▪ I. fit, fytte, n.1 Obs. exc. arch.
(fɪt)
Forms: 1 fitt, 4–5 fyt(t, 4–6 fitt(e, 5–6, 9 fytte, 5–8 fit.
[OE. fitt str. fem. = OS. *fittia, preserved in latinized form in the preface to the Hêliand: ‘Juxta morem vero illius poematis, omne opus per vitteas distinxit, quas nos lectiones vel sententias possumus appellare’.
Some regard the word as identical with OHG. fiza list of cloth, mod.Ger. fitze skein of yarn, also explained in the 17th c. as ‘the thread with which weavers mark off a day's work’; the sense ‘division or canto of a poem’ might well be a transferred use of this. The Ger. word corresponds to ON. fit str. fem., hem, also ‘web’ of a bird's foot:—OTeut. *fitjâ, of unknown origin: see remarks under next n.]
1. A part or section of a poem or song; a canto.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxi. §1 (Gr.) Se wisdom þa þas fitte asungen hæfde. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 139 Cumse[þ] þer a Fitte. c 1386 Chaucer Sir Thopas 177 Lo, lordes, heer is a fyt; If ye wil eny more of it, To telle it wol I fonde. a 1400–50 Alexander 5626 Now fynes here a fitt & folows a nothire. c 1450 Bk. Curtasye 349 in Babees Bk. 309 Of curtasie here endis þe secunde fyt. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. xxvi. (Arb.) 65 This Epithalamie was deuided by breaches into three partes to serue for three seuerall fits or times to be song. 1771 Johnson Let. to Langton 20 Mar. in Boswell, Dr. Percy has written a long ballad in many fits. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. xciii, Here is one fytte of Harold's pilgrimage. 1864 Skeat Uhland's Poems 213 The first ‘fytte’ here is ended. |
2. A strain of music, stave. Also, to dance a fit.
| a 1500 Iak & his step dame in Herrig's Archiv XC. 78, I shall yow shewe of my gle: Ye shall haue a fytte. ? a 1548 King Estmere 243 in Percy Reliq. (1765) I. 68 To playe my wiffe and me a fitt. c 1550 R. Wever Lusty Iuventus in Hazl. Dodsley II. 48, I would fain go dance a fit. 1578 Gude & G. Ball. (1868) 182 Sa sall thay pype ane mirrie fit. 1673 True Worship God 65 An afternoon Sermon..many times..serves only like a fit of Musick, to Lull them asleep after their Dinner. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 611 Come now, strike up and give us a fit. |
▪ II. fit, n.2
(fɪt)
Forms: 1 fitt, 4–7 fitt(e, 5–6 fytt(e, 4, 6– fit.
[OE. fitt, str., of uncertain gender; recorded only once; the sense ‘conflict’ seems probable from the context.
The OTeut. type *fitjo-, -jâ is not found in any other lang. with any of the senses explained below. It is possible, however, that the word may be cognate or even identical with prec., and that the primitive sense may have been ‘juncture’, ‘meeting’; cf. the vbs. Icel. fitja to knit, early mod.Du. vitten ‘to accomodate, to fitt, to serve’ (Hexham); on this supposition fit n.3, a., and v. would also be cognate.]
† 1. Conflict, struggle. Only in OE. rare—1.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2072 (Gr.) [Abraham] sloh and fylde feond on fitte. |
† 2. a. A position of hardship, danger, or intense excitement; a painful, terrible, or exciting experience. Obs.
In quot. 1550 there is an apparent re-development of the OE. sense.
| c 1325 Song Yesterday 93 in E.E.P. (1862) 135 Þat ferful fit may no mon fle. c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's T. 264 We han had an yvel fit today. Ibid. 310 So mery a fit ne had she nat ful yore. ― Wife's Prol. 42 This noble king..The firste night had many a mery fitte With eche of hem. c 1400 Rom. Rose 5197, I mene not that [love], which..bringith thee in many a fitte, And ravysshith fro thee all thi witte. a 1440 Sir Eglam. 254 An hardere fytt never ye had. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. (E.E.T.S.) 205 And now that fitt may I not flee. Ibid. 390 Four wyndes they be..Which shall blow..before Christ.. ther is none so fell their fitt may flee. 1550 Bale Eng. Votaries ii. H vij b, The first fit of Anselme with kynge William Rufus. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 8 In this fearefull fit also of an eclipse. |
† b. In 16th c. occas.: A mortal crisis; a bodily state (whether painful or not) that betokens death.
| 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 181 The patient..is y⊇ neerest death when he thinketh himself past his disease, and the lesse griefe he feeleth y⊇ greater fits he endureth. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vii. 66, The life did flit away out of her nest, And all his senses were with deadly fit opprest. 1591 ― Ruines Time 598 Feeling the fit that him forewarnd to die. |
3. a. A paroxysm, or one of the recurrent attacks, of a periodic or constitutional ailment. In later use also with wider sense: A sudden and somewhat severe but transitory attack (of illness, or of some specified ailment).
| a 1547 Surrey Faithf. Louer declareth, Songs & S. (1585) 15 b, As sick men in their shaking fits procure them selues to sweat. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. i. ii. 120 He had a Feauer..And when the Fit was on him, I did marke How he did shake. 1667 D. Allsopp in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 8 Taken with a fit of the collicke. 1691 Blair in W. S. Perry Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch. (1860) I. 6 The Bishop of London..was..taken..with a fit of the stone. 1725 N. Robinson Th. Physick 146 The Fits of Intermittent Fevers. 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. (1815) 3, I expect to be laid up with another fit of the gout. 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) iv. xvi, A violent fit of coughing. 1855 Bain Senses & Int. ii. ii. §3 (1864) 123 A cut or a scald is different from a fit of rheumatism or gout. |
| fig. 1567 Drant Horace's Art Poet. C j b, Sawes there be to cure thy greedie care: To master thyne assaltynge fyttes. |
† b. spec. A paroxysm of lunacy (formerly viewed as a periodic disease). Obs.
