† tighttyhtn.1
Obsolete.
1. The action of drawing, draught; going, marching, march, course, way. Only Old English.
ΚΠ
OE Cynewulf Elene 53 Werod wæs on tyhte. Hleopon hornboran, hreopon friccan, mearh moldan træd.
OE Phoenix 525 Fyr bið on tihte, æleð uncyste.
2. Bringing up, rearing, training, education; (good) breeding; behaviour.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun]
tightc888
workOE
laitsc1225
rule?c1225
guise1303
conditionsc1374
actiona1393
governancea1393
governailc1425
port?a1439
fashion1447
dressa1450
governinga1450
walkingc1450
abearing?1454
deport1474
behaving1482
dealing1484
guidinga1500
demeanoura1513
behaviour?1521
walk?1567
daps1582
courses1592
deportment1601
behave?1615
deportation1616
containment1619
conduct1673
haviour1752
daddyism1984
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. viii Ic ðe geongne..me to bearne genom, & to minum tyhtum getyde... Þu me wære..leof..ær þon þe ðu cuðe minne tyht & mine þeawas.
a1240 Sawles Warde in Cott. Hom. 247 For þat is þeaw in euch stude ant tuht forte halden.
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 9307 What for laughynge & oþer tyhtes, What for presentes & oþer delites [v.r. sightes], Þe Erl perceyued..Þe kyng [Uther] louede his wyf Igerne.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
tightadj.adv.n.2
/tʌɪt/, U.S. /taɪt/ A. adj.† 1. † b. Close or compact in texture or consistency, as a solid body or substance; dense, solid; = thight adj. 3. Obsolete. rare.† 13. Formerly (14th–17th centuries) appended to ton, pipe, hogshead, dolium, as measures of capacity, originally and especially stating the number of tons burden (i.e. the tonnage) of a ship; also as an equivalent weight of stones, gravel, salt, etc. See also ton n.1, tonnage n., tun n.11379 Rolls of Parl. III. 63/2 Pur prendre de chescun nief & craier, de quele portage q'il soit, qe passe par la mier dedeinz le dite Admiralte alant & retournant, par le voiage de chescun tonne-tight vj d... Item, de prendre de chescun vesseau pessoner, qe pessent sur la mier du dit Admiralte entour Harang, de quele portage q'il soit, en un simaigne de chescun tonne-tight, vi d...en troiz simaignes de chescun tonne-thight, vi d.1410 in Proc. & Ordin. Privy Council (1834) I. 327 La somme des gages & regardz des gens darmes archers conestables & marins deinz especifiez, ovesque le tonnetyght samontent par un qart..viijml ccxlj. li. xviij. s. vjd.1427–9 Rolls of Parl. IV. 365/1 To have Lettres Patentz..for to take and resceyve of every Vessell ladon of..C tonnetite viii d, and of every Vessell of lesse tite iiii d.1427–9 Rolls of Parl. IV. 365/1 [French version] P[re]ndre & avoir de chacun Nief del portage de..C tonelx.. viii d., & de chacun autre Vessell de meyndre portage.. iiii d.1428–9 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 70 For a tonne tyght of northerin ston for þe new chirche porche..vijs viijd.a1483 Liber Niger in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) 74 The kinge hathe it intytled by his prerogative to have of every shippe from xx dol' tyght before the mast & behynd to have ii dol' wyne; and soe of every shippe tyll he come to the tyght of ccc dol'; then the kinge hath before and behynd of every such shippe iiii dol' wyne.1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 154 Payed..for cccclxviij ton tyght of..Stones vijli. xvjs. As for c iiijxxxvj ton tyght of gravell xxiiijs. vjd.1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 186 For the hyre of hys bote conteynyng vij Tonne Tight.1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 228 A pipe Tyghte yron price xls. &..for a hoggeshed Tyghte yron price—xxs.c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. xlviv/2 A crane sufficient and able to take vp from the water of thamis the weight of a tonne tight.1504 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1903) I. 212 Of & for eny ton or ton tyght of marchaundis conteigned in the same vesselles..vj d.1603 G. Owen Descr. Penbrokshire (1892) 139 In bargayninge by the toone yt requireth that yt be expressed what nomber of barrells the toonne shalbe of, ffor of late yeares..toonne tight, whch comonly is vsed in bargaynes of freight, differreth from the toonne by measure both of corne and salte.
a. Dense, as a wood or thicket; = thight adj. 1; superseded by thick (thick adj. 4) Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > wood or assemblage of trees or shrubs > [adjective] > dense or consisting of large trees
sounda1387
tighta1500
heavy1843
a1500 (?a1400) Sir Torrent of Portyngale (1887) l. 589 Hys squyer Rod all nyght In a wod, that wase full tyght.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > density or solidity > [adjective]
thickc888
fastOE
sada1375
massya1382
sounda1387
massya1398
corpulent1398
grossa1475
tight1513
massive1526
spiss?1527
solid?1533
thight1539
solidate1542
crass1545
bodily1557
spissy1570
dense1599
consolid1613
materiate1626
crassy1630
cakey1705
rocky1825
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. ii. 64 The wyld wolf..Abowt the bowght, plet all of wandis tyght, Bayis and gyrnis.
1682 N. Grew Anat. Plants iv. iii. v. 188 The Outer Part..is softer and more succulent; the Inner a tite and strong Membrane.
a1728 [implied in: J. Woodward Attempt Nat. Hist. Fossils Eng. (1729) 125 The Bones are inflexible, Which does not arise from the Inflexibility of the Corpuscles that compose them; but from the Greatness of their Number, and the Firmness and Tightness of their Union. (at tightness n. 1)].
1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 424/1 Construct a block of as tight wood as possible.
2. Of such close texture or construction as to be impervious to a fluid, etc.
a. as the second element in combinations, as watertight, wind-tight, airtight, gas-tight, oil-tight, light-tight, the first element denoting that which the vessel keeps in or out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > [adjective] > stopping up or blocking > without leak or tight
tight1507
unleakable1838
leakless1899
leak-proof1926
1507 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 23 Yat they..ye said tenement..shall kepe, repaire and mayntene, wynd tyght, water tyght.
1760 J. Ferguson Lect. vi. ii. 194 Push the open end of the glass tube through the collar of leathers..which it fits so as to be air-tight.
1832 D. Brewster Lett. Nat. Magic v. 109 A short tube d e, moveable up and down within it, so as to be gas-tight.
1896 Pop. Sci. Jrnl. 50 267 The human mind is not built in thought-tight compartments.
1905 Westm. Gaz. 11 Mar. 14/2 Untoned prints should be kept under close pressure in a light-tight and air-tight box.
b. as simple word.See also tight barrel n., tight cooper n. at Compounds 3, etc. in C. 3.
ΚΠ
1501 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 24 Item, for vij pund of rosait to mak the clath thicht..xiiij d.]
1661 [see sense A. 2d]. 1669 R. Boyle Contin. New Exper. Physico-mech. i. xxxvii The Nose of a pair of Bellows that are Tite enough is well stopt.
1749 G. Berkeley Word to Wise in Wks. (1871) III. 443 A tight house, warm apparel, and wholesome food.
1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 2 I have faith that there is a tight roof above the very much cracked ceiling.
1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. (1862) III. 144 A portion of bread was enclosed in a tight case, to prevent loss of water by evaporation.
c. esp. Of a ship: watertight; well caulked and pitched; not leaky. Cf. thight adj. 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel with reference to qualities or attributes > [adjective] > seaworthy or stable > water-tight
tight1568
1568 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xlvi. 4 Quhat pylett takis my schip in chairge, Mon hald hir clynlie, trym, and ticht.
1615 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. III. O.T. xi. 367 As some tight vessell that holds out against winde and water, so did Ruth against all the powers of a mothers persuasions.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 375 Two Galliasses And twelue tite Gallies.
a1625 J. Fletcher Womans Prize iii. v, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ppppp/1 A ship..which..With more continuall labour then a Gally To make her tith, either she grows a Tumbrell,..or springs more leakes.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Tite, the Seamen say a Ship is Tight, or Tite, when she is so staunch as to let in but very little Water.
1747 Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 170/2 The pitch being put in very hot will..make the ship as tight as a bottle.
a1826 A. Cunningham Wet Sheet & Flowing Sea (song) ii The good ship tight and free.
d. transferred and figurative leading to 3. Uncommunicative; secret; spec. Oil Industry, applied to a well about which little information is released.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > drilling for oil or gas > [adjective] > attributes of wells
torpedoed1873
shut-in1931
tight1949
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > [adjective] > disposed to secrecy, secretive
dernOE
covert1340
secrec1385
secretc1440
mum1532
closec1540
whist1577
as silent as the grave1613
privatea1625
dark1650
uncommunicating1650
dry1681
uncommunicative1691
unexpansive1847
secretive1853
tight-lipped1876
cagey1909
zip-lipped1943
closet1948
coy1961
tight1977
1661 O. Felltham Resolves (rev. ed.) 240 They are not tyte enough to trust with a secret.
1730 in J. Copywell Shrubs Parnassus (1760) 130 Old Chaucer and Drayton I found in good plight, And Shakespear and Spencer appear pretty tight.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas III. vii. i. 8 He is a tight vessel, well armed and manned.
1817 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 4 Jan. 31 A Sinecure, which you have secured for your Son,..who is (if all remains tight) to enjoy it for his life after your death.
1841 T. J. Dibdin in C. Dibdin Songs Addenda 242 O, it's a snug little island! A right little, tight little island!
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. viii. 70 Mr. Boffin's notions of a tight will.
1949 Amer. Speech 24 34 If information about the venture is withheld from the public, then it becomes a tight well.
1966 Natural Resources Jrnl. (Univ. New Mexico) 6 55 If the draining well is what is commonly known in the industry as a ‘tight hole’, the information concerning its performance is probably more closely guarded than most national defense secrets.
1976 M. Machlin Pipeline ii. 32 ‘Who knows about this [sc. an oil-strike]?’ ‘Nobody but me and a couple of guys here on the platform know for sure... Communication is lousy here, but rumour travels faster than radio waves.’ ‘Okay. Shut it off..and see if you can keep it as tight a hole as possible.’
1977 B. Freemantle Charlie Muffin v. 59 The British..[have] gone completely silent... The British Embassy is tighter than the Kremlin itself.
