| 释义 |
▪ I. toe, n.|təʊ|
Forms: α. 1 tá, pl. tán; sing. 4–5 ta, taa; Sc. 6 ta, 9 tae, teae, north. dial. teea; pl. 3 tan, (4 taan); 4 tas, 4–5 taas, 5 taasse; Sc. 6 tais, taiss, tayis, tees, 6– taes, (9 dial. teaes, teaase). β. sing. 3–5 tô, 4–6 too, 5– toe; pl. 3–5 ton, 4–5 tone, toon, 5 toone; 4 tôs, 5 tose, tois, toose, 5–6 toos, 5– toes.
[OE. tá (contr. f. *táhe, in OMerc. táhæ), pl. tán, ME. tô, pl. tôn, tôs = OLG. *têha, MLG. tê, MDu., mod.Flem. tee, OHG. zêha wk. fem. (MHG. zêhe, Ger. zehe, zeh), ON. tá, pl. tǽr (Da., Norw. taa, Sw. tå):—OTeut. *taih(w)ôn.
Beside the above forms OFris. had táne, mod.WFris. tean (dial. tane, teine), NFris. tuan, EFris. tône (tôn), also MLG. tene, MDu., MFl. teen, mod.LG. and Du. tén, teen, also mod.Du. toon from Fris.; the origin of the final -ne, -n is uncertain: it may be from the pl. On the pre-Germanic relations, see Kluge, Franck, Dornkaat-Koolman, Falk & Torp. The OE. pl. in -n survived in s.w. till the 14th c.]
1. a. Each of the five digits of the human foot.
big toe or great toe († mickle toe), the thick inner toe; little toe, the short outer toe. (See also d.)
αc725Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.) 141 Allox, tahae. a901K. ælfred Laws c. 64 ᵹif sio micle ta bið ofasleᵹen, ᵹeselle him xx scill. to bote..æfterre ta..midleste ta..feorþe ta..sio lytle ta..v scill. c1000ælfric Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 161/8 Allox, micele tan. a1225Juliana 59 As þat istelede irn strac hire in..from þe top to þe tan. a1300Cursor M. 12967 Wit-vten hurt o fote or ta. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 683 Þe tas and þe fyngers alle. Ibid. 1910 In ilka taa and fynger of hand. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxii. 100 Þai hafe on ayther fote viii. taasse. c1440Thomble ta [see thumble-toe]. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lx. 54 With his wawill feitt, and virrok taiss. 1513Douglas æneis v. vi. 66 His tais [v.r. tayis] choppand on his heill. 1583Leg. Bp. St. And. 300 Palme croces, and knottis of strease, The parings of a preistis auld te[a]es. 1816Scott Antiq. xxv, Tak care o' your taes wi' that stane.
βc1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 268/253 Heo orn and ne watte neuere a to. c1315Shoreham iii. 133 Ten fyngres and ten þine tone. 1340–70Alisaunder 194 Þe fairest feete..With ton tidily wrought. c1400St. Alexius (Laud 463) 317 Þe teres fellen to his tone. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 177 Þe bonys of þe toos. Ibid., Þe grete too..haþ...ij. boones. a1425Cursor M. 6703 (Trin.) Foot for foot, to for to [Gött. ta for ta]. c1440York Myst. xxii. 108 Þat þou schall on no stones descende to hurte þi tose. c1450Cov. Myst. xiv. (1841) 139 This olde shrewe may not wele gon,..Lyfte up thi feet, sett forthe thi ton. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 44 Euery hand and fote hath his fyngers & toos particularly distinct. 1591Nashe Pref. Sidney's Astr. & Stella, 'Tis as good to goe in cut-fingerd Pumps as corke shooes, if one wore Cornish diamonds on his toes. 1632Milton L'Allegro 34 Com, and trip it as ye go On the light fantastick toe. 1741Monro Anat. (ed. 3) 301 The Flexors of the great Toe. 1878A. Gamgee tr. Hermann's Hum. Physiol. (ed. 2) 314 The toes..are of use in maintaining the balance, particularly in walking.
†b. to stand upon one's toes, i.e. on tiptoe.
a1300Cursor M. 24446 (Cott.) Apon mi tas of[t] sith i stod. a1550Ane littill Interlud 45 in Dunbar's Poems (S.T.S.) 315 He wald vpoun his tais vp stand, And tak the starnis doun with his hand. c1572Gascoigne Fruites Warre clxvi, Thus met we talkt, and stoode vpon our toes, With great demaundes whome little might content.
†c. Put for the foot as a whole, or the point of the foot. Obs.
c1290Beket 1444 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 147 A-non to is þies þe schuyrte tilde, þe brech riȝt to is to. a1300Cursor M. 5932 Man moght noght þeron sett his ta.
d. fig.
1607Shakes. Cor. i. i. 159 What do you thinke? You, the great Toe of this Assembly? 1649Daniel Trinarch., Rich. II ciii, Soe was it here; these Petty toes of State, Who would haue Trod a Galliard of Designe..Fell in a ligge. 1650Fuller Pisgah i. iv. §9 Mustard, the little Toe of trees.
e. Austral. and N.Z. slang. Speed, energy.
1963Truth (Wellington) 8 Oct., Happy Song has a fair share of toe in spite of her nine years and she was flying in fifth place after losing ground at the start. 1969Sun (Melbourne) 12 July 58/1 The North half-forward line..has a ton of toe and could give Richmond's novice half-back line a torrid afternoon.
