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kingn.Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian kening , koning , kenig (West Frisian kening ), Old Dutch cuning , cunig (Middle Dutch coninc , conic , Dutch koning ), Old Saxon kuning , (rare) kunig (Middle Low German kȫninc , kȫnich ), Old High German kuning , kunig , (rare) chunch (Middle High German küninc , künic , künc , German König , †Künig , †Köng , †Küng ), and (with ablaut variation in the suffix) early Scandinavian (runic: Sweden) kunungR , Old Icelandic konungr , kóngr (Icelandic konungur , kóngur ), Old Swedish konunger , konger (Swedish konung , †konug , kung ), Old Danish koning , konung , konug , kong (Danish konge , (arch. or poet.) konning ), Old Gutnish kunungr , apparently < the Germanic base of Old Icelandic (poetic and rare) konr kinsman, descendant, son, man (see kine- comb. form1; compare kin n.1) + the Germanic base of -ing suffix3.Borrowings into other languages. The Germanic word was borrowed into the Slavonic and Finnic languages: compare Old Church Slavonic kŭnędzĭ prince, ruler, Russian knjaz′ prince, Polish ksiądz priest (see knez n.), Finnish kuningas king, formerly also lord, master, Estonian kuningas king. Compare also later borrowings into the Baltic languages ( < a Middle Low German form corresponding to the β. forms): Old Prussian konagis king, Lithuanian kunigas priest, formerly also lord, master. Early sense development. The original meaning of the Germanic word is frequently assumed to be ‘descendant of a (royal) family’ (compare atheling n.). Such an emphasis on genealogical descent would accord with the practice of royal succession in Anglo-Saxon England, where royal families were traditionally reputed to descend from Germanic gods, and successors to kings were chosen from close family members. However, while there is similar evidence for such a concept of kingship in other older Germanic contexts, an alternative form of early Germanic kingship based on military leadership and acclamation is also attested. Thus, it is alternatively possible that the word originally had a somewhat wider sense, e.g. ‘leader of a kinship group’ (compare use of kin n.1 in senses such as ‘people, nation’); compare Old English dryhten drightin n., Old Icelandic fylkir (compare folk n.), Gothic þiudans (compare thede n.), all words for ‘ruler, lord’ ultimately derived from words for ‘people, nation’. It is unclear how much sovereignty or power was originally implied for bearers of the Germanic title. It has been suggested that the term may have originally denoted a lower rank than the Germanic base of Old English þēoden and Gothic þiudans , ruler, prince, king (compare thede n.). Moreover, multiple kingship is historically attested for some Germanic tribes. However, in Anglo-Saxon England instances of multiple kingship are apparently the result of kingdoms achieving domination over one another politically, whereas kingship itself was conceived of as essentially monarchical already in Old English. Form history. In Old English usually a strong masculine; in late Old English perhaps also (rarely) a weak masculine. Genitive plural inflection in -ene , etc. (compare Old English weak genitive plural -ena ) is attested frequently in early Middle English and occasionally survives into the 15th cent. The β. forms show loss of the nasal consonant in the suffix. The γ. forms show loss of the vowel in the suffix (with concomitant loss of one of the nasals or simplification of the consonant group). Variation between at least two of the form types corresponding to the α. , β. , and γ. forms is recorded in all Germanic languages from the earliest period of their attestation. (For similar variation in another Germanic derivative of -ing suffix3, compare penny n.) In Old English the γ. forms are especially typical of late West Saxon prose, although attestations are already found as early as the late 9th cent. The α. and β. forms are not recorded after the mid 12th cent. outside late copies of material of Old English composition, with the exception of one early Middle English instance that may alternatively show a transmission error (see quot. a1225 for King of kings n. a at Phrases 3a(f)). A few isolated early Middle English forms with stem vowel -u- (i.e. kug-, gug- at γ. forms), attested only in compounds in Genesis & Exodus, apparently show influence from early Scandinavian; the loss of -n- is unexplained and may result from simplification of the consonant cluster. Specific senses. Compare Anglo-Norman and Middle French, French roi king (see roy n.2) and its etymon classical Latin rēx , both of which have similar semantic ranges. In use with reference to the biblical Book of Kings (see sense 1b) after Liber Regum (Vulgate), Regum (6th cent.), both used as names of the book. With use with reference to the prosecution in a court of law (see sense 1e) compare rex n.1 1b. Use in a number of legal phrases is already found in Old English in Anglo-Saxon Law; compare e.g. king's handgrith at handgrith n. In king of men at sense 3 after ancient Greek ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν, lit. ‘leader of men’. With use with reference to the Christian God (see sense 4a) compare post-classical Latin rex (4th cent. in this sense); with King of heaven compare post-classical Latin rex caelestis (5th cent.), and also heaven king n. With use with reference to festivals or ceremonies (see sense 5 compare post-classical Latin rex convivii (5th cent.); compare also Middle French roi (15th cent. in this sense). With use with reference to persons comparable with a king (see senses 4c, 5) compare early use as byname and surname, e.g. Ælwine se Cyng (1050–71), Wuluricus le King (late 12th cent.), Gaufridus le King (late 12th cent.), etc., although the motivation for the (very common) byname in individual cases is unclear. With use with reference to chess (see sense 11a) compare post-classical Latin rex (a1200 in British sources in this sense), Middle French roi (1176 in Old French in this sense); all ultimately after Persian šāh king, name of a chess piece (see shah n.). Compare also earlier Old English cyningstān , lit. ‘king stone’, apparently denoting an important piece in a board game. With use with reference to card games (see sense 11b) ultimately after the corresponding use of Arabic malik (c1500 or earlier in this sense: see malik n.), probably via Italian re (1475 in this sense). Compare French roi (1661 in this sense). With sense 13 compare earlier king post n. 1. Compounds. Some early compounds are attested alongside earlier or more common compounds with kine- comb. form1 as the first element. Compare discussion at kine- comb. form1 and also at kingdom n. I. Senses referring to a sovereign ruler, god, or leader. 1. society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > king > [noun] society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > royalty > [noun] > royal person(s) > king society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [noun] > titles applied to royalty > for a king or ruler eOE (Kentish) Royal Charter: Æðelberht to Wulflaf (Sawyer 328) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly (2013) 735 Se cyning sealde & gebocade Wullafe fif sulung landes. eOE (Parker) anno 577 Her Cuþwine & Ceawlin fuhton wiþ Brettas & hie iii kyningas ofslogon, Coinmail & Condidan & Farinmail. eOE (Parker) anno 875 For Godrum & Oscytel & Anwynd, þa iii cyningas, of Hreopedune to Grante brycge mid micle here & sæton þær an gear. OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris (1868) 1st Ser. 302 Þæs cyninges rihtwisnyss arærð his cynesetl. lOE (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1124 Se king let don þone eorl Waleram & Hugo Gerueises sunu on heftnunge on ðone castel. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 272 Þeȝȝ haffdenn..kingess off hemm sellfenn. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Calig.) (1978) l. 12281 Þider weoren icumen. seouen kingene sunen. c1325 (c1300) (Calig.) 8179 He smot þoru out wiþ a launce on of hor hexte kinge. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 263 (MED) Wel nygh al þe kyngyn lynage [L. regium genus] of straunge naciouns come of þis Woden. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 3382 Ysmael had wijfs thrin þat kinges tuelue þar come of him. a1475 J. Fortescue (Laud) (1885) 119 (MED) What dishonour is this, and abatynge of the glorie of a kynge. 1535 (heading) ii. f. xxvv Feare God. Honoure the kynge [1382 Wyclif Make ȝe the kyng honourable; 1388 onoure ȝe the king]. 1576 W. Lambarde 204 They be so ready,..not to aunswere, but to offer, force and violence, euen to Kings and Princes. 1608 W. Shakespeare xx. 105 I euer inch a King when I do stare, see how the subiect quakes. View more context for this quotation 1613 S. Purchas 836 Their Kings were no other then the chiefe in every Cottage, which consisted of one kindred. 1677 T. Middleton Appendix 31 in J. Spottiswood (ed. 4) The King is an absolute and unaccountable Monarch. 1718 M. Prior 275 What is a king?—a man condemn'd to bear The public burden of the nation's care. 1796 S. T. Coleridge Relig. Musings in 160 The Great, the Rich, the Mighty Men, The Kings and the Chief Captains of the World. 1843 W. H. Prescott I. i. ii. 25 The title of King, by which the earlier Aztec princes are distinguished by Spanish writers, is supplanted by that of Emperor in the later reigns. 1852 J. S. Watson tr. Velleius Paterculus i, in 426 About the same period, Athens ceased to be ruled by kings, its last monarch being Codrus, the son of Melanthus. 1921 L. Strachey iii. 57 Mere power would have held no attractions for him; he must be an actual king—the crowned head of a people. 1945 W. S. Churchill (1946) 141 We have a King and Queen well fitted to sit at the summit of all that the British nation stands for. 2014 3 June 30/4 Juan Carlos became king two days after the death of Franco in 1975. society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > Old Testament > divisions of Old Testament > [noun] > Kings OE tr. Bede (Otho) v. Concl. 482 Eft on cyninga bec [L. in Regum librum] xxx questionem. OE Ælfric Old Test. Summary: Judges (Laud) Epil., in S. J. Crawford (1922) 414 Se Israhel..mislice ferde, oð þæt hi fengon to ciningum, swa swa on ‘Cininga Bocum’ ys full cuð be ðam. a1382 (Douce 370) (1850) 4 Kings (heading) The fourthe of Kingus [Bodl. 959 the fourthe book of Kyngis]. a1382 Prefatory Epist. St. Jerome in (Bodl. 959) (1959) vii. l. 131 By al nameȝ o rewe & ioyntours of wordeȝ: outelaft storyes in þe boke of kyngeȝ ben ytouched & questiouns..of þe euangely ben made open. c1425 (Queen's Oxf.) (1850) 1 Kings Prol. 1 In this book of Kingis the first is contened, how Anna..axide of God to haue a sone. a1475 J. Fortescue (Laud) (1885) 110 The viijth chapiter of the first boke of kynges. 1535 ii. f. xxvv (heading) The first boke of the kynges, otherwyse called the first boke of Samuel. 1581 J. Baker i. sig. A.viiv We knowe not the names of those men that wrote them, as..the booke of Kinges, and the Chronicles, and such like. 1613 A. Gibson 50 Nebuchadnezar..carryed him to Babell, as it is in 2 Kings 25. 1661 T. Pierce 11 Look upon Solomon in the Book of Kings, and again look upon him in Ecclesiastes, how was he there lifted up by his prosperity? 1700 78 The first Book of Kings begins with an Account of a new Rebellion hatcht against David. 1759 B. Kennicott II. iv. 433 These 3 verses are not in Kings, but seem absolutely irreconcileable with what is there recorded. 1819 S. T. Coleridge (1959) IV. 917 Two thirds of the sentences..read exactly like the Book of Kings. 1863 A. C. Hervey in W. Smith II. 36/1 Some details are given of a battle in which Jehoash was defeated, which are not mentioned in Kings. 1968 21 Mar. 26 His wife dumbfounded the vicar by producing a Bible and quoting from the Second Book of Kings. 1990 W. E. Mills et al. 489/1 Kings is a composite work compiled by editors who selected..material derived from earlier sources. 2013 (Nexis) 4 June The Prime Minister..will be giving one of the readings from the Book of Kings. society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > king > [noun] > woman c1325 (c1300) (Calig.) 869 Hennin & Morgan..adde despit þat womman king ssolde alonde beo. 1654 J. Trapp (Hosea xiii. 1) 167 Jezabel..did all under her husband, she was King, and he Queen. 1735 42 Sitting between the Queen-Mother, and Maria the young King. 1796 E. Burke Fourth Let. Peace Regicide Directory France in (1812) IX. 53 The Hungarian Subjects of Maria Theresa..called her..a King... She lived and died a King. 1874 Feb. 179/1 When Christina of Sweden had herself crowned King (not Queen) no serious objection was made. 1898 30 Aug. 4/5 After the King died his consort determined that her daughter should be a King, not a Queen. 1948 A. J. P. Taylor (new ed.) 15 The Hungarian nobles declared that they would die for their King, Maria Theresa. 1983 J. A. Michener iii. 56 She..was crowned king..not queen, for the Polish nobles wanted to preserve dynastic links to their original kings. 2011 M. Van De Mieroop vii. 172 After her husband's death, in or shortly before 1473, she was crowned king of Egypt. society > society and the community > social attitudes > patriotism > [noun] > objects of allegiance society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > faithfulness or trustworthiness > fidelity or loyalty > [noun] > to sovereign or government > to a monarch > object of allegiance in a monarchy 1563 B. Googe sig. E.iv Thy kyng and Countrey for to serue thou dydste not feare to dye. 1625 F. Bacon (new ed.) 135 Be so true to thy Selfe, as thou be not false to Others; Specially to thy King, and Country. 1699 G. Lesly sig. B2 Vent'ring all for King and Country's sake. 1716 R. Coleire 16 Men of Spirit and Fortune, who wou'd have stood by their King and Country with their Lives and Estates. 1773 C. Jennens iii. 204 O Jonathan! how nobly didst thou die, for thy King and Country Slain! 1803 M. Wilmot Jrnl. 25 May in M. Wilmot & C. Wilmot (1934) i. 11 Tis pleasant to see how true the Britons are to their King & Country. 1881 Nov. 25 To fight ‘for king and country’ is an ambition which nowadays occupies but a small space in men's minds. 1913 J. M. Barrie i. 15 If..death or glory was the call, you would take the shilling, ma'am... For King and Country. 1965 ‘A. Nicol’ 48 Kill for food, kill dangerous things, kill for King and country. 2006 Dec. 10/3 A tribute to all the local boys that have to sweat it out in the jungle for the sake of King and Country. society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > accusation, allegation, or indictment > [noun] > one who accuses of crime > the prosecution 1675 J. Brydall 89 (note) The Bishop of Rosles Case... The King v. March. 1760 G. E. Howard II. 546 It seems that the Justices cannot go into a Disquisition... [With reference to the case of] the King against Burgess. 1818 (title) The King versus Merceron: the trial of Joseph Merceron, Esq., before Mr Justice Abbott, in the Court of King's Bench. 1996 I. Omar v. 115 (note) Challenges to preventative detention by habeas corpus or otherwise [in wartime] were almost wholly excluded. See The King v Halliday, [1917] A.C. 260. society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [noun] > titles applied to royalty > for a king or ruler > placed before name eOE Royal Charter: Wiglaf of Mercia to Minster at Hanbury (Sawyer 190) in H. Sweet (1885) 453 Ðes friodom waes bigeten aet Wiglafe cyninge mid ðaem tuentigum hida aet Iddes hale. OE 161 On Herodes dagum þæs cyninges wæs swiþe mycel æweweard, þæs noma wæs Zacharias. OE Writ of Cnut, Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 985) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly (2013) 1058 Cnut cing gret Lyfing arcebisceop & Godwine bisceop..& ealle mine þegnas twelfhynde & twihynde freondlice. lOE (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 1066 Þa þe cyng Willelm geherde þet secgen, þa wearð he swiðe wrað. lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius (Bodl.) (2009) I. i. 244 Þa manigfealdan yfel þe se cyning Ðeodric wið þam cristenandome & wið þam Romaniscum witum dyde. ?a1160 (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1132 Ðis gear com Henri king to þis land. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Calig.) (1978) l. 15655 Oswald..gon wende..to-ȝeines þan kinge Penda. c1325 (c1300) (Calig.) 7573 King Macolom spousede Margarete so; Ac king willam..Wende aȝen to normandie. 1416 in 84 (MED) The regne of Kyng Henry the fyfte after the conquest. c1450 (?c1400) (Cambr. Ee.4.32) (1886) 14 Þerfore god sent to Eȝechias þe kyng. 1535 Matt. i. 6 Dauid the kynge begat Salomon. 1577 R. Holinshed II. 369/1 Kyng Stephen..fell in hande to besiege the residue of those places which the rebels kept. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. v. 66 The lawfull Heire Of Edward King, the Third of that Descent. View more context for this quotation 1641 sig. C The people hath it to this day, King Henry loved a man. 1711 J. Addison No. 129. ¶10 We fancied ourselves in King Charles the Second's Reign. 1785 W. Cowper vi. 265 Two staves, Sung to the praise and glory of King George. 1846 E. Robinson I. ix. 111 The bull..which dissolved the marriage of King Louis with his cousin. 1896 May 448/2 King Khama's visit to England last year. 1906 S. J. Weyman xix. 191 He must not be blamed if he felt as King Cophetua when he stooped to the beggar-maiden. 1955 J. R. R. Tolkien v. vi. 120 ‘What burden do you bear, Men of Rohan?’ he cried. ‘Théoden King,’ they answered. ‘He is dead. But Éomer King now rides in the battle.’ 1958 P. Kemp (1960) v. 84 As convinced Republicans the Ballists were opponents of King Zog. 2008 1 Nov. (Mag.) 75/1 Bushy Park, once the hunting grounds of King Henry VIII. eOE (Parker) anno 488 Her Æsc feng to rice & was xxiiii wintra Cantwara cyning. OE (Parker) 2 Her geendode eorðan dreamas Eadgar, Engla cyning, ceas him oðer leoht. lOE (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1127 Mid him held se kasere of Sexlande & se kyng of France & se kyng Heanri of Engleland. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 7010 Þurrh þe king off rome burrh himm ȝifenn wass þatt riche. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Calig.) (1963) l. 6648 Þe king of Norewæiȝe..& þere Densemonne king. c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 1700 in C. Horstmann (1887) 155 To crouny þene kyng of Engelonde. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng (Petyt) (1996) i. 11669 Ffirst com Epistrot, þe kyng of Grece,..Pandras, kyng of Egipte. c1470 tr. (Cleveland) (1977) 49 The werre that Nabugodonosor, king of Babiloine, made to them. a1500 Rule Minoresses in W. W. Seton (1914) 81 (MED) Alisaunder pope..condescendinge & enclinyd to þe supplicacions of..þe nobel kinge of Frauns. 1587 A. Fleming et al. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1371*/2 The enterprise..to be defraied by the pope and king of Spaine. 1611 T. Coryate sig. O2v Came that..scourge of God into Italy, Attila King of the Hunnes. 1686 N. Luttrell Diary in (1857) I. 390 The King of France hath had a relapse of his distemper. 1720 A. Pope tr. Homer V. xix. 54 The King of Men, Atrides, came the last. 1781 E. Gibbon II. xviii. 92 The..king of the Goths..boldly passed the Danube. 1835 C. Thirlwall I. v. 129 He leads an army against Augeas, king of Elis. 1889 T. H. Huxley in Mar. 438 Karl, King of the Franks, consecrated Roman Emperor in St. Peter's, on Christmas Day, a.d. 800. 