patchn.1
/patʃ/, U.S. /pætʃ/ I. A piece of material.† 5. A small piece of leather used to protect the fingers when grinding small tools. Obsolete. rare.
1.
a. A piece of a material attached to something to repair a hole or tear, or to strengthen or protect a weak area.
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society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [noun] > patch of material for mending
clouta700
patcha1382
piece?c1430
speckc1440
piece-patch1880
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Josh. ix. 5 Þei..tokyn to hem..fol olde shoon þe whiche to þe doom of oldnes been souwed wiþe patchis.
a1425 J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 17172 A garnement shape lyk a sak... Gret noumbre ther-on I tolde, Off cloutys and off pachchys olde.
a1500 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 138 (MED) Galawntt, with thy curtesy, Thow brekyst thy hose at kne, And with a pacche þou clowtyst Aye.
1576 G. Gascoigne Complaynt of Phylomene in Steele Glas sig. R Se how coblerlike I haue clouted a new patch to an olde sole.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iv. ii. 32 As patches set vpon a little breach, Discredite more..Then did the fault before it was so patch'd. View more context for this quotation
1675 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Odysses xxiv. 294 A foul Coat full of patches.
1713 Boston News-let. 7 Sept. 2/2 (advt.) A course broad cloth Jacket, with a large Patch in the back.
1787 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) II. 152 The hole and the patch should be commensurate.
1851 Beck's Florist 40 Then she'd..wash my linen, or put a patch here and a darn there.
1898 Sun 23 Mar. 4/1 The ‘patch’ included in the ‘ordinary [bicycle] outfit’ is by no means large enough for an ordinary burst.
1923 R. Kipling Land & Sea Tales 190 A paper patch was slapped over the bullet hole.
1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iii. 58 Appliqué is one of the oldest forms of embroidery, springing from the purely utilitarian patch.
2000 P. Vincent Mountain Bike Maintenance 28/1 Measure the puncture..before selecting the correct size of patch.
b. A piece of sticking plaster used to cover and protect a wound or scar.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > equipment for treating wound or ulcer > [noun] > sticking-plaster
patch?c1425
sticking plaster1584
dry stitch1674
strap1749
sticking silk1766
court-plaster1773
adhesive bandage1797
strapping1818
adhesive1835
Band-Aid1924
Elastoplast1928
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 193 (MED) Take two grete pacches of cloþ þ[r]e cornerede after þe quantite of þe membre.
1591 T. Lodge Catharos (1875) 6 Better to weare patches on my cloake, than to beare the patch on my head.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V v. i. 84 Patches will I get vnto these skarres.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xxiii. 64 He was fixing a very small patch of sticking-plaster..near the corner of his mouth.
1875 W. C. Hazlitt Dodsley's Sel. Coll. Old Eng. Plays XI. 140 (note) Feesimple alludes also to the patch on the face of Tearchaps.
1988 M. Cohen Racial Memories in L. Hutcheon & M. Richmond Other Solitudes (1990) 160 My wound has been reduced to a small throbbing slice covered by a neat white patch.
c. A small piece of black material, typically silk or velvet, cut into a decorative shape and worn on the face, either for adornment or to conceal a blemish, esp. in the 17th and 18th centuries. Cf. patch-box n. Now historical.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the face > [noun] > adorning with patches > ornamental patches or spots
spot1578
patch1592
beauty spot1647
fly1658
mouche1676
gunpowder spot1681
powder-spot1683
beauty patch1691
mouchet1699
coquette patch1705
1592 J. Lyly Midas iii. ii Licio: Take Masticke else. Pet: Mastick's a patch. Masticke does many a foole's face catch.
1601 J. Marston et al. Iacke Drums Entertainm. v. sig. Iv Blacke patches are worne, Some for pride, some to stay the Rhewme, and Some to hide the scab.
1637 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Elder Brother iii. v. sig. F3v Your blacke patches you weare variously, Some cut like starres, some in halfe Moons, some Lozenges.
1715 Lady M. W. Montagu Saturday in Town Eclogues 49 Hours..pass'd in deep debate, How curls should fall, or where a patch to place.
a1758 A. Ramsay Highland Lassie ii [Lasses] wha mak their cheeks with patches motie.
1853 J. B. Felt Customs New Eng. III. Catharine Mariott, of Boston, advertises, in 1737, patches for sale.
1897 ‘O. Rhoscomyl’ For White Rose Arno (U.K. ed.) 23 The patch that lent piquancy to the cheek of beauty.
1980 E. Jong Fanny ii. i. 165 She had sought to cover her Pockmarks with so many Patches of various Shapes and Sizes that she seem'd more like a Plum Pudding than a Woman.
1989 Miller's Collectables Price Guide 1989–90 273/3 In the 18th C the English and French gentry used patch boxes in which to keep beauty patches as well as patches to cover pox scars.
2009 M. Martin Selling Beauty i. 15 Some men wore mouches, black silk beauty spots, or patches, held on by glue to highlight the skin's whiteness.
d. A pad or piece of material worn to conceal or protect an injured eye, or to correct a defective one.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > equipment for treating wound or ulcer > [noun] > plug, pad, or swab > for eye
patch1598
1598 G. Chapman Blinde Begger of Alexandria sig. Bv Though he..want an eye, Wearing a veluet patch vpon the same.
1702 London Gaz. No. 3847/4 [He] had a Patch on his right Eye.
1784 E. Sheridan Let. in Betsy Sheridan's Jrnl. (1986) i. 41 One eye is..cover'd with a green silk patch.
1812 H. Smith & J. Smith Rejected Addr. 70 Over the horse's left eye was a patch To keep it from burning the manger.
1876 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Tom Sawyer xxx. 229 I see that the big one was the deaf and dumb Spaniard, by his white whiskers and the patch on his eye.
a1901 W. Besant Five Years' Tryst (1902) 221 You can change your face,..put a patch over one eye.
1956 ‘I. English’ Every Eye 28 I had been cajoled and bullied about my ‘lazy eye’—worn corrective glasses and sometimes even a black patch over my good eye.
1994 B. A. Staples Parallel Time xi. 241 The vulturish bend in his neck and the black patch he donned after his eye was beaten out.
e. Medicine. A small piece of material impregnated with a drug or other active substance and applied to the skin for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Also skin patch. Cf. patch test n.nicotine patch: see nicotine n. Compounds 1.
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1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. Compl. Hist. Druggs I. viii. xxxiii. 198/1 It [sc. Gum Caranna] is also apply'd to the Temples upon small Plaisters or Patches in the Head-Ach.
1951 L. E. H. Whitby & M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 5) xiv. 260 A positive reaction is indicated by areas of induration under the tuberculin patches.
1984 Arch. Internal Med. 144 1211 The drug was incorporated into small self-adhesive delivery systems (pliable skin patches, 3.5-sq-cm area) designed to continuously deliver 0.1 mg of clonidine hydrochloride per day.
1989 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 May 1220/1 Transdermal hyoscine was applied as a patch to glabrous skin behind the ear.
