| 释义 |
▪ I. reverse, n.|rɪˈvɜːs|
Also 4–6 reuers (4 ry-), 5–6 reuerse (5 -ce, 6 -sse); 4–5 revers.
[a. OF. revers masc. (so mod.F., = Sp. and Pg. reverso, It. riverso), or reverse fem., f. L. revers-, ppl. stem of revertĕre to revert.]
I.
1. a. The opposite or contrary of something.
1390Gower Conf. I. 356 Crist hath comanded love and pes, And who that worcheth the revers, I trowe his mede is ful divers. c1393Chaucer Gentilesse 6 For vn-to vertue longeþe dignytee, And nouȝt þe reverse. c1407Lydg. Reson & Sens. 4160 Counsayl of the wyse Dooth profyte in many wyse,..As the revers dooth gret damage. 1425Rolls of Parlt. IV. 269/1 Hit semeth..þat þis matier allegged for þe part of his Lord þe Erl of Warr, proveth rather for his Lord Erl Mareschall þan þe revers.
1716Bentley Serm. xi. 373 The Heathen Poet in the Epigram teaches the down-right reverse. 1790Burke Fr. Rev. 90 The reverse also happens; and very plausible schemes..have often shameful and lamentable conclusions. 1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 224 In the horizontal castings..the balance is in favour of the increased lengths; but in the vertical castings, it is the reverse. 1882Minchin Unipl. Kinemat. 193 In this case the stream function..is single-valued. The reverse takes place in the case of a squirt.
b. Card-playing. (See quot. 1746.) Also, in Contract Bridge, a rebid in a suit of higher rank than that which one has previously bid.
1742Hoyle Whist 77 If you are weak in Trumps, you must play the Reverse. 1746Ibid. (ed. 6) 69 Playing at any time the Reverse, means only the playing your Hand in a different manner. 1936E. Culbertson Contract Bridge Complete xi. 128 The bid of a higher ranking suit by a player who has bid one of lower rank is called a ‘Reverse’. 1939N. de V. Hart Bridge Players' Bedside Bk. 132 Logically..an exception occurs when the partner forces the original bidder to reverse. In that case, the reverse may not indicate additional values. 1951I. Macleod Bridge ii. 23 The reverse primarily shows, or ought to show, the shape and not the strength of the holding. 1964Frey & Truscott Bridge Player's Dict. 420/2 Reverse, an unforced rebid at the level of two or more, in a higher-ranking suit than that bid originally; a type of strength-showing bid... The English definition of a reverse by the opener is slightly wider in scope: a bid of a third suit in an uncontested auction which prevents responder returning to the original suit at the level of two... This allows for..a high reverse.
†c. on the reverse, on the contrary. Obs.
1753A. Murphy Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. xxxvi, Mr. Such-a-one is a Man of very good Sense; or, on the Reverse,..he has not common Sense. 1763W. Roberts Nat. Hist. Florida 39 The general paid no regard to such remonstrances: On the reverse, he ordered all to hold themselves ready to march. 1786A. M. Bennett Juvenile Indiscr. IV. 214 On the reverse, if she would be ingenuous in her confession, he, Mr. Franklin, would be her protector.
2. a. The opposite or contrary of or to something specified. Also with possessive pron.
c1386Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 4167 Men may in olde bookes rede, Of many a man..That al the reuers seyn of this sentence. c1392― Compl. Venus 32 Al þe Reuers of any glaade felyng. a1400Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. 29 Than it behufes þat þe riche hafe þe reuer[s]e of that benysone. c1530Crt. of Love 96 Of these the reverse may no wight approve.
1699Bentley Phal. Pref. lxxxi, The candid part of mankind will rather believe the reverse of it. 1718Free-thinker No. 29. 204, I found that the Town-Language was the very Reverse to mine. 1749Fielding Tom Jones v. i, For what demonstrates the beauty and excellence of anything but its reverse? 1771Junius Lett. lix. (1788) 316 The present habit of our political body appears to me the very reverse of what it ought to be. 1834Southey Doctor xiii. (1848) 34 The application which Homo makes of all this, is the very reverse to what his mother intended. 1876Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 335/1 The front of the army forming a re-entering or enclosing angle, and the reverse of the salient formation.
b. Used with general terms or with adjectives to express more than a mere negation. (Common since 19th c.)
1783Burke Rep. Aff. India Wks. II. 3 Against this evil large pecuniary interests were rather the reverse of a remedy. 1860C. A. Collins Eye-witness vi. 81 [He] will..come in for certain remarks which are the reverse of complimentary. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xviii. xi. (1872) VIII. 15 A cunctatory haggling mortal, the reverse of a General. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 33 Their tales are untrue, and the reverse of inspiring to heroes.
3. a. That side of a coin, medal, or seal which does not bear the main device or inscription; the back. (Opposed to obverse n. 1.)
a1625in Gutch Coll. Cur. I. 210 Upon the reverse King Solomon in a throne, visited by the Queen of Saba. 1658Sir T. Browne Hydriot. (1736) 11 Silver Pieces..with a rude Head on the Obverse, and an ill formed Horse on the Reverse. 1711Addison Spect. No. 59 ⁋4 He placed the Figure of an Elephant upon the Reverse of the Publick Mony. 1788Priestley Lect. Hist. iv. xxv. 193 To celebrate their exploits on the reverses of their coins. 1845Ford Handbk. Spain i. 47 Every coin..has its reverse and every rose its thorn. 1853H. N. Humphreys Coin-coll. Man. v. 39 The punch mark of the reverse assumed a somewhat regular form.
attrib.1887Proclam. in Standard 18 May 3/2 Every Six⁓pence should have the same obverse and reverse impression.
fig.1868G. Duff Pol. Surv. 195 Then for the reverse of the medal you have Mr. Christie's Notes on Brazilian Questions.
b. The design, etc., on the reverse side.
1623Camden Rem. 170 As for the Romans, as they did set downe the Image and inscription of the Consul.., afterward of the Emperour on the one side, so they changed the reuerse alwayes vpon new euents. 1646J. Gregory Notes & Obs. (1650) 27 The Reverse a crocodile enchained to Palme⁓tree. 1702Addison Dial. Medals ii. 77 Our next reverse is an Oaken Garland. 1739Learned Wks. I. 87 As appears by the Reverses of two curious Medals, struck by the Samians. 1817in Archaeol. XVIII. 457 Three ancient seals, with their reverses. 1841Elphinstone Hist. Ind. I. 471 The inscriptions, the figures, the reverses, and the workmanship are pure Greek.
c. The back or verso of a leaf (in a book).