| 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iv. i. 17 Vnlesse some fit or frenzie do possesse her. 1590 ― Com. Err. iv. iii. 91 Belike his wife acquainted with his fits On purpose shut the doores against his way. 1697 Dryden æneid iii. 565 In her frantick Fitts. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. ix. 201 Cruel tyrants..who (at least in their fits) divert themselves with the pangs and convulsions of their fellow-creatures. |
c. A sudden seizure of any malady attended with loss of consciousness and power of motion, or with convulsions, as fainting, hysteria, apoplexy, paralysis, or epilepsy. In 18th c. often used spec. without defining word = ‘fainting-fit’ or ‘fit of the mother’ (i.e. of hysteria: see mother); in recent use it suggests primarily the notion of an epileptic or convulsive fit.
| 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. iii. iii. iii. 689 A iealous woman that by this meanes had many fits of the Mother. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 141 Who..fell straightway into a Convulsion and Epileptical fits. 1681 Otway Soldier's Fort. i. i, One Kiss of him were enough to cure Fits of the Mother. 1702 Steele Funeral i. (1734) 20 Fits are a mighty help in the Government of a good-natured Man. 1762 Goldsm. Cit. W. xxi. §15 Observe the art of the poet..When the queen can say no more, she falls into a fit..take my word for it, that fits are the true aposiopesis of modern tragedy. 1789 W. Buchan Dom. Med. (1790) 629 Convulsion fits often constitute the last scene of acute or chronic disorders. 1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger i. v. 76 When the fainting fit came on in which she died. Mod. ‘Has she fainted?’ ‘No, I fear it is a fit.’ |
d. Hence colloq. in various hyperbolical phrases, as to scream oneself into fits, to throw (a person) into fits. Also, to beat (a person, a thing) into fits: to defeat or excel thoroughly, ‘beat hollow’; to give (a person) fits: to inflict humiliating defeat on; in U.S. to rate or scold vigorously.
| 1839 Hood Tale Trumpet xxix, It beats all others into fits. 1848 Thackeray Bk. Snobs xx, Till the little wretch screams herself into fits. 1859 Farrar Jul. Home i, He beat you to fits in the Latin verse. 1860 L. V. Harcourt Diaries G. Rose II. 104 Such a proposal..would have thrown him into fits. 1861 Dickens Gt. Expect. I. iv, If you could only give him his head, he would read the clergy⁓man to fits. 1861 J. Blackwood Let. 23 Dec. in Geo. Eliot Lett. (1954) III. 474 Your account of Caliban's exploit..has put me into fits. Archie is in an extasy with it. 1872 E. Eggleston Hoosier Schoolm. xii. 66, I rather guess as how the old man..will give particular fits to our folks to-day. 1877 S. O. Jewett Deephaven iii. 53 She used to take a notion to set in the dark... I should have forty fits, if I undertook it. 1885 J. Runciman Skippers & Sh., Old Pirate 87 We goes out and tackles a East Indiaman..and he gives us fits. 1906 J. London Let. 20 Oct. (1966) 213 Bailey Millard is throwing fits all around the shop..because of the way you worded your announcement. 1924 C. Beaton Diary 12 Apr. (1961) ii. 44, I had fits at the back of the car because Papa kept shouting. |
4. In various uses originally transf. from 3. a. A sudden and transitory state of activity or inaction, or of any specified kind of activity, feeling, inclination, or aptitude.
| 1586 Warner Alb. Eng. i. ii. 20 His seruants fear his solemn fittes. 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. iii. 186 The Sea hath fits, alternate course she keeps From Deep to Shore and from the Shore to Deeps. 1634 Milton Comus 546 Wrapt in a pleasing fit of melancholy. 1667 J. Flavel Saint Indeed (1754) 143 We have our hot and cold fits by turns. 1697 Bp. Patrick Comm. Ex. xx. 8 Stedfastly resolve not in a Fit but constantly. 1744 Berkeley Siris §213 Certain persons have fits of seeing in the dark. a 1764 Lloyd A Tale Poet. Wks. 1774 I. 73 Who..to Tottenham Court In furious fits of zeal resort. 1807–8 W. Irving Salmag. xvii. (1860) 391 This outrageous merriment..threw the whole family into a violent fit of wondering. 1852 C. M. Yonge Cameos I. ii. 11 He had many fits of devotion. 1882 Picton Cromwell ii. 25 The boy had fits of application alternating with fits of idleness. |
b. spec. in Optics. (see quot. 1704).
| 1704 Newton Optics ii. iii. (1721) 256 The returns of the disposition of any Ray to be reflected I will call its Fits of easy Reflexion, and those of its disposition to be transmitted its Fits of easy Transmission, and the space it passes between every return and the next return, the Interval of its Fits. 1803 Edin. Rev. I. 455 The law of the fits..might be fancifully resolved into a still more general law. 1831 Brewster Optics xv. §83. 126 In virtue of which they possess at different points of their path fits or dispositions to be reflected or transmitted by transparent bodies. |
c. Often in phr. by fits (and starts): by irregular impulses or periods of action, at varying intervals, fitfully, spasmodically. Also more rarely, † at, † upon, fits, by fits and girds (obs. exc. dial.), † spasms, or † turns; † by halves and fits.
| 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. vii. 39 He doth not thinges by fittes as Creatures doe but he continueth alwayes in one will. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 72 A lazy people, that worke but by fits. a 1617 Hieron Wks. II. 489 Vpon fits you shall haue them talke like angels, and yet..are deuils indeede. 1620 Sanderson Serm. ad Pop. i. (1681) 145 If thou hast these things only by fits and starts. 1635 Swan Spec. M. (1670) 363 The swallow..sleepeth but by ‘halves and fits’ (as we say) which is no sound kind of rest. 1650 Fuller Pisgah i. ii. 5 That froward people worshiped him by fits and girds. 1664 Power Exp. Philos. i. 25 Without any saliency or leaping, without any fits or starts in its Progression. 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. i. iv. §17. 303 To suppose that Orpheus had by Fits and turns been of different humours. 1782 F. Burney Let. 19 Mar., Let me murmur as I will by fits, I would not, if I could, change your destination. 1785 T. Jefferson Corr. Wks. 1859 I. 426 No particular State, acting by fits and starts, can harass the trade of France, Holland, &c. 1791 Burke Th. French Affairs Wks. VII. 49 The non-payment..is only by fits and spasms. 1805 Southey Madoc in W. x, As the flashes of the central fire At fits arose. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xxiii, Breaking into song by fits. 1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Hallib. i. xiv, Jane was..more hopeful by fits and starts than continuously so. 1884 Chesh. Gloss. s.v., ‘The clock strikes by fits and gurds.’ |
d. † The time during which a ‘fit’ lasts, a ‘spell’, short period (obs.). Also, a spell of weather of a specified kind (obs. exc. dial.).
