† scoutn.1
Obsolete exc. dialect.
A high overhanging rock.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > crag > [noun] > overhanging
scoutc1400
trog1958
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2167 Þe skweȝ of þe scowtes skayned hym þoȝt.
1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 95/1 Scout, an high rock.
1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
scoutn.2
Obsolete exc. Scottish.
A term of contempt applied both to men and women.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > inferior person > [noun] > held in contempt
thingOE
cat?c1225
geggea1300
fox-whelpc1320
creaturea1325
whelp1338
scoutc1380
turnbroach14..
foumart1508
shit1508
get?a1513
strummel?a1513
scofting?1518
pismirea1535
clinchpoop1555
rag1566
huddle and twang1578
whipster1590
slop1599
shullocka1603
tailor1607
turnspit1607
fitchewa1616
bulchin1617
trundle-taila1626
tick1631
louse1633
fart1669
insect1684
mully-grub-gurgeon1746
grub-worm1752
rass1790
foutre1794
blister1806
snot1809
skin1825
scurf1851
scut1873
Siwash1882
stiff1882
bleeder1887
blighter1896
sugar1916
vuilgoed1924
klunk1942
fart sack1943
fart-arse1946
jerkwad1980
society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > low or vulgar person > [noun]
gadlinga1300
geggea1300
churlc1300
filec1300
jot1362
scoutc1380
beggara1400
carla1400
turnbroach14..
villainc1400
gnoffc1405
fellowc1425
cavelc1430
haskardc1487
hastardc1489
foumart1508
strummel?a1513
knapper1513
hogshead?1518
jockeya1529
dreng1535
sneakbill1546
Jack1548
rag1566
scald1575
huddle and twang1578
sneaksby1580
companion1581
lowling1581
besognier1584
patchcock1596
grill1597
sneaksbill1602
scum1607
turnspit1607
cocoloch1610
compeer1612
dust-worm1621
besonioa1625
world-worma1625
besognea1652
gippo1651
Jacky1653
mechanic1699
fustya1732
grub-worm1752
raff1778
person1782
rough scuff1816
spalpeen1817
bum1825
sculpin1834
soap-lock1840
tinka1843
'Arry1874
scruff1896
scruffo1959
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2285 Roland cryede an heȝ ‘mountioye’ wan he be-huld þay scoute.
c1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 2218 The godman..callyd hys wyf foule scout.
c1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 217 Come forthe, thou stotte! com forthe, thou scowte!
c1485 Digby Myst. (1882) i. 313 Avaunt, ye skowtys [addressed to women], I defye you euery-chone.
1822 J. Galt Sir Andrew Wylie II. xvii. 159 ‘Base scoot!’ exclaimed Andrew..‘what puts such a thought into your head?’
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Scoot, Scout, a term of the greatest contumely, applied to a woman; as equivalent to trull, or camp-trull.
1869 R. Leighton Sc. Words 18 The learned, pious, yet unworthy skoot, Neglects his sacred trust to catch a troot!
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
scoutn.3
/skaʊt/, U.S. /skaʊt/ a. A flat-bottomed boat; ‘a Dutch vessel, galliot rigged, used in the river trade of Holland’ (Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 1867). ‘A boat called skoute,’ apparently Flemish, is mentioned in Close Roll 20 Edw. II (Latin; 26 Sept. 1326).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > flat-bottomed boat > [noun] > types of
sedge-boat1336
shout1395
scout1419
pink1471
punt-boatc1500
palander1524
pram1531
punt1556
bark1598
sword-pink1614
pont1631
schuit1666
pontoon1681
bateau1711
battoe1711
flight1769
scow1780
keel-boat1786
ferry flat1805
ark1809
panga1811
mackinaw boat1812
mudboat1824
pinkie1840
mackinaw1842
sharpie1860
sculling float1874
pass-boat1875
sled1884
scow sloop1885
sharp1891
johnboat1894
ballahoo1902
pram1929
goelette1948
1419 Liber Albus (Rolls) 239 Item, de qualibet scut descendente in dicta Ripa [i.e. Queen-Hythe], cum busca sive blado, capiendus est i denier.
1436 in J. Stuart & G. Burnett Exchequer Rolls Scotl. (1880) IV. 679 Pro naulo barce vocate scowte.
1497 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 382 Item to ane scowt that baid apone the King, and landit his folk and hed thaim on burd.
?1548 J. Bale Image Bothe Churches (new ed.) iii. sig. Ccvi All they that occupye boates, whyries, and scutes, or saile vpon the sea.
1582 R. Stanyhurst in tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis 94 Where skut's furth launched.
a1609 A. Hume Day Estivall (1902) 32 The Salmon out of cruifs and creils Up hailed into skowts.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. iv. 42 We went in a skeut by water..one mile to Dockam.
1700 Let. 8 Apr. in T. Brown 3rd Vol. Wks. (1708) ii. 101 Had I been travelling in a Dutch Scout, or a Gravesend Tilt-Boat, I could not have been treated with less Manners.
1748 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 4) II. 147 Hoys, Bilanders and Schouts,..Vessels peculiar to their Inland and Coasting Navigation.
1827 Lincoln & Lincolnshire Cabinet 18 The Witham..covered with..a portable kind of boats called schouts.
1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona xxii. 261 Ye can get a passage down the Maes in a sailing scoot.
b. A vessel more or less similar used in warfare. Cf. scout n.4 5.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > other types of war vessel
ramberge1656
sultane1695
scout1703
sultana1728
scooter1919
1703 London Gaz. No. 3950/4 A Scout, of an unknown Name, taken by the Chester.
1799 Capt. Winthrop in Naval Chron. 2 343 Lieutenant Searle..commanded a schoot converted into a gun-boat.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
scoutn.4
/skaʊt/, U.S. /skaʊt/ 1. The action of spying out or watching in order to gain information; chiefly in the phrases on or in (the) scout, to the scout. Also, an instance of this; a scouting or reconnoitring expedition. Also scout-round.
ΚΠ
1553 J. Brende tr. Q. Curtius Rufus Hist. iv. f. 34 But those that discouered for the Percians, were but a thousand horsemen, which keping the scoute a farre of, semed to the Macedons to be a great army.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1616/2 The order of their Marche was this,..the light horsemen..tended to the skowte [1587 skout] a mile or two before.
1619 E. M. Bolton tr. Florus Rom. Hist. i. xvii. 77 None of these things hindered the Generall from sending his brother in scowt, to discouer the pase.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 199 There are Malabar Barks commonly upon the scout, especially in the evening, skulking behind some Points of Land.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 237 I set my self upon the Scout, as often as possible.