1992 Independent 12 May 15/1 Once the angina patch is removed..the drug concerned, glyceryl trinitrate, clears from the body tissue after 20 minutes.
2000 Dog Fancy July 32/3 Options for relief..include..skin patches that release narcotics such as fentanyl.
f. A piece of cloth sewn on a garment, esp. a uniform, as an ornament or badge; (Prison slang) any of a number of pieces of cloth sewn on to a uniform to identify a prisoner as an escapee, frequently in in (also on) patches: wearing a prison uniform with patches.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > other
jace1399
loopa1475
shakers1506
aglet1530
nerve1531
pipe1533
targeting1563
pinion1583
pinioning1597
tzitzit1618
loop-lace1632
button1671
tip1681
fal-lal1703
falbala1705
furbelow1706
jewelling1718
weeper1724
pompom1748
chiffons1765
foliage-trimming1818
mancheron1822
piping1825
manchette1835
patte1835
streamer1838
waterfall1841
paillette1843
brandenburgs1873
motif1882
patch1884
smocking1888
jockey1896
strapping1898
steel1899
sparklet1902
slotting1923
society > communication > indication > insignia > [noun] > badge > types of badge
favoura1616
field mark1653
cockade1709
star1830
button1837
pin1848
brassard1870
patch1884
shoulder patch1947
badging1983
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 May 4/2 Mr. Serjeant Pulling..shows that..the white border is the real representation by survival of the coif, the black patch representing the cornered cap which was worn above it.
1898 Daily News 22 Oct. 6/3 Spots..such as black silk on scarlet velvet... These ‘patches’ are now the very height of the fashion.
1900 Daily News 22 Aug. 5/1 One juvenile wearer of the ‘patch’, belonging to H.M.S. Aurora, was in the thick of the fire.
1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 125 Once they put you on patches that's it... They always stick patches on geezers who have it away.
1992 Chicago Tribune 28 Aug. ii. 5/3 The Big Red Once, as the 1st Division is called, referring to the design of the unit's shoulder patch.
2. Needlework. Any of a number of pieces of cloth of varying shape, size, and colour, used to make a patchwork.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > patchwork > part of
patch?1499
?1499 J. Skelton Bowge of Courte (de Worde) sig. Biij His cote was checked with patches rede & blewe.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. John Pref. Clothe of golde empowdred emong patches of canuesse, or perles and diamondes emong peoblestones.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccccxxiiij The other two..had as it were sowed together certen fragmentes, and patches.
1628 J. Earle Micro-cosmogr. xxv. sig. E9v His Verses are like his clothes, miserable Cento's and patches.
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iv. xix. 355 A pie-bald Livery of course Patches, and borrowed Shreds.
1723 J. Barker Patch-work Screen for Ladies 23 Our Ladyship may chuse some Patches for your Screen.
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 384/2 This [sc. raised patchwork] is also known as Swiss Patchwork, and is made by stuffing the patches out with wadding.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables xiii. 129 I wish time went as quick sewing patches as it does when I'm playing with Diana.
1993 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 22 Dec. d 6/5 The patches are bits of antique Indonesian ikat..and they are put together according to the particular design sense of the woman who is hand-making the coat.
2006 Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope Quilts 120/2 In some patchwork layouts a patch will have to be sewn into an angled corner formed by the joining of two other patches.
3. A small scrap, piece, or remnant of something; a snippet, an extract.shreds and patches (see shred n. 3c).
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the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > small piece
fingereOE
snedec1000
seed?a1200
morselc1300
bittlock?a1400
farthingc1405
spota1413
lipetc1430
offe?1440
drewc1450
remnantc1450
parcel1483
crap1520
flakec1525
patch1528
spark1548
a piece1559
sparklec1570
inch1573
nibbling?1577
scantling1585
scrat1593
mincing1598
scantle1598
halfpenny1600
quantity1600
nip1606
kantch1608
bit1609
catch1613
scripa1617
snap1616
sippeta1625
crumblet1634
scute1635
scantleta1642
snattock1654
cantlet1700
tab1729
pallion1738
smallness1818
knobble1823
wisp1836
1528 J. Skelton Honorificatissimo: Replycacion agaynst Yong Scolers sig. Aii A lytell ragge of Rethorike..A pece or a patche of Philosophy.
1579 W. Fulke Heskins Parl. Repealed in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 81 They reade but patches out of other mens notes.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iv. 92 A King of shreds and patches . View more context for this quotation
1686 J. Locke Let. 31 Dec. in J. Locke & E. Clarke Corr. (1927) 177 The ill effects of writing in patches and at distant times.
1782 H. Thrale Let. 30 Apr. in F. Burney Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2012) V. 51 This Letter is written by scraps & Patches, but every Scrap is Admiration, & every Patch thanks you for the Pleasure I have received.
1835 T. Arnold Let. in A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold (1845) I. 435 Much of ancient history consists apparently of patches put together..without any redaction.
1891 Temple Bar June 222 Accrescent layers of instruction sandwiched in between patches of narrative.
1988 S. Hawking Brief Hist. Time ii. 23 One may describe the whole universe in terms of a collection of overlapping patches.
4. A piece of greased cloth, leather, or other material used as the wadding for a rifle ball, or (in later use) for cleaning the barrel.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > wad
tampion1481
wadding1627
wad1667
wisp1688
patch1799
junk wad1822
grummet1828
patching1835
oil patch1861
grummet-wad1867
1799 I. Weld Trav. N. Amer. viii. 67 The grease and the bits of rag, which are called patches, are carried in a little box.
1840 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 3rd Ser. xi. 147 Somethin' that will go down the throat like a greased patch down a smooth rifle.
1894 Harper's Mag. Sept. 624/2 Slung from his neck..[was] his shot-pouch (with its..bent-wire hook crowded with cotton ‘patches’ to wrap around the bullets).
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 873/2 The original musket bullet was..wrapped in a loosely fitting paper patch which formed the cartridge.
1986 Target Gun Aug. 57/1 The act of putting a dry patch through the barrel will also tell a great deal about the condition of the bore.
2002 Combat & Survival Nov. 64/3 Remember to run a dry patch through the barrel to remove all traces of oil before you use the gun.
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the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > [noun] > means of protection or defence > device or contrivance to protect a thing or person > other protective devices
bonnet1815
footguard1821
fall-breaker1883
patch1890
guard-board1898
interlock1934
shark netting1970
1890 Cent. Dict. Patch, a small square of thick leather sometimes used in the grinding of small tools to press the work on the stone, in order to protect the fingers from abrasion.
II. A small area or part of a larger surface.
6.
a. A part of a surface of recognizably different appearance or character from the rest; an irregular mark or spot.
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the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > [noun]
patch1557
flame1602
flaming1703
stain1712
flash1972
1557 T. Tusser Hundreth Good Pointes Husbandrie sig. C.iii Rewarde not the shepe, when thou takest his cote: with two or three patches, as brode as a grote.