3. figurative of a person, expressing somewhat indefinite commendation: Competent, capable, able, skilful; alert, smart; lively, vigorous, stout; also in ironical use: cf. fine adj. 7c. Obsolete exc. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > specifically of person
goodlyOE
thriftyc1374
duec1449
prettya1450
honest1551
well-qualitied1567
tight1601
of sort1606
reg'lar1814
bricky1864
sublimish1864
1601 [implied in: B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor i. iv. 138 He shall heare on't, and that tightly too.
1602 [implied in: W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor ii. iii. 59 He will claperclaw thee titely. (at tightly adv. 1)].
1602 [implied in: W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor i. iii. 74 Here sirrha beare me these Letters titely. (at tightly adv. 1)].
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iv. iv. 15 Thou fumblest Eros, and my Queenes a Squire More tight at this, then thou. View more context for this quotation
a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) ii. ii. sig. E Then take a widow, A good stanch wench, that tith.
1655 R. Baillie Disswasive Vindic. Pref. sig. Av That reverent, famous, most able, and tight writer.
1733 H. Bracken in W. Burdon Gentleman's Pocket-farrier 81 The less Physick the better, provided your Judgment's tite.
1821 W. Scott Pirate III. xiii. 304 He..swore..that if he had a thousand daughters, so tight a lad, and so true a friend, should have the choice of them.
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Tight,..prompt; active; alert. ‘A tight fellow!’
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer I. ii. 47 I'll pay you off for this, my tight fellow.
1851 N. Hawthorne House of Seven Gables xiii. 202 It will take a tighter workman than I am to keep the spirits out of the seven gables.
1891 R. G. K. Wrench Winchester Word-bk. Tight, fast, hard. A tight bowler, etc.
4.
a. Neat in appearance; neatly and carefully dressed; trim, tidy, smart; also, Of a neat compact build, well-made, shapely. archaic or dialect. Cf. taut adj. 5b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adjective] > neat or trim
netc1330
pertc1330
cleanc1386
nicec1400
picked?c1425
dapperc1440
feata1471
gim1513
trig1513
well-trimmedc1513
trick1533
smirk1534
tricksy1552
neat1559
netty1573
deft1579
primpc1590
briska1593
smug1598
spruce1598
sprink1602
terse1602
compt1632
nitle1673
sprig1675
snod1691
tight1697
smugged1706
snug1714
pensy1718
fitty1746
jemmy1751
sprucy1774
smartc1778
natty1785
spry1806
perjink1808
soigné1821
nutty1823
toiletted1823
taut1829
spick and span1846
spicy1846
groomed1853
spiffy1853
well-groomed1865
bandboxy1870
perjinkity1880
spick-span1888
bandbox1916
tiddly1925
whip-smart1937
spit and polish1950
spit-and-polished1977
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World i. 11 They wear good Cloaths, and take delight to go neat and tight.
1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem i. 10 But you look so bright, And are dress'd so tight.
1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull Still in Senses ii. 10 Tho' the Girl was a tight clever Wench as any was.
1721 A. Ramsay Bessy Bell & Mary Gray iii She blooming, tight, and tall is.
c1830 M. M. Sherwood Houlston Tracts III. No. 81. 2 I was tight and smart in my own person; so that, as the neighbours used to say, every thing looked well upon me.
1886 M. K. Macmillan Dagonet the Jester 8 The tightest and cleanliest lads in the village.
b. Of things: Neatly arranged or constructed; tidy, neat, snug, compact. Now dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > [adjective] > tidy
queemc1450
trig1513
trimc1521
neat1594
polite1602
terse1602
unlittered1612
ship-shape1644
snod1717
tight1720
redd1753
(as) neat (also clean) as a (new) pin1769
mack1825
tidy1828
slick1833
ship-shapely1843
trimly1858
taut1870
1720 A. Ramsay Edinb.'s Salut. to Ld. Carnarvon v Than I, nor Paris, nor Madrid, Nor Rome, I trow's mair able To busk you up a better bed, Or trim a tighter table.
1725 T. Thomas in Portland Papers VI. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 126 Improved grounds..with tight, low, new farm houses.
1818 M. M. Sherwood Stories Church Catech. (ed. 4) xvi. 101 Sarah was contented with the coarsest gown..if it were but clean and tight.
1831 J. Ogilvie in Aberdeen Mag. Dec. 638 His wordy wife..Hauds a' thing tight about the house.
5.
a. Firmly fixed or bound in its place; strongly attached or secured; not easily moved; also figurative faithful, steadfast, constant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > absence of movement > [adjective] > stable > firmly fixed
steadfast993
fastOE
rootfastlOE
sicker1297
sada1333
well-rooted1340
rooteda1393
surec1400
surefast1533
unremoved1551
fixed1577
implanted1595
firm1600
seateda1616
secure1675
tight1687
sitfast1837
locked1895
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > condition of being fast bound or firmly fixed > [adjective]
fastOE
sickera1400
branded1535
holdfast1567
firm1600
defixed1652
tight1687
anchored1789
well-reeved1812
hardfast1878
hand-tight1881
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > [adjective]
fasteOE
stathelfasteOE
anredOE
hardOE
starkOE
trueOE
steadfast993
fastredeOE
stithc1000
findyOE
stablea1275
stathelyc1275
stiffc1275
stablec1290
steel to the (very) backa1300
unbowinga1300
stably13..
firm1377
unmovablea1382
constantc1386
abidingc1400
toughc1400
sure1421
unmoblea1425
unfaintedc1425
unfaint1436
permanent?a1475
stalwartc1480
unbroken1513
immovable1534
inconcuss1542
unshaken1548
stout1569
unwavering1570
undiscourageable1571
fixed1574
discourageable1576
unappalled1578
resolute1579
unremoved1583
resolved1585
unflexiblea1586
unshakeda1586
square1589
unstooping1597
iron1598
rocky1601
steady1602
undeclinable1610
unboweda1616
unfainting1615
unswayed1615
staunch1624
undiscourageda1628
staid1631
unshook1633
blue?1636
true blue?1636
tenacious1640
uncomplying1643
yieldless1651
riveting1658
unshakened1659
inconquerable1660
unyielding1677
unbendinga1688
tight1690
unswerving1694
unfaltering1727
unsubmitting1730
undeviating1732
undrooping1736
impervertible1741
undamped1742
undyingc1765
sturdy1775
stiff as a poker1798
unfickle1802
indivertible1821
thick and thin1822
undisheartened1827
inconvertible1829
straightforward1829
indomitable1830
stickfast1831
unsuccumbing1833
unturnable1847
unswerved1849
undivertible1856
unforsaking1862
swerveless1863
steeve1870
rock-ribbed1884
stiff in the back1897
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iii. viii. 52 Our fallowis fangis in thair salis tycht [L. Vela legunt socii].
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 23 To gird it about with great bars of Iron to keep it tight, and hinder it from falling.
1690 C. Ness Compl. Hist. & Myst. Old & New Test. I. 153 His faith..kept him all along tight, steady and constant.
1715 J. T. Desaguliers tr. N. Gauger Fires Improv'd 129 You may fix it without any trouble, and be sure that it is tight.
1902 M. Barnes-Grundy Thames Camp 202 I pulled and strained, but it was as tight as wax.
b. On terms of close friendship, intimate. Cf. thick adj. 10. U.S. slang.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > [adjective] > intimate or familiar
homelya1387
familiarc1405
familarya1500
internal1581
intrinsical1602
intimated1606
intrinsic1613
intimea1618
intimous1619
domestica1631
intimate1635
pack1686
thickc1756
throng1768
versant1787
solid1882
chummy1884
tutoyant1899
cosy1927
schmoozy1954
tight1956
1956 ‘B. Holiday’ & W. Dufty Lady sings Blues ii. 32 Blue..had me busted... He and Bub were real tight with the cops.
1971 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) Winter 10 Tight, very much in love; very friendly. John and Mary were really tight for awhile but now they seem to have drifted apart.
1977 Rolling Stone 5 May 55/1 I was very tight with him for a long time.
6.
a. Drawn or stretched so as to be tense; not loose or slack: said of a rope, etc., or of a surface; = taut adj. 4.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > hardness > types of hardness > [adjective] > taut
stiffc1386
unrelaxed1508
taut1567
tight1576
strait1578
strict1578
starka1642
tense1671
stith1825
strict1860
stent1886
1576 A. Fleming tr. C. Plinius Novocomensis in Panoplie Epist. 256 (Like vnto a bowe) sometimes bent very tight, and sometimes againe made slack for the nones.
1589 G. Peele Tale of Troy in Farewell 14 Away they flye, their tackling teft [1604 toft] and tight.
a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) i. iii. sig. C4v Be sure then His tewgh be tith and strong:..He'l catch no fish else.
1703 W. Dampier Voy. New Holland i. 19 When the Rope is hal'd tight.
1816 S. T. Coleridge Christabel ii. 30 That (so it seem'd) her girded vests Grew tight beneath her heaving breasts.
1846 F. Brittan tr. J. F. Malgaigne Man. Operative Surg. 39 The knots ought to be tight enough to hold in apposition the edges of the wound; but not so tight as to cut the skin when the inflammation comes on, and the parts swell.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. iv. 87 Tom has eaten..and imbibed coffee, till his little skin is as tight as a drum.
1885 Law Rep.: Queen's Bench Div. 15 360 The belt..was passed over the drums..and drawn tight.
b. figurative. Strict, stringent; severe.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > strictness > [adjective]
cruelc1230
straitc1430
closea1466
district1526
hard1577
obstrictc1600
strict1603
restricta1617
uninclining1794
tight1872
headmistressy1972
1872 W. Bagehot Physics & Politics i. iv. 37 The efficacy of the tight early polity so to speak and the strict early law.
1884 R. S. Storrs Divine Orig. Christianity v. 152 The larger moral power won by woman, by degrees made the tightest legal restrictions loose and elastic.
