| 释义 |
▪ I. know, v.|nəʊ|
Pa. tense knew |njuː|. pa. pple. known |nəʊn|. Forms: inf. 1 cnáwan, 3–4 cnawe(n; 2–4 cnowe(n, 3 cnoue(n, 4–5 cnow; 3–5 knawe(n, 3–4 knaun, 5 Sc. knaue, (5–7 knau); 3–5 (3– Sc. and dial.) knaw; 3–4 knowen, (3 kneowen, 3–5 knoue(n, 5–6 knou, 6 knowne), 3–7 knowe, (6–7 kno), 5– know. pa. tense 1–3 cnéow, 3 cneou, cnew, cneu, 3–4 kneow, 3–6 kneu, (4 kneuȝ, kneuh, kneȝ, knev, knuȝ, 5 kneew, knogh), 4–6 knewe, 3– knew. Also 3 cnawed, 5 knowede, 9– dial. knowed. pa. pple. 1 cnáwen, 3–5 knawen, 3–4 knauen, (3 knaun(e), 4 knawe, 6 knaw, 7 Sc. knawne, 9 Sc. and north. knawn; 3–5 cnowe(n, 4–7 knowen, (4 -un, 4–5 -yn), 4–5 know(e, (5 kno, 6 knouin, knoen, 7 knouen), 6–7 knowne, 6– known. Also 2–3 i-cnawe(n, 3 -cnowe(n, 2–4 i-, ykna(u)we(n, -knowe(n. Also 3 knawed, knaued, knaud, 4 (9 dial.) knowed.
[A Com. Teut. and Com. Aryan vb., now retained in Eng. alone of the Teut. languages: OE. (ᵹe)cnáwan, pa. tense (ᵹe)cnéow, pa. pple. (ᵹe)cnáwen = OHG. -cnâan, -chnâan, -cnâhan, ON. pres. ind. kná, pl. knegum, Gothic type *knáian, *kaiknô, *knáians, a redupl. vb. not found in existing remains. Outside Teut., = OSlav. zna-tĭ, Russ. zna-t to know; L. *gnō-, whence the inceptive (g)nōscĕre, perf. (g)nōvi, pa. pple. (g)nōt-us; Gr. *γνω-, whence redupl. and inceptive γι-γνώ-σκειν, 2 aor. ἔ-γνω-ν; Skr. jnā- know. Generally held to be from the same root (gen-, gon-, gn-) as can v., and ken. Already in early times the simple vb. had sustained various losses; in L. and Gr. the pres. stem survived only in derived forms; in Gothic the word is not recorded; in ON. the pres. inf. was obs.; in ON. and OHG. the orig. strong pa. tense and pa. pple. were lost; in OHG. and OE. the vb. was app. known only in composition, as in OE. ᵹecnáwan, oncnáwan, tócnáwan. The first of these may be considered as the historical ancestor of ME. and mod. know, for although it came down in southern ME. as i-knowen, y-knowe, the prefix was regularly dropped in midl. and north., giving the simple stem form cnawen, knawe(n, knowe(n, which was well-established in all the main senses by 1200 (a single instance being known a 1100). The verb has since had a vigorous life, having also occupied with its meaning the original territory of the vb. wit, Ger. wissen, and that of can, so far as this meant to ‘know’. Hence Eng. know covers the ground of Ger. wissen, kennen, erkennen, and (in part) können, of Fr. connaître and savoir, of L. nōvisse, co-gnōscĕre, and scīre, of Gr. γιγνώσκειν and εἰδέναι (οἶδα). But in Sc. the verb ken has supplanted knaw, and come to be the sense-equivalent of ‘know’ in all its extent of signification. As ᵹecnáwan came down as late as 1400 in form iknowen yknow, the pa. pple in i-, y-, in southern ME., may belong to either form.]
Signification. From the fact that know now covers the ground formerly occupied by several verbs, and still answers to two verbs in other Teutonic and Romanic languages, there is much difficulty in arranging its senses and uses satisfactorily. However, as the word is etymologically related to Gr. γιγνώσκειν, L. (g)nōscere and (g)nōvisse, F. connaître (:—L. cognōscĕre) to ‘know by the senses’, Ger. können and kennen, Eng. can, ken, it appears proper to start with the uses which answer to these words, rather than with those which belonged to the archaic vb. to wit, Ger. wissen, and are expressed by L. scīre and F. savoir, to ‘know by the mind’. This etymological treatment of the word, and the uses to which it has been put, differs essentially from a logical or philosophical analysis of the notion of ‘knowing’, and the verbal forms and phrases by which this is expressed, in which the word ‘know’ is taken as an existing fact, without reference to the history of its uses.
Know, in its most general sense, has been defined by some as ‘To hold for true or real with assurance and on (what is held to be) an adequate objective foundation’. Mr. James Ward, in Encycl. Brit. XX. 49 s.v. Psychology, assigns to the word two main meanings: ‘To know may mean either to perceive or apprehend, or it may mean to understand or comprehend... Thus a blind man, who cannot know about light in the first sense, may know about light in the second, if he studies a treatise on optics.’ Others hold that the primary and only proper object of knowing is a fact or facts (as in our sense 10), and that all so-called knowing of things or persons resolves itself, upon analysis, into the knowing of certain facts about these, as their existence, identity, nature, attributes, etc., the particular fact being understood from the context, or by a consideration of the kind of fact which is usually wanted to be known about the thing or person in question. Thus, ‘Do you know Mr. G.?’, ‘Do you know Balliol College?’ have different meanings according to the kind of facts about Mr. G. or Balliol College, which are the objects of inquiry.
I.
1. a. trans. To perceive (a thing or person) as identical with one perceived before, or of which one has a previous notion; to recognize; to identify. Sometimes with again; also, later, with for.
[Beowulf 2047 Meaht ðu, min wine, mece ᵹecnawan þone þin fæder to ᵹefeohte bær. c1000ælfric Gen. xxvii. 12 ᵹif min fæder me handlaþ and me ᵹecnæwþ. Ibid. xxxviii. 26 Ða he ða lac ᵹecneow.] a1100in Napier O.E. Glosses 76 Noscuntur, .i. intelleguntur, þa beoð cnawene. c1200Ormin 1314 Lamb..cann cnawenn swiþe wel Hiss moderr þær ȝho blæteþþ. c1250Gen. & Ex. 2162 Ðe .x. comen..To Iosep, and he ne knewen him nogt. a1300Cursor M. 4209 Quen his fader his kirtell kneu Moght na gamen him com to gleu. c1460Towneley Myst. xxvii. 348 All sone he hym with-drogh, ffro he saw that we hym knogh. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 232 This question,..whether that in the life everlasting, we shal know one an other. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 11 After two leagues pursuit, they knew her for a Portugall Carrack. 1706Pope Let. to Wycherley 10 Apr., They would not be chang'd so much, but any one would know them for the same at first sight. 1724De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 26 For four days more I knew nobody. 1865Kingsley Herew. v. (1877) 111, I knew you, in spite of your hair, by your eyes. 1867Howells Ital. Journ. 63, I wonder how he should have known us for Americans?
b. To recognize or distinguish, or be able to distinguish (one thing) from (another) = OE. tócnáwan.
c1375Cursor M. 6402 (Fairf.) Mony atte..knawes noȝt þe gode fra þe ille. 1406Hoccleve La male regle 23 Now can I knowe feeste fro penaunce. 1598Shakes. Merry W. iii. iii. 44 We'll teach him to know Turtles from Iayes. 1704Pope Windsor For. 175 Scarce could the Goddess from her nymph be known. 1843Macaulay Mme. D'Arblay Ess. 1865 III. 295 Burney loved his own art passionately; and Johnson just knew the bell of Saint Clement's church from the organ.
