▪ I. carry, v.
(ˈkærɪ)
Forms: 4–5 carie, carye, cary, 5–6 carrie, 5– carry.
[a. ONF. carie-r, mod.Pic. carrie-r = Central F. charier, charrier:—late L. carricāre to cart, convey in a car, f. carr-us car.
An earlier L. carricare in sense of ‘load’, became carcare, cargare, whence OF. charchier, chargier: see charge. After this, was formed a new carricāre in sense of ‘transport in a cart’, which gave OF. carier, charier. Ultimately therefore carry has the same etymology as cark, charge, and cargo.]
From the radical meaning which includes at once ‘to remove or transport’, and ‘to support or bear up’, arise two main divisions, in one of which (I.) ‘removal’ is the chief notion, and ‘support’ may be eliminated, as in 4, 5, and several of the fig. senses; while in the other II.) ‘support’ is the prominent notion, and ‘motion’ (though usually retained) may entirely disappear. Cf. ‘Do not leave the carpet-bag here; carry it up stairs’, with ‘Do not drag it along the floor; carry it’. For the former take is now largely substituted.
I. To transport, convey while bearing up.
* Of literal motion or transference in space.
1. trans. To convey, originally by cart or wagon, hence in any vehicle, by ship, on horseback, etc.
| [c 1320 in Dugdale Monast. (1661) II. 102 De libero transitu cum plaustris carectis & equis..cariandi decimas suas et alia bona sua.] 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (Rolls) 13987 He..dide þem carie to þer contres, & byried þem at here cites. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. i. xiv, Vpon cartis he shal doo carye wyth hym. 1538 Starkey England 65 To the hole destructyon..of al other caryd in theyr schyp. 1611 Bible Gen. xlii. 19 Carry corne for the famine of your houses. ― 2 Kings ix. 28 his seruants caried him in a charet to Ierusalem. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1840) I. ii. 18, I carried about 40l. in..toys. |
spec. a. To bear a corpse to burial. b. To carry corn from the harvest field to the stackyard.
| 1466 J. Paston's Funeral in Let. II. 268 Geven to Martyn Savage..awaytyng upon my master at London be vii. dayes before that he was caryed, iis. xd. [1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 23 After that he..repeth it, byndeth it, shocketh it, and at the last caryeth it home to his barne.] 1801 Bp. of Lincoln in G. Rose Diaries 1860 I. 427 Our wheat is all carried. 1851 H. Mayo Pop. Superst. (ed. 2) 170 It is a field of wheat, but it has been cut and carried. |
c. absol. Said e.g. of a carrier.
| c 1631 Milton On University Carrier ii. 18 If I mayn't carry, sure I'll ne'er be fetched. Mod. The common carrier who carries between London and Totteridge. |
d. intr. (for pass.). Of soil: to stick to the feet, or to horses' hoofs.
| 1892 Field 30 Jan. 155/2 The frost..caused the fallows and seeds to ‘carry’ a good deal, and they could only hunt very slowly. Ibid. 156/3 An expanse of ploughed soil which ‘carries’ considerably. |
2. a. To bear from one place to another by bodily effort; to go bearing up or supporting. So to fetch and carry. to carry coals (fig.): see coal.
| c 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 725 Ȝe..carien by costum corn to hure temple. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame 1280 Y saugh him carien a wyndmelle. c 1386 ― Prol. 130 Wel coude she carie a morsel. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. vi. 30 His apostlis..wolden aftirward carie fischis in paniers. 1511 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.) Introd. 32/2 He [gryffon] wyll well cary in his neste an oxe. 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. i. 90 Hee will carry this Island home in his pocket. Ibid. iii. i. 25 Ile beare your Logges..Ile carry it to the pile. 1611 Bible 1 Kings xxi. 10 Carie him out, and stone him. ― Isa. xl. 11 He shall gather the lambes with his arme, and carrie them in his bosome. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 41 ¶6 Honeycomb..carried off his Handkerchief full of Brushes. 1791 ‘G. Gambado’ Ann. Horsem. iv. (1809) 83 A horse..which does not carry me at all in the same way he did the man I bought him of. 1816 Scott Guy M. xxiii, ‘Dumple could carry six folk, if his back was lang eneugh.’ 1884 M. E. Braddon Ishmael iv, The lad..carried the youngest on his shoulder across the sands. |
b. Falconry. To bear a hawk upon the fist.
| 1826 J. S. Sebright Observ. Hawking (1828) 35 The passage-hawk, when first taken, must be carried all day upon the fist, and fed at night by candle-light. 1881 E. B. Michell Falconry in Min. in Macm. Mag. Nov. 39 He [the young hawk] is ‘carried’ for some hours amongst men, children, dogs, and horses, so as to become accustomed to their presence. |
c. absol. † to carry double: said of a horse with saddle and pillion. See also quot. 1677.
| 1577 Holinshed Chron. III. 813/1 They were put to carie and draw. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iii. i. 274 Shee can fetch and carry: why a horse can doe no more; nay a horse cannot fetch, but onely carry. 1677 N. Cox Gentl. Recreat., Hunting (1706) 17 When a Hare runs on rotten Ground, or in a Frost sometimes, and then it sticks to her Feet, we say, she Carryeth. 1678 Butler Hud. iii. i. 569 A Beast..Which carries double. c 1720 Prior Alma iii, To go and come, to fetch and carry. 1862 Huxley Lect. Wrkg. Men 105 The Carrier [pigeon], I learn..does not ‘carry’. |
3. Also said of a cart, wagon, railway train, ship, bicycle, or other vehicle; so running water carries bodies floating on it, or suspended in it, wind carries leaves, balloons, slates, etc.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 326 A carte hyȝte cristendome to carie Pieres sheues. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 88 And floating straight, obedient to the streame, Was carried towards Corinth. 1652 Evelyn Diary 22 Mar., Flinging it into a rapid streame, it..carried away the sand, etc. 1803 Med. Jrnl. X. 363 Blood carries with it the basis of nutrition. Mod. This tricycle has carried me five thousand miles. |
4. To bear or take (a letter, message, report, news, and the like). (Without reference to weight).
| c 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 184 And bad him in haste To þe king..carien his sonde. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. i. i. 112 Nay Sir, lesse then a pound shall serue me for carrying your Letter. 1641 Sir E. Nicholas in N. Papers (Camd.) I. 53 He being dessigned to carry that newes. 1670 Milton P.L. v. 870 These tidings carrie to th' anointed King. 1820 Hoyle's Games Impr. 467 On such complaint being carried to any one of the stewards. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 600 The news..had been carried to the Earl of Pembroke. |
5. a. To conduct, escort, lead, ‘take’ (a person) with one, without reference to the mode of transit; to ‘take’ (a horse, a ship) to a place, a given distance, etc. Now arch. and dial.
