| 释义 |
beastn.adj. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French beste. Etymology: < Anglo-Norman best, beiste, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French beste (French bête) animal, creature (c1100), ignorant or stupid person (2nd half of the 12th cent.), domesticated animal, animal kept as livestock (end of the 13th cent.), card game similar to ombre, money staked in the game (both 1665 or earlier) < classical Latin bēstia animal, wild animal, person who behaves like an animal, in post-classical Latin also the Antichrist (Vulgate), of uncertain origin.Compare Old Occitan bestia , Catalan bestia (1242), Spanish bestia (11th cent.), Portuguese besta (13th cent.), Italian bestia (12th cent.). Use as name of a card game and related uses. In sense A. 14 probably after French, although this is apparently first attested later as the name of the card game (see above). The name in French probably puns on homme game of ombre (1665 or earlier in this sense; literally ‘man’: see homme n.), itself after Spanish hombre game of ombre (literally ‘man’: see ombre n.1). The development of the variant baste n.2 (and probably also the late persistence of the spelling beste ) in these senses suggests that for at least some speakers the uses in relation to card games were borrowed with a distinct pronunciation somewhat more closely reflecting the correspondence between French and English sounds in the 17th cent. (subsequent to English sound changes in the originally borrowed word). Form history. The β. forms show loss of the medial t , as a simplification of the final consonant cluster -sts in the plural form; compare the γ. forms at post n.1, and also Christmas n.1, listen v., etc. A. n. I. An animal. 1. the world > animals > [noun] the world > animals > [noun] > as below man c1225 (?c1200) (Bodl.) (1940) l. 359 As þah ha nefden wit in ham..na mare þen beastes & dumbe neb habbeð. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) Prol. l. 951 (MED) For man of Soule resonable Is to an Angel resemblable, And lich to beste he hath fielinge, And lich to Trees he hath growinge. a1400 (a1325) (Gött.) l. 700 Þe nedder..was mast wis of ani best. c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (1872) l. 3827 The pryde of man and beest he leyde adoun. 1547 J. Wilkinson tr. Aristotle iiii. sig. A.vi The Solle of man hath thre powers, one is called ye lyfe vegitable: in ye whiche man is partener with trees & with plantes: The second power, is the life sensible in the whiche a man is partener with beastes, for why al beastes haue lifes sensible. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. ii. 31 There, would this Monster, make a man: any strange beast there, makes a man. View more context for this quotation a1780 J. Harris (1781) iii. xv. 538 To render the nature of man odious, and the nature of beasts amiable. 1862 July 90/2 To adopt every beast in creation into our own extended family tree is a more comprehensive genealogy than we can bring our minds to. 1990 18 June 21/1 They [sc. men and women] share creatureliness with the beasts. ?c1225 (?a1200) (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 305 Ne schule ȝe habben nan beast bute cat ane. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. xii. 1141 The bee..is a litel schort best [L. animal] wiþ many feet. 1493 (Pynson) i. sig. aiiv/2 The thridde daye all the fysshe and bestes in the see shall make suche a crye: and a rorynge that no tonge may tell it but god him selue. 1535 Ecclus. xi. 3 The Bey is but a small beast amonge the foules, yet is hir frute exceadinge swete. 1658 J. Rowland tr. T. Moffett Theater of Insects in (rev. ed.) 931 Nor know I the little Beast [L. bestiolam] it self [i.e. the hornet]. 1772 (Royal Soc.) 61 240 Monoculi, some of which had their ovaria full of eggs, and others of little live beasts. 1827 T. Moore Periwinkles & Locusts in (1862) 529 Of all the beasts that ever were born, Your Locust most delights in corn. 1875 F. T. Buckland 91 These Cod, poor Beasts. 1901 Apr. 237/2 When first the hideous little beast [sc. a cuttlefish] breaks through the egg..it is a queer and lively creature, quite as capable of ejecting ink as are its matured relations. 1962 16 Aug. 346/2 Despite more frequent and widespread applications of dieldrin and chlordane, the little beasts [sc. cockroaches] began to increase ‘very rapidly’. 2004 16 Aug. 52/1 The new push to explore the deep sea has led to the discovery of all sorts of weird beasts. a1300 in C. Brown (1932) 14 Multh [read Mulch] sorw I walke with for beste of bon and blod. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 367 Al þing þat haþ lif and felynge is i-cleped a beste. ?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius (BL Add. 10340) (1868) i. pr. vi. l. 676 Maiste þou not telle me þan quod sche what þing is a man. Axest not me quod I. wheþir þat be a resonable best mortel. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (1868) l. 1309 Ffor slayn is man right as another beest. 1547 A. Borde i. f. lxxv A man or a woman, whiche be reasonable beastes. 1749 J. Byrom 15 The Man..Became an helpless, naked, biped Beast. 