1824J. Johnson Typogr. I. 228 On the recto of the first leaf is a wood-cut of the Virgin and Child, and on the reverse a Crucifixion. 1885Antiquary Sept. 89/1 On the reverse of the same folio, Meres goes on, ‘So in England we have also these’.
d. In general use, as the correlative of obverse.
1831–47[see obverse n. 2]. 1874[see face n. 13 a].
4. The back of a mountain, mound, etc.
1777Donkin Milit. Coll. 51 All military persons ought to know, that there are few mountains (be they ever so horrible) which have not reverses where men may pass. 1802James Milit. Dict. s.v. Revers, One or two banquettes are generally thrown up..in order that the trench guard may make a stand upon the reverse when it happens to be attacked by a sortie of the enemy.
5. The butt-end of a lance. rare.
1819Scott Ivanhoe ix, Each touched slightly, and with the reverse of his lance, the shield of the antagonist to whom he wished to oppose himself.
6. in reverse:
†a. Inverse. Obs. rare—1.
1694Holder Harmony 20 The Proportion by which the Frequency increaseth is..very near duplicate.., but is in reverse, i.e. as the Length increaseth, so the Vibrations decrease.
b. Mil. In the rear.
1781Hamilton Wks. (1886) VIII. 46 Two columns.., the left..destined to take the enemy in reverse, and intercept their retreat. 1834–47J. S. Macaulay Field Fortif. (1851) 303 One face [of a redoubt] is seen in reverse, and two are enfiladed; while one can neither be seen in reverse, nor enfiladed. 1897Cent. Mag. June 203 Our troops were now exposed to attack both in flank and reverse.
c. Contrary to the usual manner.
1875Helps Ess., Treatment Suitors 79 Hope, an architect above rules, can build, in reverse, a pyramid upon a point. 1880Athenæum 25 Dec. 873/1 The inedited manuscripts by Da Vinci, twelve in number, written in reverse, as was customary with the painter.
d. In contrast to something. rare.
1869F. W. Newman Misc. 163 The Hungarians..are not only tall and well grown, in reverse to the squat Huns, but are politically constitutional.
e. (See sense 12 a.)
II.
†7. A back-handed stroke or cut. Obs.
Cf. Egerton Castle Schools & Masters of Fence (1885) 72.
c1489Caxton Blanchardyn xliii. 169 To whome he gaff a reuerse wyth his swerde. a1533Ld. Berners Huon cx. 377 Huon..strake the Sarasyn with a reuerse that his hede flewe fro the body a great waye of. 1594I. G. Grassi's Art Def. E e iv, When, after a right blowe, he would discharge a reuerse, he must encrease a slope pace. 1598Shakes. Merry W. ii. iii. 27 To see thee passe thy puncto, thy stock, thy reuerse, thy distance. 1656Blount Glossogr. [copying Cotgrave].
fig.1599B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. v. ii, You have your passages and imbrocatas in courtship; as the bitter bob in wit; the reverse in face or wry-mouth.
8. a. An adverse change of fortune; a disaster; esp. in mod. use, a defeat in battle.
1526Skelton Magnyf. 1509, I folowe in felycyte without reuersse. 1590Greene Never too late (1600) 61 Either ruminating passions or penance, either som old remembrance or some newe reuerse. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 77 The Arte of Pythagoras, who could read a reverse in the Moone. 1786Jefferson Writ. (1859) I. 534 How comfortable a reflection will it be, to have prepared a refuge for him in case of a reverse. 1796Burke Regic. Peace Wks. II. 277 Some reverses which happened in the beginning of that war. 1815J. W. Croker in C. Papers 20 July, Buonaparte, great as he was in prosperity, was never able to bear up against a reverse. 1887Times (weekly ed.) 9 Dec. 1/3 A serious encounter..in which the police encountered a sharp reverse.
b. Const. of fortune, etc.
1735J. Hughes tr. Fontenelle's Dial. i. vii. (ed. 3) 27 A terrible Reverse of Fortune! And pray who perform'd this noble Exploit? 1773J. Allen Serm. S. Mary's, Oxf. 25 Let this reverse of things teach us not to be highminded. 1826Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) II. 226 But what is his reverse of fortune compared with Napoleon's!
9. a. = reversal n. Now rare or Obs.
1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xxiii. (Arb.) 282 This pleasant and speedy reuers of the former wordes holpe all the matter againe. 1602Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. iii, Since 'tis [sc. flesh] mixt together, Have at adventure, pel mell, no reverse. 1660F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 227 Engines..so drawne and bent by cordage and wheeles, fixt opposite, that the reverse was so vigorous, they would founder..a ship. 1698Phil. Trans. XX. 414 The Reverse or Rebounding back of the Wind, which is occasioned by the calming of the Trade-Wind.
b. A complete change or alteration. ? Obs.
1728Vanbr. & Cib. Prov. Husb. v. ii, This promises a Reverse of Temper. 1781E. Inchbald I'll tell you what i. ii, The next time he insults me with his jealousy..I'll try a reverse of conduct.
c. Mus. An inverted phrase or passage. rare—1.
1752Avison Mus. Express. 66 Such as admit of a Variety of Subjects,..and which, with their Imitations, Reverses, and other relative Passages, are conducted throughout the whole, in Subordination to their Principal.
d. = revers. rare—1.
1859Thackeray Virgin. lxv, And what, pray, are lapels but reverses?
10.
†a. = reversi 1. Obs.
1798Sporting Mag. XI. 318 The game of reverse..is so called, because he that makes the least tricks wins the cards, which is the reverse of most other games.
b. pl. = reversi 2.
1886Sat. Rev. LXII. 254/2 Reverses... It gets its name, as we suppose, from the continual turning over or reversing of the counters (or men) used in playing it.
11. The act of reversing in dancing.
1888E. Scott Waltz at a Glance 21 The Reverse. 1892― Dancing 200 He thinks, ‘Now I will try the reverse’; then, dubious about a successful issue, he wavers [etc.].
12. a. Reverse gear; hence in reverse. Also transf.
