inchn.1
/ɪn(t)ʃ/, U.S. /ɪn(t)ʃ/ 1.
a. A measure of length, the twelfth part of a foot. Hence, a measure of surface and of solidity (explicitly square inch or superficial inch, cubic inch or solid inch) equal to the content respectively of a square or cube the sides of which are of this length.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > [noun] > units of length or distance > inch
inchc1000
in.1636
prime1836
c1000 Laws of Æthelbert c. 67 gife ofer ynce, scilling; æt twam yncum, twegen.
c1000 Laws of Ælfred c 45 Wund inces lang.
c1000 in Sal. & Sat. (Kemble) 180 He [Adam] wæs vi and cx ynca lang.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11961 He wunde afeng feouwer unchene long.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1034 An inch or more.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 3302 Þer ne wanteþ noȝt enches foure.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. cxxix. 1380 An vnche is þe leste party of mesures of feldes.
a1400–50 Alexander 3675 And þe thinnest was a nynche thicke quen þai ware þurȝe persed.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 128 Þis is .v. inche thycke.
1493 Litt. Red Bk. Bristol (1900) II. 134 Whiche wall we Fynde xxij yenchis thycke by the grownde.
c1500 Melusine (1895) xix. 104 Whiche at his birth brought in hys mouthe a grete & long toth, that apyered without an ench long & more.
1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 56 In..measures, we do go from a barly corne, to a finger breadth: from a finger breadth, to an unch: from an unch, to an hand breadth.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 192 The Princesse bids you tell, How manie inches doth fill vp one mile? View more context for this quotation
1761 Philos. Trans. 1760 (Royal Soc.) 51 784 9 London inches are equal to 8·447 Paris inches and decimals.
1824 ‘R. Stuart’ Descr. Hist. Steam Engine 200 A column of water equal to ten pounds on the [square] inch.
1837 W. Whewell Hist. Inductive Sci. I. 213 Each inch being the thickness of six grains of barley.
1900 N.E.D. at Inch Mod. The gill contains 8·665 cubic inches. The pint contains 4 gills or 34·660 inches.
b. As the unit of measurement of rainfall: That quantity of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch; equivalent to 3630 cubic feet on an acre, or about 4⅔ gallons on every square yard.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > study or science of weather > study or science of specific conditions or phenomena > [noun] > study of rainfall > measurement of rainfall > units
inch1854
point1889
1854 J. H. Stocqueler Hand-bk. Brit. India (ed. 3) 264 The rains set in fairly at the beginning of June... Two inches in the twenty-four hours often fall; sometimes three.
1896 G. J. Symons Brit. Rainfall 20 On the western slope of Sca Fell, between it and Wastwater..mean fall about 90 inches.
1896 Whitaker's Almanack 53 An ‘Inch of Rain’ means a gallon of water spread over a surface of nearly two square feet, or 3630 cubic feet = 100 tons upon an acre.
c. As the unit of measurement of atmospheric or other pressure: That amount of pressure which balances the weight of a column of mercury, an inch high, in the mercurial barometer.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > movements and pressure conditions > [noun] > atmospheric pressure > units of atmospheric pressure
atmosphere1830
standard atmosphere1842
inch1873
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Barometer On the top of Snowdon Hill, 1240 Yards high, Dr. Halley found the Mercury lower by 3 Inches 8 Tenths than at the Foot thereof.
1835 Penny Cycl. III. 37/1 The mean height of the barometer in London is stated at 29·88 inches.]
1873 C. H. Ralfe Outl. Physiol. Chem. 134 Oil, to which a few drops of bile have been added, passes readily through animal membranes under the slight pressure of 0·068 to 0·132 inches of mercury.