(b) Phrases: not to know one's arse from one's elbow (and similar phrases): a coarse expression suggestive of complete ignorance or innocence; (not) to know from nothing (U.S.): to be totally ignorant (about something).
1930R. Blaker Medal without Bar xiii. 69 ‘But nor 'an 'un’ (this phrase was his masterpiece of thoughtful emphasis), ‘nor 'an 'un of us knows 'is ears from 'is elbow when it comes to learning—learning like you orficers have got up your sleeves.’ 1936Mademoiselle Mar. 43/1, I find I belong to the wrong gender to take part in such confabulations, and know from nothing. 1942Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §150/3 Be ignorant, know from nothing. 1944‘N. Shute’ Pastoral iv. 75, I wish I'd had a crowd like that for my first crew. We none of us knew arse from elbow when they pushed me off. 1945‘F. Feikema’ Boy Almighty (1950) xvii. 162 Them San dietitians, they don't know from nuthin'. 1945T. Shor in Mencken Amer. Lang. (1948) Suppl. II. 695 A square don't know from nothin' and a creep is worse'n a jerk. 1966‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 29 Don't know Thairsday from brekfuss-time. Ibid., Don't know 'is arse from 'is elbow. 1968Encounter Sept. 22/1 He knows from nothin'.
c. intr. To distinguish between. rare.
1864Lowell Fireside Trav. 3 Let him know between the good and evil fruits.
†2. trans. To recognize in some capacity; to acknowledge; to admit the claims or authority of: = beknow 3. Obs.
a1225Leg. Kath. 2066 To him we kennið & cnaweð to lauerd. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3995 Þat þou nelt him iknowe [v.r. knowe] ne do þin seruage. 13..E.E. Allit. P. C. 519 Wyȝez wyl torne, & cum & cnawe me for kyng. 1382Wyclif 1 Thess. v. 12 We preien ȝou, that ȝe schulen knowe hem that trauelen among ȝou, and..that ȝe haue hem more haboundantli in charite [1611 and R.V. to know them]. c1450Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 169, I..know the for my lorde. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 38 Thinke you that they wyll knowe or obey any civill Magistrate?
†3.
a. trans. To acknowledge, confess, own, admit: = acknow 2, beknow 2. Obs.
c1200Ormin 9818 Ne wollden þeȝȝ nohht cnawenn Ne ȝatenn þatt teȝȝ wærenn ohht Sinnfulle. a1300Cursor M. 5107 Þat we haue misdon we will knau. c1375Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B.) 51 Lered & lewed þat wil..knowe to god þat þai are ille. c1440Jacob's Well 67 Knowe þi synne to vs, ȝif þou be gylty. 1467Burgh Rec. Aberdeen 2 Dec. (Spald. Cl) I. 27 The said Thomas sal..opynly knaw that he has offendit til him.
b. refl. To make confession, confess; also with compl., to confess oneself (to be) something.
a1225Leg. Kath. 132 Al ha cneowen [v.r. icneowen] ham crauant & ouercumen. a1300Cursor M. 18488 Loues nu vr lauerd dright, And knau yow til him o yur plight. c1375Ibid. (Fairf. MS.) 26959 Qua buxumli him-self knawes [Cott. be-knaus] sal haue mercy. 14..Masse in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 148 Sey ye with hym Confiteor Or ellis in Ynglysch thus therfor I know me to God. 1478Croscombe Church-w. Acc. (Som. Rec. Soc.) 7 Comes..and cnowth hym dettar to the Cherch for his servant xxd.
c. intr. (for refl.) Obs.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 71 Kneoweð ure louerd [confitemini domino]. a1350Cursor M. 18488 (Gött.) Louis nu vr lauerd dright, An knau til him of ȝur plight. 1362Langl. P. Pl B. xi. 273 For he kneuȝ on þe crois & to crist shref hym.
d. pass. = b. Const. of, that. = acknow 4, beknow 4. Obs.
c1200Vices & Virtues 21 Ðat ic scolde bien icnawe of mine sennes. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 123 Þe man..þe beð is gultes cnowe. c1205Lay. 26433 Ȝif þu wulle icnawen beo þat Arður is king ouer þe. c1310Marina 53 in Böddeker Alt. Eng. Dicht. 258 He nolde be knowe for no þyng þat hit wes a mayde ȝyng. c1330Assump. Virg. 534 (Br. Mus. Add. MS.), Ȝif..he wille on his last þrowe Schryue him & ben y-knowe.
†4. trans. To perceive (with the senses). Obs.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 1684 Coryneus..busched þem on a rowe Þat þe Frensche moughte þem nought knowe. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xxi. (1495) 69 The sighte knoweth hewe and colour and the taast knoweth sauour. a1400–50Alexander 63 He saȝe þam in þe hiȝe see..Carrygis comand he knew keruand þe ithis.
II.
5. a. To be acquainted with (a thing, a place, or a person); to be familiar with by experience, or through information or report (= F. connaître, Ger. kennen). Sometimes, To have such familiarity with (something) as gives understanding or insight. to know like a book (see like adv. 1 c).
c1175Lamb. Hom. 137 For hereword to habbene and beon iwurðeȝede fir and neor ðer þe heo icnawene beoð. c1205Lay. 4623 Ne þas strond we ne cnoweð Þe we isoht habbeð. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 202 He kennede him in heore craft and kneuȝ mony gummes. c1386Chaucer Prol. 240 He knew the Tauernes wel in al the toun. 1485Caxton Pref. Malory's Arthur, Alysaunder the grete, &..Iulyus Cezar..of whome thystoryes ben wel kno and had. 1598Shakes. Merry W. ii. ii. 188 You haue been a man long knowne to me, though I had neuer so good means as desire, to make my selfe acquainted with you. 1634Milton Comus 311, I know each lane, and every alley green,..of this wilde Wood. 1710Addison Tatler No. 192 ⁋5 A Story that is very well known in the North of England. 1800Med. Jrnl. IV. 400 The external use of cold water has been known and practised from the earliest periods. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 365 Whoever could make himself agreeable to the prince,..might hope to rise in the world..without being even known by sight to any minister of state.
b. refl. To know oneself; esp. in imp. arch. phr. know thyself.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 123 þe man cnoweð him seluen þe þencheð of wu medeme þinge he is shapen. c1305Knowe þi self 3, in E.E.P. (1862) 130 Vche cristen creature knowen hym self ouht. 1484Caxton æsop ii. Fable 17 Who that knoweth hym self lytel he preyseth hym self. c1527tr. Erasmus's Dicta Sapientium sig. A3v Nosce te ipsum, know thy selfe. 1531Elyot Gov. iii. iii, Nosce te ipsum, whiche is in englysshe, know thy selfe. 1707Norris Treat. Humility ii. 58 We say of proud men that they do not understand themselves, or that they ought to be made to know themselves better. 1849Lytton Caxtons III. xvi. x. 183 ‘Know thyself,’ said the old philosophy. ‘Improve thyself,’ saith the new. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 455 In order to repent, a man must know himself thoroughly. 1905A. Maclaren Gospel St. Matthew i. 43 The proud old saying of the Greeks, ‘Know thyself’..would result in this profound abnegation of all claims, in this poverty of spirit. 1929A. Huxley Let. 7 Jan. (1969) 306 ‘Know thyself’ was probably one of the stupidest pieces of advice ever given. a1930D. H. Lawrence Last Poems (1932) 266 When at last we escape the barbed wire enclosure of Know Thyself, knowing we can never know. 1941N. & Q. Feb. 138 The folly of that impossible precept ‘Know thyself’.
c. To have personal experience of (something) as affecting oneself; to have experienced, met with, felt, or undergone. Also fig. of inanimate things. Chiefly in negative forms of expression.
