torchn.
/tɔːtʃ/, U.S. /tɔrtʃ/ 1.
a. A light to be carried in the hand, consisting of a stick of resinous wood, or of twisted hemp or similar material soaked with tallow, resin, or other inflammable substance. Also applied to a lamp carried on a pole or similar appliance, and now also = electric torch n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun]
blazec1000
torchc1290
lampa1382
flambec1430
shaft?c1450
cresset1578
brandon?1614
mussal1698
ruffy1793
torch-brand1825
bug1924
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > electric torch
electric torch1886
torch1901
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 467/187 With-oute liȝht of torche.
c1330 Assump. Virg. (B.M. MS.) 598 Loke þat ȝe haue candele Torches boþe faire & fele.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xvii. 203 To a torche or a tapre þe trinitee is lykned; As wex and a weke were twyned togideres, And þanne a fyre flaumende forth oute of bothe.
a1400 Sir Beues (A.) 1659 Þar inne he seȝ torges [v.r. torches] i-liȝt.
1483 Cath. Angl. 390/1 A Torche, torticius, torchia.
1546–7 in H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 274 viij lb. of waxe to make twoo torches agaynst Alholoutyde.
1555 in Shropshire Parish Documents (1903) 56 Peyde towrd byying of ii towrges.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida v. i. 82 Follow his torch, he goes to Calcas tent. View more context for this quotation
1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. A Torch..a Staff of Deal on which Wax-Candles are stuck, to be lighted on several Occasions.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. v. 75 Onward came the cavalcade, illuminated by two hundred thick waxen torches.
1901 E. W. Hornung Black Mask xii. 253 I saw Raffles on my right striking with his torch; a face flew out of the darkness to meet the thick glass bulb with the glowing wire enclosed.
1906 Daily Chron. 14 July 5 The ordinary tarred-rope torch.
1936 W. Faulkner Absalom, Absalom! ix. 370 He..saw the light of the torch approaching along the upper hall.
1967 P. Shaffer Black Comedy 48 The Colonel takes the torch from Harold and shines it pitilessly in Schuppanzigh's face.
b. figurative or allusively. Something figured as a source of illumination, enlightenment, or guidance, or of heat or ‘conflagration’. Also in phrases: to hand (pass, etc.) on the torch (and variants), to pass on a tradition, etc., esp. one of enlightenment (after Latin lampada tradere, Greek λαμπάδα παραδιδόναι, a metaphor from the ancient Greek torch-race; cf. lamp n.1 1c and see Compounds below); to carry (etc.) a torch for (someone), to feel (esp. unrequited) love for, to feel lingering affection for.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > transference > [verb (intransitive)] > be transmitted or passed on > pass on a tradition, etc.
to hand (pass, etc.) on the torch1887
a1640 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (1651) iii. ii. v. i. 545 I light my Candle from their Torches.
1664 P. P. Jasz-Berenyi (title) A new Torch to the Latine Tongue.
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals Epil. The torch of love.
1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 19 The torch of Greek learning and civilisation was to be extinguished.
1887 Q. Rev. Oct. 276 Her [sc. Italy's] work has been done among the nations, and in their turn France, England and Germany hand on the torch.
1912 E. Gosse Portr. & Sketches p. viii They were all..engaged in keeping bright, and in handing on unquenched, the torch of literary tradition.
1927 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 132/3 When a fellow ‘carries the torch’ it doesn't imply that he is ‘lit up’ or drunk, but girl-less. His steady has quit him for another or he is lonesome for her.
1932 L. Golding Magnolia St. i. xi. 189 He had sometimes hoped that in Max a son was born to him who would take the torch from his dying hand and jump on to the platform he had vacated.
1953 L. Z. Hobson Celebrity vi. 78 Jim's still carrying a torch for Roosevelt.
1959 Manch. Guardian 16 June 5/2 She was carrying a torch for someone.
1969 J. Gross Rise & Fall Man of Lett. iv. 104 Dante was the poet of Catholicism, who handed over the torch to Shakespeare, the poet of Feudalism, who passed it on to Milton, the poet of Protestantism.
