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单词 to let see
释义

> as lemmas

to let (a person) see (something)

Phrases

P1. In pleonastic or emphatic phrases with eye (or †sight).
a. to see with (also at) eye, to see with (also in) sight, and variants: to see (esp. something remarkable or noteworthy). Obsolete.In quot. OE with dative plural of ēage (eye n.1).
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the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
to see with (also at) eyeOE
yseeOE
bihowec1000
ofseeOE
thorough-seeOE
beholdc1175
bihedec1275
heedc1275
witec1320
conceivea1398
observe1560
view?1570
eye1582
oculate1609
survey1615
snilch1676
deek1825
peep1954
OE Riddle 84 32 Hio fromast..grundbedd trideþ, þæs þe under lyfte aloden wurde ond ælda bearn eagum sawe [perhaps read sawen], swa þæt wuldor wifeð.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5719 To sen drihhtin wiþþ ehne.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1273 Þat shal þu wit þin eyne sen.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 1989 (MED) Ȝour dedes han ben sain Wiþ siȝt.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 405 (MED) Ȝif þu wolt sen in þi siht God of heuene..Vnderstond nu what i mene.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) ii. l. 108 The rounde dropis off the smothe reyn, Which that..falle from aloffte On stonys harde, at eye as it is seyn, Perceth ther hardnesse with ther fallyng offte.
a1450 (?1418) in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 63 (MED) For þat ȝe hid, god seeþ in syȝt.
a1500 Partenay (Trin. Cambr.) l. 51 A roial gret feste, A more worshipful neuer sayn with eye.
a1500 Disciplina Clericalis in Western Reserve Univ. Bull. (1919) 22 24 (MED) I may see it at eye.
1619 J. Higgins Falles Vnfortunate Princes 259 To see with eye that earst in thought I told.
b. to see with one's own eyes: to see (esp. something remarkable or noteworthy); to observe or verify in person, as opposed to in a picture, etc.; to see for oneself.Quot. OE shows the equivalent construction with ysee v.
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OE Wulfstan Homily (Hatton 113) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 3 Ac ealles to lytel andgyt bið þeah on ðæs mannes heortan.., þeh he sylf his agenum eagum eal ne gesawe, þæt soðes is geworden.]
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) vi. ix. sig. l.iv Hit was launcelot that slewe hym worshipfully with his owne handes, I sawe it with myn owne eyen.
1534 tr. Decree Imperiall in tr. L. Valla Treat. Donation vnto Syluester sig. A.vv I sawe with my owne eyes a hande touchynge me from heuyn.
1614 R. Tailor Hogge hath lost Pearle v. sig. G4v Haue I not seene with my owne eyes the ascending of the spirits?
1659 H. More Immortality of Soul ii. xv. 276 In the month of July he saw with his own eyes a drop of rain suddenly turned into a Frog.
1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. (1709) 350 I have seen it with my own Eyes.
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 24/2 I have seen him..with my own eyes take off his seal.
1835 Amer. Railroad Jrnl. 26 Dec. 799/1 The writer sees with his own eyes, and judges with his own judgment, and herein alone, we apprehend, in this imitative world, is a great merit.
1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad l. 516 No worded description of a moving spectacle is a hundredth part as moving as the same spectacle seen with one's own eyes.
1948 Life 6 Sept. 76/2 (advt.) See with your own eyes the complete proof that this new Laundromat gets clothes cleaner... easier.
1968 G. M. Williams From Scenes like These v. 93 He'd seen with his own eyes the forced work camps.
2002 C. Hiaasen Basket Case iv. 37 I've seen with my own eyes that Jimmy Stoma is deceased.
P2. to let (a person) see (something).
a. To allow (a person) to see, perceive, or have knowledge of (something); to make aware of; to show, reveal.With simple or clausal object of see; also with object omitted.Frequently in imperative; cf. specialized uses at sense Phrases 2b.to let the dog see the rabbit: see dog n.1 Phrases 24.
(a) With personal object.
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c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 217 He..let te posstless sen himm wel. Inn hiss mennisske kinde.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 501 Houndes on hyde he diȝtes, Alle he lete hem se.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. 326 Ethelbert in þe felde, his fader lete he se how Dardan for his lance doun to þe erth went, & smote his hede of, his fader to present.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxix. 394 Of wonders that I haue wroght, som haue I letten you se.
1584 R. Wilson Three Ladies of London sig. B.iiij v Let me see coossen, for I can reade.
1601 Queen Elizabeth I Let. to Mountjoy 12 Jan. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. 197 Wee could not forbeare to let you see, how sensible we are of this your merit.
1676 J. Dryden Aureng-Zebe iii. 44 I'll view this Captive Queen; to let her see, Pray'rs and complaints are lost on such as me.
1724 P. Walker Some Remarkable Passages Life A. Peden 82 The Lord has letten me see the Frenches marching..thorow..the Land.
1752 S. Foote Taste ii. 25 Gentlemen, here is a Jewel. All. Ay, ay, let's see.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. xv. 321 ‘Lord's sake, let's see, lass! Lord's sake, let's see!’
1869 J. E. Cooke Mohun iii. xi. 255 Mr. Swartz exhibited a bowie-knife and revolver. ‘I show you these little toys..to let you see, my friend, that I might oppose your project.’
1945 Prairie Schooner 19 166 ‘Oh, Mammy, Ah broke mah tooth!’ ‘Lemme see, heah, son!’ his mammy said, and she looked in his mouth.
1995 A. Warner Morvern Callar (1996) 38 He has this computer and god alone knows what He's always putting in to that, He doesnt let me see.
2011 Irish Times (Nexis) 19 Nov. (Mag.) 8 I try not to let Sorcha see what I'm thinking.
(b) Without personal object, as †to let see (something). Obsolete (archaic after 16th cent.).
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c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvii. l. 9Late se þi lettres,’ quod I ‘we miȝte þe lawe knowe’.
c1450 (c1398) in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 185 (MED) Sire, make theme hole! late se, cane ye?
?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) l. 1738 Lett se whatt I xall..have, or elles I woll nat wend.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 10 To lat sie quhan danger is, thay kendle bleises in tour heidis.
1908 P. MacKaye Scarecrow i. 17 Rachel That is the sum you mentioned, I believe? [She hands a purse to Goody Rickby, who opens it and counts over some coins.] Goody Rickby Let see; let see.
b. Specialized imperative uses.
(a) With interrogative clause. Introducing (or following parenthetically) a question, proposal, etc., typically in a conversational way or so as to involve the reader or listener; ‘let's investigate’, ‘let's find out’.
(i) Without personal object, as let see if (also whether, how, what, etc.). Obsolete.
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c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 554 Who better can, lat se.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 414 (MED) Ta now þy grymme tole to þe, & let se how þou cnokez.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 2865 Lete se now, what ȝe say?
c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 58 (MED) How many foolde Hast þou brouȝt richesse? now late se.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) i. l. 442 ‘Wncle,’ he said, ‘I will no langar bide. Thir south-land hors latt se gif I can ride’.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xx. 357 ‘Now let se’, quod Merlin, ‘what ye will do, for now is ther oon lesse.’
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xii. xi. 49 Quhat sall I do, lat se; quhar sall I now? [L. nam quid ago].
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings xviii. 23 I will geue ye two thousande horses, let se yf thou be able to man them.
a1599 R. Rollock Lect. Hist. Passion (1616) xvii. 153 Is this hee who will saue others? let see if hee can bee able to saue himselfe.
(ii) With personal object, as let's (also let us, let me) see if (also whether, how, what, etc.).
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1530 J. Rastell New Bk. Purgatory iii. xii. sig. g4v I pray the let me see howe thou canste satysfye my mynde in one poynte.