1775 P. Schuyler in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) I. 29 Capt. Baker..without my leave, went upon a scout and..was shot.
1788 W. Cowper Death Mrs. Throckmorton's Bulfinch 34 A beast forth-sallied on the scout, Long-back'd, long-tail'd, with whisker'd snout.
1864 T. Seaton From Cadet to Colonel xviii. 373 I thought it advisable to send Hodson on scout to Bilram.
1892 A. Bierce In Midst of Life 23 The commander asked him if in his scout he had learned anything of advantage to the expedition.
1906 ‘M. Twain’ in Harper's Mag. Aug. 328/2 We are back at Fort Paxton once more, after a forty-day scout.
1975 P. Dickinson Lively Dead xxii. 137 They'd enough reason to send a bloke to do a preliminary scout round.
1978 F. Branston Sergeant Ritchie's Consc. i. 12 ‘Organized a scout-round for the weapon?’ ‘Only in the immediate area.’
1980 A. Price Hour of Donkey iv. 55 Wimpy's scout through the wood must..be..completed... Bastable contented himself with cautious peering round each blind bend.
2. † b. figurative and in figurative context. Obsolete.
a. Military. One sent out ahead of the main force in order to reconnoitre the position and movements of the enemy. Hence occasionally in wider sense: One sent out to obtain information.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier with special duty > [noun] > guide, scout, etc.
waitc1325
runnera1382
scourera1400
exploratorc1429
discovererc1440
waiter?1473
out-spy1488
scurrier1488
aforeridera1525
fore-rider1548
guide?1548
outscourer1548
scout1555
vanquerer1579
outscout1581
outskirrer1625
scouter1642
scoutinger1642
wood-ranger1734
reconnoiterer1752
feeler1834
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde i. vii. f. 34 The nexte nyght abowte mydnyght, he sent furth scoutes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) v. ii. 10 What tidings send our Scouts ? View more context for this quotation
1644 R. Symonds Diary (1859) 7 Some bodyes of theire horse and many of their scoutes appeared on the hill.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 529 Others from the dawning Hills Lookd round, and Scouts each Coast light-armed scoure, Each quarter, to descrie the distant foe. View more context for this quotation
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 193 While they lay here..expecting the Return of their Scouts, they used what Diligence they could in getting Provisions.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. iii. 58 Davy Wilson..was the very prince of scouts for searching blind alleys, cellars, and stalls, for rare volumes.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville III. 53 The captain, therefore, continued to maintain the most vigilant precautions; throwing out scouts in the advance, and on every rising ground.
1869 R. Browning Ring & Bk. IV. xii. 229 This foul-mouthed friar shall find His Noah's-dove that brought the olive back, Is turned into the other sooty scout, The raven.
1897 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign iv. 120 Without special training a man cannot have a thorough confidence in himself as a scout.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > inspection, survey > [noun] > one who surveys
veyorc1432
scout1605
reconnoiterer1752
perlustrator1807
outscout1831
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. vi. 212 Th' Eares..The Bodies scouts.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 889 In this sea we may see many Ilands which Nature hath seemed to set,..as skowts to espie, and as Garrisons to defend their soueraigne, Earth.
1633 G. Herbert Search in Temple v I sent a sigh to seek thee out,..Wing'd like an arrow: but my scout Returns in vain.
1659 W. Chamberlayne Pharonnida iii. iv. sig. Q1v Had not the wise endeavours of her Mayd..griefs pale Scouts betrayd By slie deceipt.
c. Boy Scout: see as main entry.
d. A bee searching for a new site for a swarm to settle or a new source of food.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > superfamily Apoidea (bees) > scout
scout1835
scout bee1924
1835 Penny Cycl. IV. 153/1 It is said that bees send out scouts before leaving the hive, to search for a convenient situation for their new abode.
1909 S. L. Bensusan Children's Story of Bee vii. 108 The scouts..might have been seen following their aërial roads to where the swarm was stationed.
1909 S. L. Bensusan Children's Story of Bee vii. 110 The last of the old queen's scouts had come bringing news of a hive—clean, sweet-scented and empty—in a garden across the valley.
1954 D. Ilse tr. Von Frisch Dancing Bees v. 28 While the main swarm hangs from a branch in quiet idleness, its ‘scouts’ are busily at work, searching in all directions to find a suitable abode.
e. One sent out by an organization (as a sports club, recording company, etc.) to look for suitably talented persons with a view to their employment by that organization; a talent scout.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > employer > [noun] > one who seeks or recruits employees
scout1905
headhunter1918
bird dog1919
spotter1935
recruiter1970
1905 Sporting Life (Philadelphia) 2 Sept. 25/4 Padden..is the official scout of the St. Louis Club.
1926 P. Whiteman & M. M. McBride Jazz iii. 65 Vaudeville scouts approached us. Our pictures were in the papers.
1948 Sporting Mirror 19 Nov. 2/2 As chief scout for Derby County he will make sure that no young Midlander with real talent fails to get a chance to develop his soccer.
1950 A. Lomax Mister Jelly Roll (1952) 291 ‘Fritz Pollard’ introduced me to..Williams who was then a scout for the Paramount Recording Company.
1968 Blues Unlimited Sept. 15 They had their scouts out looking for anyone who could make records.
1976 E. Dunphy Only a Game? iii. 92 He was being watched by Manchester City. Their scout left before the end.
f. An official of the A.A. or R.A.C. employed to assist motorists on the road. (No longer in use.)
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > driver or operator of vehicle > [noun] > driver of motor vehicle > motoring associations > employee of A.A.
scout1909
1909 Q. Rev. Jan. 143 The scouts have, beyond doubt, done a great deal to check reckless driving.
1929 E. Linklater Poet's Pub xviii. 200 They passed a scout of the Automobile Association. ‘You should have returned that A.A. man's salute.’