2. a. Each of the digits of the foot of a beast or bird.
c1386Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 42 A Cok heet Chauntecleer..Lyk Asure were hise legges and his toon. Ibid. 511 This Chauntecleer stode hye vp on his toos. c1400Mandeville (1839) xxvii. 274 Psitakes..þat speken..and han v. toos vpon a fote. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 63 As esie as to ken the lione be his taes. 1668Wilkins Real Char. 161 That which hath two toes behind in each foot, with prominencies upon the head like ears,..Chamelion. 1713Derham Phys.-Theol. vii. i. (1727) 339 note, Two of the Toes are somewhat joined, that they [wading birds] may not easily sink in walking upon boggy Places. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) IV. 262 The feet [of the elephant]..are divided into five toes, which are covered beneath the skin, and none of which appear to the eye. 1841–71T. R. Jones Anim. Kingd. (ed. 4) 810 The Rhinoceros has only three toes to each foot. 1860All Year Round No. 37. 247 Geckoes..by help of padded toes can run up walls like a fly. 1894Nature's Meth. in Evol. Life ii. 21 The Eocene antecessor of the horse possessed..four separate toes, which subsequently became reduced to three, and at the beginning of the Quaternary Age the horse of the present day appeared with a single toe or hoof.
b. The front part of the hoof (or shoe) of a horse.
1566Blundevil Horsemanship iv. cix. (1580) 50 b, If a Horse..halt..in the heele, as by ouer reach, or otherwise, then he will tread most on the toe. 1831[Youatt] Horse 181 Cutting down.. at the union between the crust and the sole at the very toe. Ibid. 316 For work a little hard, the shoe shall still be light, with a bit of steel welded into the toe.
c. The ultimate joints of the tarsus of insects.
1826Kirby & Sp. Entomol. III. 386 Digitus (the Toe),..includes the Allux and Ungula.
3. transf. The part of a shoe or stocking which covers the toes; the hood or cap for the toe sometimes attached to a stirrup; a toe-piece.
1600Rowlands Lett. Humours Blood vii. 13 From dish⁓crown'd Hat, vnto th' Shooes square toe. 1722Lond. Gaz. No. 6119/4 Narrow square Toe Shoes with high Tops. 1828Scott F.M. Perth xi, Place thy foot on the toe of my boot. 1842J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 262 A stirrup for the misses, with toes to be taken off or on as the boy or girl mounts. 1886C. Dick The Model, etc. 95 Skirts, short and sweet, that deftly swing Round pointed heels and patent toes.
4. A part resembling a toe or the toes, in shape or position; (usually) the lower extremity or projection of anything; a point, tip; often identical with foot (foot n. IV). (Cf. heel n.1 5–7.)
a. Generally.
c1440Pallad. on Husb. xi. 49 Of vynes yonge The rootis..kitte hem not to nygh, lest they abounde Three toon for oon, or feester into a wounde. a1643Sandys tr. Seneca's Œdipus, About the mast the youthfull Ivy twines, The lofty toe imbrac'd with clustred vines. 1725Bradley's Fam. Dict. s.v. Saddle, If..the Toes of the Fore⁓bow be too narrow and streight. 1866Darwin in Intell. Observ. No. 56. 85 The toe of the labellum. 1869E. J. Reed Shipbuild. iv. 71 The aftermost rivets were driven through the thin part of the toe, and knocked down in a countersink as usual. 1904M. S. Rawson Apprentice 140 The old man..began to chip at the toes of the monster oak.
b. The lower extremity of a spindle or screw, as in a press; the projection on a lock-bolt or the like, against which the key or a cam presses.
1677Moxon Mech. Exerc. ii. 27 The Toe or Nab of the Bolt, which rises..above the straight on the Top of the Bolt. 1683Ibid., Printing x. ⁋12 The very bottom of the Spindle..is called the Toe, it is..of an hemispherical form. 1833J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 216 By the operation of the handle, the toe is made to act upon the inside bolt, and thus force down the piston. 1839Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 242/1 The toe of the screw works in the fixed cross piece. 1877Knight Dict. Mech., Toe, 1. a. The lower end of a vertical shaft, as a mill-spindle, which rests in a step, or ink. b. An arm on the valve-lifting rod of a steam-engine. A cam or lifter strikes the toe and operates the valve; such toes are known respectively as steam-toes and exhaust-toes.
c. A projection for the base of a wall; the foot or base of a cliff or embankment.
1838Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 98/2 The mode pursued in blasting down high cliffs, by boring at the toe of the rock. 1839Ibid. II. 433 Sheet piling at the toe of the wing walls. 1895Law Times Rep. LXXIII. 156/2 Two vessels..drifted..on to the toe of a breakwater. 1901Daily News 5 Jan. 6/5 A second chalk wall was built to form a watertight toe for the new bank.
d. The lower extremity of a gun-stock, rafter, organ-pipe, etc.
c1860H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 11 On the stock [of the rifle] is a toe. 1892Greener Breech-Loader 94 It is too straight or has too much toe upon the stock.
e. The thin end of a hammer-head, the peen; the tip of the ‘head’ of a golf or hockey club.