1936 3 Feb. 9/1 The Pope regarded the late King of England as the greatest personal power..for the security of peace. 1961 P. Green tr. Z. Oldenbourg i. 8 The great barons of the North..were by no means all loyal to the French King. 2014 1 Oct. 31/2 For most of his life Prince Nicholas [Romanov] was a stateless person who travelled abroad on a letter issued by the King of Greece. 4. A male person or being whose authority or pre-eminence is comparable to that of a king. the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > as ruler eOE (Kentish) Will of Ealdorman Ælfred (Sawyer 1508) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly (2013) 810 Gehalde hine heofones cyning in þissum life ondwardum & eac swa in þęm towardan life. OE Cynewulf 27 Syððan wuldres cyning, engla ordfruma, eorðan sohte þurh fæmnan hrif, fæder manncynnes. c1225 (?OE) (Worcester) (Fragm. E) l. 39 Ne biþ he ne [nam]mare undon, ær cume þæs heiȝe kinges dom. a1275 Doomsday (Trin. Cambr.) in C. Brown (1932) 43 Ho sculen isen þene kyng þat al þe world wroutte. a1300 Passion our Lord l. 322 in R. Morris (1872) 46 (MED) Of þe kynge of heuene none reuþe hi nedde. c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring (1891) 192 Þou, Christ, art kynge of glorie [1534 Prymer in Eng. Thou art the kynge of glorye O Christe]. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 8100 Pine on þat tre thole he sal þe king o blis. c1480 (a1400) St. Paul 966 in W. M. Metcalfe (1896) I. 56 He..[at the] last Iugment sall bryng nere hand all men befor þe kyng. a1513 H. Bradshaw (c1525) sig. c.iiiv Our lorde god, the kyng of glory Sheweth his myghty power day by day. 1580 Sir P. Sidney tr. xxiv. vi Even He the King of glory hight. 1667 J. Milton v. 640 Th' all-bounteous King, who showrd With copious hand. View more context for this quotation 1690 C. Ness I. 77 Neither will the King of Heaven accept of thy slight and slubberd services. 1743 E. Young 18 Who is the King of Glory? He who left His Throne of Glory, for the Pang of Death. 1781 W. Cowper 179 What purpose has the King of Saints in view? 1810 July 242 God manifest in the flesh, King of righteousness and King of peace. 1871 E. F. Burr iv. 68 The King whose twin names are Light, and Love. 1952 R. Paxson iii. 89 This coming will be the coming of the King in great power and resplendent glory. 1989 M. Z. Brettler 162 Unlike his human counterparts, the king of heaven is fully able to control his officials. 2013 23 Aug. 23/3 ‘You, Christ, are the King of Glory’ had a brilliant regality to it. the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > demigod or hero the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > fame or renown > famous or eminent person > [noun] eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius (Otho) (2009) I. xxiii. 491 Ða cleopode se hellwara cyning & cwæð: Wutun agifan ðæm esne his wif. OE Cynewulf 437 Þu in ecne god, þrymsittendne, þinne getreowdes, meotud moncynnes, swa ic in minne fæder, hellwarena cyning, hyht staþelie. c1225 (?c1200) (Bodl.) (1934) 38 (MED) Sathanas..is keiser & king icrunet of us alle. c1330 (Auch.) (1966) l. 283 (MED) Þe king o fairy wiþ his rout Com to hunt him al about. a1382 (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Job xli. 25 He [sc. Leviathan] ys king vpon alle the sones of pride [L. rex super universos filios superbiae]. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 592 Were hym leuere..With pluto kyng as depe ben yn helle As Tantalus. c1450 (1900) 9 (MED) Feendys..sett a brennyng chayre in whiche here kyng as prince of feendys sate on hyȝe. 1567 (1897) 12 Distroy the Deuill..Quhilk of this warld is Prince and King. a1592 R. Greene (1599) i. sig. B2 Pluto king of darke Auerne. 1663 J. Mayne tr. Lucian sig. Rr1 Being King of the Gods, and able, by the demission of a coard, to draw up earth, and sea. 1685 E. Sherburne tr. Theocritus Idyll XVI in N. Tate 156 Oh mighty Jove! Father of Gods! Heav'ns King! 1777 J. Lightfoot I. 510 Love in Idleness..is doubtless the herb to which..Shakespear attributes such extraordinary virtues in the person of Oberon king of the fairies. 1792 D. Watson tr. Horace (new ed.) II. 108 Great Jupiter, king and father, grant that my weapon may perish with rust. 1822 tr. Xenophon iii. i. 70 The dream seemed to him to be indeed from Jupiter the king. 1844 J. Leitch tr. C. O. Müller xiv. 244 He was doomed to serve the king of the subterraneans. 1923 D. A. Mackenzie xiv. 272 Indra was in Vedic times the king of the gods. 1992 G. Hancock iv. xiii. 325 Osiris went through a process of resurrection to become god of the dead and king of the underworld. 2012 D. Cornell 83 When sailors cross the line of the Equator for the very first time, they must be initiated by Neptune, King of the Sea. c. society > authority > [noun] > those in authority > person in authority > person in supreme authority > in sphere or class OE (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1017 Cnut cining aflymde ut Eadwi æþeling & Eadwi ceorla kyning. a1350 in R. H. Robbins (1959) 10 (MED) Þe webbes ant þe fullaris..token Peter Conyng huere kyng to calle. a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer (Hunterian) (1891) l. 6068 Falssemblant..My kyng of harlotes shalt thou be. 1509 A. Barclay (Pynson) f. ccxliv He is kynge of dronkardes and of dronkenes. 1599 J. Davies 98 Why made he man of other creatures king? 1623 H. Holland in W. Shakespeare sig. A5 Those bayes, Which crown'd him Poet first, then Poets King. 1653 No. 57. 449 Man is never constant though he be the King of Reason. 1779 No. 23. ⁋3 He was not suffered to play with his equals, because he was to be the king of all sports. 1793 R. Burns in G. Thomson I. i. 17 He's the king o' gude fellows, and wale of auld men. 1821 P. B. Shelley xlviii. 23 The kings of thought Who waged contention with their time's decay. 1888 May 106/2 This is the age of business; the business man is king. 1929 M. Lief 302 The King of the Tabloids sat in his counting-house counting up the two and a half million circulation gained through the..scandal. 1981 30 June 31/2 (advt.) A never before assembled album of original RCA recordings of the King of Rock 'n' Roll—Elvis Presley. 2004 (Nexis) 12 Oct. 6 Extensive staff training underpins the mantra that the customer is king. the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [noun] > chief of its or his kind 1829 T. Steele 78 Mr. Peel will be as little remembered as any of the ‘cotton Kings’. 1884 S. E. Dawson 154 Here the fur-kings of the North-West lived and spent their profits in generous hospitality. 1894 23 380/2 Relics of the palmy days of the old sugar kings of Jamaica. 1907 Apr. 393/1 One thing to their credit may be said of the railway kings of to-day: they are not railroad wreckers. 1943 G. Seldes & H. Seldes ii. 22 Thyssen, who had feared the collapse of his empire, came out king of coal and steel again. 1979 R. Jaffe (1980) i. i. 22 Her father had become the shoe king, owning a chain of shoe stores all over the east. 2015 (Nexis) 31 May 20 The casting director of Miami Vice..asked me to play a drug king. c1448 in W. Hudson (1906) I. 345 (MED) John Gladman of Norwich..made a disporte with his neighburghs..crowned as King of Kristmesse. 1519 W. Horman xxxii. f. 279v It is the custome, that euery yere, we shal haue a may kynge. 1660 G. Havers tr. M. de Scudéry IV. ii. 127 According to the order of great Feasts made at Rome, a Thaliarch or King of the Feast [Fr. Roy du festin] ought to be nominated..to choose the divertisments for the company. 1726 tr. F. de S. de la Mothe-Fénelon 115 He was immediately chosen king of the feast [Fr. Roy du festin]. 1839 R. F. Williams II. vii. 171 The youthful Shakspeare played the part of king of the festival, and in princely sort he did it too. 1898 12 Mar. 250/3 This is the..congregation of the carnival kings and queens and maids of honor. 1916 1 July 24/2 The Carnival opened with Boreas Rex, King of the Carnival, greeting his subjects in a grand parade. 1974 Apr. 14/2 It's five a.m. Carnival has been officially declared open, and King J'Ouvert (old mask) starts his reign. 2015 C. L. Elick i. 42 During the madness of carnival..a festival king is crowned and then decrowned. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > shipboard games > [noun] society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [noun] > others 1681 12 Apr. 2/1 I thought to have gone to telling of Winter Tales, Once upon a time, &c. or to Cross purposes, or King I am, or some such pretty diversion. 1709 Jan.–Feb. 43 [The Greeks] had likewise their Basilinda, representing our Questions and Commands, or King I am. 1785 F. Grose King Arthur, a game used at sea... It is performed thus: a man who is to represent king Arthur..is seated on the side or over a large vessel of water, every person in his turn is to be ceremoniously introduced to him, and to pour a bucket of water over him, crying hail king Arthur! 1825 J. Jamieson Suppl. II. 18/1 King of Cantland, a game of children, in which one of a company being chosen King o' Cantland, and two goals appointed.., all the rest endeavour to run from the one goal to the other [etc.]. 1849 (new ed.) 36 King Cæsar,...Should the King..succeed in intercepting one of them [sc. the other players], he claps him on the head with his hand three times, and each time repeats the words, ‘I crown thee, King Cæsar’. 1854 C. H. Waterman tr. 33 The Elements, choose a king of this game, in whose hands a ball of thread is placed, [etc.] 1916 N. Douglas 5 There are other ball-games, such as hot rice..and king and missings out. 1969 I. Opie & P. Opie iii. 140 The Victorian schoolboys' excuse for a rough-house called ‘King Caesar’ or ‘Rushing Bases’. 1969 V. Bartlett v. 62 The names of several London games listed by Norman Douglas have historical origins. Among them are King Caesar, King of the Barbary.., and Chinese orders. 2001 78 The Great Garbage Game,...Each team will try to dethrone the other team's king or queen by throwing garbage at them (paper balls). 7. With the and capital initial. the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [noun] > drinking intoxicating liquor > drinking to each other or toasting > a toast > to the king 1763 C. Churchill 1 The King gone round. 1786 J. O'Keefe (new ed.) i. iii. 16 We crack'd a joke, And drink the King, and sing & smoke. 1858 W. M. Thackeray I. x. 131 The two British officers of Halkett's, Captain Grace and Mr. Waring, both drank the King. society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > types of song > [noun] > national or patriotic song 1932 30 Apr. 554/2 Programme to-night as follows:—British Movietone News. Sunshine Susie. Mickey Mouse. The King. 1959 I. Jefferies vii. 95 The band played the King and we all stood up. 1967 R. Harris iii. 34 We applauded, stood for ‘The King’. 1860 A. G. Mackey (U.K. ed.) 167 King, the second officer in a Royal Arch Chapter. 1871 16 I appointed Companion J. L. Hammond to the office of King. 1915 43 A communication to Companion A. Gimmel, King of the chapter. 1996 S. C. Bullock ix. 247 Besides the high priest that presided over the Royal Arch chapter, companions chose a king, a scribe.., and grand masters of the First, Second, and Third Veil. II. Extended uses. 9. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > superfamily Apoidea (bees) > queen bee a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xii. 1144 If þe kyng of been [L. regi apum] his wynge were y kutte..þe swarme schulde nought passe out of þe hyue. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) §394 Thise flyes, þt men clepe bees, whan they maken hire kyng they chesen oon þt hath no prikke, wher with he may stynge. a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve (Harl. 4866) (1897) l. 3375 (MED) Senek seith how þe kyng and þe ledere Of bees is prikkeles. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. (Rawl.) (1898) 181 (MED) The kynge of bees Is wythout a styngill. 1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin iv. f. 34v But do bees resort together out of all the world to choose them one kyng? 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault i. x. 48 He shall make cleane their hiues verie carefully and kill their kings. 1642 W. Prynne i. 4 Though all other Bees have stings,..yet the King among the bees hath no sting at all. 1710 13–16 Oct. The Kings are bred of the Brains. 1747 R. Maxwell 46 This Sound..proceeds, I suppose, from the young King, giving Signal to his Company to make ready for a March. 1818 W. Kirby & W. Spence (ed. 2) II. xix. 122 According to him, the kings (so he denominates the queen-bee) generate both kings and workers. 1841 Oct. 217/1 The king of bees, is the largest, and most beautiful among them. 1917 May 438/1 Like the ants, the bees have their king. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Isoptera > member(s) of (termites) > fully developed male 1781 (Royal Soc.) 71 188 I do not mention the king in this case, because he is very small in proportion to the queen. 1847 W. B. Carpenter II. Appendix 569 The royal chamber, so called on account of its being adapted for, and occupied by, the king and queen, is situated near the centre of the hillock. 1895 D. Sharp in V. 361 Termites live in communities... The king and queen may be recognised by the stumps of their cast wings. 1915 1 May 3/3 The king termite continues to inhabit the cell with the queen. 1954 F. C. Lane 102 But the termite ‘king’ may enjoy a long life with his queen in their royal chamber. 2014 E. O. Wilson viii. 81 At maturity it begins to reproduce, releasing virgin queens and kings to start new nests. 10. the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [noun] > supreme object in a class or group c1425 J. Lydgate (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 1027 (MED) A charbocle, kyng of stonys alle..tenlumyn in þe blake nyȝt. 1599 W. Shakespeare ii. ii. 27 Two such opposed Kings encamp them still, In man as well as hearbes, grace and rude will. View more context for this quotation 1609 W. Shakespeare i. 56 Her thoughts the King, Of euery Vertue giues renowne to men. View more context for this quotation 1683 W. Harris x. 138 The Caustick Oyl of Vitriol, and Spirit of Niter, are singly keen enough, but joyned together.., nothing but Gold, the King of Metals, can stand before them. 1728 A. Pope ii. 249 Thames, The King of Dykes. 1796 E. Hamilton I. 185 The King of worshipped places, the renowned Allahabad. 1834 F. Marryat I. xiv. 205 He taught me a fisherman's bend, which he pronounced to be the king of all knots. 1886 Jan. 151/2 Mr. Hope's great blue diamond, a king among gems, was loved by its owner. 1920 Oct. 76/2 Silk stockings only—cotton is taboo—lisle thread is frowned upon—silk is king! 1958 2 Oct. 540/1 Mr. Organ Morgan, that amiable if local exponent of the King of Instruments in Under Milk Wood. 2009 A. J. Baime vii. 75 He had to take the Cobra overseas, where the Ferrari was king of the road. a1450 in R. L. Greene (1935) 220 (MED) Qwete is a spyce, a wol good on, Kyng that is of euery corn. 1579 E. Spenser Feb. f. 5 A goodly Oake..Whilome had bene the King of the field. 1634 R. Brathwait xxviii. sig. G8 Though the Pippin be held to be the king of Apples, yet is the Crab of an ancienter family then he. 1697 W. Dampier xi. 311 The Plantain I take to be the King of all Fruit, not except the Coco it self. 1733 J. Tull v. 41 Wheat..is the King of Grains. 1786 R. Burns 23 John Barleycorn, Thou king o' grain. 1832 J. Baxter (ed. 2) 14 Winter Sauce Apples..King of the pippins. 1842 Jan. 131/1 The pine is king of Scottish woods. 1910 Apr. 211/1 (heading) Where the cactus is king. 1977 Mar. 191/2 (advt.) King of all berries..the all-time biggest, easiest-to-train, climbing strawberry. 2005 D. Burke 46/1 If there was a hierarchy of garden plants, the blue spruce would be considered to be the king of all plants. society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [noun] > mock title 1823 28 Nov. That lamentable overthrow of the well-marshalled forces of King Caucus. 1861 Jan. 25/3 Mr. B. Long, produced one hundred and seventy eight bushels per acre...If there was no mistake in the measurement, ‘King Corn’ must install Mr. Long, as Prime Minister. 1893 May 271 There is a rival to King Sugar, but the old monarch is not dead yet. 1908 21 Mar. 14/1 The Americans pin their faith on the energetic reign of ‘young King Alcohol’ when he ascends the throne which for so long has been occupied by ‘Old King Coal’. 1979 (Nexis) 24 July a1 (headline) Cotton, wheat and corn bowing to the reign of King soybean. 2015 (Nexis) 16 Mar. 22 Ethanol is big money, and King Corn is up there with the big boys in DC tending to their corporate welfare. 1839 Nov. 329/1 Cash is king of the Exchange, but exchange rules cash. 1855 D. Christy (title) Cotton is king or, The culture of cotton, and its relation to agriculture, manufactures and commerce; [etc.]. 1884 W. Shepherd 121 The dollar is king here as elsewhere. 1943 E. K. Brown i. v. 20 Canada is a nation where the best-seller is king. 1984 8 Aug. 26/7 Durham was very much a moderate area, producing redoubtable right-wing leaders... That was when coal was still king hereabouts. 2008 20 July (Business section) 5/3 Gold had attractions but for now, cash is king. 11. In games. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > pieces > king ?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve (Royal 17 D.vi) (1897) l. 2120 (MED) Somwhat I knowe a kynges draught. 1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville (Caxton) (1859) i. xxii. 27 Whan that a pown seyith to the kyng, chekmate! 1562 tr. Damiano da Odemira sig. Aviij Yf checke be geuen to the Kyng, the Paune can not marche asyde..for to couer his Kynge. 1597 G. B. tr. M. H. Vida Scacchia Ludus in tr. Damiano da Odemira sig. A4 When checke is giuen to the King, the Pawne cannot passe the barres of his way, for to succour him. 1645 Z. Boyd 443 Kings, Pawnes, Knights, Aphens heere and there stand; yet there wood is one. 1735 J. Bertin p. vi Never attack, or defend the king, without a sufficient force. 1750 tr. G. Greco p. xiii The King leaps over the Rook [when castling],..into the Queen's Bishop's Place. 1841 G. Walker (ed. 3) 15 The Bishop is able..to confine and pin the Knight, until the King or some other piece comes up and takes him. 1890 R. F. Green v. 17 The White Knight..attacks both the Black King and Queen. 1914 F. J. Marshall 22/2 After submitting to the loss of two Pawns, his logical course is to attack the King at all costs. 1957 I. A. Horowitz 52 White's King must move, after which Black picks off White's Queen. 2006 Dec. 47/1 The king reaches safety, and for Black the middlegame begins in earnest. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > picture-card > king 1563 J. Foxe 1298/1 Thoughe it were the Kyng of Clubbes. a1593 C. Marlowe (c1600) sig. A6 Since thou hast all the Cardes, Within thy hands..thou deale thy selfe a King. 1645 E. Gayton 2 Though at Gleeke, the Knave in Number be More then the King; Yet, the precedency Is given to him in play. 1674 C. Cotton xii. 121 At French-Ruff..the King is the highest Card at Trumps. ?1720 ii. 11 He who has several Kings may call one of those he has in his own Hand. 1769 tr. Abbé Bellecour (new ed.) 122 King, Knave, Seven and Three of Spades. 1848 W. M. Thackeray lxiv. 586 Caned..for carrying four kings in his hat besides those which he used in playing. 