1390Gower Conf. I. 7 Justice of lawe tho was holde..The citees knewen no debat. 1591Shakes. Two Gent. i. iii. 16 In hauing knowne no trauaile in his youth. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 530 Whole Months they wander, grazing as they go; Nor Folds, nor hospitable Harbour know. 1877E. R. Conder Bas. Faith iv. 151 ‘He has never known trouble’; ‘He knows no fear’, meaning that the person spoken of is not familiar with these feelings. 1879R. K. Douglas Confucianism iii. 71 Running water which knows no stagnation. 1896A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad l, And lads knew trouble at Knighton When I was a Knighton lad.
d. to know as, to be familiarly acquainted with under the name of; pass., to be commonly called.
1887Co-operative News XVIII. 242 The timbers..are not what is technically known as ‘blue’.
6. a. To be personally acquainted with (a person); to be familiar or intimate with; † to become acquainted with (obs.).
1377Langl. P. Pl. B. vi. 222 If þow fynde any freke þat fortune hath appeyred,..fonde þow suche to cnowe; Conforte hem with þi catel. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 345 Duc Perotheus loued wel Arcite And hadde hym knowe at Thebes yeer by yere. a1400Pistill of Susan 170 Hir kinrede, hir cosyns and al þat hire knewe. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 244 [He] curssed the tyme that ever he knewe Doctor Barnes. 1575Laneham Let. 1, I am.. acquainted with the most, and well knoen too the best, and euery officer glad of my company. 1726G. Roberts Four Yrs. Voy. 313 [He asked] If I was acquainted with any of the Signores of the City? I told him, I knew some of them. 1872W. Coleman in Rep. 42nd U.S. Congress 2 Sess. Joint Select. Comm. Condition of Affairs Late Insurrectionary States XI. 484 Of course I knowed him. 1892Mrs. H. Ward David Grieve III. 131 As to knowing people, you won't take any trouble at all! Mod. They are neighbours of ours, but we do not know them.
†b. pass. to be known, to be personally acquainted or on familiar terms with. Obs.
a1225Juliana 14 Ne ich neuer þat ich wite nes wið him icnawen. 1380Lay Folks Catech. (Lamb. MS.) 178 He was homly and knowyn with þis lady. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 532, ‘I am knawin with the Quene’, said Schir Rolland. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 117 b, He was so well knowen with the Emperour Soliman.
†c. intr. Of two persons: To be (mutually) acquainted. (= F. se connaître.) Obs.
1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. vi. 86 You, and I haue knowne sir. 1611― Cymb. i. iv. 36 Sir, we haue knowne togither in Orleance.
7. trans. To have carnal acquaintance or sexual intercourse with. arch.
Chiefly a Hebraism which has passed into the mod. langs., but found also in Gr. and L. So Ger. erkennen, F. connaître.
c1200Ormin 2406 Ȝho..seȝȝde; Hu maȝȝ þiss forþedd ben þurrh me Þatt nan weppmann ne cnawe? c1325Metr. Hom. 38 It was igain the lawe His brother wif fleyslic to knawe. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 155 He stode, & proued it..Þ at his fader Henry þat ilk Aleyse had knowen. 1382Wyclif Gen. iv. 1 Adam forsothe knewe Eue his wijf. 1535Joye Apol. Tindale (Arb.) 48 Before she knew (that is) slept with hir howsbonde. 1572Depos. Canterb. Cath. Libr. bk. 18 lf. 166 (MS.) To haue to doo with her, meaning carnallye to knowe this deponentes boddye. 1601Shakes. All's Well v. iii. 288 By Ioue, if euer I knew man, 'twas you. 1603― Meas. for M. v. i. 203 That is Angelo, Who thinkes he knowes, that he nere knew my body. c1613Middleton No Wit like a Woman's ii. iii, Will you swear here you never yet knew woman?
III. 8. To have cognizance of (something), through observation, inquiry, or information; to be aware or apprised of (= F. savoir, Ger. wissen); † to become cognizant of, learn through information or inquiry, ascertain, find out (obs.).
a1225Leg. Kath. 463 Ȝef þu wult cnawen mi cun, ich am kinges dohter. c1350Will. Palerne 577 Ȝit couþe non by no craft knowen hire sore. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. ix. 63 ‘What art þou’, quod I ‘that my nome knowest?’ c1375Quon. Attach. c. 48 §5 in Skene Reg. Maj. 85 b, All hurdes and treasures hid vnder the earth..quhereof the awner is not knawin. c1425Lydg. Assembly of Gods 175 He hit desyryd to know hys offence. 1531Elyot Gov. iii. xxvi, Galene..exhorteth them to knowe exactly the accustomed diete of their patientes. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. 38 How to divide a Triangle (whose Area or Content is known) into two Parts. 1706Pope Let. to Wycherley 10 Apr., Pray let me know your mind in this. 1776Trial of Nundocomar 23/1, I do not know his age exactly. 1871Morley Voltaire (1886) 10 The free-thinker [would fain pass] for a person with his own orthodoxies if you only knew them.
9. a. To be conversant with (a body of facts, principles, a method of action, etc.) through instruction, study, or practice; esp. to have practical understanding of (a science, language, profession, etc.); to have learnt by study or practical experience; to be versed or skilled in; † to acquire skill in, to learn (obs.).
a1400Pistill of Susan 24 Þus thei lerne hire þe lawe, Cleer Clergye to knawe. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 20 Galienus seiþ, þat it is necessarie a surgian to knowe anotamie. 1598Florio Ital. Dict. Ep. Ded., Well to know Italian is a grace of all graces. 1639Massinger Unnat. Combat i. i. Wks. (Rtldg.) 27/1 Nay, if a velvet petticoat move in the front, Buff jerkins must to the rear, I know my manners. 1749Johnson London 115 All sciences a fasting Monsieur knows. 1762Goldsmith Cit. W. lxi, To know one profession only, is enough for one man to know. 1808Scott Marm. i. viii, Each, chosen for an archer good, Knew hunting-craft by lake or wood. c1813Mrs. Sherwood Stories on Catechism x. (1873) 83 Know you not the commandments of God? 1872L. Carroll Through Looking Glass ix. 192 Of course you know your ABC.
b. Phr. to know better († better things), to have learnt better from experience; hence, to be more prudent or discreet (than to do something).
a1704L'Estrange (J.), One would have thought you had known better things than to expect a kindness from a common enemy. 1782F. Burney Let. to S. Crisp Aug., You and I know better than to hum or be hummed in that manner. 1872Punch 24 Feb. 78/2 Some persons who should know better than to talk nonsense. 1886Ruskin Præterita I. 431 Nothing to blame themselves in, except not having known better.
c. To have learnt by committing to memory; more fully, to know by heart: see heart n. 32.
1855Pusey Doctr. Real Presence Note S. 602 Sozomen mentions a celebrated Ascetic..who..knew the Holy Scriptures by heart. Mod. To know one's lesson; to know one's part, as in a play.
†d. refl. (in later use pass.) To be versed or skilled in. (= F. se connaître en.) Obs.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 11064 Þer were chanons of clergye, & knewe þem wel in astronomye. Ibid. 11198, Y ne knowe me nought in swylk chaffare. c1470Henry Wallace xi. 412 Wallace beheld, quhilk weill in weir him knew. 1630Lord Banians & Persees 33 To bee knowne onely in his owne busynes, and not to enquire after the things of the world. 1655[see known 2].
e. to know one's ―: to be well acquainted with something, to be well up in something. E.g. to know one's business, onions (see onion n.), stuff (see stuff n.1).