1701 London Gaz. No. 3745/4 A Patch near the Flank on the near Side [of a horse].
1796 tr. F. Le Vaillant New Trav. Afr. II. 34 Having a white patch on the hinderpart of the neck, it has thence..received the appellation of ring-hals-kraai (ring-neck crow).
1873 P. G. Hamerton Intellect. Life (1875) ii. i. 50 The sky will not come right..it is all spots and patches.
1894 A. Newton et al. Dict. Birds: Pt. III 818 The Surf-Duck..with a white patch on the crown and another on the nape.
1958 ‘A. Burgess’ Enemy in Blanket xvii. 194 There were patches on the walls where pictures had been.
1988 F. Weldon Leader of Band vi. 38 He dribbles a little and goes away, leaving a wet patch on the glass.
b. Medicine and Anatomy. A circumscribed area of abnormal tissue on the surface of or within an organ; esp. a largish, flat, discoloured or depigmented lesion of the skin. Also: a small, well-defined area of an organ distinct in appearance, texture, etc.Peyer's patch: see Peyer n. smoker's patch: see the first element.
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the world > life > the body > skin > [noun] > piece of
patch1706
flap1856
1706 J. Marten tr. J. Groeneveld Treat. Cantharides 284 I gave her a Mercurial Wash, which she used Morning and Evening to her Face, as also to those scattering Patches of the Disease, which were up and down upon her Neck, Shoulders, and Breast.
1797 Monthly Mag. 3 153 In other cases, there are many circular gangrenous patches, on the surface of the intestines.
1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 132 As the patch expands, the centre of it gradually assumes the natural colour of the skin.
1849–52 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. IV. ii. 839/1 Each Peyerian patch consists of but a single layer of gland-vesicles.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 226 It undergoes a process of division whereby it is converted into the embryonic patch.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 296 A patch of softening was found in each hemisphere.
1908 Practitioner Sept. 354 If sufficient examinations were made in syphilitic patients..leucoplakial patches would be found in the mucous membrane.
1932 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 182 137 Retinal arteriosclerosis in association with hemorrhages and sharply defined white patches.
1967 Canad. Med. Assoc. Jrnl. 9 Sept. 596/1 Much of the bladder wall had regained a relatively normal appearance and the sandy patches were greatly reduced.
1991 Pulse 6 Apr. 66/2 Pityriasis versicolor appears as superficial scaly patches on the trunk, limbs and face.
2001 Quicksilver Mag. Spring 80/3 Vitiligo..affects thyroid, adrenal and pancreatic glands, resulting in pale patches on the face and neck.
7. A small, distinct area of land or ground; a clump or accumulation of something lying or growing on such an area.
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the world > the earth > land > tract > [noun] > small
plotlOE
plat1435
particlec1460
specka1552
patch1577
pick1585
field plot1659
1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. ii. iv. f. 74v/1, in R. Holinshed Chron. I In..Buckingham shyre..there is a piece of Hartforde shyre..thys patche is not aboue three myles in length & two in breadth.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. iv. sig. K3 We goe to gaine a little patch of ground That hath in it no profit but the name.
a1677 J. Taylor Contempl. State Man (1684) ii. iii. 200 Why doth he content himself with some patch of the Earth, when he may be Lord of the whole Heavens?
1742 W. Shenstone School-mistress v A Patch so green, On which the Tribe their Gambols do display.
1775 R. Henderson Jrnl. 17 May in G. W. Rauck Boonesborough (1901) 177 [I] am just going to our little plant patches in hopes the greens will bear cropping.
1815 W. Wordsworth White Doe of Rylstone iv. 68 Like a patch of April snow.
1847 G. Grote Hist. Greece IV. ii. xxvi. 35 Patches of cultivable soil.
1904 E. W. A. Pringle Woman Rice Planter 97 They plant a field of corn, a patch of rice, a patch of cotton, and one of tobacco.
1956 A. J. Cronin Crusader's Tomb 183 A small white house with a lean-to cabaña, roofed in esparto grass, standing in a patch of wasteland.
1985 J. Morris Last Lett. from Hav ii. 22 There were patches of green crops and pasture to the north-east.
2000 J. Connolly Dark Hollow iii. xxvii. 386 He came upon a clearing next to a patch of beaver bog.
8. A more or less circular area of floating pieces of sea ice.
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the world > the earth > water > ice > body of ice > [noun] > area of floating circular or polygonal pieces
patch1818
1818 Ann. Reg. 1817 ii. Nat. Hist. 531/1 If it assume a circular or polygonal form, the name of patch is applied.
1850 Natural Phenomena 106 If the field [of ice] is broken up into a number of pieces, none of which are more than forty or fifty yards across, the whole is called a pack; if the pieces are broad they are called a patch.
1895 W. Barron Old Whaling Days 210 Patch, a smaller collection of broken floe ice drifted from the pack, varying in size.
1966 T. Armstrong et al. Illustr. Gloss. Snow & Ice 31 Patch, a collection of pack ice, less than 10 km across, whose limits can be seen from the masthead.
1983 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 309 442 A distinct patch of multi-year ice about 100 km in extent was tracked.
9. U.S. A settlement of ramshackle houses or shacks, esp. one occupied by a mining community. Also as an element in place names.
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1877 ‘E. W. Martin’ Hist. Great Riots (1971) 460 The whole population of the coal regions living in cities, towns and small settlements, often called ‘patches’.
1925 N.Y. Times 26 Dec. 1/8 The so-called ‘coal patches’, the small towns between the large urban centers in the anthracite region, have been the chief scenes of destitution and suffering.
1969 Chicago Daily News 27 Sept. 5/1 It is seedy, dreary, congested, despairing—a multi-racial poor people's patch, Appalachia in Chicago.
1997 New Yorker 6 Oct. 116/1 A street scene in what was once an old shantytown called the Blackberry Patch in Columbus Ohio.
10. An area assigned to a particular person or group, esp. an area patrolled by a police officer. Also: (figurative) a person's area of responsibility.
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the world > space > place > [noun] > where one operates
beat1721
querencia1944
turf1962
patch1963
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman's beat
stread1518
beat1721
patch1963
1963 T.V. Times (Austral.) 18 Apr. 10/2 Patch, a police area: as in ‘It's on my patch’.
1975 J. Symons Three Pipe Probl. xvi. 157 Either he gets off your patch or he finds his reputation as an art dealer ruined.
1991 Industr. Waste Managem. Oct. 24/1 You'd have those relating to the water quality objectives which is really your patch.
2000 Wildlife News (Berks., Bucks. & Oxon Naturalists' Trust) Jan. 14/3 The committees were made up of expert naturalists who knew their patch better than anyone else.
III. Extended uses.† 11. The operculum of a periwinkle. Obsolete. rare.† 12. Firearms. A block attached to the muzzle of a gun so that the difference between the diameter of the base ring and that of the widest point of the muzzle can be allowed for when taking aim. Obsolete.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Holostomata > family Littorinidae > operculum of periwinkle
patch1835
1835 W. Kirby On Power of God in Creation of Animals I. ix. 279 We find the mouth of its shell closed by a horny organ called the patch.