| 1583 Fulke Defence iii. 205 After you have railed a fit. 1615 Dyke Myst. Self-Deceiving 116 Which is not settled and rooted, but onely for a fitte. a 1625 Fletcher Hum. Lieutenant iv. iv, I will not leave ye for a fit. a 1628 Preston New Covt. (1634) 213 He may for a fit, put out his hand to wickedness. 1685 Temple Ess. Garden. Wks. 1731 I. 188 Attended by some Fit of Hot and Dry Weather. 1685 Dryden Horace, Ode iii. xxix. iv, Sometimes 'tis grateful to the Rich, to try A short vicissitude, and fit of Poverty. 1721 Swift Corr. Wks. 1841 II. 556 A fit of good weather would tempt me a week longer. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss. s.v., ‘A strange dry fit we've had for seear.’ |
e. A capricious impulse, humour, mood.
| a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) I. 174 Invention..Disdains t' obey the proudest Wit, Unless it chance to b' in the Fit. 1786 Burns To J. S. iv, Just now I've taen the fit o' rhyme. 1787 F. Burney Diary 6 Mar., I assured him I was seized with a silent fit. 1869 Mrs. Stowe Oldtown Folks iv. 30 When the fit was on him, he would shoe a horse better than any man in the county. |
f. A violent access or outburst of laughter, tears, rage, etc.
| 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 47 The Doctresse would have a shaking fit of Laughter at you presently. 1676 Hobbes Iliad (1677) 377 Achilles, when his fit of tears was laid..came from his throne. 1678 Wanley Wond. Lit. World v. ii. §12. 469/2 In one of his drunken fits he was buried alive. 1778 F. Burney Diary 26 Aug., [She] took me into a back room, and burst into a hearty fit of laughter. 1816 Shelley Alastor 171 Her breath Tumultuously accorded with those fits Of intermitted song. 1874 Carpenter Ment. Phys. i. vii. (1879) 325 A prolonged fit of grumbling. 1886 J. K. Jerome Idle Thoughts 64 He would go off into fits of merriment over every word you uttered. |
5. Comb., as † fit-meal adv., by fits and starts (cf. piece-meal); fit-weed (see quot.).
| 1593 Nashe Christ's T. 34 a, Rather..then day-diuersifying Agues..should fit-meale feede on them. 1756 P. Browne Jamaica 185 The stinking Eryngo or Fittweed..All parts of this plant are reckoned very powerful anti-histerics. |
▪ III. † fit, n.3 Obs. rare—1.
In 3 fitte (2 syll.).
[ME. fitte, perh.:—OE. *fitta, of obscure origin; possibly f. OE. fitt, fit n.2
It might be supposed to be a subst. use of fit a., but that word has not been found before the 15th c., and is perhaps a derivative of this.]
An adversary of equal power; one's ‘match’.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 782 Thou deth mid strengthe and mid witte That other thing nis non his fitte. |
▪ IV. fit, n.4
(fɪt)
[f. fit v.1]
1. The process of fitting or rendering fit. † a. In the phrase out of fit, app. meaning ‘fitted out, settled in life’ (obs. rare—1). b. A preparation or fitting for something (U.S.). Cf. outfit.
| a 1688 Bunyan Heav. Footman (1698) 42 Till my children are out of Fit. 1883 New Eng. Jrnl. Educ. XVII. 133 [This Academy] has for many years given an excellent fit for college. |
2. a. A fitting or adaptation of one thing to another, esp. the adjustment of dress to the body; the style or manner in which something is made to fit. to a fit: to a nicety.
| 1823 W. T. Moncrieff Tom & Jerry i. iv, A tight fit, not much hunting room. 1868 E. Yates Rock Ahead ii. iii, He noticed all these details down to the fit of her gloves. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 69 A man May be ashamed too of his rustic fit. 1890 C. M. Woodward Manual Train. xv. 247 How to saw to a fit on the right or left of a line. |
b. concr. A garment that fits.
| 1831 Examiner 11/2 It's rather a tight fit. 1849 Thackeray Pendennis xvii, It [the gown] was an excellent fit. |
3. Soap-making. The condition of the liquid soap in the operation of ‘fitting’; see fit v. 10.
| 1885 W. L. Carpenter Manuf. Soap vi. 173 Practice and observation alone enable the operator to obtain ‘a good fit’. Ibid., A fine fit gives a very large nigre. |
4. a fit-out: a furnishing with all that is requisite, esp. in dress; an equipment.
| 1830 G. Colman Random Rec. II. vii. 214 A complete Fit-Out, on my return to London, at my father's cost. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xx, They condescended to have a regular fit-out—and it so happened that the fit-out was not far from a regular fit. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. xxiii, Who says we ain't got a first-rate fit-out? |
5. Comb., as fit-rod (see quot.).
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Fit-rod, a small iron rod with a hook at the end..to ascertain the length of the bolts or treenails required to be driven in. |
▪ V. fit, a.
(fɪt)
Forms: 5 fyt, 6 fitte, 6–7 fytt(e, 6– fit.
[First recorded c 1440; possibly f. fit n.3, though as that word is known only from a solitary instance the derivation is very doubtful. The adj. is recorded a century earlier than the modern verb, and appears to be its source; the view that it is a pa. pple. of the vb. fitte to marshal troops (see fit v.1 1) is tenable only on the assumption that the vb. had an unrecorded wider sense. To some extent the adj. appears to have been influenced in meaning by feat a.]
