| 释义 |
▪ I. fence, n.
Also 4 fens, 6 fenst.
[aphet. f. of defence.]
†1.
a. The action of defending; = defence. Also, the attitude of self-defence; in to stand at fence.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8638 Þen Octa studied in his þought: To stonde to fens auailled nought. 1375Barbour Bruce xx. 384 That for default of fenss so was To-fruschit in-to placis ser. c1430Syr Tryam. 551 He stode at fence ageyne them. a1400–50Alexander 4753 For nouthire fondis he to flee ne na fens made. c1500Felon Sowe Rokeby in Whitaker Craven (1878) 569 Yet, for the fence that he colde make, Scho strake yt fro his hande.
†b. cap of fence: see cap n. 4. coat of fence: see coat n. 5. So doublet of fence: see doublet. house of fence: a fortified house. man of fence: a defender. Obs.
c1425Wyntoun Cron. ix. xxi. 12 Ðe Hous of fens of Dalwolsy. 1463Mann. & Househ. Exp. (1841) 158 Ffusten..ffor to make doblettys off ffence. c1470Henry Wallace v. 1095 No man of fens is left that house within. 1488Will of Sharnebourne (Somerset Ho.), Doblette of fence. 1514Will of R. Peke of Wkd. 4 June, All my cottes of fense of manse body. 1555Reg. Gild Corp. Christi York (Surtees) 202 My coote of fenst, and steele cappe. 1664Flodden F. i. 5 Each house of fence to fortify.
2. a. The action, practice, or art of fencing, or use of the sword. to make fence: to assume a fencing attitude. Also, master, teacher of fence.
1533Udall Flowres Latine Speaking (1560) 133 Disciplina gladiatoria, is..the waie of trainyng men in..the schooles that maisters of fence keepe. 1535in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 131 Dennys, a poore scholler and a teacher of fence. 1599Shakes. Much Ado v. i. 75 Ile proue it on his body..Despight his nice fence. 1651Hobbes Leviath. i. v. 22 Trusting to the false rules of a master of Fence. 1828Scott F.M. Perth iv, A man must know his fence, or have a short lease of his life. 1831Examiner 17/2 He will point his sword at shadows, and make fence at your cat. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 459 A man of..consummate skill in fence. 1863Mrs. C. Clarke Shaks. Char. iii. 87 Osric..comes to announce..the wager at fence with Laertes.
b. transf.
1634Milton Comus 790 Enjoy your..gay rhetoric, That hath so well been taught her dazzling fence. 1862Merivale Rom. Emp. (1865) V. xliv. 254 Fence of tongue was the weapon with which they were to maintain..their honour. 1871Blackie Four Phases i. 79 The Sophists were cunning masters of fence. 1883Contemp. Rev. June 871 That shrewd critic and experienced professor of Parliamentary fence.
†3. Means or method of defence; protection, security. Obs.
c1440Promp. Parv. 155/1 Fence, defence fro enmyes, proteccio, defensio. 1565Jewel Repl. Harding 550 It is thought to be the surest fence, & strongest warde for that Religion, that they should be keapte stil in ignorance. 1627May Lucan ii. 408 His choisest buildings were but fence for cold. 1691T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 39 To deliver up his Majesty's Ships to the..Worm..wholly unprovided of any Fence against them. 1745De Foe's Eng. Tradesman (1841) I. ix. 67 Employment is said to be the best fence against temptation. 1756Nugent Montesquieu's Spir. Laws (1758) I. xii. ii. 261 The subject has no fence to secure his innocence.
Proverb.1674N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 98, I dare be bold to say, 'Tis such a flail as there can ne're be fence for. 1730Swift Poems, On Stephen Duck 115 The Proverb says; No Fence against a Flail.
4. concr. That which serves as a defence.
†a. Of persons: A bulwark, defence. Obs.
c1400Destr. Troy 7363 He was fully the fens..Of all the tulkes of Troy. 1552Godly Prayers in Liturg. Serv. Q. Eliz. (1847) 248 O Lord Jesus Christ, the only stay and fence of our mortal state.
b. Of things: A defence, bulwark. arch. (now with mixture of sense 5).