?1570 W. Wager Inough is as Good as Feast sig. F.iiijv Holde, holde him, let vs see if any life in him be.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iii. i. 40 Now let mee see if I can conster it. Hic ibat simois, I know you not, [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness v. xvii. 206 Let us see if we can find out what Remainders of this Lapse are still upon us.
a1743 J. Cannon Chrons. (2010) I. 85 Now, my lad, let's see how the twos & threes stand, & forthwith,..he took up my stock book first of all to examine.
1786 F. Grose Mil. Antiq. I. 265 Let us see what allowance of meat and drink..princes allow their soldiery.
1824 Lancet 28 Mar. 412/2 Indeed, said I, let me see whether I can pass a catheter into this gentleman's bladder.
1879 Scribner's Monthly Nov. 155/2 Let's see who can dive longest.
1953 P. Larkin Let. 14 Sept. in Lett. Monica (2010) 109 Now come on Mr Larkin, upsadaisy, let's see if we can leave one crutch at home today, shall we?
1982 C. Franklin Anybody we Know? 82 Now let's see what's on this list.
2011 Atlantic Monthly Oct. 126/2 I have this theory. Let me see if I can describe it for you.
(b) let me see, let us (also let's) see: used to indicate that one is thinking or trying to remember something before making a statement or answering a question. (Sometimes simply as an expression of hesitation.)
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the mind > mental capacity > memory > remember [phrase]
let me seec1405
let us (also let's) see1764
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > indicating reflection [phrase]
for all the worlda1375
let me seec1405
let us (also let's) see1764
it makes you think1879
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 575 But now sire, lat me se, what shal I seyn?
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Biiii Abyde lette me se, take better hede Cockes harte it is cloked colusyon.
1533 J. Heywood Mery Play Iohan Iohan sig. A.ii But abyde a whyle yet let me se Where the dyuell hath our gyssypry begon.
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 42 Let me see, hath any bodie in Yarmouth heard of Leander and Hero?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vii. 152 It is now two a Clock: but let me see, by ten Wee shall haue each a hundred English men. View more context for this quotation
1693 W. Congreve Old Batchelour iv. iv. 40 A Prayer-Book? Ay, this is the Devil's Pater-noster. Hold let me see; The Innocent Adultery.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela IV. xv. 101 Let me see, then, can I give you the brief History of this Comedy?
1764 S. Foote Lyar i. i. 8 Y. Wild. Where do we open?.. Pap. Let us see—one o'clock—it is a fine day: the Mall will be crowded.
1838 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby (1839) iv. 26 Let me see; four fives is twenty, double that, and deduct the—well, a pound either way shall not stand betwixt us.
1893 Punch 9 Sept. 117/1 I will dine earlyish, and go to—let me see, what hospitable house of theatrical entertainment is open?
1921 G. B. Shaw Back to Methuselah ii. 83 That would be—let me see—five times three hundred and sixty-five is—um.
1971 Amer. Libraries Mar. 244/3 Well—ah, let's see now. What—I mean, uh—What are we here for? Anybody know?
2002 M. C. Beaton Agatha Raisin & Day Floods Came (2003) iii. 52 ‘And you live alone?’ she asked... ‘Let me see, 10A Jones Terrace, is that right?’
(c) let see: used to introduce a request, command, etc. Cf. look v. 9a(b), see here at Phrases 23. Obsolete.
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society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person)
to teach a person a thingc888
meanOE
wiseOE
sayOE
wittera1225
tellc1225
do to witc1275
let witc1275
let seec1330
inform1384
form1399
lerea1400
to wit (a person) to saya1400
learn1425
advertise1431
givec1449
insense?c1450
instruct1489
ascertain1490
let1490
alighta1500
advert1511
signify1523
reform1535
advise1562
partake1565
resolve1568
to do to ware1594
to let into one's knowledge1596
intellect1599
possess1600
acquainta1616
alighten1615
recommenda1616
intelligence1637
apprise1694
appraise1706
introduce1741
avail1785
prime1791
document1807
to put up1811
to put a person au fait of1828
post1847
to keep (someone) straight1862
monish1866
to put next to1896
to put (one) wise (to)1896
voice1898
in the picture1900
to give (someone) a line on1903
to wise up1905
drum1908
hip1932
to fill (someone) in on1945
clue1948
background1961
to mark a person's card1961
to loop in1994
c1330 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Auch.) l. 2283 in Medium Ævum (1949) 18 8 Lasse [MS perhaps reads Lat se] richard, aseyl ȝern Þe pauiloun wiþ þe gilden ern.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 1202 (MED) Be lyue, lett se; What wold þou dreme of this dremyng?
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 356 Why, let se than, sey me youre ententis.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. cxxvii. [cxxiii.] 359 That is trouthe, quod the duke, let se, name a wyfe for him.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. clxvii. [clxiii.] 464 Well, syrs, quod the bretons, lette se laye forthe the money.
P3.
a. Chiefly colloquial. In parenthetical or introductory phrases with you (or †thou) as subject, used to reinforce an explanation, argument, etc., in expectation of assent or understanding. (Also simply as a conversational filler.)
(a) you see (also †thou seest).
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c1300 St. Francis (Laud) l. 56 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 55 A-rer up min hous an heiȝ, Þat, þou sixt, fallez to grounde.
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie xiii. sig. Fiii Thus this one reason of mine (ye see) Aunswereth all your reasons.
1572 Treat. Treasons against Q. Elizabeth ii. f. 152v These things, you see, doe beare the names and titles of lawes.
1657 O. Cromwell Speech 21 Apr. in T. Carlyle Lett. & Speeches Cromwell (1845) II. 582 Because, you see, the present Government has 1,900,000 l.; and [etc.].
a1691 G. Disney Some Remarkable Passages (1692) 119 I was long, thou seest, a Wanderer from God.
1735 R. West Let. 14 Nov. in T. Gray Corr. (1971) I. 33 The very thought, you see, tips my pen with poetry.
1779 F. Pilon Liverpool Prize i. ii. 7 You see, master Debenture, he understands a thing or two.
1855 R. Browning Bishop Blougram 3 We ought to have our Abbey back, you see.
1892 Macmillan's Mag. July 229 A few corns of wheat must always drop off, you see, before one can get the harvest.
1943 R. P. Warren At Heaven's Gate ix. 126You see, Jerry darling,’ she continued, ‘I wasn't ever going to marry you unless you took me home.’
1962 R. Bloch 8th Stage Fandom 52 So, you see, I have found it easy to forget fandom.
2014 P. Earle Bubble Wrap Boy iii. 14 Choice, you see, hasn't ever come into it.
(b) do you see (also in reduced form d'you see).Usually used as a question, but in early use sometimes with imperative force (cf. do v. 31a).
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1605 G. Chapman Al Fooles iii. sig. F3 I do take you, sir, d'ye see? to be, as it were bastard to the sawcy Courtier, that would haue me father more of your fraternity, d'ye see?
1668 T. Shadwell Sullen Lovers iv. 66 I had not the power..to keep from you longer, Lady, not so much as a pissing while, d'ye see!
1696 T. Dilke Lover's Luck ii. 8 I believe I can't put this in practice;—Do you see?—without some preternatural Incantations.
1706 G. Farquhar Recruiting Officer i. i. 2 Lookye Serjeant, no coaxing, no wheedling d'ye'see.
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 25 Why then, Mr. Neverout, do you see, if you don't much like it, you may look off of it.
1757 S. Foote Author ii. 33 It was, d'ye see, a very unfriendly Thing to make Love to Becky in my Absence.
1806 P. Hoare Three & Deuce ii. 29 When nature is so over abundant, d'ye see, it is no wonder if she be a little deficient.
1867 Atlantic Monthly May 590/1 What does my friend here do but go and have the order changed,—do you see?—and so the little pigwidgeon is left behind.
1951 K. Amis Lett. (2000) 266 Glad your life is on the up-and-up. You couldn't say that about mine, d'you see, because it wouldn't be true, d'you see?