1. a. Well adapted or suited to the conditions or circumstances of the case, answering the purpose, proper or appropriate. Const. for (also, rarely, with ellipsis of for) or to with inf.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 163/1 Fyt, or mete, congruus. 1550 Bale Image Both Ch. xxi. Hh v b, Nothinge faire apered this stones..whan they were hewen, squared and made fitte foundacion. 1594 Willobie in Shaks. C. Praise 10 No tyme or fit occasion leave. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, i. ii. 17 Thou art fitter to be worne in my cap, then to wait at my heeles. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets drie Dinner M v, Tench..is fittest meate for labouring men. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. ii. 117 Prethee call Gardiner to me, my new Secretary. I find him a fit fellow. a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Bonduca iii. i, Steel us both with angers, and warlike executions fit thy viewing. 1634 T. Johnson Parey's Chirurg. xxvi. xxxvi. (1678) 654 The time fittest for the use of Apophlegmatisms is the morning. 1639 Fuller Holy War v. xxix. (1647) 281 A Spaniard..proposed the French Tongue as most fit. 1663 Butler Hud. i. i. 865 This is no fit Place Nor time, to argue out the Case. 1710 Prideaux Orig. Tithes ii. 53 What is the fittest portion of our Substance to be set apart. 1852 C. M. Yonge Cameos I. ii. 14 Until he could find a fit opportunity of quitting Normandy. 1862 H. Spencer First Princ. i. v. §32 (1875) 119 Forms of religion..must be fit for those who live under them. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 251 Those stories are not fit to be repeated. |
b. absol.; esp. in survival of the fittest.
| 1843 Carlyle Past & Pr. ii. viii. 111 There is in every Nation and Community a fittest, a wisest, bravest, best. 1867 H. Spencer Biol. §193 II. 53 By the continual survival of the fittest, such structures must become established. |
2. a. Befitting the person or the circumstances, agreeable to decorum, becoming, convenient, proper, right. Const. as above. Now only in predicative use, as it is fit that, etc., or to with inf.
| c 1440 York Myst. i. 65 Fetys and fayre and fygured full fytt. 1554–9 Songs & Ball. Ph. & Mary (1860) 4 In hyme voyd was nothyng that was nydfull and fytt. 1601 Shakes. All's Well iii. vi. 14 It were fit you knew him, least..he might at some great and trustie businesse..fayle you. 1607 ― Cor. iii. ii. 83 Say to them Thou..Hast not the soft way, which thou do'st confesse Were fit for thee to vse. 1625 Bacon Ess., Innovations (Arb.) 526 What is setled by Custome, though it be not good, yet at least it is fit. 1649 Bp. Hall Cases Consc. (1650) 203 There are Theologicall verities fit for us to know and beleeve. a 1715 Burnet Own Time (1766) I. 102 While he was balancing in his mind what was fit for him to do. 1787 Bentham Def. Usury x. 94 It is one thing, to find reasons why it is fit a law should have been made: it is another to [etc.]. |
| absol. 1681 Dryden Abs. & Achit. 765 If the Croud be Judge of fit and just, And Kings are onely Officers in trust, Then [etc.]. 1810 D. Stewart Philos. Ess. ii. i. i. 215 The idle generalities we meet with..about the ideas of the good, the fit, and the becoming. |
b. In phrases, to see, think fit.
| 1611 Bible 2 Macc. iv. 19 Which..the bearers therof thought fit not to bestow vpon the sacrifice. a 1687 Petty Pol. Arith. (1690) 95 All these things may be done, if it be so thought fit by the Sovereign Power. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 43 ¶3 Where and in what manner we see fit. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. III. lxi. 322 Cromwell thought fit to indulge a new fancy. 1815 Mrs. Sherwood Susan Gray 73 If God sees fit..that I should marry, in his due time he will provide me with a worthy husband. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 477 The Athenians have thought fit to condemn me. |
† c. Needing, requiring, or calling for (action of some kind). Const. to with pass. inf. Obs.
| 1621 H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 54 Fytt to be so done, but the matter of Yelverton..cannot be paste over. 1661–2 Marvell Corr. xxxiii. Wks. 1872–5 II. 77 Wherein you shall find it [the Petition] fit to be alterd, be pleased to returne it corrected to us. 1756 Burke Subl. & B. Wks. 1842 I. 53 Good sense and experience..find out what is fit to be done in every work of art. |
† 3. Of a manufactured article: Of the right measure or size; made to fit, accurate in fit, well or close-fitting. Obs.
| 1530 Palsgr. 312/2 Fytte as a garment or other thynge. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. iv. i. 50 One a these Maides girdles for your waste should be fit. 1596 Harington Metam. Ajax (1814) 8 To which you must have a hollow key with a worm fit to that screw. 1641 French Distill. i. (1651) 6 The stopple..ground very smooth and fit to the mouth of the Vessell. 1646 Crashaw Poems 118 Her garments, that upon her sit..close and fit. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 169 A square hole made fit to it in the hithermost Cheek. |
4. Possessing the necessary qualifications, properly qualified, competent, deserving. Const. as above; also † of. For phr. fit to hold a candle to: see candle 5 c.
| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 44 Having now at the lenght so fit a barer as I have. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. i. ii. 45 'Tis an office of great worth, And you an officer fit for the place. a 1592 H. Smith Wks. (1866–7) I. 476 They thought themselves fitter to govern than he. 1607–12 Bacon Ess., Youth & Age (Arb.) 258 Yonge Men are fitter to invent, then to iudge; fitter for execution, then for Councell. 1621 Lady M. Wroth Urania 421 None..how much soeuer condemn'd, but may liue to be fit of commiseration and respect. 1670 Temple Let. to Earl Northumberland Wks. 1731 II. 220 Nothing makes Men fit to command, like having learn'd to obey. 1722 De Foe Relig. Courtsh. i. i. (1840) 22, I think my father is the fittest to give him his answer. 1771 Franklin Autobiog. Wks. 1840 I. 89 This is a business I am not fit for. 1855 Browning Fra Lippo 107 Let's see what the urchin's fit for. 1868 Bain Ment. & Mor. Sc. (1875) 624 Every man..being fitter to take care of himself than of another person. |
5. a. In a suitable condition for doing or undergoing something; prepared, ready. Const. for, or to with inf.; otherwise Obs. exc. dial.
| [c 1534 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden 1846) I. 102 Brittaine seemed..feete for the invasion of hostilitie.] 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 113 The sayde Lewes was in all pointes fit for their handes. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. v. i. 85 The man that hath no musicke in himselfe..Is fit for treasons. 1603 ― Meas. for M. iii. i. 266 The Maid will I..make fit for his attempt. 1604 ― Oth. iii. iv. 166 If I doe finde him fit, Ile moue your suite. 1678 Bunyan Pilgr. i. (1847) 4 If I be not fit to go to Prison, I am not fit..to go to Judgement. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 610 Is the money fit? 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 212 Having prepared the Work fit for the Lathe. 1784 Cowper Let. 10 Feb., When I am..more fit for mental occupation than at any other time. 1796 H. Glasse Cookery xix. 300 They will be fit to eat in two or three days. 1823 Crabb Technol. Dict., Fit for service (Mil.), an epithet for healthy men capable of undergoing the fatigues of service. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, ‘Come, stir, make yourself fit.’ 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 345 Which makes the land perfectly clean and fit for the wheat crop. |
b. Inclined, disposed. Now chiefly colloq. and dial. in stronger sense: Angry or troubled enough to (do something desperate or violent); exhausted enough, ‘ready’ to (sink to the ground, etc.). Also, fit to be tied (slang), extremely angry, hopping mad.