c1440Promp. Parv. 155/1 Fence, or defence of closynge (clothynge, P.). 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Luke x. 4, I send you forth naked, wythout weapon or fense. 1671Grew Anat. Plants (1682) i. ii. 17 The Skin is the Fence of the Cortical Body. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 483 A hilly Heap of Stones above to lay, And press the Plants with Sherds of Potters Clay. This Fence against immod'rate Rain they found. 1700S. L. tr. Fryke's Voy. E. Ind. 183 [The river] is a mighty Fence to the City Odia. 1727Swift Gulliver iv. iv. 278 My whole body wanted a fence against heat and cold. 1814Scott Ld. of Isles iii. xix, Deer-hides o'er them cast, Made a rude fence against the blast. 1838Thirlwall Greece II. 278 They hastily formed a high fence out of the wrecks round the fleet.
fig.1732T. Lediard Sethos II, Strangers would not believe there was a sufficient fence against crimes. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 311 They sin, who first remove the skin..or outward tender fences of God's graces.
†c. spec. The tusk of an elephant (= Fr. défense). Also, the involucre of a flower. Obs.
1727Philip Quarll 219 The Fences of an Elephant, and the Tusks of a wild Boar. 1776Withering Brit. Plants (1796) II. 171 Involucrum, or fence, 2 leafits..to each floret.
5. a. An enclosure or barrier (e.g. a hedge, wall, railing, palisade, etc.) along the boundary of a field, park, yard or any place which it is desired to defend from intruders. sunk fence: one placed along the bottom of a depression in the ground; sometimes applied to a ditch. Often preceded by a qualifying word, as: gun-, pale-, quick-, ring-, snake-, wire-, etc. fence, for which see those words.
1512Nottingham Rec. III. 340 Owre fense be twixe our medo and Wilforth Pastur. 1570Levins Manip. 63/16 A Fence, vallum. 1611Bible Ps. lxii. 3 As a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. 1697Dryden æneid ix. 457 The famished lion..O'erleaps the fences of the nightly fold. 1711Addison Spect. No 56 ⁋3 This huge Thicket of Thorns and Brakes was designed as a kind of Fence or quick-set Hedge. 1767A. Young Farmer's Lett. People 62 They..keep their fences in admirable repair. 1786Gilpin Obs. Pict. Beauty Cumbrld. I. 136 The lake performing the office of a sunk fence. 1832Act 2–3 Will. IV, c. 64 Sched. O. 1648 That point in a stone fence which is immediately opposite a..pool. 1832H. Martineau Ireland i. 2 A turf bank, was the best kind of fence used. 1891Edge in Law Times XC. 395/1 An ordinary fence, consisting of a ditch and a bank.
b. transf. and fig.
1639Fuller Holy War i. iii. (1840) 4 When the fence of order was broken. 1691Hartcliffe Virtues 105 Those who have broken through all the Fences of Law. 1712–4Pope Rape Lock ii. 119 Oft have we known that seven-fold fence [petticoats] to fail. 1761–2Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxx. 250 To throw down all fences of the constitution. 1820Lamb Elia Ser. i. Christ's Hosp., Breaking down the strong fences of shame, and awkwardness.
c. Phrases: chiefly U.S. (to stand or sit) on or upon the fence: (to be) undecided in opinion, or neutral in action. (to be) on a person's, the other side of the fence: (to be) on his side, on the side opposed to him. to descend on the right side of the fence: to take the side of the winner. to mend (or look after) one's fences, of a member of Congress: to renew contact with the electors; also, by extension, to make one's peace (with a person). to put one's horse at a fence: to spur him on to leap it. to rush one's fences, to act precipitately. to make a Virginia fence: ‘to walk like a drunken man’ (Lowell Biglow Papers Introd.). over the fence (Austral. and N.Z. colloq.), see quot. 1941.