1887 Poor Nellie (1888) 294 Every boy wants a good tight hand over him.
c. Of an organization or group: strict, disciplined, well co-ordinated; spec. of a pop group or an individual member of it.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > [adjective] > disciplined or trained
disciplinedc1384
ruleda1398
well-disciplineda1533
disciplinated1590
seasoneda1643
well-drilled1756
tight1968
society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > instrumentalist > company of instrumentalists > [adjective] > well-co-ordinated
tight1968
1968 L. Deighton Only when I Larf vi. 80 I ran a tight unit, and if that meant repeating my lecture every week, then I'd do that.
1971 Melody Maker 9 Oct. 21/3 Keef can be proud of his [jazz-rock] band... It's well rehearsed, tight and above all fun.
1977 Melody Maker 26 Mar. 46/6 (advt.) Wanted. Good tight drummer for funky group.
1980 Motson & Rowlinson European Cup 1955–80 ix. 190 This tight triumvirate, Smith in the boardroom, Robinson at the administrative helm, and Paisley on the training ground, headed an Anfield staff which worked as efficiently..as the team.
7. Drunk; tipsy. Cf. screwed adj. 5. slang.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [adjective] > drunk
fordrunkenc897
drunkena1050
cup-shottenc1330
drunka1400
inebriate1497
overseenc1500
liquor1509
fou1535
nase?1536
full1554
intoxicate1554
tippled1564
intoxicated1576
pepst1577
overflown1579
whip-cat1582
pottical1586
cup-shota1593
fox-drunk1592
lion-drunk1592
nappy1592
sack-sopped1593
in drink1598
disguiseda1600
drink-drowned1600
daggeda1605
pot-shotten1604
tap-shackled1604
high1607
bumpsy1611
foxed1611
in one's cups1611
liquored1611
love-pot1611
pot-sick1611
whift1611
owl-eyed1613
fapa1616
hota1616
inebriated1615
reeling ripea1616
in one's (or the) pots1618
scratched1622
high-flown?1624
pot-shot1627
temulentive1628
ebrious1629
temulent1629
jug-bitten1630
pot-shaken1630
toxed1635
bene-bowsiea1637
swilled1637
paid1638
soaken1651
temulentious1652
flagonal1653
fuddled1656
cut1673
nazzy1673
concerned1678
whittled1694
suckey1699
well-oiled1701
tippeda1708
tow-row1709
wet1709
swash1711
strut1718
cocked1737
cockeyed1737
jagged1737
moon-eyed1737
rocky1737
soaked1737
soft1737
stewed1737
stiff1737
muckibus1756
groggy1770
muzzeda1788
muzzya1795
slewed1801
lumpy1810
lushy1811
pissed1812
blue1813
lush1819
malty1819
sprung1821
three sheets in the wind1821
obfuscated1822
moppy1823
ripe1823
mixed1825
queer1826
rosined1828
shot in the neck1830
tight1830
rummy1834
inebrious1837
mizzled1840
obflisticated1840
grogged1842
pickled1842
swizzled1843
hit under the wing1844
obfusticatedc1844
ebriate1847
pixilated1848
boozed1850
ploughed1853
squiffy?1855
buffy1858
elephant trunk1859
scammered1859
gassed1863
fly-blown1864
rotten1864
shot1864
ebriose1871
shicker1872
parlatic1877
miraculous1879
under the influence1879
ginned1881
shickered1883
boiled1886
mosy1887
to be loaded for bear(s)1888
squiffeda1890
loaded1890
oversparred1890
sozzled1892
tanked1893
orey-eyed1895
up the (also a) pole1897
woozy1897
toxic1899
polluted1900
lit-up1902
on (also upon) one's ear1903
pie-eyed1903
pifflicated1905
piped1906
spiflicated1906
jingled1908
skimished1908
tin hat1909
canned1910
pipped1911
lit1912
peloothered1914
molo1916
shick1916
zigzag1916
blotto1917
oiled-up1918
stung1919
stunned1919
bottled1922
potted1922
rotto1922
puggled1923
puggle1925
fried1926
crocked1927
fluthered1927
lubricated1927
whiffled1927
liquefied1928
steamed1929
mirackc1930
overshot1931
swacked1932
looped1934
stocious1937
whistled1938
sauced1939
mashed1942
plonked1943
stone1945
juiced1946
buzzed1952
jazzed1955
schnockered1955
honkers1957
skunked1958
bombed1959
zonked1959
bevvied1960
mokus1960
snockered1961
plotzed1962
over the limit1966
the worse for wear1966
wasted1968
wired1970
zoned1971
blasted1972
Brahms and Liszt?1972
funked up1976
trousered1977
motherless1980
tired and emotional1981
ratted1982
rat-arsed1984
wazzed1990
mullered1993
twatted1993
bollocksed1994
lashed1996
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [adjective] > drunk > partially drunk
merrya1382
semi-bousyc1460
pipe merry1542
totty1570
tipsy1577
martin-drunk1592
pleasant1596
mellow1611
tip-merry1612
flustered1615
lusticka1616
well to live1619
jolly1652
happy1662
hazy1673
top-heavy1687
hearty1695
half-seas-over1699
oiled1701
mellowish1703
half channelled over1709
drunkish1710
half-and-half1718
touched1722
uppisha1726
tosie1727
bosky1730
funny1751
fairish1756
cherry-merry1769
in suds1770
muddy1776
glorious1790
groggified1796
well-corned1800
fresh1804
to be mops and brooms1814
foggy1816
how-come-ye-so1816
screwy1820
off the nail1821
on (also, esp. in early use, upon) the go1821
swipey1821
muggy1822
rosy1823
snuffy1823
spreeish1825
elevated1827
up a stump1829
half-cockedc1830
tightish1830
tipsified1830
half shaved1834
screwed1837
half-shot1838
squizzed1845
drinky1846
a sheet in the wind1862
tight1868
toppy1885
tiddly1905
oiled-up1918
bonkers1943
sloshed1946
tiddled1956
hickey-
1830 [implied in: H. Lee Mem. Manager I. iii. 110 ‘I think they be getting on pretty tightish!’ ‘What do you mean, getting drunk!’ (at tightish adj. 3)].
1840 in Amer. Speech (1951) 26 184 After supper I got tight, sick with oysters, and slept.
1843 Knickerbocker Mag. 22 366 We were never ‘groggy’, ‘intoxicated’, ‘boozy’..or ‘tight’, but once.
1853 G. A. Sala Slang in Househ. Words 24 Sept. 75/2 For the one word drunk, besides the authorised synonyms tipsy, inebriated, intoxicated, I find of unauthorised or slang equivalents..thirty-two, viz.: in liquor,..half-seas-over, far-gone, tight [etc.].
1860 C. J. Lever One of Them II. 151 (Flügel) He was very ‘tight’, as we call it..far gone in liquor, I mean.
1868 C. J. Lever Bramleighs II. xxiv. 46 ‘No, sir, not a bit tipsy’, said Harding, interpreting his glance; ‘not even what Mr. Cutbill calls “tight”!’
1882 G. A. Sala Amer. Revisited (1885) 269 By the time they reached their hotel [they] were quite ‘tight’.
8.
a. Of a garment, etc.: Fitting closely, tight-fitting; often = too tight, closely fitting because not large enough. a tight fit, a garment, etc. which fits tightly; hence transferred (colloquial).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > that fits in specific way > close-fitting
straita1387
justc1440
sitting1440
close1488
well-fitted1590
close-bodied1677
succinct1714
tightish1775
tight1784
full-fashioned1812
skintight1838
snug1838
fully-fashioned1844
tight-fitting1846
close-fitting1870
slim1884
skin-fitting1915
skinny1915
slinky1921
tight-ass1969
1784 J. King Cook's Voy. Pacific III. vi. vii. 377 A pair of tight trowsers, or long breeches, of leather.
1831 Examiner 11/2 It's rather a tight fit.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge vi. 271 A very particular gentleman with exceedingly tight boots on.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. xxxv. 308 A wedding-ring growing always tighter as I grow fatter and older.
1872 Punch 15 June 250/2 A tight uniform is so bad a thing for the soldier.
b. Of ground: allowing (vehicles) little room for manœuvre. Of a turn, curve, etc.: having a short radius.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [adjective] > confined, restricted, or insufficiently spacious
narroweOE
straitc1290
unwidea1400
scanta1533
angust1540
roomless1548
pinched?1567
niggard1595
strict1598
straitened1602
pinching1607
incommodious1615
incapacious1635
over-strait1645
straiteninga1652
cramp1786
bottleneck1854
cramped1884
tight1937
claustrophobic1946
claustrophobe1954
1937 Sun (Baltimore) 20 Apr. 4/2 He expressed a hope the airport work would be completed as rapidly as possible, pointing out that Logan Field was ‘rather tight’ for large transports.
1947 A. C. Douglas Gliding & Adv. Soaring i. 24 He based this opinion on the belief..that they [sc. contemporary airplanes] could not be turned in tight circles like the birds.
1958 Times 19 Feb. 5/4 She [sc. an aircraft] started to turn to starboard, and it seemed clear that the turn became tighter and tighter.
1969 Times 23 May 1/3 The L.M. was due to spend about an hour in a tight orbit approaching within eight nautical miles of the surface.