1896 Whitaker's Almanack 602 Atmospherical pressure was least, 28·6 inches, on the 14th [Nov. 1894]; greatest, 30·6, on the 30th.
d. As a unit of measurement of the flow of water (esp. in mining, whence specifically called miner's inch): That amount of water that will pass in 24 hours through an opening of 1 square inch under a constant pressure of 6 inches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > liquid flow > action or process of flowing > [noun] > unit of water flow measurement
water-inch1847
inch1858
miner's inch1865
second-foot1898
1858 D. Lardner Hand-bk. Nat. Philos.: Hydrostatics, Pneumatics, & Heat (new ed.) 238 The rate of discharge from the orifice is called the inch of water, and is the hydraulic unit by which the discharge from pumps is expressed.
1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 90 (note) One 24-hour miners' inch is equivalent to 2,230 cubic feet of water.
1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 95 Water at that time cost 75 cents an inch.
1882 Rep. Precious Metals (U.S. Bureau of Mint) 646 The nearest even figure, is 17,000 gallons in twenty-four hours, and, in the absence of any legal determination, this may be regarded as the approximately correct equivalent of a miner's inch of water.
2. transferred and figurative.
a. A very small measure, distance, amount, or degree; the least amount or part (of space, time, material or immaterial things); a very little; a ‘bit’. Esp. in within an inch of one's life (or †skin): almost to the point of death; so as to be nearly killed; frequently hyperbolically and figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > a very small amount
shredc1000
farthingsworthc1325
pennyworthc1330
incha1350
sliverc1374
chipa1393
gnastc1440
Jack1530
spoonful1531
crumba1535
spark1548
slight1549
pin's worth1562
scruple1574
thought1581
pinch1583
scrap1583
splinter1609
ticket1634
notchet1637
indivisible1644
tinyc1650
twopence1691
turn of the scale(s)1706
enough to swear by1756
touch1786
scrimptiona1825
infinitesimal1840
smidgen1841
snuff1842
fluxion1846
smitchel1856
eyelash1860
smidge1866
tenpenceworth1896
whisker1913
tidge1986
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > there is danger in a course of action [phrase] > so as to be in danger of being killed
within an inch of one's life (or skin)1726
a1350 Birth of Jesus 40 in Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1875) 66 Þe tyme hem Þoȝte longe Inouȝ, ech vnche hem þouȝte a sponne.
c1400 Rom. Rose 5101 But thou art not an inch the nerre.
1582 T. Bentley et al. Monument of Matrones iii. 360 Neither will I suffer my selfe..to depart one ynch from thy holie commandments.
1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. iii. sig. H2 There is not left in him one ynch of man.
1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 76 Tho' thousands of their Men dropt, they would not give ground an Inch.
1726 Four Years Voy. Capt. G. Roberts 30 I will drub you, you Dog, within an Inch of your Life, and that Inch too.
1781 W. Cowper Let. 4 Oct. (1979) I. 525 That I may avail myself of every Inch of time.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xiii. 115 I'll flog you within an inch of your life, and spare you that.
1854 B. P. Shillaber Life & Sayings Mrs. Partington 81 I'll be tempered to whip you within an inch of your skin.
1894 H. Nisbet Bush Girl's Romance 156 He could not see an inch before him.
1896 W. D. Howells Impressions & Experiences 74 The defendent..had invited her to come down the street to a certain point, and be beaten within an inch of her life.
1909 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Avonlea xii. 126 The grammar class were parsed and analyzed within an inch of their lives.
1932 ‘E. M. Delafield’ Thank Heaven Fasting iii. i. 250 She's always bullied Cecily within an inch of her life.
1939 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Ingleside i. 12 He said that..everybody else would be dressed within an inch of her life.