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1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. (at cited word) A projection on the top of the muzzle in some guns, doing away with the effect of dispart in laying.
1884 F. C. Morgan Handbk. Artillery Matériel 21 The muzzle sight is recessed into the dispart patch on the muzzle.
13. Printing. = overlay n. 1b. Now rare.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > [noun] > overlaying > overlay
overlay1824
patch1915
1915 J. Southward Mod. Printing II. 62 Patching up is the placing of patches upon the cylinder..partly to give an extra impression on heavy letters or dark portions of blocks.
1967 J. J. M. Wijnekus Elsevier's Dict. Printing & Allied Industries 233/2 Patch, a hand cut overlay.
14.
a. A temporary electrical connection, esp. in a telephone circuit.
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1923 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. 2 123 A temporary [telephone] connection made in this manner..is called a ‘patch’.
1937 L. Lewis Radio Dict. in Printers' Ink Monthly May 40/1 Patch, a temporary and removable connection on studio equipment.
1977 R. L. Duncan Temple Dogs (1978) ii. 259 He just called computer, requested a patch on the Metro interface. He wants to know what the Tokyo police have picked up.
1982 Giant Bk. Electronic Patches vi. 264 You don't have to spend $40 to $90 for a phone patch... For a cost of under $10 and one evening's work, you can have a patch that will work with a new solid-state rig or an older tube-type transceiver.
b. Computing. A small piece of code inserted into a program to correct a fault (usually temporarily) or to enhance the program.
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society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > fix or improvement
patch1954
1954 First Gloss. Programming Terminol. (Assoc. Computing Machinery) 15 Patch, a section of coding inserted into a routine (usually by explicitly transferring control from the routine to the patch and back again) to correct a mistake or alter the routine.
1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xviii. 295 In the final version of the program, however, all the patches should be removed.
1983 Austral. Personal Computer Aug. 144/3 A neat little patch to WordStar..stops that program pretending that it is sending display characters down a serial line to a dumb terminal.
2001 PC Gamer Oct. 124/2 Please could you tell me where I could find a patch for this annoying bug.
c. Music. A configuration of the controls of a synthesizer or other electronic instrument which can be preset or stored for subsequent retrieval.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > other musical instruments > [noun] > electronic > electronic effects and devices
tremolo1959
trem arm1961
tremolo arm1961
fuzzbox1964
wah-wah1968
wah-wah pedal1969
voice1970
phasera1974
patch1975
sequencer1975
drum machine1976
flanger1979
pitchbend1982
beat-box1983
MIDI1983
1975 R. S. Brindle New Music 114 This patch will produce filtered white sound in repeating irregular waves.
1984 Sounds 1 Dec. 61/2 You go through the split points, programming MIDI channel information, editing sounds (or not) until you have a satisfactory combination of patches.
2001 Future Music June 121/2 (advt.) 3 CDs packed with all the horn riffs and patches you need for phunking up your tracks.
Phrases
P1. colloquial. not a patch on: in no way comparable to, not nearly as good as.
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1860 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth xxxvii He is not a patch on you for looks.
1889 Westm. Gaz. 20 Feb. 10/1 We have some strange weather in England..but it is doubtful whether we are a patch upon Australia.
1924 M. Baring C xiv. 163 Gautier had written some very good verse, but he was too romantic and not a patch on André Chénier.
1994 Daily Tel. 10 Oct. 18/5 Set against native trees, Leyland green looks very synthetic, and is not a patch on yew.
P2. With modifying adjective: a distinct period of time with a characteristic quality. Frequently in to strike (also hit, etc.) a bad (also rough, sticky) patch.
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the world > time > [noun] > stretch, period, or portion of time > period of certain character, condition, or events
dayOE
dayOE
summer day1563
tempestivity1569
set1633
stretch1689
period1712
run1714
tack1723
spell1827
dreamtime1844
time coursea1867
patch1897
dreaming1932
quality time1972
1897 Bristol Times & Mirror 16 Aug. 6/2 Since then, first Yorkshire and now Essex seem to have struck a bad patch.
1926 P. G. Wodehouse Heart of Goof i. 32 We strike a good patch and are beginning to think pretty well of ourselves.
1949 Econ. Jrnl. 59 506 The concept of measurable ultilty, after going through a rough patch, has now been pretty firmly re-established on its throne.
1958 Daily Sketch 2 June 12/4 A friend helps you over a sticky patch in the afternoon.
1989 P. Lively Passing On v. 59 Tim and I..are going through what is called a bad patch.
2001 S. Walton Out of It (2002) p. x The moral support I received..during a very tiresome sticky patch in the summer of 1999.
Compounds
patch bay n. a device consisting of an array of sockets mounted on a panel, used for connecting routing signals from several other devices.
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > analogue component
patch cord1938
plugboard1946
patch bay1948
patchboard1949
patch panel1952
patch-plug1962
patch lead1964
1948 Electronics July 119/3 To set up the computer the elements are connected..by means of patch cords joining the proper inputs and outputs through the patch bay.
1962 H. D. Huskey & G. A. Korn Computer Handbk. iv. 26 Most multipurpose electronic analog computers are programmed by means of a patchboard system which comprises (1) a patchbay with spring-contact terminations for the computing elements and (2) interchangeable removable problem boards which carry the actual interconnecting patchcords.
1985 Internat. Musician June 31/2 (advt.) Yamaha have completely redesigned the popular MT44 system with..many new features, LED Display, 6 input mixer, new patchbay, etc.
2001 Computer Music May (Getting Started Suppl.) 12/1 In the beginning, synths were based on oscillators, filters and envelope generators, linked together by cables and patch bays.
patchboard n. = patch panel n.2
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > analogue component
patch cord1938
plugboard1946
patch bay1948
patchboard1949
patch panel1952
patch-plug1962
patch lead1964
1949 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 3 512 Receptacle patch-board for 500 element connections and 25 main busses.
1961 G. Millerson Technique Television Production i. 17 Tape recorders, racks of audio amplifiers, patchboards and an electronic reverberation unit, complete the general set-up.
1990 Computer Buyer's Guide & Handbk. 8 iii. 68/2 In addition to its electronic patch-board and its other hardware-configuration features, it enables you to edit MIDI data.
patch breast pocket n. a patch pocket sewn on the breast of a garment.
ΚΠ
1902 Daily Chron. 7 Jan. 6/3 The jacket..with two patch breast pockets with pleats.
2000 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch (Nexis) 17 Dec. g8 This year we are seeing a lot of open patch pockets on matched suits, even a patch breast-pocket.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > coat > types of > other
russet coatc1425
syon1511
party coat1559
patch-coat?1608
undercoat1648
turncoat1726
wambais1761
straw coat1783
coatlet1795
Wellington coat1809
redingote1823
shad-belly1842
cutaway1849
reliever1850
blouse1861
shooter1870
square-cut1893
stroller1901
Redfern1909
sherwani1911
teddy bear1925
swagger coat1933
swing-coat1935
Crombie1951
tent coat1961
?1608 S. Lennard tr. P. Charron Of Wisdome i. Pref. 118 See then how strange and monstrous a patch-coat man is.
patch cord n. an insulated lead with a plug at each end, used for making connections between the sockets of a patchboard or different pieces of electronic equipment.