1882Engineering 10 Mar. 219/3 Locomotives having unbalanced slide valves are handled with the greatest ease by means of this steam reverse. 1900W. W. Beaumont Motor Vehicles & Motors xiv. 246 The gear speeds with normal speed of motor are for 3½, 10 and 20 miles per hour, with reverse at 4 miles per hour. 1920R. T. Nicholson Bk. of Ford Van x. 44 Use your reverse as a brake, in addition to the foot brake and the slow speed. 1925B. Garbutt Bk. of Austin 12 v. 29 You can imagine what would happen if, thinking you were going into..third speed, you really got into reverse in mistake. 1925F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gatsby iii. 67 ‘Back out,’ he suggested... ‘Put her in reverse.’ 1937New Motoring Encycl. 664/1 The ability to drive a car in reverse accurately and smoothly is essential to correct driving technique. 1958Spectator 22 Aug. 245/1, I started to go into reverse immediately. I backed out of the dining-room. 1973G. Moffat Lady with Cool Eye viii. 84 The car..was in neutral instead of bottom or reverse. 1976S. Wales Echo 27 Nov. 5/7 He pleaded not guilty to..using a motor vehicle with a reversing light on when he was not travelling in reverse.
b. The name of the position of the gear lever or selector corresponding to reverse gear.
1963[see park n. 5 c]. 1965Priestley & Wisdom Good Driving v. 42 Park or Reverse must not be selected whilst the car is moving. 1970F. Leigh Bk. of Renault R16 ii. 8 On 1965–67 cars the reverse is found inwards down by second gear. 1974D. Francis Knock Down xv. 191 The driver was shifting the gears from reverse to forward.
Add:13. Amer. Football. A play in which a player passes the ball to a team-mate moving in the opposite direction, thereby reversing the direction of attack.
1937B. W. Bierman Winning Football xiv. 176 The shift is right and the play a reverse to the left, good for 4 yards. 1952L. R. Menger Spread Formation Football xii. 133 The halfback reverses can be used to strike the flanks. 1961J. Salak Dict. Amer. Sports 361 On a double reverse, the direction of the ball changes twice. 1974R. T. Baran Coaching Football's Polypotent Offense viii. 147 The specials include both passes and reverses and really make the offense polypotent. 1988Touchdown Nov. 16/1 Gentry's touchdown..came after he had scampered 58 yards on a reverse with quarterback Jim McMahon.
▪ II. reverse, a. and adv.|rɪˈvɜːs|
Also 4 reuers, 4 (6) revers.
[a. OF. revers, or ad. L. revers-us, pa. pple. of revertĕre to revert: cf. next.]
1. a. Opposite or contrary (to something else, or to each other) in character, order, succession, etc.
1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne ii, 112 Þese are þo yche twey verse, Þat to holynes are reuers. 1387–8T. Usk Test. Love iii. iv. 84 Whych things ben more revers than commen and gone? 1390Gower Conf. I. 230 To feigne and schewe thing withoute Which is revers to that withinne.
1762J. Woolman Wks. (1840) 225 Others choose that which..proves utterly reverse to true happiness. 1792Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 37, I hear that the Bellingham story is the contrary to truth, and happened in the very reverse manner. 1826London's Gard. Mag. (1828) I. 274 Observations on Reverse Grafting. 1836–41Brande Chem. (ed. 5) 321 Decomposition of the iodide at x occurred, but in a reverse order. 1884tr. Lotze's Logic 103 The mind..employs them to form an inference which is just like the one described above, only in the reverse direction.
†b. Of winds: Contrary, adverse. Obs.—1
1390Gower Conf. III. 49 Fro Troie as he goth hom ayein..he fond the See divers, With many a wyndi storm revers.
c. Lying behind or to the back.
1851Mogford Preserv. Pict. (ed. 3) ii. 47 What would become of a fine Rembrandt..if subjected to violent blows on the reverse side from a weighty mass of iron?
d. reverse fault (Geol.), a fault in which the relative downward movement occurred in the strata situated on the underside of the fault plane (cf. normal a. 2 d).
1878[see normal a. 2 d]. 1889Amer. Jrnl. Sci. XXXVIII. 259 The explanation of the reverse faults seems obvious enough. They occur, as we have already said, mostly in strongly folded regions. Such folds can only be produced by lateral pressure. 1962Read & Watson Introd. Geol. I. viii. 481 Reverse faults are those in which the hanging-wall rocks moved up the dip of the fault-plane relative to the rocks of the foot-wall. Ibid. 482 There is much more justification for referring to reverse faults, which involved a shortening of the crust, as compressional faults. 1976S. Judson et al. Physical Geol. vii. 152/2 In a reverse fault, the least principal stress is vertical.
e. reverse angle: (a) Cinemat. and Television. The opposite angle from which the subject was seen in the preceding shot; freq. attrib.; also reverse shot. (b) Squash. Used with reference to a stroke played on to the side wall of the court opposite to the server; usu. attrib.
1934Webster, Reverse shot, reverse-angle shot. 1939B. C. Kiesling Talking Pictures 318 Reverse shot, the photograph of a scene from the opposite direction from which it was originally taken. 1948[see length n. 10 b]. 1952L. Anderson Making a Film 267 Shot in two set-ups: first from the foot of the bed, then (for Penny's entrance) on the reverse angle, over Anselmo's shoulder. 1961G. Millerson Technique Television Production 244 (caption) Location can be lost through reverse-angle cutting. 1968Squash Rackets (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) 39/1 The reverse angle stroke is one played on to the opposite side wall. 1976Listener 26 Feb. 230/3 The journalists were most patient with our retakes and reverse angles.
f. reverse Polish: see Polish a. c.
g. Contract Bridge. reverse bid = reverse n. 1 b.
1939N. de V. Hart Bridge Players' Bedside Bk. 132 A reverse bid logically shows considerable strength when it is made in such a way that the partner cannot put the bidder back to his first-bid suit without raising the bidding to a higher level than that at which the bidder could himself have returned to the suit. 1963Listener 10 Jan. 102/3 He lacks the general strength for a ‘reverse’ bid of Two Hearts.
†2. Of blows, etc.: Back-handed. Obs.
1591Florio 2nd Fruites 119 Hee will hit any man..with a right or reverse blowe,..even as liketh him. 1599B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. v. ii, Stooping over his shoulder, your hand on his breast,..You give him the reverse stroke. 1667Milton P.L. vi. 326 With swift wheele reverse, [the sword] deep entring shar'd All his right side.
3. a. Arith. = inverse a. 3 a. ? Obs.
1594Blundevil Exerc. i. xix. (1636) 43 Proportion Reverse differeth not from the Rule of Three, called Regula reversa. 1766Complete Farmer s.v. Surveying 7 G 1/2 In the same manner you may, by the rule of three reverse, obtain your desire.
b. Arch. Inverted. (See note to cyma 1.)
