bridlen.
/ˈbrʌɪdl/, U.S. /ˈbraɪd(ə)l/ I. A horse's headgear, and related senses.
1. † b. A bit placed in the mouth of a horse or draught animal. Obsolete.
a. The headgear used to control, direct, or lead a horse or draught animal, consisting of a headstall and reins.bridle is often considered to exclude any bit used (see e.g. quot. 1963 and quot. 1835 at sense 3a); but compare sense 1b. Sometimes, esp. in early use (see e.g. quot. OE1), it is not clear whether bridle refers to reins alone.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle
haltera1000
bridleOE
brake1430
gorel1480
watering bridle1502
mollet-bridle1503
headgear1538
slipe1586
chase-halter1607
branks1657
bit-bridle1676
curb-bridle1677
chain-bridle1690
blind-halter1711
ox-riem1817
blind-bridle1833
bell-bridle1836
training halter1842
hackamore1850
Pelham bridle1875
quoiler1876
knee-halter1892
war bridle1962
side pull1965
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Hatton) (1900) ii. 17 Heo..genam þa þæs halgan weres hors be þam bridele [OE Corpus Cambr. bridelse].
OE Prose Charm: Against Theft (Corpus Cambr. 190) in G. Storms Anglo-Saxon Magic (1948) 202 Gyf hit sy hors, sing on his feteran oþþe on his bridele.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 60 Bridel nis naut ane in þe horse muð.
c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 772 Berild gan him nier ride & tok him bi þe bridel.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iv. l. 20 Hong on him an heui Bridel to bere his hed lowe.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 1250 (MED) Þe stedes rennen wiþ slake bridlen.
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 1208 The fomy brydil with the bit of gold Gouernyth he.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. HHHvii Whether he shulde haue also the saddell & brydell with the horse.
1674 W. Lloyd Difference Church & Court of Rome 8 It being proverbial, That 'tis a greater shame to bring home the Bridle than steal the Horse.
1712 M. Henry Expos. Prophetical Bks. Old Test. (Hosea xi. 6) sig. Iiiiiv Probably in those times the Yoke on the Neck of the Oxen was fastened with some Bridle or Head-stall over the Jaws.
1869 M. Kirby & E. Kirby World at Home 34 The reindeer is fastened to the sledge by a strap, and his master ties a cord round his horns by way of a bridle.
1884 E. L. Anderson Mod. Horsemanship i. v. 17 In the double bridle we have the curb bit and the snaffle.
1937 Man. Horsemastership (War Office) iii. 147 With the left hand holding the reins and the cheek piece of the bridle, he should say the word ‘Steady.’
1963 E. H. Edwards Saddlery xxiii. 181 The tackle consists of a bridle and bit,..a Jodhphor type curb chain and cord overcheck.
2020 Courier Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 3 Dec. (Sport section) 68 He's a long way the best horse I've ever put a bridle on.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > halter or bridle > the bit
bridleeOE
eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in W. G. Stryker Lat.-Old Eng. Gloss. in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1951) 263 Lupatis, bridlum, frænnes.
c1175 ( Homily: Hist. Holy Rood-tree (Bodl. 343) (1894) 34 Þa næȝlas nim & ðerof wurcean hat þet myld to constantines bridle... Ðu scealt heom her wurcen haten & ðone bridel syððan mid þe læden.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Royal) (1850) James iii. 3 If we putten to horsis bridles [L. frena] in to mouthis.
1579 W. Fulke Confut. Treat. N. Sander in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 657 She commaunded his bridle to be made of one nayle.
2. A scold's bridle. Compare branks n.1 1. Now historical.
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society > authority > punishment > public or popular punishments > [noun] > punishing by pillory or stocks > pillory or stocks > scold's bridle
branks1595
bridle1623
scold's bridle1858
tongue-tier1883
scold's bit1884
1623 Macclesfield Corp. Rec. in G. Ormerod Hist. Cheshire (1819) III. 385 A Brydle for a curste queane.
1658 Worcester Corporation Rec. in J. Noake Worcester in Olden Times (1849) 110 Paid for mending the bridle for bridleinge of scoulds, and two cords for the same, 1s 2d.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) In Staffordshire they have a bridle for correcting scolding women.
1858 T. N. Brushfield On Obsolete Punishm. i. 16 Another Bridle..is a very handsome specimen, being surmounted with a decorated cross.
2013 Sunday Times 10 Feb. (Culture Suppl.) 8/4 The most gruesome exhibit was a set of iron gags and jagged bridles used for the restraining of witches.
II. Something resembling or likened to a horse's bridle.
3. † b. A fortress keeping an enemy in check. Compare bridle v. 1b. Obsolete. [In quot. 1693 apparently after Italian Briglia di Napoli.]
a. figurative and in figurative contexts: a restraint, curb, check, or means of control. Also as a mass noun: control, restraint, dominance. Esp. in early use sometimes with reference to the ‘bit’ sense ( 1b) rather than to the more general ‘headgear’ sense ( 1a): compare perhaps to champ at the bit at champ v. Additions.
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society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > [noun] > means of restraint or restraining force
bridleeOE
bridea1425
restraint1523
aweband1531
bit1546
retentive1580
control1594
curb1613
hank1613
constriction1650
retinue1651
check1661
spigot1780
brake1875
way-chain1884
tab1889
inhibitor1902
check-cord1908
iron maiden1912
inhibition1932
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lxv. 467 Ne forgiet ðu ðeah ðæt ðu man eart, ac geðenc ðone bridel ðinre mettrymnesse [L. infirmitatis tuae freno] swiðe geornlice on ðe selfum.
c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 1028 Hom ne mai halter ne bridel Bringe vrom hore wude [a1300 Jesus Oxf. wode] wise.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 254 (MED) Zete ane brydel to þine couaytises.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 1629 (MED) Men sen alday that rape reweth..Betre is upon the bridel chiewe Thanne if he felle and overthrewe.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (1868) l. 2376 O stronge god [sc. Mars] þat..hast..Of armes al the brydel in thyn hond.
a1450 (?1419–20) Friar Daw's Reply (Digby) l. 567 in P. L. Heyworth Jack Upland (1968) 90 And who wil not amenden him ȝeue him þe brydil.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. viii. 1. Dauid smote the Philistines, and discomfited them, and toke the brydell of bondage out of the Philistynes hande.
1624 F. Bacon New Atlantis (1677) 257 The reverence of a mans self is, next religion, the chiefest Bridle of all Vices.
1796 E. Burke Let. to Noble Lord 41 Calais the key of France, and the bridle in the mouth of that power.
1835 W. Wordsworth Yarrow Revisited, & Other Poems 261 O for a bridle bitted with remorse To stop your Leaders in their headstrong course!