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > analogue component
patch cord1938
plugboard1946
patch bay1948
patchboard1949
patch panel1952
patch-plug1962
patch lead1964
1938 G. E. Sterling Radio Man. (ed. 3) vii. 442 The input may be connected to a terminal board in rear or to normal-through standard double patch-cord jacks at front of panel.
1948 Electronics July 119/3 To set up the computer the elements are connected..by means of patch cords joining the proper inputs and outputs through the patch bay.
1989 Guitar Player Mar. 137 (advt.) The average PA mixer..works fine for live performances. But just try to use it in the studio, and you'd better be good with the patch cords.
2002 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 21 Nov. g8 Depending on your stereo setup, you may need some additional adapters and patch cords.
patch fox n. now rare the cross fox, a yellowish North American colour variant of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes, having a cross-shaped patch of black hairs over its shoulders; the skin of this fox.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > [noun] > genus Vulpes > vulpes fulva (red fox)
black fox1586
red fox1706
silvery fox1781
patch fox1836
Samson fox1842
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > [noun] > genus Vulpes > vulpes vulpes (fox) > varieties of
colfoxc1386
crucigeran fox1607
greyhound fox1766
mastiff fox1766
cross-fox1830
patch fox1836
brant-fox1864
pug fox1907
1836 E. Wix Six Months of Newfoundland Missionary's Jrnl. 162 I had a fine view of a patch fox in my walk.
1930 Economist 4 Jan. 10/2 The highest priced fur in 1927–8 was silver fox..; cross or patch fox was second.
1942 M. Bosanquet Saddlebags for Suitcases 48 The most common of these [variations] is the ‘cross’ or ‘patch’ fox, which is yellow with a dark cross or patch across the shoulders.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > greasy or fatty material > [noun] > derived from animals > tallow > types or forms of
tallow-loaf1483
patch-grease1614
town tallow1734
rough stuff1798
1614 G. Markham Cheape & Good Husbandry Table of Hard Words Patch-grease is that tallow which is gotten from the boyling of Shoemakers shreads.
ΚΠ
1822 G. W. Manby Jrnl. Voy. Greenland 131 The favourite resort of Large Whales for security, instinct has taught them to choose..compact patch ice.
1876 C. H. Davis Narr. North Polar Exped. Ship Polaris 75 Patch-ice was occasionally met. The short detour generally made to avoid it was rendered easy by the existence of open water to the westward.
patch lead n. = patch cord n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > analogue component
patch cord1938
plugboard1946
patch bay1948
patchboard1949
patch panel1952
patch-plug1962
patch lead1964
1964 C. P. Gilbert Design & Use Electronic Analogue Computers vi. 364 The dotted line in Fig. 6.7(d) encloses all the sockets within reach of amplifier 3 using short patch leads.
1971 J. H. Smith Digital Logic ii. 18 The reader is advised to have at least 50 patch leads to connect the circuits together.
2002 Canberra Times (Nexis) 30 Sept. a13 There were 250m of ethernet patch leads, 250m of multimode fibre patch leads and 2km of multimode fibre cabling.
patch leather n. leather used for making a patch or patches.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather for patching
patch leather1806
1806 P. Gass Jrnl. 13 Mar. (1807) 188 Each man has also a sufficient quantity of patch-leather.
1996 Market Trader & Shopkeeper 11 Oct. 31/1 (advt.) We are tops in purses and wallets, a wide selection of fashion bags, patch leathers, [etc.].
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > pattern or design > [noun] > others
popinjay1322
serpent1388
moss-work1600
flame1602
frostwork1631
damask branch1634
mascaron1664
lacework1675
swash1680
branch-work1702
escallop-shella1706
festoon work1712
ovum1728
bricking1760
rising sun1787
ram's horn1842
linen-pattern1845
linen-scroll1854
wheel-rood1862
primal1875
patch ornament1878
tree1879
wheel-cross1882
skeuomorph1889
linenfold1891
taotie1915
boteh1917
pelta1935
starburst1953
quilling1972
towel-pattern-
1878 L. Jewitt Ceramic Art I. ii. 27 These dots are arranged so as to form bands; and in others simply ‘patch’ ornaments.
patch-plug n. = patch cord n.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun] > analogue component
patch cord1938
plugboard1946
patch bay1948
patchboard1949
patch panel1952
patch-plug1962
patch lead1964
1962 Gloss. Terms Automatic Data Processing (B.S.I.) 82 Patchcord, (deprecated synonym) patchplug, in a.d.p. a connector used to interconnect the sockets of a plugboard.
1964 G. A. Korn & T. M. Korn Electronic Analog & Hybrid Computers xi. 443 We can use the patchbay shielding as a relay ground and return each relay-coil connection through a single patchplug grounded to its shield.
1992 Internat. Jrnl. Afr. Hist. Stud. 25 224 What Arom has managed to do with just two stereophonic tape recorders and a small set of patch plugs, headphones, and microphones is remarkable.
patch pocket n. a pocket made by sewing a piece of fabric to the outside of a garment.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > pocket > types of
French pocket1675
side pocket1678
breast pocket1758
suck1821
watch-pocket1831
patch pocket1895
insider1896
prat1908
sidekick1916
bellows pocket1922
pannier pocket1922
welt pocket1932
slit pocket1933
1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 556/1 Coat, three-button sack, four patch pockets.
1928 Daily Express 22 May 5/2 A plain, collarless coat..with two large patch pockets.
2000 PS Nov. 106 Cotton babycord robe with contrasting trim, two patch pockets.
patch-polled coot n. U.S. regional (rare) the surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata, which has patches of white on its head.
ΚΠ
1888 G. Trumbull Names & Portraits Birds 103 Surf Duck... In Maine,..Patch-Head; in Massachusetts..and at Stonington, Conn., Patch-polled Coot.
1998 Boston Globe (Nexis) 25 Oct. 14 ‘Patch-polled coot,’ questioned the Crowell. ‘Surf scoter,’ answered the black duck rig.
patch reef n. a flat-topped, mound-like coral reef, usually less than a kilometre across and forming part of a larger complex of reefs.
ΚΠ
1932 J. A. Steers Unstable earth vi. 324 Here occurs the group of the Thousand Isles—a group really consisting of about eighty islands in all and made up of patch reefs.
1989 Skin Diver May 136/2 The little 50 foot Houseboat that sits upright next to a patch reef in 90 feet of water.
1997 G. S. Helfman et al. Diversity of Fishes xxiii. 424/1 Larvae, juveniles, and adults often have specific habitat preferences, as shown by the distinctive zones that occur on most coral reefs (lagoonal, patch reef, back reef, reef crest, shallow and deep reef front).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
patchn.2
/patʃ/, U.S. /pætʃ/, Irish English /pætʃ/ rare (now British regional and Irish English).