10. a. To apprehend or comprehend as fact or truth; to have a clear or distinct perception or apprehension of; to understand or comprehend with clearness and feeling of certainty. Formerly, sometimes, † to get to understand, to find out by reasoning.
When the feeling of certainty is emphasized, know is often contrasted with believe.
c1200Ormin 15624 He cnew hemm alle wel & alle þeȝȝre þohhtess. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 217 Meny þinges beeþ þat mowe be knowe by manis kynde wytt. 1413Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xxviii. 75 Why is it thenne that he vseth nought discours of reason to knowe oute the trouthe? 1601Gill Treat. Trinitie in Sacr. Philos. (1625) 215, I conclude, that there is nothing which is beleeved, but it may also be knowen. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 804 Mature In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know. 1744Berkeley Siris §253 We know a thing when we understand it. 1845Trench Huls. Lect. i. (1854) 16 We must pass into, and unite ourselves with, that which we would know, before we can know it more than in name. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvii. IV. 56 It seems probable that..he did not know his own mind. 1874Blackie Self-Cult. 14 Count yourself not to know a fact when you know that it took place, but then only when you see it as it did take place.
b. absol. or intr. To have understanding or knowledge.
c1200Ormin 13811 Þu cnawesst rihht & trowwesst. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 464 Suche lewed iottes..Þat imparfitly here knewe, And eke lyued. 1561T. Norton Calvin's Inst. iii. 277 When menne do with minde and vnderstanding conceyue the knowlege of things, they are thereby sayd (Scire) to know. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. 22 By Speculation we know that we may the better know. 1832Tennyson Pal. Art xli, Large-brow'd Verulam, The first of those who know. 1850― In Mem. Prol. vi, We have but faith: we cannot know; For knowledge is of things we see. 1892Mrs. H. Ward David Grieve II. 164 A word, a look from a real artist—from one of the great men who know.
11. To be cognizant, conscious, or aware of (a fact); to be informed of, to have learned; to apprehend (with the mind), to understand.
* With various constructions: a. with dependent statement, usually introduced by that.
† Formerly sometimes passive, to be known that, in same sense.
[a1000Juliana 356 Þæt þu..sylf ᵹecnawe þæt þis is soð.] c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 127 Þo nam he ȝeme of mannes liflode and cnew þat here dedes weren iuele. a1425Cursor M. 1905 (Trin.) Þenne was noe wel I knawe Þat þe flood hit was wiþdrawe. c1470Henry Wallace iii. 273, I knaw he will do mekill for his kyne. 1479Surtees Misc. (1888) 37 Be it knawen to all maner of men to whom this present writyng commys, that Robert Elwalde..is a trewe Ynglish man. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 375 You knowe, howe they were both letted by the war..and..also by sicknes. 1602Shakes. Ham. iv. iii. 69 Till I know 'tis done, How ere my happes, my ioyes were ne're begun. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. 15 The Hollander..knows it right well, that there are none like English for Courage at Sea. 1702Addison Medals i. Wks. 1721 I. 437 You do not know but it may have its usefulness. 1712― Spect. No. 415 ⁋3, I know there are Persons who look upon some of these Wonders of Art as Fabulous. 1748Richardson Clarissa Wks. 1883 VI. 336, I know you will expedite an answer. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 158 Tyrconnel threatened to let the king know that the lord president had..described his majesty as a fool. 1878J. Cook Lect. Orthod. vi, You know that you know that nothing can be known! How do you know that you know? 1879G. C. Harlan Eyesight iii. 41 It is now known that the increased refraction..is the result of an increase in the convexity of the lens. 1889J. K. Jerome Three Men in a Boat 275, I know for a fact that they are there.
dial.1848J. R. Lowell Poet. Wks. (1873) 252/1 My! when he made Ole Hunderd ring, She knowed the Lord was nigher. 1929Amer. Mercury Sept. 50/1 Got in trouble one time... Knowed officers couldn't 'rest me. 1942Ibid. July 87, I knowed you'd back up. 1949in B. A. Botkin Treas. S. Folklore iii. i. 434, I knowed dad-blamed well they wa'n't no fox in that sourwood.
b. with dependent question, introduced by who, what, when, where, how, and the like; as I know who did it, I know where he lives. Often ellipt., giving rise to subst., adj., and advb. phrases, as I know not who, I know not how, dear knows where, etc. not to know what hit one: see hit v. 8 e. Also, you know: a phrase used with aposiopesis (the implication to be imagined) or const. what, whom, etc. (as a means of avoiding naming the person, etc., referred to).
The fact known is the answer to the question directly or indirectly expressed.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 81 Warbi we mihten cnowen gif hit soð were þat þu seist. c1275Lay. 4621 Ne cnowe non of þis gomes..in woche londe we beoþ icome. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 47 Ȝif helle is in myddel of þe erþe doun riȝt, me myȝte knowe how meny myle is to helle. c1391Chaucer Astrol. ii. §1 Rekene and knowe which is the day of thi monthe. 1406Hoccleve La male regle 41 Myn vnwar yowthe kneew nat what it wroghte. 1531Elyot Gov. i. xviii, I coulde neuer knowe who founde firste that disporte. 1567J. Maplet Gr. Forest 28 Othersome..arise up of their owne accord not known how. 1649Milton Eikon. xvii. Wks. (1847) 317/1 Timothy and Titus, and I know not whom thir Successors. 1736Butler Anal. ii. v. Wks. 1874 I. 211 We do not know what the whole natural or appointed consequences of vice are. 1867Trollope Phineas Finn (1869) I. x. 84 She told me once..it would lead to my being everlastingly—you know what. She isn't so squeamish as I am, and said it out. 1875Geo. Eliot Let. 13 Jan. (1956) VI. 116, I had a letter from ‘you know whom’ last night. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 44 He who does not know what is true will not know what is good. 1892Mrs. Alexander Mammon II. 95 Chief manager, a millionaire, and I don't know what. 1911D. H. Lawrence White Peacock ii. i. 219 It's the way she swings her body—an' the curves as she stands. It's when you look at her—you feel—you know. 1925New Yorker 7 Mar. 19/1 Of course there's no use me asking you if you took in all the revues where the girls come out—you know. 1937C. Day Lewis Starting Point iii. 44 Never mind, kick him in the you know where—he's used to it. 1948D. Ballantyne Cunninghams ii. 12 She is you know [sc. in the family way] to a Maori. 1949D. M. Davin Roads from Home 99 Too much you know what last night, eh? 1970Harrap's French-Eng. Dict. Slang 201 Qui-vous-savez, (said of person one does not wish to name) you know who.
c. with accusative and infinitive, as I know him to be a friend; also in the corresponding passive, as he is known to be friendly.
The infin. to be is sometimes omitted; its place may be taken by as or for.
a1300Cursor M. 6715 If his lauerd kneu him kene o horn..If he sla man or womman, þis ox þan sal be taght to slan. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. iv. 164 Who-so wilneth hir to wyf..But he be knowe for a koke-wolde kut of my nose. c1400Apol. Loll. 29 So knaw bischopis hem to be..þe more þer souereyns. c1420Anturs of Arth. 139, I haue kinges in my kyne, knowene for kene. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 353 b, He would urge..those thinges chiefly, wherewith he knawe theyr myndes to be moste offended. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. v. i. 505 You sirha, that knew me for a foole, a Coward. 1611― Cymb. i. i. 76, I will be knowne your Aduocate. 1769Goldsm. Hist. Rome (1786) I. 263 An enemy whom he knew more powerful than himself. 1809Med. Jrnl. XXI. 479 It would be an insult to common reason to suppose..that you would encourage prejudices which you knew to exist. 1817Ld. Ellenborough in Maule & Selwyn's Rep. VI. 316 When he knew himself insolvent. 1891Sir R. Ball in Contemp. Rev. Sept. 440 The stars were known to be bodies more or less congenerous with our sun.
d. The perfect tenses with acc. and inf. have the sense, To have had perception or experience of something as a contemporary fact.