1991 J. Barnes Talking it Over xi. 161 He's basically a parasite, do you see? A work-shy snob and a parasite.
2001 M.-J. Tarpey in M. Hickey Irish Days (2004) 93 They quizzed him up as well, d'you see, and he would give them no information.
b. colloquial. I see: used to express understanding of an explanation, argument, etc.
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1821 Death-bed Confessions Countess of Guernsey 15 ‘She will not then be troubled with thirst, as she is at present.’ ‘I see,’ exclaimed the Q—; ‘really I thought she staggered at the altar.’
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward I. v. 106I see,’ answered his uncle—‘I comprehend. Cunning rogues—very cunning!’
1908 E. M. Forster Room with View ii. 25 ‘My father always voted for Mr. Gladstone, until he was so dreadful about Ireland.’ ‘I see, I see. And now you have gone over to the enemy.’
1987 R. Harris Summers of Wild Rose (1991) i. 1 ‘I found the letter in her bag.’ ‘I see. And did you steam open the envelope?’
2001 M. Ravenhill Mother Clap's Molly House ii. viii. 85 Will. I'm sorry. But you're not my type. Tom. Oh, I see.
P4. to see the day (also time) ——, to live to see the day ——, and variants: to be alive at the time (when something happens); to experience in one's lifetime something specified. Now frequently in negative or interrogative contexts expressing surprise at something not previously experienced, as I never thought I would (live to) see the day, etc.
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the world > life > source or principle of life > [verb (transitive)] > live at specific time
to see the day (also time) ——c1380
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2910 (MED) Alas..þat y schold see þat day to ben an honge.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 1133 He schal þe tyme se Þat he par-avnter schal mow þanked be.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lxi. 213 I haue longe desyryd to se ye day that I nowe do se.
1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle i. iv. sig. Aiiii I may well cursse and ban This daie that euer I saw it.
1597 Bp. J. King Lect. Ionas xxvii. 368 For I shall see the day, when the Lord shall..righten my wronges.
1665 Bp. H. King Serm. 24 He hoped to see the time That a faithful blue Apron should be as good as a Blue Ribbon.
1742 A. Pope New Dunciad 28 A gloomy Clerk..Whose pious hope aspires to see the day When Moral Evidence shall quite decay.
1835 T. Aird in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 92 I've seen the time I joyed to wander in these glimpsing woods.
1846 C. Mackay Voices from Crowd 22 There's a good time coming, boys, A good time coming: We may not live to see the day.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables vi. 69 Did you ever suppose you'd see the day when you'd be adopting an orphan girl?
1987 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 5 Sept. 76 I've seen the time when men..would hock their wristwatch or risk the rent money to back a good three-year-old in the Chelmsford Stakes.
2011 J. Golding Deadlock: Bk. iii. i. 10 I never thought I'd see the day when my son turns into an old nag.
P5. to see and to be seen.
a. To look at and be noticed by other (esp. important or fashionable) people, typically by dressing stylishly and going out in public, attending fashionable social events, etc. Chiefly in infinitive. Cf. see-and-be-seen adj. 1.
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c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 552 I hadde the bettre leyser for to pleye And for to se and eek for to be seye Of lusty folk.
1577 J. Grange Garden in Golden Aphroditis sig. Pj They onely walke the streates, to see and to be seene.
c1592 Faire Em sig. B4 Two genlemen..Oft times resort to see and to be seene, Walking the streete fast by thy fathers dore.
1656 Duchess of Newcastle True Relation in Natures Pictures 386 Some of the streets,..where all the chief of the Town goe to see and to be seen.
1699 tr. J. B. Bossuet Maxims & Refl. upon Plays xii. 45 They condemn that desire of Seeing and being Seen, which draws both Sexes thither.
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 41 Her Ladyship went to see, and to be seen.
1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 28 A box where they might see and be seen.
1828 W. Scott Jrnl. 3 May (1941) 236 After the dinner I went to Mrs. Scott of Harden, to see and be seen by her nieces.
1853 W. G. Simms Vasconselos xxiv. 300 It don't agree with the health of any young woman not to go frequently abroad, where she can see and be seen.
1922 W. L. George Her Unwelcome Husband viii. 172 One saw and was seen; one made up a sort of mutual cinema.
1995 C. Cail Unsafe Keeping iii. 23 ‘Shopping, are you?’ ‘Just mall crawling. Seeing and being seen.’
2014 Evening Times (Glasgow) (Nexis) 10 Mar. 36 The catwalks are crowded with sulky supermodels and the front rows bursting with celebrities desperate to see and be seen.
b. With reference to a vehicle or pedestrian: to be able both to see other road users and also be visible to them, by means of lights, reflectors, etc. Similarly with reference to aircraft. Chiefly in infinitive. Cf. see-and-be-seen adj. 2.
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1929 Manch. Guardian 6 Nov. 15/4 Pedestrians..should always, where there is no footpath, keep to the right-hand side of the road, facing the oncoming traffic so that they can see and be seen at all times of the day.
1958 Michigan Technic Oct. 22/3 They..must be able to see and be seen by other aircraft.
1972 Amer. Motorcyclist Feb. 31/3 Here, as in the other aspects of night riding, you should remember that you must both see and be seen.
2000 Ebony Nov. 130/1 The rule of thumb for winter road safety is to see and be seen.
P6. to see —— from ——: to distinguish (one person or thing) from (another), visually or mentally. Cf. tell v. 12e, know v. 1b(a).In quot. c1453 it is not clear whether the from-phrase is a complement of both see and know, or only of know.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > distinguish from by sight
to see —— from ——1551
c1453 (c1437) Brut (Harl. 53) 546 Kyng Henry..made to sere hym [sc. Kyng Richard], and cloþe hym in lynnen Cloth, al saave onely the visage; and that was lafte open, that men myght se and knowe his persone from al oþer.]
1551 T. Cranmer Answer S. Gardiner iv. 256 It appeareth that they be so blind, that they cannot see the lyght from darknes.
1641 R. Younge Counterpoyson (ed. 2) xv. 88 Yea, when to our cost, we can (Adam like) see good from evill clearely, the subtile Serpent can deceive no longer.
1757 C. L. St. Real Char. Age 32 Too blinded to see right from wrong, too ignorant to know when we are in Danger.
1856 Ballou's Pict. Drawing-Room Compan. 18 Oct. 254/3 He found himself set on.., pounded till he could not see one from the other.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles II. iv. 40 I can't see one sort from another; we must have candles.
1934 Boys' Life July 15/4 Better get out the fish before it's too dark to see black from white.
2015 Bristol Post (Nexis) 20 Jan. 30 Old friends have the ability to help you to see fact from fiction.
P7. Proverb. children (also maids, women, etc.) should be seen and not heard and variants.Originally specifically with reference to (young) women; since the early 19th cent. with reference to children of either sex; subsequently also in extended use with reference to men, animals, etc.
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a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 230 A mayde schuld be seen, but not herd.
1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Wks. sig. Bbb2 This also must honest maids provide, that they be not full of tongue... A maid should be seen, and not heard.
a1627 T. Middleton More Dissemblers besides Women iii. i, in 2 New Playes (1657) 32 Virgins should be seen more then they'r heard.
1631 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentlewoman 41 What is spoken of Maids, may be properly applyed by an vsefull consequence to all women: They should be seene, and not heard.
1743 H. Fielding Wedding Day ii. x. 28 If Nature hath made any thing in vain, it is the Tongue of a Woman. Women were designed to be seen, and not heard; they were formed only to please our Eyes.
1773 R. Graves Spiritual Quixote I. iii. xviii. 179 It is a vulgar maxim, ‘that a pretty woman should rather be seen than heard’.