1730A. Gordon Maffei's Amphith. 230 The Architrave is next divided into four Parts, two Stories, a Reverse Gula, and a List. Ibid. 234 Nor does it cause the reverse Gulæ to appear exceedingly narrow.
c. Ent. (See quot.)
1826Kirby & Sp. Entomol. IV. 299 Reverse, when an object is viewed with its anus towards you.
4. Mil.
a. Connected with, commanding, or facing towards, the rear.
1702–11Milit. & Sea Dict. s.v. Commanding-Ground, A Reverse Commanding-Ground, an Eminence which plays upon the back of a Post. Ibid. s.v. Reverse, So we say, a Reverse View, a reverse Commanding Ground, a Reverse Battery. 1802James Milit. Dict. s.v. Battery, Reverse Batteries are those which play on the rear of the troops appointed to defend the place. 1879Encycl. Brit. IX. 449/1 The ravelin has..8 casemated guns in its reverse battery of the salient. 1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. II. 130/1 Reverse or counterscarp galleries..are placed under the glacis, their front wall being the counterscarp of the ditch.
b. reverse flank: (see quots.).
1802James Milit. Dict. s.v., The reverse or outward wheeling flank; which is opposite to the one wheeled to or upon. 1803British Soldier's Guide 40 The proper pivot flank is that which..forms the line in its proper order; the other is called the Reverse Flank. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 571 The flank at the other extremity from the pivot of a division is termed the reverse flank.
c. reverse fire: (see quots.).
(a)1828J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner (ed. 2) 209 The lunettes before the bastions should..be as little advanced as possible,..that they may..be themselves subject to a reverse fire from the flanks of those works. 1853Stocqueler Mil. Encycl. s.v., The Reverse fire is the fire on the enemy's rear, whilst he is engaging your army in front. 1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. I. 223/1 Reverse fire is that which is brought to bear on the interior of a work by guns firing into it from the rear.
(b)1834–47J. S. Macaulay Field Fortif. (1851) 43 Reverse fire [is] when the shot strikes the interior slope of the parapet at an angle greater than 30°. Ibid. 303 Two faces will be seen by slant and two by reverse fire.
5. Acting in a way contrary or opposite to that which is usual or customary.
a. reverse dictionary: a dictionary in which the words are arranged so that, read backwards, they are in alphabetical order; reverse discrimination = positive discrimination s.v. positive a. 15; reverse pass (see quots. 1960, 1978).
a1860Alb. Smith Med. Student (1861) 117 Having been squirted at through the keyhole five distinct times, with a reverse stomach-pump full of beer. 1880Marine Engin. 2 Feb. I. 212/1 Reverse valves fitted on pipes leading from the boiler to the sea. 1888Lockwood's Dict. Terms 285 Reverse Keys, keys..made and used not with the object of holding machine parts together, but for the purpose of driving them asunder. 1921E. de Lissa in E. H. D. Sewell Rugby Football up to Date xv. 264 We are going to practise all the summer together to see if we can't bring off some of that ‘reverse’ passing, during next season. 1937E. K. O'Brien in Bridge World Aug. 27 (heading) The reverse signal. 1951Sport 7–13 Jan. 8/4 Ormondroyd..took a reverse-pass in fine style and went through the opposition like a bullet. 1954Newsweek 26 Apr. 57 To help Scrabble fans, cross-word puzzle addicts, and other persons troubled for a word ending in ‘X’, ‘Y’ or ‘Z’, a ‘reverse’ dictionary has been compiled at the University of Massachusetts. 1954N.Y. Times 30 May 34/5 Fisk officials cite her case as being possibly an example of ‘reverse integration’, a phrase enunciated in the light of the recent Supreme Court decision prohibiting segregation in the public schools. There are two others at Fisk who offer comparable examples. They are white students in the undergraduate school. 1959Listener 27 Aug. 334/3 Of various other signalling methods, mainly continental, the one most interesting to note is the ‘reverse peter’, credited to the Austrian expert K. Schneider. 1960E. S. & W. J. Higham High Speed Rugby i. 18 The reverse pass. This is a pass which is used to reverse the direction of the passing movement. As the ball is passed out to a player, he passes it back in again. 1961Times 16 Jan. 3/5 Dodds was only inches wide with a reverse-stick shot. 1962Y. Malkiel in Householder & Saporta Probl. Lexicogr. 17 Students of suffixes have derived considerable benefit from rhyming dictionaries and from their close congeners, the ‘reverse’ (rückläufig) dictionaries. 1962T. Masters Surfing made Easy 65 Reverse pullout, kicking out with the body turning in the opposite direction. 1969Guardian 11 Oct. 8/6 The Hunt report on Northern Ireland..sets its face firmly against the allocation of reserved places for Roman Catholics within the police—‘reverse discrimination’ it calls it. 1971M. Lehnert (title) Reverse dictionary of present-day English. 1973Computers & Humanities Mar. 221 There is a reverse concordance..and a key-word-in-context..index. 1976National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. 3/1 If the Court rejects the concept of reverse discrimination, numerous educational and business programs across the country that give preferential treatment to minorities and women would be continued and probably expanded. 1978Sunday Times (Colour Suppl.) 28 May 34/3 Reverse pass, when a player runs in one direction then passes in the other [in football].
b. spec. with reference to engines and vehicles; reverse (idler) gear, a gear wheel or mechanism which enables a vehicle or vessel to travel in reverse without reversing the rotation of its engine; also fig.; reverse lever, a lever by means of which the reverse gear of an engine may be brought into use; reverse thrust, thrust used to retard the forward motion of an aircraft, rocket, etc.; the condition of providing this; freq. attrib.
