1532 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 114 The quoyne of the wall of a tenement.

a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1883) II. 66 The walls, vautes, quines of doors and windows they razed and tear a down.

1670 L. Stuckley Gospel-glasse xxxiv. 365 So many quoines to lock together all parts of the building into one.

1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Wall Certain courses, ledges, or Quoins of more strength than the rest, must be interlaid like bones to strengthen the whole fabrick.

1797 Z. Cozens Margate Guide 105 At the west end of the church is a strong steeple built of flints, with stone quoins and buttresses.

1862 D. T. Ansted & R. G. Latham Channel Islands i. ii. 29 The walls are of island sand-stone, with quoins of Caen stone.

1951 N. Pevsner Middlesex (Buildings of Eng.) 122 The tower is an odd specimen of heavy-handed Early Georgian, all brick, with very broad quoins ending in capitals.

1991 I. Sinclair Downriver vi. 176 We are invited to admire the four Doric pilasters..and the rusticated quoins—while dodging juggernauts and burger vans.

1795 J. Cary Inland Navigation 128 The locks are..near fifteen feet wide at the top between the heads of the quoins.

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 627 If a room consists of more than four quoins, the additional corners must be allowed at per foot run.

1909 ‘Q’ True Tilda xi. 133 He relieved [his boredom] by affecting, whenever the heel of a stern-post squeaked in its quoin, to mistake it for a rat.

1991 Building 15 Feb. 57/2 A variety of standard accessories, including internal and external quoins and cill blocks, are also available.

1998 Canal Boat & Inland Waterways July 35/3 There was..an emergency stoppage in the middle of the night at Lapworth, caused by a lock-gate coming away from its quoin.

1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Riv/2 A Printers quoyn, cuneus, cuneolus.

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 53 The extuberancies of Nail-heads would hinder the free sliding of the Quoins.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 118 Quoins, are Wedges to lock the Form.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Printing The Compositor..unlocking the Form..by knocking out or loosening the Quoins.

1771 P. Luckombe Hist. & Art of Printing 363 The Press-man..Unlocks and lays the Quoins, in such a situation as he may know how they were disposed of before.

1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. xv. 534 When the form gets out of register..by the starting of the quoins which secure the chase.

1880 Printing Times Feb. 30/1 The form having been properly planed..slightly slacken the quoins.

1927 R. B. McKerrow Introd. Bibliogr. i. ii. 16 The furniture employed to fill up the chase is ‘locked up’ by the insertion and driving home of wedges or ‘quoins’.

1978 W. Chamberlain Thames & Hudson Man. Wood Engraving ix. 162 Metal, plastic and even magnetic furniture is also used, as well as various devices such as ‘quoins’ and ‘keys’ which tighten, lock into place and then, after printing, release both furniture and block.

2003 M. Belson On the Press i. 28 [They] had the job of collecting the formes... They would then unlock the quoins.

1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xiv. 65 Quoines..are great wedges of wood with a little handle at the end to put them forward or backward for leuelling the Peece.

1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Quoyn, a thing which Gunners set under their Ordnance to mount them higher or let them lower.

1707 Glossographia Anglicana Nova Quoin, a wedge fastned on the Deck, close to the Breech of the Carriages of the great Guns, to keep them firm up to the Ship's sides.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine 247 Quoin, a sort of Wedge, employed to raise the cannon etc.

1805 in Ld. Nelson Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VII. 171 (note) Our people took the quoins out, and elevated their guns.

1866 Ordnance Instr. U.S. Navy (ed. 4) iii 83 When the quoin is entirely removed, and the breech of the gun rests on the bed, the gun has its greatest safe elevation.

1952 ‘C. S. Forester’ Lieutenant Hornblower x. 149 He looked down the line of guns.., the quoins withdrawn so that they were at their highest elevation.

1990 C. Holland Bear Flag (1992) xxi. 160 The sponges and ramrods, the training quoins—such things.

2000 Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (Nexis) 16 Apr. y1 Additional artifacts, recovered but not yet on exhibit, include..two cannon quoins, wooden wedges used to elevate the guns.

1708 Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) Cantick-Quoyns, being short, with three Edges, to put betwixt the Cask at the Bildge-Hoops, to keep the Cask steady from rowling, and labouring one against another... The standing Quoyns..a fit Length to be driven a-cross betwixt the Buts..to keep the Chine of the But steady from jogging.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine sig. *D3^v Quoins or coins used in the stowage of a ship's hold.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 556 Quoins, Are employed to wedge off casks of liquids from each other, and steady them, in order that their bilges may not rub at sea.

2001 Spectator (Nexis) 29 Sept. 19 The bilge is the fattest part of the cask. To stow it bilge free, at bottom, sides and top, requires beds wedged off with quoins.

1730 A. Gordon tr. F. S. Maffei Compl. Hist. Anc. Amphitheatres 306 In the middle, at the Key-Stone or Quoin.

1873 H. B. Tristram Land of Moab ii. 20 Over the doorway..was let in an old quoin on which was cut an Arabic inscription.