1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xv. 233 He kept his tongue under a bridle.
1958 N.Y. Times 27 Mar. 32/4 We have not yet put bit and bridle to nature.
2020 Nigerian Tribune (Nexis) 24 Aug. This blatant attempt by the Federal Government to stifle legitimate dissent and put a bridle on free speech.
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society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > fort or fortified town > [noun]
chestera855
boroughc893
fastnessOE
strength?c1225
warnestore1297
fortress13..
holdc1330
strongholdc1384
motec1390
fortalicec1425
garnisonc1430
garrisonc1430
town of war1441
wall-town1488
strengh1489
afforciament1509
piece1525
forcea1552
citadel1567
fort1569
place1575
holt1600
alcazar1623
fasthold1623
afforcement1642
castle-town1646
post1648
garrison-town1649
bridlea1661
palank1685
place of arms1704
ostrog1761
qila1761
presidio1763
gurry1786
thana1803
pa1823
castrum1836
lis1845
Gibraltar1856
training post1867
kasbah1902
jong1904
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Wales 7 They [sc. castles]..were first intended as bridles to their Country.
1693 tr. N. de Fer Voy. & Trav. All Europe III. xii. 114 The Castle of St. Elmo..was built by Robert I. the Son of Charles II. and the Emperor Charles V. after he had caus'd it to be well fortify'd, call'd it the Bridle of Naples.
4. A connective structure in the human body.
a. Anatomy. A fold of tissue that connects an organ or part with another part; a frenum or frenulum, esp. of the tongue or the penis. In early use also: †a septum, spec. that of the nose (obsolete rare). Now rare.
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the world > life > the body > structural parts > sinew, tendon, or ligament > types of sinew, tendon, or ligament > [noun]
master sinewa1400
bridle1578
fraenulum1706
fraenum1741
fundiform ligament1889
tendon organ1923
habena-
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > nose > [noun] > septum
nose gristleOE
crete?1541
nose-bridge1572
bridle1578
septum1615
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man iv. f. 49 (margin) The bridle of the tongue.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια iv. viii. 212 For if it [sc. the passage of the yard] were either oblique or crooked, (as it is in those which are called ὑποσπαδιαίος in whome the passage is retorted by reason of a bridle at the end of the yarde, who therefore cannot procreate vnlesse that bridle be cut).
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 144 The tongue hath a ligament or bridle for two causes: First for the firmament of its Basis.
1699 L. Wafer New Voy. & Descr. Isthmus Amer. 143 Pinching the Bridle of the Nose with its Points, it hangs dangling from thence.
c1720 W. Gibson Farriers New Guide i. ii. 17 An Appendage, call'd the Frænum, or Bridle, which runs..almost to the Root of the Yard.
1739 Gen. Chirurg. Dict. at Frænulum, in J. Sparrow tr. H. F. Le Dran Observ. Surg. The Bridle of the Tongue.
1805 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 14 97 Two cases of children losing their lives in consequence of cutting what is called the bridle of the tongue.
1894 New Orleans Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 22 251 It [sc. a baby] accidentally fell on its face..and lacerated the mucous membrane at the gingivo-labial commissure, corresponding to the bridle of the upper lip.
1905 A. Flint Handbk. Physiol. ix. 227 The posterior bridle [of the ileo-cæcal valve] is a little longer and more prominent than the anterior.
2007 Med. Anthropol. Q. 21 307 The severity of the operation is also affected by whether it removes the frenulum, the sensitive ‘bridle’ on the underside of the penis, adjoining the cleft in the glans.
b. Medicine and Surgery. A band of fibrous tissue formed as a result of a pathological process or during wound healing; an adhesion (adhesion n. 6). Also: †a (supposed) fibrous network in the centre of a developing pox pustule (cf. bride n.2 3) (obsolete). Now rare.Cf. bridle stricture n. at Compounds 3.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > diseases of tissue > [noun] > abnormal or morbid tissue
adherence1667
adhesion1698
bridle1739
membrane1765
pseudomembrane1824
heterology1854
neoplasm1863
synechia1873
heteroplasm1878
paraplasm1890
paraplasma1890
heteromorphosis1891
1739 J. Sparrow tr. H. F. Le Dran Observ. Surg. lx. 209 The Cystis Hernialis..was much contracted, forming four or five strong Bridles [Fr. brides].
1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 603/2 Those bridles which are such frequent causes of deformity after the healing of extensive burns.
1836 T. Hodgkin Lect. Morbid Anat. Serous & Mucous Membranes I. iv. 92 The formation of bridles of adhesion, connecting the opposed surfaces of the serous membrane, is by no means an infrequent result of pericarditis.
1863 J. C. Peters & F. G. Snelling Princ. & Pract. Med. 342 On the third and fourth days, they [sc. vesicles of chicken-pox] attain their greatest magnitude, when the central bridle ruptures.
1896 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 23 May 1276/2 On the eleventh and twelfth day they [sc. pustules] are shown with a central punctated depression, but by the thirteenth day the ‘bridle’ has given way underneath.
1910 C. R. Box Post-mortem Man. iv. 195 Strictures of the Urethra may appear as irregular tracks of induration or as a fibrous rings or bridles.
1986 Amer. Jrnl. Otolaryngol. 7 184/2 The bridles and the filling material could be loosened without any difficulty from the surrounding tympanic cavity walls.
5. Building (originally and chiefly Scottish). A band or beam used to support a joist that is not otherwise supported from below. Compare trimmer n. 4.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > joist > support for
raisingeOE
raising-piece1286
summer1324
reasonc1330
rib-reasonc1350
wall-plate1394
wall-plat1420
summer-piecec1429
summer-tree1452
resourc1493
summer beam1519
wall-rase1523
girt1579
bridle1587
girder1611
out-footing1611
sommier1623
raising plate1637
trimmer1654
main beama1657
corbel1679
dwarf1718
brick trimmer1774
summer stonea1782
tail-trimmer1823
wood brick1842
1587 Edinb. Dean of Guild Accts. 288 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Bridil(l, Brydill Ane brydill..to hald wp the end of the geist.
1618 Accts. Master of Wks. XV. ii. 47 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Bridil(l n. For thrie tries of aik to be brydellis.
1633 Accts. Master of Wks. XXVI. f. 2 in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Bridil(l n. Fluiring nailles for the brydillis..of the caiphous.
1905 W. Robertson & C. Porter Sanitary Law & Pract. xxviii. 560 They [sc. joists] should run across the breadth of the room..being received into a ‘Trimming Joist’ or ‘Bridle’, i.e., a joist running between the joists nearest.