| 1513 Douglas æneis xiii. i. 57 The Troianis..by power of hie Jove ar hiddir cary. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 79 Carieng with them the Archbishop. 1611 Bible 2 Kings ix. 2 Look out there Jehu..and carry him to an inner Chamber. 1659–60 Pepys Diary 27 Feb., My landlord carried us through a very old hospital. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 2 He that can carry a ship to Lisbon may with the same ease carry it round the world. 1750 Beawes Lex Mercat. (1752) 795 The Japonese Pilots..come aboard and carry the Vessel into Port. 1758 Johnson Idler No. 6 ¶9 The lady carried her horse a thousand miles in a thousand hours. 1771 Franklin Autobiog. Wks. 1840 I. 7 My father carried his wife with three children to New England. 1818 E. Burt's Lett. N. Scotl. I. 66 note, The Scots..talk of..getting on the back of a cart-horse, and carrying him to grass. 1822 J. Flint Lett. Amer. 264 (Americanisms) Carry the horse to water. 1861 Ramsay Remin. Ser. ii. iv. 51 ‘Carry any ladies that call up stairs.’ 1886 Burton Arab. Nts. (abridged ed.) I. 286 As soon as it was dusk, the slave-girl came to him and carried him to the house. |
b. esp. To take by force, as a prisoner or captive.
| 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 93 Caried him towards the ships. 1588 Pittington Vestry Bk. (Surtees) 27 Nicolas Yonger was carried to Littleburne about the rogge monie. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, v. v. 97 Go carry Sir Iohn Falstaffe to the Fleete. 1665 Pepys Diary 10 Aug., My she-cosen Porter..to tell me that her husband was carried to the Tower. 1799 S. Freeman Town Off. 99 Apprehend and carry him before a justice. |
c. in Backgammon.
| 1820 Hoyle's Games Impr. 294 Directions how to carry your men home. Ibid. 296 Six and five, a man to be carried from your adversary's ace-point, as far as he can go, for a gammon, or hit. |
6. a. to carry all before one: (i.e.) like a body moving with irresistible force and carrying away or propelling everything in its course.
| 1672 R. Wild Poet. Licent. 35 Some men there be that carry all before 'em. 1848 L. Hunt Jar Honey vii. 81 That, indeed, carries everything, even truth itself, before it. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage viii. 169 The Irreconcilables carried everything their own way. |
b. To shoot down, ‘bring to the ground’.
| 1653 H. Cogan Pinto's Trav. xlix. §i. 190 Having discovered this game [wild boars], we got as near to them as we could, and discharging amongst them, we carried two of them to the ground. |
7. a. To transfer (a number, cipher, or remainder) to the next column or unit's place before or after, in the elementary operations of arithmetic.
| 1798 Hutton Course Math. (1806) I. 23 To carry as many to the next figure as were borrowed before. Ibid. (1827) I. 161 The 1 to carry from the decimals is set down. 1825 in Cobbett Rur. Rides (1885) II. 35 You are to put down the 4 and carry 2. |
b. To transfer (entries) from one account book to another.
| 1745 De Foe's Engl. Tradesm. (1841) II. 41 This carrying things from the journal..to the ledger..is called posting. |
8. A channel, drain, pipe, etc. is said to carry water or other liquid or fluid, sound, etc.
| 1601 Holland Pliny vi. xxvii, When it begins once to carry a more forcible streame it is called Tigris. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 389 The voice of a man carryed in a trunk, reed or hollow thing. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones i. iv, A constant cascade not carried down a regular flight of steps. 1750 Beawes Lex Mercat. (1752) 733 The Canal..serves to carry the water..to this city. 1878 Holbrook Hyg. Brain 55 The nerve filaments carry the will. 1886 Law Times LXXXI. 59/2 A 9-inch sewer, which carried the drainage from the houses into the main brick sewer. |
9. a. A bow, a gun, or the like is said to carry an arrow, a ball, or other missile to a specified distance or in a specified way. Usually absol.; and transf. or fig.
| 1636 Healey Theophrast. 19 Hee, that saluteth a man as farre off as his eye can carry levell. 1643 Sir T. Browne Relig. Med. ii. §3 Scholars are men of Peace, but..their pens carry farther, and give a lowder report than thunder. 1644 Nye Gunnery (1670) 4 After you have made one shot, and find the Peece carry just over the Mark. 1869 Phillips Vesuv. viii. 226 About as high as a crossbow can carry. 1870 Lowell Study Wind. 377 A fine, telling phrase that will carry true. |
b. Golf and Cricket. Of the ball, or the player hitting it, or the club, etc.: to cover (a distance) or pass (a point) at a single stroke. Also absol. Cf. carry n. 4 b.
| 1875 R. Clark Golf 213 The balls carried considerably higher than the weather-cock. 1887 W. G. Simpson Golf 155 Many prefer it [sc. a dragging shot] to an ordinary loft at shortish distances, the latter being more difficult within, say, thirty yards than when the player has further to carry. Ibid. 184 His game is easily insulted by being made to go round, or play short of, a bunker, it ought to be allowed to try to carry. 1903 J. Braid in Benson & Miles Bk. Golf 30 At a greater distance where the mashie will not carry I should very often use an iron. 1929 Morning Post 17 June 16/2 Off the next ball—a full-pitch—he only just failed to carry the ring. 1953 B. Locke On Golf ii. xvi. 117 It is important at times to be able to hit very high iron shots to carry formidable obstacles, such as big bunkers or even trees. |
c. intr. Of sound: to travel or be heard at a distance. Cf. carrying ppl. a. 1 b.
| 1896 M. Corelli Mighty Atom iii. 54 Lionel's voice could not now ‘carry’ far enough to echo the farewell. 1932 E. V. Lucas Reading, Writing ii. 45 He [sc. Andrew Lang] had a voice that did not carry—‘roupy’ he himself called it. 1934 Discovery Dec. 354/2 The sound..carries remarkably well. |
10. The wind is said to carry a ship along, which it drives or impels over the sea.
| 1526 Tindale Acts xxvii. 17 We let doune a vessell and soo were caryed. 1565–78 Cooper Thesaur. s.v. Nauis, The shippe fleeteth beyng caryed with winde and sale. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 110 Her part..Was carried with more speed before the winde. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. v. 99 The wind, which carries one into the port, drives another back to sea. 1737 Pope Horace's Epist. i. vi. 70 Where winds can carry, or where waves can roll. |
11. To cause to go or come. a. The impelling moral cause or motive is said to carry one to a place.
| 1876 Green Short Hist. v. §1 (1882) 213 A mission carried him [Chaucer] in early life to Italy. |
b. A march, journey, a space traversed, is said to carry one to a point.