1977 H. Fast Immigrants v. 305 Maybe you got a torch for her, maybe not. But we both got her interest at heart.
c. = blow-torch n. at blow- comb. form 2.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > heating or melting instrument
loggerhead1687
blast-lampa1884
blow-lamp1896
blow-torch1909
torch1909
thermal lance1973
1909 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Torch, 3... Any of various devices for emitting a hot flame, as for vaporizing oil to start an oil engine, burning off old paint, melting solder, or the like.
1931 Writer's Digest Oct. 28 A keister torch is an acetylene torch which can be carried in a suitcase.
1961 Sheet Metal Industries XXXVIII. 613/1 The high rating of the water cooled models..is made possible by the design which permits the circulation of cooling water right to the tip of the torch.
1978 S. Brill Teamsters vi. 225 Our theory is that the car was hidden there and then cut up with torches and carted out.
d. An arsonist. U.S. slang.
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the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > [noun] > going or setting on fire > setting on fire or alight > incendiarism > an incendiary
make-fire1560
burn-grange1568
firer1576
incendiary1606
cendiary1624
conflagrator1641
fire-raiser1678
firesetter1831
arsonist1848
arsonite1859
petroleuse1871
petroleur1875
petrolist1890
torch1938
1938 Reader's Digest Mar. 71/1 The torch is now serving a 20-year sentence.
1977 Time 31 Oct. 28/3 Blazes are set by quasi-professional ‘torches’ hired by landlords, real estate brokers, store owners, or welfare tenants who want to be relocated.
2. transferred.† c. Applied to a species of cactus or cactaceous plant: probably = torch-thistle n. Obsolete.
a. A spike composed of spikelets; also figurative said of a red or flame-coloured flower.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > inflorescence or collective flower > [noun] > of particular type, shape, or arrangement > spike
spike1578
torch1578
spica1693
spicula1760
spicule1785
spire1850
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. lxiii. 91 Of this kinde, there is founde an other, the Spikes, eares, or torches wherof, are very dubble,..in steede of the little knappes or heades, it bringeth forth a number of other smal torches, wherof eche one is lyke to the spike or torch of great Plantayne.
1862 B. Taylor Poet's Jrnl. ii. Lost May And burns in meadow~grass the phlox His torch of purple fire.
b. (Usually in plural torches.) The Great Mullein, Verbascum Thapsus (or other species): from its tall spike of yellow flowers (or, according to some, from the use of its thick woolly leaves and stalks as material for torches).
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > mullein
feltwortc1000
verbascumOE
Thapsusa1400
mullein?a1425
hag taper1526
high-taper1526
tapsebarbe1526
lungwort1538
torch1552
moth mullein1578
wolleyn1578
woollen1578
hedge-taper1579
wool-blade1585
bullock's lungwort1597
candlewick mullein1597
mullet1597
torch-herb1598
taperwort1601
torchwort1647
Jupiter's staff1664
cow's lungwort1777
shepherd's club1790
woollens1800
flannel-leaf1821
Adam's flannel1828
flannel-plant1849
king's taper1858
torch-blade1861
velvet-dock1863
Jacob's staff1879
shepherd's staff1882
wool-plant1883
shepherd's gourd1896
1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Blattaria, an herbe called Moleyne, or a kinde of Moleine called Torche.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. lxxxi. 120 Mulleyn is called..in English also..Hig[h]taper, Torches, and Longworte. [Cf. 118 The whole top with his pleasant yellow floures sheweth like to a waxe Candell or taper cunningly wrought.]
1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden cxii Called of the Latines Candela Regia and Candelaria, because the elder age used the stalks dipped in Suet to burn... In English also some call it Torches.
1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. IV. 135 Its tall tapering spike of light yellow flowers..suggested..the old names of High Taper..and Torches.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cactus and allies > [noun] > torch-thistle
torch1597
dildo1672
torch-plant1696
Cereus1731
torch-thistle1731
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 1015 The torch, or thornie Euphorbium..called of the Indians..Vragua..a torch, taper, or waxe candle, whereupon..in Latine of those that vnderstoode the Indian toong, Cereus, or a torch.
1666 J. Davies tr. C. de Rochefort Hist. Caribby-Islands 62 The Plant..some of the European Inhabitants of these Islands call the Torch: it is a kind of great Thistle.