Here the infin. to is usually omitted after the active voice (I have known them fall), but is retained after the passive (they have been known to fall). Cf. hear v. 3.
1703Earl of Orrery As you Find it i. i, I have known some of 'em dog-cheap. 1711Addison Spect. No. 29 ⁋11, I have sometimes known the Performer..do no more in a Celebrated Song, than the Clerk of a Parish Church. 1849Thackeray Pendennis xv, I never knew a man die of love,..but I have known a twelve-stone man go down to nine stone five under a disappointed passion. 1850McCosh Div. Govt. iii. ii. (1874) 397 Criminals have been known..to jest even upon the scaffold. 1884Mrs. H. Ward Miss Bretherton vii. 86, I never knew anyone do so much in so short a time.
e. absol. Often parenthetically, esp. in colloquial use, in you know (cf. ‘you see’; now freq. as a mere conversational filler.), we know, do you know. Also, don't you know?, a variant of you know (cf. doncher).
Grammatically the parenthetic clause is often the chief sentence, and the fact stated its object; but it can often be taken as = as you know to be the fact.
c1350Will. Palerne 1174 He is my lege man lelly þou knowes. c1386Chaucer Man of Law's Prol. 50 Chaucer..Hath seyd hem in swich englissh as he kan Of olde tyme as knoweth many a man. 1599H. Buttes Dyets drie Dinner A a iv b, Yet Time (you know) is Edax rerum. 1712Addison Spect. No. 475 ⁋5 How can he help that, you know? 1798Jane Austen Northang. Abb. vi. (1833) 24 Do you know, I saw the prettiest hat you can imagine. 1880‘Mark Twain’ Tramp Abroad App. D. 611 Nothing gives such an air of grace and elegance and unconstraint to a German or an English conversation as to scatter it full of ‘Also's’ or ‘You-knows’. 1885Anstey Tinted Venus i. 7 Ought I to have cried both my eyes out? You haven't cried out either of yours, you know. 1885A. Edwardes Girton Girl II. iii. 40 Attack me? Why that was only a foolish joke, don't you know? 1896F. C. Philips Undeserving Woman 104 ‘When?’ said George. ‘I'd like to put the thing right at once, don't you know.’ 1924D. H. Lawrence Phoenix II (1968) 304 Little smart man of the shabby world, very much on the spot, don't you know. 1926G. Hunting Vicarion iv. 63 This represents some years of study, you know, this little exhibition I have given you. 1930‘Sapper’ Finger of Fate 225 My wife is such a nervous woman, don't you know. 1947[see boudin]. 1965Listener 2 Dec. 914/1 A. They're supposed to be, you know, sexy. B. That's all right, but all men are the same, after one thing, but sometimes, you know, it can be wonderful. 1968Ibid. 16 May 626/2 Too often one hears people on the wireless beginning an elaborate sentence—they flounder about for a bit and then break off with: ‘you know’. 1969Widdowson & Halpert in Halpert & Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 151 You could buy them in St. John's, you know, the false faces. 1974Sunday Times (Colour Suppl.) 3 Feb. 66/4 People get the wrong idea, thinking we might be, you know, glamorous or brilliant or something.
f. with a word or phrase standing in place of a fact referred to.
e.g. to know it, that, what has been said, the fact, all about it, the existence of the book, the goodness of his heart (= that his heart is good). (This last passes into 8). not if I know it, a colloquial phrase intimating that one will take care not to do the thing referred to.
[c1000Juliana 443 Ic ðat sylf ᵹecneow to late micles.] 1386Rolls of Parlt. III. 225/1 Nichol Brembre..with stronge honde, as it is ful knowen..was chosen Mair. c1386Chaucer Man of Law's T. 857 The Romayn Emperour..hath by lettres knowe The slaughtre of cristen folk. c1400Destr. Troy 11721, I haue comynt in this case, knowith hit your-selfe. a1425Cursor M. 14949 (Trin.) Þese iewes ben, ȝe hit knowen [Cott. Yon Iues ar, wel wat ȝee it]. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxvi. 549 Whan the kyng charlemagn knewe the comyng of reynawd. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 177 b, But that time knew I none of all this gere. 1610Healey St. Aug. Citie of God, Vives Comm. (1620) 103 This I think is knowne to all. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 639 O happy, if he knew his happy State! 1715De Foe Fam. Instruct. i. i. (1841) I. 6 How do we know that he dwells there?..we know it in two ways. 1865Trollope Miss Mackenzie I. ii. 33 ‘Tom,’ said I, when he asked me to go down to Drunder Street, ‘not if I know it.’ 1874T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd (1889) 32 After that do you think I could marry you? Not if I know it. 1891Mrs. Newman Begun in Jest I. 47 As soon as Dorothy wished it to be known. 1892W. S. Gilbert Mountebanks i. 24 Ni. I say—don't lose that. Pie. Not if I know it. 1897Hinde Congo Arabs 147 Oh, we know all about Mohara.
** In various phrases, arranged in the chronological order of their first recorded use in English as far as this is determinable: g. to know little (or nothing) and care less: to be unconcerned about; to be studiously ignorant of.
1814Jane Austen Mansf. Park II. xi. 251 ‘I know nothing of the Miss Owens,’ said Fanny calmly. ‘You know nothing and you care less, as people, say. Never did tone express indifference plainer.’ 1853Lytton My Novel II. viii. iv. 322 ‘Ah!’ said Egerton, who, as it has been before said, knew little, and cared less, about the Hazeldean pedigree, ‘I..had forgotten it.’ 1893R. L. Stevenson Catriona xxii. 267, I tell ye I ken naething and care less either for him or his breed. 1924R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm i. 71 Madeleine knew little and cared less as to what this might mean, except as it affected the work of the farm. 1925F. Harris My Life & Loves III. xii. 183 The great London doctors knew nothing about leprosy and cared less. 1925O. W. Holmes in Holmes-Laski Lett. (1953) I. 741, I think he generally was kind in his judgment of me, except when Roosevelt was so angry at my dissent in the Northern Securities case (about which you probably know little and care less). 1931F. L. Allen Only Yesterday v. 88 The shock troops of the rebellion were not alien agitators, but the sons and daughters of well-to-do American families, who knew little about Bolshevism and cared distinctly less. 1937N. Coward Present Indicative viii. v. 321 Even at the time we realised in our hearts that the bulk of the public knew nothing about Sirocco and cared less.
h. to know the reason why: to demand (and get) an explanation. Cf. reason n.1 5.
1825R. S. Hawker Cornish Ballads (1869) 1 And shall Trelawney die? Here's twenty thousand Cornish men Will know the reason why! 1894Somerville & ‘Ross’ Real Charlotte III. xxxix. 87 She had laid out a good deal of money on the house and farm, but she was going to get a good return for it, or know the reason why. 1934G. B. Shaw On Rocks ii. 68 My Union Jack men would keep order, or theyd know the reason why. 1941Punch 20 Aug. 155/2 Two months ago Herr Hitler said his armies would sweep through Russia or he would know the reason why. 1942Ibid. 11 Feb. 113/2, I caught him in the wash-house for an explanation or I'd know the reason why, and it appeared I'd ruined his life.
i. and knows (or knew, etc.) it: is clearly aware of (what has been stated).