| 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 240 The great march which carried Harold from London to Stamford bridge. |
12. Provision, or money, which lasts out till one reaches a distant point of space or time, is said to carry one to that point.
| 1703 Burchett Naval Trans. iv. xxi. (1720) 553 They intended to take in Provisions, being so much streighten'd that they had not enough to carry them to the Havana. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 695 A scanty stock of silver, which..was to carry the nation through the summer. |
13. fig. To continue to have with or beside one, as one moves on; to ‘take with’ one.
| 1777 W. Dalrymple Trav. Sp. & Port. xxxv, A hollow way, which we carried with us to Aranjuez. Ibid. lxxxiii, We carried a mountainous country along with us, on the left hand. 1840 Marryat Poor Jack xlvii, We made sail, carrying with us three-fourths of the flood. 1857 Merc. Mar. Mag. (1858) V. 9, I carried a steady Trade [wind], all sail set. |
14. a. To extend or continue (a line, a piece of work) in the same direction to a specified distance, or in a given direction.
| 1393 Gower Conf. II. 112 Ne yet the mone, that she carie Her cours alonge upon the heven. 1704 Worlidge Dict. Rust. et Urb. s.v. Lapis Calam., They should carry Air-shafts with them, as in Lead-Mines. 1715 Desaguliers Fires Impr. 32 Such a Pipe may be carried into a Bed and warm it. 1772 Hist. Rochester 28 [They] did not carry this tower to the height it now is. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 154 The defences were not carried down to the water. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 424 The man who..could carry a wall from sea to sea. |
b. fig. of things immaterial: as in to carry to excess, too far, etc.
| 1711 Addison Spect. No. 119 ¶5 This kind of Good-manners was perhaps carried to an Excess. 1728 T. Sheridan Persius v. (1739) 67 The highest, and most generous Notions of Friendship. How high does Cicero carry it in his first Book of Laws. 1878 Morley Crit. Misc. Ser. i. 194 He carries the process a step further. |
** With notion of taking away by force.
15. a. To take as the result of effort, to win (as a prize), succeed in obtaining: also to carry off. (F. emporter.) Cf. 17.
| 1607 Shakes. Cor. ii. i. 254 He would misse it [the consulship], rather then carry it But by the suite of the Gentry to him. 1611 Cotgr., Enchere..any Portsale, Outrope..wherein he that bids most for a thing is to carrie it. 1625 Bacon Friendsh., Ess. (Arb.) 169 He had carried the Consulship, for a Frend of his. 1647 W. Browne Polex. i. 69 He alwaies fights alone, and alone carries the victory. a 1716 South 12 Serm. (1717) VI. 379 Consider..what the Issue may be, if the Tempter should carry thy Choice. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) V. xiv. 312 He had carried the prize at the Olympic games. 1862 Merivale Rom. Emp. (1871) V. xlii. 169 He strove to carry with his own hand the victory. |
b. Hence to carry it: to gain the advantage, win the contest, ‘win the day’, ‘bear the palm’.
| 1580 North Plutarch 621 Cæsar carried it by much. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iii. ii. 70. 1601 ― All's Well iv. i. 30 It must bee a very plausiue inuention that carries it. 1647 W. Browne Polex. ii. 98 Love carried it from Jealousie. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. iv. xviii. §8 Revelation..must carry it against the probable Conjectures of Reason. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 181 The name Selangan carries it generally over the other [name]. 1870 Goulburn Cathedral Syst. i. 7 Where the two come into collision, the second must carry it over the first. |
c. So to carry the day.
| a 1685 N. Lockyer in Spurgeon Treas. Dav. Ps. xciv. 15 He returns, and then his people carry the day. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 429 The French King had..said that the last piece of gold would carry the day. 1879 M{supc}Carthy Own Times II. xix. 59 The phrase had carried the day. |
16. a. To take away or win from the enemy by military assault (a town, position, ship, etc.).
| 1601 Shakes. All's Well iii. vii. 19 The Count..Layes downe his wanton Siedge before her beautie, Resolue to carrie her. 1622 Bacon Hen. VII, Wks. 1857–62 VI. 129 The town would have been carried in the end. 1677 Govt. Venice 101 Dying of pure indignation that he could not carry the Town. 1703 Burchett Naval Trans. iii. xix. (1720) 384 Lawson..pressed so hard upon De Ruyter, that he had like to have carried him. 1797 Sir J. Jervis in A. Duncan Nelson (1806) 46 Boarded and carried two of the enemy's gun-boats. 1876 Bancroft Hist. U.S. V. x. 444 Horne directed eight regiments..to carry this position. |
b. fig. and transf. (Often with mixture of senses.)
| 1622 Sparrow Bk. Com. Prayer Pref., To court the affections and..by their help, to carry the understanding. 1868 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) II. ix. 340 They were words which at once carried the whole assembly with them. 1884. Reade Perilous Secr. xiii, Always kept his temper and carried everybody, especially the chaplain. |
c. To gain (a district, etc.) in an election. (Cf. 17.) U.S.
| 1848 Lowell Biglow P. ix. 124, I thought our ticket would ha' caird the country with a resh. 1905 D. G. Phillips Plum Tree 122 We, our party, carried the state, as usual. Our legislative majority was increased by eleven. 1965 T. C. Sorensen Kennedy viii. 212, I told him [sc. J. F. Kennedy]—mistakenly as it turned out—that he had carried California. |
17. a. To gain victory for, to be victorious or successful against opposition with (a matter or measure for which one contends). Hence such phrases as to carry one's candidate; to carry (= win) an election, etc.
| a 1619 M. Fotherby Atheom. i. i. §5. 7 Arguments..sufficient to carry the matter. 1715 Burnet Own Time II. 9 If the King would have acted with the spirit that he sometimes puts on, they might have carried their business. 1723 Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 9 Several of the elders..have carried a call for Mr. John Hepburn. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 125 The government had been unable to carry its measures. 1870 Stanhope Hist. Eng. II. xiii. 178 They carried their candidates in the centres of popular election. |
b. frequent in phrase to carry one's point; cf. 16.
| 1699 Bentley Phal. 429 If I can carry this Single Point. 1759 Franklin Ess. Wks. 1840 III. 416 The surest way of carrying his point. 1885 K. S. Macquoid Louisa III. ii. 21 She had carried her point with her husband. |
18. esp. To carry a motion in a meeting, a bill in a legislative assembly, etc.: to get it passed or adopted by the whole or a majority of the votes.