2009 E. Fleming Constr. Technol. iv. 114/1 If more than two sides were supported or more than one joist cut, the bridle and the joist supporting the end(s) of the bridle would have to be thicker.
6. A set of two or more divergent lines, or a single line secured in its middle, which restrains and stabilizes an object as it is towed, lifted, or blown (esp. in water or air); spec. (a) Nautical a set of short ropes connecting the bowline to the vertical edge of a square sail; (in later use also) a stout cable by which a vessel is secured to moorings; (b) a cord attached to a kite, usually at two points, which holds it at the correct angle for flying and attaches it to the flying line; (c) the lines attached to each side of the mouth of a trawl net, by means of which it is towed.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > for securing vessel > bridle
bridle1626
bridle cable1791
tie1867
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > rigging > [noun] > running rigging > rope for securing windward edge or corner > rope attaching bowline to sail
bridle1626
bowline-bridlec1860
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > kites > [noun] > bridle of kite
bridle1825
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > net > [noun] > other parts of net
foot rope1750
stretcher1823
bridle1828
foot line1845
otter-boardc1870
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 15 The maine bowling and bridles.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §259 We came to and got in the bridle and swivel.
1825 M. Edgeworth Harry & Lucy Concluded III. 291 ‘The bridle of the kite,’ said he, ‘is to be hooked on the bent points of these tongs.’
1828 Rep.Trial Action of Debt 136/2 When this net is in the water, by towing these nets to the bridle, the net is swelled out in this manner.
1899 C. F. Marvin in Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 1898 211 The one-point attachment of bridle..is better suited to strong than light winds.
1937 J. G. Kellar Hydrographic & Geodetic Surv. Man. 69 The parts of the bridle should be of about equal length, about 60 feet, to keep the buoy and its sinker in the same vertical plane.
1962 Pop. Boating Feb. 280/2 The company also has a line of water ski tow bridles, tow bars, life vests and swim belts.
2013 Kitesurf Mar. 84/1 The Sculp is a three strut kite... The bridle takes hold of pretty much the whole leading edge.
7. A metal strip or band connecting one part of a machine to another and acting to restrain or control relative motion. Now rare.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > devices for securing or uniting parts
key1434
chevel-bolt1480
strop1573
gimbals1577
gimmals1598
gimmera1603
strap1620
bridle1667
key band1735
screw-joint1810
locking plate1812
safety pin1822
king bolt1839
square coupling1845
holding-down bolt1846
ball joint1849
pinholder1854
knuckle-joint1860
bayonet-joint1870
elbow1874
fox-key1874
split-pin1875
cotter-pin1881
elbow-joint1881
banjo-frame1888
holding-down pin1892
holding-down ring1899
feather1908
banjo union1922
1667 Wilmslow Churchwardens' Accts. in J. P. Earwaker E. Cheshire (1877) I. 115 Paid for the bridle of the clocke, and several other things about the clock and quarters.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Reservatory Each Pipe is three foot and a half long, and there are Bridles at each end of them, which are join'd and closed together by Screws and Worms.
1846 Print. Apparatus Amateurs 10 The pressure is applied to the front of the press by a lever, which is jointed to the upper extremity by a long bridle.
1940 U.S. Patent 2,213,326 2/2 Moveable coil is mounted on insulating block, which is attached to bridle which, in turn is prevented from rotating by its contact with casing.
8. Firearms. A small metal plate in the interior of a gunlock, holding the sear and tumbler in position.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > lock > other parts of lock
scutcheon1631
bridle1771
bridle pin1799
feather-spring1807
comb1867
detant1884
1771 R. Adam Invoice 28 Mar. in G. Washington Papers (1993) VIII. 554 A neat fowlg ps. London proovd. 4 feet blew Barl, ¾ bore. Bridle lock & brass furns.
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 100 Bridle [of musket]..0s. 9d.
1965 J. D. Lavin Hist. Spanish Firearms vi. 145 The conventional external mainspring, cock bridle, and sear arrangement.
2008 Sporting Shooter Nov. 84/1 Arietta..have, most cleverly, modified the intercepting safety sear—a feature of all quality side locks—with a tiny coil spring set in a tube in the bridle to power the interceptor.
9. Agriculture. A curved piece of iron to which the tackle for draught animals is fastened, attached via a clevis to the end of a ploughbeam. Now rare (chiefly historical).
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the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > part to which draught attached
plough shackle?c1475
plough-ear1510
cock?1523
ear?1523
muzzle1534
cutwith1565
tractory1607
plough-cock1652
plough-head1733
hake1787
bridle1790
drail1811
gallows1840
plough clevis1846
1790 Gentleman's Mag. Apr. 302/2 The axletree. It goes through a bridle or curved iron at each end of the hopper.
1840 Penny Cycl. XVIII. 275/1 The end of this iron, which is called a bridle, has several projecting hooks..on which an iron ring is hung at different heights.
1884 Folk-lore Jrnl. 2 330 The ploughman drank a glass himself, and refilling the glass poured it over the bridle of the plough.
2015 S. Leslie Horse-powered Farming for 21st Cent. 141/2 The horses are hitched to the bridle of the plow (the ‘bridle’ of a plow is the horizontal plate with adjustment holes that the evener attaches to via a clevis).
10. A binding or lashing used to restrain something or keep it in position; spec. (in upholstery) one or more long running stitches passing right through the first layer of stuffing, used to hold it in place while other work is carried out. Compare bridling n. 4b.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > stitch > other
accrue1725
gobble stitch1788
seam-stitch1825
marking stitch1861
dot1882
seam1882
basket-darning1884
basting1885
bridle1885
padding stitch1913
stab-stitch1917
tuck-stitch1926
prick stitch1928
fishbone-stitch1932
pad stitch1964
1885 Spons' Mechanics' Own Bk. 401 Keeping the bridle square with the chair, temporarily tacked into place.
1908 A. H. Sabin House Painting 14 Don't buy a new brush with a bridle on it; take it off and see if the bristles are elastic and strong.
1953 Pract. Upholstering (Commerc. Trades Inst.) x. 261/2 Bridle the seat and work some filling under the bridles; then add filling until it is about 2 or 3 in. deep.
1994 D. James Upholstery Techniques & Projects (1995) 54 The bridle is a stuffing tie in the form of a long stitch which pierces the depth of a first stuffing and holds it firmly in place while other work proceeds.
11. The action or gesture of bridling: see bridle v. 4. Obsolete.
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the mind > emotion > anger > indignation or resentment > [noun] > showing resentment
grudgingc1420
snarling1591
bridling1709
bridle1748
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. xxii. 195 Miss Howe..repeated she, with a scornful bridle, but a very pretty one.