1882Engineering 10 Mar. 219/3 An indicator R is..located upon the same pin as the reverse lever. 1900G. D. Hiscox Horseless Vehicles, Automobiles, Motor Cycles xii. 242 Three speeds forward and a reverse slow speed. 1907F. Strickland Man. Petrol Motors & Motor Cars xiii. 179 If the countershaft is driven faster than the engine, the reverse pinion would have to be driven very much faster. 1907R. B. Whitman Motor-Car Princ. viii. 121 When the car is going forward, the square shaft and countershaft revolve in opposite directions; but when the reverse gear is introduced between them, the square shaft is revolved in the same direction as the counter-shaft, reversing the rotation of the driving wheels. 1907W. F. M. Goss Locomotive Performance v. 105 An attempt is made to operate a locomotive with the reverse-lever in its extreme forward position at high speed. 1923Rep. Internat. Air Congr. 594 (caption) The effect of reverse thrust on the gliding angle of the airplane. 1931F. L. Allen Only Yesterday i. 7 He must remember to brake with the reverse pedal, or the low-speed pedal. 1933Discovery July 221/1 The pilot has only to move the throttle and reverse lever, there being one position for forward and one for reverse. 1936E. A. Phillipson Steam Locomotive Design x. 330 One of the most successful power reverse gears..is that operated by compressed air. 1947Shell Aviation News No. 112. 22/1 The reduction of landing run by means of reverse-thrust braking will probably prove a very desirable feature for large aircraft. 1955W. H. Crouse Automotive Transmissions & Power Trains i. 17 The reverse idler gear is always in mesh with the small gear on the end of the countershaft. 1959Listener 26 Feb. 372/1 The October Moon probe carried eight small vernier rockets and one rather larger reverse-thrust rocket in addition to its main power plant. 1973W. McCarthy Detail iii. 204 David..tried to accustom himself to the British car. He found the reverse gear and slowly backed out. 1976B. Jackson Flameout (1977) i. 20 The catastrophe resulting from one of the engines being in reverse thrust at takeoff. 1979Guardian 7 July 9/4 In the present era, everything has gone into reverse gear. New building is postponed, new hospitals..cannot open.
c. reverse osmosis (Physical Chem.), the process by which water or another medium tends to flow across a membrane in the direction opposite to that for natural osmosis when subjected to a hydrostatic pressure greater than the osmotic pressure.
1955Ann. Rep. Saline Water Comm. 1954 (U.S. Dept. Interior) i. 10 Development of membranes and procedures for demineralization of saline water by reverse-osmosis methods are provided for in several contracts. 1970New Scientist 14 May 337/3 Laboratory experiments have shown that cheddar cheese whey can be concentrated five-fold by reverse osmosis, or separated into a high-protein product. 1977Hongkong Standard 14 Apr. 9/6 Other processes, notably reverse osmosis (whereby pure water is forced through membranes under pressure, leaving salts behind) show great longterm promise, but at present are suitable only for small plants or for purifying brackish water rather than sea-water.
d. reverse transcriptase: see transcriptase.
6. reverse charge: used attrib. to designate a telephone call for which the charge has been reversed (see reverse v.1 9 d).
1932Telegr. & Teleph. Jrnl. XVIII. 118/1 Possible new types of service, such as..‘reverse charge’ calls. 1978L. Heren Growing up on The Times i. 23, I..dialled the overseas operator and placed the reverse-charge call.
7. adv.
a. In a reverse way; reversely.
1434Misyn Mending Life 120 Sum-tyme þa þat semys in þe hyar ar in þe lawar, & reuers. 1649Milton Observ. Peace Ormond Wks. 1851 IV. 580 The edg of their own Proverb falls reverse upon themselves. 1728R. Morris Ess. Anc. Archit. 22 Some..act reverse to their own Ideas and Sentiments.
b. Comb. with ppl. adjs., as reverse-acting, reverse-applied, reverse-biased.
1957E. B. Jones Instrument Technol. III. 117 Increase of the output pressure from the controller will cause the valve to close and so reduce the flow through the valve. Such a valve is described as ‘reverse acting’. 1962Simpson & Richards Physical Princ. Junction Transistors iv. 54 This condition applies to an even greater extent for reverse-applied voltages when the current flowing through the device is very small. Ibid. v. 75 The high resistance of the reverse-biased collector junction. 1975D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. vii. 32 When a pn junction is reverse-biased, the free electrons in the n-type material are attracted toward the positive terminal of the power supply and away from the junction.
Add:[5.] [a.] reverse takeover (Comm.), a takeover in which a small, usu. private company assumes control over a larger, public one.
[1959Business Week 21 Feb. 43/1 About 150 ex-IBM salesmen are checking into Gardner, Mass., this week to help put the finishing touches on a merger with a reverse twist... It was the smaller outfit that swallowed the larger.] 1967Business Jan. 43/1 He wrote to the sole surviving director..outlining his plans for a reverse take-over. 1973Times 2 Oct. 21/3 This is a reverse takeover with GB capitalized at {pstlg}12.9m against BSG's {pstlg}8.8m. 1986Business Rev. Weekly 19 Sept. 34/3 The main thrust of the long days of talks was a scheme for Holmes a Court to sell out of BHP. The proposal involved a reverse takeover of BHP.
▸ reverse anorexia n. (more fully reverse anorexia nervosa) = muscle dysmorphia n. at muscle n. Compounds 2 (in Med. now largely superseded by the latter term); also in extended use.
1986New Republic 15 Sept. 26 Dr. Albert Stunkard, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, described this *reverse-anorexia at a recent conference of the National Institute of Mental Health as a ‘fascinating area of future research’. 1993Comprehensive Psychiatry 34 407 Two of the three formerly anorexic men..reported a history of reverse anorexia. 1999N.Y. Times Mag. 22 Aug. 35/2 Researchers termed this syndrome ‘reverse anorexia nervosa’ and started looking for more cases. Two years ago, the Pope group renamed this disorder ‘muscle dysmorphia’. 2001Observer (Nexis) 17 June 3 It didn't help that, when the fat first hit me, I was in denial, practising a kind of reverse anorexia every time I looked in the mirror..when actually I was spilling out of my jeans in the manner of an erupting volcano.
▸ reverse mutation n. Genetics mutation that restores a mutant phenotype or genotype to the wild (original or normal) type; an instance of this; also called back mutation; cf. forward mutation n. at forward adj. and adv. and n. Additions.
1917H. G. May in Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 3 544 (title) The appearance of *reverse mutations in the bar-eyed race of Drosophila under experimental control. 1917H. G. May in Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 3 545 It is almost necessary to conclude that these flies appeared by reverse mutation and not by contamination. 1938R. B. Goldschmidt Physiol. Genetics iv. i. 290 In ordinary mutation,..reverse mutations occur, spontaneously or induced, less frequently. 1962Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quantitative Biol. 26 23/2 One altered revertant.., obtained upon UV treatment of a UV-induced mutant.., has been backcrossed to the wild type to determine the site of the reverse mutation relative to the site of the forward mutation. 1989R. Dawkins Selfish Gene (ed. 2) xiii. 263 Cells in bottle-wrack will be more genetically uniform within plants than cells in splurge-weed (give or take an occasional reverse-mutation). 2002Mutation Res. 517187 The bacterial reverse mutation assay (Ames test).