1745Franklin Drinker's Dict. Wks. 1887 II. 26 He makes a Virginia Fence. 1828Richmond Whig 13 Aug. 1/5 (Th.), There are certain Administration Editors, Editors for a long time on the fence, who occasionally undertake..to sit as censors upon their fatigued and dusty brethren. 1829R. C. Sands Writings (1834) II. 160 Mr. Spratt..was ‘on the fence’; where, like a wise man, he determined to sit, until he had made up his mind on which side to get off. 1830Annals of Cleveland No. 316, Now all would-but-dare-not-be-politicians who insist in sitting on the fence, will be amerced a penalty for the same. 1848Lowell Biglow P. Poems 1890 II. 82 A man represents Not the fellers that sent him, but them on the fence. 1862Ibid. 287, I mean a kin' o' hangin' roun' an' settin' on the fence. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. vi, It's allers best to stand missis's side the fence. 1863Holland Lett. Joneses v. 80 Any man who would stand upon the fence. 1868J. T. Trowbridge Three Scouts in Beeton's Boys' Ann. Suppl. i. 4, I judge your sympathies are more on t'other side of the secession fence than on ours. 1887A. Lang Myth, Ritual & Relig. II. 350 Mr. Morgan..puts his hobby at its highest fence. 1888Congress. Rec. 16 Aug. 7646/1 [They] are at home seeking renomination or looking after their fences. 1889Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang, Mend fences, to (American), to mend or repair fences for a man is to attend to his interests. 1891Salisbury in Guardian 28 Jan. 158/2 They gently descended on the right side of the fence. 1906Forum Apr. 444 An early adjournment of the session is deemed essential in order that the members may go home to mend their fences, as the saying is. 1917A. Huxley Let. 3 Aug. (1969) 132 As Dean Inge said early in this war, ‘God is sitting on the fence and it is perfectly uncertain on which side He will come down.’ 1918Chrons. N.Z.E.F. 19 July 276/1 ‘It's over the blooming fence,’ he announced... ‘These..bounds. First they put Paris Plage out of bounds.’ 1922G. Frankau Love Story A. Brunton i. 16 Aliette was not the type of woman who liked rushing her fences, either mentally or on horseback. 1925A. Huxley Let. 16 Sept. (1969) 253 We shall be looking at things mostly from the Indian side of the fence. 1927Daily Express 8 Sept. 2/4 The French delegation, which has hitherto been sitting on the fence, has suddenly become exceedingly active. 1937‘G. Orwell’ Road to Wigan Pier xii. 243 The fence on which the literary gent sits..is now pinching his bottom intolerably. 1941Baker Dict. Austral. Slang 28 Over the fence, unreasonable, beyond the pale of common-sense or justice. 1949N. Balchin Sort of Traitors iv. 81 You fight all your life for something and then before you know where you are you're on the other side of the fence fighting against it. 1959Spectator 21 Aug. 213/3 It is a pity we have not mended our fences with Colonel Nasser. 1966Times 11 May 13/1 There are still fences to be mended and fingers to be kept in pies. Ibid. 13 May 1/7 Britain would not let slip any opportunity in this matter, but there was no question of precipitate action or rushing fences. 1970‘W. Haggard’ Hardliners viii. 85 It was a thousand pities that Bull's predecessor had been so stupid... There were fences to be mended here and Albert Bull intended to mend them.
6. Technical uses.
a. A guard, guide, or gauge designed to regulate the movements of a tool or machine.
1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 72 The Fence of the Plow [a grooving-plane] is set to that Distance off the Iron-Plate of the Plow, that you intend the Groove shall lie off the edge of the Board. Ibid. 79 The Handle should on either side become a Fence to the Tongue. Ibid. 90 These Nails are..to serve for Fences to set, and fit each piece into its proper place. 1823P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 222 Fence of a Plane.—A guard, which obliges it to work to a certain horizontal breadth from the arris. 1872J. Richards Wood-working Machinery 185 A long strip or fence passing behind as well as in front of the saw.
b. (See quots.)
1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Fence, the arm of the hammer-spring of a gun-lock. 1874Knight Dict. Mech. I. 1835/2 Fence (locks), an arm or protection which enters the gates of the tumblers when they are adjusted in proper position and coincidence.
c. A ferrule. rare.
1862Borrow Wild Wales I. 231 A thin polished black stick..at the end was a brass fence.
7. A state of prohibition. rare exc. attrib.; cf. fence-date, -month, -season, -time in 11.
1874Stubbs Const. Hist. I. xii. 537 [By the Great Charter] all rivers placed in fence [L. in defenso] are thrown open.
8. Thieves' slang.
a. A receiver of stolen goods.
a1700in B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew. 1708J. Hall Mem., The fence and he are like the devil and the doctor. 1812Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 209 Habberfield..was considered the safest fence about town. 1838Dickens O. Twist xiii, Ill-treating the boys, you..in-sa-ti-a-ble old fence.
b. A receiving house for stolen goods.
1847Illust. Lond. News 22 May 232 The keeper of the ‘fence’ loves to set up in business there. 1848Punch XIV. 149 Let M. Galignani rejoice; and let his Bibliothèque..still remain the greatest literary ‘fence’ in Europe. 1863B. Jerrold Sign. Distress iii. 26 The slums of London—the fences and padding-kens.
