four-in-handn.
1. figurative.1837 H. W. Longfellow in S. Longfellow Life H. W. Longfellow (1891) I. 277 This four-in-hand of outlandish animals [the foreign instructors at Harvard College], all pulling the wrong way, except one.
a. A vehicle with four horses driven by one person.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > [noun] > drawn by specific number or arrangement
tandem1785
unicorn1785
four-in-hand1793
randem1801
two-at-length1823
troika1842
random-tandem1847
1793 European Mag. 23 46 Swift thro' Hyde Park I drive my four-in-hand.
1825 Disraeli in S. Smiles Publisher & Friends (1891) II. xxvi. 188 The four-in-hands of the Yorkshire squires.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Walking to Mail in Poems (new ed.) II. 52 As quaint a four-in-hand As you shall see—three pyebalds and a roan.
b. A kind of necktie of the variety designed to be tied in a loose knot with hanging ends. Also four-in-hand tie. Chiefly U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > neck-wear > [noun] > neck-tie or cravat > neck-tie > types of > other
tawdry lace1548
tawdryne1586
tawdry1612
solitaire1731
sentiment1838
four-in-hand1892
Teck1895
Windsor1895
Windsor tie1895
shoestring tiea1902
Jemima1920
bolo tie1954
picture tie1957
bolo1962
kipper tie1966
1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 11 Oct. 7/2 You do not need..slippers, nor four-in-hand ties.
1902 S. Hale Let. (1919) 374 The young men in Tuxedos, four-in-hands, panamas.
1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny x. 166 While trying to figure out Jimmy's manner of tying his four-in-hand he cordially gave information.
1909 Public Ledger (Philadelphia) 24 June 5/1 Knitted and French Four-in-hands, made of fiber and short lengths of silk.
1919 T. K. Holmes Man from Tall Timber xix. 224 She had fashioned..a crimson four-in-hand to be tied at the low, rolling collar of her blouse.
1942 E. Paul Narrow Street ii. 12 His twinkling blue eyes..noted my American felt hat and four-in-hand tie.
1967 Boston (Mass.) Herald 1 Apr. 21/2 The traditional four-in-hand or ascot.
2. quasi-adv. With a four-in-hand.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > [adverb] > driving type of team of horses
random-tandem1809
four-in-hand1810
randem1818
unicorn1859
1810 W. Combe Schoolmaster's Tour in Poet. Mag. Dec. 42 Thus off they went, and, four-in-hand, Dash'd briskly tow'rds the promis'd land.
1871 M. Collins Marquis & Merchant II. ix. 276 He drives them down four-in-hand.
3. quasi-adj.
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1799 H. More Strict. Mod. Syst. Fem. Educ. (ed. 4) I. 75 The intrepid female, the hoyden..the swinging arms, the confident address, the regimental, and the four-in-hand.
1807 Salmagundi 13 Feb. 40 It is excessively pleasant to hear a couple of these four-in-hand gentlemen detail their exploits over a bottle.
1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Coventry xx The tobacco-smoking, four-in-hand Miss Coventry.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
four-in-hand club n.
ΚΠ
1849 E. E. Napier Excursions Southern Afr. I. 169 A style that completely outdoes the..most renowned members of the ‘Four in hand’ Club at home.
1876 M. M. Grant Sun-maid I. ii. 85 Considering himself equal to the best whip in the Four-in-Hand Club.
four-in-hand-driver n.
ΚΠ
1812 Sporting Mag. 39 153 Flash Four-in-Hand and Donkey drivers.
four-in-hand-driving n.
ΚΠ
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) x. 83 Boxing, rat-hunting..and four-in-hand driving were then the fashion of our British aristocracy.
C2.
four-in-hand tie n. see sense 1b.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1897; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.1793