c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xi. 21 Whanne a strong armed man [L. fortis armatus] kepith his hows, alle thingis that he weldith ben in pees.

1684 J. Harington Grecian Story iv. 210 Strong Armed Bands Reserv'd, whate're befall; Broke through their Bounds to plunder, spoyl next Day In sev'ral Troops.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Barbary-falcons This Bird is very bold,..and strong armed with long Talons and Stretchers.

1796 True Briton 21 June Eight French and Dutch Frigates, and strong armed vessels.

1855 Hunt's Merchants' Mag. May 547 The Venetians withdrew their ordinary merchant vessels, and replaced them by strong armed ships.

1875 B. J. Lossing Our Country I. iii. xii. 580 Amherst, deceived by reports of the strength of the French at the foot of the Lake, and of a strong-armed flotilla there, lingered at Crown Point until October.

1978 M. A. Rodrigez in Kim Il Sung 175 Allow me to quote their own words: ‘We thought our strong armed regiment was making a surprise attack on a small unit within our firing range.’

2011 B. Polka Shakespeare & Interpr. vii. 241 Strong-armed Fortinbras..spills his soldiers' blood for the illusory toy of his own fame.

1600 R. Hakluyt tr. G. da Verrazzano in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 296 The people are..broad breasted, strong armed.

1635 T. May Victorious Reigne Edward III iii. iii. sig. C2^v While the strong-armed English Archer plyes His bloody taske.

1755 London Mag. Oct. 478/1 The lady who presides is to request some strong-armed assistant to lift the first [i.e. the swan]; and the other [i.e. the heron] is to be dismembered.

a1822 E. Sanford Humours of Eutopia (1828) II. x. 161 It fell into the hands of a long-winded and strong armed youth.

1850 J. G. Whittier Elliott in National Era 10 Jan. 6/4 Strong-armed as Thor!

1872 J. S. Blackie Lays of Highlands 34 Granite battlements that..stiffly bear the cuffs and buffet of the strong-armed blast.

1925 Amer. Mercury Feb. 131/1 Half a dozen strong-armed and strong-lunged Brothers and Sisters..dragged me down the aisle of the church to the mourners' bench.

1997 H. Hollick Shadow of King iii. iii. 364 Olsac was a good soldier, reliable, strong armed, sure-aimed.

1861 F. Davis Tablet of Shadows 59 Tales of tears, and strong-armed crime.

1917 T. W. Tomlinson in Marketing & Farm Credits 214 The strong-armed tactics of somebody in putting the price of hogs down below cost of production.

1925 H. Work Rev. Dept. Interior 1925 (U.S. Dept. Interior) 3 The pioneer..resented what he called strong-armed action of the majority of numbers.

1969 R. L. Keiser Vice Lords iii. 34 Strong armed robbery, a form of theft, is often used in the ghetto to make money.

2012 A. Tsesis For Liberty & Equality viii. 141 Strong-armed tactics and outright electoral deception did not correspond with the popular sovereignty that the Douglas Act had promised.