9. Sc. Law. [from the vb.] The action of fencing in various senses. Cf. fence v. 8.
1541Burgh Rec. Prestwick 2 June (1834) 57 For þe losen of ane fens maid be þe said Allexr. apoun ane wob of Jonat Hunter. c1575Balfour Practicks 273 The affirmatioun and fence of the court, that na man tak speach upon hand..except the persewar and defender.
10. attrib. and Comb. General relations:
a. appositive (sense 5), as fence-wall.
b. attributive (sense 2), as fence-school; (sense 4 b), as † fence-fabric; (sense 5), as fence-post.
c. objective (sense 5) fence-breaker, fence-breaking.
1878E. S. Elwell Boy Colonists 218 He knew [where] Geddes' old horse, our old friend the *fence-breaker, was feeding.
1900Westm. Gaz. 8 June 4/3, I hope the *fence-breaking will be omitted from the programme.
1609Holland Amm. Marcell. xxix. ix. 253 The *Fence-fabrickes and all devices else requisite for a siege, were in readinesse.
1792Trans. Soc. Promotion Agric., Arts & Manuf. (U.S.) I. 26 Ship-trunnels, *fence-posts, mill-cogs and fire-wood. 1853B. F. Taylor Jan. & June (1871) 13 Life..laid away in ‘Patent Burial Cases’ and fastened to rails and fence-posts. 1874Knight Dict. Mech. I. 836/1 A device..used for driving fence-posts. 1885H. C. McCook Tenants of Old Farm 196, I was standing by a fence-post.
1598Barret Theor. Warres i. i. 7 As one that vseth often the *Fence-schooles. 1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iv. x. 285 He was diligent in..beating down..the Manicheans, in whose Fence-school he was formerly brought up.
1823P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 338 *Fence-Wall—A wall used to prevent the encroachment of men or animals.
11. Special comb.: fence-arbour, a piece in a combination lock which connects the spindle and the tumblers; fence corner U.S., (a) one of the four corners of a fenced enclosure; (b) one of the many angles made by a zig-zag rail fence; also attrib.; fence-guards (see quot.); fence-jack (see quot.); fence-line, (a) = fence n. 5; (b) the straight strip of land on which a fence is to be erected; fence-lizard (see quot.); fence-man, a gladiator; U.S., one who practises ‘sitting on the fence’, who avoids taking a side in an issue; fence-month, (a) originally the time of fawning for deer, a period of about 30 days at the end of June and beginning of July, during which hunting was forbidden; (b) more broadly: the close season for fishing, etc., during the time of breeding, not always being restricted to one month; fence-play, † (a) a gladiatorial combat; (b) transf. discussion; fence-rail U.S., a long, rough rail for fencing, split from a small log; ˈfence-ˌrider U.S. (see quot. 1920); also fig. = fence-man; fence-riding U.S., ‘sitting on the fence’; avoidance of committing oneself to one or other of two contrary policies; † fence-roof, a roof for defence = L. testudo; fence-row U.S., a fence with the row of shrubs and other vegetation which frequently grows up under its protection; fence-season, fence-time, a close season or time for fish, swans, etc. (see fence-month); fence-shop, a shop at which stolen goods are sold; fence-sitter, one who ‘sits on the fence’; fence-sitting, the action of ‘sitting on the fence’; also attrib.; fence-viewer, (U.S.) an officer whose duty it is to see to the erection and maintenance of boundary and highway fences.
1902Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 360/1 A balanced *fence arbour.
1832J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn I. xi. 153 He slowly went to the *fence corner, and untied his horse. 1846J. J. Hooper Adv. Simon Suggs i. 14 Simon and Bill were in a fence corner very earnestly engaged at ‘seven up’. 1855Knickerbocker XLV. 197 Posting himself at night in a fence-corner, he saw her at one end of a hollow log. 1874E. Eggleston Circuit Rider xxviii. 272 Patty climbed upon a fence-corner. 1876Daily News 5 Oct. 6/1 He sallies from his siesta in a fence corner. 1901S. E. White Claim Jumpers iv. 64 It was..not as large as a good-sized rat, quite smaller than our own fence-corner chipmunks of the East.
1883W. S. Gresley Gloss. Coal Mining, *Fence-guards, rails fixed round the mouth of a pit-shaft, to keep people and things from falling in.
1874Knight Dict. Mech. I. 836/1 *Fence-jack, a lever jack adapted for lifting the corner or lock of a worm-fence in order to lay in a new bottom-rail.