1845 July 183 Specimens of the same two-footed beast may be found in Old or New England. 1877 A. J. Swinbourne (ed. 3) xiii. 86 You seem to think..that ‘man is an eating and drinking (instead of a rational) beast’. 2015 (National ed.) 13 Mar. c20/2 You're not in a humanist world where man is central, the crown of creation. You're in a creaturist universe, where humans are just one more beast. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > hybrid creature or monster > [noun] c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Otho) (1963) l. 663 Þe mereminnes..beoþ bestes [c1275 Calig. deor] of mochele ginne. 1340 (1866) 15 Þe zeue heauedes of þe beste of helle byeþ þe zeuen hauedliche zennes. c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 1928 This Mynos hadde a monstre a wekede best. c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate (1901) l. 3371 (MED) She may be lykned to chymere, Whiche ys a best Monstruous. 1611 Rev. iv. 6 Foure beastes [Gk. ζῷα] full of eyes before and behinde. View more context for this quotation 1754 T. Warton 18 Perhaps the reader may not be persuaded, that Spenser, in his Blatant Beast, had the Questing Beast of our romance [sc. Malory's Morte Darthur] in his eye. 1966 C. MacKinnon (1968) v. 69 Among the more interesting heraldic beasts are the mythical ones,..the dragon being the best known. 1992 R. Wright (1993) 365 Like the Mesoamerican feathered serpent, the dualism of ancient Peru was expressed by a composite beast, the bird-feline. 2. ?c1225 (?a1200) (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 47 Ȝef ani were vnwriȝen & beast feolle þer in. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 6000 (MED) Besteis in þat kingrike all, Hors, asse, mule, ox, camell. c1425 Edward, Duke of York (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 44 (MED) Oon hownd dare wel kepe his maisters hous and his beest. c1530 A. Barclay i. sig. B v Sometyme the wolfe, our bestys doth deuour. 1704 at Common Which Common must be taken with Beasts commonable, as Horses, Oxen, Kine, and Sheep. 1882 D. G. Rossetti 87 I am Berold the butcher's son, Who slays the beasts in Rouen Town. 1956 M. McLaverty in July 24 Let them go and seize some boggy stretch that's no good for beast nor crop! 1994 D. Vickers 42 Many beasts and crops traditional to England were, indeed, transplanted to the Bay Colony with tolerable success. the world > animals > domestic animal > [noun] > work animals > beast of burden the world > animals > domestic animal > [noun] > livestock > member of livestock > bovine c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 1167 in C. Horstmann (1887) 139 Vuele was it is riȝte to gon a-fote oþur ope swuch a best to ride. a1425 (c1395) (Royal) (1850) Luke x. 34 A Samaritan, goynge the weie..leide hym on his beest [E.V. c1384 Douce 369(2) hors], and ledde in to an ostrie. 1523 J. Fitzherbert xi. f. 21 His werke beestes to his plough. 1529 J. Frith sig. Aiv His sonne..was made oure best, bearinge oure sinnes vpon his awne backe. 1611 Luke x. 34 And bound vp his wounds, powring in oile and wine, and set him on his owne beast . View more context for this quotation 1816 W. Scott II. x. 252 There sall nane o' my gear gang on your beast's back. 1849 T. B. Macaulay I. 374 Travellers..compelled to alight and lead their beasts. 1928 ‘Brent of Bin Bin’ xiii. 210 No horse was ‘pulled’, every beast and rider did his utmost to win. 1995 B. Fagan x. 66 Seated near the rear of the beast, the rider had to use a stick to control his mount, and he also lost the major strategic advantage of the camel—the height of his master above the ground. the world > animals > domestic animal > [noun] > livestock > member of livestock c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring (1891) 186 Butter of þe bestes [L. de armento] & melk of þe ȝowes. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert f. xxx Beestes alone, nor horses alone, nor shepe alone..woll nat eate a pasture euyn. a1629 W. Hinde (1641) xxix. 90 There was spent in his house a fat Beise, and a half, within the space of three days. 1720 No. 5880/5 Robert Watson, late of Uttoxeter..Dealer in Beasts. 1807 J. Stagg (new ed.) 63 To th' fells they druive beath bease and sweyne. 1863 J. C. Atkinson Beast, an..animal of the Ox kind—The plural..is beeas or beas; applied to Cows or fatting-stock collectively. 1865 22 Aug. 6/5 One half..is devoted to ‘beasts’; the other half to sheep, pigs, and calves, none of which creatures are ‘beasts’ according to the natural history of the Caledonian-road. 1884 25 Sept. 2/9 The Live Stock comprises the valuable herd of Sussex Beast, including cows, heifers, bulls and steers. 1921 H. Guthrie-Smith xvii. 140 A horse can bite as close as a sheep, a beast requires a ranker growth. 1990 11 Feb. 6 When he goes to Qunu the people there have promised to give him beasts and sheep to be slaughtered to thank the Dlomo ancestors. 2018 @ChrysMuirhead 11 Oct. in twitter.com (accessed 1 Sept. 2020) Mostly crops. Not many sheep or beasts on this route. 