1873E. Spon Workshop Receipts Ser. i. 412/1 Take an ordinary hammer,..place the toe upon a piece of veneer previously glued on the under side. 1909Westm. Gaz. 8 Feb. 12/4 The question of whether the toe of the club should point downwards at the top of the swing or somewhat skywards.
f. In full the toe of Italy. The south-western extremity of that country. Cf. heel n.1 6.
1894A. J. Evans in Freeman Sicily IV. 234 The coinage of Syracuse had now become the only coinage for the whole of Greek Sicily, and even for the toe of Italy. 1941C. Milburn Diary 15 Feb. (1979) 83 We have dropped parachutists..on Italy's toe..near Brindisi. 1974Times 7 Jan. 3 The boy had been kept in various hideouts in the southwestern ‘toe’ of Italy. 1979R. Perry Bishop's Pawn iv. 68 The advancing Allied armies..forced themselves northwards from the toe of Italy.
g. A flattish portion at the foot of an otherwise steep curve.
1940Wall's Dict. Photogr. (ed. 15) 573 The method of speed-measurement used must..depend on the position, not of the extreme under-exposed ‘toe’ of the curve, but of its straight-line portion. 1948Rep. Progress Physics XI. 284 A pronounced toe can be obtained on a density-development-time curve by adding bromide ions to a hydroquinone developer. 1982Sci. Amer. Apr. 41/2 The design of tension-leg platforms, like the design of guyed towers, is still at the toe of the learning curve and will undoubtedly go through several generations of improvement.
h. Hort. A section of a fleshy root.
1952A. G. L. Hellyer Sanders' Encycl. Gardening (ed. 22) 169 Dracaena... Propagation: by cuttings or ‘toes’ of fleshy roots in sandy peat in spring. 1976Billings (Montana) Gaz. 27 June 4-g/6 Rhizomes branching from the old toe will bear flowers next year. 1984Gardening from ‘Which?’ (Consumers' Assoc.) Mar. 64/1 Remove the offsets..known as yucca toes... Remove the ‘toes’ if new plants are needed.
5. Phrases (chiefly colloq. and slang).
†a. on old toes, in old age. Obs.
a1400Pistill of Susan 305 Þou dotest nou on þin olde tos [v.r. toes] in þe dismale. c1460Towneley Myst. xxx. 592 He that to that gam gose, Now namely on old tose.
b. the toe's length, a very short distance.
1824Scott Redgauntlet Let. x, No to be fit to walk your tae's-length.
c. toe and heel, (a) a style of dancing in which the toe and heel tap rhythmically on the ground; also attrib.; (b) in walking: see quot. 1865; also attrib. Cf. heel and toe (heel n.1 14).
1840Hood Kilmansegg, Marriage xxiv, The gaping people..turn'd to gaze at the toe-and-heel Of the Golden Boys beginning a reel. 1842J. Wilson Ess., Gymnastics (1856) 103 A first rate walker,..toe and heel—six miles an hour. 1865Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 434 When the heel of one foot is on the ground, the toe of the other must be upon it. This is called toe-and-heel walking. 1869Punch 10 July 4/2 Hungarians..dancing a toe-and-heel step to polka time.
d. from the crown to the toes, from head to (the) toe(s, from head to foot, all over; from top to toe: see top n.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 11177 Þo stode hii I-armed fram heued to þe ton. c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 3405 Fro the crovn to the toon Blak as cole thei were echoon. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon x. 274 All armed from hede to too.
†e. to claw one's toes, to gratify or indulge oneself. Obs.
c1460Towneley Myst. xiii. 414 Dos noght but lakys and clowse hir toose.
† f. to cool one's toes, to be kept waiting; cf. to cool (cool v. 5) or kick one's heels (heel n.1 18). Obs.
1665R. Brathwait Comment Two Tales 28 Cooling his Toes at the Blacksmith's door.
†g. to have or hold by the toe, to have a secure hold of. Obs.
a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 186 The Bishop thinkyng that he had God by the too, when in deede he had..the Deuell by the fiste. 1623Bp. Hall Serm. v. 139 While they think they have God by the finger, they hold a devil by the toe.
h. to kiss the pope's toe, to kiss the golden cross of the sandal on the pope's right foot, as a mark of respect; formerly the customary salutation of those (excepting sovereigns) to whom audience was granted.
1768Earl Carlisle in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1843) II. 296, I kissed the Pope's toe yesterday morning. 1782Priestley Corrupt Chr. II. x. 253 All other persons..must kiss the pope's toe.
i. to step or tread on the toes of; also fig. to give offence to, to vex.
c1394P. Pl. Crede 649 For stappyng on a too of a styncande frere. 1866Trollope Belton Est. (ed. 3) I. iii. 71 ‘But you mustn't offend my father.’.. ‘I won't tread on his toes.’ 1868Browning Ring & Bk. iii. 1032 He could not turn about Nor take a step i' the case and fail to tread On someone's toe. 1879Geo. Eliot Theo. Such (1880) 119 A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes with much frequency.
j. to turn one's toes up, to die; hence toes up, lying dead.
1851Mayhew Lond. Labour II. 95/2, I thought I'd be by this time toes up in Stepney churchyard. 1857Ld. Dufferin Lett. High Lat. xiii. (ed. 3) 393 Ah, my Lord!—the poor thing!—toes up at last! 1860Reade Cloister & Hearth xxiv, ‘Several arbalestriers turned their toes up, and I among them’. ‘Killed..? come now!’
