in caseconj.adv.
/ɪn ˈkeɪs/, U.S. /ɪn ˈkeɪs/ A. conj.
1. In the event that; if it should happen that; if. Also in †if in case, †in case if, †in case that. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction]
ifc825
lestc1000
waldOE
anda1225
lest whena1300
in case1357
anc1400
lest thatc1400
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > lest [conjunction]
in case1357
anauntera1387
in (also for, on, upon) adventurea1393
in hap (of)a1400
J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 248 In cas that we have..Wittandly and wilfalli gere our euen cristen Lese thaire patrimoyne.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 1295 It miȝte hermye ȝow alle in cas if my fader miȝt it spie.
1384 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1844) I. 349/2 In cas thay may noght let it thai sall ger warne the tother part of xv days and..thay sall lely let thaim of thair boundes at thair powair forowten fraude or gile.
1418 Will in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 218 Yn case I deye.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 127 In cas þat he had ony werre aȝenst ony oþer kyng.
1559 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli Secretes 114 b And if in case they be not wel printed,..you may put them in agayne.
1596 E. Spenser View State Ireland 12 I would tell you in case you would not challenge me anon.
1620 W. Trumbull Let. Feb. in S. R. Gardiner Lett. Relations Eng. & Germany (1868) 2nd Ser. 161 In case Your Lordship doe not know the gentleman, I will bouldly recommend him to your Lordship for a worthie, honest, and sufficient person.
1647 T. Fuller Cause Wounded Conscience xiii. 101 In case his Leg be set, he flings, flounces..unjoynting it again by his mis-imployed mettle.
1738 E. Chambers Cycl. (ed. 2) Preventer-rope, to save the yard in case any part of the tyes should be broke.
1743 E. Wolfe Let. 4 May in Life & Lett. James Wolfe (1909) 27 It is likewise said in case the French should go into Bavaria we shall follow them.
1759 J. Stewart Let. 1 Mar. in D. Hume Let. (1932) II. 349 Madame du Pres husband is an Antiquarian & wishes to know from Bob Wood the dimensions of the three Pyramids in Egypt in case he measured them.
1784 Acts & Laws State of Connecticut 234 That all Slaves set at Liberty by their Owners.., in Case they come to Want, after they shall be set at Liberty.., shall be relieved by such Owners.
1832 J. Austin Province Jurispr. i. 8 The evil which will probably be incurred in case a command be disobeyed..is frequently called a sanction, or an enforcement of obedience.
1870 Trans. Calif. State Agric. Soc. 248 Any other non-conductors of heat..will do, in case charcoal cannot be handily obtained.
1919 Outing Mar. 332/3 In case the ground is icy, scatter some fine sand, sawdust, or straw under and in front of him [sc. a fallen horse].
1943 Philos. Rev. 52 67 In case an A proposition should have a null subject, in the conventional sense, and a not-null predicate, it is then a false proposition.
2. In provision against the event that, so as to provide for the possibility that; lest it happen that.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > vigilance > vigilant or on one's guard [phrase] > in provision against the case that
in (also for, on, upon) adventurea1393
in case1588
1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 152 Thou sall pay him the price of his labour..incaice he cry to God agains the.
1658 W. Johnson tr. F. Würtz Surgeons Guid ii. xxv. 150 Have a good Knife also about you, in case you have need to cut the splinters to a fitness.
1699 T. Allison Acct. Voy. Archangel 22 Putting provision therein for subsistance, in case we should be forced ashore and wracked.
1747 D. Hume Let. 18 June (1932) I. 102 Pray make him the first advances, in case his modesty should render him backward.
1749 G. G. Beekman Let. 18 Dec. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 96 Take particular care to take in anuff of the Cloth at the Sides and Sleaves..In Case any of them Should Prove two Narrow by my growing Lustyer.
1786 T. Baldwin Airopaidia ii. 13 Eight Bladders, each above half blown.., tyed round the upper Part of the Car..: in Case the Balloon fall into Water.
1806 W. Scott Let. Oct. (1932) I. 327 I would like to see them in the proof copy in case any minute alterations may yet occur to me.
1863 P. Barry Dockyard Econ. 195 To be in readiness in case anything should happen to the present Board of Admiralty.
1882 Harper's Mag. June 138/2 I have kept my eyes fixed on the gravel the whole way, just in case a young ossifer might come riding out.
1944 E. Blyton Five run away Together (1949) ix. 75 She keeps dozens and dozens of tins of food there, in case we ever get snowed up in the winter, and can't get to the village.
1954 I. Murdoch Under Net xv. 210 I dashed into the churches, one after the other,..in case I should find Anna there.
1969 P. K. Dick Preserving Machine 191 His fellow officer stood with rifle in hand, just in case this was another come-on.
2004 C. Off Ghosts of Medak Pocket v. 128 The reconnaissance platoon was constantly out scouting routes in case there had to be a sudden evacuation.
