▪ I. overcharge, n.
(ˈəʊvətʃɑːdʒ)
[over- 29 b.]
An excessive charge; the fact of overcharging.
1. An excessive charge or load; an excessive supply, an excess, a surplus.
| a 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Maid's Trag. v. ii, A thing out of the overcharge of nature; Sent..to disperse a plague Upon weak catching women. 1803 Jefferson Autobiog. & Writ. (1830) IV. 9 These circumstances have..produced an over⁓charge in the class of competitors for learned occupation. 1864 Webster, Overcharge,..3 An excessive charge, as of a gun. Mod. The bursting of the gun was due to an overcharge. |
2. A pecuniary charge in excess of the right or just amount; the act of demanding too much in payment, or the sum demanded in excess of the proper amount; an exorbitant charge.
| 1662–3 Pepys Diary 19 Feb., Drawing out copies of the overcharge of the Navy. 1668 Ormonde MSS. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 81 A respit until your petitioner be eased in the overcharge. 1765 Act 5 Geo. III, c. 49 §5 Action..for repetition of any overcharge. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xxviii, The landlord..looking as if he had never made an overcharge in his life. |
| attrib. 1866 Ruskin in Spielmann Life (1900) 50, I shouldn't mind placing the over-charge sum at her bankers. |
▪ II. overcharge, v.
(ˌəʊvəˈtʃɑːdʒ)
[over- 27; cf. F. surcharger.]
To charge in excess.
1. trans. To load, fill, furnish, or supply to excess (with something); to overload, overburden; to fill too full; to overstock.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xiv. lv. (1495) F iij/2 Ofte by grete heuynesse of the erthe those pylars in mynes ben ouer⁓chargyd and fall. a 1425 Cursor M. 9834 (Trin.) Men may fynde a childe ouer charged so with kynde þat [haþ] feet or hondes þre. 1531 Dial. on Laws Eng. ii. li. (1638) 157 If he throw them [goods] out for feare that they should over⁓charge the Ship. 1569 Towneley Nowell MS. (Grosart 1877) 384 A poor man ouerchardged with children. 1681 E. Murphy State Ireland §30 The said Cormucke having..over-charged one of his Pistols. 1771 Cavendish in Phil. Trans. LXI. 586 If the body contains more than this quantity of electric fluid, I call it overcharged. 1836 Hor. Smith Tin Trump. I. 9 If the wielder of the weapon..overcharge his piece, he must not be surprised if it explode. |
b. To place, lay on, or apply in excess. rare.
| 1849 Ruskin Sev. Lamps i. §15. 25 Ornament cannot be overcharged if it be good, and is always overcharged when it is bad. |
c. fig. To make, or represent as, greater than the reality; to magnify too much, overdraw, exaggerate, overdo.
| 1711 Addison Spect. No. 86 ¶6 A little overcharging the likeness. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia ix. v, In both the assertions there was some foundation of truth, however..basely over-charged. 1822–34 Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) I. 331 This account may be rather overcharged, from the ardent mind of its intelligent inventor. |
† 2. To lay an excessive burden (of trouble, care, responsibility, etc.) upon; to press hard, oppress, distress, overtax; to overbear by superior force.
| a 1375 Joseph Arim. 552 He nedde bote fourti men..And þei were weri of-fouȝten and feor ouer-charged, Of þe peple afurst and þe pres after. 1444 Rolls of Parlt. V. 107/2 Longe tyme hath ben oppressed and overcharged, by Sheryffs. 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. xxxi. 8 Thou hast not left me in their hand, that would me overcharge. 1604 Edmonds Observ. Cæsar's Comm. 97 Our men being ouer⁓charged on all sides with the losse of sixe and fortie Centurions, were beaten downe from the place. 1711 Light to Blind in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 165 After fighting a while he was overcharged with numbers. |
† b. To accuse too much or extravagantly. Obs.
| 1626 Donne Serm. iv. (1640) 36 Neither doth any one thing so overcharge God with contradictions, as the Transubstantiation of the Roman Church. 1636 Massinger Gt. Dk. Flor. iv. ii, Treason! 'tis a word My innocence understands not... I must be bold To tell you, sir,..'tis tyranny to o'ercharge An honest man. |
3. spec. To overburden (a person) with expense, exactions, etc.; to put to too great expense; now, To charge (any one) too much as a price or payment.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 6848 He seyde he wulde hym ouercharge, To wete wheþer seynt Ihoun were large. 1401 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 30 What charitie is this, to overcharge the people by mightie begging, under colour of preaching? 1586 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. (1594) 675 They were over-charged with exactions. c 1613 Rowlands Paire Spy-Knaves 23 Madam, you ouercharge me with expence. 1712 Prideaux Direct. Ch.-wardens (ed. 4) 57 If any be overcharged, or others undercharged, the Ordinary will condemn the Wrong done. Mod. No one likes to be overcharged for what he buys. |
b. To charge (so much) as a price or payment, in excess of the amount that is justly due.
| 1667 Ormonde MSS. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 39 We require..their Deputy..to suspend so much as the petitioner alleages to be over-charged accordingly. 1733–4 Berkeley Let. to Prior 23 Feb. in Fraser Life vi. (1871) 215 The 20 pounds overcharged for the widows. Mod. The Company have overcharged fifteen shillings on the carriage of the goods. |
Hence ˌoverˈcharged ppl. a., overloaded, exaggerated, overburdened, oppressed, etc.; ˌoverˈcharging vbl. n., overloading, imposition of too high a price, etc.; also ˌoverˈcharger, one who overcharges or makes an overcharge.
| 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 331 These dread curses..like an *ouer-charged Gun, recoile, And turnes the force of them vpon thy selfe. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xviii, Those overcharged characters, which abound in the works you mention. 1822 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Confess. Drunkard, Persons..may recoil from this as from an overcharged picture. |
| 1611 Cotgr., Oppresseur, an oppressor; *ouer⁓charger, ouerlayer; extreame dealer. |
| 1529 More Dyaloge iii. xiii. Wks. 229/2 As though sainct Poule had leuer that the priest had twenty [wives] saue for *ouerchargyng. 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. ii. (1627) 12 Not any way overloaded or discouraged, nor yet indangered by the overcharging of their wits and memories. |