g. slang. A fellow, chap, person. Frequently in approbatory use, as good scout, etc., and as an affectionate term of address.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > man > [noun]
churla800
werec900
rinkeOE
wapmanc950
heOE
wyeOE
gomeOE
ledeOE
seggeOE
shalkOE
manOE
carmanlOE
mother bairnc1225
hemea1250
mother sona1250
hind1297
buck1303
mister mana1325
piecec1325
groomc1330
man of mouldc1330
hathela1350
sire1362
malea1382
fellowa1393
guestc1394
sergeant?a1400
tailarda1400
tulka1400
harlotc1405
mother's sona1470
frekea1475
her1488
masculinea1500
gentlemana1513
horse?a1513
mutton?a1513
merchant1549
child1551
dick1553
sorrya1555
knavea1556
dandiprat1556
cove1567
rat1571
manling1573
bird1575
stone-horse1580
loona1586
shaver1592
slave1592
copemate1593
tit1594
dog1597
hima1599
prick1598
dingle-dangle1605
jade1608
dildoa1616
Roger1631
Johnny1648
boy1651
cod1653
cully1676
son of a bitch1697
cull1698
feller1699
chap1704
buff1708
son of a gun1708
buffer1749
codger1750
Mr1753
he-man1758
fella1778
gilla1790
gloak1795
joker1811
gory1819
covey1821
chappie1822
Charley1825
hombre1832
brother-man1839
rooster1840
blokie1841
hoss1843
Joe1846
guy1847
plug1848
chal1851
rye1851
omee1859
bloke1861
guffin1862
gadgie1865
mug1865
kerel1873
stiff1882
snoozer1884
geezer1885
josser1886
dude1895
gazabo1896
jasper1896
prairie dog1897
sport1897
crow-eater1899
papa1903
gink1906
stud1909
scout1912
head1913
beezer1914
jeff1917
pisser1918
bimbo1919
bozo1920
gee1921
mush1936
rye mush1936
basher1942
okie1943
mugger1945
cat1946
ou1949
tess1952
oke1970
bra1974
muzhik1993
1912 M. Nicholson Hoosier Chron. 129 Dad's a good old scout and he's pretty sure to do it.
1921 P. G. Wodehouse Indiscretions of Archie vii. 61 You'll never be lonely with Peter around. He's a great scout. Always merry and bright.
1922 J. A. Dunn Man Trap xii. 168 You didn't tell me your name, old scout.
1930 P. Macdonald Link vii. 113 That poor scout they've jailed.
1933 E. O'Neill Ah, Wilderness! iii. i. 95 Nat Miller's a good scout.
1950 A. Wilson Such Darling Dodos 198 She had only two roles with men—tomboy and good scout.
1953 ‘N. Blake’ Dreadful Hollow 112 ‘It's time I sent him a report.’ ‘Pop? No need, old scout.’
1965 ‘J. le Carré’ Looking-glass War iv. 38 I've got nothing against old Adrian. He's a good scout.
3. A body of men sent out to gain information. Now only U.S.
ΚΠ
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1821/1 The Englishe skoute [1587 scout] beeing thirtie good Harquebusiers, were sette vpon by the enimies.
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Knight of Malta iv. ii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Mmmmm/2 Mount. What were those past by? Roc. Some scout of Souldiers, I think.
1716 B. Church Entertaining Passages Philip's War ii. 73 He immediately sent away a Scout of 60 Men.
1775 L. Brown in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) I. 462 Being informed..that two scouts, of fifty men each, were sent out often.
1798 I. Allen Nat. & Polit. Hist. Vermont 92 He sent a scout of about 300, mostly Indians, to hunt at the mouth of Otter Creek.
1867 J. N. Edwards Shelby xxiii. 412 At Current river a scout of fifty were encountered.
1940 W. Faulkner Hamlet ii. i. 127 A scout of two or three would lurk about the Varner fence.
4.
a. One who keeps watch upon the actions of another; a watchman. †Formerly often in opprobrious sense: A mean spy, a ‘sneak’: cf. scout n.2 Also spec.: in oil-drilling operations, one employed by a company to keep watch on the activities of other companies; in Sport, one employed to observe and report on the performance of rival teams or clubs. Also, †a policeman.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > one who sees > [noun] > watcher or look-out
showerOE
tootera1382
waiter1382
night watcha1400
scout-watcha1400
looker-out1562
night-watcher1569
watcher1572
scout1585
bishop1592
speculator1607
lookout1662
speculatory1775
lookout man1787
stagger1859
dog1870
eye1874
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > one who sees > [noun] > spy or scout
showerOE
spierc1275
aspy1297
overlookerc1484
spial1548
scout1585
speculationa1616
spion1615
spotter1867
spot1893
society > communication > information > informing on or against > [noun] > informer
wrayerc1000
wrobberc1300
discoverera1400
denunciator1474
informer1503
denouncer1533
detector1541
delatora1572
sycophant1579
inquisitor1580
scout1585
finger man1596
emphanista1631
quadruplator1632
informant1645
eastee-man1681
whiddler1699
runner1724
stag1725
snitch1785
qui tam1788
squeak1795
split1819
clype1825
telegraph1825
snitcher1827
Jack Nasty1837
pigeon1847
booker1863
squealer1865
pig1874
rounder1884
sneak1886
mouse1890
finger1899
fizgig1902
screamer1902
squeaker1903
canary1912
shopper1924
narker1932
snurge1933
cheese eater1935
singer1935
tip-off1941
top-off1941
tout1959
rat fink1961
whistle-blower1970
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [noun] > a secret observer, spy
showerOE
spya1325
exploratorc1429
watch1484
inquisitor1580
scout1585
fly1622
otacust1632
evidence1691
lurcher1706
plant1812
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > [noun] > policeman
truncheon officer1708
runner1735
horny1753
nibbing-cull1775
nabbing-cull1780
police officer1784
police constable1787
policeman1788
scout1789
nabman1792
nabber1795
pig1811
Bow-street officer1812
nab1813
peeler1816
split1819
grunter1823
robin redbreast1824
bulky1828
raw (or unboiled) lobster1829
Johnny Darm1830
polis1833
crusher1835
constable1839
police1839
agent1841
johndarm1843
blue boy1844
bobby1844
bluebottle1845
copper1846
blue1848
polisman1850
blue coat1851
Johnny1851
PC1851
spot1851
Jack1854
truncheonist1854
fly1857
greycoat1857
cop1859
Cossack1859
slop1859
scuffer1860
nailerc1863
worm1864
Robert1870
reeler1879
minion of the law1882
ginger pop1887
rozzer1888
nark1890
bull1893
grasshopper1893
truncheon-bearer1896
John1898
finger1899
flatty1899
mug1903
John Dunn1904
John Hop1905
gendarme1906
Johnny Hop1908
pavement pounder1908
buttons1911
flat-foot1913
pounder1919
Hop1923
bogy1925
shamus1925
heat1928
fuzz1929
law1929
narker1932
roach1932
jonnop1938
grass1939
roller1940
Babylon1943
walloper1945
cozzer1950
Old Bill1958
cowboy1959
monaych1961
cozzpot1962
policeperson1965
woolly1965
Fed1966
wolly1970
plod1971
roz1971
Smokey Bear1974
bear1975
beast1978
woodentop1981
Five-O1983
dibble1990
Bow-street runner-
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > [noun] > industrial spying > person engaged in
scout1883
industrial spy1892
corporate spy1959
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > worker in oil industry > [noun] > types of
scout1883
roustabout1886
pipeliner1887
tongsman1891
tool-dresser1896
fisherman1903
roughneck1913
stabber1922
toolie1932
tool-pusher1932
doodlebug1933
rigger1974
society > leisure > sport > scouting or selecting > [noun] > scouting > one who
bird dog1919
scout1949
1585 A. Munday tr. L. Pasqualigo Fedele & Fortunio sig. C3v As close as I can, in this place I wil stand. Unseen vnto any, yet vewing of all: A prety scowte set to take a knaue in a pit-fall.