| 1666 Marvell Corr. lix. Wks. 1872–5 II. 198 Upon division of the House..'twas caryed for the provisos being committed. 1682 N. O. Boileau's Lutrin iv. 147 Let faithful tellers take the Poll, and note the Ay's and Noe's; And if we carry't, then Sir! Down goes the Innovation, once agen Sir! 1837 Thirlwall Greece IV. xxx. 135 This motion was carried, probably by a very small majority. 1863 H. Cox Instit. i. viii. 100 The second Reform Bill was carried by a large majority. Mod. The remaining clauses were carried unanimously. |
*** Of figurative transference.
19. a. In a variety of figurative uses taken from 1 or 2, the subject, or object, or both, being things immaterial, or the motion not in space, but from or into a sphere of thought or action = take, conduct, transport, transfer, cause to go.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 29 b, But at his ende, caryenge it out of this worlde with hym, he shall neuer dye, 1713 Berkeley Wks. III. 189 If we carry our thoughts from the corporeal to the moral world. 1754 Erskine Princ. Sc. Law (1809) 257 Heritable rights may be carried from the debtor to the creditor either by, etc. 1818 Cruise Digest III. 45 It does not appear that this case was ever carried to the House of Lords. 1857 Buckle Civilis. I. ix. 589 [Private judgment] carried into politics, over-turned the government. 1885 Act. 48 & 49 Vict. l. §25 All sums received..shall be carried to the consolidated loans fund. |
| 1662 Bk. Com. Prayer, Collect 4th Sund. after Epiph., Such strength and protection as shall..carry us through all temptations. a 1778 Chatham Lett. Nephew i. 3, I will recommend to Mr. Leech to carry you quite through Virgil's æneid. 1781 Burke Corr. (1844) II. 438 The grand principles of justice and policy are not dear enough to us to carry us through the difficulties which we should encounter. 1873 Black Pr. Thule xviii. 280 The perfect independence of that gentle young lady..might carry her too far. |
b. to carry the war into the enemy's camp, etc.: to move the scene of fighting to the enemy's camp, to take up the attack; freq. fig.; to carry the war into Africa (U.S. colloq.): to act aggressively, to go over to the attack.
| 1828 Reg. Deb. Congress IV. i. 1315/1, I shall not..act in mere self-defence. I shall carry the war into Africa. 1835 R. J. Mackintosh in J. Mackintosh Life I. 81 Nor was this production altogether defensive; the war was now and then carried into the enemy's quarters. 1845 Q. Rev. II. 162 Having in so far attempted to vindicate Condorcet, we carry the war into the enemy's camp by asserting that Lord Brougham's biography is obnoxious to all the charges. 1855 J. B. Jones Winkles 202 But the way to be redressed..is to carry the war into Africa. 1927 L. P. Hartley in C. Asquith Black Cap 47 ‘I don't think Rollo is slow,’ remarked Jimmy, hoping to carry the war into her country. 1938 H. McCloy Dance of Death xx. 237 Her smile annoyed Basil. He carried the war into Africa. ‘Are you aware that M. Pasquale takes morphine?’ |
20. To impel or lead away as passion does, or by influencing the mind or feelings; to incline, move, urge, sway, influence. Now usually carry away; cf. 46 b.
| 1577 St. Aug. Manuell (Longmans) 62 The soule..is caried with desirousnes, drawen with longyng. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. iv. 34 Caried with fervent zeale. 1601 F. Godwin Bps. of Eng. 335 Subiect to flatterers, who carried him to their pleasure. 1608 Golding Epit. Frossard's Chron. iii. 152 The king..was altogether carryed by this man, in such sorte as he both neglected and hated his vnckles in respect of him. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. ii. ii. vi. i. (1651) 291 We should moderate our selves, but we are furiously carryed. 1715 Burnet Own Time I. 556 That idleness to which youth is naturally carried. a 1844 Campbell ‘How delicious is the winning’ iii, Just as fate or fancy carries. |
21. to be carried: to be rapt, to be moved from sobermindedness, to have the head turned. Obs. exc. Sc.
| 1561 T. Norton Calvin's Inst. i. ix. §1 They are not caried with such giddinesse [tantâ vertigine raptari]. 1827 Scott Surg. Dau. iii, If their heads were not carried with the notice which the foolish people..took of them. |
**** To conduct (a business).
22. a. To conduct, manage (a business or affair), arch. Now usually to carry on.
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 240 This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled. 1599 ― Much Ado iv. i. 212 This wel carried, shall..Change slander to remorse. 1607–12 Bacon Ess., Seditions, &c. (Arb.) 395 When Discordes, and quarrells..are carryed openly. 1612 ― Vain-glory ibid. 462 If they haue neuer so little Hand in it, they thinke it is they that carry it. 1715 Burnet Own Time II. 193 The elections were carried with great heat. 1845 Browning Soul's Trag. (1868) 23 So will you carry matters, that the rest of the world must at length unite and put down, etc. |
† b. Hence to carry it: to conduct matters, behave, act. Obs.
| 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iv. 150 We may carry it thus for our pleasure. 1625–6 Shirley Maid's Rev. iii. i, She will carry it so, that Velasco shall be suspected. 1671 J. Flavel Fount. Life iv. 9 The Lord seemed to carry it as one at a distance from his Son. 1742 Richardson Pamela III. 306 Sir Jacob carried it mighty stiff and formal. |
c. with extension to carry into effect, execution, practice, etc. (Cf. next.)
| 1731–59 Miller Gard. Dict. Pref., Carrying this into practice. 1769 Goldsm. Hist. Rome (1786) I. 483 [They] were appointed to carry it into execution. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth iv, He would find it difficult to carry it into execution. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 123 He did not tarry long in carrying his purpose into effect. |
***** intr. or absolute uses implying motion.
† 23. To drive, ride, move with energy or speed.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 28 Coueyte not in cuntre to carien [some B. MSS. have kairen] aboute. Ibid. iv. 22 Thanne Conscience on his capul carieth forth faste. 1399 ― Rich. Redeless iii. 301 Whanne realles remeveth and ridith thoru tounes, And carieth ouer contre. c 1450 Henryson Mor. Fabl. 58, I tuke my club and homeward could I carie, So ferlying as I had seene ane Fary. 1513 Douglas æneis viii. iv. 100 In haist Hercules com at hand Wyth furius mynd careing ouyr the land. Ibid. xii. xi. 136 Lat ws follow that way, and thiddir cary. |
24. Falconry. To fly away with the game or quarry. [So Fr. charrier.]
| 1615 Latham Falconry (1633) 14 Affirming that Doves will make Haggards carry: which is not so, for this is idlenesse and want of skill in their keepers, that causes them to Carry. 1677 N. Cox Gentl. Recreat. (1706) II. 49 Should she be guilty of Carrying, yet by this means she will be reclaimed, and forget that Error. 1826 J. S. Sebright Observ. Hawking (1828) 8 Less disposed to carry, i.e. to fly away with the game; a fault to which all hawks are more or less inclined. |
II. To support, sustain.
* With more reference to motion.