1879 ‘Cavendish’ 160 His partner..has his last trump drawn, and the ace and king of diamonds make. 1931 E. Linklater 180 He paid up to see Spider's hand and saw three kings. 1960 T. Reese 115 All follow to the Ace and King of hearts but the Queen does not drop. 2002 A. Bellin i. 12 I'm pretty sure that no one has a set of kings because the betting was too light. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > billiards, pool, or snooker > [noun] > table > peg a1672 P. Skippon in F. Willughby (2003) 102 He that playes first, standing at the end wher the King stands, carryes his ball as farre as he can reach with his staffe & then strikes it with his Biliard staffe. 1688 R. Holme iii. v. 262/2 The King is the little Pin or Peg standing at one end of the Table, which is to be of Ivory. 1873 J. Bennett & ‘Cavendish’ 4 The peculiarity of the game at this time consisted in the use of a small arch of ivory called the ‘port’.., and of an ivory peg or king, placed..at the other end of the table. 1985 N. Clare 6/1 You can see the..‘port’ and also the ‘king’ or ‘peg’ in early illustrations of billiard tables. 2010 S. Boru 2 Points were gained by passing the ball through the ‘Port’ or hitting the ‘King’. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > draughts > [noun] > crowned piece 1677 G. Miege at Damer To double a man, or make a King at Draughts. 1733 No. 376. 156 The game of Polish Draughts, where you will see the whole Board engaged in the important business of making Kings. 1756 W. Payne 54 [On square] No. 13 a Black Man, 14, 15 Black Kings; 22, 23 White Kings, and Black to move. 1820 313 When any man gets onwards to the last row on the end of the board opposite to that from whence his colour started, then he becomes a king. 1877 VII. 445/2 The game proceeds until one of the players has all his men and kings taken, or has all those left on the board blocked. 1933 Jan. 4/2 After six moves the player whose king represents the largest number of points wins the game. 1981 G. Brandreth 143 When a piece reaches one of the four squares at the far edge of the board it is promoted to a ‘king’. 2004 May 108/2 The checker-player in the corner double-jumps a king. the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > treating or processing textile fabric > [noun] > putting nap on > teazle > class of 1766 6 2 The largest heads which are sound, and are such as grow on the middle stem of each branch, are..called kings. 1797 J. Billingsley (new ed.) 111 Teasels..are separated into three different parts, called kings, middlings, and scrubs. 1818 W. H. Marshall II. 457 The central shoot of each plant called the ‘king’ is cut, the produce of the second and subsequent cuttings are sorted into ‘queens’, ‘middlings’, and ‘scrubs’. 1897 311 Experiments show that, if the ‘kings’ be removed before the blossoming season the other teasels will attain larger size. 1916 Jan. 288/2 The first cutting generally includes all the ‘king’ heads. 1975 J. L. Jones vii. 50 The Somerset teasel growers bunched their harvested heads in three categories—‘Kings’, ‘Middles’ and ‘Smalls’. society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > framework of building > [noun] > roof-beam > rafter > posts 1811 12 Truss framed with King Posts..Do. with Kings and Queens. 1891 J. MacDonald (ed. 4) III. 382/2 Tie-beams, 9 inches by 4; principals, 7 inches by 4; kings, 9 inches by 4. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > artificial fly > salmon flies 1867 F. Francis x. 343 I would prefer purple and green kings. 1874 Mar. 284/1 A salmon in that glorious stream must be tempted with turkey and mallard feathers deftly manipulated into ‘green kings’. 1900 12 Sept. 305/2 Princess Victoria is said to believe in the good qualities of a heavier rod, and, for salmon-fishing, a Green King fly. 1971 Nov. 96/2 The larger streamers, about 3-inches—Gray Ghost, Green King, Barred Lady,..brought the smallmouths with a rush. 2010 M. Radencich Introd. p. ix An example of the absolute simplest salmon fly possible, the Black King. PhrasesOE 28 Cyning sceal on healle beagas dælan. lOE Distichs of Cato (Trin. Cambr.) lxxx, in (1972) 90 15 Wa þære þeode þe hæfð ælðeodigne cyng—ungemetfæstne, feoh georne, & unmildheortne—for on þære þeode byð his gitsung, & his modes gnornung on his earde. a1300 in (1900) 31 15 (MED) Þar þe child is kinge, and þe cherl is alderman..wa þene lede. c1450 (?a1400) (BL Add. 31042) l. 33 (MED) Ane hert..of body grete, And a coloppe for a kynge, cache hym who myghte. 1539 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus sig. A.iiij Multae regum aures, atque oculi. Kynges haue many eares & manye eyes. 1546 J. Heywood i. xii. sig. F Where as nothyng is, the kyng must lose his ryght. 1591 ii. sig. E v A King is a King, though fortune do her worst. 1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes iv. xii. 429 A Kings crumme is more worth then a Lords loafe. 1659 J. Howell Eng. Prov. 3/1 in The Kings cheese goes half away in parings; viz., among so many Officers. 1689 R. Milward 27 The King can do no wrong, that is no Process can be granted against him. 1752 B. Franklin 212 Kings have long Arms, but misfortune longer. 1788 R. Burns 16 Aug. (2001) I. 306 The old Scots Proverb says well—‘King's caff is better than ither folks' corn’. 1844 7 227/2 It is true indeed, that the king never dies; the demise is immediately followed by the succession. 1864 20 Aug. Constitutional aphorists tell us that the King can do no wrong. 1892 H. R. Haggard vi. 43 Kings have many ears. Could he have heard? 1969 D. R. Cressey ix. 206 The ‘law of the land’ does not apply to him. The king can do no wrong. 2010 P. Walker (2011) iii. 152 You will not be pardoned for that. Remember, the King has a long arm. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 46 Oure hoost..gan to speke as lordly as a kyng. ?1565 sig. A.ivv I wyll make as mery as a kinge. 1578 T. Lupton sig. C.j I euer haue ynough wherewith I am content, So that contentation makes me as rich as a king. 1644 xliv. sig. Bv He thought himselfe as happy as a King. 1694 P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais xvi. 70 Which made the Dog get on his Legs, pleas'd like a little King, or two [Fr. aise comme vn Roy ou deux]. a1732 J. Gay New Song Similes in (1784) II. 117 Full as an egg was I with glee, And happy as a king. 1767 W. Dodd Pref. Mod. Pastorals 210 I think myself as happy as a shepherd.., and as rich as a king. 1831 20 He entered the house, calling out, ‘Mother, mother, I'm as rich as a king!’ 1847 Let. 7 May in (1849) 10 149 I am always as happy as an angel, as content as a king. 1920 H. St. J. Cooper lxv. 478 Gibbins was installed in Mrs. Bagley's front bedroom, as happy as a king. 1968 V. Hamilton 204 He got to thinking hard about old Mr. Drear dying wealthy as a king. 2013 (Nexis) 8 Dec. A man..can be as poor as a church rat, and yet be as happy as a king. P3. Phrasal combinations with of and following noun. a. General uses. (a) king of the castle n. 1811 9 The committee visited the school in the master's absence, and found this excellent lad, to use a school-boy's expression, ‘king of the castle’. 1927 6 Sept. 7/7 My daughter's young man wants to be king of the castle,..and the trouble is that the missus thinks more of him than she does of me. 1978 J. G. MacGregor xi. 159 At Edmonton House he was the king of the castle. 2015 (Nexis) 2 Nov. Hollywood's king of the castle, Steven Spielberg, has been in subdued mode for some time. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [noun] > others 1843 (Paris ed.) 39 King of the Castle. One player gets on the top of a little hillock or mound of earth, and styles himself ‘King of the Castle’; from this eminent station his playmates must..pull or push him off. 1892 G. A. Hutchison xxix. 463 In King of the Castle the king stands in the centre on a hillock or box or platform, and defends it against all comers. 1928 41 107 Standing upon a stone, a player says,—‘I am the king of the castle, And you are the dirty rascal,’—and the other players try to dislodge him. 1985 T. Ferguson (1988) viii. 273 His friends were standing on the chairs..and playing King of the Castle on top the TV. 2012 (Nexis) 10 Nov. My famously antisocial daughter was charging around playing king-of-the-castle with a handful of girls. (b) c1448 in W. Hudson (1906) I. 345 (MED) John Gladman of Norwich..made a disporte with his neighburghs..crowned as King of Kristmesse. a1689 A. Behn Mem. Court King of Bantam 13 in (1697) Hail, King that Wou'd be! Hail, thou King of Christmas! All Hail, Wou'd be King of Bantam! 1796 J. Gutch tr. A. Wood II. 136 Letters under seal were pretended to have been brought from some place beyond sea, for the election of a King of Christmas, or Misrule. 1837 N. Hawthorne 84 All the hereditary pastimes of Old England were transplanted hither. The King of Christmas was duly crowned, and the Lord of Misrule bore potent sway. 1926 L. F. Salzman iv. 99 At the head of all the riotous fun was ‘the lord of misrule’, one of the servants, who wore a fantastic costume and held absolute sway as King of Christmas. 2009 106 322 The Black Books for Lincoln's Inn provide only a few details about the Christmas revels. It is clear, however, that a ‘King of Christmas’ was chosen, with attending officers. (c) the world > the universe > sun > [noun] 1596 J. Davies sig. B Vnder that spangled skye, fiue wandring flames, Besides the King of Day, and Queene of Night, Are wheel'd around. 1607 J. Day et al. sig. B4v Our King of day, and our fayre Queene of nights, Walke ouer vs with their perpetuall lights. 1697 T. Cheesman (single sheet) The Sun that great resplendent King of Day, Compar'd with him, is but a lump of Clay. 1727 J. Thomson 10 Yonder comes the powerful King of Day, rejoycing in the East. 1755 F. Fawkes tr. E. Halley in Misc. Corr. 4 in Thron'd in the center glows the king of day, And rules all nature with unbounded sway. 1823 T. Campbell Last Man 35, in 8 273 Yet mourn I not thy parted sway, Thou dim discrowned king of day. 1879 H. T. King 7 Nature hails in bright array Her bosom's lord the king of day. 1903 S. J. Marshall ix. 80 The warm embrace of that great orb of light and heat, the King of Day. 1998 P. Haydn ii. 6 The Sun became identified as the King of Day, the God of Light. (d) society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldry > herald > [noun] > King of Arms 1538 J. Husee Let. 9 Apr. in (P.R.O.: SP 3/12/39) f. 42 At whose buryall ther was the kyng of haraldes, a harald and a pursywuant. 1607 J. Cowell sig. Qq1v King of Heradls [sic]..is an officer at Armes, that hath the preeminence of this Society. 1724 J. Anstis II. 281 No Person was advanced to be a King of Heralds without passing through the Office of an Herald at Arms. 1842 J. Burke & J. B. Burke p. ii No King of Heralds, or his subordinates, shall wear any armour. 1977 O. Neubecker 12 At their head stood a king-at-arms or king of heralds, followed by the heralds a step below. 2011 R. A. Johnston I. 334 The leader of the heralds was called the king of heralds, or king of arms. (e) king of the hill n. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.) 1921 8 Nov. 2/6 After Rex had introduced his new muzzle to all the other dogs, he was king of the hill. 1962 27 Jan. b18 (caption) Art Wall Jr., new ‘king of the hill’ of NBC-TV's ‘All-Star Golf’ show defends his title against Bob Rosburg today. 1998 9 Feb. (Nagano Diary Insert between pages 44 and 45) Norwegian king of the hill Terje Haakonsen is boycotting today's freestyle half-pipe event. 2012 N. Silver iii. 97 One moment, they were the king of the hill in high school; the next, they are..reading about their failures on the Internet. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [noun] > others 1928 22 Apr. iv. 5/2 An exciting game of ‘King of the Hill’ was played, after which the scouts sat around the camp fire. 1940 1 Dec. 360/1 Men of giant stature—Drake and Hawkins.., Nelson, and De Grasse—played king of the hill on every hump of Antillean land. 1980 47 152/1 We played ‘king of the hill’ in the cool shade of the shed, with one or another of us standing at the top of the pile and fending off challengers. 2012 F. Starsburger vii. 51 King of the Hill..has no really satisfactory ending, because whoever wins has made a pack of enemies, each of whose goal is to replace him. (f) King of kings n. the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > the Trinity > the Son or Christ > [noun] OE 203 Ealle eaðmodlice to þæm cyninga Cyninge, to Criste sylfum, onhnigan. c1175 ( Ælfric's Homily on Nativity of Christ (Bodl. 343) in A. O. Belfour (1909) 78 He ane is God & allre kynges kyng. a1225 (c1200) (1888) 95 He..is alre kiningene [perhaps read kingene] kyng. c1384 (Royal) (1850) Apoc. xvii. 14 For he is Lord of lordis and kyng of kyngis[1611 King James For he is Lord of Lords, and King of kings; L. Dominus dominorum est et rex regum]. a1513 W. Dunbar (1998) I. 182 To him that is of kingis king. 1559 (STC 16292a Prelim. No. 2) Letany sig. B.iiiiv O Lorde oure heauenly father, high and mightye king of kinges, Lorde of Lordes, the only ruler of princes. 1654 W. Dewsbury (title page) He..is exalting Jesus Christ to be King of Kings, to go before his Army which he hath raised up in the North of England. 1695 T. Ken (rev. ed.) 145 Keep me, O keep me King of kings, Under thy own Almighty Wings. 1752 T. Hudson i. 100 Thou Holy One of Israel, King of Kings..Ritely we praise. 1817 Aug. 239 God is a great King, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, what shall we say? 1894 J. M. Foster ii. 90 It is our purpose to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ as the King of kings. 1926 Feb. 15/3 Speak true, live pure, right wrong, Follow the King of Kings. 1971 14 May 86/1 Jesus Christ,..the same King of Kings and Lord of Lords who walked on water. 2008 Oct. 20/1 These are eternal truths declared by the Lord of life and the King of kings. society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > king > [noun] > high or chief king a1382 (Douce 369(1)) (1850) 1 Esdras vii. 12 Artaxerses, king of kingus [L. rex regum], to Esdre, the prest. a1552 J. Leland (1715) I. ii. 547 Edwarde de Bruse,..proclayming hym self King of Kinges yn Ireland. 1603 R. Knolles 571 Solyman by the grace of God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, greatest Emperour of Constantinople..to the reuerend Father Phillippus Villerius Lilladamus.., greeting. 1647 N. Ward 48 There is a quadrobulary saying, which passes current in the Westerne world, That the Emperour is King of Kings, the Spaniard, King of Men, the French, King of Asses, the King of England, King of Devills. 1715 A. Pope tr. Homer I. ii. 565 The King of Kings, majestically tall, Tow'rs o'er his Armies, and outshines them all. 1769 O. Goldsmith II. xi. 298 The king of Parthia, in one of his letters, styled himself king of kings. 1815 J. Malcolm I. vi. 92 The son of Babek was hailed..with the proud title of Shahan Shah, or King of Kings. 1876 A. Arnold in June 32 The King-of-Kings graciously signified his willingness to accept. 1975 11 Sept. 7/1 Emperor Haile Selassie I, ‘King of Kings, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah’, is dead. 2008 May 24/2 The king of Kosrae was the king of kings and lived in a fabulous fortress. (g) (i) king of the mountain n. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > other children's games > [noun] > others 1933 23 Feb. 31/1 ‘King of the Mountain’, the game of climbing to the top of a snow pile and shoving those down who attempt to dislodge you. 1991 M. Halvorson 95 Two of them are playing king of the mountain, trying to push each other off a big mound of dirt. 2008 K. Hemphill xxi. 144 The game begins..when someone climbs to the top of a high mound of dirt and declares himself to be ‘king of the mountain’. 1967 27 Mar. 42/3 U.C.L.A. [basketball team] is king of the mountain, with unanimous backing to remain there for two more seasons. 1971 46 63/1 It is the very nature of the judgmental process in the humanities that makes the hero role more vague in its outlines, and the king of the mountain always stands on shifting sands. 2012 T. Wendel (2013) ii. 38 While the Celtics' comeback against the favored 76ers certainly earned national headlines, baseball remained king of the mountain. (ii) 1953 20 Mar. 3/3 A four-day massed start bicycle race... There will also be team awards, as well as a special ‘King of the Mountains’ award. 1991 27 July 11/1 The result sheets, blue for the stage results, yellow (of course) for the overall standings, green for the points contest and red for the king of the mountains. 2004 J. Wilcockson (2005) ii. 41 The man gleaning the highest total over the twenty-three days is called the King of the Mountains and gets to wear a red-and-white polka-dot jersey. (h) society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > various non-Christian superiors > [noun] > Roman c1540 J. Bellenden tr. Livy (1901) I. iii. xiii. 300 Grete Iupiter and romulus..and all þe remanent kingis eftir him succeding, & þe kingis of sacrifice, ar callit men. 1579 T. North tr. Plutarch 172 It neuer came to be his happe to be yerely gouernour, nor keeper of the lawes, nor King of the sacrifices. 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch 871 The officer at Rome called Rex sacrorum, that is to say, the king of sacrifices. 1668 J. Wells lii. 741 It was not lawful for the King of the Sacrifices..to see a work done on their holy days. 1700 P. Danet sig. Bbb3 The Wife of the King of the Sacrifices was called Regina. 1781 E. Gibbon III. xxviii. 71 The King of the Sacrifices represented the person of Numa, and of his successors, in the religious functions, which could be performed only by royal hands. 1862 N. Darnell tr. J. J. I. von Döllinger II. vii. ii. 66 The wife of the king of sacrifice was styled ‘queen’, and had to assist him in certain sacrifices. 1884 Apr. 350/2 The King of the Sacrifices—Rex Sacrorum—offered on this day a sacrifice upon the Comitium. 1988 J. Stambaugh ii. 18 The Domus Publica..housed the ‘King of Sacrifices’, who performed on behalf of the state the sacred rites that had been the king's responsibility. 2009 S. Hitch (title) The king of sacrifice: ritual and royal authority in the Iliad. 2012 J. Rüpke i. 19 Ritual tasks..were in the postmonarchic state performed by the supreme pontiff (pontifex maximus) and the ‘king of the sacrifices’ (rex sacrorum). b. With reference to animals. (a) As the name of an animal, typically one that is larger, more colourful, or more valued as food than others related to it. Cf. Compounds 4c. (i) 1829 E. Griffith et al. VI. 403 The King of the Ant-eaters [Fr. le Roi des fourmilliers]..is about the size of a quail, and its grey plumage is agreeably variegated. 1845 J. F. South in XXII. 378/1 It is the rarest of the genus, and is called King of the Anteaters by the inhabitants of Cayenne, on account of its size. (ii) 1810 V. 542/2 Among these fish there is sometimes found one distinguished by colours more beautiful and bright: this the fisherman [sic] call ‘the king of the breams’. 1843 R. Hamilton (Naturalist's Libr.: Ichthyol. IV) I. 175 This fish is known at Brixham by the name of Pandora, and King of the Breams, and sells for half as much more as the common Sea-bream. 1904 F. G. Aflalo iv. 125 The Pandora, or King of the Breams (P. erythrinus), which is red, with blue spots. 