1782 W. Cowper Hope in Poems 158 The flirted fan, the bridle and the toss.
Phrases
P1. to give a horse the bridle: to allow a horse to choose its own path or go at its own pace; to lose or relinquish control of a horse.Compare free rein n. 2 and to give (a horse) his (also her, its, etc.) head at head n.1 Phrases 4e(b).
ΚΠ
1542 T. Elyot Bibliotheca Permitto,..Permittere equum, to gyue to the horse the brydell, or to let go at his pleasure.
1860 tr. A. Dumas Doctor Basilius xxxiv. 419 Hurruck gave the horse the bridle, and started off at full speed.
1900 Evening Tel. (Dundee) 22 May 6/2 Having the presence of mind to give their horses the bridle they were taken safely to their destination.
1920 G. Cruikshank Hist. Birmingham II. 50 When his arm was hit it gave the horse the bridle.
2016 tr. S. Freud in Agathos 7 56 Like the rider who, when they do not wish to part with their horse, is often left with no other choice but to give the horse the bridle and allow it to take them where it wishes.
P2. to lay (also throw) the bridle on (also in) a person's neck: to give control to, or entrust the outcome of a situation to, another. Frequently figurative and in figurative contexts. Now chiefly archaic.Compare to give a horse the bridle at Phrases 1, free rein n. 2, and perhaps to give (the) rein(s) (to) at rein n.1 Phrases 1.
ΚΠ
1574 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Job ii. 9/1 He was a good man for his owne behalfe, but he had no great regard of his children: he did inough for the discharging of himselfe to Godwarde, but he hath layde the brydle in the necke of the others.
a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) i. i. sig. B2v I love a woman of her yeares, a pacer That lay the bridle in her neck will travell.
1701 tr. A. Dacier Wks. Plato Abridg'd II. 185 Not to do as most Fathers do, who, when their Children come to be young Men, throw the Bridle on their Neck, and suffer 'em to live according to their fansie.
1889 Southwestern Christian Advocate (New Orleans) 16 May 6/1 He [sc. the believer] must, as it were, shut his eyes, lay the bridle on the neck of Providence, commit his way to God.
1995 R. Mack Arabian Nights (1998) 805 I laid the bridle on his neck, and trusted myself to the will of God to dispose of my fate.
P3. up into (also to) its bridle: (of a horse) moving at the full speed allowed, without hanging back at the pressure applied by the bridle.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > riding a horse (or other animal) [phrase] > up to the full speed allowed
up into its bridle1871
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by speed or gait > [adverb] > swiftly > as fast as bit or bridle allows
up into (also to) its bridle1871
1871 Field 14 Oct. 323/1 The stiffness will wear off in a few days, and then you can drive him right up to his bridle.
1882 Illustr. Sporting News 4 Feb. 502/2 Come on at a good canter—not too fast, but keep them well up into their bridles.
1903 Field 5 Sept. 441/3 He worked a stage of about five miles out and home, went well up to his bridle, and was not once touched with the whip.
1992 Daily Tel. 12 Mar. (Sport section) 32/4 I sometimes have to slap his shoulder to keep him up into his bridle.
P4.
a. on the bridle: (of a horse) ridden on a tight rein; cf. on the bit.Frequently used with reference to racehorses that are running well or winning comfortably, keeping up the necessary pace while remaining under the jockey's control.
ΚΠ
1963 Daily Mail 20 Nov. (Sport section) 19/7 But for a last-fence mistake she would have won on the bridle at Worcester.
2020 Racing Post (Nexis) 17 July 13 The son of Kodiac breezed from last to first on the bridle and powered to the line under Oisin Murphy to beat Wings Of A Dove.
b. off the bridle: (of a horse) ridden on a loose rein; cf. off the bit.Frequently used with reference to racehorses that are running at their maximum pace, being urged on by the jockey.
ΚΠ
1992 Daily Tel. 24 July 29/1 Informatrice, having her first run, started at 7-4 on and was never off the bridle to take the EBF Scroby Sands Maiden Fillies' Stakes.
2020 Racing Post (Nexis) 3 Sept. 6 He was off the bridle in last place and never managed to pick up when required.
Compounds
C1. General use as a modifier, as bridle rope, bridle strap, etc.
ΚΠ
OE Sedulius Glosses (Corpus Cambr. 173) in H. D. Meritt Old Eng. Glosses (1945) 37/2 Faleris: bridelgym uel hurst.
OE Ælfric's Colloquy (1991) 35 Ego emo cutes et pelles..et facio ex eis..frenos et falera: ic bicge hyda & fell..& wyrce of him..bridelþwancgas & geræda.
1380–1 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 590 In girthbukels et bridelirnes.
1404 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1899) II. 396 6 brydylrapes.
1771 M. Peters Winter Riches p. viii A pin which runse through the bridle strap and beam.
1825 J. Atkinson tr. A. Tassoni Rape of Bucket I. xxii. 166 For a war-horse rode upon a Saddleless demon, without bridle-straps.
2011 J. Golding Deadlock: Bk. iii. xiv. 212 She admired..the collection of horsewhips, quivers and bridle bells displayed on the wall.
C2. Compounds denoting a right of way, etc., that is suitable for the passage of horses and their riders, typically one passing through countryside and closed to horse-drawn and motorized vehicles. Compare bridleway n.
a.
bridle path n. a path suitable for horses, or along which riders are allowed to go on horseback.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > for horses or for riding
horse-way985
ridingc1175
ridewaya1500
warple1565
bridleway1667
stirrup-way1736
horse-road1740
bridle road1745
horse-path1755
bridle path1779
ride1789
bridle track1794
horse-track1836
bridle traila1858
spur road1883
horse-ride1903
1779 Morning Post 25 Mar. This is a bridle path to Feversham.
1812 Ann. Reg. 1811 Nat. Hist. 470/2 The only roads..are narrow bridle-paths winding through the recesses of the mountains.
1835 Southern Lit. Messenger 1 615 Our way, although little more than an indistinct bridle path, was more pleasant than that by which I had before crossed.
1840 C. F. Hoffman Greyslaer II. iii. 198 The road he was traversing could scarcely, indeed, be dignified with the title of a bridle-path.
1895 ‘C. E. Craddock’ Myst. Witch-Face Mt. i. 30 That's a man..killed yestiddy in the bridle-path.
2020 Brighton & Hove Independent (Nexis) 8 Oct. If you're a horse rider or hiker, the national park offers over 700 miles of bridle path, with beautiful views of sea and countryside.
bridle road n. now rare a road suitable for horses, or along which riders are allowed to go on horseback.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > for horses or for riding
horse-way985
ridingc1175
ridewaya1500
warple1565
bridleway1667
stirrup-way1736
horse-road1740
bridle road1745
horse-path1755
bridle path1779
ride1789
bridle track1794
horse-track1836
bridle traila1858
spur road1883
horse-ride1903
1745 R. Pococke Descr. East II. ii. v. vii. 243 I have had experience in several places of a winter and summer road for carriages; and it is very common in all parts to have a short bridle road.