1939 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Ingleside iv. 30 If I had talked to my parents like that..I would have been whipped within an inch of my life.
b. Applied to material things: †(a) A small piece or fragment; (b) A person of small stature.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > small piece
fingereOE
snedec1000
seed?a1200
morselc1300
bittlock?a1400
farthingc1405
spota1413
lipetc1430
offe?1440
drewc1450
remnantc1450
parcel1483
crap1520
flakec1525
patch1528
spark1548
a piece1559
sparklec1570
inch1573
nibbling?1577
scantling1585
scrat1593
mincing1598
scantle1598
halfpenny1600
quantity1600
nip1606
kantch1608
bit1609
catch1613
scripa1617
snap1616
sippeta1625
crumblet1634
scute1635
scantleta1642
snattock1654
cantlet1700
tab1729
pallion1738
smallness1818
knobble1823
wisp1836
the world > life > the body > bodily height > shortness > [noun] > person
dwarfeOE
congeonc1230
go-by-ground?a1300
smalla1300
shrimpc1386
griga1400
gruba1400
murche1440
nirvil1440
mitinga1450
witherling1528
wretchocka1529
elf1530
hop-o'-my-thumb1530
pygmy1533
little person1538
manikin1540
mankin1552
dandiprat1556
yrle1568
grundy1570
Jack Sprat1570
squall1570
manling1573
Tom Thumb1579
pinka1585
squib1586
screaling1594
giant-dwarf1598
twattle1598
agate1600
minimus1600
cock sparrow1602
dapperling1611
modicum1611
scrub1611
sesquipedalian1615
dwarflinga1618
wretchcock1641
homuncio1643
whip-handle1653
homuncule1656
whippersnapper1674
chitterling1675
sprite1684
carliea1689
urling1691
wirling1691
dwarf man1699
poppet1699
durgan1706
short-arse1706
tomtit1706
Lilliputian1726
wallydraigle1736
midge1757
minikin1761
squeeze-crab1785
minimum1796
niff-naff1808
titman1818
teetotum1822
squita1825
cradden1825
nyaff1825
weed1825
pinkeen1850
fingerling1864
Lilliput1867
thumbling1867
midget1869
inch1884
shorty1888
titch1888
skimpling1890
stub1890
scrap1898
pygmoid1922
lofty1933
peewee1935
smidgen1952
pint-size1954
pint-sized1973
munchkin1974
1573 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xxxix. 94 Thocht the wallis wes wycht, Ȝit dowbell battrie brak thame al in inschis.
1884 W. Black Judith Shakespeare iv You imp, you inch, you elfin queen, you!
Phrases
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > near by [phrase] > close to a person > in attendance
at a person's handa1382
at an inch1567
at inches1567
at hand unto1613
in pocket1751
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > in preparation [phrase] > in a state of preparation or readiness > at immediate readiness
at an inch1567
at inches1567
1567 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Morall Philos. (new ed.) vii. ii. f. 168 Vpon al this wycked rable..craftye concupiscence wayghteth as a seruaunt at ynches.
1583 B. Rich Phylotus & Emelia (1835) 18 Attendaunt vpon her, and readie at an ynche to prouide her of any thing.
1587 J. Hooker Chron. Ireland 144/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) II In such a readinesse to be at inches with them.
a1625 J. Fletcher Loyal Subj. iv. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Fff/2 Ile wait ye at an inch.
P2. by inches, inch by inch: by small degrees, by little and little, very gradually, bit by bit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > slowness of action or operation > [phrase] > gradually or in stages
footmealeOE
(a, by) lite and litec1290
a little and a littlea1375
little and littlea1387
(by) some and some1398
by little and by littlea1425
little by little?a1425
littly?a1425
inchmeal1530
by small and small1558
by (a) little1577
gradatim1583
by lithe and lithe1592
by inchesa1616
inch by incha1616
to go slow1664
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) v. iv. 40 All swearing..They'l giue him death by Inches . View more context for this quotation
1653 J. Collinges Responsoria ad Erratica Piscatoris i. sig. B3 They were forced to..reforme by inches.
1700 W. Congreve Way of World iv. i. 66 No, don't kill him at once..starve him gradually inch by inch.
1719 F. Hare Church-authority Vindicated 27 To dispute the ground inch by inch.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. x. 162 Wasting away, and dying, as they say, by inches.