1848Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton I. vi. 103 The son was strikingly handsome and knew it. 1898G. B. Shaw Mrs. Warren's Profession iii. 208 I'm not a young man, and I know it. 1930J. B. Priestley Angel Pavement v. 248 Well, she's pretty enough, and knows it, the little monkey. 1932E. V. Lucas Reading, Writing & Remembering xi. 182 Meredith was very handsome, and he knew it.
j. to know what one likes: a phrase used to imply that the speaker knows which works of art, poems, etc., he like without necessarily having an informed opinion to support his view.
1873H. James Compl. Tales (1962) III. 72, I went with Harold a great deal to the Louvre, where he was a very profitable companion. He had the history of the schools at his fingers' ends, and, as the phrase is, he knew what he liked. 1881― Portr. Lady II. v. 67, I don't care anything about reasons, but I know what I like. 1959Listener 9 July 75/3 In reality, she was just a wealthy collector. She knew what she liked. 1974R. Hill Very Good Hater xi. 93 ‘Are you interested in art?’ asked Mrs Housman politely. ‘I know what I like,’ he answered.
k. don't I know it: I am well aware of it, you need not tell me.
1874M. Clarke His Natural Life (1875) ii. iii. 192 The old trick. Ha! ha! don't I know it? 1899Kipling Stalky 151 ‘We didn't always knock him about, though!’ ‘You did when you could catch him... Don't I know it!’ 1936‘R. West’ Thinking Reed xii. 419 ‘I hate it,’ she said. ‘I hate it.’..‘Don't I know it,’ said Alan. 1964J. Creasey Look Three Ways x. 96 ‘He's in a mess..that poor devil is.’ ‘And don't I know it?’ 1970B. Cobb Catch Me i. 13 ‘They've only been married a few months. She's still starry-eyed.’ ‘Don't I know it!’
l. before you know where you are (and similar phrases): very soon, very quickly.
1916A. Huxley Let. 30 June (1969) 104 Steps must quickly be taken, or we shall find the place full of effigies and all the money spent before we know where we are. 1930W. S. Maugham Bread-Winner ii. 102 Almost before you know where you are, they're young men and women with characters of their own. 1936Wodehouse Laughing Gas i. 9 And little by little and bit by bit, before you know where you are—why, there you are, don't you know. 1956A. Wilson Anglo-Saxon Att. ii. ii. 341 Gerald said at the end of her story, ‘Yes, that's certainly jolly sad,’ and, before he knew where he was, he had given her a cheque for the dispensing of charity. 1970C. Whitman Death out of Focus xii. 183 You're a clever devil... You'll be an Inspector before you know where you are.
m. not to know whether one is coming or going (see come v. 27 e).
n. to know too much: used in a context of murder, or of a threat to kill, because the victim knows too much to be allowed to live.
1922Chesterton (title) The man who knew too much. 1953A. Christie After Funeral xxi. 163 ‘And why should anyone want to kill you, beautiful Rosamund?’.. ‘Because I know too much, of course.’ 1966‘S. Woods’ Enter Certain Murderers xii. 191 At the risk of being melodramatic..you know too much.
o. to know where one stands (or is) with (someone): to know how one is regarded by (someone); to know a person's views (on an issue).
1950J. Cannan Murder Included ii. 33 ‘Those blunt, downright people are never irritating—you know where you are with them.’ ‘They're irritating to some people.’ 1951E. Paul Springtime in Paris iv. 90 An honest whore knew where she stood. 1954L. P. Hartley White Wand 37 One never quite knew where one was with her. 1966Oxf. Univ. Gaz. 23 Dec. 433/2 If the majority now rise and say they support Council's paragraph (a), we shall know where we stand—we shall all be standing! 1972F. Warner Lying Figures ii. 9, I wasn't a pushover. All I wanted was to know where I stood.
p. (do) you know something?: shall I tell you this surprising fact?, I am going to tell you something.
1965I. Fleming Man with Golden Gun viii. 113 Mr. Paradise..said softly ‘You know something?’ 1971J. Brunner Honky in Woodpile v. 37 ‘You know something?’ We looked expectant. 1972P. Dickinson Lizard in Cup x. 159 You know something? She was reared in a home. 1972J. Wilson Hide & Seek ii. 29 Do you know something, Mary? Mr Harris is the nicest man I know, except for my father.
*** Misc. phrases in which know is used intr. or absol. (usually with something implied and sometimes with specific idiomatic force): q. I want to know: well, well! U.S. colloq.
1833J. Neal Down-Easters I. 45, I want to know! exclaimed the other down-easter. Well, you do know, replied the southerner. 1840Knickerbocker XVI. 20 ‘I want to know!’ said the lady; ‘precious soul!’ 1888Harper's Mag. Sept. 530/1 ‘Why, Jered Hopkins!’ she said, looking up at him; ‘I want to know!’ 1904J. C. Lincoln Cap'n Eri iii. 39 ‘I want to know!’ exclaimed Captain Perez. ‘You don't tell me!’ said Captain Jerry. 1911― Cap'n Warren's Wards x. 154 ‘She said she would be delighted!’ ‘I want to know!’ 1923R. D. Paine Comrades of Rolling Ocean 169 And you come from North Dakoty! I want to know.
r. that's all you know: you do not know the facts, you do not understand (used censoriously of the person to whom the phrase is addressed). Also, that's all you know about it.
1876Trollope Prime Minister III. xi. 183 ‘They may do foolish things, dear; and yet..not interfere with politics.’ ‘That's all you know about it, Plantagenet.’ 1879C. M. Yonge Magnum Bonum III. xxxiv. 723 ‘She thought you a catch in the old days.’ ‘That's all you know about it!’ 1930E. H. Young Miss Mole ii. 20 ‘And breakfast in bed is not what you want, Hannah.’ ‘That's all you know about it,’ Hannah said. 1961I. Fleming Thunderball ii. 19 ‘I wouldn't have thought these people would be interested.’.. The young man snorted, ‘That's all you know.’ 1973‘S. Woods’ Enter the Corpse 165 ‘He hasn't been near them,’ said Boney Nelson confidently... ‘That's all you know,’ Meg retorted.
s. what do you know?: used as an expression of mild surprise = ‘Isn't that amazing?’ ‘Well I never!’ ‘Just fancy!’ Also, what do you know about that?
1914[see get v. 21 d]. 1916‘B. M. Bower’ Phantom Herd ii. 33 Now what do you know about that, Mig? 1933E. E. Cummings eimi 245 What do you know—out of every 50 chances to make a mistake, those greedy tovariches took advantage of 4 (versus 1 mistake out of 10,000 chances in America). 1943K. Tennant Ride on Stranger vii. 72 Why, the louse!.. He's glad to get rid of us. What do you know about that? 1947‘N. Shute’ Chequer Board iii. 63 Say, what do you know? They ain't got no sewer here. 1952‘C. Brand’ London Particular xvi. 216 Well, what do you know, boys?—let's call it a day. 1957J. Kerouac On Road (1958) xii. 80 And that thousand dollars was..right there on top of the safe, what do you know about that? 1959‘M. Neville’ Sweet Night for Murder xxi. 200 ‘Yeah... That's right... I'll say! What do you know!’ Which crescendo of surprise was a clear..statement of agreement. 1968‘A. Gilbert’ Night Encounter v. 80 ‘Well,’ marvelled Frankie, ‘what do you know?’ 1971R. Dentry Encounter at Kharmel (1973) v. 89 Well! What do you know? So the Company has been getting off its well-padded bum at last.
t. wouldn't you (or he, etc.) like to know?: I have no intention of telling you.