1868 M. E. Grant Duff Polit. Surv. 53 The bridle roads across the mountains..are quite enough for camels and mules.
1938 Evening Post (Wellington, N.Z.) 28 Dec. 6/ He had himself engaged some labourers to make a bridle road from Kaiwharawhara up to his discovery.
bridle track n. chiefly U.S., Australian, and New Zealand a track suitable for horses, or along which riders are allowed to go on horseback.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > for horses or for riding
horse-way985
ridingc1175
ridewaya1500
warple1565
bridleway1667
stirrup-way1736
horse-road1740
bridle road1745
horse-path1755
bridle path1779
ride1789
bridle track1794
horse-track1836
bridle traila1858
spur road1883
horse-ride1903
1794 H. P. Wyndham Picture of Isle of Wight 8 A bridle track conducted us, through the shades of Brockwood,..to Wootton Church.
1860 B. Taylor At Home & Abroad 284 Following a bridletrack..over a black, soil, we soon reached one of the bights of the harbor.
2001 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 11 Aug. 28 A short walk on mainly bridle tracks and farm lanes along the northerly lip of the Cotswold Escarpment.
bridle trail n. chiefly U.S. and Australian a trail suitable for horses, or along which riders are allowed to go on horseback.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > for horses or for riding
horse-way985
ridingc1175
ridewaya1500
warple1565
bridleway1667
stirrup-way1736
horse-road1740
bridle road1745
horse-path1755
bridle path1779
ride1789
bridle track1794
horse-track1836
bridle traila1858
spur road1883
horse-ride1903
a1858 J. M. Peck Forty Years Pioneer Life (1864) ix. 117 I parted with my companions at Herculaneum, and followed a ‘bridle-trail’ near the bluffs of the Mississippi, and through an immense tract of barrens.
1938 Bull. Pan Amer. Union 72 605/2 The old bridle trail that in early days was the only road to Chile, before direct rail communication with that country was established.
2011 Hills Gaz. (Perth, Austral.) (Nexis) 21 Jan. 9 I was riding my horse along the bridle trail behind the Mt Helena Tavern when my horse spooked at my mobile phone ring tone, causing me to lose my stirrups and fall off.
b.
bridle bridge n. a bridge that is suitable for the passage of horses, but not vehicles.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > bridge > bridge by type of traffic
footbridgec1400
horse-bridge1637
carriage bridge1753
bridle bridge1780
stride1791
pack and prime way (also bridge, road)1798
passerelle1892
1780 Northampton Mercury 16 Oct. Along such Carriage Road to the present Ford and Bridle-Bridge.
1882 Hist. Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 9 446 The approach to the Castle..has been from a curious old bridle-bridge.
2012 Kidderminster Shuttle (Nexis) 10 Oct. Foot and bridle bridges damaged during flooding have been repaired and reopened.
bridle gate n. chiefly British a gate that is suitable for a horse and rider to pass through.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > opening which may be passed through > gate or gateway > of a bridle-path
bridle gate1760
1760 T. Hitt Treat. Husbandry i. 30 In hunting countries it would be an advantage to the farmers who live there, to erect bridle-gates in their fences.
1868 ‘H. Lee’ Basil Godfrey's Caprice III. lxvii. 308 The horses..stopped at a bridle-gate.
2020 Wilts. Times (Nexis) 10 Mar. They have been hard at work in Easterton clearing a path and putting up a bridle gate.
C3. † bridle cull n. [ < bridle n. + cull n.2] cant Obsolete (historical in later use) a highwayman.
bridle arm n. the arm used in holding a horse's reins; compare bridle hand n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > arm > [noun]
armeOE
brawna1382
hand?a1425
branch1594
bridle arm1622
shield-arm1640
smiter1673
sword-arm1687
fin1785
pistol arm1800
spade-arm1804
pinion1848
liver wing1855
bow-arm1860
meathook1919
gun1973
1622 F. Markham Five Decades Epist. of Warre iv. v. 139 First his Posture of setting forward and drawing his Sword ouer his Bridle arme, then the raising of his arme.
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. iv. 116 Resting the blade upon the bridlearm.
1992 A. R. Trulock In Hands of Providence viii. 234 At that moment a bullet passed through the horse's neck, painfully wounded Chamberlain's bridle arm.
bridle cable n. a cable serving as a bridle (chiefly in sense 6).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > for securing vessel > bridle
bridle1626
bridle cable1791
tie1867
1791 Monthly Rev. Aug. 438 The main chains, on taking away the bridle cable, might be lowered to the bottom by this buoy chain.
2005 Estuaries 28 475/1 The bridle cables attach at two points, leaving the mouth relatively unobstructed.
bridle chain n. (a) a chain forming the whole or part of a bridle (in various senses); (b) Mining a safety chain attached to a cage in a mine shaft to support the cage if it becomes detached from the winding cable.
ΚΠ
1733 J. Tull Horse-hoing Husbandry xxi. 139 The Bridle-Chain, one End whereof is fastened to the Beam by a Pin, and the other End to the Top of the Stake.
1834 Naut. Mag. Jan. 31 A strong chain stretched along the ground, and secured at its extremities by mooring-blocks or anchors, the vessel swinging at a bridle-chain near the middle.
1870 Trans. North of Eng. Inst. Mining Engineers 19 App. 4 A bridle chain broke at one of the Wyndham pits, the lever entered the conducting rod and stopped the cage.
1930 Colliery Guardian 28 Feb. 815/2 There were several links on each end of the bridle chain, and they could drop one or two for adjustment.
2003 Tucson (Arizona) Citizen 19 Feb. d4/3 The delicate task of sliding the bit behind the teeth in front and buckling the bridle chain under the ‘chin’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > [noun] > highwayman > mounted
prancera1640
priggera1640
bridle cull1718
high toby gloak1811
toby-gill1811
tobyman1811
1718 C. Hitchin Regulator 19 A Bridle-Cull, alias a Highway Man.
1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild i. v, in Misc. III. 34 A Booty of £10 looks as great in the Eye of a Bridle-cull..as that of as many thousands to the Statesman.
1897 C. Whibley Bk. of Scoundrels 77 He lived on terms of intimacy with the mill-kens, the bridle-culls, the buttock-and-files of London.