1869 F. B. A. Wilberforce Sketches Lives Domin. Missionaries Japan 195 All these four martyrs expired by inches, after a series of torments.
P3. every inch: every bit, every whit; altogether, entirely, in every respect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > the whole or all > that is all or the whole [phrase] > in respect of everything or part > in every respect
through all thingeOE
at all pointsa1375
from point to pointa1393
at all rightsc1405
in high and lowc1405
in generala1413
every incha1450
all in allc1475
at all sorts1612
all round1867
a1450 St. Etheldreda (Faust.) 720 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1881) 2nd Ser. 298 Þat ston was well ygraue..eueryche a neynche.
1520 Chron. Eng. iii. f. 24v/1 This man was cursed every ynche.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xx. 105 I euer inch a King. View more context for this quotation
1684 W. Winstanley Richard III in England's Worthies: Shakespeare A man of Arms, every inch of him.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. vii. vii. 48 I tremble every Inch of me. View more context for this quotation
1809–10 S. T. Coleridge Friend (1837) III. 289 Lord Nelson was an admiral, every inch of him.
1893 Earl of Dunmore Pamirs II. 336 His..companion..looks a soldier, every inch of him.
P4. inches = stature; of inches, of (considerable) height, tall. of one's inches: in respect of one's height or stature.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily height > [noun]
wastumOE
staturec1380
pitch1575
status1577
one's lengtha1586
inchesa1616
standard1833
the world > life > the body > bodily height > [adverb]
of one's inchesa1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. iii. 40 I would I had thy inches . View more context for this quotation
1687 T. Brown Saints in Uproar in Wks. (1730) I. 73 A notable fellow of his inches, and metal to the back.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. iv. 346 Beware of servants instilling the prodigious importance of master or miss beyond all others of their inches.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas II. v. i. 265 Pedro was what we call a tall fellow of his inches.
1885 Graphic 28 Feb. 214/2 In order to make the most of her inches she had acquired the habit of holding her head thrown back.
P5. by inch of candle: see candle n. Phrases 4.give him an inch and he'll take an ell: see ell n.1 1b; also in extended use.
ΚΠ
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. ix. sig. Lv Whan I gaue you an ynche, ye tooke an ell.
1640 J. Howell Δενδρολογια 8 For soveraignty where she gets an inch, stickes not sometimes to stretch it to an ell.
1844 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit xxxix. 460 Give John an inch in that way, and he was sure to take several ells.
1973 Times 21 Feb. 3/1 If you turn your back for an instant or give them an inch they will park their cars on it.
Compounds
C1. attributive and in other combinations, as inch-allotment, inch-diet; inch-deep, inch-high, inch-long, inch-thick, inch-wide adjs.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 187 Gone already, Ynch-thick, knee-deepe. View more context for this quotation
1655 T. Moffett & C. Bennet Healths Improvem. i. 5 An exquisite thin diet (called of Ioubertus..the inch-diet, wherein we eat by drams, and drink by spoonfuls).
1682 T. Creech tr. Lucretius De natura rerum iv. 115 Little puddles..Tho scarce Inch deep.
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Second 24 Life's little Stage is a small Eminence, Inch-high the Grave above.
1873 Young Englishwoman Apr. 194/2 Inch-wide lace.
1876 J. R. Lowell Spenser in Among my Bks. 2nd Ser. 189 Futile gossip and inch-long politics.
1884 R. Browning Bean-stripe in Ferishtah's Fancies 218 Aphis that I am, How leave my inch-allotment?
1899 Westm. Gaz. 11 May 4/2 Strings..of inch-wide black velvet.
1950 W. de la Mare Inward Compan. 89 From inch-wide eyes I scan their..flames.
1964 C. Dent Quantity Surv. by Computer iii. 31 The new 1-inch-wide eight-channel paper tape now in use on some computers.