1954 M. Kennedy iii. 114 Travis Jenkins gives popular names as Pandora, King of the Breams and Spanish Bream. (iii) 1616 P. Hay ix. 163 The Bees haue their King, the Cranes haue their leader, the Herring of the sea, and the creeping Ants haue the same.] 1703 M. Martin 143 There is big Herring almost double the size of any of its kind, which leads all that are in a Bay... This Leader is by the Fishers called the King of Herring. 1755 A. Berthelson tr. E. Pontoppidan ii. vi. 144 They have always a leader of their own species, which is eighteen inches long, and proportionably broad. This is related by Martin, in his Description...The fishermen call this Fish the King of the Herrings [Dan. Silde-Konge], and never touch him. 1803 G. Shaw IV. ii. 194 This fish [sc. Regalecus Glesne] is said to be generally seen either preceding or accompanying the shoals of herrings in the northern seas, for which reason it is popularly known by the title of King of the Herrings. 1810 IV. 431/2 Daubenton..calls it [sc. Chimæra monstrosa] ‘king of the herrings,’ probably because it feeds on herrings. 1834 24 July The King of the Herrings has been decidedly murdered... He was 22 inches long, 12 inches round, and 3½lb. weight. 1863 J. G. Wood (new ed.) III. 316 Except in size, the Shad bears a very close resemblance to a herring, and in some places is called the King of Herrings. 1885 III. 207 The popular name of opah, and king of the herrings. 1905 A. Sedgwick II. 158 C. monstrosa L., King of the Herrings; attains 3 or 4 ft. 1973 J. Grigson 181 The shad, of whatever kind, is a fine fat member of the herring family–it is sometimes known as the king of the herrings. 2012 J. Eyers v. 71 Several creatures fit the bill, particularly the King of Herrings, which isn't actually related to herrings at all. (iv) 1752 J. Hill III. 265 The red Smoothheaded Trigla, without any beards. The King of the Mullets. 1838 1 352 The very few Basse (Labrax Lupus, Cuv.) taken in Belfast bay..are generally captured along with M[ugil] Chelo, and are hence called ‘white mullet’ and ‘king of the mullet’. 1880–4 F. Day I. 9 White-mullet and king of the mullets, Belfast. 1899 15 Dec. 880/1 Apogon maculatus (Poey). King-of-the-mullets. This species has been recorded from Florida, the West Indies, and Brazil. 1957 28 Oct. 6/8 The name they have for it in County Down is ‘King of the Mullet’. 2001 P. V. August et al. 24 (table) Apogon imbrebis. King-of-the-mullets. Adventitious Visitor. 2007 P. S. Maitland ii. 292/1 It has a variety of alternative common names, including Bass, King of the Mullet, Salmon Bass, School Bass, Sea Perch, White Mullet. (v) 1889 King of the salmon, a fish Trachypterus altivelis. 1894 4 Feb. 15 A smaller fish of this type..is occasionally taken off our coast and known as king of the salmon. (Trachypterus rex-salmonorum.) The Chinnock [sic] Indians believe that if this fish is caught the salmon will cease running. 1959 10 Dec. 2/5 The King of the salmon is occasionally seen on the surface of the water off Canada's west coast. 1983 W. N. Eschmeyer & E. S. Herald v. 121 (heading) King-of-the-salmon Trachipterus altivelis. (vi) 1885 S. Fallows at Becker A fish of the genus Pagrus, otherwise called braize or king of the sea-breams. 1904 4 123/2 These include..a fine Becker (Pagrus vulgaris), or, as it is sometimes called, King of the Sea Breams. (vii) the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > [noun] > family Estrildidae (wax-bill) > genus Estrilda the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [noun] > subfamily Viduinae (whydah) > types of the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > seed eaters > family Ploceidae > [noun] > subfamily Ploceinae (weaver) > genus Guplectes (bishop-bird) 1913 C. Pettman 260 King of six, a King Williamstown name for the Rooibekje (q.v.). The reference is to the number of females by which the male is generally accompanied during the breeding season. 1931 R. C. Bolster 133 Of the two Bishop Birds, the Black and Yellow one is said to be polygamous, whence the name ‘King of Six’ in the vicinity of Cape Town. 1972 89 210 On the dust jacket is a viduine finch, this one a King-of-six. (b) As a name for an animal regarded as pre-eminent within a broad class or type. (i) the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Felidae (feline) > [noun] > genus Panthera > panthera leo or lion OE Homily (Junius 121) in (1972) 13 1002 Seo leo bið cyng & ealdor ealra reðra wilddeora.] a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) vi. l. 2167 As leon is the king of bestes. a1450 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (Bodl.) xviii. lxiv Hatte leo kinge for he is kinge and prince of al oþer bestes. 1481 W. Caxton tr. (1970) 3 How the kynge of alle bestes the lyon helde his court. a1500 (?a1450) (Harl. 7333) (1879) 57 (MED) A lyon is kyng of bestes. a1513 W. Dunbar (1998) I. 166 The king of beistis mak I the [sc. the lion]. a1670 S. Collins (1685) i. ii. xviii. 269 A Lion, the King of Beasts, is furnished with a Stomach, having larger Dimensions in the bottom, and toward the left side, and more narrow toward the middle. 1727 W. Nelson 60 He who had beaten the King of Beasts, should never afterwards encounter an inferior Creature. 1836 11 June 185/1 Some of the most remarkable passages both in the Old and the New Testament allude to the distinguishing qualities of this majestic animal, so commonly designated the king of beasts. 1871 20 Mar. The lioness was driven to the back part of the cage, the door was raised, and the king of beasts was pushed into his den. 1900 24 Mar. 1/5 The heroic demeanour of the terroriser of the king of beasts in the lions' cage. 1946 6 Sept. 5/4 The lion-tamer, of course, does not compel the king of beasts to do his bidding by physical force. 2015 (Nexis) 2 Aug. 20 They had been tracking the lion on foot for hours, and now, under a scorching Kalahari Desert sun, the king of beasts stood a mere 25 yards away. (ii) the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > eagles > eagle 1538 T. Elyot Trochilos, a lyttell byrde, whiche is callyd kynge of byrdes. 1575 G. Turberville 8 This is that Eagle whome we call the Egle royall, king of byrdes, and sometimes the byrde of Iupiter. 1640 J. Shirley v. I3v The small thing is King of birds. 1640 J. Howell 72 The King of Birds..with fullsummd wings fastning his Talents East and West. 1714 39 (header) Of the King of Birds, or the little King, called the Robin-Red-Breast. 1746 E. Haywood IV. xix. 53 Of what Advantage would it be for us to fly..or could soar with the King of Birds. 1840 J. J. Audubon I. 50 When at a great height in the air, its gyrations are uncommonly beautiful..and becoming the majesty of the king of birds. 1890 26 Dec. 6/6 In Ireland the wren is called the king of birds. 1937 4 May 12/4 I would suggest that probably the origin of the name ‘Royal Wren or King of Birds’ goes back to Saxon times. 1943 Apr. 23/1 Bill was truly of royal blood, justly called through the ages, the King of Birds, and he looked the part. 2008 C. Berry i. 18 The third, his voice not yet broken, sang a song about the king of birds ‘caught in the furze’. 2012 2 Feb. a5/6 He is the bird of Odin, Sky and Sun Gods for Native Americans, Zeus' bird, the symbol of Christ, of Napoleon, of Peter the Great, of Vishnu. He is the King of Birds. (iii) 1590 W. Clever 97 Ruellius with many other excellent writers, doe commend the Sammon king of fishes, which of verie nature ministreth great safetie to the body of man, both in sickenesse and health. 1602 R. Carew i. f. 29 Lastly, the Sammon, king of fish, Fils with good cheare the Christmas dish. 1857 29 Nov. 5/5 We omitted..to name the Book of the Salmon amongst the works written by Ephemera, and an important one it is from its sterling and accurate account of the natural history of the king of fish. 1911 F. Ward v. 80 Notices have appeared in the Press such as ‘salmon caught in the Thames’, or in some other waters equally uncongenial to the King of Fishes, the fish caught really being a sea-trout. 1982 29 Apr. 286 The Thames Water Authority has successfully restocked the capital's main waterway with salmon—the king of fish. 2011 M. Halls xvii. 211 They were after salmon, the king of fish. (iv) the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > eagles > eagle c1475 (?a1410) J. Lydgate Churl & Bird (Harl.) in (1840) 183 Or an egle, undir strayte kepyng, Called also king of fowles everichone. a1513 W. Dunbar (1998) I. 166 Syne crownit scho the Egle king of fowlis. 1650 J. Burroughs et al. viii. 4 Though the Eagle the King of Fowls, and of a brave spirit, yet he was unclean. society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Biblical personages > Three Kings > [noun] OE Ælfric (Cambr. Gg.3.28) iii. 19 On ðisum dæge wearð Crist mancynne geswutelod, ærest ðam þrym cynegum þe him lac brohton. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 7432 Þa þre kingess lakedenn crist..Wiþþ recless. & wiþþ gold. & ec Wiþþ myrra. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris (1873) 2nd Ser. 45 Þe þre kinges þe comen of estriche. c1300 St. Katherine (Laud) l. 125 in C. Horstmann (1887) 95 Þre kinges of ouwer lawe..lok him brouȝten. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 43 Rauph bisshop of Coloyne brouȝt þe bodies of þe [þre] kynges of Coloyne [L. tria magorum corpora] out of Melan. c1450 (?a1370) (1990) l. 503 To þe kirke of Colayne þer þe kynges ligges. a1500 (?c1400) (Titus) (1886) 2 [Þe] þree holy and worshipfull kyngis of Coleyn: Iaspar, Melchyor, and Balthaser. ?a1600 ( R. Sempill Legend Bischop St. Androis in J. Cranstoun (1891) I. xlv. 375 As Culen Kyngis that Christ adorned, Per aliam viam he returned. 1656 T. Blount at Balthasar One of the Magi, or wise-men, vulgarly called the three Kings of Collein. 1699 T. Dorrington 328 We were waiting..to see the famous Relicks of the Three Kings. 1728 T. Salmon VIII. 154 Three Tombs.., which according to the Tradition of the Place belonged to the three Wise Men.., from hence called the three Kings of Colen. 1795 A. Radcliffe 111 We did not see the tomb of the three kings of Jerusalem, whose bodies are affirmed to have been brought here from Milan in 1162. 1823 W. Scott II. vii. 168 He himself vowed a pilgrimage to the three Kings of Cologne. 1889 J. Whitehead iv. 405/1 The Pudding of the Three Kings—Is a very rich plum pudding... The spices and the good things represent the gifts of the three kings of Cologne. 1944 30 Oct. 2/2 Here are buried the bones of the three kings of Cologne—Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. 1978 S. R. Daly tr. J. Ruiz 407 The three kings came With presents rare and dear To praise and revere. 2015 (Nexis) 24 Dec. a2 The painting brings together three events central to the story of Christ's birth—the nativity in the manger, the adoration of the shepherds, and the three kings. a1475 (?a1410) J. Lydgate Churl & Bird (Longleat) in E. P. Hammond (1927) 109 I..Hade gret tresour..Whiche might haue made me..With thilke stone to haue lyued like a kyng. 1598 tr. J. de Serres 98 Hee would liue like a king, command like a king, and be in the Louure like a king. 1625 Abp. J. Williams 67 Our onely comfort is this, that as he liued like a King, so he died like a Saint. 1652 tr. M. de Cervantes (new ed.) iv. iii. f. 75 Thou shalt not want a Lordship wherein thou mayest live like a King. 1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer vii. 101 They would allow him such a Sum as would enable him to keep up his Grandeur, and live like a King. 1782 F. Burney V. ii. 22 Left that lord's house, where he might have lived like a king, and gone out into the wide world! 1820 16 Dec. The place altogether far exceeds my expectations, I shall by and bye be able to live like a King. 1882 D. C. Beard xvi. 159 If you have any sort of luck with your rod, gun, or traps,..you can ‘live like a king’. 1937 June 113/3 (advt.) Travel and see the country—live like a king..for far less than staying at home. 1973 V. Teresa & T. C. Renner xxii. 254 Louie the Fox lived like a king, but he was tight as a crab's ass when it came to paying taxes. 2015 (Nexis) 22 Sept. 55 He lived like a king and..borrowed heavily to protect a luxurious lifestyle. P6. Phrases associated with the names of particular kings. See also King Alfred n., King Charles n., King James n. a. the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > injury to head or face 1611 R. Cotgrave Balafre, a slash ouer the face; a king Harry cut. b. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > neck-wear > [noun] > neck-tie or cravat > cravat > types of 1747 S. Richardson II. i. 5 A King-William-Cravat, or some such antique chin-cushion, as, by the pictures of that Prince, one sees was then the fashion. c. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > other prepared foods or dishes > [noun] 1887 413 King Henry's Shoestrings.—Make a batter with 1/ 4 lb. flour, 1/ 4 pint milk, a piece of butter.., the juice of a lemon, and powdered loaf sugar to taste. 1915 M. H. Neil 92 King Henry's Shoestrings. ¼lb. (1 cup) flour, 4 yolks of eggs, [etc.] 1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais xxii. 99 After supper were brought in..the books of the foure Kings. [No corresponding phrase in the French original.] 1700 E. Ward 7 He mov'd to a Table by the Fire-side, which was begirt with Students, Contemplating on the History of the four Kings. 1760 S. Foote i. 32 Come, shall we have a dip in the history of the Four Kings, this morning? 1842 17 Dec. 398/4 By eleven o'clock,..our books of the four kings are generally laid aside. 1852 15 June Gambling there is reduced to a science; the history of four kings is thoroughly studied. 1903 18 Feb. The inspectors report that the prisoners only employment is reading and studying the history of the four kings. P8. 1681 E. Conway Let. 8 June in Galway Corporation Bk. B in (1908) 125 Mathew Quynn hath proceeded so far as to procure his Majesties lettre from the other office, but meeting with a Caveat at the signet, where it is to be entred, petitioned the King in Council. 1747 in (1851) V. 101 The Order of the King in Council which was directed to be laid before us. 1830 3 High Sheriffs are nominated by The King in Council. 1949 8 Dec. 3 An order is to be submitted to the King in Council bringing the Lands Tribunal Act, 1949, into operation on January 1, 1950. P9. 1835 July 43/2 Were I emperor or king for a day I would condemn every person who professed himself a disciple of this ‘well enough’ school to the tread mill for a year. 1935 19 Dec. 9/6 The folks hit upon the idea of making Walt king for a day... Mounting the town's fire truck, Walt rode up and down the ‘main drag’ while thousands lined the sidewalks and cheered. 1992 S. Gray (1993) 203 I made up my mind..to totally satisfy him... Shanti would be king for a day. 2016 (Nexis) 18 Apr. 3 Celtic are still the top team in Scotland but Rangers fans can enjoy being kings for a day. 1859 L. F. Simpson tr. J. A. Brillat-Savarin iv. 59 Man, by divine right, king of all he surveys [Fr. roi de toute la nature]. 1880 1 115 Truly, is not carbolic acid king of all it surveys? 1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer ii. xvii. 210 He-man among he-men of this town is Amon Carter, king of all he surveys, one of the richest men anywhere. 2016 J. Batten xxix. 180 I stood there, holding my coffee cup gingerly, looking out over the city, feeling like the king of all I surveyed. Compounds C1. eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in W. G. Stryker (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1951) 213 Fercula, cyninggereordo. OE Charter: Ealdorman Æðelred to Berkeley Abbey (Sawyer 218) in F. E. Harmer (1914) 20 Ic heo gefreoge..þæs gafoles þe hio nu get to cyninges handa ageofan sceolan of ðam dæle þe þær ungefreod to lafe wæs þære cyningfeorme. 1483 (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 203 A kynghouse, basilica, regia. 1833 T. Carlyle Diderot in 11 280 Some Pullus Jovis, in plush cloak and other gilt or golden king-tackle. 1841 T. Carlyle v. 297 Strip your Louis Quatorze of his king-gear, and there is left nothing but a poor forked radish with a head fantastically carved. 1938 Jan. 65 The King strode through the hall..proud in his king-robes. b. 1798 Mar. 306 They were schools of astrology, theosophim, dæmonism, and king-worship. 1844 T. B. Macaulay Earl of Chatham in (1887) 821 The Tories..who had always been inclined to King-worship. 2006 G. Tiffany iii. 72 Through much of the Middle Ages king worship was a religious movement that was at times..identical with the real veneration of saints. C2. society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > cardinal > [noun] > acting as king c1450 (1900) 9 (MED) Þe kyng deuyl seyde to hym, ‘Ode, þou hast lovyd wel ese & reste.’ 1577 R. Holinshed II. 1801/2 The King Dolphin and Queene of Scottes his wife. 1614 J. Sylvester v. 437 My King-God, weary of War's tedious toile, In Ninive..Made Publique Feasts. 1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher ii. ii. 19 This is the Cardinals doing: The King -Cardinall. View more context for this quotation 1826 W. E. Andrews II. 198 On the second day the king-pope [sc. Henry VIII] came down to the house. 1850 H. Rogers in Oct. 171/2 The first James..was fit for nothing except to be king-pedagogue of a nation of pedants. 1862 H. Marryat I. xxxv. 446 Horrified at the domestic misery of her king-brother. 1908 H. H. Johnston I. xx. 448 The Governors-General or heads of departments representing the King-Sovereign in Africa. 1987 M. Spariosu in M. Calinescu & D. Fokkema (1990) iv. 64 An eccentric..king-scholar who edits and annotates a long poem. 2011 46 204 The king-god, the embodiment of the cosmic and earthly order, disappeared, and the model of secular ruler appeared. b. Objective. 1563 A. Neville tr. Seneca sig. B.iiii The Thebane Citie neuer shall, be free from Plagues..Except from thence the Kyng queller [1581 Kingkiller; L. regis caede nocens] forthwith expulsed be. ?1571 tr. G. Buchanan sig. Fiiii The Lordes of the realme..earnestly requirit the publike kyngmurderer to be brought forth to due executioun. 1611 J. Maxwell tr. sig. av The great King-crowner [hath] set vpon his seruants head a crowne. 1652 No. 111. 1734 Serpent-tailes, King-Murtherers, Villanies, and I know not what. 1737 19 Feb. 1/1 The Cromwellians, and Oliver's Rabble of King-Murderers. 1867 5 Sept. 6/2 The offending Monarch..may have a wholesome fear of attracting to his dominions so formidable a race of King-deposers. 1879 4 Aug. 6/1 Leigh has been deputed to the Amatongas, to kindle among them a mercenary friendship and constitute them our King catchers. 1902 A. Lang xii. 157 Logan was a retainer of Bothwell, that meteor-like adventurer and king-catcher. 1996 I. Sharkansky v. 132 Jeremiah's persistent concern with the activities of the kings..suggests an aspiration to be a king maker or king deposer. 2014 C. Wild in B. Quiring 106 The weird sisters are as much king makers as king murderers. 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas (new ed.) ii. iii. 153 The King-maiming Kinglings of Bezec. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iv. iii. 92 The King-becoming Graces,..I haue no rellish of them. View more context for this quotation a1669 H. Foulis (1671) ii. iv. 102 These mutterers of King-murthering. 1699 S.Young 19 The now call'd Church of England, the perjur'd King-dethroning Church. a1711 T. Ken Hymns for Festivals in (1721) I. 311 A Persecution..From the traduc'd, King-murd'ring Sect. c1712 W. Tisdal Let. in J. Stevenson (1920) xv. 399 Milton still stuck to his King-Deposing and King-Killing Doctrine. 