1858J. A. Warder Hedges & Evergreens ii. 38 Its cheapness..demands its..adoption where *fence-lines are to be permanent. 1950N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Apr. 336/3 To aid adoption..[of orphan lambs] the [foster-parent] ewes have to be tied to a fenceline. 1961B. Crump Hang On a Minute 120 They still had to clear the fence line, lay out the material and erect nearly four miles of boundary fence. 1963N. Hilliard Piece of Land 106 He'd just as soon sleep in a tent along the fence-line.
1889Century Dict., *Fence-lizard, the common small lizard or swift of the United States.
1553N. Grimalde Cicero's Offices ii. (1558) 98 With hired *fencemen he suppressed all Publius Clodius attempts. 1580Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong, Gladiateur..a maister of Fence, a fence man. 1828Ohio State Jrnl. 30 Jan. 3/5 It would be well perhaps for him to inform the public as to their politics. How many neutrals, fencemen &c. 1848N.Y. Herald 14 Oct. (Bartlett 1859), All the fence-men, all the doubters, all the seekers after majorities, will now bustle up. 1889Farmer Americanisms s.v. Fence, The possessors of highly developed bumps of caution are called fence men; they run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, an operation which receives the equally descriptive name of fence-riding.
1594Crompton Jurisdiction 197 *Fence moneth is alwaies xv daies afore Midsomer and xv daies after. 1766Pennant Zool. (1769) III. 245 There is no law for preserving the fish in it during the fence months. 1855Doran Queens Eng. Ho. Hanover II. vii. 117 The bucks were denied, and he himself once shut out, on pretence it was fence month.
1580North Plutarch (1676) 434 Games..Wrestlings, and *Fence-playes. 1878Browning La Saisiaz 25 Passing lightly in review..a certain fence-play-strife.
1733W. Byrd Journey to Eden 27 Sept. in Westover MSS. (1841) 110 We found the land..very thin of trees, and those that were standing fit for little but fuel and *fence-rails. 1814J. Taylor Arator (ed. 2) 177 Small common fence rails..make folds with less labour..than any I have ever tried. 1853J. G. Baldwin Flush Times Alabama 110 Buck Jones..seized a fence rail, grasped it in both hands, and..hurled the same. 1945Reader's Digest Jan. 53/2 He hewed out 300 fence rails, ten feet long.
1834‘J. Downing’ Life A. Jackson 91 The *fence riders now took courage and jumpt clean off. 1909R. A. Wason Happy Hawkins 207, I met the foreman o' the E.Z. outfit ridin' into town to see if he couldn't pick up a fence-rider. 1920J. M. Hunter Trail Drivers of Texas 298 The fence rider, also called the ‘line rider’, is employed to ride fences and repair them.
a1859N.Y. Mirror (Bartlett), The dividing line..admits of no *fence-riding; the candidate must be on one side or the other. 1868Congress. Globe 17 July (De Vere), This question is one of clear right and wrong, and there can be no fence-riding, when the rights of four millions of men are at stake. 1889Fence-riding [see fence-man].
1609Holland Amm. Marcell. xxix. xiv. 372 The Romans..fitted their shields close one to another in manner of a *fence-roufe.
1842Amer. Pioneer I. 43, I was alone, clearing out a *fence row, about a quarter of a mile from the house. 1855Trans. Mich. Agric. Soc. VI. 144 The fence rows were free from weeds and bushes. 1901N. L. Britton Man. Flora N. States 952 Along fence-rows in partial shade. 1948Country Gentleman May 175/2 He had cut the fence rows from the board fence.
1880Times 21 Dec. 6/4 To stop..the alleged traffic of salmon during the ‘close’ or ‘*fence’ season.
1789G. Parker Life's Painter xv. 153 In Field-lane, where the handkerchiefs are carried, there are a number of shops called *Fence-shops, where you may buy any number.
1905Westm. Gaz. 8 July 1/2 *Fence-sitters..are to be shaken out. 1949J. R. Cole It was so Late 12 Why don't you make up your mind—you fence sitter! 1960Spectator 7 Oct. 507 One of the Labour Party's most accomplished fence-sitters.
1904Westm. Gaz. 11 Feb. 1/3 This situation will..be prolonged until the *fence-sitting Unionists..come down on one side or the other. 1905Ibid. 5 Mar. 1/2 It is very well to..denounce Mr. Balfour for timidity and fence-sitting. 1956Essays in Criticism VI. 95 One would have welcomed..less academic fence-sitting. 1959Times Lit. Suppl. 29 May 322/4 The seminar-paper tends to provide..a fence-sitting indecision.