1844 J. C. Neal Peter Ploddy & Other Oddities 101 Little boys must be seen, and not heard.
1854 Friends' Intelligencer 2 Dec. 582/2 I well remember an old proverb: ‘Children should be seen—not heard.’
1899 O. Wilde Ideal Husband iv. 172 I hope to goodness he won't come up. Fathers should be neither seen nor heard.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables ii. 22 It's such a relief to talk..and not be told that children should be seen and not heard.
1942 C. Johnson Barnaby (1943) 102 Dogs should be seen and not heard.
1992 Capital (Annapolis, Maryland) 26 June c4 (advt.) A well tuned car should be seen & not heard.
2011 Sunday Mercury (Nexis) 23 Jan. 10 Wives, and indeed husbands, of prominent politicians really should keep their noses out of public affairs. Like children at the meal table, they should be seen and not heard.
P8.
a. to see (something) coming: to foresee, anticipate; esp. (chiefly in negative or counterfactual contexts) to anticipate and be prepared for (an unpleasant event or situation).
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a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1537) f. 111v Without interest we commit sinne, seeyng peyne commyng withall.
1534 T. Elyot tr. St. Cyprian Swete & Deuoute Serm. sig. Ev Thou mayste escape the ruynes, wreckes, and plages, whiche nowe thou seeste commynge.
1602 S. Patrick tr. J. de Hainault Estate of Church 584 It should be impossible for him to withstand the tempest which he sawe comming.
1720 T. Boston Human Nature vi. 378 To feel Trouble before we see it coming, to be past Hope before we have any Fear, is a very sad Case.
1812 B. R. Haydon Jrnl. 4 Apr. in Autobiogr. (1853) I. x. 171 Felt a sort of check in imagination at the difficulties I saw coming.
1892 Times 9 Aug. 15/3 The cyclist can see the accident coming.
1933 Beckley (W. Va.) Post-Herald 24 May 5/5 I should never have let this happen... I should have seen it coming—and gone away long ago.
1955 N. Coward Diary 19 Aug. (2000) 280 He obviously is worried about Vivien and Larry. He's been at Notley a good deal and seen it coming.
1974 ‘E. Lathen’ Sweet & Low xv. 149 Thatcher sympathized with him. This was one he had not seen coming, either.
2002 Private Eye 20 Sept. 11/2 No one saw the huge loss coming.
b. colloquial. to see (a person) coming: to recognize (a person) as a likely target for deception, overcharging, etc. Esp. in they (etc.) must have seen you (also me, etc.) coming.
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1893 Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania) 24 Feb. I never paid more than 2s 6d. up to 3s for my horse, and..if ‘A Victorian’ paid 5s, the Tasy ostlers must have ‘seen him coming’.
1902 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang VI. i. 138/2 To see one coming, to impose on.
1922 Sunset Apr. 28/2 I went out to the States intending to settle down in civilization, but they must have seen me coming. In no time I hadn't a cent left.
1960 Herald Jrnl. (Logan, Utah) 24 June 2/1 They must have seen you coming. I bought the same thing for $10 less.
1990 M. Leigh Life is Sweet in Naked & Other Screenplays (1995) 129 Aubrey: They're knackered... I got the three of them for seventeen pound fifty—y'know? Andy: They saw you coming, mate!
2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 8 Mar. 26 At the prices they charge, they must have seen me coming.
P9. as far as I can see and variants: used parenthetically to indicate that a statement is based on one's own (limited) perspective; ‘to the best of my understanding’.
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1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes xxxv. sig. Biiiiv Where am I biggest wife? in the waste (quoth she) For all is wast in you, as far as I see.
a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Cjv As farre as I see, they be Mummers.
1603 G. Johnson Disc. Trouble Eng. Church Amsterdam 85 So far as I see, this place neither alloweth the one, nor condemneth the other.
1681 J. Owen Enq. Evangelical Churches Pref. 23 Nor is it agreed, nor as far as I see, will it ever be agreed among Learned Men, when first [etc.].
1722 R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. II. vii. 320 None of the Witnesses, as far as I can see, are ad idem.
1764 J. Hippisley Ess. i. 17 To declaim upon the horrors of this trade would have been beside the question, and, as far as I can see, could have answered no good purpose.
1819 T. McCrie Life Melville I. xii. 408 So far as I can see there is no choice left, but a hard necessity is imposed on you.
1881 A. Trollope Ayala's Angel I. xx. 248 Sir Thomas, as far as I can see, does not require much mollifying.
1913 H. Lawson Triangles of Life 100 He was not an Englishman, as far as I could see, and not an Australian.
1970 R. Thorp & R. Blake Music of their Laughter 22/2 Everyone's concerned with Viet Nam, as far as I can see.
2009 D. O'Briain Tickling Eng. xii. 182 What seems to be the big problem here is that, as far as I can see, England has chosen to ethnicize its young.
P10. seen and approved (originally †allowed, also †returned): used as a written formula to indicate that a document has been officially inspected.
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1561 in T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. (title page) Seen and allowed according to the order appointed in the Quenes maiesties iniunctions.
?1576 G. Gascoigne Spoyle of Antwerpe (title page) Nouem. 1576. Seene and allowed. Printed at London by Richard Iones.
1621 in J. Harland House & Farm Accts. Shuttleworths (1856) II. 258 [At end of an account.] Seene and allowed by mee, Ric. Shuttleworthe.
1662 Acts Sederunt Scotl. (1740) I. 51 The Defender's Advocat shall return the Proces, and shall write on the Back the Day of the Return, (seen and returned), and sett his Name thereto.
1785 in W. Chapple Rev. of Part of Risdon's Surv. Devon 144 Seen and allowed by us, A. B. [etc.].
1844 J. MacQueen Reply to Royal Mail Steam Packet Company 84 Chappell..wrote the report for an inquiry he had not attended, and then signed it ‘seen and approved’.
1904 Black Cat Mar. 29 It was a copy of the letter which I had returned to him, and across its face was written: ‘Seen and approved for reasons of State. Louis.’
2015 E. J. Francois Financial Sustainability for Nonprofit Organizations iii. 49 (sample form) Seen and approved by: ——.
P11. In expressions of farewell.In early use often literally with reference to an anticipated meeting, but later frequently more generally expressing good wishes on parting. [Compare French au revoir au revoir int., Spanish hasta la vista hasta la vista int., and German auf Wiedersehenauf wiedersehen int.]
a. I'll (also we'll, I shall, etc.) see you.
(a)
(i) With adverb or other complement, as I'll see you soon (also later, tomorrow, around, etc.) and variants.
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the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > courteous formulae [phrase] > expressions of leave-taking > for temporary absence
I'll see youa1569
au revoir1694
hasta la vista1835
olive oil1880
tot siens1937
T.T.F.N.1948
see you later, alligator1954
a1569 E. Bonner Decl. to Cromwell in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1583) II. 1092/1 The Byshop sayd, we shall see you soone M. Boner. Yea my Lord (quoth I) thinking that thereby he had desired me to supper.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xi. 24 Leaue me,..I pray you, Ile see you by and by . View more context for this quotation
1663 W. Clark Marciano ii. vi. 26 My Lord, adieu, I shall see you to morrow.
1796 T. Morton Way to get Married iv. iii. 73 Farewel, sir. We shall see you soon.
1839 J. Poole Little Pedlington & Pedlingtonians II. vii. 227 Well, good bye! Shall see you in the Crescent this evening.
1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 112 I'll see thee to moorn.
1948 G. Vidal City & Pillar (1949) ii. ix. 195 Well, I'll see you around, Cy.
1974 M. Babson Stalking Lamb xv. 113 I'll say tatty-bye for now then... And we'll see you soon.
2005 B. Rai Whisper xiv. 108 ‘OK—I'll see you both later then,’ I said.
(ii) colloquial. I'll see you when I see you. Usually expressing imprecision or uncertainty about when or whether another meeting will occur.
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1933 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 9 Aug. 4/2 I'll see you when I see you.
