well-chosenadj.

a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) (1988) 156 (MED) Ofter helpiþ a wel chosen place þan vertu or strengthe.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) iii. sig. Gg1 The girle thy well chosen mistresse, perchaunce shall defend thee.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) iv. i. 7 Heere comes the King. Rich. And his well-chosen Bride. View more context for this quotation

1656 A. Cowley Davideis iv. 145 in Poems But, Lo! they 'arriv'ed now at th' appointed place; Well-chosen and well furnisht for the Chase.

1697 K. Chetwood Life Virgil in J. Dryden tr. Virgil Wks. sig. *4 A well-chosen Library, which stood open to all comers of Learning and Merit.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 93. ¶10 The Mind never unbends it self so agreeably as in the Conversation of a well chosen Friend.

1755 E. Young Centaur i. 5 Well-chosen Pleasure is a branch of happiness.

1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 393 Then to his book, Well chosen, and not sullenly perus'd In selfish silence.

1806 La Belle Assemblée Sept. 388/1 There is a sort of interesting negligence in a well-chosen half-dress, which attracts more than the eye.

1858 Harper's Mag. Jan. 197/1 All alike were from him, and her jealous, womanly pride rejoiced that his presents were the most beautiful and well-chosen of all.

1935 W. B. Wolfe Woman's Best Years ii. 20 With paint and powder, with well-chosen clothes and seductive perfumes, she befuddles the allegedly nobler critical faculties of her male companions, and brings them to their knees.

1972 New York 23 Oct. 56/1 The only way to assure yourself of a well-chosen selection of mature red wine at a reasonable cost is to buy current vintages and wait.

2012 Vintage Life Mar. 59/2 Nothing will help you keep your supermarket bill down more than being able to knock up tasty filling dishes with only a few well chosen ingredients.

1561 R. Ascham in T. Blundeville tr. Plutarch Three Morall Treat. The woordes well chosen and well sette, Doe bryng suche light vnto the sense.

a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) ii. f. 43^v All his words be proper, apt & well chosen.

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xliii. 272 A grammarian therefore be entred to write, speake, and vnderstande pretily in some well chosen argument best to follow for aptnes ech way.

1624 E. Forset Def. Right of Kings 12 Hee vsed..such cloathing and decking of the cause with well chosen words for the faire carriage of the matter, as that the naked and plaine sence thereof was not easily to be discouered.

a1704 J. Locke Conduct of Understanding §31 in Posthumous Wks. (1706) 97 Well chosen Similies, Metaphors and Allegories.

1733 S. Whatley tr. S. Tyssot de Patot Trav. & Adventures James Massey 21 The Terms in which he express'd himself were strong, and well-chosen.

1828 R. Whately Elem. Rhetoric iii. ii. §9. 243 A well-chosen epithet may often suggest..an entire Argument.

1845 H. W. Longfellow Poets & Poetry of Europe 600 His language is simple, well chosen, and beautiful.

1854 Harper's Mag. Feb. 423/2 Thomas Carlyle..has excelled all his contemporaries in the graphic pictures which he has painted in a few well-chosen and expressive words.

1912 M. Beerbohm Christmas Garland 46 You figure him at the gate, shaking hands all round, and speaking perhaps a few well-chosen words about the future.

1957 D. Robins Noble One xix. 177 I can and shall go down and settle her with a few well-chosen words.

1990 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 19 Sept. 11 How many people dream of being able to corner their local friendly bank manager and impart a few well-chosen words?

2004 Time Out N.Y. 16 Dec. 179/1 Dressed to the tens, deploying well-chosen anecdotes and asides, she glides from table to table, flirting here, cajoling there.