1923G. Atherton Black Oxen xx. 105 ‘Look here!’ he said. ‘How far do you go?’ ‘Wouldn't you like to know?’ ‘I should. Not for personal reasons, for girls..bore me.’ 1941I. Baird He rides Sky 123 The old crumpet fires off a lot of bilge like..‘What do you do in your spare time?’ (wouldn't he like to know?)... And so on and on. 1942Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §205/6 I won't tell you, don't you wish you knew?..wouldn't you like to know?, you'd like to know? 1963M. Borrelli Street Lamp & Stars xiv. 127 ‘And what did you do, Naso Stuorto?’ ‘Wouldn't you like to know.’ ‘I can guess.’
u. you never know or one never knows: something unexpected or surprising may occur.
1924G. B. Shaw St. Joan vi. 94 A flaw in the procedure may be useful later on: one never knows. 1926F. W. Crofts Inspector French & Cheyne Mystery viii. 103 ‘I don't see that we should gain much by looking at the outside of the house.’ ‘You never know... If we see nothing no harm is done.’ 1948‘J. Tey’ Franchise Affair xiv. 147 It would be too great luck that he should be staying at the Midland, but one never knows. 1972E. Berckman Fourth Man on Rope iii. 38 Among the most unpromising debris there might lurk..some jewel as yet undiscovered. You never know, faithfuly she invoked the formula that spurred the weariest..you never know. 1974J. Mann Sticking Place viii. 129 ‘I'll come with you,’ Edward said... He added in a low, ominous voice..‘You never know.’
v. for all I know (or he knows, etc.): as far as I am aware, since I know nothing to the contrary.
1930E. Waugh Vile Bodies viii. 143 But these young people have got hold of another end of the stick, and for all we know it may be the right one. 1934F. W. Crofts 12.30 from Croydon xxi. 292 They stood to gain by Mr. Andrew Crowther's death, and though they didn't stand to gain so much as the other two, for all we know to the contrary any one of them may have been in greater need. 1937D. Runyon More Than Somewhat v. 104 Leaving the wop yelling very loud, and maybe cussing us in wop for all I know. 1954W. S. Maugham Ten Novels i. 3 Everybody skips, but to skip without loss is not easy. It may be, for all I know, a gift of nature, or it may be something that has to be acquired by experience. 1954E. Caldwell Love & Money (1955) xiii. 171 How do I know you're telling the truth? For all I know, this might be some more scheming between you and Tess. 1955D. Garnett Aspects of Love iv. 119 Well, if you believe in mermaids I might be one, for all you know.
w. I wouldn't know: I cannot be expected to know, that is outside the range of my knowledge. Also, I wouldn't know about that.
1939W. M. Raine River Bend Feud x. 72 Faint wrinkles creased the forehead of the engineer. ‘Has he fixed up an alliance with the outside ranchmen?’ he asked. ‘I wouldn't know about that,’ Raleigh answered. ‘But if he hasn't, he will.’ 1950J. Cannan Murder Included iii. 44 ‘The bedroom..was only locked by the deceased during her ablutions.’ ‘As you say nowadays—I wouldn't know,’ said Sir Charles. 1952M. R. Rinehart Swimming Pool xii. 110, I wouldn't know. I've never had one. 1960L. P. Hartley Facial Justice xvi. 133 ‘Every man has his type, of course—.’ ‘I wouldn't know about that.’ 1961J. B. Priestley Saturn Over Water v. 64, I wouldn't know... I'm just a painter. 1968B. Foster Changing Eng. Lang. i. 42 As an avowal of ignorance, British English has long used ‘I couldn't say’, but this is often replaced now by the I wouldn't know... In Britain it started making headway in the 'thirties, and in a British serial film (Pimpernel Smith) of 1940 the late Leslie Howard remarked ‘In the deplorable argot of the modern generation, ‘I wouldn't know’.’ 1969M. Pugh Last Place Left vii. 45 ‘That's why married people get so complicated in bed, isn't it?’ ‘Do they? I wouldn't know.’
x. wouldn't you (just) know?: ‘just fancy!’ ‘imagine that!’; as one might have foreseen. orig. U.S.
1946H. P. M. Brown Sound of Hunting i. 52 Wouldn't you know? Of all the days to get stuck out there, he has to pick this one. 1966Listener 3 Mar. 325/2 George Scott is an English professor (wouldn't you know?) who's engaged in the bellum sexuale with his wife. 1973Washington Post 13 Jan. B. 8/7 Wouldn't you just know. Lorne Greene, also known as Ben Cartwright, has gone right out and gotten himself another steady job; this time with the ABC network.
y. I don't (or he, etc., doesn't) want to know: I am not interested. Occas. const. with person as object.
1948‘N. Shute’ No Highway iii. 79, I was trying to tell her what to do if things look bad. But if she doesn't want to know, I can't do more. 1967Listener 14 Sept. 326/1 After doing a hard week's work I had nothing in my pocket..nothing at all and that went on for four years... After that I said: ‘Well, that's it. I don't want to know. I can get a living a lot easier than going to work.’ 1969Focus Feb. 16/2 But if you are paying it all in on a Friday, and taking it all out again on Saturday, do not be surprised if the building society does not want to know you. 1973Observer 14 Jan. 7/3 It remains to add that all this, and much more, was well enough known at the time. But the fellow-travellers didn't want to know. 1973Times 19 Sept. 13/4 (Advt.), Graduates you have a problem. If you wanted the summer following graduation free, you missed out on the ‘milk round’. Many employers don't want to know by the autumn.
IV.
12. a. to know how (formerly also simply to know): to understand the way, or be able (to do something): cf. can v.1 3.
a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 174 We have so many clothes in our handes, that we knowe not how to utter them. 1566W. Adlington tr. Apuleius' Golden Ass ix. xl. (1893) 188 By and by the old woman which knew well to babble, began to tell as followeth. 1594Marlowe & Nashe Dido i. ii, Abandon fruitless fears, Since Carthage knows to entertain distress. 1610Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 364, I know how to curse. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 147 Not one..of a thousand among them, knowing how to write. a1763Shenstone Elegies iii. 13 He little knew to ward the secret wound. 1808J. Barlow Columb. iii. 107 Tell them we know to tread the crimson plain. 1885Manch. Exam. 11 Nov. 3/2 Told by a lady who knows exactly how to write for children. 1893Bookman June 82/2 Nobody writes moral-allegorical tales now, because nobody knows how.
b. ellipt. in colloq. phr. all one knows, all one can; also advb., to the utmost of one's ability.
1872Punch 27 Jan. 40/2 Both men will do all they know, and a clinking good contest is expected. 1883D. C. Murray Hearts II. 206 He was not accustomed to be badgered in this way, and it cost him all he knew to restrain his anger. 1889Boldrewood Robbery under Arms II. ii. 21 A good many men tried all they knew to be prepared and have a show for it. 1889R. S. S. Baden-Powell Pigsticking 173 If they find themselves being pursued..they will shoot round on the instant, and make the running ‘all they know’ back again.
†13. To make known:
a. To disclose, reveal, manifest; refl. to make oneself known;
b. to make (a person) acquainted or (a thing) familiar.
a1300Cursor M. 1161 Caym sagh his sin was knaud, And wist þat þe erth had scaud. a1350Ibid. 3838 (Gött.) Iacob..kneu him þar wid may rachel. a1400Hymn Virgin iii. in Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry x. (1840) II. 109 Heil reson of al rihtwysnesse, To vche a caityf comfort to knowe. c1400Rom. Rose 6090 For certeyn, they wolde hate me, If ever I knewe hir cruelte. a1400–50Alexander 2872 (Ashm.) He knew his kniȝtis þat cas. 1422tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 143 Of falsnes and vntrowth he shal be Proclamyd and knowe. a1450Knt. de la Tour (1868) 110 Whanne this was opened, know, and tolde thorughe the kingges court.