1993 ‘A. McNab’ Bravo Two Zero (1994) i. 10See you when I see you,’ she said as she pecked me on the cheek.
2014 R. Madeley Way you look Tonight xvi. 80We'll see you when we see you, I guess,’ Dorothy said, giving her a final squeeze.
(b) Without complement.rare before 20th cent. Now less common than the elliptical use (see Phrases 11b(b)).
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1732 H. Baker & J. Miller tr. Molière Impertinents iii. iii. 77 in Sel. Comedies VIII Adieu. We shall see you.
1943 Chicago Defender (National ed.) 25 Dec. 12/8 So long, Fats... I'll see you! Goodbye!
1979 M. Carrick I'll get You ii. 46 She crosses the road and waves. ‘I'll see you,’ I call.
2004 G. Woodward I'll go to Bed at Noon vii. 146 ‘Well,’ Mary said, ‘I'll see you.’ And she began walking away.
b. colloquial. With ellipsis of subject and auxiliary, as see you (also see ya; see ya pron.).
(a) With adverb or other complement, as see you soon (also tomorrow, around, etc.).See also see you later at later adv., adj., and int. Phrases 1, see you later, alligator at alligator n.2 5b.For a slightly earlier use with ellipsis of subject only, see quot. 1839 at Phrases 11a(a)(i).
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1843 Sargent's New Monthly Mag. Mar. 100/2 Miss Marion, good morning, see you to-morrow—sorry I'm in such haste.
1866 Punch 28 Apr. 179/2 Bye, bye; see you again soon.
1891 S. J. Weyman New Rector II. i. 25 He waved an awkward farewell to Jack, muttered ‘See you soon!’ and went off.
1906 ‘O. Henry’ in McClure's Mag. Aug. 392/1 Now lift your hat and come away, while you receive Lou's cheery ‘See you again’.
1959 I. Fleming Goldfinger xix. 264See you around.’ He grinned at Bond and moved off down the room.
1993 I. Welsh Trainspotting (1994) 63 See ya back here later in a bit.
2005 K. Holden In my Skin 276 We hugged. ‘See you soon, darl!’
(b) Without complement.Quot. 19452 suggests earlier currency in Australian English.
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1945 ‘L. Padgett’ Piper's Son in Astounding Sci.-Fiction Feb. 16/1 ‘Well,’ Burkhalter said, getting up. ‘I'll smoosh along. See you.’
1945 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. xiv. 251 Some authentic local equivalents [of so long!]..are hooray! aroo! and see you!..employed for many years, especially in rural areas, to denote ‘good-bye’.
1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File xi. 71 Thanks, chief. See you.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp xiii. 253See ya,’ she called, and drove off... ‘See ya,’ Garp mumbled after her.
1991 J. Cartwright To 41 Landlady (to someone leaving): Goodnight. Yeah, see you.
2013 C. Tsiolkas Barracuda (2014) 266See you,’ he said to Regan, and squeezed his brother's shoulder.
c. colloquial. In the progressive, as I'll (also we'll, etc.) be seeing you. Also elliptically, as be seeing you.
(a) With adverb or other complement, as I'll be seeing you soon (also later, around, etc.) and variants.Not usually used with specific time referent: for example, (I'll) be seeing you tomorrow is relatively uncommon.
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1841 S. Bamford Passages Life Radical II. xi. 46 ‘Good morning, Bamford, I shall be seeing you in town some of these days;’ and with that he went into the house, and shut the door.
1884 ‘M. E. Winchester’ City Violet (1885) xvi. 323 ‘Good-bye, I'll be seeing you again sometime’ and before he could make any reply, she dashed off.
1940 E. Hemingway Let. 13 July in Sel. Lett. (1981) 506 Will be seeing you soon. Give my best to Charlie. Best always, Ernest.
1970 Messenger (Athens, Ohio) 15 Mar. a4/2 I must go now—be seeing you around.
2010 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 16 Dec. d4I'll be seeing you later. Enjoy the show.’ And off she trotted.
(b) Without complement.
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1916 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 12 Mar. 9/6 It's so long for now, Switzerland. Good luck, we'll be seeing you.
1930 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 12 May 13/5 Well, I'll be seeing you.
1951 M. Kennedy Lucy Carmichael v. i. 239 ‘Well..be seeing you.’.. ‘Be seeing you,’ agreed Owen without enthusiasm.
1970 J. Porter Rather Common Sort of Crime ii. 24 Well, ta ever so! Be seeing you!
1990 Daily Herald (Chicago) 4 Jan. 2/2 He was kind of glad to go... He just said, ‘Well, I'll be seeing you.’
2010 J. Weiner Fly away Home (2011) 209 Crystal threw her head back and laughed, ‘Be seeing you,’ and waved a jaunty goodbye.
P12. colloquial. I'll see you damned (also dead, in hell, etc.) first and variants: expressing emphatic and hostile refusal in response to or with reference to a proposition, request, etc.See also I'll see (you, etc.) hanged first at hang v. 3d, I'll see you further (first) at further adv. 4b.
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1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 150 Pray thee go downe. Pist. Ile see her damnd first, to Plutoes damnd lake by this hand to th'infernal deep, with erebus & tortures vile also. View more context for this quotation
1611 G. Chapman May-day iii. 43 I would see her pithole [d] , afore I would deale with her.
1631 T. Heywood Fair Maid of West: 2nd Pt. i. sig. B2v Ile see you damn'd as deep as the black father of your generation the devill first.
1735 J. Swift Clever Tom Clinch in Wks. II. 299 I'll see you all damn'd before I will whittle.
1797 Anti-Jacobin 27 Nov. 15/2 I give thee Sixpence! I will see thee damn'd first.
1839 W. Carleton Fardorougha vi. 142 Confusion to the ring he'll ever put an her! I'd see her stretched first.
1859 F. Francis Newton Dogvane I. 255 As for paying for him, tell him I'll see him somethinged and somethinged else first.
1921 B. Fleming Crooked House xxiii. 211I'll see you in hell first!’ he retorted brutally.
1953 G. Jones in A. Richards Penguin Bk. Welsh Short Stories (1976) 109 Favour, hell. I'll see you stuffed first!
2007 News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) (Nexis) 1 Sept. He told me before he'd let anybody take his family, he'd see me dead first.
P13.
a. colloquial. I will believe it when I see it and variants: used to express scepticism; ‘I will believe it only when I see it or have evidence or proof of it’.
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1605 A. Wotton Answere Popish Pamphlet 134 You shall giue vs leaue to beleeue it, when wee see it done.
1614 R. Tailor Hogge hath lost Pearle i. sig. B4 Why then ile beleeue it when I see it.
1694 W. Salmon tr. Y. van Diemerbroeck Anat. Human Bodies (new ed.) i. 89/2 That the Hepatic Artery..is inserted into the little Branches of the Hepatic Bilary Porus, I will believe it when I see it.
1866 W. H. Murray Diamond cut Diamond i. 12 How. I have..determined to resign the contest, and quit the field. Sey. I'll believe it when I see you cross the boundary.
1878 Jrnl. & Trans. Photogr. Soc. 9 Apr. 73 Dr. Monckhoven speaks of the variety of reds obtainable from iron... Well, as I have said, I shall believe it when I see it.
1903 Times 15 Oct. 8/6 Though I do occasionally hear that ‘disestablishment’ is ‘inevitable’..; I am only prepared to believe that when I see it.
1976 Texas Monthly Jan. 5/1 Cartwright was working on a gimmick to draw attention to his new profession: he's mentioned an eye patch and shaving his head, but we'll believe it when we see it.
2006 ‘C. Keene’ Getting Burned ix. 88 ‘This won't happen again, sir.’.. ‘Hah,’ said the chief. ‘I'll believe that when I see it.’
b. to have to see (something) to believe it and variants: used to indicate that something is so surprising, astonishing, etc., that one must see it, or have evidence or proof of it, in order to be able to believe it. Usually in passive, as (something) has to be seen to be believed. Cf. seeing is believing at seeing n.1 Phrases.