Compounds
attributive and in other combinations. See also torch-bearer n., etc. † torch-herb n. Obsolete the great mullein. † torch-tree n. Obsolete rendering Latin tæda, a resinous species of pine, the wood of which was used for torches; also Ixora parviflora, an East Indian shrub with showy flowers.
torch battery n.
ΚΠ
1926–7 Army & Navy Stores Catal. Index p. xxii/3 Batteries, Torch.
1957 C. Smith Case of Torches x. 128 Bring in the..report on the torch batteries.
torch-blade n. the Great Mullein (= 2b).
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > mullein
feltwortc1000
verbascumOE
Thapsusa1400
mullein?a1425
hag taper1526
high-taper1526
tapsebarbe1526
lungwort1538
torch1552
moth mullein1578
wolleyn1578
woollen1578
hedge-taper1579
wool-blade1585
bullock's lungwort1597
candlewick mullein1597
mullet1597
torch-herb1598
taperwort1601
torchwort1647
Jupiter's staff1664
cow's lungwort1777
shepherd's club1790
woollens1800
flannel-leaf1821
Adam's flannel1828
flannel-plant1849
king's taper1858
torch-blade1861
velvet-dock1863
Jacob's staff1879
shepherd's staff1882
wool-plant1883
shepherd's gourd1896
1861 P. Lankester Wild Flowers 102 Great Mullein,..‘Torch-blade’, or ‘King's Taper’.
torch-blaze n.
ΚΠ
1818 H. H. Milman Samor xi. 317 A torchblaze, meet to search Earth's utmost.
torch-brand n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun]
blazec1000
torchc1290
lampa1382
flambec1430
shaft?c1450
cresset1578
brandon?1614
mussal1698
ruffy1793
torch-brand1825
bug1924
1825 W. Scott Talisman iii, in Tales Crusaders III. 80 I am Theodrick of Engaddi—I am the torch-brand of the desert—I am the flail of the infidels.
torch-carrier n.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > one who carries
torch-bearer1538
mussalchee1610
torchera1616
torch-mana1618
mussal1852
flambeau-bearer1859
torch-carrier1864
1864 G. O. Trevelyan Lett. from Competition Wallah viii, in Macmillan's Mag. Jan. 204/2 The other half are..listening to a disquisition of the torch-carrier.
torch-carrying n. figurative the harbouring of (esp. unrequited) love (see sense 1b above).
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the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > [noun] > harbouring unrequited love
torch-carrying1970
1970 E. R. Johnson God Keepers (1971) iii. 26 When does the torch-carrying stop..and work itself into hate?
Torch Commando n. South African (see quots.).
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society > authority > rule or government > politics > African politics > [noun] > South African politics > specific associations
bond1884
Torch Commando1951
1951 Sun (Baltimore) 9 Nov. 13/1 South Africa's Torch Commando, an organization of war veterans pledged to uphold the Dominion Constitution, is building up into a potent opposition to Prime Minister Daniel F. Malan's Nationalist Government.
1971 L. Blackwell Blackwell Remembers xviii. 158 The Torch Commando, a militant organization which strongly opposed the policy of the Nationalist Government relating to the coloured voters at the Cape.
torch-course n. = torch-race n.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing on foot > [noun] > other foot races
smock-race1707
broose1786
smock-racing1790
sack running1801
torch-race1812
torch-course1839
sack race1859
potato race1865
obstacle race1869
three-legged race1876
mud run1888
egg-and-spoon race1894
cross-country1905
obstacle course1942
runathon1943
pancake race1951
fun run1960
fun running1966
1839 T. Mitchell in Aristophanes Frogs 124 (note) From..Pausanias we learn that three torch-courses were held in the Ceramicus.
torch-dance n. a dance in which some of the performers carry lighted torches.
torch-fish n. a deep-sea fish, Linophryne lucifer, having a luminous bulb upon the first dorsal spine, above the eye.
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the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > superorder Paracanthopterygii > order Lophiiformes (anglers) > [noun] > member of family Linophrynidae
torch-fish1907
1907 Discovery Oct. 122 The Torch-fish... On the upper jaw..there is a larger ovate bulb supported on a tentacle... It possesses powerful phosphorescent properties, the light being under the control of the fish. This is the ‘torch’.
torch-fishing n. fishing by torchlight at night (also called torching: see torch v.1 3).
torch-flame n.