1979 Beautiful Brit. Columbia Fall 19/1 The highway narrows down to one lane which clings in tight curves around a sheer mountainside.
c. Applied to persons: tough, hard, unyielding; also, aggressive, ‘stroppy’. U.S. dialect or slang.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > obstinacy or stubbornness > [adjective]
starkOE
moodyOE
stithc1000
stidyc1175
stallc1275
harda1382
stubbornc1386
obstinate?1387
throa1400
hard nolleda1425
obstinant?a1425
pertinacec1425
stablec1440
dour1488
unresigned1497
difficultc1503
hard-necked1530
pertinatec1534
obstacle1535
stout-stomached1549
hard-faced1567
stunt1581
hard-headed1583
pertinacious1583
stuntly1583
peremptory1589
stomachous1590
mulish1600
stomachful1600
obstined1606
restive1633
obstinacious1649
opinionated1649
tenacious1656
iron-sided1659
sturdy1664
cat-witted1672
obstinated1672
unyielding1677
ruggish1688
bullet-headed1699
tough1780
pelsy1785
stupid1788
hard-set1818
thick and thin1822
stuntya1825
rigwiddie1826
indomitable1830
recalcitrant1830
set1848
mule-headed1870
muley1871
capitose1881
hard-nosed1917
tight1928
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > [adjective]
stour1303
thwarta1325
elvishc1386
wrawc1386
wrawfulc1386
crabbeda1400
crousea1400
cursedc1400
doggeda1425
currishc1460
disagreeable1474
dour1488
thrawn1488
terne?1507
apirsmarta1522
crustyc1570
incommodious1570
bilious1571
mischievous-stomached1577
thrawn-faced1578
thrawn-mowit1578
wearisha1586
shrewish1596
rhubarbative1600
crabbish1606
ill-tempereda1616
cur-like1627
thrawn-faceda1628
terned1638
cross1639
splenial1641
frumpish1647
wry1649
bad-tempered1671
hot-tempered1673
sidy1673
ugly1687
ornery1692
cankerya1699
ramgunshoch1721
cantankerousc1736
frumpy1746
unhappy1756
grumpy1778
crabby1791
grumpish1797
thraw-gabbit18..
snarlish1813
cranky1821
stuntya1825
ill-natured1825
nattery1825
rantankerous1832
foul-tempered1835
cacochymical1836
as cross as two sticks1842
grumphy1846
knappy1855
carnaptious1858
cussed1858
three-cornered1863
snotty1870
sniffy1871
snorty1893
grouchy1895
scratchy1925
tight1950
stroppy1951
snitty1978
arsey1989
1928 R. Fisher Walls of Jericho 306 Tight, tough; redoubtable; hard.
1950 H. Patterson & E. Conrad Scottsboro Boy i. iii. 30 ‘You'll get it [sc. a bath] Saturday,’ he said. Saturday came and he put me off... I got tight with him. ‘I got to have a bath!’
1950 H. Patterson & E. Conrad Scottsboro Boy i. iii. 31 I was a tight guy who would not show people tears, but I felt the water behind my lids.
1950 H. Patterson & E. Conrad Scottsboro Boy ii. vii. 129 There were guys there [i.e. in a prison], they made reputations for themselves as tight guys and killers just from defending themselves against the insane.
1960 L. Buckley Hiporama of Classics 16 He was a hard, tight, tough Cat.
9. Difficult to deal with or manage; hard, severe, ‘tough’, ‘stiff’; esp. in a tight place, a tight corner, a tight squeeze, etc., a position of difficulty. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [adjective]
arvethc885
uneathOE
arvethlichc1000
evilc1175
hardc1175
deara1225
derfa1225
illc1330
wickeda1375
uneasy1398
difficul?a1450
difficile?1473
difficulta1527
unready1535
craggy1582
spiny1604
tough1619
uphill1622
shrewda1626
spinousa1638
scabrous1646
spinose1660
rugged1663
cranka1745
tight1764
thraward1818
nasty1828
upstream1847
awkward1860
pricklyc1862
bristling1871
sticky1871
rocky1873
dodgy1898
challengeful1927
solid1943
ball-busting1944
challenging1975
1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret ii. 35 Is Lady Barbara's work pretty tight?
1772 T. Nugent tr. J. F. de Isla Hist. Friar Gerund I. 10 This question of yours is a tight one.
1852 Townshend of Ohio in House Representatives 23 June I felt myself in a tight spot.
1855 T. C. Haliburton Nature & Human Nature II. iv. 121 It's a tight squeeze sometimes to scrouge between a lie and a truth in business.
1864 Daily Tel. 26 Sept. When they find they are getting into a tight place—to borrow an Americanism—[they] gather up their gold, and run off.
1889 F. E. Gretton Memory's Harkback 80 We were subjected to a very tight examination; for the prize was one of considerable value.
1891 Daily News 14 Nov. 2/3 [It] would suffice to drive the Bears of Russian stock into a tight corner.
10. colloquial or technical.
a. Said of a contest in which the combatants are evenly matched; close; so of a bargain: with little margin of profit. Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > competition or rivalry > [adjective] > types of competition
drawn1610
indifferent?1611
cut-throat?a1625
equal1653
runaway1797
close-run1813
neck and neck1828
tight1828
dog-eat-dog1872
winner-take(s)-all1969
two-horse1976
society > leisure > sport > match or competition > [adjective] > types of
maiden1598
well-run1601
unequal1654
well contested1722
returned1758
friendly1780
close-run1813
foursome1814
lightweight1823
tight1828
side1829
one-sided1839
scratch1851
international1859
all-comers1860
scrub1867
pointless1876
scoreless1885
replayed1886
peg-down1887
all-star1889
stiff1890
varsity1891
postseason1893
knock-out1896
best-of-(a specified odd number)1897
seeded1901
junior varsity1902
Simon Pure1905
pegged-down1908
JV1923
zero-sum1944
tie-breaking1970
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited entry) A tight bargain.
1848 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms Tight match, a close or even match, as of two persons wrestling or running together.
1903 Westm. Gaz. 1 Sept. 3/1 The tighter the match the better he plays.
Thesaurus »
Categories »
b. Of a person: Unwilling to part with money, close-fisted.
c. Finance, Of money: Difficult to obtain except on high terms; also transferred of the money-market when money is scarce. Of a person: in financial straits, hard up (dialect or slang).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > [adjective] > state or condition of money market
stiff1845
tight1846
stringent1870
the mind > possession > poverty > [adjective] > poor > lacking money
to the boneOE
silverlessc1325
pennilessc1330
moneylessc1400
impecunious1596
crossless1600
penceless1605
unmoneyed1606
coinless1614
emptya1643
out of pocket1679
money-bound1710
broke1716
embarrassed1744
stiver cramped1785
plackless1786
taper1789
poundlessa1794
shillingless1797
unpennied1804
fundless1809
impecuniary1814
hard up1821
soldier-thighed1825
cashless1833
stiverless1839
fly-blown1853
strapped1857
stick1859
tight1859
stone-broke1886
stony1886
oofless1888
stony-broke1890
motherless1906
penny-pinched1918
skinned1924
skint1925
on the beach1935
potless1936
boracic1959
uptight1967
brassic1982
1805 W. Clark Jrnl. 12 Dec. in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1990) VI. 123 They are tite Deelers, value Blu and white beeds verry highly, and Sell their roots also highly.
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited entry) A man tight in his dealings.
1846–7 F. M. Whitcher Widow Bedott Papers 30 The Deacon was as tight as the skin on his back; begrudged folk their victuals when they came to his house.
1846 Daily News 21 Jan. 4/6 In Paris money is ‘tight’ also, and discounts difficult.
1859 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang 109 Tight,..hard up, short of cash.
1864 J. S. Le Fanu Uncle Silas II. xvi. 247 It is a hard case, Miss, a lad o' spirit should be kept so tight. I havn't a shilling.
1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking vii. 152 A tight money market will force sales, and make purchasers..reluctant to buy.
1868 C. J. Lever Bramleighs I. xvi. 219 Money was ‘tight’ being the text of all he said.
1892 ‘T. Cobbleigh’ Gentleman Upcott's Daughter ix. 173 Any man might find himself tight—temporarily.
d. Journalism. (See quot. 1970.) Hence also of (a day of) restricted newspaper space.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > journalism > journal > newspaper > [adjective] > mostly advertising
tight1927
1927 Amer. Speech 2 241/2 If advertising crowds out news, the paper is said to be ‘tight’; if advertising is scant, the paper is ‘wide open’.
1927 New Republic 12 Oct. 202/1 Possibly space was ‘tight’ that day, and the newspapers didn't have room for this minor angle of the story.
1928 Amer. Speech 4 135 The ‘desk’ must know whether ‘room’ is ‘tight’, ‘fair’, ‘good’ or ‘wide open’. If news is ‘heavy’ on a ‘tight day’ and is permitted to ‘run’ in length practically as written, ‘oversets’..may result.
1970 R. K. Kent Lang. Journalism 133 Tight. 1. designating a newspaper that has little room for news because there is a great deal of advertising: opposite of open. 2. designating a newspaper on a day when there are a great many newsworthy events to record, and hardly enough space to cover them all.
11.
a. Closely packed (cf. tighten v. 1b). Of a group or formation: having the individual members positioned close together. Frequently in Sport; also transferred (esp. in Cricket), that allows the opposition little chance to score, etc.: tight bowling, tight fielding, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > [adjective] > closely-packed (of pack-ice)
tight1856
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [adjective] > densely packed
thickc893
thick-set?a1366
rankc1450
compact1563
thronged1581
thickened?1611
close1654
dense1776
tight1942
society > leisure > sport > types of play, actions, or postures > [adjective] > other actions or types of play
short1545
standing1728
unpenetrative1795
loose1802
scratched1869
cannonball1872
scratchy1881
punishable1910
wrong-footing1928
open1934
overhead1938
power1959
run-and-gun1960
tight1961
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xxiv. 313 For thirty-five miles south the straits are absolutely tight [i.e. with ice].
1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 13 June 22 They lived in dread of our fighters, and normally kept a tight formation.
1961 F. C. Avis Sportsman's Gloss. 138/2 Tight field, the fieldsmen when drawn closely round the wicket, so preventing the easy scoring of runs.
1961 Times 12 May 4/1 Surrey's bid for quick runs..was foiled by tight bowling.
1965 Daily Express 13 Aug. 15/5 Tight position, an area of the field in which there are a large number of players, both attacking and defending.
1968 I. Ure Ure's Truly xvii. 116 Let's have expressions such as ‘a steady defence’ rather than a side being described as ‘tight at the back’.
1976 Milton Keynes Express 11 June 41/5 Farnham Royal found it difficult to score against the tight Wolverton bowling.
1977 Arab Times 13 Dec. 9/6 Tight fielding by the Airlines prevented easy scoring and the FSC batsmen had to rely on quick singles and doubles.
b. Of language: Terse, concise, condensed. Also in general, of literary, artistic, or intellectual work: kept within strict limits; pared to essentials; disciplined, taut, not loose or diffuse.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > conciseness > [adjective]
compendious1388
briefc1430
short1487
short and sweet1545
curted1568
summarc1575
laconical1576
summary1582
succinct1585
totala1586
laconic1589
concisec1590
compendiary1609
press?1611
curt1631
Spartan1644
nutshell1647
severe1680
Lacedaemonian1780
straightforward1806
uncircumlocutory1808
shorthand1822
Spartanlike1838
unwordy1841
nutshelly1843
tight1870
Spartanic1882
unfarced1890
serried1899
taut1916
1870 A. C. Swinburne in Fortn. Rev. May 565 The highest form of ballad..must condense the large loose fluency of romantic tale-telling into tight and intense brevity.
