over-partialadj.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. iv. sig. Q2^v She would,..clasping with him, come downe together, to be parted by the ouer-partiall beholders.

1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. xii. 86 If mens eares were not perchaunce to daintie, or their iudgementes ouer partiall, would peraduenture nothing at all misbecome our arte.

1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry v. sig. K4 Why should I then..Condemne my selfe, as ouer-partiall In my owne cause?

1668 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) i. §12. 23 I cannot but deem you an over-partial Mechanist.

a1720 J. Sheffield Wks. (1753) II. 20 The Court was inclined before, not to be overpartial to Prince Rupert.

1844 T. Hood Laying down Law in Whimsicalities I. 285 Was it thy purpose..To read a wholesome lesson to the Chartist, So over-partial to the means called Physical?

1895 Dict. National Biogr. XLVI. 118/1 Baker's Forgotten Great Englishman, 1894, is an imperfect and over-partial biography.

1955 F. Bowers On editing Shakespeare i. 28 In this last there is surely an over partial argument, for we have no external evidence that Shakespeare ever submitted either original drafts, or fair copy.

2002 Guardian (Nexis) 1 Apr. 18 She was timorous in dealing with family disputes, mean about paying bills and over-partial to whisky and soda.