1629 Vse of Law 5 in J. Doddridge Lawyers Light These constables should keepe watch about the Towne, for the apprehension of Rogues and Vagabonds, and Night-walkers, and Euesdroppers, Scouts, and such like.
1691 W. Mountfort Greenwich-Park v. ii. 54 I suppose the Spark was come, for one of her Scouts came and whisper'd her.
1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random I. xv. 114 For though I be a poor cobler's son, I am no scout.
1789 G. Parker Life's Painter xiv. 128 There's no horneys, traps, scouts, nor beak-runners amongst them.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas II. iv. xi. 235 Lamela performed the office of a scout.
1821 P. Egan Life in London ii. iii. 231 Turning the corner of Old Bedlam, A scout laid me flat upon my face.
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist III. xlvi. 213 They'll have him yet, for the scouts are out, and by to-morrow night there'll be a cry all through the country.
1883 Cent. Mag. July 327/2 The leading oil brokers of Bradford and Oil City employed scouts to watch it [the boring] after the hole had got down nearly to the depth where it was expected the oil-bearing sandstone would be reached.
1883 Derrick's Handbk. Petroleum (1898) I. 357 Scouts have squatted on the Reed and Brenneman lease..and are keeping a vigilant watch on the well; efforts to dislodge the scouts have proved unavailing.
1904 Dial. Notes 2 388 Scout,..a man sent to obtain information regarding a mystery.
1949 Athletic Jrnl. Oct. 20/1 The scout should familiarize himself long before the season starts with the types of defense that have been used by opponents in the past.
1973 C. Callow Power from Sea i. 14 The..oil industry employs men to keep tabs on the competition and has given them the euphemistic term of ‘scouts’.
1976 M. Machlin Pipeline ii. 32 There had to be a scout on that plane.
b. slang. Used allusively for ‘watch’ = pocket timepiece.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > particular types of watch
German watch1611
larum watch1619
clock-watch1625
minute watch1660
pendulum watch1664
watch1666
alarm watch1669
finger watch1679
string-watch1686
scout1688
balance-watch1690
hour-watch1697
warming-pan1699
minute pendulum watch1705
jewel watch1711
suit1718
repeater1725
Tompion1727
pendulum spring1728
second-watch1755
Geneva watch1756
cylinder-watch1765
watch-paper1777
ring watch1788
verge watch1792
watch lamp1823
hack1827
bull's-eye1833
vertical watch1838
quarter-repeater1840
turnip1840
hunting-watch1843
minute repeater1843
hunter1851
job watch1851
Geneva1852
watch-lining1856
touch watch1860
musical watch1864
lever1865
neep1866
verge1871
independent seconds watch1875
stem-winder1875
demi-hunter1884
fob-watch1884
three-quarter plate1884
wrist-watch1897
turnip-watch1898
sedan-chair watch1904
Rolex1922
Tank watch1923
strap watch1926
chatelaine watch1936
sedan clock1950
quartz watch1969
pulsar1970
1688 T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia ii. i. 32 Sirrah. Here's a Scout: What's a Clock? what's a Clock Sirrah?
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Scout, a Watch.
1821 Life D. Haggart (ed. 2) 28 Sporting an elegant dross-scout, drag, and chats... I succeeded in undubbing the stretch which slung the scout round her waist.
5.
a. A type of war-vessel adapted for the purposes of reconnoitring. Cf. scout-ship n., scout vessel n. at Compounds 1; also scout n.3 b, which may have been confused with this.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > look-out or reconnaissance vessel
spy-boat1637
guard-ship1689
station ship1693
scout-ship1694
guard-boat1696
scout1706
lookout1761
lookout ship1762
watch-boat1789
patrol boat1854
spy-ship1858
picket boat1861
picket launch1864
scout vessel1869
vedette boat1884
picket ship1898
coastal1912
P boat1917
spotter1931
radar picket1945
1706 London Gaz. No. 4233/1 The Monk and Experiment Men of War,..put ashore near Cape de Gat a French Scout of 40 Guns.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Scouts, small vessels of war for especial service.
1896 Daily News 20 Apr. 5/1 Many of our older scouts and commerce-protectors will show a higher rate of speed.
1902 Westm. Gaz. 24 Oct. 6/2 The Admiralty have accepted the tenders of [certain shipbuilding firms]..for the construction by each firm of one vessel described as a ‘scout’. These scouts are a new departure in the Navy.
b. An airship or aeroplane used for reconnoitring; a lightly-armed fighter aeroplane. Also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > [noun] > used in warfare > scout or reconnaissance aircraft
scout1909
air scout1910
spotter plane1923
spotter1931
spotter aircraft1932
shufti-kite1944
1909 A. Berget Conquest of Air ii. vii. 260 Airships or aeroplanes? As ‘combatants’ or ‘scouts’?
1911 Chambers's Jrnl. July 461/1 Two diminutive dirigibles acting as scouts.
1914 Daily Express 31 Dec. 3/4 We have ‘scouts’ which can beat anything the enemy can bring against us.
1916 H. Barber Aeroplane Speaks Pl. xi The little Gnome-engined scout biplanes.
1922 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 87/2 Torpedoing ships at anchor, by seaplanes, probably in pairs or escorted by ‘scout’ (i.e. air fighting) machines.
1928 E. Blunden Undertones of War viii. 82 On account of the aforementioned ceremonial parade, with the gleaming bayonets and accoutrements not unnoticed by German flying Scouts, the town was shelled by heavy guns on the day that we departed.
1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 2 May 1 Among the planes..is an approximately equal number of bombers, pursuit planes, and scouts.
1978 H. Wouk War & Remembrance xxx. 304 The air raid proved to be only some old-type scout bombers buzzing a battleship of the screen and then running away from the Zeroes into the light clouds.
