1440 distinct1526 videc1540 disperse1548 several1570 separate1581 dirempt1587 distinguish1609 piecemeal1611 discrete1624 dispart1629 slit1645 parcel1652 canton1653 tripartite1653 split1707 carve1711 scind1869 c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure 1736 (MED) I walde be wellyde all qwyke and quarterde in sondre Bot I wyrke my dede. a1500 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Chetham) l. 4239 In euery strete men myght se..Dede bodyes quarterrid in thre. 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Quarter or trymme a garden, deformare aream. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. ii. sig. Aa8^v Clad all in gilden armes, with azure band Quartred athwart. View more context for this quotation 1599 T. Moffett Silkewormes 55 Send Witte the knife to quarter out their meate as need requires. 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xiv. 69 Quarter Bullets is..any bullet quartered in foure or eight parts. 1637 J. Milton Comus 2 This Ile..He quarters to his blu-hair'd deities. 1700 T. Bray Let. 1 Mar. in Several Lett. Clergy of Maryland (1701) 8 I desire you to quarter out your larger Parishes into as many Districts as you shall find necessary for their convenient Meeting together. 1754 J. Barrow Suppl. New & Universal Dict. at Augur He quartered out the heavens into so many regions, observing in which region the bird appeared. 1828 King Malcolm & Sir Colvin in P. Buchan Anc. Ballads & Songs N. Scotl. II. 8 Here is a sword..Will quarter you in three. b. transitive. to quarter out: to mark out, outline. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)] > give outline to to quarter out1600 outline1817 profile1823 skeleton1861 society > communication > indication > marking > marking out > mark out [verb (transitive)] to quarter out1600 to mark out1611 point1611 to set offa1647 to set out1653 score1687 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique ii. iv. 206 You shall quarter out [Fr. esquarrirez] a bed for leekes. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xxvii. 484 The iuice [of the fig] doth constraine the skin to fall into wreathes and to quarter out a thousand shapes [Fr. contraint la peau à se creuasser & deschirer en mille figures]. 3. Heraldry. a. transitive. To place or bear (a charge or coat of arms) quarterly upon a shield; to add (another's coat) to one's hereditary arms; to emblazon with; to place in alternate quarters with. Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > exhibit armorial bearings [verb (transitive)] > combine coats of arms > quarter quarter1605 enquarter1652 a1500 (a1450) Tournam. of Tottenham (Cambr.) (1866) 153 The chefe was of a ploo mell, And the schadow of a bell, Quartered with the mone liȝt. 1571 G. Gascoigne Deuise of Maske in Wks. (Roxb.) I. 85 Confessing that he..bare the selfe same armes that I dyd quarter in my Scute. 1605 W. Camden Remaines ii. 25 King Edward the third when he first quartered the Armes of France with England. 1615 T. Heywood Foure Prentises sig. I^v Since first I bore this shield I quartered it With this red Lyon, whom I singly once Slew in the Forrest. 1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. Pref. This faire descended Family de Littleton,..quartereth many faire Coates. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Quartering The King of Great Britain quarters with Great Britain, France, Ireland, Brunswick, &c. 1762 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting I. iv. 91 [Henry's] sacrificing the galant Earl of Surrey for quartering the arms of England, as he undoubtedly had a right to quarter them. 1854 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 3 Apr. in Eng. Notebks. (1997) I. i. 90 The royal banner of England, quartering the lion, the leopard, and the harp. 1869 J. E. Cussans Handbk. Heraldry (rev. ed.) xii. 157 Neither would their issue—being unable to quarter—be permitted to bear their maternal Coat. 1880 W. H. Dixon Royal Windsor (ed. 3) III. ix. 89 Norfolk..had quartered his wife's arms. 1950 Jrnl. Warburg & Courtald Inst. 13 162 The Gonzaga arms, superimposed upon a shield quartered with the four eagles bestowed upon the Gonzaga family by the Emperor Sigismund. 1979 Christie's Sale Catal.: Eng. Silver 21 Mar. 28 The service is engraved with the arms of Wyndham quartering Hopton. 2001 Searcher May 33/2 He himself died in 1340, leaving a son and heir, John, who quartered his father's arms with the Comyn arms of his mother. b. transitive. To divide (a shield, field) into quarters, or into any number of divisions formed by vertical and horizontal lines. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > escutcheon or shield > decorate with an escutcheon [verb (transitive)] > divide into quarters quarter1572 1572 J. Bossewell Wks. Armorie f. 71 The field is quartered d'Or and Sable, a Crosse engraled Ermyne..betwene foure Cockes. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. i. sig. N^v In his siluer shield He bore a bloodie Crosse, that quartred all the field. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Counter Counter-quarter'd..denotes the Escutcheon, after being quarter'd, to have each quarter divided again into two. 1781 J. Sterling Hist. Chevalier Bayard ii. 72 The white cross, which quartered his shield, had discoverd him to the enemy. 1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. II. vi. 171 Our arms are those of Fiesole itself, The shield quartered with white and red. 1988 T. Woodcock & J. M. Robinson Oxf. Guide to Heraldry 26 The shield itself [sc. of the Spanish Royal Arms] is quartered into: I and IV quarterly 1 and 4 Castile, 2 and 3 Leon [etc.]. †4. transitive. Building. To construct (a wall or partition) with quarters of wood (see quarter n. 19). Also with up. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > building or providing with specific parts > build or provide with specific parts [verb (transitive)] > provide with wall(s) > build or repair wall in specific way windc900 quarter1580 stuff1601 honeycomb1908 1580 in Suppl. Stiffkey Papers (1936) 49 To quarter up the sides and to do both the terrets alike. 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 278 The Walls being quarter'd and Lathed between the Timber. 1848 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 9 ii. 570 The former [circle] above the brickwork being quartered and plastered. 5. a. transitive. To put (esp. soldiers) into quarters; to station, place, or lodge in a particular place. Frequently in passive: to be lodged, have one's quarters (at or in a place). ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > providing with dwelling > [verb (transitive)] > provide with temporary accommodation > place in temporary accommodation quarter1588 billet1605 to put in (also to) pension?1605 cantonize1626 board1655 society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > quarter (troops) [verb (transitive)] furry1579 quarter1588 billet1599 cantonize1626 enquarter1642 canton1700 1588 Ld. Burghley Copie Let. to B. Mendoza 22 And first, saw the people as they were, by their Countries, lodged and quartered in their seuerall camps. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III v. iv. 10 Where is Lord Stanlie quarterd, doest thou know. View more context for this quotation 1612 W. Shute tr. T. de Fougasses Gen. Hist. Venice ii. 48 He drew nere to the walles, quartering and extending the most part of his army betwixt the hill, and the high way. 1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 221 The Duke of Parma all this Winter, quarter'd his men in the village of Brabant. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 275 After this Campaign..I was Quartered at Cremona. 1795 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) I. 2 The 33^rd Regiment was landed and quartered at Poole. 1822 W. Irving Bracebridge Hall i. 4 I am again quartered in the panelled chamber. 1882 B. D. W. Ramsay Recoll. Mil. Serv. I. i. 5 He was then quartered in Edinburgh as a lieutenant. 1929 T. Wolfe Look homeward, Angel xxvi. 360 They were quartered in a small hotel. 1956 Life 2 Apr. 35/1 He and his companions..were quartered in a villa named Sans Souci. 1993 W. Baldwin Hard to catch Mercy viii. 236 Our Sammy was presently quartered in the judge's feed shed. b. transitive. To give quarters to; to furnish (esp. soldiers) with quarters or lodgings. Also occasionally intransitive. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > providing with dwelling > [verb (transitive)] > provide with temporary accommodation innOE harbourc1150 gestena1300 guestc1330 hostelc1330 receivec1384 sojourn1390 harbry14.. shroudc1450 bestow1577 accommodate1592 board1600 quarter1603 stow1607 to put up1635 billet1637 lodge1741 room1840 to fix (a person) up1889 summer-board1889 shack1927 1603 in W. Mackay & G. S. Laing Rec. Inverness (1924) II. 12 And explanit..that Johne Cuminge ȝoungar suld haif him quhairterit. 