> as lemmas

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. iii. 21 I like your silence, it the more shewes-off Your wonder. View more context for this quotation

1750 Student 1 No. 5. 163 'Tis not sufficient that a woman has good features and an handsome person, unless she knows how to shew them off to the best advantage.

1787 P. H. Maty tr. J. K. Riesbeck Trav. Germany III. lxiii. 204 Chusing rather to make the most of its ground, than to shew off the church to the best advantage.

1855 T. C. Haliburton Nature & Human Nature II. xi. 330 Didn't it show off the Mudian galls to advantage, lick!

1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 231/1 The colour of a background or the ‘grounding’ of a piece of embroidery should be selected with a view to showing off the colours of the design.

1937 Amer. Home Apr. 58/2 Medium or really dark backgrounds, which show them off to the best advantage.

1956 I. Fleming Diamonds are Forever xxii. 216 The neutral colours showed off her café-au-lait sunburn.

2008 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 5 Feb. b8 Boyish trousers and feminine print blouses that showed off necklines.

a1625 J. Fletcher Valentinian iv. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Bbbbbbb4^v/2 The sins of other women put by hers Shew off like sanctities.

a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger False One iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Rr^v/1 This is safe now: And will shew off, most honourable.

1750 E. Cother Serious Proposal 11 Nor..is it any Part of our present Intention, to shew off the special Advantages that may arise to any one, farther than will appear upon the Face of the Proposal itself.

1754 S. Fielding & J. Collier Cry II. iii. xv. 207 My chief joy would not be in shewing off those trifling things which money can give any one possession of, but in shewing off my husband.

1805 Sporting Mag. Nov. 56/2 On a small farm he contrived, from time to time, to bring into the field, to show off there, and to sell afterwards..as many good horses as ever perhaps belonged to one person.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair l. 447 To show off before them his new wealth and splendour.

1879 M. Pattison Milton 192 An opportunity for an author to show off his powers of writing.

1928 B. Benefield Little Clown Lost v. 75 Probably she wants to practise you in your part as well as to show you off in your new finery.

1947 Z. N. Hurston Let. 2 Oct. in Life in Lett. (2002) 558 He was accusing me of having dragged him down there to show off what a big shot I was.

1993 Weekend Times 17 July 16/3 Mike Howgate shows off his splendid collection of dino memorabilia.

2014 Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 7 Aug. 9 Someone who hones his body at the gym and isn't afraid to show it off.

1750 Love at First Sight 98 He's a monstrous Jacobite, in which he shews off with his false Reasoning and Nonsense.

1762 London Chron. 5 June 538/2 It would be an insufferable vanity in me to show off, who am but very moderately versed in the language.

1777 S. J. Pratt Trav. for Heart II. 208 This precious fellow began, at his first abord, to shew off.

1815 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) I. 69 She puts me in mind of Miss Berry when she is showing off.

1894 D. C. Murray Making of Novelist 201 He was tempted to swagger and ‘show off’ as children say.

1930 Oxf. Ann. Girls 51/1 Just because Meriel's a prodigy, and shows off.

1994 H. Burton Leonard Bernstein vi. xxxvii. 455 He arrived in his white tie and tails..and proceeded to show off shamelessly, lunging at the camera..like some latter-day Count Dracula.

2012 N. Barker Yips ii. 104 Popped a wheelie—just showing off to some beach babe.