3. the world > animals > mammals > [noun] > parts of > (parts) of foot > quadruped c1300 St. Martin (Laud) l. 136 in C. Horstmann (1887) 452 Foules duden is heste... Bestes duden al-so is heste. c1384 (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds x. 12 In the which weren alle foure footide beestis [L. quadrupedia], and crepinge thingis of erthe, and volatils of heuene. c1450 tr. (Royal) 28 (MED) Birdes sechen hoot cuntrees, Wilde bestis drawen to Cavernes, and serpentis sechen..hoolis. 1526 W. Bonde iii. sig. FFFiiv In the sixte daye..all beestes were create. 1611 1 Kings iv. 33 Hee spake also of beasts, and of foule, and of creeping things, and of fishes. View more context for this quotation 1691 J. Ray 5 Animate Bodies are divided into four great Genera or Orders, Beasts, Birds, Fishes and Insects. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil 145 Whom ev'n the salvage Beasts had spar'd, they kill'd. View more context for this quotation 1776 (Royal Soc.) 66 103 I consider the penguins as amphibious animals, partaking of the nature of birds, beasts, and fishes. a1848 F. Marryat (1849) I. vi. 138 Like the bat, they are neither bird nor beast. 1881 C. E. Clement (rev. ed.) 287 She was again accused before the governor, who condemned her to be thrown to the beasts of the amphitheatre. 1923 Oct. 68/1 We might well imagine that development of commerce and the practical application of science in America have eliminated the dangers to life and property from wild beasts. 1987 T. Ingold x. 243 Hunting peoples, too, base their livelihood upon the products of slaughtered beasts. 2002 H. Alexander 13 (caption) Probably made in Macao, this late-seventeenth-century fan has painted mica inserts that outline birds, beasts and fish. the world > animals > animals hunted > [noun] > four-footed c1325 (c1300) (Calig.) l. 7701 Þe niwe forest..he louede inou & astorede wel mid bestes. c1475 (?c1425) (1984) l. 261 Sethun brittuns he þe best As venesun in forest. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil 55 Then Toils for Beasts, and Lime for Birds were found. View more context for this quotation 1895 F. A. Inderwick iv. 130 Bishops, abbots and barons were not to be indicted for venison unless they killed royal beasts, when they were subject to a fine at the King's pleasure. 1898 G. Wyndham Let. 4 Oct. in J. W. Mackail & G. Wyndham (1925) I. 346 This proves that he is a warrantable beast, and then they hunt him. 1994 L. R. Lacy in R. D. de Puma & J. P. Small xv. 169/1 The Etruscan deer hunt has a long iconographic history and normally shows the beast running from men and hounds. II. figurative and extended uses. 4. a. the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > stupid person, dolt, blockhead > [noun] the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > inferior person > [noun] > as abused the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > savagery > savage person > [noun] the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > ill-treatment > cruelty > [noun] > inhuman > person c1225 (?c1200) (Bodl.) (1981) l. 744 Hwet meadschipe makeð þe, þu bittre balefule beast? c1384 (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Titus i. 12 Men of Crete euermore lyeris, yuel beestis... This witnessing is trewe. 1581 T. Stocker tr. J. Calvin f. 46 To see peter so forget him self the third time, and become a very beast in the denying of his saluation. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iii. i. 137 Oh you beast, Oh faithlesse Coward, oh dishonest wretch. 1772 N. Nicholls Let. 16 May in T. Gray (1843) 170 It is this moment only that I have received nine letters..from that cursed beast Belloni's Abbé. 1873 R. Broughton I. ii. 24 ‘You beast!’ cry I, in good nervous English, turning sharply round. 1938 R. Graves ix. 173 His talents would indeed have been equal to the task if he had only been less of a beast in spirit. 2013 C. Meyer xviii. 169 She can't bear even to look at the beast who murdered her little boy. 1853 S. Brooks Aspen Court xxiv in Sept. 239 He goes to an Ebenezer three times every Sunday, and whips his children like fun if they laugh when walking home—one of them told me so, poor little beast. 1860 8 Sept. 3/1 When I met her in the fair I was carrying the handsome babby you just see.., and I said, ‘look at the dear little beast, 'tis no disgrace to you’. 1899 R. Kipling 49 He's an awfully sensitive beast. 1923 D. L. Sayers i. 13 I'll..try and console the poor little beast. 2016 @Spar_Letta 2 Oct. in twitter.com (accessed 5 Mar. 2021) You gonna be a grumpy old beast who doesn't know what happened to their best years. 1819 C. Lamb 25 Nov. (1935) II. 266 Not being able to hit a ball he had iterate aimed at, he cried out, ‘I cannot hit that beast.’ 1862 S. Hale 28 Aug. (1919) 13 One thing shall I rejoice at,—my own bed,—for this husk thing we sleep on is a beast. 1891 H. C. Bunner 196 I've got to stay and finish my grind. It's a beast. 1916 W. Deeping vi. 53 Don't take that chair; it's a beast. Try this one. 2003 (National ed.) 12 Mar. d7/1 I've worked at restaurants for years, and dealing with the public is a beast. the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > [noun] c1225 (?c1200) (Bodl.) (1934) 26 Hu ha..