> as lemmas

1682 J. Metford Gen. Disc. Simony 36 David was not excus'd for Uriah's Murder, though slain by the Children of Ammon... Nor St. Paul of devout Stephens Martyrdom, though he lifted not a finger against him.

1690 J. Dryden Amphitryon iii. 33 You shall bring me to no more handy-blows:..You never durst have offer'd to hold up a finger against me, till you went a Trooping.

1769 A. M. Toplady Church of Eng. vindicated from Charge of Arminianism 31 The man who could..drub his wife soundly, but would suffer nobody else to lift a finger against her.

1786 G. M. A. Baretti Tolondron vi. 159 I came to be so much feared by them all, that they dared not to lift a finger against me, as long as I pleased to stay at school.

1814 W. Scott Waverley II. iv. 89 I will break thy young pate.., if thou darest to lift a finger to me.

1892 J. J. Lalor tr. H. von Holst Constit. & Polit. Hist. U.S. 269 Maryland, although it unquestionably belonged to the south.., would not raise a finger against the Union until all constitutional means had been exhausted.

1919 Morning Post 22 Jan. 4/3 If you dare to raise a finger against the free and independent nation of Poland we will blow your Rhine cities to blazes.

1973 W. Sansom Marmalade Bird x. 137 Raise a finger against a poor dumb beast? They'd never be doin' such a thing hereabouts.

1992 Atlanta Jrnl. & Constit. (Nexis) 8 Apr. b8 Parents who would not otherwise lift a finger against a child may, in times of great stress, come close to abusing their children.

2011 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 11 July 20 No cow, no cause is worth a cuddly little badger's life... How could anyone raise a finger against this defenceless creature?