6. † a. Cricket. = fieldsman n. 2. Also in Baseball. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > fielder
seeker-out1744
fieldsman1772
fieldman1773
field1816
fielder1824
scout1824
fag1825
watch1836
leather-hunter1944
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > fielder > fielder at practice
scout1824
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > baseball > baseball player > [noun] > fielder or baseman
centre field1835
short stopc1837
base player1842
outfielder1855
short1856
short field1856
baseman1857
left field1857
right field1857
short fielder1857
third baseman1857
right fielder1860
centre1866
infielder1867
scout1870
relayer1910
sacker1914
first base1959
1824 M. R. Mitford Our Village I. 178 He was..nothing of a scout to John Simmons.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) vii. 69 It fell upon the tip of the bat, and bounded far away over the heads of the scouts.
1856 Spirit of Times 27 Dec. 276/3 One of these swiftly-delivered balls, when stopped by a skillful batsman, is sure to give the outmost scout employment.
1870 R. W. Emerson Plutarch in Wks. (1906) III. 347 They are like the baseball players, to whom the pitcher, the bat, the catcher, and the scout are equally important.
1898 J. A. Gibbs Cotswold Village xi. 241 So also one may say..after the famous Gloucestershire hitter [sc. Grace] has made things merry for spectators and scouts alike.
1924 N. Cardus Days in Sun 49 Supposing the fieldsmen were set..with still a number of them idle on the off-side, with great gaps between the leg-side scouts.
b. A boy who is employed to run after the balls at ‘practice’. Cf. scout v.1 2.
ΚΠ
1851 F. Lillywhite Guide to Cricketers (ed. 4) 53 Mr. Dark engages..to attend on the Marylebone Club..six boys as scouts.
7. In pigeon-shooting: An outlying marksman set to prevent the escape of wounded birds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > shooting > shooter > [noun] > outlying pigeon-shooter
scout1859
1859 ‘Stonehenge’ Shot-gun i. ii. 9 But if a bird, so hard hit by the shooter that, in the opinion of the referee, it would have fallen within bounds, is shot at by a scout, the shooter may be allowed another bird.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.† scout canoe n. Obsolete† scout-path n. Obsolete† scout-shallop n. Obsolete
scout boat n.
ΚΠ
1717 in Statutes at Large S. Carolina (1838) III. 24 For the scout boat on Port Royal Island, a Captain and six private men.
1733 Colonial Rec. Georgia III. 90 The Scout Boat at Port Royal attended the new Settlers as occasion requir'd.
1771 J. Habersham Lett. 159 I am to let him have the Scout Boat, in order to make an actual survey.
1837 A. Sherwood Gaz. Georgia (ed. 3) 16 The Scout-boat (which is an armed Bark, employed for the same purpose by water).
1862 Memphsi Appeal in F. Moore Rebellion Rec. (1863) V. ii. 182/1 The scout-boats of Com. Montgomery notified him of the presence of the Federals.
1902 Westm. Gaz. 16 July 7/3 Designs and tenders..for ten scout boats.
ΚΠ
1798 Col. Barrow in Naval Chron. (1799) 1 247 I sent out two scout canoes.
scout-craft n.
ΚΠ
1908 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Scouting for Boys 24 A scout's badge..is given him when he passes the tests in scout-craft necessary to make him a scout.
1910 Chambers's Jrnl. Feb. 114/2 They are taught scout-craft, which includes the art of stalking wild creatures.
1917 19th Cent. Feb. 311 This, and much other scout-craft, had he learnt when on active service among the sand dunes of Africa.
1937 Sun (Baltimore) 2 July 6/1 Thousands of Boy Scouts gathered in a giant arena tonight to watch a pageant of scoutcraft and history.
1977 N. Adam Triplehip Cracksman v. 54 Using my entirely non-existent knowledge of scoutcraft, I snuck up it in the closing shadows.
scout knife n.
ΚΠ
1937 E. Garnett Family from One End St. v. 99 Hadn't he wanted a scout knife as long as he could remember.
1977 J. Porter Who the Heck is Sylvia? xvi. 150 The kid..clipped his scout knife back on his scout belt.
ΚΠ
1750 in J. H. Temple & G. Sheldon Hist. Northfield, Mass. (1875) 378 About twelve or fifteen Indians Way-laid the Scout-Path from Fort Dummer to Colerain.
scout patrol n.
ΚΠ
1909 Daily Chron. 21 Aug. 5/4 To direct and help those who were forming scout patrols all over the world.
ΚΠ
1704 S. Sewall Diary 1 Apr. (1973) I. 500 Read Brother's Letter to the Govr about a Scout-Shallop.
scout-ship n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > look-out or reconnaissance vessel
spy-boat1637
guard-ship1689
station ship1693
scout-ship1694
guard-boat1696
scout1706
lookout1761
lookout ship1762
watch-boat1789
patrol boat1854
spy-ship1858
picket boat1861
picket launch1864
scout vessel1869
vedette boat1884
picket ship1898
coastal1912
P boat1917
spotter1931
radar picket1945
1694 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) III. 356 A scout ship of theirs [the French] taken gives account that [etc.].
1850 G. Grote Hist. Greece VII. ii. lviii. 259 They awaited the return of the three scout-ships from Egesta.
scout vessel n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > war vessel > [noun] > look-out or reconnaissance vessel
spy-boat1637
guard-ship1689
station ship1693
scout-ship1694
guard-boat1696
scout1706
lookout1761
lookout ship1762
watch-boat1789
patrol boat1854
spy-ship1858
picket boat1861
picket launch1864
scout vessel1869
vedette boat1884
picket ship1898
coastal1912
P boat1917
spotter1931
radar picket1945
1869 Daily News 13 July The scout vessels I have mentioned were necessary enough at first.
1902 Westm. Gaz. 17 July 4/1 Tenders had been asked for a new ‘Scout’ vessel.
C2. † scout-ken n. slang Obsolete (see quot.).
scout bee n. (sense 2d).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > superfamily Apoidea (bees) > scout
scout1835
scout bee1924
1924 A. M. Sturges Pract. Beekeeping 306/1 Scout-bees.
1935 J. C. Kenly Cities of Wax xvi. 165 A scout-bee..had just brought in news to her hive that she had discovered a honey gold-mine.
1963 T. A. Sebeok in J. A. Fishman Readings Sociol. of Lang. (1968) 23 [M. Lindauer] traces how the scout bees announce the location of suitable nesting places by means of the dance in the cluster.