1958 C. A. Larson Who: Sixty Years Amer. Eminence 75 Quaint little items and details were often inserted in these early biographical sketches which would scarcely survive the tight editing of a modern Marquis editor.
1962 [implied in: Listener 18 Oct. 633/2 A little tighter and tauter and the production would have looked for all the world like a pilot for a new series. (at pilot n. 11)].
1979 Sci. Amer. Aug. 24/1 The author..seeks the answer in this small book of tight argument.
c. Art slang. Lacking freedom or breadth of treatment; cramped.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > work of art > [adjective] > types of artistic treatment or style
antica1536
Moresque1611
barbaric1667
massive1723
popular1730
maniéré1743
regency1811
tedesco1814
massy1817
Barbaresque1831
sensualistic1838
broad1849
conventional1851
expressional1856
tight1891
stylized1898
distressed1940
pop1956
transgressive1969
1891 Spielman in Contemp. Rev. July 60 It [Tenniel's art in 1850] is certainly ‘tighter’: it is younger.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVII. 252/1 In his first style [Corot] painted traditionally and ‘tight’—that is to say, with minute exactness, clear outlines, and with absolute definition of objects throughout.
1905 Q. Rev. July 234 His style, if a little what artists call ‘tight’, has the rare gift of being entirely lucid in the expression of subtleties.
Thesaurus »
d. Of the edge of a saw: Compressed by hammering ( Cent. Dict. 1891).
e. Of a schedule or timetable: packed with engagements, leaving little free time. Also applied to a space of time which is limited or restricted.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > spending time > [adjective] > tight or allowing no spare time
tight1959
sharp1977
1959 J. Pope-Hennessy Queen Mary iii. ii. 386 Princess May concentrated on seeing as many of the wonders and beauties of the spacious old Imperial city as she could crowd into four days and a tight social schedule.
1968 P. G. Hollowell Lorry Driver ii. 31 The older drivers are constantly aware that schedules are getting tighter.
1971 J. Sangster Your Friendly Neighbourhood Death Pedlar vii. 187 It was unlikely that anything would happen that night, and the following morning was going to be awfully tight for time.
1972 M. Crichton Terminal Man i. v. 42 ‘I can't see her to-day,’ Morris said, ‘and to-morrow is tight.’
1976 New Yorker 1 Mar. 30/3 ‘How about seven at O'Hoolihan's? I'm going there with Pat and Betsy.’ ‘Seven's a little tight.’
1981 P. Harcourt Turn of Traitors ix. 82 Time's going to be tight, so take my car.
12. Billiards. slang. (a) Said of balls when they are in contact: ‘fast’, ‘frozen’. (b) Of pockets: Having a small opening compared with the diameter of the balls.
ΚΠ
1909 in Cent. Dict. Suppl.
ΚΠ
1894 C. N. Robinson Brit. Fleet 217 The unit of ship measurement, both in England and on the continent, at the time [of Henry VII], was, as heretofore, the tun cask of wine, and the stated tons or tuns burthen of a ship meant the number of tuns or butts of wine she could carry. Warships' tonnage was estimated by roughly comparing their bulk with merchant-ships of known carrying capacity.]
B. adv. (The adjective used adverbially.)
1. Soundly, roundly; = tightly adv. 1. Now chiefly in colloquial phrase (good night) sleep tight, a conventional (rhyming) formula used when parting for the night or at bedtime. Also in slang phrase blow me tight: see blow me tight! at blow v.1 29.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adverb] > in thoroughgoing manner
a-good?1516
tightly1601
tight1790
thoroughgoingly1832
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [adverb] > deeply or soundly
fastOE
sadlya1375
to sleep sounda1400
soundlyc1400
stronglya1500
deeply1632
tight1898
out to it1941
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > courteous formulae [phrase] > expressions of leave-taking > at night
goodnightc1275
Gad ye good night1849
(good night) sleep tight1933
1790 J. Fisher Poems Var. Subj. 61 I charg'd them tight, An' gart them pay o' lawing clink, Mair than was right.
1898 E. von Arnim Elizabeth & her German Garden 29 She had been so tight asleep.
1933 E. O'Neill Ah, Wilderness! iii. ii. 101 Good night, Son. Sleep tight.
1957 L. Stern Midas Touch ii. xviii. 136 Nighty-night, Barbara. Sleep tight.
1960 D. Lessing In Pursuit of Eng. iii. 99 When we left him, she patted his shoulder with triumphant patronage, and said: ‘Sleep tight. And keep your dreams clean.’
1976 ‘R. Boyle’ Cry Rape xxi. 94 Goodnight, Anne. Sleep tight.
2.
a. Firmly, closely, securely; so as not to allow any movement: = tightly adv. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > absence of movement > [adverb] > in a stable manner > firmly (fixed)
stronglyeOE
fasteOE
stitha1000
hardOE
fastlyOE
steadfasta1300
stithlya1300
steevec1330
a-rootc1374
firmlyc1374
hard and fastc1380
sadc1380
sadlya1398
steadfastlya1400
stronga1400
stalworthlyc1440
solidatively?1541
hardfast1548
secure1578
sickera1586
solidly?1611
tighta1625
securely1642
steevely1790
inexcussably1816
tightly1866
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > condition of being fast bound or firmly fixed > [adverb]
fasteOE
fastlyeOE
hardOE
hetefastea1225
file-fasta1250
sickerlyc1275
stiff1525
tighta1625
soundly1632
starkly1819
tightlya1865
bracingly1874
a1625 J. Fletcher Loyal Subj. iii. iv, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Eee3/2 This [lass] is not so strongly built: but she is good mettle, Of a good stirring straine too: she goes tith sir.
1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xii. 208 You may without more ado screw up your Work tight.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. ii. 151 The prospect of getting a livelihood holds them tight to their work.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby liii. 534 Holding tight on with both hands.
1878 T. L. Cuyler Pointed Papers 206 The tighter I clung the safer I felt.
b. to sit tight, †to apply oneself closely to (obsolete); to maintain one's position firmly in reference to something; also, to sit close, to remain under cover. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > bestow diligence upon
diligent1545
to sit tight1738
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > be constant or steadfast [verb (intransitive)]
standeOE
cleavec1275
to stand stiffa1290
stick1447
to stand or stick to one's tackling1529
to stand in this1538
to set down (the or one's) staff1584
to stand one's ground1600
to stand to one's pan pudding1647
to maintain one's ground1736
to nail one's colours (also flag) to the mast (also masthead)1808
to stay put1843
to stand firm1856
to sit tight1890
to keep the flag flying1914
to dig in one's toes1933
to hold the line1956
the world > movement > absence of movement > [verb (intransitive)] > remain as opposed to go
bidec893
yleaveOE
leaveOE
wonc1000
abideOE
worthOE
beliveOE
atstutte-nc1220
stuttea1225
atstuntc1230
astinta1250
beleavea1325
lasta1325
stounda1325
stinta1340
joukc1374
restaya1382
to leave over1394
liec1400
byec1425
onbidec1430
keep1560
stay1575
delay1655
to wait on1773
stop1801
to sit on1815
to hang around1830
to stick around1878
to sit tight1897
remain1912
stay-down1948
1738 London Mag. 131 Andromache and all the great Ladies 3000 Years ago, sat very tight to their Stitching.
1890 G. B. Shaw in Star 27 Nov. 2/7 I, therefore, again urge Mr Parnell to ‘sit tight’.
1897 V. Hunt Unkist, Unkind! xiv ‘Sit tight!’ she exclaimed, pinching my arm violently. She always talks slang when she is excited.
1898 Daily News 10 Feb. 3/2 No money is forthcoming, and banks sit tight.
1909 Athenæum 20 Mar. 345/3 Is not ‘Sit tight’ the watchword of constitutionalism?
3. With close constriction or pressure; closely, tensely; = tightly adv. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > reduction in size or extent > [adverb] > with compression or constriction
tightly1758
tight1817
compressingly1830
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy III. v. 147 A horse-girth buckled tight behind him.
1853 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. in Last Fruit 121 He whose dress sits tight upon him.
4. as tight as —— : as quickly or rapidly as ——. Cf. tite adv. and adj. U.S. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swiftly [phrase] > as swiftly as
as tight as ——1833
1833 S. Smith Life & Writings Major Jack Downing lix. 200 The President shook hands with all his might an hour or two until he couldn't hardly stand it... I..stood behind him and reached my arm round under his, and shook for him for about a half an hour as tight as I could spring.
1867 W. L. Goss Soldier's Story 185 Captain Sherman..was making for Macon as ‘tight as he can come’.
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xix. 160 A couple of men tearing up the path as tight as they could foot it.
5. Close up to, after, or on. dialect or colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > [adverb] > nearly or closely
nighlyOE
nighc1387
throng?a1425
justc1440
narrowly1487
foot-hot1513
meeta1522
hardly1554
fastlings1568
nearly1569
neara1592
close1596
closely1634
nicely1690
narrow1697
snugly1800
snug1831
tight1888
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Tight arter The bitch was tight arter'n.
1901 Cent. Mag. May 123/1 They was tight up t'me all the way.
1919 J. C. Snaith Love Lane xxx. 160 He lived to be tight on ninety.
6. (See quot. 1930.)
ΚΠ
1930 Times 15 Mar. 4/4 You will never find..instructions are given to put white stones among the coloured ones.—There are instructions to sort ‘finer’, or ‘better’, or ‘tighter’, which mean the same thing.
C. n.2 (The adjective used absolutely.)
1. Rugby = scrimmage n. 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > scrum
scrimmage1848
squash1857
loose scrummage1874
scrum1876
tight1904
loose ruck1906
set scrum1925
scrum-down1943
1904 Westm. Gaz. 19 Nov. 15/1 The forwards are strong and hard workers in the tight, but in the loose are slow and cumbersome... Both in the tight and loose they must remember to watch and follow the ball.
1905 Daily Chron. 1 Nov. 9/5 They have shown little dash in the open and no skill in the tight.
1939 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. 11/1 They were better served by their forwards in the tight.