1730 (ed. 2) I. 603/1 [Sir Robert Berkeley..affirmed that] the Law knows no such King-yokeing Policy. 1780 W. Cowper 57 That were indeed a king-ennobling thought. 1855 F. Douglass 449 In tyrant-killing, king-hating, people-loving, democratic, christian America. 1919 Apr. 8/2 Washington, and Putnam, and Paine, and all that immortal king-hating brood. 1994 G. M. Brown 143 You'll have..blown the ships of the king-murdering French from the face of the ocean. 2012 12 Jan. 84/2 Kevin Spacey offers to turn our discontented winter into glorious summer in the title role of Shakespeare's king-smearing history. society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > royalty > [adjective] > royally born society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > royalty > [adjective] > descended from king 1611 J. Maxwell in tr. Ep. Ded. sig. A5v Diuers famous, and King-fauoured personages. 1614 J. Sylvester tr. J. Bertaut Panaretus 23 in To take their Flight to that King-fauourd Place. 1670 J. Milton iv. 186 Under a Thorn..li'th poor Kenelm King-born. 1795 S. T. Coleridge 66 The king-bred poison of rebellion. 1863 C. Rossetti Royal Princess in I. Craig 2 I, a Princess, king-descended. 1882 Jan. 424/2 The first public essay to break down the king-fostered antipathy between the peoples. 1926 E. R. Eddison ii. 49 There shalt thou, being king-born, learn the trade of kings. 1992 G. Parfitt (ed. 2) Introd. 4 A king-sponsored move away from moderate Protestantism towards Rome. 1952 9 Nov. 51/2 (advt.) The G-E Automatic Blanket puts an end to cold, clammy sheets... King Bed Size..119.50. 1980 23 Mar. (Mag. section) 44/2 You will need..a queen or king sheet. 1996 L. Erdrich 97 Dot turned over, and over, in the wide king bed. 2007 (Nexis) 1 July e25 A spacious retreat custom-made for relaxation and leisure, with soothing colours, soft lighting, and cosy king bedding. C4. a. the world > food and drink > food > meal > feast > [noun] > feasts for other occasions 1472 in J. F. Williams (1913) 8 Of William Plomer and Alice Fewar for a Kyngale. 1600 in G. W. Kitchin (1895) 171 Receipts for the Kingale as followeth for the Sounday after Midsomer Day, Junii xxixo. 1896 A. M. Straton in H. J. F. Swayne Introd. p. xvi The King ales were held on the weeks before and after Pentecost and at the Translation of St. Edmund. 1920 17 75 The summer feast..is often called an ale—a Whitsun ale, a king ale, a play ale, or even a Robin Hood ale. 2011 M. Ingram in S. Doran & N. Jones (2014) v. xxvii. 471 Festivities were not confined to the occasion of the king ale itself, for there was a separate payment for minstrels on May Day. 1830 French Village in M. R. Mitford I. 84 My host informed me that a ‘King-ball’ was to be given at the house of a neighbour. 1886 G. H. Benedict 18 The king ball is placed on the spot, and the player strikes at it with the other colored ball, endeavoring to hole it and his own ball by the same stroke. 1907 J. Tyndall in A. L. Draper VI. 286 The object is to place the balls, including the King Ball, in the holes. 1960 E. A. Davis I. viii. 94 The King Ball had many variations in the villages and communities of French Louisiana. 1990 L. T. Cummins in B. H. Wall et al. (ed. 2) i. 51 Entertainments known as ‘King Balls’, usually held near Epiphany, celebrated the close of the Christmas season. 1993 M. I. Shamos 89/1 English Bagatelle,..bagatelle played with a special king ball, which must be struck by some other ball at the beginning of each round before any score is possible. 1611 J. Speed ix. xi. 556/1 Being perswaded while that King-bane breathed, peace could neither be maintained in the Realme. 1682 E. Settle 16 A Cake of Shew-bread from an Altar ta'ne, Mixt but with some Levitical King-bane, Has sent a Martyr'd Monarch to his Grave. ?1741 E. Moxon 113 To make King Cakes. Take a Pound of Flower, three Quarters of a Pound of Butter, half a Pound of Sugar [etc.]. 1802 15 Jan. A woman, half asleep, came from a back parlour, and on entering the shop exclaimed, ‘O husband, we have lost our King Cake!’ 1908 M. E. M. Davis ii. 14 To-day is King-Cake Day, and there's beans in King-Cakes. 1976 L. Gold i. 30 King cake, gumbo, ice cold champagne. That is what they serve at Mardi Gras, huh? 2015 Feb. 95/2 A multi-week run-up to Fat Tuesday, full of Zulu parades, Indian costumes, King cakes, music and more. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > cards of specific value in game 1850 H. G. Bohn et al. 161 King Card—The highest card unplayed of a suit. 1876 A. Campbell-Walker Gloss. p. xii King-card, the best card left in each suit. Thus if the ace and King were out, the King-card would be the queen. 1885 Oct. 604 If the player on my left gets the lead, he must lead from a suit of which I hold the king card. society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > clay compositions > baked clay > brick > [noun] > brick of specific shape 1826 J. Gwilt 77 The bond may..be preserved by the insertion of a three-quarter bat at the angle in the stretching course: this bat is called a king closer. 1888 C. F. Mitchell i. ii. 18 King Closers are bricks cut so that one end is half the width of a brick. 1944 E. Lucas in R. Greenhalgh ii. 69/2 Rebated jambs are formed by using a special closer, usually a king closer. 2012 J. Collinson 127 Spayed cuts..known as ‘King Closers’ have been introduced on alternate courses. 1868 2 463/1 If..they..attacked the enemy, forcing them back in the direction of the King country, they would have a tract of country difficult for military operations. 1926 J. Devanny i. 9 It lay right on the borderline of the King Country, wherein prohibition reigned. 1944 A. E. Mulgan ii. 58 He took refuge in the King country.., where the defeated Kingites had been left unmolested. 2015 (Nexis) 28 Sept. 5 The Hamilton diocese covering the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and King Country. 1543 f. lxxxiv When Cadwan was of Brytons, kyng elect And crouned was, to rule them and protect. 1650 J. Howell Addit. Lett. i. 3 in (ed. 2) The King of Denmark has buried lately his eldest Son Christian, so that he hath now but one living..who is..shortly to be King Elect. 1741 tr. 59 Hitherto they [sc. the Poles] had refused sincerely to acknowledge and stick to either of the two Kings Elect. 1858 T. Williams I. ii. 24 The leading men drink yaqona with the king elect. 2007 (Nexis) 21 Aug. Even before he's got to the throne, the king-elect..has begun to express some strong views. society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > king > [noun] > other types of king 1789 110 The Emperor of Germany, who is also a King, is not styled the King Emperor; and the Duke of Orleans was styled simply Regent of France, not the Duke Regent. 1861 23 Mar. There is no royal road to solvency, if men—be they king emperors or private persons—will constantly live beyond their incomes. 1902 27 Feb. 11 The King-Emperor is honoured among us [sc. Americans] because he stands for the great people whom he rules. 2015 6 Feb. 33/1 Ninety years..before the death of the last King-Emperor on 6 February 1952, a 24-year-old Prince of Wales set off on a tour of the Ottoman Empire. society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > a play > [noun] > other types of play 1504 Churchwardens’ Accts. Kingston-upon-Thames in D. Lysons (1792) I. 225 At the geveng out of the Kynggam by..[the] cherchewardens amounted clerely 4 l. 2 s. 6 d. of that same game. 1811 D. Lysons (ed. 2) I. 165 (note) The ancient drama of the three Kings of Cologne..was called the King-game or King-play. 1902 D. Moul & G. Thompson i. 13 Another diversion of Kingstonians was the pre-Reformation ‘Kyng-gam’ or King-game, no doubt the pageant of the Three Kings of Cologne. 2010 M. A. Cramer iv. 88 The king game was a peasant festival that was popular during the Middle Ages and Renaissance in several variations. society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > payment or service to feudal superior > [noun] > payment in lieu of service > in lieu of military service > of knight 1325–6 (a1189) in (1825) V. 483/1 Sint quieti..de wapentachiis, et de kingeld, et de denegeld. 1706 (new ed.) Kingeld, Escuage, or Royal Aid. society > communication > indication > insignia > heraldic devices collective > heraldry > herald > [noun] > King of Arms a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in (2002) i. 187 A herrowd of Armes as gret a dygnyte has, Specially kynge harrawd must haue þe principalle place. 1659 J. Harrington 3 Finding a King-Priest in that Commonwealth, (as in ours there is a King-Herald) he concludes that they did set up a King. 1902 12 Apr. 8/2 I assaulted him, but he assaulted my wife first, and I gave him the king hit. 1921 E. Wells 14 Corp., guess we'll give 'em the king hit to-night. 1941 S. J. Baker 41 King hit, a knock-out blow. (2) As for ‘king dick’ [= a leader, boss]. 2014 (Nexis) 27 Oct. 11 She described it as an inexcusable example of a cowardly king hit on an unsuspecting victim. 1915 16 Nov. 4/7 Kennedy walked out of the Mason Dore restaurant.., and seeing Modera on the side-walk ‘king-hit’ him and left him lying on the pavement. 1962 S. Gore 277 ‘King-hit me, the bastard,’ he muttered. ‘With me own gun.’ 2013 C. Tsiolkas (2014) 235 The fat fool was gutted, as though Dan had kinghit him, he was blinking, speechless. the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > point of support > main point of support 1654 R. Vilvain vii. f. 194 This is the King-key of al the Fabric. 1683 A. Bury (advt.) Every text, and its particular key..[must] conform to the Universal Aim of the Gospel, as their Common and Supreme King-key. society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > jurisdiction or territory of specific rulers or nobles > [noun] > of king or royal ruler a1325 (c1250) (1968) l. 1262 His .ix. [son] was tema, for-ðan Is ðor a kuglond teman; And .xii. of ðe [read of ðe .xii.], cedima Het a guglond esten fro ða. society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > royalty > [noun] > list of names of kings society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > king > [noun] > list of kings 1885 7 p. v, (title) The Early Babylonian King-Lists. 1914 E. A. T. W. Budge iii. 27 The famous King-List drawn up for Seti I, and cut upon a wall in a temple built by him at Abydos. 2014 H. Wang ii. 45 Sima Qian's list..is presented as one of a consecutive series of king lists. 1857 J. Morgan Let. 9 Dec. in (1960) I. 328 The natives..interested in the Maori King movement being..opposed to the opening of the road. 1884 J. H. Kerry-Nicholls 6 In 1854,..Te Heuheu..summoned a native council at Taupo, when the King movement began in earnest. 1959 K. Sinclair in J. E. Gorst p. xxiii The King movement survives today, though its followers are less numerous than a century ago. 2004 P. Whitfield (Wanderlust ed.) 37 The loose coalition of the contemporary King Movement still plays an important role in the country. 1959 18 Feb. 4/4 The poor fellow was on ‘a king pair’. 1985 19 June 40/4 He could not have come to the wicket at a worse time. Australia still needed 10 runs to make England bat again and O'Donnell was on a ‘king pair’. 1989 (Nexis) 15 Aug. (Sport section) 27 Cardigan Connor bowled second ball, while the luckless James had the ignominy of a king pair. 2011 P. Johnson & M. Hancock 204 Ryan Harris has got a king pair! He panicked completely and padded up to his first delivery from Anderson, a sharp in-ducker which rapped him on the pad in front of off stump. 1857 5 Dec. 2/1 I have..been using all the influence I possess with the tribe, who claim me as their white man, to dissuade them from joining the king party. 1944 A. E. Mulgan ii. 55 The King party wanted to keep their king and their flag. 2010 J. A. Te Kani Pere et al. 114 A few young men in the King Party who received an education at European schools assumed positions in the King's administration on their return. 1874 6 Oct. 6/3 (advt.) Engraver. Aboriginal King Plates, dog collars, watches, rings..neatly engraved. 1921 3 July 24/3 Bob..took a photo of him and another king and their gin. One had his king plate on. 2008 (Nexis) 3 May 8 Here are..[photos of] male elders wearing king plates presented by Europeans. society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > a play > [noun] > other types of play 1469–70 in H. J. F. Swayne (1896) 13 (MED) Pro ocupacione cuiusdam panni..pro le Kyngplay, iiij d. 1519 in W. L. Nash (1851) 4 Recd in gatheryng wt the kyngplay at Witsontide. 1811 D. Lysons (ed. 2) I. 165 (note) It appears..that the ancient drama of the three Kings of Cologne was..performed at that place,..and that it was called the King-game, or King-play. 2005 120 72 St Edmund's, Salisbury, has accounts that begin in 1461. In 1470 it began to raise money by a ‘king play’. society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > vessels 1862 1 248 Mr. Stringer informed me that he was always accustomed to employ a slightly larger crucible, which is termed the king-pot, in the centre of the bed-plate. 1879 (new ed.) IV. 262 Nine great pots of fire-clay, the largest, or king-pot, being in the centre. 1951 Mar. 7 The contents of the eight small pots, when melted, were emptied into the King pot. society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > bolt > types of 1843 VI. 214 The king rod is 3/ 4 inch, and the two queen rods 1/ 2 inch diameter. 1902 July 175/1 The ceiling can be suspended from the king rods. 2001 Nov. 28/4 Unusual roof structure of hipped ends of timber carried on tension-braced iron tie- and king-rods spanning entire width of warehouse. 1872 W. Crookes tr. R. von Wagner iv. 365 The middle roller is termed the king roller [Ger. König]. 1896 C. H. Cochrane 374 The top roll is called the king-roller, the lower roll, to which the cane is fed, the cane roller, and the other lower roll the bagasse-roller. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > draughts > [noun] > board > specific row 1837 Oct. 66 How provoking when playing a losing game at draughts,..to have your adversary spring over two or three of your unfortunate men, and place his own triumphantly in your king row. 1847 H. W. Longfellow i. iii. 80 Laughed when a man was crowned, or a breach was made in the king-row. 1940 M. Hopper v. 60 The genuine ‘sacrifice play’..means a sacrifice to break through to the King row and obtain a King. 1999 R. W. Pike 20 When a player moves or jumps into the king row with a checker, the opponent designates it as a king by crowning it. society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > various non-Christian superiors > [noun] > Roman 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy xl. 1086 When the bishop would have had him to resigne that office, that he might consecrate and inaugurate him the king sacrificer [L. pontifex], he refused so to doe. 1886 J. S. Blackie ii. 71 A rex sacrificulus, or king-sacrificer,..took rank in all the public pontifical dinners above the pontifex maximus himself. 1982 H. A. Myers & H. Wolfram i. 8 The role of the king as placator of the gods..lasted..into the Roman Republic in the person of the king-sacrificer. 1867 22 Feb. 2/1 There was conflicting evidence..as to whether a certain patch of land..was ordinarily covered at high water..or only covered a few times a year at ‘king tides’. 1926 24 Oct. ii. 4/7 The Pacific's ‘king tide’ had been stayed temporarily by the vehemence of the river current. 1995 (Nexis) 14 Sept. Now belatedly, with the king tide of public opinion behind the Royal Commission, he thinks it is a wonderful idea. 2007 16 July 3 (caption) Funafuti island, in Tuvalu is being swamped by ‘king tides’ that have become worse because of global warming. 1840 A. Bartholomew i. l. 433 Sometimes three suspenders are obtained to the Tie-beam, by forming a Queen-truss within a King-truss, as here shewn. 1915 54 King truss bridges cost about $3 per foot, and Queen truss about $3.50. 2009 Aug. 81/2 The San Juan Lodge features the legendary king trusses so desired in a Town & country Cedar Home. society > authority > office > symbol of office or authority > regalia > [noun] > sceptre a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 22266 His corun and his king wand. society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood of specific trees > [noun] > other woods of South American trees 1788 127 If the top is king-wood mouldings, cross-way, and white beads, to be extra from colour'd holly beads. 1885 II. 26 Violet-wood and king-wood, which come to this country..from the Brazilian forests. 1922 Dec. 42/1 With walnut, a certain line of fancy woods, such as rosewood, kingwood, maple burls, etc., is being worked into two-color effects. 2014 Fall 35 The Fury Master. Saint Sebastian. Austrian (Salzburg), first quarter of 17th century. Ivory and kingwood. b. In names or (mock) titles for a person or personification, pronounced with stress on the second element. 1838 22 Dec. On landing, I found it was Molrooben, the chief of the Kirkham tribe, and son of the celebrated King Billy. 1894 13 Jan. 4/3 The honour of being King Billy fell into contempt when every male member of the Australian aboriginal race began to lay claim to an elaborately engraven brass half-moon of his own. 1908 12 Mar. 14/3 At one time when a stranger approached a blacks' camp the juvenile King Billies..would disappear into the gunyahs. 1937 17 Mar. 2/3 King Burraga, better known as King Billy..claims to be head of 75,000 full-blooded aborigines in Australia. 2014 (Nexis) 10 Dec. 2 The respected Aboriginal elder William Wilson..was one of at least three Wathaurung men in the region to be called ‘King Billy’ by European settlers. 1823 28 Nov. That lamentable overthrow of the well-marshalled forces of King Caucus. 1879 J. J. Lalor tr. H. Von Holst II. i. 1 The undemocratic ‘King Caucus’ was already so thoroughly hated that..his days were numbered. 2012 R. J. Ellis ii. 32 The nomination..made Crawford a creature of King Caucus, a Washington insider. 1855 D. Christy 186 King Cotton cares not whether he employs slaves or freemen. It is the cotton, not the slaves, upon which his throne is based. 1941 W. J. Cash iii. iii. 360 If industry and commerce were sick, King Cotton also was growing continually sicker. 2014 (Nexis) 25 May (Travel section) f01 We pass scattered cotton fields, not nearly as many as there were a just a few decades ago, when King Cotton ruled the South. 1954 J. B. Hall v. 73 Boys, I'm King Shit of Turd Island. 1977 G. Woods 135 Maybe it'll bring you back down to earth instead of walkin' around like King Shit figurin' you got it made. 2007 A. Theroux xxv. 363 We used to..walk around downtown like king shit. society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > [noun] 1877 23 June 789/2 Shandy-gaff used to be the drink at the Court of King Willow, not champagne and moselle-cup. 1933 A. G. Macdonell xvii. 285 The evening papers were already beginning to talk of the Advent of King Willow. 2001 (Nexis) 22 Apr. 18 Welcome King Willow...I count myself..blighted because for the first time in several years I'll miss the opening of the season at Taunton. c. In the names of animals, esp. ones regarded as particularly large or impressive. Cf. Phrases 3b. the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Alcidae (auks) > [noun] > alle alle (little auk) 1851 S. F. Baird tr. J. G. Heck II. 387 The great or king auk (Alca impennis) is the largest species. [No corresponding word in the German original.] 1885 IV. 69 The little sea-dove..or king-auk, as it is styled by the Norsemen. 