†k. to turn (a person) on the toe, ? to turn off the ladder in hanging. Obs.
1594Nashe Unfort. Trav. Wks. (Grosart) V. 36 He for his trecherie was turnd on the toe.
l. on one's toes: alert, eager.
1921J. Dos Passos Three Soldiers ii. i. 56 If he just watched out and kept on his toes, he'd be sure to get it. 1958B. Nichols Sweet & Twenties 94 You have to be on your toes to make the right sort of riposte on such an occasion. 1972P. Marks Collector's Choice ii. 123 Anavi was convinced that he had the right to delude even the most experienced connoisseurs; he was doing them a service because it kept them on their toes.
m. toe-to-toe: (carried on) in close combat, at close quarters; also, neck and neck. Cf. foot to foot s.v. foot n. 26 b.
1942Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang. §701/14 Toe-to-toe, evenly matched. 1950J. Dempsey Championship Fighting 199 Has each enough confidence in his own punching ability..to engage the other in toe-to-toe exchanges? 1952Newsweek 23 June 21/1 In the toe-to-toe fight for the Republican Presidential nomination, last week's round went to Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio. 1958Oxf. Mag. 15 May 429/2 The sense of toe-to-toe negotiation with financial giants. 1971Flying Apr. 42/1 My wife and I landed..to top up the tanks and have a toe-to-toe talk with the weather guys. 1977Sounds 9 July 23/3, I love real eccentric people, getting toe to toe with them.
n. to have it on one's toes: to run away. slang.
1958F. Norman Bang to Rights 53 They hold us responsable for anyone haveing it on their toes [sic]. 1976‘P. B. Yuill’ Hazell & Menacing Jester vi. 67, I had it across the road on my toes.
o. toes over (Surfing) (see quots.).
1962T. Masters Surfing made Easy 65 Toes over, walking to the very front of the board during a ride on a steep hollow wave. 1965J. Pollard Surfrider ii. 19 Walking the board when you don't wish to put all your toes over you can still put a few over the edge—do a ‘toes over’.
p. a toe in the door: a position from which progress can be made.
1977Times 7 Oct. 17/2 Gail Sheehy stopped her sample at 50... She says she now has a toe in the door of the 50's and 60's. 1978Dumfries Courier 20 Oct. 6/5 He was only using the application for boating as a ‘toe in the door’ to sell something else. 1979D. Sanders Queen sends for Mrs Chadwick 11 He'd be thirty-five at the next election. Just the right age to get a toe in the door.
q. to dig in one's toes: see dig v. 11 c.
6. attrib. and Comb., as toe-action, toe-bone, toe-calk, toe-dresser, toe-end, toe-joint, toe-turn; toe-kissing, toe-scraping, toe-stretching, toe-treading (lit. and fig.), ns. and adjs.; toe-like adj.; toe-ball, the thickened fleshy pad under the toe; with quot. 1826 cf. sense 2 c; toe-board , a board for the feet to rest upon; also, a board marking the limit of the thrower's run in putting the weight and similar feats; toe-boot, a boot (boot n.3 5) to protect the hind feet of a trotting horse from injury by the fore feet; toe brake Aeronaut., in an aircraft, a brake that is operated with the foot; so toe braking vbl. n.; toe-cap, a cap of leather covering the toe of a boot or shoe; hence toe-capped a., furnished with a toe-cap; toe-clip, (a) an attachment to the pedal of a bicycle in which the toe of the shoe is placed to prevent the foot slipping; (b) a tip turned up at the toe of a horse-shoe, to keep the shoe in position (= clip n.1 2); toe-cover slang, an inexpensive and useless present; toe-crack (Farriery), a sand-crack in the front of the hoof; toe-dancer, see quot.; toe-dancing, dancing on points; toe-drop (Path.), see quot. 1899; toe-end v. trans., to kick with the point of one's foot; † toe-gleek, some variety of gleek; toe-hardy, a half-round hardy or cold-chisel; toe-hold, (a) in Wrestling, a hold in which the toe is seized and the leg forced backwards; (b) a place of support for the toe (of a boot) in climbing; hence fig., a position of little significance or influence, esp. one seen as providing a base from which they may be increased; toe-hole rare, a place of support for the toe (of a boot) in climbing; toe-jam slang, dirt which accumulates between the toes; toe jump Skating, a jump initiated with the help of the toe of the non-skating foot; toe-link, a bottom end link; toe loop, (a) Skating, a loop jump that is also a toe jump (see quot. 1979); more fully toe loop jump; (b) a loop on a sandal through which a toe is placed; toe-movement, see quot., and cf. toe-drop and toe-scraping; toe-nail n., (a) the nail of a toe; also fig.; (b) an iron nail employed for the toe in shoeing; toe-nail v., to fasten with toed nails: see toed 2; toe-narrow a. (Farriery), having the fore feet too close when standing; toe-piece, a toe-cap; a toe-plate; in armour, the toe of a solleret; also, the lengthened tip of this; see also quot. 1879; toe-plate, (a) an iron plate under the toe of a boot or shoe; (b) a metal plate worn as a remedy for hammer-toe; toe-puff, a stiffener for the toe of the upper of a shoe; toe rake Skating, a set of teeth at the front of the blade of a skate; toe-ring, a ring worn on the toe; a stout ferrule on the end of a cant-hook (U.S.); toe-rubber N. Amer., a rubber overshoe that covers only the front part of a shoe; toe-scute = toe-plate (a); † toe-shell, a species of cirriped, Pollicipes mitella; toe shoe N. Amer. Ballet, a shoe with a reinforced toe, worn for toe-dancing; a point shoe; toe-spin Skating, a spin performed on the toe; toe-step (Mech.), the socket in which the end of a spindle works; = footstep 5 d; toe-strap, (a) a strap or thong which secures the toe of a sandal, skate, or the like; (b) a strap on a bicycle pedal to keep the foot from slipping off it; (c) a band fixed to a boat and serving to hold the foot of someone leaning out; toe-string = toe-strap (a); toe-tapping vbl. n., the tapping of feet in time to music; (in quot. 1929, a derogatory term for ‘dancing’); ppl. a., that makes one want to tap one's feet; toe-thong sandal = thong sandal s.v. thong n. 2; toe-tights, tights in which the toes are separated like glove-fingers; toe-tip, the extremity of a toe; cf. tiptoe; also = toe-plate (a); toe-tuft, a tuft of hair covering the toe in some dogs; toe-walking a., that walks on the toes, digitigrade; toe wall a low wall built at the foot of an embankment to help keep the earth in place; toe-weight, a small knob of metal attached to the hoof or shoe of a horse to modify the gait in trotting; toe-wide a. (Farriery), having the fore feet too far apart in standing; toe-writer, one who writes with his toes; in quot. allusively.