þet bittre beast makede to bersten. c1300 St. James Great (Harl.) l. 57 in F. J. Furnivall (1862) 59 Þu liþere best oure leuedi seide. a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) l. 12954 Bot herdili he yode him nerr, Qua herd euer best sua bald. a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) lxxix. 14 The deuel..is the wild best that is of syngulere cruelte in all that seruys him. 1730 E. Erskine Standard of Heaven Lifted up against Powers of Hell in (1761) II. viii. 370 The wild beasts of hell, the roaring lion [sc. Satan] and his emissaries, were like to devour him. 2010 (Nexis) 7 Nov. 22 It was here that the Book of the Dead came in. Only after absorbing its spells could the ba [i.e. spirit] get past all the hellish beasts and demons. the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > the Devil or Satan > [noun] > the Antichrist a1425 Rev. Methodius in J. Trevisa (1925) 111 (MED) Whan Anticrist is sleyn, þe beest, þe enemy, þe disseyuer, wiþ þe swerde of his mouþe..þe endinge of þe world schal be. 1526 W. Bonde ii. sig. Kviii Wonders, whiche that beest the Antichriste (as .s. Poule sayth) shall shewe. 1587 A. Fleming et al. (new ed.) III. 1265/2 They..which suffer death vnder the beast, for confession of Christs religion. 1649 J. Owen Serm. in (1851) VIII. 235 God will bring the followers after the beast to destruction. 1849 J. Cumming (1851) 115 In 1807 the ten kings or horns (Britain excepted..) joined in desolating ‘the Beast.’ 1990 L. Picknett 32/2 The identity of the Beast has been the source of much speculation down the centuries. 7. the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > baseness > base person > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer (Hunterian) (1891) l. 5062 Of hir that wole hir body selle..No such beeste To be loued is not worthy. 1576 G. Gascoigne sig. B.vi.v What shoulde wee accoumpt Loth and his Daughters but Beasts, who in theyr droonkennesse, comitted abhominable incest in the sight of God? a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) v. v. 5 O powerfull Loue, that in some respects makes a Beast a Man: in som other, a Man a beast . View more context for this quotation 1647 R. Sanderson II. 215 All histories afford us strange examples..of voluptuous beasts. 1709 R. Steele No. 2. ⁋2 Till Morn' sends stagg'ring Home a Drunken Beast. 1840 T. Hood Open Quest. in Aug. 530 Better..spend a leisure hour amongst the brutes, Than make a beast of his own self on Sunday. 1901 iii. 109 The black brute is lurking in the dark, a monstrous beast, crazed with lust. 2017 Summer 19/1 The communists are coming..to carry off your daughters to turn them into lustful beasts when you are no longer present to defend them! the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > sensuality > [noun] > animal sensuality > animal nature in man 1615 N. Byfield (iii. 9) iii. 55 What is anger, but the furie of the vncleane spirit, the madness of the soule, the vnrest of all the faculties, a very beast, within the heart of man. 1667 R. Allestree ix. 255 Those advantages which may..exalt the man and depress the beast in us. 1850 Ld. Tennyson cxvi. 183 Move upward, working out the beast, And let the ape and tiger die. View more context for this quotation 1895 W. D. Howells xvi. 110 The base of the mind is bestial, and so far the beast in us has insisted upon having its full say. 1948 J. Thurber (title) The Beast in Me and Other Animals. 1976 16 July 9/4 The final surrender to the beast within. 2003 K. Srinivasan iv. 75 Liquor must bring out the beast in them. society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by type of service > [noun] > student cadet 1871 O. Wood 337 Beast, a name..applied to new cadets. 1934 R. Wohlforth 19 Stand UP!! you Beasts! 1965 R. H. C. Donlon 56 And no matter what a ‘plebe’ does, he is not going to win approval from his cadet captain, whom we called ‘the king of the beasts.’ 1986 R. Walker 233 Believe me, I'm going to be kind to the poor beasts that take our place next year. 2014 J. S. Robbins ii. 16 He had earned twelve demerits in his first month, a reasonable total for a beast. 1890 26 Jan. ii. 9/4 This is, I fancy, the original and native lair of that rare beast known in political circles as office-hunting-the-man, and it frequently has to hunt him with a pair of handcuffs. 1941 17 Nov. 2/1 To say ‘all our aircraft returned safely’ implies that we might have had ornithopters, gliders, free balloons, or even that strange beast, the eyclogyro [read cyclogyro] out on a raid. 1984 (Nexis) 12 May 11 A good inn is a rare beast. 2016 18 May 74/4 Short films are a whole different beast compared to feature films. 10. 1944 R. Olds 81 Training got underway with the plane which later won from other young pilots the awe-inspiring nickname ‘The Beast’. 1958 E. Gilbert 71 Your jalopy's no real beast, O.K.? 1987 July 5/1 At the other end of the price scale is Rickenbacker's most expensive guitar... This beast features a hand-carved maple front. 