14. In biblical language, used to render Heb. yd῾ in various inferential senses: To take notice of, regard, care for; to look after, guard, protect; to regard with approval, approve.
1382Wyclif Ps. i. 6 For the Lord hath knowe the weie of the riȝtwise. 1535Coverdale Ps. xxxi. 7 Thou hast considred my trouble, thou hast knowne my soule in aduersite. 1611Bible Gen. xxxix. 6 And he left all that he had, in Ioseph's hand: and he knew not ought he had, saue the bread which he did eate. 1662South Serm. (1823) I. 77 To know, in scripture language, is to approve; and so, not to know, is to reject and condemn.
15. Used (chiefly in sense 8) in various colloq. and slang phrases expressing sagacity, cunning, or ‘knowledge of the world’, as to know what's what, to know a thing or two, to know the time of day, etc. to know it all: not to be aware of one's deficiencies, to think one (or he, she, etc.) knows it all; cf. know-all, know-it-all s.v. know-. Also to know the ropes (see rope n.1 4 c); to know all the answers (see answer n. 6 b); not to know beans (see bean n. 6 e).
c1520Vox Populi 373 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 281, I knowe not whates a clocke. 1546J. Heywood Prov., He knew which way the winde blew. a1553Udall Royster D. i. ii. (Arb.) 17 Mary, nowe I see you know what is what. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 71, I know on which syde my bread is buttred. 1631Powell Tom All Trades 171 He knowes how many dayes goe to the weeke. 1663Butler Hud. i. i. 149 He knew what's what, and that's as high As metaphysick wit can fly. 1792Holcroft Road to Ruin (Farmer), You know a thing or two, Mr. Selby. 1817Scott Search after Happiness xviii, She loved a book, and knew a thing or two. 1867All Year Round 13 July 56 The tramp who knows his way about knows what to do. 1870E. G. White Testimonies for Church No 19. 73 You have so long thought, with the peculiar class I have mentioned, that you knew it all, that you will not see your deficiencies when they are presented before you. 1929J. B. Priestley Good Companions i. iii. 24 Ted..admitted that he knocked about a bit and knew a thing or two. 1944E. Caldwell Tragic Ground (1947) iii. 31 Jim Howard Vance is a pretty smart fellow. He was talking in there just a while ago like he knows a thing or two. 1972G. Durrell Catch me a Colobus vi. 111 As I had warned Long John, there comes a time on every collecting trip when you begin to think that you know it all. This is a moment of great danger, for you never know it all, however hard you try. Ibid., I made a mistake once by thinking I knew it all, and got bitten by a snake. 1973Wodehouse Bachelor Anonymous iv. 33 The serfs and vassals now know a thing or two and prefer to make their living elsewhere. 1973Black World Sept. 97/1 To my once respected student who has taken over the pompous entitlement as chief white critic of inferior Black literature, let me say..: ‘Stop knowing it all.’
V. With prepositions.
(For other constructions in which the vb. and prep. had their ordinary independent meanings, see the simple senses.)
16. know about ―. To have information about. Often used to express a knowledge of externals, as opposed to real understanding or actual acquaintance.
1854Kingsley Alexandria ii. 50 It is better to know one thing than to know about ten thousand things. 1876J. P. Norris Rudim. Theol. i. iv. 70 Knowing God is an infinitely better thing than knowing about God.
†17. know for ―. To be aware of. Obs. rare—1.
1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. ii. 6 He might haue more diseases than he knew for.
18. know of ―.
†a. In various obsolete senses: To be or become assured of, to have or obtain information about or experience of, etc. Obs.
c1400Destr. Troy 354 Þe pepull..Haden..wilfulde desyre To knowe of þere comyng and the cause wete. Ibid. 10862 Pantasilia..purpost..The grekes to greue..And of maidyns might make hom to know. c1420Anturs of Arth. xix, Certis or thay hethun fare, Thay knaue of mekil care.
b. To be cognizant of (something as existing, an event as having occurred); † to become cognizant of (obs.).
1390Gower Conf. I. 192 Therto we be swore, That non bot only thou and we Schal knowen of this privete. 1573Baret Alv. To Rdr., Knowing then of no other Dictionarie to helpe vs, but Sir Thomas Eliots Librarie. 1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 19 Sir Iohn must not know of it. a1691Boyle (J.), There is but one mineral body that we know of, heavier than common quicksilver. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) IV. 40 He knew of no case where an agreement, though all written with the party's own hand, had been held sufficient, unless it had been likewise signed by him. 1857Trollope Three Clerks i, All the English world knows, or knows of, that branch of Civil Service which is popularly called the Weights and Measures. Mod. I know of him, of course; but I do not know him.
c. Colloq. phrases. not that I know of, not so far as I know, not to my knowledge. † not that you know of, an expression of defiance addressed to a person in reference to something he is about to do (obs.).
1742Richardson Pamela III. 310 As Mr. B. offer'd to take his Hand, he put 'em both behind him—Not that you know of, Sir! 1753Foote Englishm. in Paris ii. Wks. 1799 I. 49 May I flatter myself that your Ladyship will do me the honour of venturing upon the fatigue of another minuet this morning with me? Buck. Not that you know of, Monsieur.
†19. know upon ―. To take (judicial) cognizance of. Sc. Obs. Cf. F. connaître de.
1457Sc. Acts Jas. II (1814) II. 47/2 The caussis þt þe lordis of þe Sessione sall knaw apone. 1609Skene Reg. Maj. 118 (Form Baron Couris c. 81) The Judge may of law, gar knaw vpon the dead be ane assise.
▪ II. † know, n.1 Obs.
In 3 cnaw.
[Early ME. cnaw, prob. repr. an OE. *ᵹecnáw, f. ᵹe)cnáwan to know: cf. ᵹefeoht, ᵹeheald, ᵹesc(e)ád, ᵹeweald, ᵹewinn, etc.; also OE. ᵹecnǽwe adj. ‘conscious of, acknowledging’.]
Acknowledgement, confession; in early ME. phr. (soð) cnawes beon, to acknowledge truthfully, to confess. Obs.
a1225Leg. Kath. 1078 Beo nu soð cnawes, ȝef ich riht segge. Ibid. 2041 Beo nu ken & cnawes, of þat þat tu isehen hauest. a1225Juliana 54 Sei me ant beo soð cnawes hwer weren þe itaht þine wichecreftes. c1230Hali Meid. 25 Beo nu soð cnawes for to kele þi lust wið fulðe of þi licome..for gode hit is wlateful þing.
▪ III. know, n.2|nəʊ|
[f. know v. A new formation.]
The fact of knowing; knowledge. Now chiefly in colloq. phr. in the know, in possession of information which is not generally known.
1592W. Wyrley Armorie 119 What booteth it of Gentries brag to boast,..When we ourselues no warlike practise trow, But rest ourselues with this old idle know? 1602Shakes. Ham. v. ii. 44 That on the view and know of these Contents..He should the bearers put to sodaine death. a1825Forby Voc. E. Anglia s.v., ‘Poor fellow! he has but little know’. 1827Sporting Mag. XXI. 42 The mare..was jockied by a raw young lad..who had not that kind of know about him to enable her to win. 1883Daily News 21 Sept. 2/2 People in the ‘know’ are playing with loaded dice. 1885Times 19 Mar. 3 To those in the know the spectacle was painful in the extreme.
▪ IV. know
var. knowe, knoll; obs. f. knee. |