1667 Ormonde MSS. in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 56 [Certain] inhabitants of the said towne, refuse to quarter or pay the allowances for quartering. 1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 208 They had called his Souldiers into the Town [and] coveted who should quarter the most of them. View more context for this quotation 1739 J. Phipps Vestry Laid Open ii. iii. 50 There are..a much greater Number of Publick-houses liable to receive and quarter Soldiers, than there are Soldiers to be quarter'd. 1831 Times 27 Aug. 2/5 The municipal council..calls on the inhabitants to be ready to give up their houses to quarter soldiers. 1898 Notes & Queries 9th Ser. 1 121/2 The postmasters were free from all..liability to quarter soldiers. 1967 N. Podhoretz Making It ii. vi. 185 We were stationed..in a Kasserne which had in days past quartered a detachment of Luftwaffe officers. 2006 Seattle Times (Nexis) 3 Oct. c1 You shouldn't have to quarter soldiers in your house if you don't really want to. c. transitive. With on, upon. To impose (soldiers) upon (a householder, town, etc.), to be lodged and fed. Also figurative and in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > providing with dwelling > [verb (transitive)] > provide with temporary accommodation > quarter (people) upon quarter1649 society > armed hostility > military organization > logistics > quartering > quarter (troops) [verb (transitive)] > on someone harbourc1330 cess1612 lay1612 quarter1649 1649 Perfect Summary Exact Passages Parl. No. 24. 195 If any person be quartered upon contrary to the Act, and..he hath not Justice done him,..there shall be forthwith proceedings had at a Court Martiall against the Officer for refusing to give satisfaction. 1683 Apol. Protestants France ii. 29 He quartered his Men upon those of the Protestant Religion. 1714 Spectator No. 595. ⁋6 You have Quartered all the foul Language upon me, that could be raked out of the Air of Billingsgate. 1750 C. Smith Antient & Present State of Cork iii. iv. 61 They were dismissed without any relief, and horsemen quartered on them. 1761 C. Batteux Course Belle Lettres ii. §1 i. 224 These..blood-suckers, that are now quartered on me; and whose bellies are, I fancy, pretty well filled. 1812 L. Hunt in Examiner 24 Aug. 531/1 Those upon whom the Attorney-General is pleased to quarter his attentions. 1815 J. W. Croker in L. J. Jennings Croker Papers (1884) I. 62 Blucher has quartered a guard of Prussians on him. 1844 Rep. Comm. Poor Law Scotl. 578 A person who..is a fit object for parochial relief, is disposed of by assigning to him a particular district of the parish on which he is quartered. 1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People viii. §3. 485 Soldiers were quartered on recalcitrant boroughs. 1944 J. A. Lee in D. M. Davin N.Z. Short Stories (1953) 58 All had pitched him, neck and crop, into the dusty road on other days when he had quartered himself on the neighbourhood. 2000 Eng. Hist. Rev. 115 146 In some cases rolls survive giving the names of all householders in a village, with the names of the soldier quartered on them. 6. a. intransitive. To take up quarters; to stay, reside, or lodge.In quot. 1668 in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting temporarily > [verb (intransitive)] liec1000 harbourc1200 sojournc1290 layc1300 sojourc1330 to make, take (up) one's lodging1362 pilgrimagea1382 bield?a1400 lodgec1400 tarryc1400 to make (one's) residence1433 harbingec1475 harbry1513 stay1554 roost?1555 embower1591 quarter1591 leaguer1596 allodge1601 tenta1616 visit1626 billet1628 to lie abroad1650 tabernacle1653 sojourney1657 canton1697 stop1797 to shake down1858 to hole up1875 perendinate1886 shack1935 cotch1950 1591 H. Savile tr. Tacitus Ende of Nero: Fower Bks. Hist. ii. 91 That they and the cohorts of Batauians should quarter together. 1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia iii. ii. 49 That night they quarterd in the woods. 1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) Man. i. v. 312 A remarkable Vein about the Heart..quartering on the one side, without another on the other side. 1670 R. Montagu in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 482 The whole army..will quarter there for some time. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 283 The Man in whose House I Quartered, was exceeding Civil to me. 1781 A. Hamilton Let. 10 July in Papers (1961) II. 648 I quarter, at present, by a..warm invitation, with General Lincoln. 