1. A foolish person, a simpleton; a fool, a clown.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > lout, oaf, booby > [noun]
lubber1362
looby1377
howfing?a1513
slouch?1518
bowberta1522
knuckylbonyarda1529
lob1533
lout1548
patch1549
hoballa1556
lilburnea1556
lobcocka1556
chub1558
hick1565
lourd1579
peasant1581
clown1583
lubbard1586
lumberer1593
lump1597
blooterc1600
boobyc1600
lob-coat1604
hoy1607
bacon-brainsa1635
alcatote1638
oaf1638
kelf1665
brute1670
dowf1722
gawky1724
chuckle1731
chuckle-head1731
John Trott1753
stega1823
lummoxa1825
gawk1837
country jakea1854
guffin1862
galoot1866
stot1877
lobster1896
mutt1900
palooka1920
schlub1950
the mind > emotion > pleasure > laughter > causing laughter > [noun] > jest or pleasantry > one who jests or jokes
jangler1303
bourder1330
triflera1382
mower1440
jester?1510
dizzardc1540
patch1549
pleasant1595
fiddle1600
motleya1605
banterer1678
morosoph1693
joker1729
farceur1781
funster1788
plaisanteur1828
cut-up1843
kibitzer1925
1549 T. Chaloner tr. Erasmus Praise of Folie sig. Gij This kynde of men whom commenly ye call fooles, doltes, ideotes, and paches [L. quos uulgo moriones, stultos, fatuos, ac bliteos appellant].
1588 ‘M. Marprelate’ Oh read ouer D. Iohn Bridges: Epist. 1 M. Bridges was a verie patch and a duns, when he was in Cambridg.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. ii. 9 A crew of patches, rude Mechanicals. View more context for this quotation
1655 T. Fuller tr. J. Gower in Church-hist. Brit. iv. 139 But Jack, the mad patch, men and houses doth snatch.
1830 W. Scott Doom of Devorgoil ii. i. 68 Thou art a foolish patch.
1858 J. Doran Hist. Court Fools 134 Patch was thus promoted to a court jestership.
2001 C. Chinn & S. Thorne Proper Brummie 131 Patch, a fool or simpleton.
2. colloquial. A bad-tempered person, esp. a child. See also cross-patch n.
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the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > [noun] > ill-natured person
crab1574
crab-staffa1603
hunks1602
snarler1634
cross-piecea1652
cross-patch1699
vixen1699
frump1817
catamaran1834
patch1839
crab-stick1840
hunkster1842
grump1900
wampus1912
maltalent1965
1839 W. Holloway Gen. Dict. Provincialisms (new ed.) Patch, cross-patch, An ill-natured, disobliging person, used chiefly by young girls towards each other. E. Sussex.
1862 C. C. Robinson Dial. Leeds & Neighbourhood Patch, a mischievous child.
1900 ‘M. O'Neill’ Songs Glens of Antrim 50 (E.D.D.) As ugly as need be, the dark little patch.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
patchv.
/patʃ/, U.S. /pætʃ/ 1. † b. transitive. In passive. To be dressed in clothes repaired with or made up of patches. Obsolete.† c. transitive. Firearms. To fit (a bullet) with a patch (patch n.1 3). Obsolete.
a. transitive. To apply a patch or patches to (a surface) in order to repair, strengthen, protect, or decorate it; to repair, strengthen, protect, or decorate with a patch or patches. Also: to serve as a patch for. Frequently with up. Also intransitive: to make repairs with patches.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > mending or repairing > [verb (transitive)] > with a patch
clouta1375
vampethc1424
vampeyc1425
piece?c1430
patch1445
vamp1699
to piece up1884
1445 [implied in: 1445 in H. E. Salter Churchwardens' Accts. St. Michael's Oxf. (1933) 44 Item, for the pachynge of twayn gravys, viii d. (at patching n.1 1)].
1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 602 He seythe that the clothe that lythe ouer the graue is all toryn and rotyn, and..he hathe pachyd it onys or twyis.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 1209 With pitche she patchid her pitcher shuld not crase.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke v. f. 60v He renteth a newe vesture to patche vp an olde.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 211 O that that earth, which kept the world in awe, Should patch a wall t'expell the waters flaw. View more context for this quotation
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island viii. xxvi. 113 His clothes all patcht with more then honest thrift, And clouted shoon were nail'd for fear of wasting.
a1763 W. Shenstone Oeconomy iii, in Wks. Verse & Prose (1764) I. 306 The shifts enormous, that in vain he forms To patch his paneless window.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 256 It either makes a new web, or patches up the old one.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xv. 170 Windows patched with rags and paper.
1870 J. P. Smith Widow Goldsmith's Daughter xviii. 287 I could patch and darn for you.
1909 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Avonlea xxiv. 280 I must hustle round and get some boards to patch up that hole in the floor.
1981 N. Gordimer July's People 108 The place had a tin roof and two pairs of windows with cardboard patching broken panes.
2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. 9/3 A US coast guard crew resumed their efforts yesterday to patch up and refloat the wrecked tanker.
ΚΠ
c1510 How Plowman lerned Pater Noster (de Worde) sig. A3v He was patched, torne & all to rente.
1598 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 3 Last Bks. iv. ii. 13 Himselfe goes patch'd like some bare Cottyer.
1611 T. Middleton & T. Dekker Roaring Girle sig. K2v Zounds I am so patcht vp, she cannot discouer mee.
1725 New Canting Dict. Abram-men,..shabby Beggars, trick'd and patch'd up with Ribbons, Red-Tape, Fox-tails, Rags of various Colours.
1756 E. Perronet Mitre i. xxi. 5 To these succeed the useful men, Ragged, or patch'd,..Who read, or write, or think.
1827 C. R. Forrester Absurdities 126 Yet (patch'd tho' she be) she ne'er looks a-miss.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > produce or develop arms [verb (transitive)] > sift shot > fit bullet with patch
patch1843
1843 ‘R. Carlton’ New Purchase II. lviii. 255 Therefore, we at last ventured on patching the balls separately.
1877 C. Hallock Sportsman's Gazetteer 545 If the bullet is the right size and properly patched, the patch will not be torn in putting the cartridge into the chamber.
d. transitive. Printing. = overlay v. 2c. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > preparatory processes > composing > compose [verb (transitive)] > adjust to type-height
underlay1683
patch1884
overlay1888
1884 J. Southward Pract. Printing 470 Patching the Sheet.
1890 C. T. Jacobi Printing 175 Where the type stands..low it should be patched up with the very thin set-off paper.
1915 J. Southward Mod. Printing 15 Where the impression is too light, the part is ‘patched’ with thin pieces of paper.
2. transitive. To make up by joining pieces together as in patchwork; esp. to put together hastily or in a makeshift manner. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > [verb (transitive)] > construct > patch together
patcha1529
to shuffle up1532
rash1570
bepiece1578
cobble1589
consarcinate1610
to clap upa1616
clap1649
to knock up1683
patchwork1856
to fadge up1863
to knock together1874
fake1879
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > be unskilled in [verb (transitive)] > put together clumsily or unskilfully
cloutc1380
patcha1529
clamper1545
botch1561
clumper1586
cobble1589
to stitch up1590
budge1732
fake1879
a1529 J. Skelton Poems against Garnesche in Poet Wks. (1843) I. 125 The nexte halter ther xall be I bequeth yt hole to the: Soche pelfry thou hast pachchyd.