▪ III. reverse, v.1|rɪˈvɜːs|
Forms: 4–7 reuerse (5 -ce, -sse, 6 Sc. rewers); 4 revers(se, 4–6 reverce, 4– reverse.
[a. F. reverser, † reversser, -cer (12th c.), = Sp. reve(r)sar, Pg. reversar, revessar, It. ri(n)versare, f. L. re- re- + versāre freq. of vertĕre to turn: cf. revert v.]
I. trans.
†1.
a. To bring back to or into a state or condition, a place, the mind, etc. Obs.
c1315Shoreham i. 446 Þanne gode, þat his so god, Anon hi stronge makeþ,..And hie god fey takeþ, Reuersed. c1500Melusine 316, I am..ouerthrowen & ayen reuersed in the greuouse and obscure penytence, where long tyme I haue be in. 1555W. Watreman Fardle Facions Pref. 15 Some he reuersed into their former abuses and errours. 1570Foxe A. & M. (ed. 2) 1040/1 From thence he was reuersed to Ville Franche, where he was condemned, degraded, and burned. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. ix. 48 The knight..to his..remembraunce did reverse The ugly vew of his deformed crimes.
†b. To send back to a place; to cause to revert to a person. Obs. rare.
1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 189 b, At what tyme Alexander reuersed backe again to the sea..as many of the Macedonians as wer sickely. Ibid. 244 The young manne with a tryce reuersed the suspicion to the mother of Cæsar, or els to his sustur.
†c. To hand over by reversion. Obs. rare—1.
1599Nashe Lenten Stuffe 26 The newe fanglest raritie..after three dayes gazing is reuerst ouer to children for babies to play with.
†d. To remove or put away; to divert or turn away. Obs. rare.
1590Spenser F.Q. iii. ii. 48 That old Dame said many an idle verse, Out of her daughters hart fond fancies to reverse. 1592Greene Philomela Wks. (Grosart) XI. 136 A small resolution to reuerse your thoughts from this disordinat folly of loue. 1639G. Daniel Ecclus. ix. 17 Reverse thy burning Eye from the desir'd Obiect of Beautie, though to be admir'd.
†2.
a. To overthrow, overturn, upset, or throw down (a person or thing). Obs.
1375Barbour Bruce xv. 191 Schir Eduard..Reversit hym, and with a knyff Richt in that place him reft the liff. Ibid. xvi. 417 On hym arestit the Dowglas, And him reuersit. c1400Laud Troy Bk. 7415 How he the Gregeis ther reuerced, Helmes and hauberk how he persed. c1477Caxton Jason 8 Pyritheon with somme other began to reuerse their metes and tables fighting with hem with pottes and platters. c1500Melusine 142 They within the toune..reuersed them fro the ladders vnto the botome of the dyches. Ibid. 241 Thenne..trompettes sowned, & knightes reuersed eche other. 1577–87Holinshed Chron. III. 406/1 The prince..caused the walles to be vndermined, and quite reuersed into the ditch.
†b. To overthrow, cast down, bring to nought.
c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxv. (Julian) 690 Þis cite hale I sal revers, & mak It for to bere corne. c1400Rom. Rose 5468 Froward Fortune..Whanne high estatis she doth reverse,..Thus kan she maken high and lowe. 1402Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 61 In which ech religion perfitli is groundid, reversynge the soorie synnes notid of the postle. a1618Sylvester Little Bartas 207 How often hath Hee seen Empires reverst? 1638Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 103 Hee is convicted,..his honour reverst, himselfe manacled.
†c. To overthrow by argument, etc.; to confute. Obs. rare.
c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 266 Þei seyn þat þe speche of holy writt is fals þat reuersiþ here owene fonnydnesse. c1440J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. iv. 1396 There shal no man haue myght me to reuers, Though ȝe brynge a grettere multitude. 1581Marbeck Bk. Notes 515 Afterward he doth reuerse the arguments and obiections of the aduersaries, which he aunswereth by and by.
†d. To upset, disorder. Obs. rare—1.
1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) II. 95 A sudden sickness relaxed and reversed my whole frame.
3. a. To turn or place upside down; to invert.
1390Gower Conf. I. 3 Men se the world on every syde In sondry wyse so diversed, That it welnyh stant al reversed. c1400Brut ccix. 240 One Symunde of Redyng bifore ham bar her armes oppon a spere reuersede. a1500Bernardus De Cura rei fam. 282 Þan nedis thow nocht to rewerss hate na hude, To crafe þine awne bot haf it at þi wyl. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 40 They make of hym an Image paynted reuersed with his heles upwarde. 1634Milton Comus 816 Without his rod revers't,..We cannot free the Lady. a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Revers'd, a Man set (by Bullies) on his Head, and his Money turn'd out of his Breeches. 1708J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. i. iii. iv. (1710) 190 When a Knight is to suffer Death for any foul Crime..his Sword [is] taken away.., his Gauntlet pluckt off, and his Coat of Arms reversed. 1718Pope Iliad xiii. 688 His shield revers'd o'er the fallen warrior lies; And ever⁓lasting slumber seals his eyes. 1781Cowper Hope 468 No fertilizing streams your fields divide, That show, revers'd, the villas on their side. 1808Scott Marm. i. xii, We saw..On the gibbet-tree, revers'd, His foeman's scutcheon tied. 1842Tennyson Will Waterproof 159, I sit, my empty glass reversed, And thrumming on the table.
b. To hold or carry (a weapon) in the position contrary to that in which it is ready for use.
1650R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Wars x. 22 A Regiment of Foote..went before, with their Pikes and Muskets reversed. 1787Burns Elegy J. H. Blair vi, Revers'd that spear, redoubtable in war, Reclined that banner, erst in fields unfurl'd. 1833Reg. & Instr. Cavalry i. 34 The officers' swords are reversed under the right arm. 1854Stocqueler Milit. Encycl. 232/2 Arms are said to be reversed when the butts of the pieces are slung or held upwards. 1864Tennyson Voyage 71 And now, the bloodless point reversed, She bore the blade of Liberty.
c. Her. (See quots.)
1656Blount Glossogr., Reversed,..a term in Heraldry, when Arms, or any part of them, are turned the lower part upward. 1727–38Chambers Cycl. s.v. Abatement, In the case of treason,..the escutcheon is totally reversed, to intimate a total suppression of the honour. 1868Cussans Her. (1893) 103 In the Arms of the See of Hereford the Lions' faces are Reversed, that is, turned upside down.