1929 J. S. Montgomery in Salt Lake Tribune 21 July 3/3 Resurrection Coves, Bridle Culls, Family-men, and such ilk, all candidates for a ‘Tyburn tippet’.
bridle cutter n. now rare a maker of horse bridles; compare bridle maker n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > bridle-maker
bridle maker1598
bridler1652
bridle cutter1696
1696–7 Act 8 & 9 William III c. 21 §20 in Statutes of Realm (1963) VII. 243 Bridle-Cutters Sadlers and other Makers Dressers..or Workers in Leather.
1720 London Gaz. No. 5912/4 John Rest..Bridle-Cutter.
1936 Times 30 Oct. 21/5 Mr. Frederick James Cox, of Walsall, retired bridle cutter, who died on September 11.
bridle hand n. the hand used to hold a horse's reins, often the left hand.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > extremities > hand > [noun] > left hand
winstereOE
left handc1275
bridle hand?1561
bow-hand1598
buckler-hand1676
rein hand1738
sinister1770
southpaw1813
ciotóg1832
shield-hand1891
?1561 T. Blundeville Newe Bk. Arte of Ryding ii. sig. E.viiv To teache youre horse then to goe backe: you muste so soone as he hathe stopt, pull in your bridle hande moderatlye accordinge as the horses resistaunce shall require.
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. ii. 39 To govern his horse by the aid of his legs and bridle-hand, he may have the right hand at full liberty for the use of his weapons.
2009 Jrnl. Soc. Army Hist. Res. 87 102 Unable to use his bridle hand, he must have taken his horse's reins in his teeth, drawn his pistol with his right hand.
bridle joint n. Woodworking a type of joint, similar to a mortise and tenon but varying in length and depth.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > constructing or working with wood > [noun] > wooden structures or wooden parts of > means of fitting together > types of joint
indenting1382
scarf1497
swallowtail1548
dovetail1565
mortise-piece1577
tenon and mortise1610
culver-tail1616
mortise and tenon1631
finger joint1657
breaking joint1663
meeting1663
mitre1665
scarfing1671
heading joint1773
dovetail-joint1776
butting joint1803
bevel-joint1823
lap-joint1823
lapped mitre1825
mitre dovetail1847
bridle joint1860
mortise1875
sypher-joint1875
keyed mitre1876
tongue-and-groove1882
saddle joint1948
1860 T. L. Donaldson Handbk. Specif. I. 215 Trimmers or bridle-joints to be 3 ½ inches thick.
2016 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 16 Jan. t6/1 Roy shows viewers how to duplicate the beveled bridle joints and the chamfered chops of a traditional saw-sharpening vise.
bridle leather n. leather of the type used for bridles or saddlery; spec. a type of strong, high-quality leather produced by treating the hide on both sides with grease and finishing it with wax.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > other types of leather
redlashOE
lasch14..
leather-hungry1478
spruce1570
chicken skina1685
bridle leather1794
russet1813
goose-skin1826
Levant1880
whang1883
Persian1889
nubuck1912
1794 St. James's Chron. 26–29 Apr. 1/3 Their entire and valuable stock in trade... Sock, harness, bridle leather, &c.
1813 ‘T. Martin’ Circle Mech. Arts 258 Bridle leather is cut into pairs of butts and middlings, which signify the middle and butt of the hide; the neck and belly parts being used for inferior purposes.
1929 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 26 Oct. 755/2 A small strip of bridle leather, 3 inches long and 1 inch broad, to be fixed vertically to the top of the outer bar by a screw nail at each end to keep the pelvic strap in position.
2011 Esquire Mar. 115/2 The bag is made from bridle leather, which is traditionally used for saddlery.
bridle maker n. a maker of horse bridles.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > bridle-maker
bridle maker1598
bridler1652
bridle cutter1696
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Brigliaro, a bit or bridle-maker.
1876 G. Grote Fragm. Ethical Subj. v. 136 The end of the bridle-maker is subservient to that of the horseman.
2011 Rev. Eng. Stud. 62 479 In the courtship letters of John Fawdington, a bridle-maker of Asenby, Yorkshire, we find a man trying to write about his emotions in the language of sensibility.
bridle pin n. Firearms a pin which serves to secure the bridle of a gunlock (see sense 8) .
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > lock > other parts of lock
scutcheon1631
bridle1771
bridle pin1799
feather-spring1807
comb1867
detant1884
1799 C. James Regimental Compan. 100 List of prices for repairing Military Arms... Tumbler pin, hammer pin, hammer spring pin, bridle pin, sear pin..each 4d.
1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 263 Unscrew the bridle-pins and remove the bridle.
1985 R. B. McDowell Evol. of Winchester ii. 25/2 The tumblers of all Jennings locks are fitted with bridles and the mainsprings have slotted forks to receive the bridle pins.
bridle port n. a port or porthole in a ship's bow through which bridles (sense 6) may be run, or chase-guns fired.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > other parts of body of vessel > [noun] > opening in side of vessel > at bow or stern > for cables
cat-holea1642
hawse-hole1664
bridle port1784
1784 ‘Nauticus’ in Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 81/2 Let the cables to the wreck be..passed through the after-ports on each side, and carried forward to the bridle ports.
1832 F. Marryat Newton Forster III. x. 157 Two-and-twenty guns besides her bridle ports.
2020 Northern Echo (Nexis) 26 July The missile entered the ship's bridle port, killing a midshipman.
bridle stricture n. Surgery a stricture resulting from a band of fibrous or membranous tissue extending into or across the lumen of the urethra or other tubular organ (see sense 4b).
ΚΠ
1814 C. Bell Syst. Operative Surg. (ed. 2) I. ii. 55 This small fibre is distinguished from the soft mucous and dilatable membrane of the urethra, by its resemblance to such filaments as form the texture of the common fascia: I call it the bridle stricture.
1896 A. E. Maylard Treat. Surg. Alimentary Canal ix. 92 When there is reason to suspect a bridle stricture [of the œsophagus], hemispherical-headed sounds have been used.
1940 E. D. McCrea Dis. Urethra & Penis viii. 131 The so-called bridle stricture is a diaphragm which has a second perforation near it periphery, usually produced by instrumentation, so that a bridge crossing the urethral lumen has resulted.
2000 Internat. Jrnl. Radiation Oncol. Biol. Physics 48 Suppl. 1 225 Six patients..suffered from small bowel obstruction requiring surgical intervention, 4 of them with a bridle stricture in the postoperative course.
bridle wisdom n. originally and chiefly U.S. (now rare). (with reference to a horse, pony, etc.) the quality of being well-trained and responsive to the rider's use of the reins; compare bridle-wise adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > temperament > [noun] > well-trained or obedient > readiness to obey bit
mouth1727
bridle wisdom1865
1865 Genesee (Rochester, N.Y.) Farmer Apr. 111/1 Along with the lessons of bridle wisdom, should come the first lessons in bare-back riding.