1546Plumpton Corr. 251 Ye shall come no time wrong, *fence-time then other. 1584in Binnell Descr. Thames (1758) 63 Fence..Times, in which these Fishes are not to be taken.
1661in Rec. Early Hist. Boston (1880) IV. 109 *Fence viewers: for the necke of land, Richard Withington, [etc.]. 1880Scribner's Monthly Feb. 504 A hare..or..a brown wood wren... These are the fence viewers of the wood lot. 1886J. Hopkins' Univ. Stud. IV. 20 In 1647, fence viewers were appointed, by whom..every new building had to be approved.
Sense 5 c in Dict. becomes 5 d. Add: [5.] c. Any one of a number of obstacles set up for a horse to jump over in a competition, race, etc. Also fig.
1839Bell's Life 3 Mar. 3/3 A stiffish fence, composed of posts and rails, topped with gorse, was put up to conciliate those who were ‘longing for another touch at the wall’. 1902Encycl. Brit. XXIX. 333/2 Natural fences would no doubt be desirable if they could be utilized; but it is obvious that fences must be made up, because when the same hedge is jumped frequently,..gaps would necessarily be made. 1924G. Brooke Horse-Sense & Horsemanship iv. 34 (caption) His loins and quarters being unhampered are thrown up clear of the fence. 1940L. MacNeice Last Ditch 15 My wishes turn to violent Horses black as coal... Eager to take the fences That fence about my soul. 1975Oxf. Compan. Sports & Games 281/1 During successive jump-offs, the fences are reduced to a minimum of two (one spread and one upright). 1987Sunday Tel. 8 Mar. 10/2 He wanted to see Princess Anne making her racing debut over the fences at Kempton Park.
▪ II. fence, v.|fɛns|
Also 5–6 fens(e.
[f. the n.]
1. intr.
a. To practise the use of the foil or sword.
b. To use the sword scientifically either for offence or defence.
1598Shakes. Merry W. ii. iii. 14 Alas sir, I cannot fence. 1684R. H. School Recreat. 57 Defending your self from the Thrusts or Blows of those you Fence with. 1737Fielding Hist. Reg. iii. Wks. 1882 X. 225, I do a warrior! I never learnt to fence. 1779Sheridan Critic iii. Wks. 1873 II. 181 Captain, thou hast fenced well! 1829Lytton Disowned 147, I hope you both fence and shoot well.
c. transf. of animals.
1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 343 The bellowing Rivals..fence, they push, and pushing loudly roar.
d. fig. Frequently of a witness: to fence with (rarely trans. to fence), to parry, try to evade (a question).
1665Boyle Occas. Refl. iii. vi. (1845) 158 He rather fences with sin. 1677A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 9 The Friends..fence to get all the Estate. 1855Motley Dutch Rep. (1864) I. 151 For several months..diplomatists fenced among themselves. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. VI. xx. iii. 47 Seldom in the Arena of this Universe did a Son of Adam fence better for himself. 1880Kinglake Crimea VI. v. 175 The gallant French..could only fence with an evil so great. 1887Jessopp Arcady vi. 181 The question he seemed disposed to fence with. 1890Standard 22 Feb. 5/2 The Chairman..ought..to be able to overcome the tendency to ‘fence’ awkward questions.
2. trans. (Const. against, from.) To screen, shield, protect:
a. the body, or a part of it.
1549Olde Erasm. Par. 2 Cor. vi. 7 On euery syde surely fensed with the armoure of iustice. 1581Mulcaster Positions xxvii. (1887) 106 The arme in this [arm ball] is fensed with a wooden brace. 1586A. Day Eng. Secretary (1625) 139 His pined corps, whom furres must fence from the least blast of cold. 1611Bible 2 Sam. xxiii. 7 The man..must be fenced with yron. 1650Fuller Pisgah i. v. 11 All fishes in armour fenced with shels. 1691Ray Creation ii. (1704) 378 The extremities of their Toes were fenc'd with Hoofs. 1826Miss Mitford Village Ser. ii. (1863) 249 Running down the street with an umbrella..to fence their lodger..from the..shower. 1876Blackmore Cripps v. (1877) 27 With one hand fencing her forehead.
b. a building, locality, esp. from weather or wind.
