try-comb. form

1892 W. W. Greener Breech-loader 95 The ‘try gun’..permits of the stock being altered to any length, bend, cast-off, and shape of the butt, and is of use in fitting a sportsman who needs a gun of special build.

1891 Cent. Dict. Try-house.

1895 Cent. Mag. Aug. 575/1 To come up the crooked road..past the try-house.

1896 R. Kipling Seven Seas 44 Mill, forge an' try-pit taught them [sc. the ship's engines] that.

1795 R. Murry Jrnl. 12 Oct. in R. McNab Hist. Rec. N.Z. (1914) II. 523 The try pot and steam were as they were left.

1836 Uncle Philip's Conversat. Whale Fishery 267 [They] cut the blubber, before it is thrown into the try-pots.

1875 J. H. Temple & G. Sheldon Hist. Northfield, Mass. 159 In those days, no frames were set out by the square rule, but by what they called the try rule,..i.e. the sills, posts and beams were framed and tried, and the braces were laid on to mark their bevels and length.

1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Try-square..consists of a thin blade of steel..let into a wooden piece..and securely fastened at right angles.

1901 J. Black Illustr. Carpenter & Builder Ser.: Home Handicrafts 19 The transverse lines..drawn with the pencil..can afterwards be corrected with the try square.

1888 Farr & Thrupp Coach Trimming iii. 39 He should neatly join on the back and side pieces, making use of try-sticks..to secure their right appliance.

1792 Z. Macy Jrnl. in Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1810) 1st Ser. III. 157 The oil [was] boiled out in the try works at sea.

c1825 J. Choyce Log of Jack Tar (1891) 198 A native trying to steal a brass cock from the try-works.

1898 F. T. Bullen Cruise ‘Cachalot’ ii. 11 Her deck was flush fore and aft, the only obstructions being the brick-built ‘try-works’ in the waist.

1939 R. O. Schlosser Compl. Denture Prosthesis xvi. 244 One of the dentures..may be completely processed, and a final try-in made while the opposing denture is still in the wax model state.

1963 C. R. Cowell et al. Inlays, Crowns, & Bridges iii. 26 Immediately before the try-in the temporary dressing must be removed.

1970 J. M. Buchanan Atlas Compl. Denture Prosthesis xix. 100/2 Replace the characterized mandibular try-in in the patient's mouth.

1977 M. M. Hudis Dental Lab. Prosthodontics iv. 99 The teeth are arranged on the occlusion rims so that they may be returned to the dentist for a try-in.

1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 181 Try-on,..an essay or endeavour to do a thing.

1874 Siliad 57 The flagitious claims—Call them, or damages, ‘tries-on’, or shames.

1885 Law Times Rep. 53 479/2 This was a try-on, on the part of the solicitors which ought not to be allowed.

1905 Daily News 28 Oct. 6 Garments must be cut to fit without successive try-ons.

1903 Sci. Amer. 30 May 414/1 Cup challengers in their try-outs in British waters.

1906 Tyer VI. 171 One girl represented the Athena Club in the debaters' tryout, and won a place as an inter-collegiate debater.

1915 Literary Digest 21 Aug. 361/2 The new Grinnell Sprinkler equipment..has already had its initial tryout.

1923 N.Y. Times 7 Oct. ix. 2/6 Try out, an experimental hearing of a new act, usually far away from Broadway.

1928 Evening News 18 Aug. 9/3 The play will not be given the provincial ‘try-out’.

1933 P. Godfrey Back-stage vi. 76 Had this play not first been produced at a ‘try-out’ theatre..its author might still be sending it round.

1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? i. 4 Sammy was getting a three-week tryout.

1963 A. Ross Australia 63 viii. 157 Davidson's final try-out in the nets was watched over.. by two selectors, Bradman and Seddon.

1970 A. Glyn Blood of Britishman xxi. 275 Brief try-outs of plays before they arrive in London's West End.

1976 A. Davis Television 89 It is as difficult to predict which comedy series will succeed as to forecast which records will top the hit parade charts, and that is one of the reasons for the development of try-out series.

1983 Listener 17 Mar. 29/3 Gilgamesh was chosen to give the new technology a try-out.