25. To hold, hold up, sustain, while moving on or marching; to bear. to carry weight (in Horseracing): i.e. such additional weight as equalises the competitors.
| 1563 Foxe A. & M. (1583) 73 The myracles of the foresayde Helenus..how he caried burning coales in his lap. 1782 Cowper John Gilpin 115 ‘He carries weight!’ ‘He rides a race!’ 1818 Scott Rob Roy iii, ‘You ride four stone lighter than I.’ ‘Very well; but I am content to carry weight.’ 1852 Tennyson Ode Wellington 6 Warriors carry the warrior's pall. |
26. a. To bear, wear, hold up, or sustain, as one moves about; habitually to bear about with one (e.g. any ornament, ensign, personal adjunct; also a name or other distinction).
| c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 266 Carie a swerd in a scaberge. 1601 Holland Pliny xxxvii. vii, Rubies of India..which carry the name also of Carchedonij. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 149 Deacons, for a difference from the Priests, carried a round wreath of white cloth. 1631 Gouge God's Arrows v. §11. 421 More fit..to carrie a bush-bill rather then a battell-axe. 1703 Burchett Naval Trans. iii. xix. (1720) 389 The victorious Fleet..under the Command of the Earl of Sandwich, who carried the Standard. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 46 We do not know whether they are to carry arms. Mod. He carries a snuff-box. |
b. To bear within one, contain.
| 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xvi. vii, My sadde body my hevy hert did cary. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. lxvii, A sailor having drunk more new rum than he could carry. 1880 Daily Tel. 3 Dec., Valuable carbonates of lead, which carry silver |
c. To be pregnant with.
| 1776 Johnson in Boswell (1831) III. 458 Mrs. Thrale is big, and fancies that she carries a boy. 1788 J. Powell Devises (1827) II. 361 The mother supposed to be now carrying a third child. |
27. To bear about (mentally); to have or keep in the mind.
| 1583 Babington Commandm. 315 O let us carrie some greater care to observe His will. 1602 Carew Cornwall 107/1, I carried once a purpose, to build a little woodden banqueting house. 1709 Berkeley Ess. Vision §91 We ought to carry that distinction in our thoughts. 1878 Morley Crit. Misc. Ser. i. 195 To carry ever with us the unmarked, yet living tradition. |
28. To bear as a character, mark, attribute, or property; to exhibit, display: a. to the senses.
| 1581 Act 23 Eliz. ix. §2 Whiche Coulers, althoughe they carrye a Shew of a good, true and perfitte Couler. 1596 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 46 That Lady trew, Whose semblance she did carrie under feigned hew. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts Isa. xi. 15 That baye..carries the forme of a tongue. 1671 Milton Samson 1073 His habit carries peace, his brow defiance. 1704 Worlidge Dict. Rust. et Urb. s.v. Foal, The same Shape he carries at a Month, he will carry at six Years old. 1791 Burke App. Whigs Wks. VI. 30 Any writer who has carried marks of a deranged understanding. 1873 Holland A. Bonnic. xv. 236 Both carried grave faces. |
b. to the mind.
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xxiii. (Arb.) 279 Rude and vnciuill speaches carry a marueilous great indecencie. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 76 Make your descant carrie some forme of relation to the plaine song. Ibid. 114 These waies of double descant carie some difficultie. 1677 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. i. ii. 45 Something that carries a kind of analogy to Sense. 1693 Mem. Ct. Teckely Ep. Ded. 6 At this Day they carry the highest Value. 1845 Stephen Laws Eng. II. 576 The liability..may at first sight carry the air of hardship. |
† c. To bear (affection, respect, etc.) to, towards.
| 1598 Barret Theor. Warres ii. i. 19 He ought to carie great respect vnto the Sergeant Maior. 1605 Verstegan Dec. Intell. v. (1628) 147 The naturall affection they carried vnto the Country-men. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 112 ¶2 To carry an universal Benevolence towards every Thing that has Life. a 1718 Penn Wks. (1726) I. 538 The Over-fondness some carry to their Opinion. |
d. So, to carry weight, carry authority, and the like. In to carry conviction there is a mixture of notions.
| 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 233 Words cannot carrie Authority so weighty. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. ii. vii. §2 Such as do not carry an immutable obligation along with them. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 13 The Navy Officers, with whom it carries so much weight. 1729 Butler Serm. iii. Wks. 1874 II. 33 Conscience..carries its own authority with it. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. III. 192 The voice almost carried conviction. |
29. To bear or convey (a meaning, sense, etc.).
| 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxiv. 207 The sense they [words] carry in the Scripture. 1881 Tylor Anthrop. vi. 162 The root, which carries the sense..is followed by suffixes strung on to modify it. |
30. To bear implicitly or as a consequence; to involve.
| 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. ii. vi. §5 Those predictions which have seemed to carry the greatest improbabilities with them. 1717 Col. Rec. Penn. III. 39 Understood to Carry their assent along with it. 1835 I. Taylor Spir. Despot. iv. 168 The determination of [these questions] carries..the question of ecclesiastical polity. 1877 E. R. Conder Bas. Faith ii. 66 A positive judgment carrying immense consequences. |
31. A loan, etc. is said to carry interest, a bill to carry grace.
| 1693 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 313 Corn carries a price, Annona cara est. 1711 Lond. Gaz. No. 4870/4 Notes carrying 6 per Cent. Interest. 1767 Blackstone Comm. ii. xxx, A contract, which carries interest. 1767 A. Young Farmer's Lett. People, These little farms carry twenty shillings..an acre. 1866 Crump Banking v. 104 Bills or notes on demand carry no grace. |
** With chief reference to manner.
32. a. To hold (the body, head, etc.) up in a certain way.
| 1583 Babington Commandm. (1590) 352 Till hee and his counsell have brought his maintainers to carie but a small port. 1619 R. West Bk. Demean. in Babees Bk. (1868) 295 To carry up the body faire, is decent. 1723 S. Morland Spec. Lat. Dict. 12 His coming to an Estate makes him carry his Head so high. 1724 Lond. Gaz. No. 6258/3 Stolen..a Mare..does not carry her Tail well. |
b. said of a ship.