1678 J. Ray tr. F. Willughby 92 (header) The King of Birds of Paradise [L. Manucodiata Rex], Marggrav.] 1782 Jan. 19/1 Among the birds are the African flamingo, humming-bird, king bird of paradise, pelican, &c. 1876 20 351 The beautiful king bird of paradise..may be seen climbing on the vines, displaying the bright tints of its splendid, rich, and varied colours. 2009 P. Woodrow v. 39 The landscape was a unique patchwork of swamp, savannah, and gallery forest. Greater and king birds of paradise were the main attractions. 1946 18 Dec. 3/4 Holding a deadly King Brown snake in one hand. 1989 R. T. Hoser 165 The King Brown Snake occurs in all types of habitat but is most common in dry woodland and arid habitats. 2011 R. Fortey vii. 217 I climbed a series of rock ledges one by one in search of fossils, only to peep into the eyes of a large king brown snake all curled up. the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Salmoniformes (salmon or trout) > superorder Ostariophysi or order Cypriniformes > [noun] > suborder Cyprinoidei > family Cyprinidae (minnows and carps) > cyprinus carpio (carp) 1874 S. F. Baird Rep. Commissioner U.S. Comm. Fish & Fisheries 1872–3 p. lxxvi, in (42nd Congr., 3rd Sess.: Senate Misc. Doc. 74, Pt. 2) Among the estimable varieties of the true carp, Mr. Hessel specifies as the best the king-carp, or Cyprinus rex cyprinorum. 1908 7 Aug. 10/3 Yesterday a king carp was hooked. 1931 6 101 I obtained (under very similar circumstances to those previously mentioned) six very small specimens of the Mirror or King Carp. 2007 A. Little xii. 158 The king carp, which is the group descriptive name, comprises a number of different scale patterns. 1928 26 Nov. 11/2 Among purchases approved by the Trustees is a specimen..of the King Cheetah, Acinonyx rex. 1957 28 Dec. 1139/2 The occasional mutant, known as the king cheetah, shows a pattern strongly reminiscent of the supposed primitive patterns of young tapirs and young wild pigs. 2006 T. T. Allsen 73 The so-called ‘king cheetah’..is only a color variant, owing to a recessive gene, of Acinonyx jubatus. the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Elapidae or Najidae > naja hamadryas (hamadryad) 1887 17 Dec. 8/8 The Bombay Natural History Society has for some time past been trying to obtain a full-grown live specimen of the Hamadryad , or King Cobra (Ophiophagus claps). 1954 10 109 King Cobras seem to have difficulty in swallowing anything but snakes. 2011 30 June 13/2 (headline) Breeder of king cobras dies from snake bite. the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Siphonostomata > family Strombidae > member of 1815 W. Williams & J. Eagles I. iii. 50 Here I landed, and found the white spots I had seen to be king conches. 1851 H. Mayhew II. 22/1 The shells of this man's stock in trade he called ‘conks’ and ‘king conks’. 1885 A. Brassey 303 The queen-conch..has gone quite out of favour, and nothing but the king-conch—which, though smaller, is far richer in its colouring of dark chocolate and reddish brown—is looked upon with favour as an article of commerce. 2008 S. Kennedy 144 Both the elongated ‘king conch’ and the more common ‘queen conch’ are relished raw and prepared in a variety of forms. the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > larger song birds > [noun] > family Dicruridae the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > larger song birds > family Corvidae (crow) > [noun] > flock > leader of flock 1809 W. Simpson et al. (ed. 2) 44/2 A black bird with a long tail that sings before day-break; a king-crow [1779 king of the crows]. 1883 E. H. Aitken 143 The King-crow..leaves the whole bird and beast tribe far behind in originality and force of character. 1998 R. J. Huggett (2002) 113/2 Another bird species, the king crow (Dicrurus macrocercus)..feeds on insects disturbed by the foraging minas. the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Anseriformes (geese, etc.) > subfamily Merginae (duck) > [noun] > genus Somateria > somateria spectabilis (king-duck) 1785 T. Pennant II. 554 (heading) Eider and king duck. 1876 C. H. Davis xvi. 378 The Esquimaux shot three king-ducks. 2009 G. Chilton vii. 101 You will find him in cabinet 230, on the third level of exhibitions, between a pair of King Ducks. the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Anseriformes (geese, etc.) > subfamily Merginae (duck) > [noun] > genus Somateria > somateria spectabilis (king-duck) 1824 J. F. Stephens XII. ii. 229 (heading) King eider. (Somateria spectabilis.) 1893 C. Dixon 447 The King Eider..is occasionally found in fresh water. 2013 (Nexis) 23 Nov. e14 The remaining female King Eider continued to be reported at Andrew Haydon Park. the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > order Pleuronectiformes (flat-fish) > [noun] > family Scophthalmidae (turbot) > genus or member of Scophthalmus > scophthalmus maximus (turbot) 1895 ‘J. Bickerdyke’ in ‘J. Bickerdyke’ et al. (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) 367 They [sc. turbot] are called on the east coast of Scotland king-fleuk. the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > arboreal families > family Fringillidae (finch) > [noun] > subfamily Carduelinae > genus Carduelis > carduelis carduelis (goldfinch) 1824 Jan. 91 Philip for a sparrow, Jacob for a starling, and King Harry, alias Jack Nicker, for a gold-finch. 1848 6 2186 The goldfinch..is the King Harry from its beautiful crown. 1866 H. Stevenson I. 224 A common name for this bird in Norfolk and Suffolk is ‘King Harry,’ or King Harry Redcap. 1999 R. Malster King Harry, a goldfinch. the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Coraciiformes (kingfisher, etc.) > [noun] > family Alcedinidae > unspecified and miscellaneous types 1837 W. Swainson II. 154 These are the habits of the European kingfisher..and travellers affirm that the king-hunters..pursue the same method. 1885 IV. 401 The giant kinghunter of Australia. 1893 F. C. Selous 64 I saw a pair of the great African Kingfishers, and a handsome Kinghunter. the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Psittaciformes (parrots, etc.) > [noun] > miscellaneous types of 1837 17 King Lory. 1923 W. Lavallin Puxley v. 58 The parrots which were commonest in my swamp were the glorious king lories and the innumerable Blue Mountain parrots. 2004 (Nexis) 16 May 107 Also known as the red lory or king lory, the king parrot nests throughout the year except for winter. the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > suborder Scombroidei (mackerel) > [noun] > family Scombridae > member of Scomberomorus (Spanish mackerel) 1879 Jan. 120/2 In the water, whales, porpoises and the great king mackerel give them no peace. 1938 2 Apr. 36/2 King mackerel serves as Spanish, and bonito may be sold as either Spanish or king mackerel. 1957 113 361 Other teleosts, such as the common sea robin (Prionotus carolinus),.., king mackerel (Scomberomorus regalis), and bonito (Sarda sarda), had 5 to 10% immature red cells. 2006 G. Pretor–Pinney ix. 206 Then the fishmonger gave me a hot tip. If I could find someone selling young king mackerel this would do the job. 1824 W. H. Smyth App. p. lxix [Mullus] imberbis. Re di Trigghia. King mullet. 1851 P. H. Gosse 208 There was a pair of King-mullets (Upeneus maculatus). 2000 D. L. Shores x. 215 Names for the former [sc. white mullet] are sand mullet, sea mullet, Virginia mullet, roundhead, kingfish, king mullet, and whiting. the world > animals > birds > order Gruiformes > [noun] > family Rallidae (rail) > genus Rallus > rallus elegans (king-rail) 1862 E. Coues & D. W. Prentiss in (37th Congr., 2nd Sess: U.S. Senate Misc. Doc.) 416 Rallus elegans, Aud.—Fresh-water Marsh-hen. ‘King Ortolan’. Found sparingly in early autumn in the marshes along the rivers. 1888 G. Trumbull 122 Gallinula galeata..At Washington King-Ortolan..The name King-ortolan is given by Coues and Prentiss..as an alias of Rallus elegans. 1923 No. 13. 40 In local use.—Bull rail (Wis.); double rail (N. C.);..; king ortolan (D. C.). the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Psittaciformes (parrots, etc.) > [noun] > miscellaneous types of 1865 App. 870 King Parrakeet. Aprosmictus scapulatus... Presented by W. Hansard Rivington. 1883 III. 315 Several..well known as cagebirds, such as the King Parrakeet. 2012 (Nexis) 11 Nov. b3 Brewer August Busch Sr. had donated a King parakeet, one of only three in the United States. the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Psittaciformes (parrots, etc.) > [noun] > miscellaneous types of 1803 J. Grant 111 Mr. Cayley shot a king parrot. 1890 ‘Lyth’ 127 The brilliant scarlet and green king parrot. 2006 18 June (Escape section) 6/2 The pellets and wildlife seeds are shared amicably by rainbow lorikeets and king parrots that flock to the bird feeder. the world > animals > birds > order Sphenisciformes or penguin > [noun] > member of genus Aptenodytes (emperor) 1776 (Royal Soc.) 66 103 There are four kinds; the yellow, or king penguin; the red; the black or holey, from their burrowing under ground; and the jumping jacks, from their motion. 1885 IV. 59 The king penguin of the Falkland Islands..and some other rocks and islands of the Antarctic Ocean. 2013 (Nexis) 13 Aug. 18 King penguins take five years to become fully mature. 1886 26 A large specimen of the King Prawn, Palæmon carcinus? from Madras; presented by Dr. Spratley. 1938 108 166 The two common prawns of the estuaries and fish markets of New South Wales to-day are the King Prawn, Penæus plebejus, and the School Prawn, Penæopsis macleayi..the vernacular names go back for at least thirty years. 2015 (Nexis) 20 Oct. 9 It will be the first time king prawns have ever been cultivated here. the world > animals > birds > order Gruiformes > [noun] > family Rallidae (rail) > genus Rallus > rallus elegans (king-rail) 1835 J. J. Audubon III. 28 They now and then obtained a few of these birds, which they considered as very rare, and knew only by the name of ‘King Rails’. 1888 G. Trumbull 125 The present species [sc. Rallus elegans]..being the King Rail of ‘the books’. 2011 21 Apr. 4 a/2 The king rail is a chicken-like bird that likes to hang out in marshes. the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Salmoniformes (salmon or trout) > family Salmonidae (salmon) > [noun] > member of genus Oncorhyncus (chinook) 1871 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1870 382 (heading) in (41st Congr., 3rd Sess.: House Exec. Doc.) King salmon. Onchorhynchus orientalis. 1959 28 Aug. 5/1 Fall is also in the return of the salmon to their rivers—not in the early king salmon runs that come to a few rivers in May. 2005 (National ed.) 2 Feb. d12/3 The quality of the king salmon that the restaurant gets from Alaska is divine. 1932 2 May 1/8 (advt.) Select the Choicest King Scallops. Only 4d dozen. 1953 (Austral. Capital Territory Dept. of Immigration) Sept. 4/5 He..saved enough to return to Tasmania and set up in business supplying king scallops to the markets. 1984 May 23/2 Dr Jeremy Paul of the Sea Fish Industry Authority's Marine Farming Unit at Ardtoe, Argyll, told the meeting that he was examining techniques to cultivate the king scallop (Pecten maximus)..in Scottish waters. 1998 169 56 Successful development of scallop culture techniques in Japan has led to an upsurge of interest in the possibilities of cultivating king scallops (Pecten maximus Linnaeus) in European waters. 2010 78 (caption) King scallops are at their very best pan-seared, although intense heat makes the roe or coral pop. the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Colubridae > member of genus Ophibolus the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Colubridae > member of genus Lampropeltis (king-snake) 1709 J. Lawson 132 The King-Snake is the longest of all others, and not common. 1883 E. Coues in IV. 319 Both Rattlesnakes and Mocassins will endeavour to get away from the ‘King Snake’. 1953 H. S. Zim & H. M. Smith iii. 99 Common King Snake is a shiny black with bands of yellow crossing in a chainlike pattern. 2012 H. L. Montgomery 28 The speckled kingsnake was at risk of dying out in Iowa. After people created more natural areas, the snake became more common. the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > [noun] > family Tyrannidae (tyrant-bird) > genus Tyrannus 1837 W. Swainson II. 7 Bees appear to be a favourite food with..the king tyrant of North America (Tyrannus intrepidus). 1905 113 The King-Tyrant (Muscivora regia).., with its tiara-like crest of orange feathers. 1792 (London ed.) II. 23 Of those birds which may be accounted foreign, that which is called the king vulture..greatly demands pre-eminence. 1885 IV. 268 The bird of this group whose appearance is most striking is the king-vulture. 2014 20 Oct. b6 The king vulture has the most brightly colored head of all vulture species. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > the wasps > queen 1724 W. Derham in (Royal Soc.) 33 54 The Queen, or Female-Wasp (by many called the King-Wasp). d. In the names of plants. the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > fruit or a fruit > apple > [noun] > eating-apple > types of the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > apple > eating-apple > types of 1635 W. Saltonstall tr. G. Mercator 186 There are two sorts of apples in this Country [sc. Spain], which are chiefe note, the wrinckled apple, and the King-apple [L. mala..Regium]. 1665 J. Rea iii. i. 209 The King Apple is as early ripe as the last, bigger and much better tasted. 1707 J. Mortimer 539 The King Apple, tho' not common, yet is by some esteemed an excellent Apple. 1806 B. M'Mahon 584/2 Select List of Fruit-Trees... Summer Apples... King Apple. 1918 H. H. Knight (Cornell Univ. Agric. Exper. Station Bull. 396) 204 The Tompkins King apple is particularly tender, and it is this variety that shows oftenest the effects of spray injury. 2008 C. Flinn 118 King apples are locally grown in Nova Scotia. the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > fungi > [noun] > mushroom 1976 13 Mar. 19/2 The king bolete is to the commercial mushroom as champagne is to stale beer. 1996 M. Stensaas 189 Look for the King Bolete in summer under pines, hemlocks, birch, or aspen. 2013 23 Dec. King boletes sliced raw with quality olive oil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of Meyer lemon juice. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > buttercup and allied flowers > buttercup 1597 J. Gerard ii. 805 Crowfoote is called..in English King kob. 1672 W. Salmon i. xxiii. 62 June is drawn in a mantle of Dark grass-green; upon his head a Coronet of Bents, King-cobs, and Maiden-hair. 1835 E. Matthews (ed. 2) 9 We'll mingle the woodbines and violets blue, And the cowslips that lie at our feet, With king-cobs and daisies of every hue, And make our gay garland complete. 1884 1 178/1 I have repeatedly heard people in the rural districts of Cambridgeshire call them [sc. buttercups] ‘king cobs’, evidently a corruption of ‘king cops’. 1833 26 Oct. 311/2 The king cocoa-nut..is of a bright orange colour, and is usually presented as a compliment by the priests to respectable Europeans, whose curiosity may have induced a visit to the shrine of Budhoo. 1915 6 22 The tree..was said to have ordinary (i.e., green) coconuts on one side and king coconuts (i.e., yellow) on the other, that is, on different inflorescences. 1992 R. Gunesekera (1998) 68 You remember how his window opened to your garden full of such grand old trees: mango, king-coconut, bread-fruit. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Ericaceae (wintergreen and allies) > [noun] 1817 W. P. C. Barton I. 28 (note) It [sc. Chimaphila umbellata] was recognized as a plant known in that state [sc. Delaware] by the name of ‘King-cure’. 1853 R. Dunglison (ed. 9) Kingcure, pyrola maculata. the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > weed > [noun] > other weeds 1898 N. L. Britton & A. Brown III. 284 King-devil..in north-central New York..a troublesome weed. Naturalized from Europe. 1905 14 Some of them [sc. introduced weeds] die out after one or two seasons and cause little trouble, but others, like the king-devil weed (Hieracium praealtum) and its less notorious but none the less mischievous relatives have within a decade become sources of peril in many parts of New England. 1999 F. Royer & R. Dickinson 41 King devil (H. pratense Tausch.) is similar to orange hawkweed... The two species are distinguished by the king devil's yellow flowers. 2010 Z. J. S. Falck iii. 97 Dry roadsides were lined with clovers, cow vetch, dogbane, ox-eye daisies, and king devil. the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > horseshoe fern or part the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > king fern the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > other ferns 1829 J. C. Loudon 1130 (table) Osmunda L...King fern. 1875 6 Feb. 4/1 Here the King Fern holds his regal court. 1911 W. R. Guilfoyle 354 Todea barbara. ‘King Fern’ or ‘Swamp Sponge Fern’. 1921 H. B. Dobbie (ed. 2) xxix. 374 M[arattia] fraxinea (like an ash leaf). ‘Para’, ‘King Fern’, ‘Horseshoe Fern’. The largest herbaceous fern in New Zealand; plentiful in the early days, now becoming scarce. 1962 J. H. Willis I. 10 T[odea] barbara... Austral King-Fern (King Fern)..all States except W.A. (but very localized in S.A.), N.Z., S. Afr. 1963 B. Pearson xxii. 379 The three of them huddled under a king fern. 2010 J. Trill 105 The King Fern is in decline now as a result of introduced animal species adding it to their diet. the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > North American trees or shrubs > [noun] > hickory 1880 C. S. Sargent (10th Census U.S.: Forestry) 44 A fine variety, bearing large, thin-shelled, valuable nuts, is known in the valley of the Genesee River, New York, as ‘King Nut’. 1896 N. L. Britton & A. Brown I. 486 Hicoria laciniosa. Big Shag-bark, King-nut. 2015 T. Kimmerer iv. 62 Kingnut is known as a long-lived tree, and there are many trees in the Bluegrass that are probably over three hundred years of age. the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > fruit or a fruit > pear > [noun] > other types of pear the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > pear > other types of 1585 J. Higgins tr. Junius 99/2 Pirum regium... A king peare with a very litle stalke. 1658 J. Evelyn tr. N. de Bonnefons 118 The Red King Pear [Fr. Roy Roux]. 1763 B. Martin II. 189 There are other Stones formed like the Fruits of Trees, some exactly in the Form of the Bell, or King Pear, others like the Stone of an Almond. 1875 21 July 53/3 The Caillot Rosat, or King pear, is a very good early pear, and is juicy, sweet, melting and of fine flavour. 2015 J. Morgan 220/1 English Caillot Rosat... Syn. King Pear. the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > fruit or a fruit > pineapple > [noun] the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > tropical exotic fruit > pineapple 1657 R. Ligon 83 The King Pine, has for the most part, all sorts of yellows, with their shadowes intermixt with grass greens, and is commonly the larger Pine. a1684 J. Evelyn anno 1668 (1955) III. 513 That rare fruite called the King-Pine, (growing in Barbados & W. Indies). 1774 E. Long III. viii. 792 The smooth-leaved, or king pine. 1855 C. McIntosh II. 642/2 The foliage would have determined the question, as the King pine is smooth, without prickles. 