1579 T. Lodge Protogenes 43 Out of what booke patched you out Ciceros oration?
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1953) VI. 56 Such ragges and fragments of those Fathers, as were patcht together in their Decretat's, and Decretals, and other such Common placers.
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine i. xi. 34 The Samaritans quitted their..Idols, and patched up a religion amongst themselves.
1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in Tale of Tub 268 His Armor was patch'd up of a thousand incoherent Pieces.
1781 T. Holcroft Duplicity i. i. 9 His conversation is..patched up of proverbs, and out-of-the-way sayings.
1848 C. Kingsley Saint's Trag. iii. i. 146 Any formal, heartless matrimony Patched up by Court intrigues.
1879 W. Black Macleod of Dare xxxii To patch together a pair of homespun trousers.
1943 H. L. Mencken Diary 23 Sept. (1989) 274 I usually patch up a meal out of cans.
1986 I. Wedde Symmes Hole (1988) 147 Young Herman is reduced to a pair of red and green sailor's slops patched together to make one whole outfit.
3. In extended use. Usually with up.
a. transitive. To repair, fix, or make whole, esp. hastily or in a clumsy or makeshift manner; spec. to give medical treatment to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > amending > restoration > restore [verb (transitive)] > restore to state of wholeness or completeness > as by patching, etc.
solderc1420
patch1532
plaster1546
to piece up1586
tinker1598
solder1607
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. (1557) 440/1 Penaunce..plastereth and patcheth vp, and maketh muche woorke to cure the wound and bring it to a scarre.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie P 161 To Patch, or make whole againe:..to botche: to make amendes for that is done amisse.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 234 When wilt thou leaue fighting..and begin to patch vp thine old body for heauen. View more context for this quotation
1677 A. Behn Town-fopp i. ii. 8 To patch up your broken Fortune, you wou'd fain Marry my sweet Mistriss Celinda.
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 34 The Surgeon..takes care to patch him up with Speed.
1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom II. lv. 168 Her reputation was patched up.
1866 J. T. Trowbridge South 49 Their church..had been patched up with bricks and whitewash.
1898 E. Field Love-songs of Childhood 43 For who could patch her dolly up—Who, who could mend her child?
1946 J. Hersey Hiroshima ii. 41 Then we went out into the corridor and began patching up the wounded patients.
1969 D. Francis Enquiry xii. 164 I telephoned to the orthopod who regularly patched me up after falls.
2002 Philadelphia Inquirer 6 Jan. b4/2 When the duck walk collapsed during a party, they just patched it up.
b. transitive. To settle (a quarrel or disagreement). Frequently in to patch things up.
ΚΠ
1795 F. Reynolds Speculation iv. 52 Patch up your quarrel with Project, in order that you may celebrate your nuptials at his house.
1836 G. W. Lovell Provost of Bruges ii. iii. 36 Your Highness Perceives 'tis vain to patch this quarrel up.
1875 W. S. Hayward Love against World 40 You'll have to..patch up your quarrel.
1913 Eng. Hist. Rev. Jan. 55 They had, to be sure, patched up their differences, but their sentiments towards each other..were far from cordial.
1955 E. Bowen World of Love vii. 138 It was up to him to come over and patch things up.
1987 C. Tomalin Katherine Mansfield xvi. 214 Katherine was now quarrelling with Murry by post again... Things were soon patched over, after a fashion.
2003 R. Barger et al. Hell's Angel ix. 160 By the late sixties, the two charters had patched things up and everything was way cool.
4.
a. transitive. To put on or insert as a patch; to incorporate into something so as to diversify it, esp. to do so clumsily or badly. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fact or action of being joined or joining > attachment > attach or affix [verb (transitive)]
fastenOE
fasta1225
tachec1315
to-seta1340
catcha1350
affichea1382
to put ona1382
tacka1387
to put to1396
adjoina1400
attach?a1400
bend1399
spyndec1400
to-tachc1400
affixc1448
complexc1470
setc1480
attouch1483
found?1541
obligate1547
patch1549
alligate1563
dight1572
inyoke1595
infixa1616
wreathe1643
adlige1650
adhibit1651
oblige1656
adent1658
to bring to1681
engage1766
superfix1766
to lap on1867
accrete1870
1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. Gal. v. f. xviv To haue newe clothe sowed or patched to an olde garmente.
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 63 It is so vgly daubed, plaistred, and patcht on.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xi. 53 When a Ship hath lost a peece of her Keele..you must patch a new peece vnto it.
1662 B. Gerbier Brief Disc. Princ. Building 4 Things Patcht or glewed against a Wall.
1780 tr. U. von Troil Lett. on Iceland 299 Another hand has patched in a steganographical writing.
1886 R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. I. 19 The present windows have been patched into the wall in such a manner as to make it impossible to trace accurately the original state of it.
1994 Arena Sept. 86/2 Tribal drummers on the main stage in the Cathedral,..with a Glastonbury-style mix of market stalls..patched into the rest of the space.
b. transitive. To join or piece together.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fact or action of being joined or joining > join (together) [verb (transitive)]
gatherc725
fayOE
samc1000
join1297
conjoinc1374
enjoinc1384
assemble1393
compound1393
sociea1398
annex?c1400
ferec1400
marrowc1400
combinec1440
annectc1450
piece?c1475
combind1477
conjunge1547
associate1578
knit1578
sinew1592
splinter1597
patch1604
accouple1605
interjoina1616
withjoina1627
league1645
contignate1651
to bring on1691
splice1803
pan1884
suture1886
1604 R. Parsons Relation Triall before King of France 107 He had guilfully patched togeather two different sentences of that epistle.
1612 J. Taylor Laugh & be Fat 11 Thy person's odde, vnparaleld, vnmatchd, But yet thy Action's to the person patch'd.
1763 J. Mills & T. Blackwell Mem. Court Augustus III. 54 Those scattered Fragments of his Works that have been preserved by Quotations, and which the sagacious Janus Dousa has happily enough patched together.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iv. 239 It is just possible to patch the two narratives together.
1986 O. Clark Diary 6 Sept. (1998) 189 Eventually I was forced to sew the skirt lining and patch the toile together downstairs.
1995 Interzone Mar. 10/2 It took no great skill to cut up different mnemographs and patch them together.
2003 USA Today (Nexis) 7 Jan. (Sports section) 3 c Financial agreements that patch together multiple sponsors to get them through this season.
5. † b. intransitive. To colour over in patches. Obsolete. rare.
a. transitive. To diversify, variegate, or pattern with patches (patch n.1 3). Usually in passive.