1975 Country Life 20 Feb. 448/2 This swarm..was resting while scout bees looked for a suitable site.
scout car n. (a) U.S. a police patrol car; (b) Military a fast armoured vehicle used for reconnaissance and liaison.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor car > [noun] > police car
police cruiser1858
police car1881
prowl car1922
cruiser1929
unit1929
patrol car1931
scout car1933
squad car1938
Z-car1961
black and white1965
panda1966
squad1974
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > military vehicles > [noun] > armed or armoured > armoured car
armoured car?1867
jam jar1895
scout car1933
1933 Sun (Baltimore) 5 May 11/2 Scout car No. 7..answered fifty-five calls in the Pimlico section of the Northern district.
a1944 K. Douglas Alamein to Zem Zem (1946) 40 A Daimler scout car, flying a red cross, was moving and halting,..collecting wounded.
1960 R. M. Ogorkiewicz Armour xxxi. 434 A far more advanced Daimler scout car was also designed before the war, and the first built in December 1939.
1960 R. M. Ogorkiewicz Armour xxxi. 435 Originally the Daimler scout cars were intended for liaison within the tank regiments of the armoured divisions,..but after the 1940 campaign their use was extended, as was that of armoured cars.
1977 H. Innes Big Footprints i. ii. 47 More craters. A burned-out scout car, some lorries, gaping holes, then we were clear of the battlefield.
ΚΠ
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 204 Scout-ken, a watch-house.
Scout Law n. a code of conduct enjoined upon (Boy) Scouts.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > an association, society, or organization > specific societies or organizations > [noun] > specific youth organizations > code of conduct
Scout Law1908
1908 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Scouting for Boys 49 The Scout Law.
1922 Encycl. Brit. XXX. 487/2 The Scout Promise, to carry out, on his honour, as far as in him lies, the Scout Law, is the binding disciplinary force.
1931 E. Waugh Remote People 134 A Somali boy presented himself for examination in scout law.
1972 P. Black Biggest Aspidistra i. vi. 51 An establishment striving..to do its best according to the Scout Law, continued to pervade the spirit of Children's Hour.
Scout's honour n. the honour on which a (Boy) Scout promises to obey the Scout Law; frequently transferred, as an expression of one's good faith.
ΚΠ
1908 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Scouting for Boys 49 A Scout's Honour is to be trusted.
1956 ‘E. McBain’ Cop Hater (1958) xx. 168 ‘Provided it's not for publication.’ ‘Scout's honour,’ Savage said.
1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren viii. 123 Scout's, Cub's, Guide's and Brownie's honour, are the only pledges deliberately sown by adults to have taken root.
1974 A. Ross Bradford Business 175 ‘I'll try my best, Charlie,’ I said, ‘scout's honour.’
Draft additions June 2008
Also with capital initial. A member of a youth organization (known in the United Kingdom as the Scout Association and in the United States as Boy Scouts of America) founded in 1908 by Lord Baden-Powell, intended to develop character esp. by open-air activities, or of an American organization, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., corresponding to Girlguiding UK; a Boy Scout or Girl Scout. Also (in plural): either of these organizations. Cf. Boy Scout n. 1, Girl Scout n.In the United Kingdom, the Scout Association has admitted both boys and girls since 1990.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > an association, society, or organization > specific societies or organizations > [noun] > specific youth organizations > members of scouts or guides
Boy Scout1908
patrol leader1908
scout1908
scoutmaster1908
tenderfoot1908
captain1909
Girl Guide1909
Girl Scout1909
lieutenant1909
pathfinder1911
sea scout1911
rosebud1914
brownie1916
sixer1916
tenderpad1916
Brown Owl1918
rover1918
Rover Scout1918
ranger1920
tawny owl1921
Cub1922
Akela1924
scouter1930
Guider1931
den mother1936
Queen's Guide1946
Queen's Scout1952
Venture Scout1966
Beaver1975
skipper1986
1908 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Scouting for Boys i. 48 The scouts' motto is founded on my initials, it is: be prepared.
1910 Daily Chron. 18 Apr. 1/7 It is much greater fun to wear the B.-P. hat of the scout than the neat ‘pill-box’ cap of the Church Lads' Brigade.
1935 Amer. Girl July 51 (advt.) For the ‘teen-age’ scout there is the new two-piece uniform of green sanforized shirting material.
1958 A. Sillitoe Loneliness Long Distance Runner 121 I wanted to get a better goz at the knot, because my pal was in the scouts, and would ask to know how it was done.
1967 B. Cleary Mitch & Amy x. 201 All the girls had been Brownies before they flew up to Scouts.
2004 Scouting Mag. Mar. 36/3 Tell them that you got so much out of your time as a Scout that you plan on putting something back into it.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
scoutn.5
/skaʊt/, U.S. /skaʊt/ A local name for various sea-birds native to Great Britain; as the Guillemot ( Alca troile), the Razor-bill ( Alca torda), and the Puffin ( Fratercula arctica). green scoot n. a local name for the Green Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax Graculus).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Pelecaniformes > [noun] > family Phalacrocoracidae > miscellaneous types of
scout1596
violet cormorant1785
guanay1860
nigger goose1909
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Alcidae (auks) > [noun] > member of genus Uria (guillemot)
coot1382
murre1578
scout1596
guillem1603
willock1606
kiddaw1674
sea-hen1676
guillemot1678
loom1694
lavy1698
foolish guillemot1776
willy1780
turr1794
tinkershere1799
strany1804
spratter1863
bacalao-bird1865
tinker1880
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Alcidae (auks) > [noun] > fratercula arctica (puffin)
scout1596
willock1606
bottlenose1620
parrot1664
sea-parrot1664
guldenhead1676
coulterneb1678
mullet1678
puffin1678
cockandy1684
sea-coulter1684
bowger1698
norie1701
tammie norie1701
popea1705
lunda1744
rock-bird1765
puffin-auk1768
tommy noddy1769
Tomnoddy1771
Tommya1777
Tomnorry1793
Tommy1828
sea-owl1842
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Alcidae (auks) > [noun] > genus Alca > alca torda (razor-bill)
murre1578
scout1596
willock1606
falk1698
razorbilla1705
turr1794
sea-crow1813
razorbill auk1829
tinker1862
razorbill puffin1865
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 26 Ane certane kynd of fowle, in our mother toung named the Skout.
a1661 W. Brereton Trav. (1844) 98 Abundance of fowl breed here, solem-geese, storts, scoutes, and twenty several sorts of fowl.