†4. To turn back or trim (a garment) with some other material. Obs.
1382Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 265 Somme frers beren pelure aboute, For grete ladys and wenches stoute, To reverce with thair clothes withoute. a1400Morte Arth. 3255 In a surcott of sylke..alle redily reversside with rebanes of golde. c1420Anturs of Arth. ii, Inne a gliderand gyde, that glemit so gay That was with rebans reuersut. 15..Jerusalem Reioss 14 in Dunbar's Poems II. 322 Thre Kingis..All drest with dyamantis but dout, Reverst with gold in every hem. 1523Test. Ebor. (Surtees) V. 172 To Elinor Studeley my sanguyne gowne reversid velvitt.
†5.
a. To oppose, resist. Obs. rare.
c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 75 Who woot how many persones assentiden to þis synne, and how myche helpe men hadden of oþers þat reversiden it? c1380― Wks. (1880) 286 For job seith in his book..þat no man reuersiþ god but ȝif he haue vnpees.
†b. To contradict (oneself). Obs. rare.
c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 319 Siþ God, þat reversiþ not himsilfe, biddiþ þat men shulde love þer enemyes. 1402Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 86 Alas, Jak, for shame! whi art thou so fals, For to reverse thi silf in thin owne sawes?
6. a. To revoke, abrogate, annul (a decree, act, measure, etc.). † Also with personal object.
1395Purvey Remonstrance (1851) 46 The ij principle, A peere hath not power on his peere, is falsli applied to the lattere pope reuersinge the formere pope. Ibid., Thanne the lattere pope..reuersith Goddis doom. c1420Lydg. Assembly of Gods 492 For a goddes wrytyng may nat reuersyd be. 1611Bible Num. xxiii. 20, I haue receiued commandement to blesse: and hee hath blessed, and I can⁓not reuerse it. a1656Hales Gold. Rem. (1673) 100 It is not to be thought that St. Peter had revers'd with himself the confession that he had formerly made of Christ. 1703Pope Thebais 396 Reverse, O Jove, thy too severe decree. 1727De Foe Syst. Magic i. iv. (1840) 112 But the Devil and he together were not able to reverse the blessing. 1836Thirlwall Greece III. 141 The enemies of Pericles believed that they might overthrow him, though they could not reverse his measures. 1869H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey II. 284 As she could not reverse the curse..she did what she could to mitigate it.
b. esp. in legal use, with reference to judgements, decrees, forfeitures, etc.
1485Rolls of Parlt. VI. 290/2 The said Acte of Attaindre..be..reversed, adnulled, void, and of noon effecte ne force. 1487Act 3 Hen. VII, c. 10 Writtes of errour to adnulle and reverse the seid jugement. 1531Elyot Gov. ii. v. Wherby, he fyndynge the poure woman to sustaine wronges, he reuersed his iugement. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 108 b, He desyreth that this sentence of outlawerye maye be reversed. 1666Pepys Diary 26 Aug., It was hoped by the party grieved, to get my Lord Chancellor to reverse a decree of his. 1689Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) I. 522 The earl of Macclesfeild hath revers'd his outlawry in the court of kings bench. 1754Sherlock Disc. i. (1759) I. 45 They cannot reverse a Forfeiture once incurred. 1768Blackstone Comm. III. xxv. 411 Each court of appeal, in their respective stages, may..reverse, or affirm the judgment of the inferior courts. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) VI. 212 Whereupon the judgment of the Court of King's Bench was reversed. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xiv. III. 380 A bill for reversing the attainder of Lord Russell was presented to the Peers.
c. To undo (work).
1725Pope Odyss. ii. 118 The work she plied; but, studious of delay, By night reversed the labours of the day. 1816–60Whately Comm.-pl. Bk. (1864) 91 All the work undone and reversed at which he had been labouring.
7. a. To turn the other way, in respect of position or aspect; to transpose, turn inside out, etc.
c1380Lay Folks Catech. (Lamb. MS.) 184 The furste word, þat is aue, reuersys þe name of Eua. a1400Morte Arth. 2070 He..Braydez owt his brande with a blyth chere, Reverssede it redelye, and awaye rydys.
1596Warner Alb. Eng. xii. lxxiii. (1602) 304 Reuerse the Cope. 1615Sandys Trav. 55 At which time they reuerse their faces, first ouer the right shoulder, and then ouer the left. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. ii. 52 The Diameter of the Circle, or the Line of Sines Reversed. 1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 319, I saw the Old Moon go out on the Hills at Lhor, and the Night following, the Horns reversed. 1784Cowper Tiroc. 443 And he, that seem'd our counterpart at first, Soon shows the strong similitude revers'd. 1840Lardner Geom. 70 Because the position of the triangles on either side of the diagonal is reversed. 1878Abney Photogr. (1881) 187 It will be found that as regards right and left the pictures will be reversed.
†b. To turn (the back). Obs. rare—1.
1523Skelton Garl. Laurel 3 When Mars retrogradant reuersyd his bak.
8. a. To convert into something of an opposite character or tendency; to turn the contrary way; to alter or change completely. Also refl.
c1500Melusine 316 Oure solace, playsire & joye ben reuersed in byttir teerys & contynuel wepynges. 1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. i. ii. 34, I like not this charitie reversed, when it begins farre off and neglects those at home. 1756C. Lucas Ess. Waters I. Pref., We have lived to see all this reversed. 1781Cowper Hope 519 The wretch..Has wept a silent flood, revers'd his ways. 1827D. Johnson Ind. Field Sports 231 This heaviness and want of appetite is soon reversed, and they become more than usually lively. 1841Myers Cath. Th. iii. §7. 23 It is only asking why the conditions of man's existence were not reversed before he was redeemed. 1875Gladstone Glean. (1879) VI. 233 We fear it is not likely that the Court of Rome will reverse its policy. 1944Sun (Baltimore) 5 Apr. 10/2 The court has reversed itself, to be sure, but the reversal does not surely involve any real change in American attitudes on deeply controversial questions. 1978Guardian Weekly 7 May 15/5 President Carter..has reversed himself, and now backs legislation to buy 225,000 tons. 1979Publishing News 29 June 6/4 It..was turned down by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest... A short time later, both book clubs reversed themselves and Hotel went on to spend a year on the best seller lists.
b. To employ, perform, etc., in a way opposite to the former or usual method.
