> as lemmas

a1325 St. Christina (Corpus Cambr.) l. 241 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 323 Wymmen þat þere stode aboute & yseie hure defouled more And euere naked so uilliche hom ofssamede sore.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. l. 1843 And there in open Audience Of hem that stoden thanne aboute, He tolde hem [etc.].

1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles vi. xlii. 290 To testifie unfaynedly vnto this people, here standing about.

1714 J. H. Thomson Cloud of Witnesses (1871) 420 They were standing about, looking on me.

1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre II. iv. 107 They stood about here and there in groups, their plates and glasses in their hands.

1872 Punch 30 Mar. 136 Wet trousers are unpleasant to stand about in.

1935 M. M. Atwater Murder in Midsummer iv. 43 Many people were standing about in groups.

2010 Church Times 24 Sept. 48/3 It is a nice, sultry morning for standing about and seeing others toil.

1549 H. Latimer 2nd Serm. before Kynges Maiestie 4th Serm. sig. Nvi When we..acknowledge our faultes, and stand not about to defend them.

1661 J. V. Canes Fiat Lux i. 30 The multitude, who seeing his safety might look upon him ever after with greater honour and respect, as lord of the very Angels who stood about to guard him in so dangerous a precipice.

OE Rubrics & Direct. for Use of Forms of Service (Corpus Cambr. 422) in M. Förster & K. Wildhagen Texte u. Forschungen zur englischen Kulturgeschichte (1921) 48 Sprenge se preost..sylf..þam þe him onbutan standað.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Ecclus. l. 14 So aboute hym þei stooden [L. circa illum steterunt] as palm braunchis.

a1450 (c1370) G. Chaucer Complaint unto Pity (Tanner) (1871) l. 36 Aboute her herse stoden lustyly..Bounte perfite..And fresshe beaute, luste, and Iolite.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job xxix. 4 When my housholde folkes stode aboute me.

1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης i. 12 Bequeath among his deifying friends that stood about him.

1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 10 Apr. (1965) I. 402 Their Superiour..begins a sort of Solemn dance. They all stand about him in a regular figure.

1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 390/1 The women stood about the fire.

1991 M. Mullen Flight of Earls (1992) 218 In the palace old friends stood about the coffin of the great leader.

1564 tr. M. Flacius Illyricus Godly Admon. Decrees Counsel of Trent 84 I will not stande aboute the confutyng of thys folyshnesse, at which, vnlesse a man be out of his wits he can not but laugh.

1589 Voy. W. Towrson in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 106 As for their arrowes, I haue not as yet seene any of them, for they had wrapped them vp close, and because I was busie, I coulde not stande about it, to haue them open them.

1637 F. Rous Archæologia Atticæ i. v. 46 A kinde of gruell, which was of no great preparation; Because they would not stand long about it.

1834 New-Yorker 24 Mar. 61/2 He misquotes Dr. Webster in regard to wagon. It is we who want the two g's to shorten the a, according to the general rule of the language; but we shall not stand about it.

1863 Supreme Court (N.Y.) Papers on Appeal No. 58. 40 I told him he had no right to make it [sc. a deduction], but that if he had allowed it on settling the account, for the sake of having the thing settled up, I would not stand about it.