C2. attributive. Containing an inch in any dimension; of the length, thickness, etc. of an inch; as inch-board (board an inch thick), inch-line, etc.; of the focal length of one inch, as inch object-glass.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [noun] > board or plank > specific sizes
inch-board1646
standard deal1785
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vii. xviii. 383 A candle out of a Musket will pierce through an inch board. View more context for this quotation
1683 W. Kennett tr. Erasmus Witt against Wisdom 93 To see through an Inch-board.
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. viii. 224 He asked Captain Hogg to bring on shore some inch line.
1837 C. R. Goring & A. Pritchard Micrographia 179 Suppose we have an inch triple achromatic object-glass.
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Inch-stuff, deal plank sawn to the thickness of an inch.
C3. attributive with prefixed numeral (two-inch, six-inch, etc.): Of the length, diameter, etc. of (so many) inches.
ΚΠ
1559 in Boys Sandwich (1792) 739 xl m. of iii ynche plancke for the said jutties.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World x. 282 Condemned..to have 3 blows from each man in the Ship, with a 2 inch and a half rope on his bare back.
1798 Ld. Nelson Let. to Nepean 7 Aug. in A. Duncan Life Nelson (1806) 91 I have..brought off the two thirteen-inch mortars.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 576 Three or four thicknesses of one and a half inch-deal.
1879 Daily News 12 Aug. 5/3 Fourteen of the Bacchante guns are seven-inch weapons.
C4. Special combinations.
inch-bones n. (plural) fragments of bone used as manure (distinguished from bone-dust: cf. 1c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > preparation of land or soil > fertilizing or manuring > [noun] > use of other natural fertilizers > other natural fertilizers
marl1280
pomacec1450
cod's head1545
buck-ashes1563
bucking-ashes1577
guano1604
greaves1614
rape cake1634
muck1660
wool-nipping1669
willow-earth1683
green dressing1732
bone flour1758
bone powder1758
poudrette1764
bone dust1771
green manure1785
fish-manure1788
wassal1797
lime-rubbish1805
Bude sand1808
bone1813
cancerine1840
inch-bones1846
bonemeal1849
silver sand1851
fish guano1857
food1857
terramare1866
kainite1868
fish-flour1879
soil1879
fish-scrap1881
gas lime1882
bean cake1887
inoculant1916
1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 353 The smaller bone-dust is ground the more effective it is as a manure..on the other hand large or drilled or inch-bones, as they are called, remain longer in the soil undecomposed, but produce less immediate effect. On these accounts bone-dust is the more valuable manure for turnips, and inch-bones for wheat.
inch-measure n. = inch-rule n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > for measuring length > graduated strip of wood, etc.
rule1340
ruler1530
measure1555
scale1607
foot-rule1662
two-foot rule1664
joint-rule1680
inch-rule1850
inch-measure1851
stationer's rule1866
contraction-rule1874
measure-strip1887
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 341/1 They all sell thimbles, needles, inch-measures, bodkins, [etc.].
inch-rule n. a measuring rule or tape divided into inches.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > for measuring length > graduated strip of wood, etc.
rule1340
ruler1530
measure1555
scale1607
foot-rule1662
two-foot rule1664
joint-rule1680
inch-rule1850
inch-measure1851
stationer's rule1866
contraction-rule1874
measure-strip1887
1850 C. Dickens David Copperfield lx. 595 Neither will you find him measuring all human interests..with his one poor little inch-rule now.
1896 Westm. Gaz. 9 Nov. 3/2 [He] measures the force of the temptation with an inch-rule.
inch-tape n. = inch-rule n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > for measuring length > measuring tape
measuring tape1805
tape-line1847
tape measure1873
inch-tape1884
steel tape1900
1884 ‘E. Lyall’ We Two II. xiv. 322 [She] has gone to fetch an inch tape.