| 1796 in Nicolas Disp. Nelson (1846) VII. Introd. 223* The Captain gets on..and carries a good helm. 1836 Marryat Pirate iii, ‘How does she carry her helm, Matthew?’ inquired Oswald..‘Spoke a-weather’. |
c. absol.
| 1829 Lond. Encycl. V. 194 A horse is said to carry well, when his neck is arched, and he holds his head high. |
33. refl. a. To comport, demean, behave oneself. Also of conduct.
| 1593 Bilson Govt. Christ's Ch. 253 To carrie himselfe for a Presbyter. 1653 H. Cogan Pinto's Trav. xv. §3. 49 Let us carry ourselves in such sort, as they may not perceive we fear them as Enemies. 1719 Col. Rec. Penn. III. 86 Carrying themselves very rudely. 1847 L. Hunt Men, Women, & B. I. iii. 43 The way in which sheep carry themselves on abrupt and saltatory occasions. 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. v. xxxvi. 331 She carried herself with a wonderful air. |
b. of conduct or behaviour to or towards others. arch. or Obs.
| 1594 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. ii. Seneca, How to cary our selues towardes our neighbours. 1668 Pepys Diary 4 Nov., The Duke of York do..carry himself wonderfull submissive to the King. 1714 T. Ellwood Autobiog. 74 My Sisters..carried themselves very kindly to me. |
† c. intr. (for refl.) To behave. Obs.
| 1634–46 Row Hist. Kirk (1842) 95 He craved the advise of the Assemblie how to carie in the mater. 1673 O. Walker Education 285 It is an action of very great Prudence to carry even between adulation and sowreness. 1726 Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 269, I hope the youth will carry so as he may not be ashamed of the God of his fathers. |
† 34. to carry a hand (over, upon, to): to treat in a specified way; so to carry an eye on: to watch, oversee. Obs.
| 1596 J. Norden Progr. Pietie (1847) 22 We must carry a very short hand over our affections. 1622 Massinger, etc. Old Laws ii. ii, I'll carry an even hand to all the world. 1633 T. Stafford Pac. Hib. xxi. (1821) 215 To carrie a strict hand upon the Commissaries. 1646 Sir. T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. viii. 30 If any man..shall carry a wary eye on..many other. 1723 S. Morland Spec. Lat. Dict. 12 To Carry a severe Hand over any one. |
† 35. To wield; to carry a (great) stroke, to wield or have great influence. Obs.
| 1598 Barret Theor. Warres ii. i. 22 The Lieutenant..in the absence of his Captaine, carieth his roome, charge and command. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts Dan. xi. 4 To carry that sway and greatnesse w{supc}{suph} that great monarch bore before them. c 1645 Howell Lett. (1678) 205 My Lord Wentworth..carries a mighty stroke at Court. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. vi. x, Though Sulphur seem to carry the master stroak. 1651 Culpepper Astrol. Judgem. Dis. (1658) 6 The time of the year carries a great stroke in this businesse. |
36. Mil. To hold a weapon in the position for saluting.
| 1796 Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 239 Carry swords! Eyes—right! 1833 Ibid. i. 60 The men remain at ‘Carry Swords’, till ordered to ‘Slope’. 1844 Regul. & Ord. Army 265 Reliefs are to carry their Arms when passing Officers who are dressed in their Uniforms. 1859 F. Griffiths Artil. Man. (1862) 152 The officers recover and carry swords. |
*** With chief reference to sustaining.
37. to carry sail: said of a ship, or of those who work it. [F. charrier de la voile.]
| 1631 Massinger Emperor of E. iv. iii, You carry too much sail for your small bark. 1703 Burchett Naval Trans. v. xiii. (1720) 641 The Adventure..stood away with all the Sail she could carry. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xxvi. 103 ‘I fear, sir, we cannot carry the mainsail much longer.’ 1840 R. Dana Bef. Mast xxxi. 119 No one could say that he was slow to carry sail. |
38. a. To support, sustain the weight of, bear.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §530 Carry Camomile, or Wilde Thyme..upon sticks, as you do Hops upon Poles. 1831 Brewster Optics x. 93 An armed natural loadstone, which could carry 1½ Roman pounds. 1851 Ruskin Stones Ven. (1874) I. i. 30 Main arches..carried by..pillars. 1875 Buckland Log-Bk. 59 The thick skin which carries the hair. |
b. said of plants.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §425 They will put forth many, and so carry more Shoots vpon a Stemme. 1712 tr. Pomet's Hist. Drugs I. 2 This Plant..carries its Seed in little Bunches or Clusters on its Top. 1828 H. Steuart Planter's G. 368 The Trees of the present year..all carried a healthy leaf. |
c. To hold or keep on hand (securities, merchandise, a stock, etc.). orig. U.S.
| 1848 W. Armstrong Stocks 10 It is nominally considered that the stock is meanwhile ‘carried’ or possessed by the seller. 1869 J. H. Browne Gt. Metrop. iii. 48 (Funk), Operators can..carry such an amount of stocks as astounds the weaker ones of the street. 1870 J. K. Medbery Men & Myst. Wall St. 77 When a broker agrees to ‘carry’ stock, he says, Seven per cent, unless the market tightens. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 14 Jan. 8/3 The only remedy we see..is for the sufferers to carry smaller stocks. 1917 Twyford Purchasing & Storing 325 It is not economical to carry in stock several variations of articles of a similar nature. 1930 Publishers' Weekly 11 Jan. 214/1 Mr. Brady explained that he did not carry the book. 1963 J. Mitford Amer. Way Death 233 Casket and Sunnyside is carried in only six eastern libraries. |
d. To maintain or keep up with financial (or other) support. orig. U.S.
| 1879 Bradstreet's 8 Oct. 4/4 He is forced to pay on loans necessary to ‘carry’ the farmer. 1883 Harper's Mag. Nov. 877/2 The men of business..have for years carried the New York Academy of Music. 1917 Atwood Exch. & Specul. 51 In common parlance the customer trades on a ‘margin’. Expressed in another way the broker ‘carries’ the customer for all except a small part of the cost. 1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 19 Feb. 124/3 When the production period of capital goods ends, therefore, there will be no savings to ‘carry’ them, and the boom must end. 1944 Ann. Reg. 1943 157 The Central Government could not continue indefinitely to ‘carry’ a province to which Nature had given so generous a crop. 1947 J. Bertram Shadow of War vii. i. 211 If one man ‘swings the lead’ in a coal gang of four, the other three must ‘carry him’ by working all the harder. 1959 G. Slatter Gun in Hand ii. 23, I been carryin ya all mornin. |
† 39. To bear, endure, ‘take’ (anything grievous).