1872 Mar. 74/1 Pinus Webbiana, Wallich. King Pine, Dye Pine. On the Himalaya Mountains, at an elevation of 12 to 13,000 feet. 1845 Compan. Bot. Mag. 18 in 71 The ‘King plant’ of Ceylon Anæctochilus setaceus.., which has rich velvety leaves, covered, as it were, with a net-work of golden lace. 1925 H. M. L. Bolus iii. 72 There is no mistaking the identity of a King Protea, wherever you may find it, and whatever tint of pink the involucral scales may be. 1998 P. R. Dallman 127 The king protea reaches six feet (2 m) at maturity and grows as a single plant, rather than as large clumps. 2006 23 Nov. (Extra section) 8/1 If you've ever sent or received a postcard from South Africa, you're likely to have seen the fleshy bloom of a king protea on the postage stamp. the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > South American and West Indian trees or shrubs > [noun] > others 1863 H. W. Bates I. ii. 69 The Moira-tinga (the White or King-tree), probably the same as, or allied to, the Mora excelsa, which Sir Robert Schomburgk discovered in British Guiana. C5. Compounds with king's. OE (Corpus Cambr.) ix. 460 Gif ceorlisc man geþeo, þæt he hæbbe v hida landes to cynges utware. lOE (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 777 Ðis wæs don on þe cininges tune Freoricburna hatte. 1433 (Electronic ed.) Parl. July 1433 §51. m. 4 The seid merchantz aliens..sende her money overe the see by soche eschaunges: and so the kynges custume is colourably consealed and enbesiled. 1439–40 (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1439 §63. m. 1 Many souldeours..have mustred and entred in of record the kyngs souldeours, afore his commissioners. ?1520 A. Barclay tr. Sallust lxii. f. lxxxviv In the mean tyme Marius whiche was in assaut of the kynges towre coude nat perfourme his enterprise. 1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten iv. iv. 458/1 An Auditor or receauer of the kinges customes. 1654 J. Cleveland (new ed.) sig. A3v The liberty of the free-born people (pilled, and fleyed by the Kings taxes). 1677 A. Yarranton 153 There would be ten thousand pound per annum advance in the Kings Customs yearly. 1748 T. Smollett I. xxxv. 231 I have,..paid scot and lot, and the king's taxes. 1775 C. Chauncy Let. 18 July in R. Price (1983) I. 218 All communication between the King's troops and the Country is cut off. 1838 XII. 427/1 A magistrate and receiver of the king's taxes. 1895 9 89 For the king's customs and Southampton dues fifteen shillings. 1905 W. Watson Ballad Semmerwater in I. 193 King's tower and queen's bower. 1959 R. R. Palmer I. vii. 197 Fighting between the King's troops and the people of Massachusetts began..in April 1775. 2013 P. Andreas ii. 29 Resentment toward the king's customs became a unifying cause in the otherwise fragmented..American colonies. b. 1511 in D. H. Fleming (1921) I. 348/2 The kingis advocat sal persew the said nonentres be summondis. 1606 sig. B7 The Kings advocat was put to his shift, namely to charge the Assise only to finde, whether the prisoners had declined the Councels iudgment or no. 1696 J. Gordon Apr. (1949) 62 I was..persuaded to give in a dimission befor the sentence of the Councell should pass quich I subscrybed & gave in to the hands of the Kings Advocate on the 9. 1741 Ld. Kames 2 341 A Party who..had been committed to prison by the King's advocate. 1840 W. C. Curteis 1 353 This Allegation was opposed by Addams for the Churchwardens. The King's Advocate and Haggard were heard in support of it. 1987 H. J. Bourguignon ii. 41 He was appointed to the lucrative position of King's Advocate, the official who represented the government's interest before the admiralty court and the ecclesiastical courts. 2004 (Nexis) 8 Nov. a7 He was given additional responsibilities as King's Advocate in the Court of Vice-Admiralty in St. George's. the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > ale > [noun] > strong ale 1574 in J. D. Marwick (1876) I. 25 That thair be na derare aill sauld nor sax penneis the pynt, and that the samyn be kingis aill and werraye guid. 1785 F. Grose (at cited word) One of the king's bad bargains, a malingeror, or soldier who shirks his duty. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher King's bargain, Good or Bad; said of a seaman according to his activity and merit, or sloth and demerit. 2002 D. Lambdin xxxiii. 365 He suspected that Gamble might be a King's Bad Bargain, and nothing better than a Landsman, after all. 1849 13 Oct. 310/1 ‘A king's ball?’ ‘Ah, you have not heard. Certain of the youngsters..at every yearly winter's ball of the neighborhood, are presented with bouquets by the ladies who have been the chosen queens of the festivities then concluding; and each bouquet presentee is crowned the king of the next year's ball.’ 1903 A. M. Douglas xiv. 200 ‘What is this I hear about the king's ball?’..She gave a brief description of it. ‘And there are four queens. Each chooses a king.’ 2007 (Nexis) 31 Dec. On the first Saturday of February, the people of Ste. Genevieve and their out-of-town visitors don French colonial costumes and dance at the annual King's Ball. society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > type of soldier generally > [noun] > malingerer or shirker 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher King's bargain, Good or Bad; said of a seaman according to his activity and merit, or sloth and demerit. a1891 H. Melville (1962) xviii. 95 Captain Vere..deemed Billy Budd to be what in the naval parlance of the time was called a ‘King's bargain’: that is to say, for His Britannic Majesty's navy a capital investment at small outlay or none at all. 1562 tr. Damiano da Odemira sig. Biiiv If he play his kings knight to thre houses from his kings bishop [It. delo delphino delo re], thou shalt take..his kinges Paune. 1614 A. Saul iv. sig. B5v The third house in the front of the Kings Bishops Pawne. 1735 J. Bertin Pref. p. vii The gambet is, when he that [plays] first gives the pawn of the king's bishop, in the second move for nothing. 1891 14 Feb. 7/6 The 20th move of Mr. Steinitz in the Evans Gambit game is king's bishop to queen's bishop's second. 2006 D. Shenk i. iii. Anderssen now began to develop them [sc. his major pieces], first by moving his King's Bishop out three diagonal squares. the world > matter > colour > named colours > blue or blueness > [noun] > other blues the world > matter > colour > named colours > blue or blueness > blue colouring matter > [noun] > blue pigment > specific 1778 J. Haigh xixi. 159 Cloth dyed King's Blue, and greened with the Flower of the Virga aurea Canadiensis, makes a very fine Green. 1847 6 83 Cobalt Glass finely ground is sold as smalt;..powder blue; the purest and darkest sorts as king's blue, or emperor blue. 1943 W. C. Coker & A. H. Beer 69 Flesh dingy white, turning King's blue when cut. 2012 T. Swimm in M. Clarke et al. iv. 90 Add Payne's gray,..king's blue deep, and burnt umber to your palette. society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > tax > taxation > [noun] > tax list or book 1536 Act 28 Henry VIII c. 11 §5 in III. (1963) 667 As moche as the said personage Vicarage or other spirituall promotion aforsaid..is rated and valewed atte uppon the Kynges bokes. a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle (1659) sig. D3v You are more in the King [s] Books than he, and pay more scot and lot a fair deal, so ye do. 1727 A. Hamilton I. xiii. 148 The Customs in the Kings Books, are but 2 per Cent. for Mahometans, and 5 per Cent. for Gentiles. 1822 H. Lomas Diary 26 Jan. in (2002) 21 Livings of £10 and £20 in the Kings Book are since 1714 augmented by Queen Ann's Bounty. 1904 S. H. A. Hervey 152 In or near 1534..another valuation was made, which is known as Valor Ecclesiasticus or the King's Books. 1987 W. M. Reddy iv. 128 The king's ministers..refused..to open the king's books to public scrutiny. 1842 29 Jan. 12/3 The boy and girl who give most [money] are..styled King and Queen. The children, being then dismissed for a holiday, proceed along the streets in a confused procession, carrying the King and Queen in state, exalted upon that seat formed of crossed hands which, probably from this circumstance, is called the King's Chair. 1900 W. Forsyth xxiii. 196 At the ford he and his brother made a king's chair, with their hands locked, and bore her safely across. 2009 (Nexis) 15 Mar. (Sport section) 6 The Taoiseach..made his way to the Irish dressing room and, in the euphoria, was hoisted in a king's chair by the Irish players. ?c1475 ( in T. Wright (1861) II. 147 (MED) Came Phillipe Dymmok ridyng to the halle, Armyd clene with armure so bright..As the kynges champion by heritage, There redy his body and his gloove to wage, Yif there were any man that wille say the contrary That kyng Harry the sixt is crownyd truly. 1543 f. lxxiiiv At the seconde course came into ye hall, sir Robert Democke the kynges champion.., and threwe downe his gauntlet. 1600 R. S. tr. P. de Mornay i. viii. 66 There was named and chosen for the king a Knight... But the kinges Champion, as sayeth the historie, was quicklie ouercome. 1706 31 July At the Coronation Dinner, the King's Champion comes in Armour, and Challenges any to Fight with him who shou'd Deny the King's Title. 1859 Jan. 34 From the time of Henry I. the office of king's champion was one of honor and dignity. 1911 19 May 6 The King's Champion..is unfortunately now rather an historical than an actual office. 2015 (Nexis) 3 Apr. 31 Sir John Dymoke established his right to be King's Champion at the coronation of Richard II in 1377... The title of King's Champion and the Manor of Scrivelsby went together. c1400 (a1376) W. Langland (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. iv. l. 113 (MED) And alle rome renneris..Bere no siluer ouer se..Neiþer grotis ne gold ygraue wiþ kinges coyn. 1504 (Electronic ed.) Parl. Jan. 1504 §12. m. 13 Almaner of pens..havyng the prynt of the kynges coyne shall have cours and be curraunt for payment. 1628 H. Burton 36 If a man take the Kings coyne, and beate it into a thinne leafe, vsing it only to guild over brasse,..what good subiect of the King will take it for currant. 1764 T. Brecknock 47 To counterfeit the king's coin, is declared high treason. 1837 (Indian Law Comm.) Notes 47 We think that the King's coin should have the same protection which is given to the coin of the local Government. 1905 J. S. Vaughan (ed. 2) 309 As late as the reign of King Charles II. men were sometimes boiled alive for clipping the king's coin. 2014 S. Harvey ii. vi. 135 Whilst the possession of a mint was granted occasionally to the highly privileged, it was always the king's coin that was minted. 1629 J. Dymes Let. 22 Jan. (modernized text) in (1859) 455 [When she [sc. a small man-of-war]]..saw them put up the King's colours, [she endeavoured to escape]. 1786 15 The two Eldest Ensigns carrying the Colours,..the King's Colour taking the Right of the second Colour. 1838 J. Forster in D. Lardner IV. 17 The captains..offered to lend or to give a set of the king's colours to the colony to be displayed on the occasion. 1951 28 May 4/4 The King's Colour was presented to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom by Princess Elizabeth, deputizing for the King. 2015 (Nexis) 31 July The 38th Infantry Battalion's King's Colours were returned to Bendigo in a ceremony at the Soldiers Memorial Museum. 1539 f. xxviiiv Ye..shall truely and indifferently execute the aucthoritie to you giuen by the kynges commission. 1646 No. 27. sig. Cc3v Kedgwin of Penzants was commander, a notable active knave against the parliament, and had the Kings commission. 1768 W. Blackstone III. 66 The great court of appeal in all ecclesiastical causes.., appointed by the king's commission under his great seal. 1859 J. Taylor II. xlii. 412/1 Notwithstanding his having produced the king's commission under the great seal, [he] had been made prisoner. 1918 W. Faulkner Let. 6 Oct. in (1992) 111 There is a Red Cross nurse in the hospital..who holds the King's commission as a first lieutenant. 2005 G. Sheffield & J. Bourne in D. Haig 501 He was very aware that officers held the King's Commission. a1614 J. Melville (1842) 87 The King's Confession, published for removing suspition of Papistrie from the Court, sighted and allowit. 1891 XXV. 391/2 The instrument henceforth known as the ‘national covenant’..consisted of the document known as the ‘king's confession’ or the ‘negative confession’.., followed by a recital of numerous acts of parliament, [etc.]. 2001 R. C. Gamble in G. McKim 131/2 The King's Confession is a strongly worded litany of all that the Scottish Protestants detested about the teachings and practices of the Roman Church. the world > food and drink > drink > fruit juice or squash > [noun] > juice with sugar and water 1843 J. Pereira 357 Lemon juice..may be either added to barley water, or mixed with sugar and water to form Lemonade... A somewhat similar beverage has been denominated King's Cup. 1889 Apr. 548/1 'T was king's cup, made of lemons and a deal of sugar. 1942 14 Nov. 4/6 Questions..What drink's the king's cup?..Answers..Lemonade. society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > by a person > chair formed by linked hands 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian vi, in 2nd Ser. I. 168 He was now mounted on the hands of two of the rioters, clasped together, so as to form what is called in Scotland, ‘The King's Cushion’. 1825 J. T. Brockett King's-cushion, a sort of seat made by two persons crossing their hands, on which to place a third. a1854 E. Grant (1988) I. xiii. 274 The men wanted to make a king's cushion and carry her home. 1618 S. Garey 1 (heading) Britanniae Uota, or God saue the King. For the Kings day, the 24. day of March. 1826 Jan. 48/2 Easter-day happening to fall on what was commonly called ‘the King's day’, that is, the anniversary of his Accession. 1891 F. G. Fleay II. 239 Heywood's Love's Mistress..was the King's day play of 19th Nov. 1634. 2016 J. W. Koopmans (ed. 3) 211 King's Day, the birthday of the sovereign,..is a national holiday in the whole Kingdom of the Netherlands. 1818 J. Hogg I. 140 The se'en starns had gaen oure the lum, an' the tail o' the king's elwand was just pointin to the Muchrah Crags. 1829 J. Hogg I. 248 King's Elwand (now foolishly termed the Belt of Orion). 1853 G. Johnston I. 157 About Greenlaw, the plant, from its stateliness, bears the elegant name of the King's Elwand. 1890 M. Oliphant I. x. 181 You would have thought the Duchess had stars on her head—all glinting as they do in a frosty sky—and a circle about her neck that looked like the King's Ellwand, but far more of them. 1901 M. P. Milne-Home viii. 209 The prettiest name they bear is at a place called Green Law or the Green Hill, that of the King's Ellwand. 1923 G. Watson 191 King's ellwand. 1947 O. Percival 175 King's Ellwand, Digitalis. the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Germanic > English > standard 1553 T. Wilson iii. f. 86 These fine Englishe clerkes, will saie thei speake in their mother tongue, if a man should charge them for counterfeityng the kynges English. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) i. iv. 5 Abusing of Gods patience, and the Kings English . View more context for this quotation 1787 May 284 That fervent zeal which now displays itself among all ranks of persons,..to circulate the purity of the king's English among them. 1836 E. Howard xxxv. 144 They..put the king's English to death so charmingly. 1941 W. J. Cash i. i. 28 Smelly old fellows with baggy pants and a capacity for butchering the king's English. 2003 E. Stuart vi. 71 The British, custodians of the King's English and supposedly so careful and conscientious with words. a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in (1846) I. 230 Upoun the Kinges Evin, when French men commonlie use to drynk liberallie. 1779 in (1780) 221 The Societies of Journeymen Coopers, King's Freemen, Journeymen Hammerman, Friendly Tradesmen.., consisting in all of about three hundred members. 1838 W. Bell 570 King's freemen are not limited in the exercise of their trade to the bounds of the corporation where they reside. 1906 C. A. Hunt in D. C. Smith xiv. 199 He maintained that having served his Majesty he was a King's Freeman, with the right to settle in business in any burgh, without the consent of any trades guild. 1767 E. Burke (1844) I. 135 Much moderation towards the king's friends, and many apologies for every part of their conduct. 1861 Ld. Brougham (ed. 2) viii. 103 A trusty band of ‘king's friends’—men for the most part attached to his service, by holding military or household places, and who act..on behalf of the royal person. 2013 J. Norman ii. 65 Burke..attributes to the ‘King's Friends’, an alleged Court faction of shadowy advisers,..a parallel administration designed to control the workings of government from the inside. 1811 Nov. 320/1 What is the meaning of the word ‘Gambit’, found in French and English chess-books, as ‘the king's gambit’, ‘Cunningham's gambit’, ‘the gambit-pawn’, &c.? 1897 Dec. 407/2 In the four games of the King's Gambit declined, white in every case won this opening. 2015 (Nexis) 19 Oct. 55 Spassky played the king's gambit and won with a brilliant sacrificial attack. 1562 tr. Damiano da Odemira sig. Gii Thou shalt play forth thy kinges Knight to the thyrde house of the Bishop. 1674 C. Cotton v. 74 He not perceiving your intention..makes for your Queen with his Kings Knight. 1799 P. Pratt iv. 27 King's knight at king's bishop's 3d square. 1870 Jan. 141/2 To White King's Knight the Bishop yields his life. 2004 D. Edmonds & J. Eidinow vi. 63 A two-move thrust of..the king's knight to the centre. the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Germanic > English > standard a1566 R. Edwards (1571) sig. Fijv Crowsphus, you clippe the Kinges language, you would haue said Carisophus. c1620 A. Hume (1870) Ded. 2 Your courteoures, quha..sum tymes spilt (as they cal it) the king's language. 1700 J. Tutchin 22 Those Gentlemen that were Reformades, or King's Letter-men, were sure of being Lieutenants in former times, and as sure of being Captains in their turn. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher 423 King's letter men, An extinct class of officers, of similar rank with midshipmen. The royal letter was a kind of promise that if they conducted themselves well, they should be promoted to the rank of lieutenant. 2007 H. W. Dickinson i. 21 George Brydges Rodney, one of the last of the Volunteers per Order or ‘King's Letter Men’..joined his first ship..in May 1733. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 247 Esdras, the writere, come doun wiþ þe kynges lettres [L. litteris regiis], by þe whiche he schulde descharge þe ministres of þe temple of al manere tribute, [etc.]. 1495 (Electronic ed.) Parl. Oct. 1495 §29. m. 18 The kingis lettres undir his pryve seale..shalbe sufficient discharge for the..payment therof. a1683 A. Sidney (1698) iii. §xiv The Kings of England cannot change the Laws:..they are so far from having any such Power, that the Judges swear to have no regard to the King's Letters or Commands. 1837 15 60 A command on the King's letters, such as to pay a debt or perform a deed. 2005 A. P. W. Malcomson 119 The second procedure..was the use of retrospective king's letters to ‘exonerate’ the deputy vice-treasurer for payments made by him at the request of the Irish government. 1830 F. Marryat iii Every article supplied to his Majesty's service from the arsenals and dockyards is thickly studded with this mark [sc. the broad arrow]..