1979 Times 12 Dec. 9/1 They outscrummaged their opponents in the tight.
2. An awkward situation, predicament, ‘tight corner’ ( A. 9). Usually in in a tight; occasionally const. for. U.S. dialect or colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > difficult state of things > predicament or straits
needfulnessc1350
kankedortc1374
pressc1375
needfultya1382
briguec1400
brikec1400
plightc1400
taking?c1425
partyc1440
distrait1477
brakea1529
hot water1537
strait1544
extremes1547
pickle1562
praemunire1595
lock1598
angustiae1653
difficulty1667
scrape1709
premune1758
hole1760
Queer Street1811
warm water1813
strift1815
fix1816
plisky1818
snapper1818
amplush1827
false position1830
bind1851
jackpot1887
tight1896
squeeze1905
jam1914
1896 in Dial. Notes (1916) 4 348 Tight, n. (From tight place.) A difficult or precarious position.
1902 W. N. Harben Abner Daniel xxi. 182 It would tempt five men out of ten if they were inclined to go wrong, and were in a tight.
1930 W. Faulkner As I lay Dying 29 I tell him again I will help him out if he gets into a tight, with her sick and all.
1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xv. 177 Jody's in a tight for a name for the new Baxter.
1950 H. Patterson & E. Conrad Scottsboro Boy ii. xi. 175 ‘You scared that man almost to death.’ ‘I was in a tight jam then, Warden. I was trying to get out of a tight.’
1979 G. Swarthout Skeletons 18 Pat Garrett..had said of him in public: ‘I would rather have Wood with me in a tight than any man I know.’
Compounds
C1. Adjectival, as tight-belted (having a tight belt), tight-bodied, tight-booted, tight-hosed, tight-limbed, tight-skinned, tight-skirted, tight-sleeved, tight-waisted adjs; cf. tight-lipped adj. (Sometimes not clearly distinguishable from Compounds 2.)
ΚΠ
1767 ‘Coriat Junior’ Another Traveller! I. 315 Their habit is entirely white..and being tight-bodied, gives them the appearance of a company of millers in their holiday-cloaths.
1836 T. Hook Gilbert Gurney I. v. 227 Perhaps a tight-skinned sailor walking his way to town from Portsmouth.
1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel I. v. 83 The latter boy was..not so tight-limbed and well-set.
1896 W. D. Howells Impressions & Experiences 73 She wore a tight-skirted black walking-dress.
1896 Edith Thompson in Monthly Packet Christmas No. 80 Tight-booted and tight-belted in correct Continental military style.
C2. Adverbial, as tight-bound (= tightly bound), tight-closed, tight-draped, tight-drawn, tight-fitting, tight-looking, tight-made, tight-packed, tight-pressed, tight-rooted, tight-shut, tight-stretched adjs.; tight-reining n.; tight-clasp, tight-tie verbs. See also tight-laced adj., etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > that fits in specific way > close-fitting
straita1387
justc1440
sitting1440
close1488
well-fitted1590
close-bodied1677
succinct1714
tightish1775
tight1784
full-fashioned1812
skintight1838
snug1838
fully-fashioned1844
tight-fitting1846
close-fitting1870
slim1884
skin-fitting1915
skinny1915
slinky1921
tight-ass1969
1801 M. Edgeworth Angelina ii, in Moral Tales II. 39 She was hospitably received by a tight-looking woman.
1820 J. Keats Ode on Melancholy in Lamia & Other Poems 140 Go not to Lethe, neither twist Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine.
1835 C. Howard Gen. View Agric. E. Riding Yorks. 8 in Brit. Husbandry (Libr. Useful Knowl.) (1840) III A large and tight-bound sheaf will require to stand two days longer than a small one.
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) v. 50 I didn't think you were half such a tight-made fellow!
1846 E. A. Poe in Godey's Lady's Bk. Nov. 216/1 He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress.
1860 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth (1861) I. 20 Clad in a pair of tight-fitting buckskin hose.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iv. vii. 224 With the palms of his hands tight-clasping his hot temples.
1879 R. Browning Ivan Ivanovitch in Idyls I. 166 I'll..tight-tie you with the strings Here of my heart!
1884 E. Yates Recoll. & Experiences I. ii. 74 After tight-reining and regular hours.
1896 A. Palmer in Academy 25 Jan. 80/3 It is strange how the tight-stretched tambourine can be called molle.
1905 Daily Chron. 21 Oct. 5/2 Strong men stood with tight-drawn lips.
1918 G. Frankau One of Them xxix. 223 Tight-packed as, face to tail and tail to face, Bristle in Watson's tins the silvery ‘Skippers’.
1950 E. Partridge Slang To-day & Yesterday (ed. 3) iii. iii. 257 The ten-page, tight-packed chapter entitled ‘War Words’ in Collinson's Contemporary English.
C3. Special combinations:
tight back n. Bookbinding a book cover which is stuck directly on to the spine; cf. fastback n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > parts of book > [noun] > back > type of
fastback1912
tight back1913
1913 Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 2518/1 Tight back (Bookbinding), a back that clings to the signatures or to the paster attached to them: distinguished from loose back or spring back.
1929 A. J. Vaughan Mod. Bookbinding i. 2 (caption) A limp paper book bound with a tight back. Effect of a tight back binding upon stiff paper.
1957 E. A. Clough Bookbinding for Librarians vi. 60 Because the tight back bends with the spine of the book, there is a tendency for the tooling on the spine to crack.
tight barrel n. a barrel for liquids; also called wet barrel or cask; cf. slack adj. and adv. Compounds 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > barrel or cask > [noun] > for liquids
tight barrela1884
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 820/2 Slack Barrel, one for flour, sugar, cement, fruit, and what not, of a dry character. In contradistinction to tight barrel.
tight cask n. = tight barrel n.
ΚΠ
1760 J. Ellis in Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 209 This was put into a tight cask.
1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 338 Tight or wet and dry or slack cask manufacture.
tight cooper n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > producer > makers of containers or receptacles > [noun] > maker of casks or cooper > types of
white cooper1688
dry-cooper1715
under-cooper1745
butt cooper1813
tight cooper1889
herring-cooper1892
1889 Cent. Dict. at Cooper Wet or tight cooper, a cooper who makes casks for liquids.
tight-corking n. Angling a method of float-fishing in which the line (with the float or cork) is kept taut between the point of the rod and the plummet at the bottom.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > type or method of fishing > [noun] > angling > using float
trimmer-angling1799
trimmering1870
tight-corking1872
1872 F. Francis Bk. Angling (ed. 3) i. 54 Tight corking..is..using a heavyish float well shotted and plumbed some two feet too deep.
tight end n. American Football an offensive end (end n. 3g) who lines up close to the tackle; the position occupied by this player.
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
1963 Huff & Smith Defensive Football vi. 72 When playing the tight end head to head, the linebacker must be aware [etc.].
1972 J. Mosedale Football ii. 29 With Fears spread out on one side and Shaw in close, the ‘three end offense’ was born. Today the positions are called split end, tight end and flanker.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp viii. 162 A standout tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles.
tight-fisted adj. parsimonious, close-fisted.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > niggardliness or meanness > [adjective]
gnedec900
gripplea1000
fastOE
narrow-hearteda1200
narrow?c1225
straitc1290
chinchc1300
nithinga1325
scarcec1330
clama1340
hard1340
scantc1366
sparingc1386
niggardc1400
chinchy?1406
retentivea1450
niggardousa1492
niggish1519
unliberal1533
pinching1548
dry1552
nigh1555
niggardly1560
churlish1566
squeamish1566
niggardish1567
niggard-like1567
holding1569
spare1577
handfast1578
envious1580
close-handed1585
hard-handed1587
curmudgeonly1590
parsimonious?1591
costive1594
hidebound1598
penny-pinching1600
penurious1600
strait-handed1600
club-fisted1601
dry-fisted1604
fast-handed1605
fast-fingered1607
close-fisted1608
near1611
scanting1613
carkingc1620
illiberal1623
clutch-fisteda1634
hideboundeda1640
clutch-fista1643
clunch-fisted1644
unbounteous1645
hard-fisted1646
purse-bound1652
close1654
stingy1659
tenacious1676
scanty1692
sneaking1696
gripe-handed1698
narrow-souled1699
niggardling1704
snippy1727
unindulgent1742
shabby1766
neargoinga1774
cheesemongering1781
split-farthing1787
save-all1788
picked1790
iron-fisted1794
unhandsome1800
scaly1803
nearbegoing1805
tight1805
nippit1808
nipcheese1819
cumin-splitting1822
partan-handed1823
scrimping1823
scrumptious1823
scrimpy1825
meanly1827
skinny1833
pinchfisted1837
mean1840
tight-fisted1843
screwy1844
stinty1849
cheeseparing1857
skinflinty1886
mouly1904
mingy1911
cheapskate1912
picey1937
tight-assed1961
chintzy1964
tightwad1976
1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol i. 3 He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.
tight-fistedness n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > niggardliness or meanness > [noun]
fastship?c1225
scarcenessa1300
scarcity1340
niggardyc1390
nithingheada1400
scarcehead1420
nigonryc1430
niggardship?a1439
pinching1440
straitheadc1450
straitnessc1460
niggard cheap1463
niggardnessc1487
nigonshipa1500
niggardise1502
niggishness1519
niggardliness1556
parsimony1561
illiberality1581
nearness1584
tenacity1586
Euclionism1599
paring1607
servilitya1610
niggeralitya1612
scanting1625
scant-handednessa1627
closefistedness1631
niggardess1632
close-handedness1646
strait-handedness1649
penury1651
unbountifulness1660
parsimoniousness1671
penuriousness1672
stinginess1682
closeness1712
illiberalness1727
meanness1755
cheeseparing1834
scrimping1835
churlishness1846
screwing1848
skinflintism1853
screwiness1856
flint-paring1860
skinflintiness1861
scrimp1864
flint-skinning1873
penny-pinching1895
skimping1898
tight-fistedness1975
1975 Church Times 25 Apr. 2/3 Let it be seen..that we have asked the very necessary questions about the liberality or tight-fistedness of the [European] Community's policy on trade with the under-developed countries.
tight head n. Rugby (the position of) the prop forward supporting the hooker on the opposite side of the scrum from the loose head; to win a tight head: to win the ball against the head (see head n.1 Phrases 1b).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > rugby football > [noun] > types of player > player or position
full back1875
goal kick1875
No. eight1876
goalkicker1879
three-quarter back1880
handler1888
three-quarter1889
heeler1892
scrum half1894
lock forward1898
standoff1902
five-eighth1905
hooker1905
threes1905
flying half1906
loose head1907
standoff1908
fly-half1918
fly1921
inside half1921
outside half1921
scrum1921
inside centre1936
flank forward1937
out-half1949
prop1950
prop forward1951
number eight1952
flanker1953
tight head1959
back-rower1969
second rower1969
striker1973
packman1992
1959 N.Z. Listener 28 Aug. 7 You can't afford to give tight heads in your own 25 when you've got fast backs like that against you.