1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters x. 262 An atmosphere of manner belonging to those who have quartered in various countries. 1927 Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe 24 Nov. 9/5 (headline) Young cub leads hunters to den in which four bears are quartering. 1977 J. B. Hilton Dead-nettle ii. 21 ‘I shall be wanting lodgings..’... ‘You weren't thinking of quartering up at the Drift, then?’ 2006 Oklahomian (Nexis) 29 Aug. a8 American colonists didn't want [English] soldiers..quartering in their homes and patrolling their neighborhoods. †b. intransitive. With on or upon (cf. sense 5c). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting temporarily > [verb (transitive)] > at other's expense sorn1563 quarter1650 1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine ii. v. 122 The Canaanites quartered..hard on the men of Asher. 1681 London Gaz. No. 1583/4 A body of men should be sent to quarter upon the Country. 7. Nautical. a. intransitive. To sail with the wind on the quarter, or between beam and stern. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of wind > avail oneself of a wind [verb (intransitive)] > sail with wind abaft the beam > sail with wind on quarter quarter1595 1595 J. Davis Seamans Secrets i. sig. G3 The nature of his sayling, whether before the winde, quartering, or by a bowling. 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. vii. 31 When you goe before the wind or quartering. a1665 K. Digby Jrnl. Voy. to Mediterranean (1868) 83 Quartering with one tacke abord till you gett your chace vpon your beame. 1726 H. de Saumarez in Philos. Trans. 1725 (Royal Soc.) 33 424 Sometimes sailing right before the Wind, then quartering. 1842 J. F. Cooper Two Admirals II. xii. 176 Followed by his own division, he wore immediately, and went off under easy sail, quartering. 1900 Nebraska State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 16 Dec. 17/5 A course quartering on the sea was then run with precisely similar results. 1973 T. McGuane Ninety-two in Shade (1974) 50 He quartered, down sea, running wide open, and the boat twisted sharply. 2001 Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Jrnl. (Nexis) 20 Feb. a4 I noticed a 40-foot pleasure boat quartering directly at our bow. b. intransitive. Of wind: to blow on a ship's quarter; (in extended use) to blow from a specified angle or direction. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > wind > blow (of the wind) [verb (intransitive)] > be favourable > blow on ship's quarter quarter1720 1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 202 She came down upon us with the Wind quartering. 1777 W. Hutchinson Treat. Pract. Seamanship 22 Plate the 1st, where the ship is represented sailing with all sails set, with the wind quartering. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 113 Leading-wind, a fair wind. More particularly applied to a wind abeam or quartering. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Driver, a large sail formerly used with the wind aft or quartering. 1901 Times 7 May 12/1 The wind came quartering as they ran down, and, Shamrock I.'s headsail drawing well, she closed on the newer yacht. 1956 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 26 Nov. 28/6 It was a day of mixed cloud and sun, with a wind quartering from off shore. 1991 Washington Post (Nexis) 1 Nov. n11 Some of the lines [of the vessels] seem strange or quaint until you study them from the helmsman's point of view, imagining the wind quartering across the tide. c. intransitive. Of the sea: to strike on the quarter of a ship. Also transitive: to strike (a ship) on the quarter. ΚΠ 1854 J. O. Choules Cruise Steam Yacht North Star xv. 212 The wind rose during the night, and the 5th was a rough day, the sea quartering upon us, and raking from the Gulf of Lyons. 1885 Chester (Pa.) Times 24 Aug. 1/5 We were on the port tack, with the sea quartering and the wind blowing a gale. 1890 W. C. Russell Ocean Trag. I. v. 94 The sea had quartered her and swept..along her lustrous bends. 1936 Times 25 May 7/5 It has been shown to be directionally stable when running either across a sea or with the sea quartering on bow or stern. 1991 Ships Monthly Apr. 24/3 A heavy sea quartering from the stern made dramatic frothy assaults on the lowest deck aft. †8. transitive. Nautical. To assign (a crew or crew member) to a particular station on board ship; to place or station for action. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > seafaring life > [verb (transitive)] > assign to specific part of ship quarter1697 1697 T. Smith in Philos. Trans. 1695–7 (Royal Soc.) 19 600 The Captain quartered his Men, and the Decks were cleared. 1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. viii. 378 He had not hands enough remaining to quarter a sufficient number to each great gun. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Quarters The marines are generally quartered on the poop and forecastle. 1809 J. Dale in Naval Chron. 24 78 The Europeans..had been quartered to the upper deck guns. 1853 Times 12 May 6/3 I believe there is now scarcely a person living who can testify to this incontrovertible fact better than I can do, as I was quartered on the forecastle of the Victory. 9. a. transitive. To range or traverse (ground, etc.) in every direction; said esp. of dogs in search of game, and of birds of prey flying over their hunting grounds. Also intransitive: to range to and fro in this way; to move from point to point. ΘΚΠ society > travel > [verb (transitive)] > travel about > in every direction rangea1533 quarter1698 patrol1822 the world > animals > birds > bird of prey > [verb (transitive)] > cover area in search of game quarter1698 society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > travel about or visit many places > tour > in every direction quarter1857 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 25 Thus quartering this Sublunary Globe, out of Europe into Africa, from thence cruising on the Coast of Brasil. 1700 J. Collier Second Def. Short View Eng. Stage 118 He has rang'd over a great deal of Ground, and Quarter'd the Fields of Greece and Italy. 1768 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) II. ii. 235 Who pass over the fields and quarter the ground as a setting dog. 1788 J. Wolcot Sir J. Banks & Emp. of Morocco in Wks. (1812) II. 94 Just like a Pointer quartering well his ground. 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days ii. v. 324 They quarter over the ground again and again, Tom always on the defensive. 1873 H. B. Tristram Land of Moab viii. 143 To traverse and quarter these ruins is a good day's work. 1873 G. C. Davies Mountain, Meadow & Mere x. 76 The hounds quartered to and fro. 1888 Antipod. Notes 6 Two boats are..quartering the sea, as a..pointer quarters a turnip-field. 1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps vi. 129 My pursuers were patiently quartering the hillside and moving upwards. 1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xiv. 140 He looked across the field. A hawk flew low, quartering. 1991 Sporting Dog Jan. 14/1 Watching trained dogs quarter the moors in search of the elusive grouse. b. intransitive. To move in a slanting direction; to move at an angle to or from a person or thing. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (intransitive)] > move in an oblique direction slope1605 squint1721 quarter1806 1806 W. Clark Jrnl. 5 July in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1993) VIII. 164 I derected all to follow Shannon and pass quartering up the river. 1845 H. W. Herbert Warwick Woodlands ii. v. 127 The buck running across him sixty yards off, and quartering a little from him toward the road. 1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi iii. 51 I see a black something floating on the water away off to stabboard and quartering behind us. 1894 Outing 24 387/1 The bird quartered past the Judge who had only cut a bunch of feathers from it. 1895 Outing 26 401/1 We..changed our direction so as to ‘quarter’ by them. 1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xx. 260 His bear was quartering from him, but he was able to draw a bead on the left cheek from the rear. 2005 Dallas (Texas) Morning News (Nexis) 22 Sept. 14 c I wanted a broadside shot but the elk was quartering toward me. †c. intransitive. To drive from side to side of the road. Obsolete.In quot. 1834 apparently a misinterpretation of sense 10. ΚΠ 1834 T. De Quincey Travelling in Eng. in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Suppl. No. 798/2 The postillion..was employed..eternally, in quartering, i.e., in crossing from side to side, according to the casualties of the ground. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Quarter, to drive uphill in such a way that the horse crosses the road backwards and forwards so as to diminish the gradient. †10. a. transitive. To drive a cart or carriage over (a road, ruts) so that the right and left wheels are on (two of) the quarters (quarter n. 29), with a rut between. Also intransitive: to drive a cart or carriage over the quarters in this way; (of a horse) to walk with the feet so placed, to walk in front of the wheel. Also figurative. Obsolete (regional in later use). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by purpose used for > [verb (intransitive)] > walk or turn (of draught horse(s) quartera1731 haw1846 society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive horse-drawn vehicle > between ruts in road quarter1806 a1731 D. Defoe Curious & Diverting Journies thro' Great-Brit. (1734) 35 They drive with two Horses a-breast, like a Coach, so quartering the Road for the Ease of the Gentry. 1759 C. Hervey Let. 23 Apr. (1785) I. 235 The winter torrents had so spoiled the road..that the chaise was obliged to quarter between clefts almost big enough to swallow half of it. 1800 J. Tuke Gen. View Agric. N. Riding Yorks. (new ed.) 300 Two-horse carts should be drawn by the horses abreast..by which means they would be enabled to quarter or stride the ruts. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. ii. 36 A rugged narrow lane, in which the ruts refuse to fit your wheels, and yet there is no room to quarter. 1824 C. A. Bowles Let. 24 Jan. in E. Dowden Corr. Southey (1881) 48 I keep quartering, or trying to quarter, for a yard or so, and then down goes the wheel into the old groove. I cannot keep out of blank verse. 1847 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 8 ii. 277 The carting off the cabbages..is done with a quarter-cart, as it is termed in Suffolk, having the shafts so placed that the horse walks before the right hand wheel; in other words, it ‘quarters’. 1859 E. C. Gaskell Round the Sofa 20 We had to quarter, as Randal called it, nearly all the way along the deep-rutted miry lanes. 1879 in Norfolk Archaeol. 8 172. In carting clay or turnips on the land, when deep ruts begin to be made, the men are ordered to Quarter, i.e., to drive on the untracked parts of the road. 1886 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester 275 Quarter..to drive a cart or carriage so that the wheels shall not run in the old ruts. b. transitive. To set (the shafts of a cart) so that the horse walks in front of one of the wheels. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1847 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 8 ii. 268 The shafts are quartered, so that the horses (usually two) walk in the furrow followed by one wheel. c. intransitive. To drive a cart to one side of a road in order to allow another vehicle to pass. Cf. quart v.² Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (intransitive)] > drive horse-drawn vehicle > allow another vehicle to pass quart1812 quarter1849 1849 T. De Quincey Vision Sudden Death in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 747/2 Every creature that met us, would rely upon us for quartering. 1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. Introd. 1 Elderly gentlemen in pony-chaises, quartering nervously to make way [etc.]. 11. intransitive. Of the moon: to begin a new quarter (quarter n. 2c). Also with in. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > planet > primary planet > moon > lunar month > [verb (intransitive)] > begin quarter1785 1785 Med. Comm. 1783–84 IX. ii. xx. 324 The youngest daughter was seized with fits on the 3d of December, being the day on which the moon first quartered. 1788 G. Keate Acct. Pelew Islands xviii. 227 They would have bad weather until the moon quartered. 1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. ii. 29 The new moon's quartered in with foul weather. 1869 Times 27 Sept. 10/5 We constantly hear it said during a gale or bad weather, ‘Ah, it is full moon or new moon, or the moon is quartering’. 1920 Daily Kennebec Jrnl. (Augusta, Maine) 31 Mar. 6/5 The moon quartered four times in the west or northwest in the 29 days of February. †12. transitive. Mechanics. To make four equally spaced holes around the circumference of (a wheel). Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1843/2 Quartering-machine, a machine for quartering car driving-wheels on their axles, that is, boring the wrist-pin holes at 90° distance apart. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.c1300v.a1387
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quartern.

Phrases

Compounds

quarterv.