1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 12 b, I lay my corne upon a fayre floore, closely fenced and seeled against Mise. 1600Hakluyt Voy. (1810) III. 360 We rode at anker in a place well fenced from the wind. 1650Fuller Pisgah ii. 60 [Jordan] is fenced by its own breadth and depth against all Passengers. 1705Addison Italy 7 A spacious Harbour..Fenc'd to the West. 1756–7tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) IV. 5 This city is fenced from the violence of the waves by several small islands. 1810Scott Lady of L. i. xxvi, Moss..and leaves combined To fence each crevice from the wind. 1841James Brigand ii, The kitchen was well fenced from the wind and rain.
c. gen. in material or immaterial sense.
c1510More Picus Wks. 8/1 Fensyng my selfe with the crucifixe. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. 57 Every creature livyng should fense it self against outward violence. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. vi. 75 Where's Captaine Margaret, to fence you now? 1602W. Fulbecke Pandectes 16 By the continuall practise of nations..the right of Primogeniture..is fenced, supported and defended. 1639Fuller Holy War iii. iii. (1840) 119 Fencing his former villanies by committing new ones. 1681–6J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 378 Another of those Ministries..is to fence..its Peace. 1692tr. Milton's Def. Pop. Wks. 1738 I. 460 We may fence ourselves against the latter [open enemies]. 1850Blackie æschylus II. 160 Fence every gate with valiant-hearted men. 1884Tennyson Becket 143 He fenced his royal promise with an if.
†3. trans. To equip for defence. Obs.
1599Hakluyt Voy. II. i. 131 A ship..well fensed with munitions.
†4. intr. To set up a defence against; to provide protection against. Obs.
1676Temple Let. to Sir E. Dearing Wks. 1731 II. 357, I made use of this Circumstance to fence against this Resolution of the States. 1691Ray Creation i. (1692) 140 Feathers very thick set upon their Breasts..to fence against the cold of the water. 1702A. Charlett in Pepys' Diary VI. 246 The relapse of which I must fence against. 1709Swift Adv. Relig. Wks. (1778) II. 82 The common prudence of mankind..is in no sort able to fence against them. 1759Sterne Tr. Shandy I. Ded. Epist., I live in a constant endeavour to fence against the infirmities of ill health.
5. trans. To keep out, ward off, repel. Said both of persons and things. Also to fence off, fence out. Often with mixture of sense 6. arch.
a1592Greene Poems, Shepherd's Ode 66 A cloak of grey fenc'd the rain. 1639Fuller Holy War i. ix. 14 The Bosporus was too narrow a ditch..to fense the Pagans out of West Christendome. 1643J. Burroughes Exp. Hosea viii. (1652) 285 They fenced off thy word as with a shield. c1710C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 130 These high banks are made to..ffence out y⊇ water. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 327 They had..no bows to fence off the waves. 1742Shenstone Schoolmistr. 65 A russet kirtle fenc'd the nipping air. 1785Paley Moral Phil. (1818) II. 342 Government is well warranted in fencing out the whole sect from situations of trust and power. 1816Scott Old Mort. xix, A cup of sack shall fence the cold.
6. trans. To surround with or as with a fence (see fence n. 4, 5); to enclose, fortify, protect.
1435Nottingham Rec. II. 355 Thay to fens it [Est Croft] ham selfe at thayre awne coste. 1494Fabyan Chron. vii. 466 Y⊇ Englysshe hoste..was myghtely fensyd with wood and tryes. 1535Coverdale Ezek. xxxvi. 35 The..broken downe cities, are now stronge and fensed agayne. 1583Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 54 Whate forte were best to be fenced? 1611Bible Isa. v. 2 Hee fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof. 1631T. May tr. Barclay's Mirrour of Mindes ii. 39 The lands of priuate men..were fenced with ditches. 1650Fuller Pisgah iii. ii. 317 The roofs were flat and fenced with battlements. 1719De Foe Crusoe (1840) I. x. 173 Well fenced either with hedge or pale. 1793Trans. Soc. Encourag. Arts IV. 4 Which are all fenced with a good stone wall. 1832Lytton Eugene A. i. i. 3 The greater part of them fenced also from the un⁓frequented road a little spot.
absol.1892Midland News 4 Mar. 6 We must fence more, and we shall be..independent of herds.
fig.1683Burnet tr. More's Utopia (1685) 110 The Minds of the Utopians, when fenced with a Love for Learning. 1763–5Churchill Poems, Conference, Thy writings so well fenc'd in Law. 1841Myers Cath. Th. iv. §26. 306 The Jews were..fenced against communion with them. 1843H. Rogers Ess. (1860) III. 46 Vincentius..takes care..to fence his proposition with..limitations. 1870Emerson Soc. & Solit., Bks. Wks. (Bohn) III. 77 The men themselves were..fenced by etiquette.
b. with about, in, round, up. to fence off: to keep off by a fence. Also absol.