| 1583 Babington Commandm. (1590) 431 He is a slave to the thing that he gapeth for, and to make up his mouth he will cary any thing. 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. ii. 48 Mans Nature cannot carry Thaffliction nor the feare. 1679–1715 Burnet Hist. Ref. 351 Queen Anne did not carry her death so decently. |
40. a. To bear as a crop; to sustain, support (cattle). Also, to maintain (a population).
| 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 166 The foot of every brook..carries amazing crops of lint. 1846 Grote Greece (1862) II. xvi. 395 The cold central plain did not carry the olive. 1884 Times (weekly ed.) 12 Sept. 7/4 A grazing farm..which is said to carry 600 head of cattle. 1905 19th Cent. Nov. 816 Mackay, with back country carrying about 15,000 people. |
b. Of a journal, newspaper, etc.: to print (an article) in its pages. Also transf., to broadcast. orig. U.S.
| 1926 Publishers' Weekly 22 May 1676/1 There are many towns in which the newspapers do not carry book reviews. 1927 Ibid. 12 Feb. 609 Publishers' Weekly of January 8th carried a letter signed by a committee of the American Booksellers' Association..which commented adversely on the Literary Guild. 1929 E. Wallace Kennedy the Con Man iv. in Red Aces 178 We carry big ads. in all the papers. 1946 D. L. Sayers Unpopular Opinions 128 Any proposal to control the branded goods..will be violently opposed (on the loftiest hygienic grounds) by the papers that carry the branded advertising. 1957 BBC Handbk. 73 The Light Programme carries the People's Service in the morning and the ‘Sunday Half-hour’ of community hymn singing in the evening. Ibid. 170 The German Service carried programmes and discussions on this subject. |
41. To support (an inference, analogous case, etc.); to give validity to.
| 1835 I. Taylor Spir. Despot. vii. 298 The end being of infinite moment carries all means and makes all lawful. 1885 G. Denman in Law Times' Rep. LIII. 785/1 It is impossible to say that any one case is so in point as to carry this case. |
42. Cards. To retain the cards of one suit in one's hand, while those of another are thrown out.
| 1744 Hoyle Piquet ii. 9 Which of these suits are you to carry? 1820 Hoyle's Games Impr. 121 (Piquet), Suppose elder-hand, that you have the ace, queen, seven, eight and ten of clubs, also the ace, knave, seven, eight and ten of diamonds, etc., carry the ace, knave, etc. |
† 43. To have (specified dimensions). Obs. [So F. porter, ‘avoir telle dimension’.]
| 1601 Holland Pliny II. 574 Another Obeliske, which carried in length a hundred foot wanting one. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 382 The height of the West arched roofe..carrieth an hundred and two foot. 1670 R. Lassels Voy. Italy (1695) II. 60 The walls shew you what compass it carried. |
III. Combined with adverbs.
See also the preceding senses and the adverbs for non-specialized combinations.
44. carry about. a. See senses 1–3, and about.
| Mod. It is too valuable to carry about with you. |
b. trans. To move or drive hither and thither.
| 1539 Bible (Great) Ephes. iv. 14 Caryed aboute with euery wynde of doctrine. 1611 ― Hebr. xiii. 9 Be not caried about with diuers and strange doctrines. |
† c. To cause to revolve, set in motion. Obs.
| 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. (1703) 180 Wheels turn'd with Wind, Water, or Horses, to carry the Work about. |
45. carry along. See senses of carry and along.
| 1833 Chamb Jrnl. No. 70. 141 A stone bridge carrying along the road from Peebles to Selkirk. |
46. carry away. a. trans. = carry off, a.
| [c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. lxxiv, When that fell arrest Without all bail shall carry me away.] 1603 Florio Montaigne (1632) 432 A popular sickenesse..carried away an infinite number of persons. |
b. To move forcibly from the firm footing of reason and judgement.
| 1570 Huloet, This thing rauished or caried me awaye, whether I would or no. 1587 Golding De Mornay Pref. 1 Their reason is caried awaie and ouermaistered by the course of the world. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 151 ¶2 Woman-kind..are carried away with every Thing that is showy. 1879 Froude Cæsar xvii. 275 Carried away by the general enthusiasm for liberty. |
c. To break off and remove by force. Also, to lose by breakage; and intr. Chiefly Naut.
| 1537 Wriothesley Chron. (1875) I. 61 Carriinge a parte of the house awaye with him. 1703 Burchett Naval Trans. v. xxii. (1720) 723 The best Bouer Ancher carried away with a Shot. c 1750 Narrative Byron's Voy. 4 (L.) We carried away our mizen-mast. 1840 R. Dana Bef. Mast xv. 41 Her jib-boom ran between our..masts, carrying away some of our rigging. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. iii. (1856) 27 We ran into an iceberg..and carried away our jib-boom. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. s.v., That ship has carried away her fore top-mast. 1881 Daily News 9 June 5/4 Something may carry away on board the leading boat. |
† d. To win, gain for oneself, or as one would have it. Obs.
| 1581 Nowell & Day in Confer. i. (1584) C iiij, His wordes..were [not] of sufficient credite to carry away such a matter. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts Hebr. ii. 2 Every transgression..carryed away a terrible judgement from the just hand of God. 1677 Earl of Orrery Art of War 157 Whoever keeps in Reserve a Body of Men..rarely misses to carry away the victory. |
† e. to carry it away: to have the advantage, carry the day. Obs.
| 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus' Ann. xiii. vi. (1622) 187 This opinion carried it away. 1602 Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 377 Do the Boyes carry it away? 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts Matt. xxvi. 25 Doe not thinke that either thy secrecy or impudence can carry it away without notice. |
47. carry back. trans. To take back in time by process of thought or retrospective action.
| 1722 De Foe Plague (1756) 221 None knows how far to carry that back, or where to stop. 1876 Green Short Hist. ii. §7 (1882) 95 The legend..carries us back to the times of our own ælfred. |
48. carry forth. See simple senses and forth.
49. carry forward. trans. To transfer from one column, page, or book to its successor, or to the next account.
| 1839 Reply Lockhart's Pamph. 97 Carry forward {pstlg}41.478 15s. 5d. |
50. carry in. See senses 1–5, and in adv.