1993 A. Dacyczyn iv. 170/2 The only riding mower he'd consider was a 16 HP beast that mulched, vacuumed, plowed earth and snow, and tuned the car. 2001 21 Mar. b3 (advt.) Simply put, the new NetVista A60 desktop is a beast... These PCs will help you blast through the most demanding Web software applications. 1989 19 Dec. c4/3 The Bulls' 6-5 muscleman scored 19 points... ‘We won't see anyone as strong as he is. He's a beast’. 2016 J. Niven 362 In middle school, he started working out hard, and by high school he was a beast. 11. the mind > attention and judgement > attractiveness > [noun] > attractive person > woman the mind > emotion > love > a lover > [noun] > one who is loved or a sweetheart > specifically a female sweetheart or girlfriend 1946 T. Heggen in Apr. 53/2 I was driving all over town in that Plymouth convertible and all the time shacked up with that fine beast. 1957 H. Simmons ix. 27 That beast of yours doesn't think so. 1993 R. Baptiste Trini Talk in L. Winer (2009) 63/2 You eh see dat beast passin' in front de pizza shop! She nice eh boy! 1947 J. H. Burns 23 I knew a Polish beast once. She loved it. 1963 ‘E. McBain’ (1964) xii. 118 This was a beautiful girl. Though who knows, she may have grown up to be a beast. 2006 A. Blumenfeld et al. xiii. 243 You don't get high-fives from your buddies after hooking up with a beast. society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman > woman 1978 H. Selby 177 Them two mutha fuckas, The Beas, bus me jim. 1985 J. Reid (transcribed from song, perf. ‘Black Uhuru’) The big foot beast come arrest I... Him want get stripe fi reach far. 1996 ‘Fugees’ The Beast (transcribed from song) in Warn the town, the beast is loose. 2001 A. Wheatle 228 De beast would go fucking cuckoo's nest. Dey would arres' every yout' in Brixton. society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > specific offences > [noun] > offence involving sex > one guilty of 1983 J. Sullivan (transcribed from TV programme) 3rd Ser. Episode 6 D'you know what they'd call me if I went in the nick? I'd be a beast! 1989 29 Nov. 8 The arrival of a police van at a prison might often be accompanied by comments such as ‘a couple of beasts for you’, with the result that the prisoners are immediately identified. 1995 28 Feb. ii. 2/3 When I heard what happened I felt a bit rotten... Then I heard he was a beast, and I felt better. 2014 T. Black xlvii. 449 I didn't get a girl for them. Look, it wasn't like that... I don't deal with beasts. III. Cards. Frequently with capital initial. Now historical. 14. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > other card games > [noun] > beast 1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais xxii. 93 There he played. At Flusse. At Primero. At the beast. 1667 R. L'Estrange tr. F. de Quevedo 119 Spend whole Nights at Beste or Ombre with my Lady Pen-Tweezel. 1678 S. Butler iii. i. 58 These, at Beast, and L'hombre, wooe, And play for Love, and Money too. 1778 II. 1074/1 Beast, among gamesters, a game at cards, played in this manner. 1990 D. Parlett v. 57 Beast (a relative of Triomphe). society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > ombre and quadrille > [noun] > penalty society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > other card games > [noun] > beast > penalty a1672 F. Willughby (2003) 151 If the counterer wins 3 tricks or the first 2, hee takes up the Beast & the player lays downe as manie. 1728 E. Chambers at Ombre The Oversights, and Irregularities committed in the course of the Game, are call'd Beastes. 1734 R. Seymour (1739) 22 The Beaste is made whenever he who undertakes the game (that is to say the Ombre) does not win. 1734 R. Seymour (1739) 23 Whoever Renounces several times in a Deal suffers a Beaste for every Renounce. 1734 R. Seymour (1739) 23 All the Beastes that are made in one Deal, must be together upon the Board and be played for the next. 1874 H. H. Gibbs 37 If the Defender is bested, there are of course two Bestes to be paid. B. adj.1956 S. Selvon 20 Moses..living in London a long, long time and accustom to the beast winter. 2020 @)Ivieee_ 3 Aug. in twitter.com (accessed 3 Aug. 2020) They literally doubled they prices, that's beast! 1992 6 Jan. 6/2 Beast is a versatile term that can be used to express something very good..(‘what a beast babe’. 2011 M. Mac 62 ‘No one says cool anymore...’ ‘Well, what do they say..?’ ‘More like..that's beast.’ 2019 @riIeyizm 10 June in twitter.com (accessed 14 Aug. 2020) Such a beast night, amazing steak dinner with some beers and now stanley cup finals fuck life is good boys. Phrases P1. In phrases with of, connected to another noun indicating a quality, characteristic, or context in which an animal is of concern or use. For beast of burden, beast of carriage, beast of draught, beast of game, beast of ravin, beast of vermin, see the second noun.c1425 Edward, Duke of York (Vesp. B.xii) (1904) 4 (MED) I wyl..discryve þe nature of these forsaid beestis of venery and of chase. a1470 T. Malory (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 375 He began good mesures of blowynge of beestes of venery and beestes of chaace [1485 Caxton beestes of chace]. 