1676 F. Willughby & J. Ray Ornithologiæ iii. iii. iv. 244 (margin) Alia avis est quam Scoti circa insulam Bassam, & Northumbrici circa Fernas insulas Skout vocant.
1710 R. Sibbald Hist. Fife & Kinross ii. ii. 45 The Fowls which most frequent the Bass, are..the Scout, the Scarts [etc.].
1805 G. Barry Hist. Orkney iii. i. 305 The Guillemote..here the skout, remains with us all the winter.
1852 W. Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds V. 392 Phalacrocorax Graculus. The Green Cormorant... Green Scout.
1894 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words Scoot, the guillemot, Uria troile. So-called near Spittal.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
scoutn.6
/skaʊt/, U.S. /skaʊt/ At Oxford (also at Yale and Harvard): A college servant. Until recently, a male servant; but in the first quot. 1708 the word seems to be applied to a woman (unless ‘goody’ is peculiarly used).
ΘΚΠ
society > education > educational administration > university administration > [noun] > college servants
bed-maker1465
sacrist1638
gyp1676
skip1699
scout1708
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > [noun] > woman or girl
maidenOE
schelchenec1000
womanOE
maidc1300
ancillec1366
wench1380
child-womana1382
maidservanta1382
serving-womana1398
servantessa1425
servant maid?a1450
woman servant1450
servitrice1477
administress1483
ministressa1500
serving maid?1529
maiden-servant1533
servitrix1566
miskin-fro1585
servant girl1658
girl1668
necessary womanc1689
scout1708
servitress1827
ancilla1871
1708 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1886) II. 117 One shilling to goody Earl a Scout yt belongs to Oriel Colledge.
1750 Student 1 No. 2. 55 My scout, indeed, is a very learned fellow.
1800 Sporting Mag. 15 85 Waked at eight o'clock by the scout, to tell me the bell was going for prayers.
?1845 Yale Literary Mag. 11 282 in B. H. Hall Coll. College Words (1856) 403 We had to send for his factotum or scout, an old black fellow.
1888 Mrs. H. Ward Robert Elsmere I. i. v. 100 The scout, who intrusively asked him every morning what he would have for breakfast.
1935 D. L. Sayers Gaudy Night v. 91 ‘The scouts are all women of excellent character, so far as I know,’ said the Bursar.
1972 Oxf. Times 26 May 1/3 Miss Bootes, who has been a scout at St. Hilda's College for 25 years, was presented with the teapot on Wednesday.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
scoutv.1
/skaʊt/, U.S. /skaʊt/ 1. in extended use.1704 J. Swift Disc. Mech. Operat. Spirit ii, in Tale of Tub 315 These are the Men, who pretend to understand a Book, by scouting thro' the Index.
a. intransitive. To act as a scout, to play the spy; to travel about (in search of information).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > [verb (intransitive)] > travel about or visit many places > in search of information
scout1644
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > inspection, survey > inspect, survey [verb (intransitive)] > land, etc.
scout1644
pickeer1646
perlustrate1691
recce1943
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 483 & ho skyrmez vnder skwe & skowtez aboute, Tyl hit was nyȝe at þe naȝt & noe þen sechez.
1575 G. Gascoigne Dan Bartholmew in Posies 108 Such was his hap..To watche and warde at euery time and tyde, Though foes were farre yet skowted he alwaye.
1590 R. Williams Briefe Disc. Warre 31 Besides, they must skoute, discouer, with all dueties that belongs vnto an Armie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iii. iv. 173 Scout mee for him at the corner of the Orchard like a bum-Baylie. View more context for this quotation
1644 R. Symonds Diary (1859) 7 We scouted beyond Cumner, and mett with some of them.
1756 G. Washington Let. in Writings (1889) I. 257 If they are at greater distances, it is inconvenient for the soldiers to scout.
1826 W. Scott Woodstock II. x. 265 It will be necessary that I scout abroad a little.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xx. 665 Keyes, who had been out scouting among his old comrades, arrived with news more ominous still.
1886 R. L. Stevenson Kidnapped xx. 192 Keeping only one eye above the edge of our..shelter, [he] scouted all round the compass.
b. To skulk, lie hid (as a spy) in concealment. Obsolete exc. dialect. (See Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > lurking, skulking > lurk, skulk [verb (intransitive)]
loutc825
atlutienc1000
darec1000
lotea1200
skulk?c1225
lurkc1300
luskc1330
tapisc1330
lurchc1420
filsnec1440
lour?c1450
slink?c1550
mitch1558
jouk1575
scout1577
scult1622
meecha1625
tappy1706
slive1707
slinge1747
snake1818
cavern1860
1577 T. Kendall tr. Politianus et al. Flowers of Epigrammes f. 23 The little Conie loues to scoute, In Berries that are digged out.
1633 J. Hart Κλινικη Introd. 3 Many of these supposed Physitians..lie skouting in corners of the famous Citie of London.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > fielding > field [verb (intransitive)]
stop1744
scout1786
to watch out1786
field1798
to look out1836
to fag out1839
to seek out1840
1786 County Mag. Nov. 171/3 One that can throw well, likewise scout, He for a long stroke must stand out.
1828 [implied in: Sporting Mag. 23 38 Both were so completely knocked up, with alternately bowling and scouting, as to be nearly incapable of walking home. (at scouting n.1 2)].
1887 F. T. Havergal Herefordshire Words (at cited word) In Herefordshire cricket fields, to scout out = to field out.
1908 Daily Chron. 14 Aug. 4/7 On many suburban cricket grounds, where the small boys of the neighbourhood gather to field (or scout, as they call it) for the members at the nets.
1928 Observer 1 July 29/4 An arrangement by which Tate is required to rest from his bowling by scouting at deep square leg.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > watching or keeping guard > watch or keep guard over [verb (transitive)] > surround with a watch
to scout rounda1625
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > vigilance > keeping watch > keep watch [verb (intransitive)] > be under surveillance
scouta1625
to be staked out1951
a1625 J. Fletcher Bonduca v. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Iiii2v/2 Take more men, and scout him round.
1671 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 227 I must be a papist: and then, upon that account, I was scouted about.
4. To reconnoitre, to examine with a view to obtaining information.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > [verb (transitive)] > reconnoitre (a place)
reknowledge1582
reacknowledge1622
scout1704
reconnoitre1716
reconnaitre1765
observe1799
recce1943
recon1966
1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in Tale of Tub 271 One surveys the Region round, while t'other scouts the Plain.
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 23 The fox is loth to 'gin a long patrole, And scouts the woods, content with meaner prey.
1871 Daily News 24 July Bazaine has been condemned by every military authority in Europe for not scouting the ravine of Gorze.