| 1580 Baret Alv. F 603 Fitte..inclined, disposed, accomodatus. 1585 Abp. Sandys Serm. (1841) 308 When men are heavy laden with grief and sorrow, then are they fittest to call for and to receive refreshing. 1728 De Foe Syst. Magic (1840) 251, I am fit to hang myself because I can't find it out. 1787 Burns To W. Creech 50 And Calvin's folk are fit to fell him. 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. II. 24 To look at things around he's fit to freeze. 1848 J. H. Newman Loss & Gain 11 He..keeps you standing till you are fit to sink. 1856 Knickerbocker Oct. 433 Then she laughs fit to kill. 1866 ‘Old Stager’ Stage Reminisc. vii. 92 The smoke and fumes..came up through the chinks of the stage, fit to choke a dozen Macbeths. 1878 Cumberld. Gloss., ‘They war fit to feyt about her.’ 1894 Somerville & ‘Ross’ Real Charlotte II. xxviii. 177 The old devil was fit to be tied. 1916 E. F. Benson David Blaize v. 101 Cruikshank's awfully pi: fit to burst. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 754, I was fit to be tied. 1938 R. Finlayson Brown Man's Burden 30 The roundabout with its hurdy-gurdy shrieking fit to raise the dead. 1953 ‘E. Ferrars’ Murder in Time xxi. 189 Mad at you. Fit to be tied. 1956 C. Simak Strangers in Universe (1958) 193 It threw the place into a tizzy... The boss is fit to be tied. When he gets hold of you{ddd} |
| quasi-adv. 1808 in Spirit Pub. Jrnls. (1809) XII. 301 It made us laugh fit to kill ourselves. |
c. of things: Likely, ‘enough’ (to). colloq.
| 1776 Bentham Wks. I. 276 We hear now and then of a sort of Government fit to break one's teeth, called an Ochlocracy. |
6. In Racing or Athletics: In good ‘form’ or condition; hence colloq. in good health, perfectly well. fit as a fiddle: see fiddle n. 1 b.
| 1869 Bradwood The O.V.H. (1870) 28 Vale House was not as ‘fit’ inside as modern conveniences might have made it. 1876 Ouida Winter City vi. 124 To hear the crowd on a race-day call out..‘My eye, ain't she fit!’ just as if I were one of the mares. 1885 Manch. Exam. 17 Jan. 5/5 General Stewart with his men and camels, all apparently well and fit. 1891 Dixon Dict. Idiom. Phr. s.v. Fit, ‘How are you?’—‘Very fit, thank you; never felt better.’ |
7. quasi-adv. = fitly.
| c 1440 [See sense 2 above.] 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 200 This would have accorded farre fitter with your exposition. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 167, I was trim'd in Madam Iulias gowne Which serued me as fit..As if the garment had bin made for me. 1613 W. Browne Brit. Past. ii. i. Wks. 1772 II. 33 Limos..fed well.. Which serv'd Marina fit. 1630 M. Godwyn tr. Bp. Hereford's Ann. Engl. 153 The mention of Poole falls fit with our time. 1657 W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life Peiresc ii. 75 One cup would go fit into the other. |
8. Comb., as † fit-forked adj.
| 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. iv. Handy-crafts 214 Their fit-forkéd stems. |
Add: [1.] c. Biol. Hence of an organism: possessing fitness (see *fitness n. 1 c). Occas. of a variation: conferring fitness.
| [1911 Encycl. Brit. XXVII. 907/2 On the other hand, he [sc. Darwin] was far from advocating the view that has been pithily expressed as the ‘selection of the fit from the fortuitous’.] 1959 Chambers's Encycl. V. 497/1 The offspring..do not inherit all the variations of a preceding generation equally, but there is a selection in favour of the fitter (more adaptive) variations. Ibid. 500/2 Elimination of less well adapted or, in Darwinian terms, less fit variants in a population. 1959 Listener 17 Dec. 1069/1 A new point is being made: that people of mainly heterozygous make-up are innately more fertile—are innately fitter, as biologists use that word. 1965 Philosophy XL. 26 From a purely biological point of view there seems no reason why species that have survived over a very long period indeed..should not be considered as fit as others that have colonised a wider variety of environments. 1967 [see r selection s.v. R III. 3 b]. |
[6.] (as) fit as a flea: see *flea n. 1 c.
▸ Chiefly Brit.fit for purpose: suitable for the intended use; fully capable of performing the required task.
Earlier editions of the work cited in quot. 1861 read ‘fit for the purpose’.
| 1861 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 12) II. Index 1442 Carriers by water, vessels of, must be fit for purpose. 1953 P. S. Florence Logic Brit. & Amer. Industry viii. 340 Small-scale operation is multiplied when rival producers continually devise new designs which may or may not be fit for purpose. 1991 Training & Professional Devel. 31/3 What are the supplier's legal duties? Delivery title, description, merchantable quality fit for purpose. 2008 Daily Post (Liverpool) (Nexis) 16 July 5 It is essential that the organisation is fit for purpose and up to the challenge. |
▸ Brit. slang. Sexually attractive, good-looking.
| 1985 Observer 28 Apr. 45/1 ‘Better 'en that bird you blagged last night.’ ‘F—— off! She was fit.’ 1993 V. Headley Excess iv. 21 ‘So wait; dat fit brown girl who live by de church ah nuh your t'ing?!’ he asked eyebrows raised. 1999 FHM June (Best of Bar Room Jokes & True Stories Suppl.) 21/1 My first night there, I got arseholed, hit the jackpot and retired with my fit flatmate to her room. 2000 Gloucester Citizen (Nexis) 14 Feb. 11, I would choose Gillian Anderson from the X-Files, because she's dead fit. |
▪ VI. fit, v.1
(fɪt)
Forms: 5 fitte, 7 fitt, fyt(t, 6– fit.