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1792 Oracle 28 July 1/4 Le Sieur and Madam Vernet, whose Performances on the Violin and Tambour de Bass, &c., are beyond exception, and need only be seen to be believed.
1807 Times 8 May The noble effect of a troop of horse in full speed..drew such reiterated plaudits, as must be seen to be believed.
1882 Aberdeen Jrnl. 1 Apr. 8/4 (advt.) Fashionable Clothes at Prices so Extraordinarily Cheap. Must be seen to be believed.
1919 P. G. Wodehouse Damsel in Distress xv. 173 His approach-putting has to be seen to be believed.
1994 S. F. Asher Workout! in Dancing with Strangers 36 Girls in leotards and tights. You gotta see it to believe it!
2004 Dive Sept. 26 Ocean upwellings support levels of fish life which have to be seen to be believed.
P14. I'll see what I can do and variants: used to give assurance that one will try to do what has been requested, although it may be difficult (sometimes used evasively to avoid making a firm promise). Similarly see what you can do, used to request such efforts.
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the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [verb (transitive)] > to promise to try to secure desired result
I'll see what I can do1632
1632 S. Marmion Hollands Leaguer sig. G2v I'll after her, and see what I can do.
1663 ‘B. Armuthaz’ Coffee-mans Granado 8 Say'st thou so Peg, Efaith Ile see what I can do to perswade our Tom to leave Coffee, and drink Chocolate.
1781 T. L. O'Beirne Generous Impostor iv. i. 45 Trim. Dear Phillis, what's to be done? we must not suffer him to go in to my master... Phil. I'll see what I can do for you. Fall back.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 203 ‘Can you open me half-a-dozen more [oysters], my dear?’ inquired Mr. John Dounce. ‘I'll see what I can do for you, Sir,’ replied the young lady in blue.
1908 N.Z. Truth 11 Mar. 7 Constable Maher magnanimously offered to see what he could do to secure the husband work.
1977 S. Fendrich Plantation Malady 1 A pot of tea would taste mighty fine. See what you can do.
1989 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder goes Forth in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 393/1 Blackadder. As her director, I'm afraid I could not allow it. Melchett. We can always find another director who would allow it. Blackadder. Quite. Well, I'll see what I can do.
2013 Austral. Mag. (Nexis) 30 Mar. 24 ‘How much did you say you wanted, love?’ About $400,000, she replied. ‘I'll see what I can do.’
P15. colloquial. see if I don't (also won't) (do something): used imperatively to strengthen a threat or defiant assertion that one intends to do something.
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1639 J. Mayne Citye Match ii. v. 20 Doe you disgrace me Before these Gallants, See if I don't kill you.
1688 Pleasures Matrimony xvi. 221 I'll come and rout you, and your Pot Companions; see if I don't.
1734 T. Cooke tr. Terence Phormio ii. ii. in tr. Terence Comedys III. 81 Dem. I'll not drop it till I have gone thro with it. Phor. Words, words. Dem. See if I don't make 'em good.
1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful I. iv. 57 See if I won't drub you within an inch of your life.
1873 Sat. Rev. 26 July 113/1 Whenever my man comes to the centre, I will call him, see if I don't, and get away with it, too.
1928 D. Parker in Bookman Jan. 502/2 I'll call him up, and be so easy and pleasant. You see if I won't.
1993 G. F. Newman Law & Order (rev. ed.) 458 You see if we don't get you a nice result. These fucking wankers will be sicker than fucking parrots when we do.
2000 B. Maitland Silvermeadow (2013) x. 179 If you get me into trouble..I'll sue you, see if I don't.
P16.
a. to have seen everything, to have seen it all (before), and variants: to have experienced all possible events and situations, to be worldly-wise; (also) to be thoroughly familiar with a particular situation.Sometimes used to indicate resignation or boredom that there is nothing new to experience.
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1675 tr. J. de Caillières Courtier's Calling i. iv. 25 Truly there is nothing more irksome than to give ear to those people who have seen every thing, who understand every thing, and who have done every thing.
1828 H. Smith Zillah II. viii. 248 They say, that he who has seen Rome has seen everything.
1869 J. G. Austin Cipher xxvii. 119 Heigho! What more is there of life? I believe I have seen it all, and une vie réchauffée must be the tamest of all feasts.
1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 209 Pot gave me a sense of something new about the time I was convinced I had seen it all.
1984 Guardian 20 Sept. 17/3 In eight years as leader, he'd seen it all before. He could predict every question and every answer.
2002 B. Hoey Her Majesty xi. 166 She has this wealth of past experience and she has seen it all, so they would be foolish not to seek her advice.
b. Originally U.S. now I've seen everything (also it all): used hyperbolically to express surprise at something novel, outlandish, etc.
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1938 Los Angeles Times 18 Apr. i. 8/6 Now I've seen everything. It's probably happened before and will again. I've never witnessed it with my own eyes.
1941 Moorhead (Minnesota) Daily News 26 Apr. 2/8 ‘We just thought we would drop down to the other outfit for dinner, we didn't think you would mind,’ they told the open-mouthed mess sergeant, who could say only ‘Now I've seen everything.’
1957 ‘M. M. Kaye’ Shadow of Moon xiv. 216 ‘I escorted her out from England.’ ‘What!.. Now I have seen everything!’
2012 Bristol Post (Nexis) 22 Sept. 20 It was hot, but bikinis in the Highlands! Now I've seen it all.
P17. to see for oneself: to verify something by seeing it with one's own eyes; to observe in person or first-hand; to determine for oneself based on personal observation.
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1680 Counter-plot 5 We will now draw back the curtain, and present our Caballists as in Consult, and in the very manner, that every man may see for himself.
1748 G. Whitefield Let. 8 July in Wks. (1771) II. dcxlvii. 149 I must hear and see for myself, before I determine upon any thing.
1776 Some Acct. Life & Gospel Labours W. Reckitt 72 I had..to invite them [sc. children of men] to come and see for themselves, what great things the Lord will do for them that trust in him.
1846 J. H. Ingraham Bonfield 97/1 Your lordship can see for yourself that they are well-mated!
1859 Harper's Mag. May 810/1 Mr. Kelley..abandoned the musty inns of English Courts for the dusty highways of Australia, with the purpose of seeing for himself what El Dorado was like.
1920 Typogr. Jrnl. Nov. 536/1 See for yourself whether the press of the country is unanimously and uncritically pro-union in editorial policy.
1986 T. Clancy Red Storm Rising (1988) xxxiii. 550 We got a request to check something out. Probably a snowbird, but—well, see for yourself.
2002 Top Santé Feb. 6/3 I'm a fitness teacher..and have seen for myself that the benefits of working out are enormous.
P18. if you've seen one, you've seen them all and variants: used to express that all things of a particular type are very similar, and therefore there is no need to see more than one example.
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1685 W. Aglionby Painting Illustr. ii. 82 Michael Angelo doth not distinguish the Sexes nor the Ages so well, but makes all alike Musculous and Strong; and who sees one Naked Figure of his doing, may reckon he has seen them all.
a1704 J. Locke Exam. Malebranche in Posthumous Wks. (1706) 167 He that has seen one thing hath seen all things; for he has got the general Idea of something.
1797 Encycl. Brit. VI. 361/1 The vices of all great towns are nearly the same, so that when you have seen one, you have seen all others.
c1811 W. Blake Public Addr. in Writings (1978) II. 1046 When you have seen one of their Pictures you have seen all.
1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xxiii. 237 To me it seemed that when I had seen one of these martyrs I had seen them all.