1728 E. Chambers Beasts of Chase, in our Statute-Books, are five; the Buck, Doe, Fox, Martin, and Roe. Beasts of the Forest are, the Hart, Hind, Hare, Boar, and Wolf. Beasts and Fowls of the Warren are, the Hare, Coney, Pheasant, and Partridge. 1850 R. Gordon-Cumming I. xiv. 312 When roused by the hunter, he [sc. the elephant] proves the most dangerous enemy, and far more difficult to conquer than any other beast of chace. 1905 Feb. 220 The roe has value as a beast of the chase, he shows excellent sport both with hounds and rifle. 2019 D. Scott-Macnab (rev. ed.) 164 The distinction seems to reflect different hunting methods, with beasts of venery being dislodged by means of a limer (a tracking dog), and beasts of the chase pursued by the pack without being first tracked by a limer. the world > animals > by eating habits > [noun] > carnivore > predator a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. i. 1099 Bestes of pray haueþ teeþ..scharpe þat þey mowen..come to þe pray and byte þerof gobettes and peces. 1662 E. Stillingfleet iii. iii. §8 Even beasts of prey are not such to those of their own kind. 1855 May 759/1 Birds of rapine and beasts of prey had left little more than the skeleton. 1997 21 Nov. 12/5 Sheep farmers who are having their flocks attacked by beasts of prey such as wolverines and bears will not welcome the news that the country's wolf population is expected to shoot up. the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > one who has intercourse > people in act of a1616 W. Shakespeare (1622) i. i. 118 Your daughter, and the Moore, are now making the Beast with two backs . View more context for this quotation 1694 P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais iv. ii. 8 The Picture of a Man playing the Beast with two Backs with a Female. 1744 242 The Gardener and your Wife was making the Beast with two Backs. 1877 W. Herman iii. 54 She performs her functions thoroughly, conscientiously, wholly—merges her identity in his, and lo! the Beast with two Backs! 1921 A. Huxley x. 94 There they were, Anne and Gombauld, moving together as though they were a single supple creature. The beast with two backs. 2000 R. B. Parker (2001) 56 The wife is sitting outside while they make the beast with two backs. 1826 W. Hazlitt x. 129 Paris is a beast of a city to be in—to those who cannot get out of it. 1843 T. C. Grattan ii. 9/1 It is lucky enough, child, that you recollected that great beast of a letter. 1878 W. S. Gilbert 1 It's a beast of a name, ain't it—Dick Deadeye? 1898 4 May 2/2 I've had a beast of a time. 1932 J. Masefield 6 It blew like the Bull of Barney, a beast of a breeze. 1961 E. K. Gann xii. 245 [He] landed without scratching the staggering beast of an airplane. 1999 30 Oct. 18/4 One big, doped-up beast of a record. 2014 T. Hoyle xxxii. 251 I remember taking pipes into the place. Bloody great things. And then a turbine. Beast of a job. 1991 (Nexis) 16 Mar. Myers was a beast on the boards. 1994 (Nexis) 19 Sept. He is a beast at training—he puts so much into it. 2013 2 Mar. (Saturday review section) 4/3 He's a beast when it comes to recording. Watching him in the recording booth, just nailing something. 2018 M. Kwan in A. Ferrera 130 I was a beast, mastering all the jumps and moves I needed to pass each test. Compounds C1. society > trade and finance > trading place > market > [noun] > for specific type of goods a1400 (a1325) (Fairf. 14) l. 27885 (MED) Alle his manhede..is turnid in-to beste state. 1587 L. Mascall i. 66 They will put the beast skinne on a pole..that euery man ryding by, maie perceiue thereby where the sicknesse of cattell is. 1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault i. v. 23 At the ende of all these beast-houses [Fr. l'establerie]..you shall appoint a dogge-house. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny I. 507 When the haires of beast-hides haue bin soked therewith [L. pilo madefacto]. 1779 G. White 28 Oct. (1970) xii. 167 A great beast-market this day at Arundel. 1884 Ld. Tennyson 93 This beast-body That God has plunged my soul in. 1933 E. K. Chambers 215 I am inclined to think that there must have been an early variant of the ludus, in which a single beast-figure was alone represented. 2008 R. Storm 112 He managed to persuade forty men to accompany him on a beast hunt. 1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius 138 He comes girt in habite of these Beast slayers, and with the axe head that he lifted up on high. 1688 R. Holme iii. iii. 167/2 Priggers of Prancers, Horse, Mare, or Beast Stealers. 1709 Ld. Shaftesbury i. i. 7 Old Statues of a Hercules, a Theseus, or other Beast-Subduers, cou'd have little power over him. 1759 J. Grainger tr. Tibullus I. 41 Thee, Orpheus, what avail'd..Thy Mother-muse and beast-enchanting song. 1881 ‘Pekin’ 99 The beast-hunter is a healthy, vigorous person, who takes his young charges out tiger-shooting without delay. 1896 418 Bring out the seed stuff of beast-slaying! 1897 ‘M. Twain’ xlvi. 436 The pleasure of killing men was the white man's beast-hunting instinct enlarged. 1979 A. McCaffrey (2003) i. 10 Sent in some obscure disgrace back to his herdsman father and the dreary life of a beast farmer. 