ΚΠ
1840 R. Browning Sordello i. 80 Like a torch-flame turned By the wind.
torch-flare n.
ΚΠ
1910 W. de la Mare Three Mulla-mulgars xv. 205 All the Men of the Mountains came out with their little ones in the starlight and torch-flare to see them go.
1959 E. Pound Thrones cii. 82 Lit by the torch-flare.
torch-flower n. any bright red or yellow flower resembling or suggesting a torch, e.g. the torch-lily.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > of unidentified or unspecified type
honeysuckOE
honeysucklea1300
floscampya1398
poppya1400
siphany1509
flour-dammesa1522
ageratum1567
rose of Sharon1585
belamour1595
sea violet1601
Bacchus-bole1725
eel-pout1736
torch-flower1849
1849 W. M. W. Call Reverberations i. 59 The Torch-flower burning by the river.
1905 in Daily Chron. 28 Dec. 3/2 It is now ablaze with the red torch flowers of an aloe.
torch-glare n.
ΚΠ
1908 L. Binyon in Academy 14 Mar. 553/1 He stands on high in the torch-glare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > mullein
feltwortc1000
verbascumOE
Thapsusa1400
mullein?a1425
hag taper1526
high-taper1526
tapsebarbe1526
lungwort1538
torch1552
moth mullein1578
wolleyn1578
woollen1578
hedge-taper1579
wool-blade1585
bullock's lungwort1597
candlewick mullein1597
mullet1597
torch-herb1598
taperwort1601
torchwort1647
Jupiter's staff1664
cow's lungwort1777
shepherd's club1790
woollens1800
flannel-leaf1821
Adam's flannel1828
flannel-plant1849
king's taper1858
torch-blade1861
velvet-dock1863
Jacob's staff1879
shepherd's staff1882
wool-plant1883
shepherd's gourd1896
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Lunaria, the herbe called torch herbe or woollblade.
torch-holder n. one who or that which holds a torch; spec. a device for supporting a torch; also, a gas-bracket or the like imitating this.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > staff or holder for
torch-staffa1616
poor man1866
torch-holder1874
1874 tr. V. Hugo Ninety-three iii. i. xix They stuck an iron torch-holder into the wall.
torch igniter n. (see quots.).
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society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > means of propulsion > [noun] > aircraft engine > other parts
oil thrower1903
tail-pipe1922
inertia starter1929
torch igniter1948
1948 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 52 170/2 The simple expedient of fitting an igniter plug in the flame tube was not sufficient to cater for the more arduous duties of ignition, such as under flight conditions at over 20,000 feet. The torch igniter was designed..to get over these problems. This unit was an ordinary igniter plug, with a subsidiary supply of fuel to it. The fuel was injected through a small hole on to the plug points.
1970 Gloss. Aeronaut. & Astronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) viii. 17 Torch igniter, a combined igniter plug and fuel atomizer for initiating combustion when starting the turbine.
torch-lighted adj.
ΚΠ
1881 ‘M. Twain’ Prince & Pauper xxxii. 365 We find the torch-lighted galleries already filling up with people.
1975 R. H. Rimmer Premar Exper. (1976) ii. 164 In every direction you looked, torchlighted faces were swaying to the music.
torchlike adj.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [adjective] > like a torch
torchlike1579
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [adverb]
torchlike1897
1579 J. Jones Arte preseruing Bodie & Soule i. xl. 87 [Comets] Swordlike, hornelike, torchlike.
1897 Daily News 25 June 2/6 Meanwhile our [Jubilee] bonfires [on Skiddaw]..burned torch~like downwards with a grand head of flame.