1949 G. Davenport Family Fortunes ii. iv. 145If you've seen one you've seen them all,’ said Sam.
1988 F. Weldon Leader of Band v. 32 Doves? They all look alike to me! Seen one, seen 'em all.
2006 N.Y. Post (Nexis) 10 Sept. 14 ‘You'll love Little Joe Lake tomorrow,’ said Michael. Was he nuts? Seen one lake you've seen 'em all.
P19. see —— and (then) die [after Italian vedi Napoli e poi muori (1770 or earlier: see quot.)] : used proverbially to express the great beauty or magnificence of a specified city or place (with the implication that one may die contented after visiting it).Also used ironically to imply that visiting a place may result in actual death.
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1770 G. Baretti Journey London to Genoa I. xxxiii. 306 Vedi Napoli e po' mori. ‘See Naples, and then die.’
1786 Public Advertizer 10 May I would say of London, as the Italians pronounce of their Naples, ‘See London, and die!’
1834 Amer. Q. Rev. Dec. 340 The exhalations given out all round Naples are extremely irritating to the lungs... I am afraid the Italian saying, ‘See Naples and die,’ has often been too literally verified by many an English victim.
1879 Literary World 6 Dec. 412/2See Paris, and die,’ says the proverb. See England and die, say we.
1918 Field Afar Nov. 190/1 The ‘boys’..were in glee at the opportunity to ‘see China and die’.
1984 Times 30 July 12/1 If the organizers practised medicine the same way they ran the games, ‘See Venice and die’ would sound more like a threat than a promise.
2015 L. Mosler Driving Hungry (2016) 291 He didn't care about Paris. He would always say, ‘See New York, and die.’
P20. to see much (also little, a lot, nothing, etc.) of: to spend the specified amount of time with (a person).
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society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > render unsociable [verb (transitive)] > withdraw from association with > be seldom in someone's society
to see little of1849
1777 E. Gibbon Let. 24 July (1956) II. 156 I have likewise seen a great deal of the Sardinian Ambassadress.
1800 King George IV in Paget Papers (1896) I. 181 In short, the more I see of her and the more I probe her Heart the more perfect I see her.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 531 He saw little of any Whigs.
1872 G. W. Dasent Three to One III. 241 Have either of you seen anything of Mr. Fortescue in town?
1954 I. Murdoch Under Net ii. 36 Since Sadie had become so famous I had seen nothing of her.
1985 W. Johnston Story Bobby O'Malley v. 122 Since we'd moved, I hadn't seen much of Archie.
2005 J. Sutherland Stephen Spender 397 They saw a lot of Craxton during the repainting of the house.
P21. transitive. Scottish.
a. let us see haud of and variants: ‘give or pass (something) here’; ‘let me have (a thing)’ (compare hold n.1 2a). Also simply let us see (a thing). Now rare.
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1801 W. Beattie Fruits Time Parings 37 Lat's see in o'er the ladle, Pate, An' yese get out a castock.
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet I. x. 214 Let us see haud of your hand, neebor, gin ye like.
1861 J. Barr Poems & Songs 132 Let's see a glass, or haud your tongue.
1889 J. M. Barrie Window in Thrums iiiSee haud o' the besom’, she said to Leeby.
1931 D. Campbell Uncle Andie i. 16 Lat's see hauds o' the basket.
b. see us (haud): = let us see haud of at Phrases 21a.
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1911 N. Munro in Glasgow News 17 July 2/3 ‘What's this?’ says Togo when he seen them. ‘Do they imagine that we're handin' a Coronation? See's my spy-glass.’
1955 J. K. Cross Dancing Tree ii. 78 See's haud that other bottle, Jean.
1976 D. Campbell Jesuit ii. in C. Craig & R. Stevens Twentieth Cent. Scottish Drama 438 (Wat steps up to the doctor suspiciously and puts his hand out) Wat: See's it here!
1991 G. Legge In between talking about Football 68 ‘There's a drink over there for you, sir.’ ‘Christ, I've just got another round in. See's it here anyway.’
P22. colloquial (frequently euphemistic and humorous). I (also he, she, etc.) will not see (a specified age) again and variants: I am (he is, she is, etc.) older than the specified age.
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1829 Morning Chron. 1 June The Alderman could not help laughing, and said he was sure she would never see thirty again.
1852 C. Dickens Bleak House (1853) ii. 7 He will never see sixty-five again, nor perhaps sixty-six, nor yet sixty-seven.
1899 H. James Awkward Age i. i. 3 He had..doubled the Cape of the years—he would never again see fifty-five.
1930 W. S. Maugham Cakes & Ale v. 72 ‘But she's not as old as you are,’ I said... ‘She'll never see thirty again.’
1973 G. Greene Honorary Consul ii. iii. 80 She's not twenty, and, you know, I won't see sixty again.
2006 Independent on Sunday 7 May 20/2 She is sophisticated, sexually predatory and won't see 40 again: meet the urban cougar.
P23. see here: used to draw attention to what one is about to say, esp. as a way of emphasizing a command, reprimand, objection, etc. Frequently introduced by now. Cf. look here at look v. 9a.
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1834 Episcopal Recorder 30 Aug. 88/3 Now, see here, mister: you can tell something about the carracter of them ere folks that writes in the Free Enquirer by readin their writins.
1864 J. T. Trowbridge Cudjo's Cave xxxi. 306 Now, Sal, see here. I'm your husband, and there's no getting away from it.
1898 G. B. Shaw Mrs. Warren's Profession ii. 185 Now see here, George: what are you up to about that girl?
1914 G. K. Chesterton Wisdom of Father Brown (1915) xi. 289See here,’ he said sharply and with command, ‘you must fetch a doctor.’
1941 J. D. Carr Case of Constant Suicides ii. 29See here,’ pursued Alan... ‘Let us get this straight.’
1984 J. Malcolm Godwin Sideboard xvi. 126 ‘Now see here, PC Plod, you keep your bloody—’ ‘Stop it!’
2012 T. Forward Doubleborn (2015) 315 ‘Now, see here,’ said Smith. ‘I made that mirror. It belongs to me. I'm taking it back.’
P24. now you see it (also him, her, me, etc.), now you don't: (a) used by conjurors as an exclamation when performing tricks in which items vanish (and reappear); (also) used with reference to such tricks or, more generally, to sleight of hand; (b) used to refer to something or someone disappearing suddenly or mysteriously, or, more generally, to changeability or transience. Also attributive.
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1841 N.Y. Herald 9 Nov. 1/3 Three [thimble players]..were arrested..on a charge of cheating..in the process of their scientific game of ‘now you see it, now you don't’.
1855 Age (Melbourne) 15 Mar. 4/5 What a change has come o'er thy great colonial mind! Like Punch and Judy,—now you see it, and now you don't! To-day this, to-morrow that!
1860 Knickerbocker Sept. 278 Now you see it under this thimble, and now you don't; and now you see it, and now you don't.
1901 Overland Monthly June 1061/1 Here and there a rabbit wobbled across the dusty road, disappearing among the ferns and bushes only to be seen again at the next turn—like the magician's toy; now you see it, now you don't.
1939 San Antonio (Texas) Light 21 June 4 b/6 Another ‘now-you-see-it-now-you-don't’ idea.
1967 T. Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern ii. 62 It's just a man failing to reappear, that's all—now you see him, now you don't.
1995 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 22 June 47/2 Technical wizardry and now-you-see-it-now-you-don't fantasy are central to the entertainment.
2008 Irish Times (Nexis) 5 Feb. 5 Everything is variable [in our health service]: time, theory, policy, direction. Now you see it, now you don't.
P25. colloquial. to see a man (about a dog, horse, etc.) and variants: used euphemistically as a vague excuse for leaving, (a) to keep an undisclosed appointment; (b) to go to buy alcoholic drink; (c) to go to the toilet.
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1865 Anti-Teapot Rev. 15 Nov. 135 The husband will..find that he has to absent himself by going to London, to ‘see a man about a dog’, or on some other important business.