1900 Daily News 25 May 7/2 Major Karri Davies, with eight men of the Light Horse, were ordered to scout the country.
Draft additions 1993
5. intransitive and transitive. To observe and report on the performance of a team or club against which one is due to play. Sport (originally and chiefly U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > scouting or selecting > scout or select [verb (transitive)] > assess performance of rival team
scout1941
society > leisure > sport > scouting or selecting > scout or select [verb (intransitive)] > assess performance of rival team
scout1961
1908 [implied in: Baseball Mag. Nov. 1/1 There was the reconnoitering, scouting, feints, retreats, invasions, and then preparations made by all the ball-and-bat generals for the final big battle. (at scouting n.1 1c)].
1941 Sun (Baltimore) 8 Oct. 13/4 Coaches Charlie Erickson and Dick Jamerson who scouted Fordham in its 16–10 win over Southern Methodist.
1961 J. S. Salak Dict. Amer. Sports 382 Scouting, viewing an opposing team in action before playing them.
1980 L. Hoy & C. A. Carter Tackle Basketball vii. 106 Firstly, well-prepared opponents may gain advance knowledge of their opposition's system by scouting and hearing the call, and so be in a position to thwart it.
1987 First Base Summer 12/1 He will have scouted the batters he is to face thoroughly..will know who hits well and badly on the type of surface and time of day for that day's game.
Draft additions 1993
6. Originally North American.
a. transitive. To observe (a team, a company, etc.) with a view to recruiting suitably talented persons to one's organization (esp. a sports club); to assess (an individual) with this purpose.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > scouting or selecting > scout or select [verb (transitive)] > observe with a view to recruiting
scout1936
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > spy or scout > team or company
scout1936
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > spy or scout
scout1977
society > leisure > sport > scouting or selecting > scout or select [verb (transitive)] > observe with a view to recruiting > specifically an individual
scout1977
1936 Esquire Sept. 159/2 ‘Jesse Laskey's Broadway Booneing’ means that the vet producer is scouting plays and talent in N.Y.
1972 Hockey News (Montreal) 6 Oct. 11/2 I remember the late Stafford Smythe telling me to scout the bush-league teams..very carefully because the kids there were trying harder.
1977 Rolling Stone 5 May 45/4 Still, no one seems to have scouted him; he was offered no athletic scholarships.
1981 N.Y. Times 26 Oct. c2/2 Most of the pro teams have scouted him this season. Most of them look at him and say he's too small.
Draft additions 1993
b. intransitive. To look for suitably talented persons with a view to recruiting them to one's organization; to act as a (talent) scout (see scout n.4 2e).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (intransitive)] > spy or scout
scout1950
society > leisure > sport > scouting or selecting > scout or select [verb (intransitive)] > search for individual
scout1950
1950 Sport 7 Apr. 14/1 He was scouting for Birmingham City at the time of his appointment to manage his old club.
1971 H. Seymour Baseball: Golden Age II. p. vi I..scouted unofficially..for two major-league clubs.
1981 Christian Sci. Monitor 22 Oct. 14/3 After retiring as a player in 1960 Lasorda scouted for the Dodgers for five years, managed in the minor league system for seven, and spent four seasons as a coach.
1989 Washington Post 14 Sept. b6/1 All had either coached or scouted for Denver after their playing days.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
scoutv.2
/skaʊt/, U.S. /skaʊt/ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > deride, ridicule, or mock [verb (transitive)]
teleeOE
laughOE
bismerc1000
heascenc1000
hethec1175
scornc1175
hokera1225
betell?c1225
scorn?c1225
forhushc1275
to make scorn at, toc1320
boba1382
bemow1388
lakea1400
bobby14..
triflea1450
japec1450
mock?c1450
mowc1485
to make (a) mock at?a1500
to make mocks at?a1500
scrip?a1513
illude1516
delude1526
deride1530
louta1547
to toy with ——1549–62
flout1551
skirp1568
knack1570
to fart against1574
frump1577
bourd1593
geck?a1600
scout1605
subsannate1606
railly1612
explode1618
subsannea1620
dor1655
monkeya1658
to make an ass of (someone)1680
ridicule1680
banter1682
to run one's rig upon1735
fun1811
to get the run upon1843
play1891
to poke mullock at1901
razz1918
flaunt1923
to get (or give) the razoo1926
to bust (a person's) chops1953
wolf1966
pimp1968
1605 J. Marston Dutch Courtezan Prol. As for some few, we know of purpose here To taxe and scowt.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 124 Flout 'em, and cout 'em: and skowt 'em, and flout 'em. View more context for this quotation
1691 A. Wood Life & Times (1894) III. 357 He scouted me and told of ‘virtue’ (for ‘vertue’) [i.e. that the former was bad spelling].
1768 O. Goldsmith Good Natur'd Man ii. 24 When he speaks upon his legs, by the lord he's prodigious, he scouts them.
2. To reject with scorn (a proposition); to treat as absurd (an idea); to dismiss scornfully the pretensions of (a person, a work, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > hold in contempt [verb (transitive)] > reject contemptuously
spurnc1000
defyc1320
refusec1350
to kick against or ata1425
spurn1526
asperne1548
explodea1552
to cast (also throw) at one's heels1555
mock1558
foot1600
outscout1602
slighta1616
scout1710
stuff1955
1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 102 They pass the rhodomontade till they're expos'd and scouted.
1711 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 133 Those who laugh at and scout it.
1782 F. Burney Let. 6 Apr. in Diary & Lett. (1842) II. 136 The people..who have been fond of blood and family, have all scouted title when put in any competition with it.
1819 F. Hamilton Acct. Kingdom Nepal 315 All alliances with the chief,..are scouted by the purer inhabitants of the southern mountains.
1822 W. Hazlitt Table-talk (1869) 2nd Ser. x. 212 Many great philosophers have not only been scouted while they were living, but forgotten as soon as they were dead.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xxxix. 157 His turned-up nose..scouted all things of earth with deep disdain.
1872 Q. Rev. Jan. 251 Simple and obvious remedies are scouted or neglected.
1883 A. I. Ritchie Bk. of Sibyls i. 47 The poem..was scouted at the time and violently attacked.
1884 Ld. Tennyson Becket ii. ii. 109 I am glad that France hath scouted him at last.
1898 J. E. C. Bodley France II. iii. v. 247 The King..scouted the idea of his functions being reduced to those of an English monarch.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1c1400
n.2c1380
n.31419
n.41553n.51596n.61708v.1c1400v.21605