[Sense 1, found only in the Morte Arthur c 1400, is of uncertain etymology, but may possibly be f. fit n.3 Apart from this use, the word first appears late in 16th c. when it was presumably a new formation on fit a. The coincidence of form and meaning with the 16–17th c. Du. and Flemish vitten to suit, agree, adapt, is remarkable, but most probably the two words have developed their identical sense independently by different processes, though they may be from the same ultimate root.
In mod. editions of 15th c. works, the words sit, besit (= to be becoming), sitting (= becoming) are often misprinted fit, befit, fitting; the latter do not appear to be older than the Elizabethan period, but when once introduced they rapidly superseded the older synonyms; probably owing to their obvious connexion with fit a., they were felt to express the meaning more forcibly.]
† I. 1. trans. To array, marshal (soldiers). Obs.
Only in the Morte Arthur.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1755 Thus he fittez his folke. Ibid. 1989 The kynge..ffittes his fote-mene, alles hym faire thynkes. Ibid. 2455 Þe frekke men of Fraunce folowede thare aftyre, ffaire fittyde one frownte. |
II. To be fit, becoming, or suitable (to).
† 2. a. intr. To be fit, seemly, proper, or suitable. Chiefly impers. or quasi-impers. Obs. or arch.
(The first examples given under the trans. sense 3 may belong here, as the obj.-pronoun is probably dat. Cf. similar use of sit.)
| 1574 H. G. tr. Cataneo's Most briefe Tables A iij a, Howe to determine vppon a sodayne fitteth well to euerye one that hath anye doinges. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. i. v. 77 It fits when such a Villaine is a guest. 1594 Spenser Amoretti liv. 5 Sometimes I joy when glad occasion fits. 1594 First Pt. Contention (1843) 8 Whose Church-like humours fits not for a Crown. 1594 Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits (1616) 130 This fitteth not to be remembered to the Preachers of our time. c 1620 Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) 5 Amittais Sonne fites for what I intend. 1632 Milton Penseroso 78 If the air will not permit, Some still removed place will fit. 1671 ― Samson 1318 To appear as fits before th' illustrious lords. 1663 Gerbier Counsel 99 None will deny but that Greatnesse and Conveniency being conjoynt fits best. 1725 Pope Odyss. iii. 83 The genial banquet o'er, It fits to ask ye, what your native shore, And whence your race? |
† b. To agree or harmonize with. Obs.
| 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. iii. i. 266 Why dost thou laugh? it fits not with this houre. 1605 ― Lear iii. ii. 76 He..Must make content with his Fortunes fit. 1594 Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits (1616) 119 A name, which might fit well with a furious Giant. |
3. trans. Chiefly impers. or quasi-impers. To be suited or suitable to, be proper for; to be in harmony with, become, befit.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. x. 142 b, How euill fits it me to haue such a sonne. 1590 Marlowe Edw. II, iii. ii, Things of more weight Than fits a prince so young as I to bear. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1613 Few words..shall fit the trespasse best. 1671 Milton Samson 1236 This insolence other kind of answer fits. 1703 Rowe Ulyss. iii. i. 1240 This Boldness does not fit a Stranger. 1725 Pope Odyss. iii. 57 Thee first it fits, oh stranger! to prepare The due libation. 1806 H. Siddons Maid, Wife, & Widow II. 239 What the contents of Middleton's letter were it fitted me not to inquire. 1852 Tennyson Ode Wellington iii, Lead out the pageant: sad and slow, As fits an universal woe. 1866 Geo. Eliot F. Holt I. i. 49 Her person..would have fitted an empress in her own right. |
† 4. To be well adapted or suitable for; to answer or satisfy the requirements of; to answer, suit. Also, † to fit it, † to fit one's turn: to serve one's turn. Obs.
| 1571 Hanmer Chron. Irel. (1633) 179 Little Iohn came to Ireland..and found in the woods enough to fit his humours. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. ii. i. 166 Trust me, I thought on her; shee'll fit it. 1603 Sir G. Fenton in Lismore Papers Ser. ii. (1887) I. 74 A coursse which may ease you, and yet will fytt my turne. 1677 A. Horneck Gt. Law Consid. iv. (1704) 126 A temptation which will fit one, will not fit another. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 197 Of these Rowlers they have several..that upon all occasions they may chuse one to fit their purpose. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones viii. iv, There is a piece of cold buttock and carrot, which will fit you. |
5. a. To be of the right measure or proper shape and size for; to be correctly shaped or adjusted to. Said esp. of dress; also fig. Often absol. the cap fits: see cap n.1 9. to fit to a T: see T.
| 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. ii. (1586) 51 b, To finde a fashion for a saddle to fit anie Horse. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. iv. ii. 46 Euerie true mans apparrell fits your Theefe. a 1691 Boyle Firmness Wks. 1744 I. 278 As much of the stone, as was contiguous to the marchasite..fitted the marchasite so close as if [etc.]. 1795 Burns Song, Last May, a braw wooer, And how her new shoon fit her auld schachl't feet. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xxxiv, [The] armour..is light, and will fit thee well. 1842 Tennyson Walking to Mail 57 Those manners next That fit us like a nature second-hand. 1846 Greener Sc. Gunnery 207 A leaden ball to fit the bore. 1849 C. Brontë Shirley I. iii. 49 You cannot always cut out men to fit their profession. 1863 W. C. Baldwin African Hunting vi. 152 The only utensil..big enough to cook him in was a soap-boiler, which he just fitted. 1885 J. de Griez in Law Times LXXX. 138/2 A suit of clothes, which the latter..refused to accept, on the ground that the clothes did not fit him. Mod. Your description fits him to a T. |
| absol. 1782 Cowper Gilpin xlvii, My head is twice as big as yours, They therefore needs must fit. 1889 Bridges Feast of Bacchus iii. 47 Pam, I like the hat. Ph. Is it comfortable? Pam. It fits like fun. |
b. intr. To be of such size and shape as to fill exactly a given space, or conform properly to the contour of its receptacle or counterpart; to be adjusted or adjustable to a certain position. Often with in (adv. and prep.), into, in with.
| 1694 Acc. Sev. Late Voy. ii. (1711) 142 On the upper Lip is a cavity or hole which the lower [printed upper] Lip fits exactly into. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 283 Then your Wainscot will fit exactly between any two lines of the Arch. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. App. 644 A statement which curiously fits in with our story. 1891 Speaker 11 July 37/1 The..complicated mechanism invented in the library would not fit into modern life. Mod. This peg fits into this hole. |
III. trans. To make fit.
6. a. To make fit or suitable; to adapt to the object in view; to make ready, prepare; † rarely with up. Const. for, to with n. or inf.: otherwise dial. only.