1535Coverdale 2 Chron. xiv. 7 Let vs buylde vp these cities, and fense them rounde aboute with walles. 1611Bible Job xix. 8 Hee hath fenced vp my way. 1615G. Sandys Trav. 100 Which makes the countrey people to fence in those places. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 697 On either side Acanthus..Fenc'd up the verdant wall. 1697W. Dampier Voy. I. viii. 222 These leaves are fenced round with strong Prickles above an inch long. 1713Steele Englishman No. 3. 15 His Property is fenced about with Laws and Privileges. 1822‘B. Cornwall’ Poems, Let. Boccaccio v, Her dwelling was Fenced round by trees. 1869R. B. Smyth Goldfields of Victoria 610 Fencing in a Claim, making a drive round the boundaries of an alluvial claim to secure the wash-dirt. 1877E. R. Conder Bas. Faith viii. 349 It will be difficult to fence in securely on the side of Pantheism.
c. To part off by a fence or fences. In quot. fig.
1881C. De Kay Vision of Nimrod ii. 9 Nation I fenced from nation.
†d. Of a thing: To serve as a fence for. Obs.
1523Fitzherb. Husb. §125 Yf it [thy dyche] be .v. fote brode [t]han it wolde..fence it selfe & the lower hedge wyll serue.
7. intr. Of a horse: To leap a fence.
1884A. Watson in Longm. Mag. III. 611 What he lacks in speed is..compensated for by the cleverness with which he fences. 1891Field 7 Mar. 338/1 Harlequin and Fast Day went to the front..the way they fenced was a treat to see.
8. trans. (Sc. Law.)
a. To open the proceedings of (the Parliament or a Court of Law) by the use of a form of words forbidding persons to interrupt or obstruct the proceedings unnecessarily.
1513–75Diurn. Occurrents (Bannatyne Club) 214 He post to William Pikis hous..and thair fensit the Parliament. c1565Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (1728) 199 The Queen..stayed till the Parliament was fenced. 1609Skene Reg. Maj. 158 The Court sould be fensed. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 198, I know not if this court kept within my soul be fenced in Christ's name. 1663Spalding Troub. Chas. I (1792) I. 191 The parliament is fenced. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xxi, ‘They wunna fence the court.’
b. To prohibit by law, edict, or proclamation.
1596Burgh Rec. Glasgow 6 Aug. (1876) I. 180 Bot to fens the same fra doing thairof.
c. To poind or arrest for debt.
1570Burgh Rec. Prestwick 20 Nov. (1834) 72 For this geyr..quhilk was fencet in his hand be Jhone Ondirwood officer.
†d. Hence, to fence a band: to make a league (L. ferīre fœdus). Obs. rare—1.
1533Bellenden Livy i. (1822) 41 Commandis you me to fens ane band with the Fader-Patrate of Albane pepill?
9. In the Scottish Presbyterian Churches: to fence the tables: to deliver an exhortation calculated to deter unworthy persons from communicating.
1709W. Stewart (of Pardovan) Worship Ch. Scotl. ii. iv. 140 He fenceth and openeth the Tables. 1833Fraser's Mag. VIII. 406 The objurgation, or fencing the tables, was concluded. 1879Jamieson Scot. Dict. s.v. Bicker-raid, A clergyman in fencing the tables at a sacrament, debarred all who had been guilty of [etc.]. 1882[see debarration].
10. To close for hunting or fishing (a forest, river, etc.).
1767Blackstone Comm. II. 39 The rivers that were fenced..were directed to be laid open.
†11. To keep in position by a gauge or guide. Cf. fence n. 6 a. Obs.
1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 90 Should you not thus Fence them..one piece being never so little out of its due Position, would drive the next piece more out.
12. slang.
a. To purchase or sell with guilty knowledge (stolen goods). Also absol.
1610Rowlands Martin Mark-all C ij/2 To fence property [printed properly], to sell anything that is stolne. 1789G. Parker Life's Painter 153 Fenced is disposing of anything stolen for a quarter of the value. 1819J. H. Vaux Mem. I. xii. 141 He knew where to fence the book. 1840Marryat Poor Jack xviii, Does old Nanny fence?
b. To spend or lay out (money).
a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Fence, to Spend or Lay out. Fence his Hog, to Spend his Shilling. 1725in New Cant. Dict. |