B. adv.† 1. Perhaps. Obsolete.† 2. In the event, in reality. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > reality or real existence or actuality > [adverb]
in truthc1330
in faitha1375
in good faitha1393
in casea1398
in effectc1405
indeed1412
effectually1420
actually?a1425
really?a1425
of a truth1494
bottom1531
for a truth?1532
in fact1592
authentically1593
in esse1597
de facto1602
essentially1604
in nature1605
in point of fact1628
positively1649
in point of event1650
effectively1652
honestly1675
entally1691
reely1792
objectively1796
fairlyc1804
in actual fact1824
factually1852
naturally1858
transactionally1866
'smatter of fact1922
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > possibility > [adverb] > perhaps
is wenc897
wen isc897
peradventurec1300
peradventurec1325
perchancec1350
uphapa1375
percasea1393
lightly1395
in casea1398
maybea1400
may chancea1400
may-falla1400
may-fortunea1400
may-tidea1400
perhapa1464
happen1487
perhapsc1520
percase1523
ablea1525
by chance1526
mayhap1533
fortunea1535
belikelya1551
haps1570
mayhappen1577
perhappen1578
possibly1600
not impossibly1667
ables1673
aunters1673
aiblins1720
p'rapsa1745
aunterens1825
mebbe1825
yes-no1898
yimkin1925
ja-nee1937
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iv. x. 158 And in cas [L. forsan] þat colera takeþ strengþe of such grene herbes.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 231 Thouȝ in caas it can not be founde speciali witnessid bi Holi Scripture.
ΚΠ
c1400 (?c1384) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 377 In veyn preyers of ypocrites, þat, in caas, ben dampned devels.
c1450 (c1350) Alexander & Dindimus (Bodl.) (1929) 228 (MED) For more may hit in cas ȝou menske þan greve.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection Pref. sig. Aiiv Excepte in case whan you vnderstande nat that ye rede therin.
3. Originally Scottish. in case of: in the event of (esp. something untoward). Now frequently in in case of emergency.
ΚΠ
1482 in J. D. Marwick Charters Edinb. (1871) 155 In the cais of promocion of the said reuerend fadir.]
1546 in W. Fraser Memorials Montgomeries (1859) II. 140 In cays of neid or honest repare.
a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1848) II. 147 I confes myself most worthie to be ejected..in cais of my stubburnnes.
1649 Articles of Peace with Irish Rebels 27 Any seven or more of them, in case of refractories, or delinquencie may distrain and imprison.
1694 in J. Muller Syst. Camp-discipline (1757) 1 Each Regiment to have an Alarm-post to repair to, in case of Fire, or any other extraordinary Alarm.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. iii. 49 Obnoxious to it [sc. punishment], in Case of a Discovery.
1745 P. Thomas True Jrnl. Voy. South-Seas 65 All the Ships had Orders..in case of not meeting there, to make the best of their way to Macao.
1832 W. Irving Alhambra I. 90 More apt to trust to the length of his legs than the strength of his arms, in case of attack.
1898 Argosy July 702 The only exception to this rule was to be in case of fire, burglars, or tramps, a proviso inserted by the Misses Canterbury themselves.
1916 Sandusky (Ohio) Star-Jrnl. 11 Mar. 10/3 ‘Smith, what would you do in case of a gas attack?’ Pte Smith—‘I'd sound the gas alert signal sir.’
1960 K. Billig Struct. Concrete ii. xiv. 537 Flat-slab construction is less vulnerable in case of fire than beam-and-girder construction.
1999 R. Deakin Waterlog (2000) x. 124 A lifebelt was hung handy in case of emergency.
4. As elliptical use of sense A. 2. As a precautionary measure. Now chiefly in just in case.
ΚΠ
1898 R. Kipling Fleet in Being 28 One leg over the edge of the bunk—in case.
1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 23 Oct. (1993) III. 45 I..treated myself and cured myself. This makes me feel so safe in case we should ever find ourselves on a desert island—just in case.
1929 P. G. Wodehouse Mr. Mulliner Speaking ix. 301 She rather thought she wouldn't be able to, but she said leave her ticket at the box-office in case.
1951 Teazle's News-let. 24 Apr. [5] A picture..of a London policeman directing the traffic at a busy point in Paris, with a French traffic constable standing by, just in case.
2008 J. Harvey Cold in Hand xli. 337 I tried to be there as much as I could after that, you know, in case, but I could not always.
2012 Green Parent Apr. 38/3 Be sure to..use a self-contained fire-bucket, and always have a water source nearby just in case.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
> as lemmas
in case
(b) in case: in good condition, esp. (of tobacco) cured and sufficiently moist to withstand handling.
ΚΠ
1606 J. Day Ile of Guls sig. Fv You shall haue some Poet..write you a..historie in prose..: I had one of them my selfe, and your eares be in case, Ile giue you a taste on't.
1680 P. Hay Marquis of Chastelet Politicks of France x. 119 One thing which presseth more at present, is, the putting of the Country in case again.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. (at cited word) In ludicrous language, In case is lusty or fat.
1785 D. Young National Improvem. upon Agric. Pref. p. viii One person..lays it down as a rule never to plow nor sow but when the ground is in case.
1845 G. Dodd Brit. Manuf. 5th Ser. 132 An exposure to the air for..about five weeks makes the leaves of tobacco elastic and tough, and slightly covered with a glossy kind of moisture. The tobacco is then said to be in case.
1865 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1861–4 5 667 The fires should be suffered to go out, and the tobacco be suffered to come in case, or get soft again.
1944 Dial. Notes Nov. 65 In case: adj. phr., in proper condition—cured and having the correct amount of moisture to ensure handling without injury or loss.
1998 J. Van Willigen & S. C. Eastwood Tobacco Culture ix. 143 Dry tobacco is extremely brittle and will shatter if handled. Cured tobacco can only be handled if it is in case.
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conj.adv.1357as lemmas