1906 Sunday Jrnl. (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 27 May ii. 1/7 Ordinarily he is headstrong and hard to manage, having no bridle wisdom whatever.
1947 C. E. G. Hope Riding i. 10 A marvellously handy animal possessed of bridle wisdom undreamt of by the average English horse.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
bridlev.
/ˈbrʌɪdl/, U.S. /ˈbraɪd(ə)l/ 1. † b. transitive. In military contexts: to limit or reduce the threat from (an opposing power or stronghold) by establishing defensive fortifications; to keep (an enemy) in check. Cf. bridle n. 3b. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To place a check or restraint on (a person or thing); to regulate; to restrict, curb, or bring under control. Also with in. Cf. bridle n. 3a. to bridle one's tongue: to restrain oneself from speaking freely; to moderate one's language.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (transitive)] > hold in check
bridleOE
tempera1050
chastec1230
to hold inc1300
straina1340
stintc1366
attemperc1380
restraina1387
rulea1391
ward1390
coarctc1400
obtemper?a1425
to hold or keep (a person) shortc1425
compesce1430
stent1488
coactc1520
repressa1525
compress1526
control1548
snaffle1555
temperatea1568
brank1574
halter1577
curb1588
shortena1599
to bear (a rein) upon1603
check1629
coerceate1657
bit1825
throttle1862
hold1901
OE Blickling Homilies 161 Hi heofon mid heora mægenum bridlodan, & hie on swiþe manegum godcundum mægenum..ascinon.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11664 Sone iss þe bodiȝ bridledd.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 60 Ȝef ani..ne bridleð naut his tunge.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Pref. 6 Also to bridle the insolencie.
1637 J. Milton Comus 30 Rise, rise..And bridle in thy headlong wave.
1696 Bp. G. Burnet Refl. upon Pamphlet 121 If the Party will not govern their Passions, nor bridle their Tongues.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 43 I bridled my Passion with all my Might.
1893 Mag. of Poetry 5 277/1 As a poet he is painstaking and cautious and yet not to the extent of bridling in his muse or restraining her flights.
2007 Korea Times (Nexis) 12 Dec. Lee instructed party members to bridle their tongues especially regarding post-election issues.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)]
wieldeOE
redeOE
temperc1000
wisc1000
yemec1000
aweldc1175
guy13..
rule1340
attemperc1374
stightlea1375
justifya1393
governa1400
moder1414
control1495
moderate1534
rein1557
manage1560
sway1587
to bear (a rein) upon1603
bridle1615
ephorize1647
puppet1840
coact1855
boss1856
run1869
swing1873
1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 86 They are bridled of all sides..by a great number of strong places.
1754 D. Hume Hist. Great Brit. I. 166 Forts were erected in order to bridle Rochelle, the most considerable bulwark of the protestants.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People ii. §6. 85 Scotland..was bridled by the erection of a strong fortress at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
1905 Cambr. Mod. Hist. (1907) III. 415 She [sc. Geneva] was bridled by the fortress of Sainte-Catherine, built just outside her borders.
2.
a. transitive. To fit (a horse or other animal) with a bridle. Also occasionally intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [verb (transitive)] > bridle, halter, collar, or reins
bridlec1330
kevela1400
halterc1440
rein?c1475
pastern1598
lock1625
to put (a horse) under the button1667
knee-halter1835
collar1884
c1330 Body & Soul (Auch.) (1889) 58 (MED) Þe stede was bridled wiþ a bridel.
a1425 (a1400) Northern Pauline Epist. (1916) 1 Tim. v. 18 (MED) Þou schalt not brydele þe mouþ to þe oxe plowande.
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) vii. l. 696 His cumly steide of Araby..bridillit costlykly.
1705 J. Stevens tr. ‘A. Fernández de Avellaneda’ Contin. Don Quixote xvii. 430 Then he saddled and bridled Rocinante, and they all went out of the Wood.
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. ii. 42 The Recruits are to be taught to saddle and bridle for Riding Drill.
2015 Manukau (NZ) Courier (Nexis) 28 May 3 He would have the pony saddled and bridled and all my school friends wanted to have a ride on it.
b. transitive. To force (a person) to wear a scold's bridle; to punish, humiliate, or mistreat in this way. Cf. bridle n. 2. Chiefly Scottish in early use. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > public or popular punishments > [verb (transitive)] > set in stocks or pillory > confine in bridle
bridle1568
1568 in W. Mackay & H. C. Boyd Rec. Inverness (1911) I. 164 The jugis hes..Ordanit [the said William] to be brydelit for the wrang.
1642 in J. Stuart Extracts Presbytery Bk. Strathbogie (1843) 29 He had bound Jeane Davidsone..to a post, and hade brydled her..to the gryt effusion of her blood; and..he frequentlie vsed to brydle his owne wyffe.
1858 T. N. Brushfield On Obsolete Punishm. 13 She was ordered to be bridled and to be led through the town.
2014 S. Banks Informal Justice ii. 33 The places in the first half of the nineteenth century where we see the penitent still exhibited and the scold still ducked or bridled.
3. † a. transitive. To direct or control (a horse or other animal) using a bridle. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > control with bridle
bridlea1393
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2037 Some prike here hors aside And bridlen hem now in now oute.
a1456 in K. Meyer John Gower's Beziehungen zu Chaucer & König Richard II (1889) 72 Passe forþe þou pilgryme and bridel wele þy beeste.
b. intransitive. Of a horse, pony, etc.: to respond to the bridle; to follow the rider's direction. Chiefly with well. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > habits and actions of horse > [verb (intransitive)] > submit to the rein or bridle
rein1566
bridle1867
1867 All Year Round 26 Oct. 419/2 Does he bridle well, Mr Hawkes?
1888 Boy's Own Paper 10 Mar. 382/1 A pony with a light obedient mouth, and a neck that will bend without being any weight on the rider's hands, is a pony that bridles well.
1929 Daily Express 5 Jan. 7/5 Mr. Wroughton's horse never bridled well at the fence... It slipped and brushed through the fence, hardly rising.
2001 C. Tunstall Train your own Mini (new ed.) i. 8 Additionally, this horse will not bridle well or carry its head correctly.
4. Of a person.† d. intransitive. With upon. To dwell on a matter, question, etc., esp. with pride or vanity. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To hold (the head) high with the chin drawn in, as a horse does when reined in; to move (the neck, chin, etc.) so as to adopt such a position. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > indignation or resentment > be indignant at or resent [verb (transitive)] > toss (the head or chin) in resentment
bridlec1450
c1450 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 75 Ful feire brydelyn ye your cowntenaunce, And propirly unto the brest adowne.