Categories »
inch-pound n. Dynamics the work done in raising a pound weight vertically through an inch (cf. foot-pound n. (a) at foot n. and int. Compounds 2).
inch-taped adj. covered with inch-tape.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1939 D. Thomas Map of Love 6 ‘His mother's womb had a tongue that lapped up mud,’ Cried the topless, inchtaped lips.
inch-worm n. a name for a geometer caterpillar, also called looper or measuring-worm; also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Geometridae > class of caterpillars > member of
surveyor1682
looper1731
span-worm1820
geometric caterpillar1835
measuring worm1843
span-worm1852
inch-worma1861
measurer1868
loop-worm1880
a1861 T. Winthrop Life in Open Air (1863) 123 All the green inch-worms vanish on the tenth of every June.
1881 Harper's Mag. Oct. 656/1 A wriggling inch-worm,..awaiting..an opportunity to measure the length of your nose.
1949 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 12 Mar. 33/1 One evening the Main Line local hunched its cars together like an inchworm and skidded to a halt.
1954 D. J. Borror & D. M. DeLong Introd. Study Insects xxvi. 522 The larvae of geometers are the familiar caterpillars commonly called inchworms or measuring-worms.
1959 G. Mattingly Defeat of Spanish Armada xx. 218 There was only one offset to the exasperation of this inchworm progress.
1970 R. Lowell Notebk. 235 Have you ever seen an inchworm crawl on a leaf,..Feeling for something to reach something?
Draft additions June 2013
inch-perfect adj. British (esp. in sporting contexts) extremely accurate; accurate to within a very small margin.
ΚΠ
1965 Times 30 Apr. 5/7 Barrett..took Gerrard completely by surprise..serving with venom and accuracy,..and lobbing to inch-perfect precision.
1988 J. Black Yellow Wednesday 41 She found her niche driving an overhead crane in an engineering works... Her lifting and setting of loads were always inch-perfect.
2005 N. Marsh Fat, Forty, & Fired xxxi. 155 They would smash the ball with a flawless swing and inch-perfect precision down the wall.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
inchn.2
/ɪn(t)ʃ/, U.S. /ɪn(t)ʃ/ a. A small island. (Frequent in the names of small islands belonging to Scotland.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > land mass > island > [noun] > small
aiteOE
islec1290
inchc1425
isleta1552
isolet1613
insulet1622
motu1770
sand key1775
islot1790
oe1810
illaun1882
sand cay1934
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. Prol. I wes..made priowre Of the ynche wyth-in Loch-lewyne.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) x. l. 453 Bot in Lochlewyn thair lay a cumpane, Apon that Inch.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 24 In the Sey selfe ar mony Iles and Inches nocht few, as the Mai, the Basse, the ile of S. Colme.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. ii. 61 Till he disbursed, at Saint Colmes ynch, Ten thousand Dollars, to our generall vse.
1793 J. Sinclair Statist. Acct. Scotl. VIII. 597 There are some beautiful islands which are called Inches.
1805 W. Scott Lay of Last Minstrel vi. xxiii. 182 To inch and rock the sea-mews fly.
b. Applied locally to a meadow by a river (as the Inches of Perth); also, to a piece of rising ground in the midst of a plain.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > hill or mountain > [noun] > prominent or isolated
knoba1622
inch1799
butte1805
island-hill1839
island-mountain1906
inselberg1907
1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 476 Such parts of the Carse [of Gowrie], as are elevated above the common level of the country are called Inches (which word signifies islands).
1863 C. Lyell Geol. Evid. Antiq. Man iii. 54 The Celtic name of Inch being attached to many hillocks, which rise above the general level of the alluvial plains.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
inchv.