| 1600 Hakluyt Voy. III. 200 A notable strong ship..in all thinges fitted for a man of warre. 1611 Bible Rom. ix. 22 The vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. 1628 Digby Voy. Medit. (1868) 5 In like manner wee fitted our seleues for fight. 1634 Earl of Cork Diary in Lismore Papers Ser. i. (1886) IV. 43, I rodd with my daughter..to fyt the howse against her removall thither. 1670 Narborough Jrnl. in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. (1711) 28, I judged this a very fit Harbour to fit the Ship in. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland 66 Skins, either plain or fitted up for use. 1677 A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 53 There is much in preparing and fitting of the Flax. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 74 You must know how to grind, and whet them, for they are not so fitted when they are bought. 1715–20 Pope Iliad ii. 186 They urge the Train, To fit the Ships. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 33 This..fits the Glands to perform their Office. 1784 Cowper Task i. 374 Winds from all quarters..fit the limpid element for use. 1877 Mrs. Oliphant Makers Flor. i. 1 The action of time may fit Rome..for becoming the capital of Italy. 1880 W. Cornw. Gloss. s.v., ‘When shall I fit the dennar?’ |
b. To render (a person) competent or qualified. Const. as above.
| 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. i. §1 [If] that which fitteth them bee their vertues. 1647 Trapp Comment. on Epist. 681 Such as fits a man for some particular calling. 1671 Milton P.R. i. 73 Who..Pretends to..fit them so Purified to receive him pure. 1720 Ozell Vertot's Rom. Rep. II. ix. 48 To fit himself to shine in it more conspicuously. 1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 174 Accomplishments, fitting him to shine both in active and elegant life. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. III. lxxx. 54 It..does not completely fit him to weigh the real merits of statesmen. |
absol. (U.S. only.)
| 1878 Scribner's Mag. XV. 426/2 There are schools that fit for Harvard. There are those that fit for Yale. |
7. To fashion, modify, or arrange so as to conform or correspond to something else. Const. to, formerly also † into, † for.
| 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 473 For as thou framest thy manners, so wil thy wife fit hers. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. i. i. 118 To fit your fancies to your Fathers will. 1615 R. Bruch tr. Gerhard's Soule's Watch title-p., Heavenly Meditations..fitted to all the Dayes in the Weeke. c 1645 Howell Lett. iv. xiv. 19, I return here enclos'd the Sonnet..rendered into Spanish, and fitted for the same Ayr it had in English. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. (1845) 36 Scarce any thought will puzzle him to fit words to it. 1718 (title) A Book of Psalms in Blank Verse fitted into the tunes commonly used. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lxxv. 6 Expert In fitting aptest words to things. 1855 H. Reed Lect. Eng. Lit. i. (1878) 36 How exquisitely the individual man and the external world are fitted to each other. 1877 Huxley Amer. Addr. i. 29, I have no reason to suppose that she [Nature] is bound to fit herself to our notions. |
8. a. To fix, apply, adjust, or insert (something) so that it fills exactly the required place, or conforms to the contour of its receptacle or counterpart. Const. in, into, on, to, upon; also with in adv. Also fig. Freq. refl. of persons, and const. to, into.
| 1611 Bible 1 Kings vi. 35 Gold, fitted vpon the carued worke. 1628 Digby Voy. Medit. (1868) 86 The Jonas (to whom wee continually fitted saile). 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 543 Let each..Fit well his Helme. 1670 Narborough Jrnl. in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. (1711) 30 The rest of the seamen fitted Rigging. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 136 Having..fitted in the Bressummers, Girders, Joysts, etc. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. 242 He had a Bow and Arrow, and was fitting it to shoot at me. 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) I. 31 The tyrant..who fitted the unhappy traveller to his bed of iron. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Fit rigging, to cut or fit the standing and running rigging to the masts, etc. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 78/1 The practice of fitting them [water-tight bulkheads] has since become common. 1883 Knowledge 13 July 30/1 A dressmaker would fit the belt best. 1885 Law Times LXXIX. 366/2 Hoods will also be fitted over the tops of the doors. |
| fig. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 14 The accuracy with which the question and answer are fitted into one another. 1919 M. K. Bradby Psycho-Analysis 52 His consequent difficulty in fitting himself in to life. Ibid. 247 He cannot fit himself in happily to his surroundings. |
b. to fit on: to try on (a garment, etc.) with the view of ascertaining whether it fits the person. (Also colloq. with the person as obj.) to fit the cap on: to take some allusion as applying to oneself.
| 1842 Whittock, etc. Bk. Trades 431 When the suits are commanded to be fitted on. 1842 Tennyson St. Sim. Styl. 206 The crown! the crown! So now 'tis fitted on and grows to me. 1856 Reade Never too Late xxiv, The truth is when a searching sermon is preached, each sinner takes it to himself..I am glad the prisoners fitted the cap on. |
c. to be fitted: absol., to have a garment, etc., fitted on one.
| 1926 N. Coward Queen in Parlour i. i. 18, I shall have to go and be fitted. 1958 B. Nichols Sweet & Twenties 128 Far too busy to come and be fitted in person. |
† 9. a. To appoint, determine, or settle as may be fitting. Obs.
| 16.. Beaum. & Fl. Laws Candy i. i, My prisoner..I surrender: Fit you his ransom. ― Mad Lover iii. i, If by my meanes Your busines may be fitted. 1621–31 Laud Sev. Serm. (1847) 10 This time is in God to fit. |
† b. Sc. To adjust or balance (an account); also, to examine, test, or audit (accounts). Obs.
| 1653 Burgh Rec. Glasgow (Rec. Soc.) II. 269 To meit with Mr. George Young and to fitt and cleir ane compt with him. |
10. Soap-making. To bring (a mass of fluid soap) into such a condition that it will separate into two strata, the upper purer than the lower.
| 1866 Tomlinson Cycl. Useful Arts II. 539 The soap is fitted, i.e. the contents of the copper are fused in a weak lye or in water. 1885 W. L. Carpenter Manuf. Soap vi. 173 The English practice is to fit rather ‘fine.’ 1887 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 204/1 It is impossible to ‘fit’ or in any way purify soft soap. |
IV. 11. a. To supply, furnish, or provide with what is fit, suitable, convenient, or necessary. ? Obs. when obj. is a person.
| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. ii. vii. 42 Fit me with such weedes As may beseeme some well reputed Page. 1595 ― John iii. iii. 26, I had a thing to say, But I will fit it with some better tune. 1627–77 Feltham Resolves i. xxv. 44 Those [senses] which carry the most pleasing tasts, fit us with the largest reluctations. 1653 Walton Angler 71, I wil fit him to morrow with a Trout for his breakfast. 1660 Boyle New Exp. Phys.-Mech. Proem 7 The last nam'd Person fitted me with a Pump. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 32 Having fitted yourself with a Hole in your Screw-plate. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 61 They will pretend..that they can fit you to a Title with such a Horse. 1892 Law Times Rep. LXVII. 251/1 A steamship of 1074 tons net, fitted with steam steering gear. |
b. † refl. to fit oneself: to suit oneself, get suited. Also pass. to be fitted: to be suited. dial.
| 1667 Pepys Diary 29 Jan., He..promised she should stay till she had fitted herself. 1786 Burns To G. Hamilton 14 If sae be ye may be Not fitted otherwhere. 1877 N.W. Linc. Gloss., I'm just fitted where I am. 1882 Lanc. Gloss., Fitted, suited, served. |
c. to fit out: to supply with what is necessary; to equip, rig out. Obs. exc. Naut. or transf. from that use.
| 1670 R. Coke Disc. Trade 63 A Dutch Ship..may be built and fitted out to Sea for half the terms an English Ship can. 1722 De Foe Plague (1754) 9 All loaded with Baggage and fitted out for travelling. 1741 Richardson Pamela I. 21 My poor honest Dress, with which you fitted me out. 1776 Trial of Nundocomar 70/2, I saw Maha Rajah..order the house to be fitted out for him. 1824 Landor Imag. Conv. Wks. 1846 I. 106/2 If they had, they would fit out a cutter. 1840 Thirlwall Greece VII. 183 The Athenians, in addition to the galleys which they had before, fitted out others. 1893 Stevenson Catriona 2 At a merchant's in the Luckenbooths I had myself fitted out. |
d. to fit up: to supply with necessary fittings, furniture, or stores.
| 1670 R. Coke Disc. Trade ii. 56 The Dutch..do fit up more Ships for Navigation, and cheaper than the English. 1728 Pope Let. to Swift 20 June, He has fitted up his farm. 1821 Shelley Epipsych. 515, I have fitted up some chambers there. 1823 J. Constable Let. 29 Aug. (1964) II. 285 Any beautifull Gothick building magnificently fitted up with crimson & gold. 1859 Jephson Brittany xv. 243 The kitchen was fitted up with large boilers and ovens. |
| trans. 1869 J. Martineau Ess. II. 156 Their neighbouring skies are fitted up with moons. |
12. To visit (a person) with a fit penalty; to punish. Obs. exc. Australian. Also dial. with out.
| a 1625 Fletcher Hum. Lieutenant iv i, If I do not fit ye let me frie for't. 1685–8 Roxb. Ball. VII. 470 His Lass then presently devis'd to fit him for his whoring. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia (1809) II. 229 With a look that implied—I'll fit you for this! 1889 Boldrewood Robbery under Arms (1890) 3 A sergeant of police was shot in our last scrimmage, and they must fit some one over that. Mod. (Derbyshire) I'll fit you out for this. |
Add: [IV.] [12.] b. To secure sufficient evidence to convict (a person) of an offence (Austral.). By extension, of the police: to (attempt to) incriminate by planting false evidence; to ‘frame’ (frame v. 8 e, 10). Freq. with up. slang.
| 1882 Sydney Mail 2 Sept. 374/2 When he gets in with men like his old pals he loses his head, I believe... He'll get ‘fitted’ quite simple some day if he doesn't keep a better look-out. 1919 V. Marshall World of Living Dead 12 Stretch—two drags—coomyerlative. Three charges agin' me—righteous, vag, an' resisting. Fitted on first two, turned up on third. 1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard 261 Danny James might have fitted him, Sneed thought, but immediately questioned how. 1974 Observer 27 Jan. 25/3 He says he was fitted up by the police, who used false evidence to get a conviction. 1983 D. Francis Danger xii. 168 One of those do-it-yourself alarms..to stop hotel creepers fitting you up while you're sleeping off the mickey the barman slipped you. 1985 R. Busby Hunter ii. 11 We was fitted, you ratbag!.. Nothing but a lousy fit-up! |
▪ VII. † fit, v.2 Obs. rare—1
[f. fit n.2]
trans. To force by fits or paroxysms out of (the usual place).
| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. cxix, How haue mine eies out of their Spheares bene fitted In the distraction of this madding feuer? |
Restrict Obs. rare—1 to sense in Dict. and add: 2. intr. To be seized by an epileptic or convulsive fit; to have a fit.
| 1961 Partridge Dict. Slang Suppl. 1089/2 Fitting, (of a patient) having a fit. 1969 M. Crichton Andromeda Strain xxvi. 262 He fitted... He had a seizure... Petit-mal. 1974 Daily Tel. (Colour Suppl.) 18 Jan. 19/4 If he starts fitting we'll all sit..with him in the middle, and probably no one passing by would even notice. |
So ˈfitting vbl. n. 2
| 1981 Hull & Johnston Essential Paediatrics v. 65 Hypocalcaemia with subsequent fitting. 1986 Scandinavian Jrnl. Haematol. XXXVII. 320/1 Generalised fitting began, uncontrollable with adequate doses of phenytoin. |
▪ VIII. fit, v.3
(fɪt)
[Sc. pronunciation of foot.]
In the game of Curling (see quots.).
| 1831 Blackw. Mag. Dec. 985 Fit fair and rink straight. 1892 J. Kerr Hist. Curling 361 The crampit or the hack is immoveable, and no advantage must be taken by changing to a place from which the shot could be more easily taken. This is fit fair. Ibid., He must first fit the tee, i.e. he must so place himself that his eye travels along the central line toward the farther tee, while his right foot rests in the hack or on the heel of the crampit. |
▪ IX. fit
Sc. and dial. var. of foot; also var. (dial. or vulgar) of fought: see fight v.