1960 V. Jenkins Lions Down Under xiii. 170 Dawson won six tight-heads to three in the scrums.
1969 Advanced Coaching (Rugby Football Union) 73 On the tight head it may still be preferable to hook with the nearside foot, but with the body facing the loose head side so as to hook the ball with the inside..part of the foot.
1978 Rugby World Apr. 17/1 There seems nothing to stop Graham Price reigning for many years to come as the world's outstanding tight-head prop.
tight-jeff n. see jeff n.1
tight junction n. Cytology a specialized connection of two adjacent animal cell membranes such that the space usually lying between them is absent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > substance > cell > parts of cell > [noun] > wall or membranes > connection of
tight junction1961
1961 Jrnl. Exper. Med. 119 706 The normal slits as well as the tight junctions have structural features reminiscent of usual epithelial desmosomes.
1982 Nature 1 Apr. 464/1 Our evidence, which is based on direct rapid freezing of newly formed tight junctions between rat prostate epithelial cells, indicates that individual tight junction strands are pairs of inverted cylindrical micelles sandwiched between linear fusions of the external membrane leaflets of adjacent cells.
tight-lock n. dialect (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > sedges
starc1300
carexa1398
float-grassc1440
red sedge1480
sag1531
pry grassa1600
flea-grass1670
star-grass1782
sedge1785
sea sedge1796
sharp-pry-grass1803
blue star grass1807
whip-grass1814
flea-sedge1816
saw-grass1822
mud rush1824
tight-locka1825
nut grass1830
razor grass1834
twig-rush1836
nut rush1843
sand grass1856
mud sedge1859
niggerhead1859
nutsedge1861
pingao1867
sword-rush1875
tupak-grass1884
tussock-sedge1884
sennegrass1897
nigger's-head1921
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Tight-lock, any species of coarse sedge growing in marsh ditches. So called, from its being used to bind the sheaves of beans or oats, growing very luxuriantly on such land.
tight shop n. a cooperage where tight work is done.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > place where specific things are made > [noun] > casks > type of
tight shop1892
stave mill1937
1892 Labour Comm. Gloss. Tight Shops, workshops in which tight work is performed.
tight work n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > cask-making > [noun] > type of
tight work1892
1892 Labour Commission Gloss. at Work Tight work is a term used in the coopering industry to denote the making of casks or any vessels to hold water or liquids.
Draft additions March 2004
colloquial. (as) tight as a drum: as tight as possible; extremely tight or close-fitting; (also) †watertight (obsolete).
ΚΠ
1777 S. J. Pratt Liberal Opinions V. cxvi. 176 The cold bath, sir,..is a bracer of the solids; it will wind you up as tight as a drum.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxii. 223 The crew said she was as tight as a drum, and a fine sea boat.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. iv. 87 Tom has eaten..and imbibed coffee, till his little skin is as tight as a drum.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xi. [Sirens] 259 Trousers tight as a drum on him.
1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? xi. 262 If I nip a couple more hundred feet out of it it'll be tight as a drum.
1968 E. Buckler Ox Bells & Fireflies 51 You had helped bind the load tight as a drum with the girdling chain, then sprung to your seat on the bag of straw at the load's pinnacle.
2001 P. Reizin Dumping Hilary? (2002) iii. 89 Peeling off the cellophane like I've been doing it for years, I pull away the little bit of gold foil and there they are, twenty Bennies, packed tight as a drum.
Draft additions May 2001
Of a building or its construction: relatively airtight; well-insulated, sealed against heat loss. Also: poorly ventilated (cf. tight building syndrome n. at Additions).
ΚΠ
1978 Washington Post 26 Feb. d4/1 Combined with tight construction and good insulation, they can lower the heating load of the building by 75 per cent and more.
1989 Van Nostrand's Sci. Encycl. (ed. 7) II. 2398/2 Later investigations have discounted the importance of ventilation. Attention was shifted from ‘tight’ houses to ways in which radon may enter a building.
1993 Christian Sci. Monitor (Electronic ed.) 6 Aug. 10 (heading) Try superinsulation for a tight house, Maine builder says.
2000 Heating, Piping, Air Conditioning (Electronic ed.) 2 May §6.1 A building not only needs to be tight, it needs to operate under a positive pressure in most climatic conditions.
Draft additions May 2001
tight building syndrome n. sick building syndrome, spec. when attributed to inadequate ventilation and the accumulation of indoor air pollutants.
ΚΠ
1981 J. Fonda Workout Bk. v. 245 There is..the ‘Tight Building Syndrome’. Increasingly airtight buildings..have led one scientist..to say, ‘There's probably more damage to human health by indoor pollution than by outdoor pollution.’
1987 Environmental Health Perspectives 76 195 Formaldehyde is but one of many chemicals capable of causing the tight building syndrome or environmentally induced illness (EI).
2000 Family Health (Nexis) Nov. 37 The urea formaldehyde (UFFI) incident alerted people to what is known as ‘tight building syndrome’ ‘building related illness’ ‘environmentally induced illness’ or ‘sick building syndrome’.
Draft additions June 2018
tight-knit adj. connected in a closely-bound structure; (also figurative) bonded or united in a close, cohesive relationship; cf. close-knit adj. at close adj. and adv. Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1832 Satirist 19 Feb. 60/1 For working-day strength, we know of no one to compare with that tight-knit frame of his.
1839 G. Stephens tr. E. Tegnér Frithiof's Saga ii. 24 Their truefast union, In weal and woe the same,..More tight-knit, still, became.
1928 G. C. La Master New Genetics ii. 56 Firm tight knit muscles are stronger than the loose kind.
1933 N. Amer. Rev. Oct. 360 The tight-knit world must flinch in every mile concertedly aghast at each diverse atrocity.
1958 Times 24 Sept. 3/3 The playwrights who have contributed to it [sc. non-realist drama] are anything but a tight-knit group.
1992 M. Anderson Impostors in Temple iv. 120 The academic intellectuals have developed such a tight-knit scheme of intellectual logrolling that their evaluations of the merits of scholarly work have become..worthless.
2017 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 13 July 18 After a six-month break, I returned to a new, kinder and more tight-knit speciality—palliative care.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† tightv.1
Obsolete.
1. transitive. To draw, pull; = tee v.1 1; to stretch.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > push and pull [verb (transitive)] > pull
teea900
drawOE
tighta1000
towc1000
tirea1300
pullc1300
tugc1320
halea1393
tilla1400
tolla1400
pluckc1400
retract?a1475
hook1577
tew1600
hike1867
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > cover [verb (transitive)] > spread or draw over (a thing) as covering for
tighta1000
hapc1390
to draw abroada1400
to draw over ——a1500
superducea1500
induce1567
overhale1579
bespread1598
strew?1615
superinduce1616
obducea1676
the world > space > relative position > posture > action or fact of stretching body > stretch [verb (transitive)] > esp. of Christ on the cross
tighta1000
to-tightc1200
stretcha1240
reacha1300
extend1526
a1000 in Anglia XIII. 421/806 Oferbrædels..onbutan getiht, uelamen..in gyro tensum.
a1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 203 Þi sune was ituht on rode.
a1400 Sir Beues (A.) 3215 Þanne was be-fore his bed itiȝt..A couertine on raile tre, For noman scholde on bed ise.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 568 Fyrst a tule tapit, tyȝt ouer þe flet..Þe stif mon steppeȝ þeron.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 858 Tapyteȝ tyȝt to þe woȝe, of Tuly & Tars, & vnder fete, on þe flet, of folȝande sute.
c1480 (a1400) St. Ninian 1331 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 342 Quhene it [sc. his curtain] vpe ves tycht, þane wist he he [had] tynt þe sycht.
2. figurative. To draw, attract, entice, allure (to some action, or to do something); = tee v.1 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > motivation > attraction, allurement, or enticement > attract, allure, or entice [verb (transitive)]
teec888
tightc1000
drawc1175
tollc1220
till?c1225
ticec1275
bringc1300
entice1303
win1303
wina1340
tempt1340
misdrawa1382
wooa1387
lure1393
trainc1425
allurea1450
attract?a1475
lock1481
enlure1486
attice1490
allect1518
illect?1529
wind1538
disarm1553
call1564
troll1565
embait1567
alliciate1568
slock1594
enamour1600
court1602
inescate1602
fool1620
illure1638
magnetize1658
trepana1661
solicit1665
whistle1665
drill1669
inveigh1670
siren1690
allicit1724
wisea1810
come-hither1954
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 174 On ðreo wisan bið deofles costnung: þæt is on tihtinge, on lustfullunge, on geðafunge. Deofol tiht us to yfele, ac we sceolon hit onscunian.
11.. Departing Soul's Addr. Body 423 Þe [deofel] tuhte his hearpe ant tuhte þe to him.
11.. Departing Soul's Addr. Body 437 Ac efre he tuhte þe.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Þe deofel heom tuhte to þan werke.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7048 Tihhtenn & turrnenn hæþenn follc..To lefenn upp o criste.