torch-lily n. the liliaceous genus Tritoma, having spikes of bright scarlet flowers; also called ‘red-hot poker’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > lily and allied flowers > allied flowers
dog's tooth1578
daylily1597
mountain saffron1597
phalangium1608
Savoy spiderwort1629
hemerocallis1648
tuberose1664
St Bruno's lily1706
superb lily1731
agapanthus1789
Spanish squill1790
erythronium1797
Tritoma1804
Spanish harebell1808
veltheimia1808
adder's tongue1817
bunch flower1818
Puschkinia1820
hedychium1822
eremurus1836
flame lily1841
lily pink1848
mountain spiderwort1849
lloydia1850
kniphofia1854
garland-flower1866
red-hot poker1870
swamp-lover1878
African lily1882
flame-flower1882
Scarborough lily1882
wood-lily1882
St. Bernard lily1883
torch-lily1884
rajanigandha1885
ginger lily1892
chinkerinchee1904
snow lily1907
sand lily1909
avalanche lily1912
Spanish bluebell1924
mountain lily1932
chink1949
poker1975
1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants Torch-lily, the genus Tritoma.
torch-lit adj.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [adjective] > lit by a torch
torched1820
torchlight1837
torch-lit1842
1842 A. T. de Vere Song of Faith 186 The torch-lit gloom of Auchen's aisle.
torch-man n. a man who carries a torch, a torch-bearer; also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > one who carries
torch-bearer1538
mussalchee1610
torchera1616
torch-mana1618
mussal1852
flambeau-bearer1859
torch-carrier1864
a1618 J. Sylvester tr. G. Fracastoro Maidens Blush (1620) sig. B4v The sacred Torch-man (to that end imploy'd).
1856 J. W. Kaye Life Sir J. Malcolm I. vii. 162 The bearers or torchmen who ran by his side.
torch-parading adj.
ΚΠ
1839 T. Hood in Comic Ann. 36 Burn all torch-parading elves!
torch-pine n. Pinus rigida of North America; = pitch pine n.
ΚΠ
1890 Cent. Dict. at Pine Pitch-pine, (a) in America, Pinus rigida... Also called torch-pine.
torch-plant n. = torch-thistle n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cactus and allies > [noun] > torch-thistle
torch1597
dildo1672
torch-plant1696
Cereus1731
torch-thistle1731
1696 Philos. Trans. 1695–7 (Royal Soc.) 19 296 The Dildoe-tree is the same with the Cereus or Torch-Plant.
torch-race n. in Ancient Greek History, a race held at certain festivals, in which the runners carried lighted torches, and (in some cases) passed them on to other runners posted at certain points: = lampadedromy n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > racing on foot > [noun] > other foot races
smock-race1707
broose1786
smock-racing1790
sack running1801
torch-race1812
torch-course1839
sack race1859
potato race1865
obstacle race1869
three-legged race1876
mud run1888
egg-and-spoon race1894
cross-country1905
obstacle course1942
runathon1943
pancake race1951
fun run1960
fun running1966
1812 C. Dunster tr. Aristophanes Frogs i. ii. (note) In [Ceramicus] was situated the academy, where the torch-race was held.
1871 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues II. 10 The promise of an equestrian torch-race in the evening.
torch singer n. originally U.S. a singer of torch songs.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > singer of other types of music > [noun] > others
mourner1631
catcher1652
monodist1751
pennill singer1784
folk-singer1898
moaner1927
bluesman1930
calypsonian1934
torch singer1934
lieder-singer1936
torcher1940
country singer1953
protest singer1966
ragga1997
1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra vii. 210 Taking that dame out, that torch singer.
1973 Times 15 Dec. 10/1 She is sometimes a movie vamp, or a torch singer.
torch singing n. originally U.S. the singing of torch songs.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > [noun] > singing of other music
operatics1845
folk-singing1907
lieder-singing1937
pop singing1945
torch singing1947
protest-singing1966
rapping1979
MC-ing1984
1947 E. Jenkins Young Enthusiasts 163 Jazz bands, torch singing and swing.
1983 Listener 9 June 35/4 If this is ‘torch’ singing, then Julie London is not a flimsy key-ring flashlight.
torch song n. originally U.S. a popular song on the subject of unrequited love; a sad sentimental or romantic song.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > vocal music > types of song > [noun] > love-song
ronc1225
love songa1350
love-layc1450
Liebestod1889
torch song1927
1927 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 132/3 ‘Sing a torch song’ is commonly used in Broadway late~places as a request for a ballad in commemoration of the lonesome state. Tommy Lyman is said to have created the slang and he announced one night: ‘My famous torch song: “Come To Me, My Melancholy Baby”.’