/ɪnʃ/ 1. intransitive. To move, advance, or retreat, by inches or small degrees.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > move or go slowly [verb (intransitive)] > move gradually
inch1599
edge1624
ease away!1627
etch1701
1599 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum (1632) 213 And if he itch and inch forward one way for an ell, hee looseth an other.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis ix, in tr. Virgil Wks. 496 Now Turnus doubts, and..with slow paces measures back the Field, And Inches to the Walls.
1812 W. Tennant Anster Fair iii. xlv. 68 Inching along in motion retrograde.
1881 Amer. Grocer 20 July Boys who did not play fair..would keep reaching over the line in order to get nearer the marbles in the ring and have a better chance to knock them out. This was called ‘inching’, and ‘fen inchings’ was the warning against such unfair play.
1888 Advance (Chicago) 29 Nov. Meanwhile, the celebrated case, possibly, will be inching along toward some final decision.
2. transitive. To drive by inches or small degrees.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > make (its way) slowly [verb (transitive)] > cause to go gradually
inch1668
1668 J. Dryden Secret-love iii. i. 32 And so inch him and shove him out of the world.
1692 J. Dryden Cleomenes ii. ii. 18 He gets too far into the Soldiers Grace; And Inches out my master.
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. I. iii. 189 Like so much cold steel inched through his breast-blade.
1895 Outing Oct. 10/2 The children..inched their chairs closer and insisted there was not room for her between them.
3. To measure or compute the number of inches in.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > measure (off) a length or distance [verb (transitive)] > number of inches in something
inch1673
1673 T. Shadwell Epsom-Wells i E'er a horse in your Stable, weigh him and inch him.
1690 H. Coggeshall Art of Pract. Measuring (title page) Gauging and Inching of Tuns.
1718 R. Steele Fish-pool 171 The Fish-Pool sloop being inched according to common gauging.
4. inch out:† b. To deal out inch by inch, hence, by small amounts or sparingly. Obsolete.
a. To eke out by inches or small amounts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > make complete [verb (transitive)] > complete, fill up, or make up > by supplying what is wanting
performa1382
supplyc1480
upmake1485
to make up1488
mend?a1505
to stop, to fill (in or up), to supply a gap?1523
to eke out1596
help out (also through)1600
size1608
echea1616
inch out1620
to eke up1633
supplete1664
lengthen1670
supplement1749
to husband out1762
sort1880
piecenc1900
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > [verb (transitive)] > lengthen > a little at a time
inch out1620
the world > space > extension in space > extend [verb (transitive)] > stretch out
stretchc900
astretchc1000
i-stretchec1000
thinc1000
to-tightc1200
reacha1300
spreada1382
extendc1386
to lay outa1400
streeka1400
outstretcha1425
rekea1425
stentc1430
outreach?1440
inch out1878
1620 I. V. tr. P. du Moulin Serm. i. 16.2 He hath inched out the skin of the Lion with that of the Foxe, adding craft to crueltie.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. 263 When I could not inch it out any further..I found my selfe then in that strait, that [etc.].
1625 P. Heylyn Μικρόκοσμος (rev. ed.) 418 The hair of their women they cut off, to inch out their tacklings.
1654 E. Johnson Hist. New-Eng. 173 Corn incht out with Chesnuts and bitter Acorns.
1679 A. Behn Feign'd Curtizans iii. i. 28 Cou'd you not..throw in a little Love and constancy; to inch out that want of honesty of yours.
1878 R. Browning Two Poets of Croisic in La Saisiaz & Two Poets of Croisic 127 There stands Paul erect, Inched out his uttermost.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > sparingness or frugality > use sparingly or frugally [verb (transitive)]
sparec1000
spelec1175
to spare for14..
inch out1636
tape1721
to spin out1726
scrimpa1752
1636 J. Henshaw Horæ Succisivæ (ed. 4) 300 God..doth..not requite it with a little, or inch out His blessings.
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 267 In the inching out of the possibilitie of our assurance by nice distinctions.
5. To divide or graduate into inches; to mark with lines an inch apart.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.1c1000
n.2c1425
v.1599