1826Kirby & Sp. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 386 Allux (the *Toe-ball). The last joint but one of the Tarsus, when remarkable, as in Rhyncophorous beetles. 1856Aird Poet. Wks. 15 The big Toeball just resting on the stirrup.
1892Harper's Mag. Jan. 271/1 The..bag..to put under his feet on the *toe-board. 1907Westm. Gaz. 21 Jan. 2/1 Here had trudged the bloody pirate..about to step the dance of death without a toe-board under the gallows-tree up harbour.
1898Guide Mammalia 11 The tarsus, or ankle-bones, corresponding to the carpus, and the metatarsals and *toe-bones to the metacarpals and finger-bones. 1898Daily News 11 Nov. 5/1 An ill-formed boot with a foot inside, the toe bones all squeezed out of their natural shape.
1901Munsey's Mag. XXV. 736/1 The hind feet were protected with the *toe boots, while the action of the front feet was stimulated by the weight of the quarter boots, made of soft sheepskin or leather.
1944Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. XLVIII. 297 The *toe brakes are awkward to operate, and heavy pressure is needed on them to get the desired braking effect. 1976B. Lecomber Dead Weight ii. 32, I stood on the toe-brakes and opened the throttle. 1977R.A.F. Yearbk. 29 Direction is maintained or altered by holding the rudder central and applying differential *toe-braking as required.
1877Knight Dict. Mech., *Toe-calk, a prong or barb on the toe of a horse's shoe, to prevent slipping on ice or frozen ground.
1797Wolcott (P. Pindar) Out at Last Wks. 1812 III. 494 Come hobbling forth without one blush of shame With heel-taps, *toe-caps, soles for worn-out fame. 1907Daily News 4 June 6 Shoes much the worse for wear, often broken across the toecaps.
1861J. Brown Horæ Subs. (1863) 378 His heavy shoes,..heel-capt and *toe-capt.
1895Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 1379/2 The Courier *Toe Clips... For Rat Trap Pedals (adjustable), price 2/0. 1908Daily Chron. 6 June 8/3 The N.C.U...leaves it permissible—not compulsory—for riders to use toe-clips, blocks on the shoes, or slots in the soles, or any other device for assisting to keep the feet in position.
1948B. MacDonald Plague & I xvi. 193 *Toecover is a family name for a useless gift. A crocheted napkin ring is a toecover. 1983Listener 3 Feb. 21/2 Gifts are given, not only the completely useless trivia or ‘toe-covers’ which litter the surgery, but more substantial gifts, such as briefcases.
1903U.S. Dept. Agric., Rep. Dis. Horse 405 The *toe-crack..extending from the coronary band to the sole. 1911Webster, Sand-crack, a fissure or lesion in the horn of the hoof wall, often causing lameness. When in the front wall it is known as toe crack.
1898Pall Mall Mag. Nov. 419 Mrs. Draper was a *toe-dancer..a young lady..flitting hither and thither on the very tips of her tiny feet.
1924Sharp & Oppé Dance 47 *Toe-dancing is perhaps the most extreme instance of the virtuosity achieved by the ballet-dancers of the last century. 1976F. Muir Frank Muir Bk. 42 About 1820 the ballerina Taglioni popularized toe-dancing, which called for special built-up shoes.
1725Lond. Gaz. No. 6399/3 James Stubs,..*Toe-Dresser.
1899Syd. Soc. Lex., *Toe-drop, inability to lift the toes, or the anterior part of the foot, due to a local paralysis, usually from peripheral neuritis.
1968B. Hines Kestrel for Knave 98 He pivoted on his left foot and *toe-ended a lump of coke back across the asphalt. 1976Sunday Mail (Glasgow) 21 Nov., Jonquin took a free-kick and the inside-right toe-ended the ball into the net.
1689Shadwell Bury F. iii. i, Women, go pack into the drawing room and play at *Toe-gleek.
1911Webster, *Toe-hardy.