1939 G. Greene Lawless Roads x. 256 I was grateful for the darkness and the torch songs.
1977 Listener 13 Oct. 481/2 The songs are pleasant parodies of Nashville, of torch songs and even of grand opera.
torch-staff n. (pl. torch-staves) a staff upon which a torch is carried.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [noun] > staff or holder for
torch-staffa1616
poor man1866
torch-holder1874
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. ii. 46 The Horsemen sit like fixed Candlesticks, With Torch-staues in their hands. View more context for this quotation
torch-stick n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > pines and allies > pitch-pines
hard pine1531
pitch tree1538
torch-tree1601
pitch pine1662
piceaster1664
pitch1674
pitch fir1726
swamp pine1851
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > plants yielding fuel or manure > [noun] > plants yielding firewood
lightwood1693
lignum rhodium1693
candle-wood1712
rosewood1756
grease-wood1845
grease-bush1860
torch-tree1862
amyrisc1865
torchwood1866
candle-bush1890
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xvi. x. 462 A sixt sort..of these trees..is properly called Teda (i. the Torch-tree): the same yeeldeth more plentie of moisture and liquor than the rest.
1862 E. Balfour Timber Trees India (ed. 2) 135 Ixora parviflora:..Torch Tree..A small tree..more used for torches than for any other purpose, as it burns very readily and clearly.
torch-waving adj.
torch weed n.
ΚΠ
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) Torch-weed, a kind of Herb.
torch-wick n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick
flaxc975
candle-wickc1000
wickc1000
matcha1398
torch-wick1444
1444 in W. B. D. D. Turnbull Compota Domestica (1836) 18 In vij petris di…huiusmodi torchweke emptis.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
torchv.1
/tɔːtʃ/, U.S. /tɔrtʃ/ 1.
a. transitive. To furnish, or light, with a torch or torches.See torched adj., and cf. torcher n.1 1.
b. To set alight, to set fire to, esp. in order to claim insurance money. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > burning > burn or consume by fire [verb (transitive)] > set on fire > as incendiarist
petrolizea1876
torch1931
1931 Writer's Digest Oct. 29 I had just lit a match to torch the squib when I heard steps behind me.
1971 Wall St. Jrnl. 16 Aug. 1/3 Two bombs were planted in a university dormitory, part of a Belfast soccer stadium was torched, and snipers attacked army patrols.
1977 Time 31 Oct. 34/1 Griffith relied on an arsonist turned informant..who worked as a ‘broker’ for landlords eager to torch their property.
1979 Arizona Daily Star 22 July e4/4 BIA police suspected a night of violence..when a group of people ran a car into Pike Creek... The car was then torched.
1983 Granta vii. 37 Halfway through the first pint of coffee, I torched a cigarette. Mmm, tasted good.
2. intransitive. To flare like a torch; to rise like smoke from a torch. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > torch > [verb (intransitive)] > burn like a torch
torch1847
1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words (at cited word) Recently heard at Boyton,..‘Law! how them clouds torch up, we shall ha rain’.
3. To catch fish, etc., by torchlight. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > type or method of fishing > [verb (intransitive)] > other methods of fishing
rye1496
kipe1706
jack1833
torch1887
1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S.: Hist. & Methods II. 502 Another method, known as ‘torching’,..is practiced principally by negroes. Having provided themselves with torches they visit the sandy shores at night and catch the terrapins as they come upon the beach to spawn.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
torchv.2
/tɔːtʃ/, U.S. /tɔrtʃ/ transitive. In Plastering, to point the inside joints of slating laid on lath with lime hair mortar.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > clad or cover [verb (transitive)] > point
point1374
stop1557
teethe1794
torch1882
a1850 [Remembered in use by workmen in Oxford].
1851 [implied in: T. H. Turner Some Acct. Domest. Archit. I. 25 The wages of workmen.., as..mud-plasterers, torchers, excavators, and barrow-men. (at torcher n.2)].
1882 Ogilvie's Imperial Dict. (new ed.)
1895 Jrnl. Royal Inst. Brit. Archit. 14 Mar. 351 The roof should be torched—not bedded.
Derivatives
ˈtorching n. pointing or daubing of this kind: see also torcher n.2
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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