1997 14 Dec. xv. 6 (advt.) Being a dog owner and beast lover, I often pondered who made the best dog shampoo, the tastiest biscuits, the softest, squeezy dog toy. the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > [noun] > emotional or spiritual blindness 1801 R. Southey II. x. 255 Live With such beast-blindness in the present joy. 1903 O. A. Liljencrantz iv. 48 Now Rothgar's beast-fierceness, now your low-minded craft. 2017 C. Williamson tr. Cynewulf Juliana in 449 He was beast-wild, blaspheming his gods Who could not conquer this woman's will. society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > parable, allegory, or apologue > [noun] > beast-fable society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > other fictional narrative > [noun] > story involving animals 1822 4 20 Not the least interesting in the collection are the beast stories, those in which animals support the principal characters. 1859 G. W. Dasent Pop. Tales from Norse (ed. 2) in R. M. Dorson (1968) II. 589 The Beast-Fables in the Pantcha Tantra. 1947 J. R. R. Tolkien (1975) 68 If children have any special leaning it is to the Beast-fable, which adults often confuse with Fairy-story. 1951 B. Dickins & R. M. Wilson 62 The comparative lack of beast tales in ME is particularly surprising when contrasted with their popularity abroad. 2009 21 Dec. 140/3 For the pilgrim's stories, Chaucer used the standard genres of the period: the romance, the sermon, the beast fable, the saint's life, the fabliau (bawdy tale), among others. C3. society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting or baiting animals > animal baiting > [noun] 1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius 262 Wardens..who were to exhibite..Beastbaitings [L. venationes] and stage playes. 1800 W. Tooke I. i. 427 Stationary amusements for the summer are but few in this capital. The principal, and almost the only ones, are the Vauxhall and the Beast-baiting. 2000 D. L. Bomgardner (2002) 224 This account clearly shares much in common with the depictions of the late forms of the ‘mild’ venationes, combining beast-baiting with potential danger to the performers. society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > type of drill or training 1878 Gloss. 129/1 Beast Barracks, Quarters occupied by new Cadets.] 1896 (Corps of Cadets U.S. Mil. Acad.) 60 ‘Beast Barracks’ lasted only two weeks, but to us homesick plebes..it seemed as though we had been in West Point very nearly all our lives. 1904 (U.S. Mil. Acad.) 94 We went at beast-barracks and bucked the Cadet Store. 1990 D. Peterson ix. 222 Thank goodness that Beast Barracks works; it weeds out the weakest of the new recruits immediately. 2012 3 Aug. 2/3 Duckworth took her Grit Scale to the West Point military academy, where the first year is rightly called ‘Beast Barracks’ for its high drop-out rate. society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > other dances > [noun] 1900 J. C. Lawson in 6 125 A beast-dance in Scyros. 2007 C. M. Valente II. 154 I learned to play his fiddle, and we accompanied the beast-dance together. society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > other fictional narrative > [noun] > story involving animals 1850 R. B. Paul tr. W. Pütz 70 We find nothing in that class of poetry except a sort of ‘Beast-Epic’ [Ger. Thierepos]. 1889 J. Jacobs I. 159 The so-called Beast-Epic of Reynard the Fox. 1924 39 764 Chaucer's readers were educated to expect satirical hits and some more than didactic pieces of allegory in their beast epic and beast fable. 2020 M. Mc Neill Hale ii. 27 A second animal genre, the beast epic,..emerged in the mid-twelfth century. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Diptera or flies > [noun] > suborder Brachycera > family Tabanidae > member of genus Tabanus (gadfly or horse-fly) 1658 J. Rowland tr. T. Moffett Theater of Insects in (rev. ed.) 935 This Beast-fly is in Latine called Asilum. [margin] Brees or Beast-fly. the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > grassland > [noun] > pasture 1507 (P.R.O.: C 54/372) m. 5 dorso All his londis tenementes medewes pastures wodes fedyngis bestgates mylnes Rentes reuercions. 1566 in J. Raine (1853) 185 The beast gates..uppon the more and in the feild onely except. 1754 107 If beast-gate be considered as a right of common, an ejectment now lies for that, if it be annexed to such things for which an ejectment may be brought. 1998 R. C. Hunt & A. Gilman 198 The number of livestock which could be kept on them by one individual was limited by the number of beast-gates for which he or she had paid. the world > health and disease > healing > veterinary medicine and surgery > [noun] > veterinarian > other veterinary specialists 1627 F. Holyoake (new ed.) sig. Qqq5/1 A horse courser, or horse-leech, or beast leech. 1748 R. Davies 8 Much less is to be expected from Beast Leeches and their random Proceedings. 