1867 Ball Players' Chron. 12 Sept. 3/1 The rest of our nine having gone to see a man there was nobody to take the bat.
1882 Melbourne Punch 28 Dec. 257/2 I will go to concerts with my wife..and never once during the evening go out to ‘see a man’.
1891 Cassell's Family Mag. 111/2 ‘He is obliged to go up to London on business to-day.’ ‘To see a man about a horse,’ suggests Gracie, with a light laugh.
1938 ‘E. Queen’ Devil to Pay iv. 57 After lunch Pink said he had to see a dog about a man and Jardin dropped him at the Magna studio on Melrose.
1944 J. Cary Horse's Mouth xxxix. 256 ‘Just a minute, Sall,’ I said, ‘while I see a man about a rose.’ ‘It's just inside the front door,’ said Sara.
1988 L. Erdrich Tracks (1989) ii. 19 ‘Gotta see a man,’ he mumbled, getting up to go out back to the privy.
1994 P. Vogel Desdemona xx. 31 Be back in a few... Aw've got t' go see a bloke about a horse.
2015 Nelson (N.Z.) Mail (Nexis) 28 July 5 I spent many hours waiting in my father's car parked outside pubs while he went in ‘to see a man about a dog’.
P26. as I see it: (used parenthetically) in my opinion, according to my thinking. Also the way I see it.
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1897 J. Waring tr. H. de Balzac Cousin Betty 252 As I see it, the Jewess was afraid of Samson..but she must have loved him.
1909 G. Stein Three Lives 179 I certainly am right this time the way I see it.
1962 ‘E. Lacy’ Freeloaders vii. 133 Way I see it, Gil is an American... We joes have to stick together.
1990 C. R. Johnson Middle Passage (1991) v. 112 There can be, as I see it, no other way to unriddle why my brother..was generally faithful to Reverend Chandler.
2005 Jrnl. Policy Anal. & Managem. 24 212 The challenge, as I see it, is not so much a challenge involving agency roles as one involving transparency.
P27. to see things: to imagine that one can see something that is not in fact there; to hallucinate. Often in the progressive, as to be seeing things.
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the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [verb (intransitive)] > hallucinate
to see things1904
hallucinate1930
1904 Express & Tel. (Adelaide) 10 Dec. 397/4 (caption) Seeing things. The waking dreams of John Greeley Jenkins.
1908 Sullivan (Indiana) Union 19 Aug. 1/5 (headline) Correspondent must be seeing things.
1922 E. von Arnim Enchanted April (1989) iii. 48 Mrs. Fisher..had no wish to find herself shut up..with somebody who saw things... It would be disagreeable..if Mrs. Wilkins were suddenly to assert that she saw Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher was dead; let him remain so.
1935 A. Christie Three Act Trag. iii. vii. 180 Says I imagined it. Says I was ‘seeing things’.
1977 ‘D. Rutherford’ Return Load ii. 31 Was I seeing things or was that Sally driving your truck?
2000 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 9 Dec. n1 I must be seeing things, or going crazy, but I swear I saw an anteater digging through someone's garbage this morning.
P28. colloquial. like (also as) one sees it: according to one's individual view or perspective; in a manner faithful to one's own viewpoint or opinions; frankly, candidly. Frequently in to call it like (also as) one sees it at call v. Phrases 1b.
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1907 Outlook 27 Apr. 952/1 A rose in the garden will appeal to him, and he paints it as he sees it, not in the flat but artistic way of the Japanese, but the real rose.
1922 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 25 Feb. /4 Maybe he [sc. the referee] erred in not concedin' the little Morgan boy a tie, but he called it like he saw it, an' you can't get any better service than that.
1968 Esquire Feb. 70/1 He's there, telling it like he sees it and trying to be his own man.
1982 Marketing & Media Decisions Spring 88 (heading) Op-ed king Herb Schmertz says it like he sees it.
2007 Independent (Nexis) 31 Mar. 30 There was no spin attached. My source had no axe to grind and I wrote it as I saw it.
P29. colloquial. see if I care: used to indicate that one doesn't care in the slightest. Also see if I give a shit (also damn, etc.).
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1913 Forest & Stream 1 Nov. 570/3 ‘The next time I go fishing I am going to bring some spikes with me and nail down every fish I catch.’ ‘Nail 'em down 'an see if I care.’
1934 E. Newhouse You can't sleep Here 243 ‘Maybe they'll never show up,’ Hopkins said, laughing. ‘Don't kid yourself,’ Connie said. ‘See if I give a shit though.’
1947 V. M. Axline Play Therapy 356 Fall on the floor, damn you! See if I care.
1990 R. Blount First Hubby 126 The limit is one mallard and two woodies, but see if I give a damn.
2013 Daily Star (Nexis) 22 Oct. 33 It's the final tonight of The Great British Bake Off..—a show to which I'm totally hooked. Yeah, go ahead and laugh at me, see if I care.
P30. (do you) see what I did there?, I see what you did there, and variants: used humorously and ironically to draw attention to a joke, pun, etc.The phrase was probably popularized by its repeated use in his film Mr. Saturday Night (1992) by Billy Crystal, who also previously played a character using ‘see what I did’ as light-hearted repartee in N. Ephron When Harry met Sally (1990) 13.
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1992 B. Crystal et al. Mr. Sat. Night (transcribed from film) Stan, would you get me a soda, please, and, uh, leave me alone for, uh, the rest of your life? Just kidding. Did ya see what I did there?
1999 Re: USA League in alt.games.champ-man (Usenet newsgroup) 2 May Oh, thats clever. i see what you did there. you made fun of my sig.
2002 Guardian 16 Dec. 23/4 Froogle (do you see what they did there?) is a shopping service that will lead you directly to the product you're looking for.
2013 Daily Mirror 10 Jan. 41/3 The breast care nurse..handed me a blue folder full of useful titbits (see what I did there?).
P31. In various idiomatic expressions (besides those mentioned under the senses to which they belong). to see the back of: see back n.1 Additions. to call it like one sees it: see call v. Phrases 1b. to see which way the cat jumps: see cat n.1 13e. to see the colour of someone's money: see colour n.1 Phrases 10. to see double: see double adv. 1b. to see the elephant: see elephant n. 1d. as far as the eye can see: see eye n.1 Phrases 4j. to see the last of: see last n.4 4d. to see life: see life n. 12f. to see the light: see light n.1 Phrases 1d(a). if you see what I mean, etc.: see mean v.1 6d. long time no see: see long adj.1 and n.1 Phrases 3l. to see beyond one's nose: see nose n. Phrases 3f. you ain't seen nothing yet: see nothing pron., n., adv., and int. Phrases 20. to see reason: see reason n.1 Phrases 2g. to see red: see red adj. and n. Phrases 8. to remain to be seen: see remain v. Phrases 3. to see someone right: see right adj. and int. Phrases 7c. to see sense: see sense n. Phrases 1g. to see and serve: see serve v.1 Phrases 11. you should see: see shall v. 18c. to see stars: see star n.1 Phrases 3. to see one's way: see way n.1 and int.1 Phrases 1k. not to see the wood for the trees: see wood n.1 5g. to see the world: see world n. Phrases 20.
extracted from seev.
to let see (something)
(b) Without personal object, as †to let see (something). Obsolete (archaic after 16th cent.).
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c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvii. l. 9Late se þi lettres,’ quod I ‘we miȝte þe lawe knowe’.
c1450 (c1398) in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 185 (MED) Sire, make theme hole! late se, cane ye?
?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) l. 1738 Lett se whatt I xall..have, or elles I woll nat wend.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 10 To lat sie quhan danger is, thay kendle bleises in tour heidis.
1908 P. MacKaye Scarecrow i. 17 Rachel That is the sum you mentioned, I believe? [She hands a purse to Goody Rickby, who opens it and counts over some coins.] Goody Rickby Let see; let see.
extracted from seev.
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as lemmas
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