3. To train, discipline; = tee v.1 3; to chastise.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > [verb (transitive)]
tighta1000
teec1000
thewc1175
forma1340
informc1350
nurturec1475
train1531
breeda1568
train1600
to lick (a person or thing) into (shape , etc.)1612
scholar1807
educate1826
society > authority > punishment > [verb (transitive)]
threac897
tighta1000
beswinkc1175
punisha1325
chastise1362
paina1375
justifya1393
wage1412
reformc1450
chasten1526
thwart over thumba1529
chastifyc1540
amerce?1577
follow1579
to rap (a person) on the knuckles (also fingers)1584
finea1616
mulcta1620
fita1625
vindicate1632
trounce1657
reward1714
tawse1790
sort1815
to let (a person) have it1823
visit1836
to catch or get Jesse1839
to give, get goss1840
to have ita1848
to take (a person) to the woodshed1882
to give (one) snuff1890
soak1892
give1906
to weigh off1925
to tear down1938
zap1961
slap1968
a1000 Ags. Ps. (1835) xciii[i]. 12 Þe þu hine..getyhtest [L. quem tu erudieris].
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 196 Þu ne schuldest naut chastin for hire gult. ne tuchten wel þi maiden.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 96 Hwen he haueð inoh ibeaten his child & haueð hit ituht wel.
a1240 Sawles Warde in Cott. Hom. 267 Ah efter þat wit wule þat is husebonde tuhten ant teachen þat wit ga euer biuore.
4. reflexive and intransitive. To betake oneself; to go, proceed, advance; = tee v.1 6a, 6b.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > [verb (intransitive)]
nimeOE
becomec885
teec888
goeOE
i-goc900
lithec900
wendeOE
i-farec950
yongc950
to wend one's streetOE
fare971
i-wende971
shakeOE
winda1000
meteOE
wendOE
strikec1175
seekc1200
wevec1200
drawa1225
stira1225
glidea1275
kenc1275
movec1275
teemc1275
tightc1275
till1297
chevec1300
strake13..
travelc1300
choosec1320
to choose one's gatea1325
journeyc1330
reachc1330
repairc1330
wisec1330
cairc1340
covera1375
dressa1375
passa1375
tenda1375
puta1382
proceedc1392
doa1400
fanda1400
haunta1400
snya1400
take?a1400
thrilla1400
trace?a1400
trinea1400
fangc1400
to make (also have) resortc1425
to make one's repair (to)c1425
resort1429
ayrec1440
havea1450
speer?c1450
rokec1475
wina1500
hent1508
persevere?1521
pursuec1540
rechec1540
yede1563
bing1567
march1568
to go one's ways1581
groyl1582
yode1587
sally1590
track1590
way1596
frame1609
trickle1629
recur1654
wag1684
fadge1694
haul1802
hike1809
to get around1849
riddle1856
bat1867
biff1923
truck1925
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13636 Ure Drihten heo bi-læueð and to Mahune heo tuhteð.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 407 His horn he vastliche bleu. Iherden hit Troynisce & tuhten [c1300 Otho toȝe] to þon Gricken.
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 93 To hunte þer he had tight in his new forest.
a1400 K. Alis. (Bodl.) 7164 Þat neiȝ þe kyng hij ben ytiȝth.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20506 I sal far þar mi sun has tight.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3157 Quen he þe sted sagh þar he tight, þe child he dide o þe ass light.
a1400–50 Alexander 2304 To þe temple he tight tithanndez to herken.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 717 Do way, let chylder vnto me tyȝt.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 1358 All tight to þe tempull of þere tore goddes, For drede of the dethe.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > motivation > attraction, allurement, or enticement > [noun]
tightingc1000
tolling?c1225
ticement1303
enticinga1340
ticinga1400
atticement1483
allure1534
luring1547
enticement1549
allurement1561
allurance1574
alluring1579
illurement1582
attraction1591
lurement1592
till1596
invitation1602
tract1620
illecebration1624
prolectation1625
invitement1627
inescation1645
inveiglement1653
allectation1656
tracture1658
solicitation1676
drumming1833
come-hither1835
chemistry1898
come-hitherness1918
c1000 [see sense 2].
a1175 Cott. Hom. 229 Þurh diofles tihtinge beswicen.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 29 Þat is þe defles tuihting and mislore.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† tightv.2
Obsolete.
1. transitive. To appoint, ordain, set, fix (a time, etc.); to devise, contrive; to prepare, get ready. Cf. dight v. 2, 11, 14.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > planning > plan [verb (transitive)] > arrange
beteec1275
tailc1315
castc1320
ordaina1325
setc1330
tightc1330
accord1388
tailyec1480
assign1558
raise1652
settle1694
work1761
arrange1786
engineer1831
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 5488 Atte water Hamon doun lyght, Intil a bot Hamon had tyght.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Coll. Phys.) l. 24344 To ten al tiht [Gött. tight] vs was þat tim Quen we na hel moht se on him.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 18323 Þat þou thoru prophet tald and tight Nu es it fulfilled be-for vr sight.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 11050 All þat þe is tight [Vesp. hight] sal be-tyde.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 4124 Þe foly þat his breþeren tiȝt.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 1153 Ȝif ȝe wolde tyȝt me a tom telle hit I wolde.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 502 Of tyme of ȝere þe terme watz tyȝt.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. c The renkis of the round tabill That has traistly thame tight to governe that gait.
2. With infinitive or absol. (rarely reflexive): To fix it in one's mind; to determine, intend, purpose; to set oneself to do something.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > intend [verb (reflexive)]
turnc1175
tightc1300
castc1386
bethink1387
ettlec1440
the mind > will > intention > intend [verb] > intend to do something
weenOE
willOE
thinkOE
tightc1300
to be (later also to have it) in purpose1340
tend1340
cast138.
reckona1450
aimc1450
willc1450
esteema1533
suspect1629
predeterminea1641
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2990 Hwou the swikes haueden tiht [MS. thit] Reuen hem that was here riht [MS. rith].
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 729 To slen him had he tiȝte.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1301 Wen þat drightim had him tight To send him þe oile þat he him hight.
a1400 Sir Beues (A.) 838 A stiward was wiþ king Ermin, Þat hadde tiȝt to sle þat swin.
a1400 Octouian 1476 To brewe the Crystene mennys banys Hy hadden tyght.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2483 Mony a venture..Þat I ne tyȝt at þis tyme in tale to remene.
c1475 Songs, Carols, etc. 85/64 Alone to be, she hath her tight.
?a1500 Chester Pl. xi. 165 Therfore a songe, as I haue tighte,..I will shewe here in thy sighte.
3.
a. To set, set firmly, fix, set up (an edifice), pitch (a tent). Cf. dight v. 5, 8.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > place or put in a position [verb (transitive)] > place and make fast
plant1381
tight1382
affixc1448
pitch1533
pight1586
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Judges xx. 33 So alle the sones of Yrael..tiȝten shiltron in the place that is clepid Baalthamar.
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 168 Wiþ tabernacles y-tiȝt to toten all abouten.
a1400–50 Alexander (Ashm.) 1373 Quen he had tiȝt vp þis tram and þis tild rerid.
c1420 Anturs of Arth. 355 Þe tasses were of topas, þat were þere to tiȝte [v.r. tyghte].
c1440 Bone Flor. 377 They tyght ther pavylons in a stede.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. biiii Ane hie toure that tight wes full trest.
b. ? To set down in writing, to state. Cf. dight v. 6.
ΚΠ
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 1052 Þe hyȝe trone..With alle þe apparaylmente vmbe pyȝte, As Iohan þe apostel in termez tyȝte.
c. To set or deck with jewels. Cf. dight v. 10.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautify [verb (transitive)] > ornament
dightc1200
begoa1225
fay?c1225
rustc1275
duba1300
shrouda1300
adorna1325
flourishc1325
apparel1366
depaintc1374
dressa1375
raila1375
anorna1382
orna1382
honourc1390
paintc1390
pare1393
garnisha1400
mensk?a1400
apykec1400
hightlec1400
overfretc1440
exornc1450
embroider1460
repair1484
empare1490
ornate1490
bedo?a1500
purfle?a1500
glorify?1504
betrap1509
broider1509
deck?1521
likelya1522
to set forth1530
exornate1539
grace1548
adornate1550
fardc1550
gaud1554
pink1558
bedeck1559
tight1572
begaud1579
embellish1579
bepounce1582
parela1586
flower1587
ornify1590
illustrate1592
tinsel1594
formalize1595
adore1596
suborn1596
trapper1597
condecorate1599
diamondize1600
furnish1600
enrich1601
mense1602
prank1605
overgreen1609
crown1611
enjewel1611
broocha1616
varnish1641
ornament1650
array1652
bedub1657
bespangle1675
irradiate1717
gem1747
begem1749
redeck1771
blazon1813
aggrace1825
diamond1839
panoply1851
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 475 Bricht braissaris of steill..Ticht ouir with Thopas, and trew lufe atanis.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
tightv.3
/tʌɪt/, U.S. /taɪt/ transitive. To make tight, in various senses.† 1. To make (a vessel) watertight. Obsolete.† 2. To stretch, tighten, brace; to draw tight, compress. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > build a ship [verb (transitive)] > fit out or equip > make watertight
tight1532
1532 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 156 For boyingis and teichtein of the xij barrellis of aill forsaidis.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > sinew, tendon, or ligament > [verb (transitive)] > brace
tight1581
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xvii. 76 Wrastling..tightes the sinews.
3. Also reflexive. To put in order, make tidy or neat. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > put in order [verb (reflexive)] > put in order or tidy
spruce1598
adjust1728
tight1775
tighten1786
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautify the person [verb (reflexive)]
preenc1395
prunec1395
prank1546
to set oneself out to the life1604
adonize1611
briska1625
tight1775
to make up1778
tighten1786
smarten1796
pretty1868
tart1938
pansy1946
sharpen1952
primp1959
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Goudronner..to pitch, trimme, or tight a ship.
1775 S. J. Pratt Liberal Opinions (1783) III. lxxxvi. 138 Mr. Benjamin..had so spruced and tighted himself up, that he really looked quite interesting.
1895 W. Rye Gloss. Words E. Anglia (at cited word) 3. = Tidy. ‘Tight yourself up’.
Derivatives
ˈtighted adj.
ΚΠ
a1614 J. Melville Autobiogr. & Diary (1842) 255 His lessone was a tichted upe abregment of all he haid tetched the yeir bypast.
1661 Sc. Acts Chas. II (1820) VII. 230/2 The said barrells to be well tichted and double girthed before the transporting thairof.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1c888
adj.adv.n.21379v.1a1000v.2c1300
v.31532