1595 W. Phiston tr. Schoole Good Manners sig. Cv Shake not much thy head, nor strout it not too much out with bridling in thy chin.
1756 World 2 Sept. 166 ‘O, Sir!’ says she (with the most innocent smile imaginable, bridling her head, and curt'sying down to the ground).
1848 A. Brontë Tenant of Wildfell Hall I. iv. 71 She bridled her long neck and smiled.
1914 D. H. Lawrence Prussian Officer & Other Stories 226 She stood still to look at herself, bridling her head in the dignified fashion.
1953 M. Peake Mr. Pye (1999) iv. 29 He bridled back his round and gentle head and drew a deep breath of island air.
b. intransitive and transitive (reflexive). To draw oneself up with the head held high and the chin drawn in; spec. †(a) (esp. of a woman) to hold oneself in this manner in order to appear more elegant or attractive (obsolete); (b) to make such a movement involuntarily in reaction to being offended or irritated; to be visibly affronted or indignant (cf. sense 4e). Formerly also †transitive with it (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > be proud [verb (intransitive)] > behave proudly
swella1250
to make it stoutc1315
to bear oneself stout1338
bridlea1475
to make it prouda1500
strut1518
to set up one's bristles1529
strut?c1570
square1584
square1590
swagger1600
to take on1603
puff1633
fluster1698
to hold one's head high1707
crest1713
to set out the shin1719
straddle1802
the mind > emotion > anger > indignation or resentment > be or become resentful [verb (intransitive)] > show indignation or resentment
bridlea1475
bristle1549
muzzle1581
snarl1597
pique1664
growl1706
to bridle up1709
grrra1963
to give attitude1975
the mind > emotion > anger > indignation or resentment > be indignant at or resent [verb (reflexive)] > show or express resentment
resent1617
bridle1752
a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 135 Brydelynge with brest vppon your crawe.
?1562 Jacke Jugeler sig. B.i Se mynceth, she bridelethe, she swimmith to and fro.
a1624 Bp. M. Smith Serm. (1632) 172 Shall we bridle it or bristle it against him?
1658 R. Flecknoe Enigmaticall Characters 44 Ramping and hoiting, or mincing and bridling it.
1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 89 She is pretty and amiable, and she knows it too well; whenever you tell her she is handsom, she bridles.
1748 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) II. 485 Pauline is not yet so genteel as Jackey because she is very fat, but she bridles very well.
1752 H. Fielding Amelia III. vii. iv. 39 Is she, said my Aunt bridling herself, fit to decide between us?
a1807 J. Opie Lect. on Painting (1809) iv. 156 Smirking damsels..flaunting and bridling in all the tawdry dresses and fashionable airs of the time.
1961 Sunday Tel. 1 Oct. 14/3 I bridled rather haughtily,..told them it certainly wasn't for sale.
2010 I. Crawford Catered Thanksgiving (2011) iii. 21 Libby bridled herself. ‘No, I don't.’
c. intransitive. to bridle up: to draw oneself up with the head held high and the chin drawn in; (now chiefly) to make such a movement in reaction to being offended or irritated; to be visibly affronted or indignant.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > indignation or resentment > be or become resentful [verb (intransitive)] > show indignation or resentment
bridlea1475
bristle1549
muzzle1581
snarl1597
pique1664
growl1706
to bridle up1709
grrra1963
to give attitude1975
1709 Tatler 3 Dec. This declaration gave great Satisfaction to the whole Assembly, which immediately bridled up, and appeared in all its beauties.
1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random II. l. 146 She..bridled up, assumed an air of disdain.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. iv. 92 Everybody bridled up at this remark.
2011 EKantipur.com (Nepal) (Nexis) 17 Apr. Locals bridled up at seeing the party leaders participating in such programmes.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > take pride in [verb (transitive)]
to lift up oneself ofc1450
to take (a) pride in1582
bridle1747
pride1975
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa II. xviii. 107 I cannot indeed but say, bridling upon it, that I have heard famous scholars often and often say very silly things.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison IV. xv. 110 She took to herself, and bridled upon it, to express myself in Charlotte's manner, the praises and graces this adroit manager gave her, as if they were her unquestionable due.
1873 Godey's Lady's Bk. & Mag. Feb. 190/1 How the mother must have bridled upon ‘My daughter, the Baroness’.
e. intransitive. With against, at, etc. To respond to something angrily, indignantly, or with irritation or resentment; to take exception to something specified. Now chiefly without implication of a physical response.
ΚΠ
1788 P. Gibbes Niece II. xvi. 168 Mrs. Middleton bridled at this intimation.
1825 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 2nd Ser. I. 77 ‘Why, my Lady,’ said Matthew, bridling at the very undignified office assigned him in his own house..‘I..cannot consent to be a spy’.
1981 Times 6 Nov. 8/7 Congressmen,..bridling against the President's demands for additional non-military spending cuts.
2020 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 5 Dec. 13 Anti-apartheid organisations bridled at the inclusion of South Africa and threatened a protest.
5. transitive. In extended use (chiefly in technical contexts). To control, restrain, or limit (a thing) using something likened to a bridle in form or use; to fit with a bridle (in various senses of bridle n. II.). Cf. bridling n. 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > kites > [verb (transitive)] > attach bridle to a kite
bridle1899
1585 J. Banister Wecker's Compend. Chyrurg. ii. 269 Some doe likewise bridle those beardes [i.e. barbs], with quilles, or peeces of reedes, that they may not teare [the flesh], and so plucke them out that way that seemeth readiest.
1665 H. Oldenburg Let. 30 Dec. in R. Boyle Corr. (2001) II. 611 One of his newfashiond watches, furnished with a slender spring, in stead of a pendulum, to regulate the Ballancier,..to command and bridle the wheeles, and thereby to cause an equality in their motion.
1833 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Cottage Archit. § 1066 The joists to be bridled (trimmed) for wells of stairs..and stiffened with herring-bone strutting.
1899 C. F. Marvin in Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 1898 210 Two methods of bridling the kite.
1907 W. Pearce Painting & Decorating (ed. 3) iv. 59 When new, a ground brush or tool will require tying up, or bridling, so that the bristles are not too long for use.
1953 Pract. Upholstering (Commercial Trades Institute) 261/2 Bridle the seat and work some filling under the bridles; then add filling until it is about 2 or 3 in. deep.
2009 M. Halperin True Tales of Tide iii. 19 I removed the large hook from his mouth and used the two hooks from the 9/0 rig to bridle him as a live bait.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.eOE
v.OE