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the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > mark with patches [verb (transitive)]
patch1594
splotch1654
fleece1748
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. I2 His horse was suited in blacke sandie earth..which was here and there patched with short burnt grasse.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. ii. 47 If thou..wert grim..Patch'd with foule Moles, and eye-offending markes. View more context for this quotation
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 115. ¶6 His Stable Doors are patched with Noses that belonged to Foxes of the Knight's own hunting down.
1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 32 Grey rocks patched with moss.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xlvi. 423 The slopes of the hills were heavily patched with snow.
1881 M. E. Braddon Asphodel III. iv. 108 Yellow lamps..patching with faint light an isolated statue, or a pulpit.
1920 D. H. Lawrence Lost Girl xvi. 363 They were patched with a hideous greenish mould-colour, blotched, as if with leprosy.
1989 J. Winterson Sexing Cherry (1991) 53 The snow still patched the fields like sheets left out to dry.
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the world > matter > colour > variegation > patch of colour > become patchy [verb (intransitive)]
patch1896
1896 G. L. Becke Pacific Tales, Hollis' Debt (1897) 120 The red, bloated face of the skipper patched and mottled, and his breath came in quick, short gasps.
a. transitive. To adorn or decorate (a person or the face) with patches. Obsolete.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the face > beautify (the face) [verb (transitive)] > adorn the face with ornamental spots or patches
patch1650
spot1653
1650 R. Heath Clarastella 10 Let meaner beauties patch their painted faces.
1674 R. Newcourt Ded. in T. Flatman Poems & Songs sig. a 4 Gallants of the Times,..Which like their Misses Patch't and Painted are.
1704 R. Steele Lying Lover iii. 33 But alas, Madam, who patch'd you to Day?
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. iv. 38 Their hair plaistered up with pomatum, their faces patched to taste.
1881 W. Besant & J. Rice Chaplain of Fleet II. i. 9 We now went..with faces patched, to the new church in Queen Square.
1899 E. C. Dowson tr. Voltaire La Pucelle II. xxi. (Variant) 398 They enter and a woman masked they see, Painted and patched, with many a coquetry.
b. intransitive. To adorn or decorate one's face with patches. Obsolete.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the face > beautify the face [verb (intransitive)] > wear ornamental spots or patches
patch1656
1656 [implied in: Disc. Auxiliary Beauty 78 They forbid all painting, patching, and powdering. (at patching n.1 2)].
1680 M. Stevenson Wits Paraphras'd 115 But now my Beauty had no match, Shall I begin to paint and patch?
1702 G. Farquhar Inconstant ii. i. 20 Your Ladyship has patch'd and painted violently.
1729 W. Law Serious Call ii. 18 She will find it as impossible to patch or paint, as to curse or swear.
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the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > become detached [verb (intransitive)] > become detached in other specific manner
unglue1693
patch1848
to pull away1858
to pinch off1910
abscind1963
1848 W. M. Thackeray Bk. Snobs vi. 24 The plaster is patching off the..walls.
8.
a. transitive. To connect by a temporary electrical, radio, or telephone connection; (also) to represent or simulate by means of temporary connections; usually with in, into, through; spec. (a) to connect (a telephone call, or the person making it) to a telephone circuit; (b) to set the controls of (a synthesizer) so as to produce a particular sound; to produce (a sound) by this means. to patch out: to disconnect from a circuit by diverting current through a temporary connection.
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > use hardware [verb (transitive)] > link
patch1937
daisy-chain1972
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > [verb (transitive)] > connect temporarily
patch1937
1923 Bell Syst. Techn. Jrnl. 2 123 In open-wire installations it has been the practice to equip each line circuit..with a full complement of jacks suited to provide the maximum degree of flexibility in ‘patching’.]
1937 L. Lewis Radio Dict. in Printers' Ink Monthly May 40/1 Patch it in, to tie together various pieces of apparatus to form a circuit.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 619/2 Patch, to join together units of apparatus..by flexible cords terminated on plugs, which are inserted into break-jacks bridged across the terminations of each unit.
1948 Electronics July 120/2 Two inverting or summing amplifiers in the computer unit..are patched to the servo as illustrated.
1962 H. D. Huskey & G. A. Korn Computer Handbk. iv. 36 The small extra cost of duplicate resistors for a few plug-in patchboards is negligible compared with the almost incredible nuisance of patching, say, a summing integrator with patchcord connections alone.
1966 Times 21 Sept. (Ascension Island Suppl.) p. iv/3 I recently picked up this telephone and asked the communications centre..to patch me in on the network.
1967 Electronic Mus. Rev. Oct. 20 A mixer can be designed and built as a number of separate functional..plug-in modules... These modules can then be patched together in the most convenient sequence for a studio operation or a performance.
1971 J. H. Smith Digital Logic v. 79 Electronic control systems can be quickly developed by patching the required design on a simulator.
1975 N. H. Crowhurst Electronic Mus. Instruments vi. 146 A synthesizer system of studio quality consists of a great many units that can be patched or otherwise combined in a variety of ways.
1975 J. Grady Shadow of Condor (1976) xii. 190 Kevin used the powerful radio in his car to call CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The technicians there patched his radio call into the old man's office phone.
1984 D. T. Horn Mus. Synthesizers x. 292 Even a relatively simple synthesis system will allow literally hundreds, if not thousands, of sounds to be patched.
1993 Wired Sept. 62/1 The full-blown desire to have one's brain patched directly into ‘cyberspace’, the globally-connected computer networks.
b. transitive. Computing. To correct or improve (a program or routine) by inserting a patch.
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society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [verb (transitive)] > change
switch1960
patch1962
zap1982
1962 Automatic Data Processing Gloss. (U.S. Bureau of Budget) 38/2 Patch,..(2) to insert corrected coding.
1984 Austral. Microcomputer Mag. Jan. 31/3 The version distributed with Kaypro automatically patches the Kaypro operating system with its own cursor control codes.
1991 K. Hafner & J. Markoff Cyberpunk i. 114 Chaos had modified, or patched, the program so that each time a password was entered a copy of the password was sent to a spot in a remote corner of the system.
2001 PC Gamer Oct. 105/3 The mod seems to work fine on both 1.27 and 1.29 configs, so you should have no worries about installing it if you've just patched your system.
c. intransitive. To be or become connected by means of a temporary electrical connection. With in, into.
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > use hardware [verb (intransitive)] > link
patch1964
daisy-chain1984
1964 C. P. Gilbert Design & Use Electronic Analogue Computers vi. 363 In Fig. 6.7(d) unit 2 can patch directly into units 1 and 3, unit 3 can patch directly into units 2 and 4, and so on.
1987 Flight Internat. 10 Oct. 6/4 Flight patched into BABS through Sabre and demanded a London–Dallas service.
1989 Franchise Mag. Spring 68/2 [Their] franchise network is being filled out gradually by patching in to the central FDS head Generation Service Computer, which contains thousands of potential franchisees.
1992 L. A. Graf Ice Trap xi. 217 There must be a way we can patch into it to jerry-rig a drive for the ventilation system.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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