1880‘Mark Twain’ Tramp Abroad xxxiv. 379 One man's *toe-hold broke and he fell! 1918Observer 10 Nov. 8/6 The enemy retains a toehold in the Rimeuse Valley. 1945Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl. I. 324 So many novelties swarm in... A large number come and go without the lexicographers so much as hearing of them... At least four-fifths of those which get any sort of toe-hold in the language originate in the United States. 1963M. I. Finley Ancient Greeks ii. 12 Small groups of men began to migrate eastward across the Aegean to find toeholds on the Asia Minor coast. 1965Listener 10 June 869/3 By Carletti's time Europe..retained only a toe-hold on the China trade. 1980‘M. Fonteyn’ Magic of Dance 155 A model rock about twelve inches high was dragged onto the stage by the corps de ballet. It had a special toehold into which I had to place my foot and balance for a moment on pointe.
1876H. Melville Clarel I. ii. xix. 224 A ladder of steep stone With *toe-holes cut.
1934R. Campbell Broken Record 165 The stale smell of the *toe-jam of the shuffling pedestrian Charlot. 1973Black World June 21 If you miss nose Picking time Then you collect Three and one half milograms Of toejam And give it to barbara's cat.
1897M. Kingsley W. Africa 606 He..pointed to his distorted *toe-joints, and informed me that once he always wore boots.
1938M. Y. Vinson Primer Figure Skating ix. 150 Another nice *toe jump is the ‘ballet hop’. 1975Oxf. Compan. Sports & Games 523/1 The split jump, a toe jump in which the skater takes off from a back inside edge, assisted by the toe-point of the free foot, half-turning in mid-air [etc.].
1896Daily News 9 Mar. 6/4 As I had said A—I was going to say B, too—and made up my mind to the *toe kissing.
1849D. J. Browne Amer. Poultry Yd. (1855) 30 Their legs are..armed with one or more *toe-like claws.
c1850Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 105 They are secured to the ship's side by a bolt through the *toe-link, called the chain-bolt. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Chain-bolt, a large bolt to secure the chains of the dead-eyes through the toe-link.
1964J. Noel Figure Skating for Beginners ix. 92 The *toe loop and double toe loop jumps are the ordinary loop and double loop jumps with the addition of toe-strikes. 1973K. Markandaya Nowhere Man iii. 18 Sandals on her smooth-skinned feet, with thongs and a toe-loop. 1976Times 19 Jan. 9/6 Miss de Leeuw fell on her triple jump, a toe loop. 1979M. Heller Illustr. Encycl. Ice Skating 209 The toe loop is the simplest skating jump from the backward outside edge with the assistance of the free toe, a 360° turn to backward inside edge of the same foot.
1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 103 In some cases [of functional paralysis]..the *toe-movement does not occur.
1841Knickerbocker XVII. 407 All the young ladies were on the very *toe-nail of curiosity. 1856Kane Arct. Expl. I. 132 Bonsall was minus a big toe nail and plus a scar upon the nose. 1908Animal Managem. (War Office) 238 The smith begins with the toenails first. a1912Mod. A chiropodist, attending to a defective toe-nail.
1900Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 443 The braces are *toe-nailed in place to prevent the possibility of their becoming loosened and dropping down.
1903U.S. Dept. Agric., Rep. Dis. Horse 560 The regular position, the base-wide or toe-wide position, or the base-narrow or *toe-narrow position.
1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 131/1 The *toe-piece or extreme end of the body and boot [of a coach].
1894Daily News 4 May 6/4 A very enormous boot would be required to receive the *toe-plate, as well as the foot. 1898Ibid. 19 Aug. 4/5 The camp..contains everything needful down to the toeplates for the soldiers' boots.
1929Footwear Organiser July 81/2 (Advt.), For unvarying high quality and thoroughly reliable service use Walker prepared *toe-puffs. 1958Observer 21 Sept. 10/5 The modern toe-puff makes feeling the position of the toes impossible.
1963T. D. Richardson Your Bk. of Skating iii. 20 The strike must be from the edge of the blade—and not from the point or *toe rakes of the skate. 1973Times 3 Mar. 18/1 Towards the end of the programme..Miss Buck tripped over the toe rake of her skate. 1980Radio Times 16 Feb. 33 The front of the blade has teeth (the toe-rake) to assist with spins, pivots and jumps.
1896‘Mark Twain’ Diary 30 Jan. in Following Equator (1897) xliv. 403 All the females among them [sc. Hindoos]..bejeweled with cheap and showy nose-rings, *toe-rings, leglets, and armlets. 1905C. Davenport Jewellery v. 87 Toe-rings were common in India, but, like all native customs of this sort, their use is practically dying out.
1948Sun (Baltimore) 16 Jan. 7 (Advt.), Handy, dual-purpose umbrella that protects you top to toe! Its smart plastic handle holds a pair of excellent quality *toe-rubbers that fit any size foot. 1975Toronto Star 25 Oct. h7/1 Who wouldn't develop a sense of humor in a country where some men have to wear toe rubbers half the year.
1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VII. 150 Instead of the *toe-scraping of ordinary spastic disease, the whole foot is shoved forwards in walking.
1899Quiller Couch Ship of Stars v, A glint of daylight on the *toe-scutes of two dangling boots.