1728R. Morris Ess. Anc. Archit. 113 Let us just remark on the reversing the Use of the Table. 1833N. Arnott Physics (ed. 5) II. 53 On reversing the experiment, a pound of hot mercury will be cooled thirty degrees. 1873Richards Operator's Handbk. 53 Reversing the rule, from 4 inches diameter, with 4000 feet of cutting movement; deduct 750 feet of the movement [etc.].
9. a. To turn in the opposite direction; to send on a course contrary to the previous or usual one.
1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxvii. (Percy Soc.) 193 At the last I did his body perce With my good swerde, he might it not reverce. 1530Palsgr. 690/1 The thynge went forwarde a whyle marvayllously, but nowe it is reversed we wotte nat howe.
1781Cowper Retirem. 327 The screws revers'd.., Ten thousand thousand strings at once go loose. 1824R. Stuart Hist. Steam Engine 49 The ingenious mode of consuming smoke by reversing the flame. 1860Prescott Electr. Telegr. 395 A peculiar arrangement, by which the direction of the current can be reversed by a single pressure of the finger. 1891S. C. Scrivener Our Fields & Cities 5 Watch it approaching us without wind. The mighty stream is being reversed!
b. To cause (an engine, etc.) to work or revolve in the contrary direction. Also absol.
1860Merc. Mar. Mag. VII. 274 Stopped the engines, and reversed full power. 1875Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. (ed. 2) §iii. 65 She must stop and reverse if necessary. 1883Law Times Rep. XLIX. 332/1 The engines of the Clan Sinclair were stopped and reversed full speed.
c. To put (a motor vehicle) into reverse gear; to drive (a motor vehicle) backwards. Also absol.
1902W. Robinson Gas & Petroleum Engines (ed. 2) xvii. 782 The vehicle is reversed by a hand lever which moves sliding sleeves bolted to the bevel wheels of the reversing gear. 1902Motor-Car World III. 106/2 When it is required to reverse, the car can instantly be driven forward again, without it being necessary to replace the reversing gear into its usual position. 1913G. B. Shaw Let. 17 Sept. in B. Shaw & Mrs. Campbell (1952) 148, I..had to drive right up it..reversing at impossible hairpin corners. 1932F. J. Camm Bk. Motors xiv. 127 It is dangerous and discourteous..to reverse unless you know that all is clear. 1939J. Harrison Motor-Cars To-day ix. 111 When one wishes to reverse the car the bottom-speed wheel is moved towards the rear of the gearbox. 1941L. D. Kitchin Road Transport Law 28/2 A vehicle must not be reversed for a greater distance or time than may be requisite for the safety or reasonable convenience of the occupants of that vehicle or of other traffic on the road. 1959E. H. Clements High Tension viii. 134 His young step-cousin began to reverse her car. 1966‘A. Hall’ 9th Directive xx. 187 He told the chauffeur to reverse the Lincoln. a1976A. Christie Autobiogr. (1977) vii. ii. 332, I don't think I can really reverse at all... The car never seems to go where I think it's going. 1977D. MacKenzie Raven & Kamikaze iv. 49 Raven reversed and killed the motor.
d. Phr. to reverse the charges, to make the recipient of a telephone call responsible for paying for the call.
1927Sat. Even. Post 30 Apr. 30/2 ‘Let's Call Up Sam and Tell Him What We think of Him.’ ‘Magnifique! And Don't Forget to Reverse ze Charges.’ 1951‘E. Crispin’ Long Divorce xiv. 172 If you want to go on talking we must reverse the charges. 1972‘W. Haggard’ Protectors iii. 38 Phone me at once... Reverse the charges.
II. intr.
10. a. To draw back or away; to move backwards. rare.
c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode ii. cxix. (1869) 119 Adam..mihte bi no wise taste it but he wente reuersinge [en recullant]; and reuerse miht he nouht but he hadde first the spore. c1440J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. v. 529 The more benyngnely that we trete ȝow heere, As me semeth þe more ȝe reuers. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxii. (Percy Soc.) 158 With many mo that I do not rehearse; My time is short, I must from them reverse. 1692Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. ii. iv. 92 He ought to see..whether one Wheel be higher, or reverse faster than the other.
b. In dancing, esp. waltzing: To move or turn in a contrary direction.
1864M. B. Chesnut Diary 6 July (1949) 418 A lame man can't reverse—as they call it in waltzing. 1884Wallace Man. Dancing 32 The four Gentlemen walk round the outside, reversing when the Ladies reverse. 1892E. Scott Dancing 198 It is comparatively easy for a lady to reverse if she will but remember to put her left foot forward instead of backward. 1912V. B. Carter Diary 25 May in Winston Churchill (1965) xviii. 254 As he [sc. Ld. Fisher] never reverses I reel giddily in his arms and lurch against his heart of oak.
†11. To fall over, fall down. Obs.
c1450Merlin 157 Whan the kynge..saugh the kynge Tradelyuaunt reuerse to the erthe, he was right wroth. 1470–85Malory Arthur vi. xiii. 204 Syre launcelot charged so sore vpon hym that his hors reuersed vp so doune. c1500Melusine 227 The kynge..fell & reuersed deed fro his hors to the ground. c1530Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 290, I ensure you I shall make hym reuerse from his horse.
†12. To return back or home. Obs. rare.
c1540tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 36) 198 Kinge Ethelwolphus, after hee hadd made his abode at Rome the greatest parte of the yeare, he reversed homewarde. 1591Spenser Ruins Rome 305 The bands of th' elements shall backe reverse To their first discord. 1647H. More Song Soul iii. App. ix, Transgressing souls are sorely scourged And back again are forced to reverse By Nemesis deep-biting whips well urged.
13. Contract Bridge. To rebid in a suit of higher rank than that which one has previously bid.
1939N. de V. Hart Bridge Players' Bedside Bk. 132 An exception occurs when the partner forces the original bidder to reverse. In that case, the reverse may not indicate additional values. 1959Listener 29 Jan. 229/1 He has already shown five hearts, inasmuch as he bid that suit and then reversed in spades.
▪ IV. † reˈverse, v.2
incorrect form of revess revesh v., to revest. Obs.
13..Cursor M. 10949 (Gött.), Zachari..reuersid him on his manere, Siþen he went vnto þe autere. a1400R. Glouc. Chron. 8392 (MS. Digby 205, lf. 110), Byschopes & prestes & men of religioun..Reuersede hom in Churche. c1450Lovelich Grail xlvi. 234 Iosephes, that of the Cristene Maister was, him gan to Reversen In that plas. |