retrimv.
/ˌriːˈtrɪm/, U.S. /riˈtrɪm/ transitive. To trim again (in various senses). Also intransitive.rare before 19th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > trim > again
reguard?1620
retrim1655
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > beautify (the hair) [verb (transitive)] > cut > again
retrim1655
society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [verb (intransitive)] > adjust trim again
retrim1966
1655 tr. A. Semedo Hist. China i. i. 3 It [sc. ‘Charam, a sort of vernish’] is an excellent thing..as well in making new things, as in retrimming the old, and reducing them to their former beauty.
1797 J. Fox Santa-Maria I. Pref. p.xv Those novels, done by anonymous writers, trimmed and retrimmed out of others.
1822 W. Wordsworth Recovery in Eccl. Sketches 9 The birds regain Their cheerfulness, and busily retrim Their nests.
1842 Monthly Relig. Mag. Jan. 45 In anxious quest for a dress-maker to..retrim a fancy dress for a brilliant party.
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. I. ii. 138 The Canon,..then, was sent To change his garb, re-trim his tonsure.
1880 R. L. Stevenson Lett. (1899) I. 173 I shall hear you, years from now, timidly begin to retrim your feathers for a little self-laudation.
1922 W. Holt Light which cannot Fail i. ix. 104 I remember thinking how the shrapnel would hurt my new hat—..it was three years old, but it had been retrimmed.
1966 D. Francis Flying Finish xviii. 217 I put on full flap, maximum drag..retrimmed..felt the plane get slower and heavier.
1987 Advertiser (Adelaide) (Nexis) 19 June The wheels, which can be..retrimmed in colors to suit the interior of the new vehicle.
2007 M. Suri Age of Shiva xxxiii. 392 Insisting the barber retrim your hair until he got the curve above your ears just right.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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