1753Chambers Cycl. Supp., Pollicipes, the *toe-shell... They are multivalve flat shells, of a triangular figure, each being composed of several laminæ, which end in a sharp point.
1949Chujoy & Manchester Dance Encycl. 480/2 *Toe-shoes are usually, but not always, made of silk and the toe of the shoe is re-enforced with a box made of several layers of strong glue between layers of material. 1979T. Gifford Hollywood Gothic (1980) vi. 71, I played so much tennis that my sneakers actually got bloody, like toe shoes—like ballet.
1921B. Meyer Skating with Bror Meyer 117 All the *toe-spins are beautiful if well executed. 1928[see counter n.4 6]. 1960M. V. Owen Fun Figure Skating vii. 130 Back toe spins (with the free leg closing in in front) and back sit spins should be learned by all those expecting to go on to advanced free skating.
1888Lockwoods Dict. Mech. Engin. Terms 147 Foot step, or Footstep Bearing, a bearing closed at its bottom end, to sustain the end thrust of a vertical shaft or spindle. It is, therefore, a bearing socket, called also a step, and *toe step.
1884Queen 29 Nov. (Advt.), Superior polished wood skates with broad *toe-straps. 1910Cycling 26 Jan. 66/1 The first time I ever essayed to climb Westerham I had no toe-straps, and I failed. 1911Blackw. Mag. Dec. 780/1 The toe-strap of one of his rope-sandals broke. 1948I. Proctor Racing Dinghy Handling vi. 56 At least one foot should be tucked under the canvas toe strap. 1966[see cross-bar n. 1 a]. 1968Daily Tel. 29 Jan. 7/8 Dean hit the buoy, and Hinton fell in when his toestrap broke. 1981B. Webb tr. Schult's Sailing Dict. 257/2 A crew can only sit out effectively if the boat has toe-straps or some other device to enable weight to be placed well outboard.
1862Catal. Internat. Exhib. II. xxvii. 56 His new instep- and *toe-stretching boot tree.
1882Floyer Unexpl. Baluchistan 72 They all wore huge knitted list stockings, with a division for the *toe-string of the suāss, or grass sandals.
1929‘Seamark’ Down River iii. 46 You didn't think I wanted to come *toe-tapping in a shanty like this, did you? 1935Motion Picture Nov. 4 (Advt.), Roaring comedy, warm romance, sensational song hits, toe-tapping dances. 1966C. Keil in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out (1972) 87 The jazz audience now remains immobile save for some head-bobbing, toe-tapping, and finger-popping. 1975Broadcast 3 Nov. 14/1 A charming presentation of..music in a toe-tapping reminiscent mood.
1966M. Laurence Jest of God viii. 130 Her feet..slap with the rubbery sound of her royal-blue *toe-thong sandals.
1839Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 318/2 Machinery for manufacturing shoe-heels, and *toe-tips. 1892Symonds Life Michel Angelo (1899) I. iv. 168 His whole frame laboured to the toe-tips.
1842P. Parley's Ann. III. 264 The elbowing, the *toe-treading. 1910Daily News 4 Apr. 12 The practice of gibbeting one's enemies in fiction is not a form of toe-treading that one ought to encourage.
a1858in Youatt Dog (N.Y.) iii. 138 The ball pads being well protected by the spaniel *toe-tufts.
1598Marston Sco. Villanie iii. xi. (1599) 225 He dreames of *toe-turnes: each gallant he doth meete He fronts him with a trauerse in the streete.
1894Pop. Sci. Monthly June 284 All the other cats in the world excepting Australia are digitigrade (*toe-walking).
1934Webster, *Toe wall. 1947Sun (Baltimore) 5 May 16/6 Concrete toe walls have been installed on both sides of the river. 1975Winterkorn & Fang Foundation Engin. Handbk. xi. 398/2 In England wide dry-stone toe walls have been used successfully to stabilize cuts in over-consolidated clay.
1901Scribner's Mag. Apr. 422/1 A trotting dandy who sported ankle-boots and *toe-weights, pulled up before him.
1903*Toe-wide [see toe-narrow].
1845J. Kitto in Eadie Life ix. (1861) 307 The danger of being mixed up with the *toe-writers and learned pigs of literature.
▸ toe-poke n. Football a kick in which the ball is prodded or struck with the toes.
1978Times 15 Mar. 9/5 His *toe-poke was well directed. 2000Rugby World June 143/2 In this last category [sc. tries from kicks] a number of tries featured contain not a semblance of a toe-poke—perhaps the kick came early in the move and was edited out? 2006Birmingham Evening Mail (Nexis) 26 Apr. 2, I couldn't manage to sidefoot the ball. I could only do a toe-poke.
▸ toe-poke v. Football trans. to propel (a ball) using a toe-poke; cf. toe v. 3a.
1985Associated Press Newswire (Nexis) 18 Jan. Kewley then *toe-poked the winning goal into the net from inside the penalty area to win it for the Wings late in regulation. 1997Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 15 Feb. 32, I toe-poked, violently, every ball that came near me, sending it scudding into the hands of the opposing scrum-half. 2001D. Mitchell Number 9 Dream 84 The enemy striker toe-pokes the ball under his nemesis.
▪ II. toe, v.|təʊ|
[f. prec. n.]
1. trans. To furnish with a toe or toes; to make or put a new toe on (a stocking, etc.): cf. heel v.1 2; also with off, to complete (a sock, etc.) by knitting the toe and then casting off. Also fig.