[which] designates that property to be the King's own. 1832 Jan. 41 A dish of salt-fish at the bottom, and a sea-pie at the head, in which the King's Own served a more substantial purpose than merely to flavour it. a1849 F. Hoffman (1901) ix. 123 We attacked a tolerably good-looking piece of King's own, with the addition of some roasted plantains. 1884 419/1 King's own, a term applied to all articles issued from the royal store-houses or magazines, and marked with a broad arrow. 1898 A. Ansted King's own..was one of many names given to the salt beef supplied to the people. 1834 W. N. Glascock 2nd Ser. I. v. 74 An unusual assemblage of mates and mids had also congregated on the ‘king's parade’. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher 423 King's parade, a name given to the quarter-deck of a man-of-war, which is customarily saluted by touching the hat when stepping on it. 1986 R. Woodman iv. 44 ‘The Captain desires that you attend him on the quarterdeck’... ‘What the devil does he want me on the King's parade for?’ 1826 2 57 In a specimen of the Platycercus scapulatus, or King's Parrakeet, of New Holland, which was for some time alive in this country. 1863 App. 545 King's Parrakeet. Aprosmictus scapulatus... Presented by Sir J. Cathcart. 1810 17 Aug. (advt.) A beautiful service of the King's pattern spoons, forks, &c. 1829 25 538 The rich and the elegant..are sure to attribute their right to the use of fiddle-headed king's pattern spoons..to their own indefeasible privileges and indisputable merits. 1841 Sept. 66 The effect upon a dinner table [of chased plate] is so much superior, that we can have no hesitation in recommending..the best, that is the king's pattern. 1975 3 Dec. 56/2 This is where she displays her specialities—King's Pattern silverware, brass oil lamps, and antique reproduction wooden tables. 2012 ‘Gentle Author’ 168/2 ‘It's a living,’ admitted John..while polishing his cherished stock of ‘shell and line’ and ‘king's pattern.’ 1562 tr. Damiano da Odemira sig. Biiiv Thou shalt take with thy knight his kinges Paune [It. la pedona delo re]. 1674 C. Cotton v. 74 Your adversary plays his Kings Pawn forward a double remove in his own file. 1735 J. Bertin p. v The king's pawn..must move before the knights. 1884 11 Apr. 254/2 How shall the attacked King's Pawn be defended? 1930 31 Dec. 14/5 Tylor..played a king's pawn opening. 2012 (Nexis) 4 Feb. (Weekend section) 18 He virtually always began the game..with e4, moving his king's pawn up two spaces. the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > cocktail > [noun] > brandy cocktail 1890 R. Kipling in Aug. 248 He has taken to the king's peg heavily,—liqueur brandy for whiskey, and Heidsieck for soda-water. 1912 L. J. Vance ii. 11 Peter whistled, watching the wine cream over the brandy in the long glass. ‘King's peg, eh?’ he said, with a lift of disapproving eyebrows. 2009 A. J. Rathbun 112 It's good to be the king or queen. You get to sport a jeweled crown, drink King's Pegs from dusk till dawn, and wear one of those..super-soft robes. 1688 R. Holme iii. xii. 450/1 Struts, pieces that go from either side the Kings piece to the Rafter of the Gable end to support them. 1736 (ed. 3) Hyperthyron, the Lintel, or Cap-piece of a Door-case. 'Tis also used to signify a large Table in Manner of a Frieze above Dorick Gates. It is often called the King's-piece. 1889 King-post, the middle post standing at the apex of a pair of rafters, and having its lower end fastened to the middle of the tie-beam... Also called..king's-piece. 1691 R. Baxter iii. 30 All the rest were moderate Episcopal Conformists... We knew this to be true of..the Lord Kimbolton (after Earl of Manchester and Lord Chamberlain that chose the Kings Preachers). 1789 23 Apr. The Bishop of Chester has made Mr Jackson King's Preacher. 1856 8 68 Mr Shaw held the office of King's Preacher, being one of four preachers sharing a royal stipend of £200, first established by Queen Elizabeth. 2012 T. Schwanda iii. 116 Ambrose..served in Garstang as one of the King's Preachers. a1425 (Stonyhurst) f. 34 Infisco, put into kyngis purse. 1548 f. lxiii All her charges within the realme, comminge to the courte & returnynge, were of the kynges pursse. 1651 28 What by sales procured by her solicitations, as much more was yearly drayned out of the Kings purse. 1809 III. 1191/1 Nothing must come to the king's purse, nor to the king's coffer, but it must be for the defence of the kingdom. 1905 W. H. P. Greswell xiii. 207 Montibus..held a manor by the serjeanty of training one brachet (hunting-dog),..receiving a halfpenny a day from the king's purse. 2009 40 618 Crown officials methodically confiscated the ‘strangers' consulage’ for themselves (and the king's purse). society > occupation and work > worker > employer > [noun] > specific list of employers 1684 J. Trye 20 For most truly and properly all the Rolls of this Court are the King's Rolls, or Rolls of the King's Bench. 1751 35 Amongst the Pleas of the King's Roll. 1856 R. W. Eyton III. 16 Lacy rejoined that the King did not contemplate his forfeiture..and, to determine this, he appealed to the King's Rolls of Chancery. 1919 15 Sept. 10/1 (headline) King's Roll. New work scheme for disabled. 1919 11 Nov. 10/5 I..appeal to employers..to give a pledge of their sympathy by enrolling their names on the King's National Roll under the national scheme for the employment of disabled men. 1961 19 217 It secured for a conveyance the privilege of registration upon the King's rolls. 2000 D. Cohen in D. A. Gerber iii. 296 In Britain, the King's Roll sufficed to employ fewer than half of the nation's disabled. 2015 (Nexis) 17 Sept. A document issued by the National Scheme for the Employment of Disabled Men stating that R.B. Amos..had been inscribed on the King's National Roll. 1562 tr. Damiano da Odemira sig. Gii If therefore he playe his kynges Rooke one steppe..thou shalt play forth thy kinges Knight to the thyrde house of the Bishop. 1674 C. Cotton v. 58 The Kings Rook guards his own Pawn, and the Kings Knight. 1761 E. Hoyle v. 43 The King's Rook in his Bishop's Square. 1841 G. Walker (ed. 3) 2 The pieces on the King's side of the line are called..King's Bishop, King's Knight, and King's Rook. 2007 N. McDonald vii. 194/2 The first (and last) move by the white king's rook in the entire game. ?1621 (Rawl. B.274) f. 49v Yee long Chamber at Eton Colledge, where ye Kings Scholars lye. 1631 J. Weever 112 Queene Elizabeth..ordained..fourtie Schollers, called the Queenes or Kings Schollers, who (as they become worthie) are preferred to the Vniuersities. 1754 Apr. 181/1 His mother procured him to be admitted a King's scholar in Westminster school. 1883 J. Brinsley-Richards xii. 112 [A boy] who had come from Aberdeen..to try and pass on to the foundation as a King's scholar. 1938 4 Apr. 56/1 (caption) In these ill-lighted pens of ancient oak in Eton's original dormitory, live the 70 King's Scholars, known as ‘Collegers’. 2013 227/2 Up to twenty King's Scholars and Exhibitioners are elected each year following competitive examinations and interviews. 1766 VI. ii. 126 Obtaining a King's Scholarship, he was elected thence to Trinity college Cambridge in 1648. 1840 31 Dec. 421 Royal Academy of Music—The ‘severely contested’ election for the King's Scholarship is decided in favour of Miss Emma Bendixen and Mr Cronin. 1976 R. Barker 10 He encouraged the boy to try for a King's Scholarship to Eton. 2012 120/1 The prestigious King's Scholarship award can be awarded to top performing candidates [at Durham School]. 1911 July 140 He continues to qualify until he attains the proud distinction of King's Scout. 1951 May 60/4 This pageant..shows the progress of a boy from Tenderfoot to King's Scout (British Scouting's highest rank). 1983 Jan. 49/1 Baden-Powell..got the King [sc. Edward VII] to approve his suggestion that boys who passed special tests should be ranked as King's Scouts. 2008 C. Lowe 117 The King's Scout award required prospective candidates to earn the ‘Pathfinder’ badge as well as four of six from a list of other badges: ‘Ambulance,’ ‘Cyclist,’ ‘Fireman,’ ‘Marksman,’ ‘Rescuer’ and ‘Signaller’. the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medical preparations of specific origin > mineral medicine > [noun] > medicines prepared from other minerals society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for privilege > [noun] > of levying fines c1400 (Peterhouse) (1991) l. 385 Þei byggeþ with þe kynges seluer boþe londes and ledes. 1463 in S. Tymms (1850) 35 A rowund ryng of the kynges silvir. 1617 J. Minsheu Kings siluer, is properly that money, which is due to the King in the Court of common plees, in respect of a licence there granted to any man for passing a fine. 1794 W. Cruise (ed. 3) I. ii. 23 The king's silver, which is sometimes called the post-fine..is an antient revenue of the crown. 1846 8 322 Payment of the King's silver..can never be deemed legal evidence of a fine levied. 2001 31 108 There were a variety of documents associated with the process of levying a fine, notably the pre- and post-fines made by the Clerk of the King's Silver. 2001 D. N. Robinson in J. Moriarty I. iv. 37 Cramp-rings, made from the King's silver and gold and blessed by him, were passed around as gifts..in Renaissance England. the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > non-scientific treatments > [noun] > touching for king's evil 1613 R. Zouche 30 O! may some Royall Heau'n grac'd hand asswage This swelling Euils Kings-stroke-asking rage! 1665 J. Dolben 46 Esteeming his scornfull blows as healing as the Kings Touch. 1700 W. Baron iii. 128 He had often met with that Distemper in the Eyes, and was seldom able to master it; but finding the King's Touch as seldom fail'd, advis'd all Patients..to take that course of Cure. 1830 W. Scott Auchindrane ii. i, in 266 'Tis just as if a wretch retain'd the evil, When the King's touch had bid the sores be heal'd. 1999 R. E. Guiley (ed. 2) 154/1 The king's touch was the reputed ability of royalty to heal, especially a type of scrofula called the king's evil. society > authority > office > symbol of office or authority > regalia > [noun] > sceptre a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 7864 Þai sett a ceptre in his hand, þat man clepes kyngs wand. society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > widow or widower > [noun] > widow > types of widow 1540 Act 32 Henry VIII c. 46 §25 in (1963) III. 805 The said maister..shalhave auctoritie by this acte to survey all the Kinges widowes..that have maried them selfis without the Kinges licence..for their reasonable fynes to be made to the Kinges use. 1607 J. Cowell sig. Bbbb4v/1 The Kings widow..is that widow, which after her husbands death being the Kings tenent in capite, is driuen to recouer her Dower by a writ De dote assignanda. 1777 208 The widow coming into the chancery, and there making oath that she will not marry without the king's leave, obtains a writ of dota assignando. These widows are called the king's widows. 1829 R. Thomson 173 The Relicts of such persons..were called the King's Widows..; and the ancient fine paid by any of them for marrying without license, was the value of her dowry for one year. 1967 G. J. Hand iii. 81 The justiciar's court was the proper place for such proceedings as..why a king's widow was married without licence, and so forth. 2012 M. A. Hicks 7 Writs ordering such assignments specified that the ‘king's widows’ should swear not to remarry without royal assent. 1821 Sept. 163/1 Pray God he may'nt turn out to be a king's-yarn of the old fellow [sc. the devil] himself. 1845 135 A mark like the King's yarn put into a rope to colour it?—It was a yarn to distinguish it. 1875 25 Dec. 3/3 Like the King's yarn in the British cable—a thread of bright intelligence and tender feeling runs through this [iron-bound, inflexible] nature and makes it high and sweet. a1891 H. Melville (1962) vii. 63 Don't you think there is a queer streak of the pedantic running through him? Yes, like the King's yarn in a coil of navy-rope? 1951 Summer 104 Like the King's yarn, that colored strand woven through cordage to denote it as the property of the crown, constant learned allusion threads its way through the fabric of Melville's tale. the world > matter > colour > named colours > yellow or yellowness > colouring matter > [noun] > pigments 1738 G. Smith tr. ii. 37 Take fine King's Yellow, neal it in a Crucible, one part Yellow, and three parts Flux. 1823 P. Nicholson 414 King's Yellow is a pure orpiment, or arsenic, coloured with sulphur. 1874 J. G. Wood 152 The elytra are smooth and of a ‘king's yellow’ colour. 1933 20 Aug. vii. 1/5 White lead can be mixed with all pigments that do not contain sulphur, but it should not be tinted or mixed with sulphides, such as cadmium, king's yellow, ultramarine blue or green. 1942 2 Nov. 122 (advt.) Here's Betty Rice following that advice..complete with king's yellow evening dress. 2005 M. McCann (ed. 3) xii. 279 King's yellow (arsenic trisulfide), and iodine scarlet (mercuric sulfide)—are no longer used. c. In names of plants. king's consound: see consound n. king's ellwand: see Compounds 5b.the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > buttercup and allied flowers > peonies 1598 J. Florio Peonia, the hearbe Peonie or Kings bloom. 1599 J. Minsheu 213 Rósa montés, or Rosa de mónte, Pionie, hill Rose, or Kings bloome. 1611 R. Cotgrave Peone, Peonie, Kings-bloome, Rose of the Mount. 1597 J. Gerard ii. 1034 (caption) Melilotus coronata. Kings Clauer. 1640 J. Parkinson 720 In English wee call it generally Kings Claver as the chiefest of all other three leafed grasses, generally called Clavers or Claver grasses, and Melilot after the Latine name to be the more easily understood. 1796 W. Withering (ed. 3) III. 646 Melilot Trefoil. Common Melilot. King's Claver. 1899 8 July 26/3 This last variety was called ‘king's clover’, in England. 1993 D. Bellamy vi. 157 It [sc. wild lote] is also known as King's Clover, perhaps because it took over the farms of the Tudor peasantry. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular medicinal plants or parts > [noun] > melilot the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > viburnums or guelder rose and allies > [noun] 1526 cclxviii. sig. Piii/2 It bereth a floure lyke halfe a cercle and therfore it is called kynges crowne. 1879 J. Britten & R. Holland King's Crown,..Viburnum Opulus. 1914 F. E. Clements & E. S. Clements 189 Rhodiola Linné 1753. King's Crown. 2006 P. D. Irwin III. viii. 59 The crevices of the gorge support wildflower species such as king's crown. 1832 9 June 314 Muriatic acid gas..immediately curled and contracted the leaves of a king's-feather, which were green, hardy, and growing. 1870 A. di San Giorgio 194 Eucomis regia..Eng. King's Flower. 1993 A. de Hertogh & M. Le Nard xxxviii. 752/2 Common names for Eucomis are: Ananas Plant, King's Flower, Pineapple Flower.., and Pineapple Lily. 1708 (new ed.) 106 Many are the Names this furious biting Herb hath obtained..for it is called..Crow-foot, Gold knobs, Gold-cups, Kings-knob [1652 King Kob; 1676 King Knob]. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > lily and allied flowers > asphodels 1597 J. Gerard i. 88 The leaues of the Kings speare are long, narrow, and chamfered or furrowed. a1637 B. Jonson Pans Anniv. 36 in (1640) III Bright Crowne-imperiall, Kings-speare, Holy-hocks. 1807 ‘A. McDonald’ Asphodelus, a genus containing plants of the herbaceous perennial and annual flowery kinds, having fleshy fibrous roots. The King's Spear. 2010 T. Fischer 60 With its tall flower stalks and grassy, fountain-like foliage, king's spear is a prime candidate for a meadow-type planting. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > mullein 1858 C. C. Wilkinson 60 To this use botanical works generally attribute the origin of the names torch-blade, or torch-mullein, and even the German high-taper (osterkerze), heaven's brand (himmel-brand) and king's-taper (königskerze). 1861 P. Lankester 102 Great Mullein..The common name, ‘Torchblade’, or ‘King's taper’, may have arisen from its candle-like appearance. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022). kingv.Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: king n. Etymology: < king n. Compare earlier lord v.In sense 4 after king hit n. at king n. Compounds 4a; compare slightly earlier king-hit vb. at king n. Compounds 4a. 1. ?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 119 Out of pitee growethe mercy and springethe,..What prynce hem lakkethe, not aright he kyngethe. 1701 N. Rowe iv. i. 1677 You King rarely! You mean to be renown'd for early Justice. society > authority > rule or government > sole rule > rule as monarch [verb (intransitive)] > as king ?1576 A. Hall sig. Fv A King cannot King it, without people, nor Lordes Lord it without Tenauntes. 1647 J. Howell 84 The Lord Deputy Kings it notably in Ireland. 1722 W. Bond tr. G. Buchanan (ed. 2) I. x. 452 He was a noted Robber,..excited by the Impunity of the former Times; so that he (as we say) king'd it a long time. 1814 Feb. 95 Here I kinged it a good while, but at length..I was driven from my government. 1883 E. F. Knight I. xv. 266 Some sacred Bull of Memphis, kinging it in his manger. 1921 E. Ferber i. 16 ‘Long John’ Wentworth was kinging it in Congress. 1942 E. Bowen vi. 127 Those two, son and mother who hardly met in life, continue..to king and queen it over the house. 2015 (Nexis) 8 Mar. 20 Lear has no right to decide that he's tired of kinging it, and once he gives up his realm, he loses everything. society > authority > office > appointment to office > appoint a person to an office [verb (transitive)] > appoint as king 1597 W. Shakespeare v. v. 36 Then crushing penurie Perswades me I was better when a king, Then am I kingd [1623 king'd] againe. View more context for this quotation 1656 S. Hunton 24 It un-king'd him, and King'd his un-kingers in point of Power. a1716 R. South (1744) XI. 51 Those traiterous captains of Israel, who kinged themselves by slaying their masters. 1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton III. viii. viii. 88 The recreant whom I Kinged. 1889 13 99 The king at once knighted him, so to speak, or really kinged him, making him ‘king of Anga’ on the spot. 1901 H. Whitney 3 Desirous eyes kinged him with envy's crown. 1913 D. C. Nimmo 13 Life and Time the sought king-commoner crowned And kinged the man who was his throne and tower. 1996 (Nexis) 22 July 11 He [sc. Robert the Bruce] had no stone, yet no-one ever suggested that he was inadequately kinged. society > authority > rule or government > sole rule > rule over as monarch [verb (transitive)] > rule over as king 1600 W. Shakespeare ii. iv. 26 She [sc. England] is so idely kingd [1623 king'd], Her scepter so fantastically borne. 1839 P. J. Bailey 9 Why madst Thou not one spirit like the sun To king the world? the world > movement > impact > striking > strike [verb (transitive)] > strike out with a blow 1916 5 June He heard a quarrel. Someone made a remark about ‘kinging’ a man. 1952 18 Jan. (Mag.) 4/2 He kinged me! Me own mate, and he kinged me! 1962 A. Marshall 144 If a bloke comes at you buttoning up his coat you always king him when he's on the last button. It's just common sense. 2010 (Nexis) 10 June (Sport section) 91 Sporny ‘kinged’ me from behind. Phrases1605 sig. A3v Rod. The deare friend of Lewes the French King. Burb. King me no Kings. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.eOEv.?c1425 |