1849 3 Mar. Mr. George Creed..had a cow that by an accident broke its leg. A beast-leech of the neighbourhood was called in. 1979 E. Bennion x. 214 Later.., the practice [sc. veterinary surgery] fell into the hands of the farrier, the ‘beast-leech’, who handed down his recipes from generation to generation. the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping of cattle > [noun] > keeper of cattle 1311 in W. H. Stevenson (1893) 305 [Grant from Reginald called] the Bestemon, [burgess of Gloucester, to Walter, son of David le Ryuns]. 1887 3 Mar. 336/3 This ‘gey, guid beast man’ has as little to do with the case as the grand prize Highlander steers the same McCombie used to take a pride in owning and exhibiting. 1899 26 Dec. Wanted, beastman,..on farm, near Hull. 1955 (Brit. Libr. Sound Archive) (Survey Eng. Dial.: C908 ) (MS transcript) Track 58 The cowmen, that's the beast-man, looks after, milks the cows and all that. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022). beastv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: beast n. Etymology: < beast n.With the use of the form beste in relation to the card game ombre (see sense 2) compare similar variation at beast n. 14 and see discussion at that entry. The following earlier example of beasts was taken by some 19th-cent. dictionaries as showing a verb with the sense ‘to hunt for beasts’; however, it should rather be interpreted as showing the plural of beast n. as an object of wounded (in parallel with my loues hart):1595 E. Spenser Amoretti lxxxix, in Amoretti & Epithalamion sig. F6v With that loue wounded my loues hart, but Diane beasts with Cupids dart. society > morality > moral evil > moral or spiritual degeneration > degrading or impairing morally > degrade or impair morally [verb (transitive)] > deprive of human qualities > brutalize 1646 S. Bolton 111 And having thus beasted men, they [Papists] say to them.., You are unskilfull and..no way able to judge of Questions of faith. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > ombre and quadrille > play at quadrille [verb (intransitive)] > lose or forfeit 1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais v. 29 We will not be beasted at this bout [Fr. Pour ce jeu, nous ne volerons pas], for I have got one trick. a1672 F. Willughby (2003) 151 If neither of them can win 3 or the 2 first, they are both beasted. 1727 J. Arbuthnot John Bull Postscr. in J. Swift et al. II. 212 Lewis Baboon attempted to play a Game Solo in clubs, and was beasted. 1768 tr. Abbé Bellecour 83 He who looks at the cards that remain in the Stock is beasted. 1874 H. H. Gibbs 35 When the Ombre loses bodille, his loss is the same as if he had been Bested. 1891 M. L. Woods (1892) I. 115 Mordaunt dashed his cards to the table... ‘Beasted, Peter!’. 3. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > overcome or defeat > soundly 1977 28 Oct. 3/1 Tourney favorite Linton..beasted L and M 8-15, 15-2 and 14-11 in the second game. 2001 17 Jan. c1/1 ‘McKinley just beasted him,’ Elliot laughed. 2021 @xtian1072 19 Jan. in twitter.com (accessed 15 Mar. 2021) Got beasted alot during online 2am session but finally won a game. the world > movement > impact > striking > beating or repeated striking > beat [verb (intransitive)] > specifically a person the world > movement > impact > striking > beating or repeated striking > beat [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person 1990 C. S. Taylor 56 I got put out of school for beasting on this teacher. This big, ugly security guard tried to stop me from kicking the teacher's ass. 2005 T. McClam & M. Woodside v. 88 They were on my ass and beasting me. I got black eyes and bruised ribs. 2014 @Juliushoops 16 June in twitter.com (accessed 29 Mar. 2021) Manu beasted Ray Allen with his off hand on the way to smashing all over the heat. Great scorers are always violent with their off hand. the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)] > apply oneself vigorously 1990 C. S. Taylor 51 Our boys be beasting when we play. 2014 @RyanVMorris 22 May in twitter.com (accessed 15 Mar. 2021) Your boy just beasted that presentation! !!! #PASSED. 2015 A. Silvera 91 He always thought manhunt was child's play..but he never fully beasted at it like we do. 2020 @AdroitAyers 28 July in twitter.com (accessed 28 May 2021) Lots of teams posting ‘QB1 is back’... well my QB1 never left. He's been beasting out all off-season. 1985 T. Parker vii. iv. 80 I've got a really sadistic streak in me, and I could beast as much as I liked. 1987 11 Jan. 5/8 We don't need to ‘beast’ the Young Officers while they are here. 2005 25 Jan. i. 8/3 Major Dan Taylor..denied he had ordered that the captives be ‘beasted’, ‘thrashed’ and forced to run for three miles with heavy boxes of baby milk powder on their heads. 2019 R. Seely in (Electronic ed.) 31 Oct. 544 They regularly look forward to me being told off by you... You have brought joy to many people—occasionally to myself, but very often to my constituents, especially if you have been beasting me. 1994 I. Welsh 8 The cunt beasted little Lisa though, Jock. Made her go down on him, you know what I'm saying here, Jock? 1996 (Nexis) 19 Nov. 8 Are you accusing me of beasting your children? 2007 H. Walsh vii. 224 I'm dragging this poor kid in the bogs and I'm beasting her right in front of you. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  n.adj.c1225 v.1646 |