1607–8T. Cocks Diary 1 Feb. (1901) 26 Paide for heelinge & toynge a payer of iersy stockings vj d. 1660Howell Parly of Beasts 39 They all bowed their snaky heads down to their very feet, which were toed with Scorpions. 1856M. J. Holmes Homestead 126 She..was toeing off the stocking only that morning commenced. 1870G. M. Hopkins Jrnls. & Papers (1959) 196 The next morning a heavy fall of snow. It tufted and toed the firs and yews.
2. To touch or reach with the toes; chiefly in to toe a or the line, toe mark, toe scratch, toe crack, toe trig (trig n.2), to stand with the tips of one's toes exactly touching a line; to stand in a row; hence fig. to present oneself in readiness for a race, contest, or undertaking; also, to conform, esp. to the defined standard or platform of a party.
1813‘H. Bull-Us’ Diverting Hist. John Bull & Bro. Jonathan (ed. 2) xii. 62 He began to think it was high time to toe the mark. 1817Deb. Congress U.S. 30 Jan. (1854) 792 The necessity appeared..of toeing the trig, and standing there at all hazards. 1826W. N. Glascock Naval Sketch-Bk. (ed. 2) I. 271 The brigades of seamen embodied to act with our troops in America, as well as in the north coast of Spain, contrived to ‘ship a bagnet’ on a pinch, and to ‘toe’ (for that was the phrase) ‘a tolerable line’. 1833Marryat P. Simple ix, He desired us to ‘toe a line’, which means to stand in a row. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxvii, The chief mate..marked a line on the deck, brought the two boys up to it, making them ‘toe the mark’. 1853‘C. Bede’ Verdant Green ii. iv, Toeing the scratch for business. 1862Maclaren Milit. Syst. Gymnastic Exerc. 37 There should be..a permanent mark to ‘toe’ at starting. 1895Westm. Gaz. 15 Jan. 8/1 The phrase ‘toeing the line’ is very much in favour with some Liberals. 1905Eng. Dial. Dict. VI. 235/2 The player may ‘toe the trig’, but may not overstep it. 1910Daily News 30 Mar. 7 To-day they had decided to toe the line with the progressive workers of the country.
3. a. To kick with the toe. b. Golf. To strike (a ball) with the tip of the club: cf. heel v.1 5 c.
1865Nixon P. Perfume 58 Tom toed them out. 1893Lang in Longm. Mag. Apr. 651 They might toe or heel the ball.
4. intr. To move the toe, to tap rhythmically with the toe in dancing; to toe and heel (it), to dance.
1828Examiner 630/1 A Sailor toe-and-heels it, and lock⁓steps and straddles. 1859Dickens Haunted House viii. 48 There ensued such toe-and-heeling, and buckle-covering, and double-shuffling. 1882Punch 27 Dec. 302/2 Fiddler, tune up merrily! Toe and heel it happily.
5. trans. Carpentry. To secure or join together by nails driven obliquely: see toed ppl. a. 2.
6. orig. U.S.
a. intr. To turn the toes in or out. Also fig.
1877Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 4) 710 To toe in, to turn in the toes. 1894Vermont Agric. Rep. XIV. 120 Avoid a horse which toes in or toes out. 1945B. MacDonald Egg & I (1946) i. 16 She toed out and had trouble with her arches. 1950J. Dempsey Championship Fighting 70 If you toe-in slightly with the left foot, you'll get greater freedom in the whirl.
b. Of a pair of wheels: to have a slight forward convergence (to toe in) or divergence (to toe out). Also trans. (causatively).
1926J. A. Moyer Gasoline Automobiles (ed. 2) i. 25 To facilitate steering, the front wheels of the conventional rear-wheel drive ‘toe in’ about 1/4 to 3/8 inch. 1929Newton & Steeds Motor Vehicle xxvii. 324 The alignment of the wheels should be checked occasionally since if the wheels should get to ‘toe-out’ the wear on the tyres will be excessive. 1939Automobile Engineer XXIX. 40/1 In addition to a camber change, the wheel is ‘toed-in’ as it rises or falls in relation to the car. 1962Which? Car Suppl. Oct. 139/1 Front wheel alignment [was] toeing out 1/8 in. instead of toeing in 1/8 in. 1976Crouse & Anglin Pocket Automotive Dict. 101 On a turn, the inner wheel turns, or toes out, more.
Hence ˈtoeing vbl. n.
1871G. Meredith H. Richmond III. 188 Your French phrases and toeings! 1876A. D. Whitney Sights & Insights I. 21 It is the ‘toeing off’ that is the satisfaction, after all, even whilst you knit the stocking. 1891S. M. Welch Home Hist. 116 That peculiar turn of the foot called ‘toeing in’ which in the white girl would be called ‘pigeon toed’. 1904M. E. Waller Wood-Carver of 'Lympus 36 Ther ain't nothin' more ter learn but ‘toein' off’. 1928Bureau of Standards Jrnl. Res. (U.S.) I. 24 The common practice of cambering and toeing in of the front wheels of an automobile doubtless influences the tread wear. 1962R. H. Smythe Anat. Dog Breeding 77 Such a dog might show no sign of toeing-in. 1970K. Ball Fiat 600, 600D Autobook vii. 78/1 The final torque loading of the short arm mounting pin nut is determined after the toeing-in procedure. |