51. carry off. a. trans. To remove from this life, be the death of.
| c 1680 Temple Health & Long L. Wks. 1770 III. 275 Old Parr..might have..gone further, if the change of country diet and air for that of the town had not carried him off. 1710 Addison Tatler No. 221 ¶2 A Fever, which..at last carried him off. 1878 Seeley Stein III. 559 A serious cold, which in seven days carried him off. |
b. To win (the prize, honours, etc.: cf. 15); so to carry it off.
| 1828 Scott F.M. Perth vi, Some of those who think they carry it off through the height of their plumed bonnets. 1882 C. Pebody Eng. Journalism vii. 57 The North Briton carried off the palm. |
c. To cause to pass; to take away the adverse effect of; to render passable.
| 1715 Burnet Own Time II. 177 They promised..to carry off his impeachment with a mild censure. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola i. iii, A rapid intellect and ready eloquence may carry off a little impudence. 1879 M. E. Braddon Vixen III. 152, I have not enough diamonds to carry off black velvet. |
d. To bear it out, face or brave it out.
| a 1704 R. L'Estrange (J.) If a man carries it off, there is so much money saved. 1886 Stevenson Dr. Jekyll i. (ed. 2) 8 Frightened too..but carrying it off, sir, really like Satan. |
e. To take away, abduct, steal.
| 1817 Jane Austen Sanditon (1954) viii. 405 If she could not be won by affection, he must carry her off. 1829 Peacock Misf. Elphin xi. 141 The mountain sheep are sweeter, But the valley sheep are fatter; We therefore deemed it meeter To carry off the latter. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 423 A body of constables..carried off the actors to prison. 1969 G. Payton Payton's Proper Names 266/1 Lochinvar, the hero of a song in Scott's Marmion who carries off the fair Ellen at her wedding feast. |
52. carry on. a. trans. To continue or advance (a proceeding) from the stage already attained.
| 1649 Milton Eikon. Wks. 1738 I. 377 To carry on the solemn jest. 1774 J. Bryant Mythol. I. 374 Which..assisted to carry on the mistake. 1858 Trench Parables i. (1877) 68 They did but carry on the work which he had..begun. 1876 Green Short Hist. viii. §5 (1882) 511 Poetic Satire had become fashionable in Hall..and had been carried on vigorously by George Wither. |
b. To maintain, keep up, prevent from stopping.
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. ii. iii. 174 He..carries on the streame of his dispose, Without obseruance or respect of any. 1707 Floyer Pulse-Watch 32 The Circulation will be carry'd on more rarely. 1790 Paley Horæ Paul. i. viii, They carry on no connexion of argument. 1813 Jane Austen Pride & Prej. xii. 232 The conversation was carried on. 1856 Brewster Mart. Sc. ii. ii. (ed. 3) 125 We at the same time carried on a regular series of observations. 1877 Brockett Cross & Cr. 34 The conflict which has been carried on for nearly three hundred years. |
c. To practise continously or habitually; to conduct, manage, work at, prosecute.
| 1644 Sir H. Slingsby Diary (1836) 127 Carrying on his business with so much success. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 305 ¶5 The last War, which had been carried on so successfully. 1748 Anson's Voy. i. v. (ed. 2) 61 Besides the battery mentioned above, there are three other forts carrying on for the defence of the harbour. 1791 Smeaton Edystone L. §101 Plan for carrying on the works. 1802 M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. 217 His trial must be carried on in open day. 1884 Ld. Coleridge in Law Times Rep. 8 Mar. 45/1 Brickmaking, which is undoubtedly a business, was being carried on. |
d. intr. (orig. Naut.) To continue one's course, move on. Also, in military use, to continue as before, resume the former situation or occupation; to proceed to carry out instructions, to ‘go ahead’. Hence gen., to ‘keep going’, to persist; to make the best of things.
| 1832 Blackw. Mag. Apr. 643 Carry on, carry on; reef none, boy, none. 1840 R. Dana Bef. Mast xxxiii. 125 As we were going before it [the gale], we could carry on. 1853 De Quincey Sp. Mil. Nun Wks. III. 35 She carried on, as sailors say, under easy sail. 1909 Daily Chron. 24 July 4/4 ‘Carry on!’ is a word they have in the Navy. It is the ‘great word’ of the Service... To-morrow the workaday life of the Fleet begins again, and the word will be, ‘Carry on!’ 1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Tall Ship i. 14 The ship..began to heel slowly over. The Captain..raised the megaphone to his mouth. ‘Carry on!’ he shouted. ‘Every man for himself.’ 1915 A. D. Gillespie Lett. from Flanders (1916) 183 All except the officers were just carrying on as usual, which meant that, except for the sentries, you could see nothing except boots sticking out from the dug-outs. 1915 ‘Ian Hay’ First Hundred Thou. xiv. 190 ‘Do you understand my order?’ thundered the Colonel... ‘I do, sir,’ replied Blaikie politely, ‘but—’ ‘Then, for heaven's sake, carry on!’ 1919 ― Last Million vii. 97 I'm not one to ask for sympathy when there's others needs it more... Carry on—that's my motto! 1927 C. E. Montague Right off the Map 156 ‘We'll let the men carry on resting,’ said Willan. 1932 ‘F. Iles’ Before Fact xv. 261 Linda said..‘I want to talk to you.’ ‘Carry on, sergeant,’ said Mr. Thwaite amiably. 1940 War Illustr. 19 Jan. 623 But War caught these essential transport toilers at their job, and in the good British spirit they—not perhaps without an excusable grumble—felt they could but ‘carry on’. |
e. To continue a course of conduct or relations; esp. (colloq.) to behave or ‘go on’ in some conspicuous way which one does not more minutely characterize. Also spec. (a) To behave, esp. to speak, in a rowdy, excited, or bad-tempered way; (b) to engage in flirtation, esp. of a dishonourable nature, to have an affair (with).
| 1828 Mrs. Royall Black Bk. II. 27 They romped and squalled, and to use a Yankee phrase, ‘carried on’ at such a rate that he and Mrs. C. were greatly annoyed. 1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Cov. iii, How Lady Carmine's eldest daughter is carrying on with young Thriftless. 1863 Bates Nat. Amazon vii. (1864) 195 More drinking is then necessary..and thus they carry on for many days in succession. 1876 Besant & Rice Golden Butterfly xxxv, She and I carried on for a whole season. People talked. a 1876 E. Leigh Gloss. Cheshire (1877) 37 Carry on, v. ‘She carried on shameful’, i.e. she used very unladylike language, or she shewed bad conduct. 1886 Stevenson Dr. Jekyll iv. (ed. 2) 37 Stamping with his foot..and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman. 1892 R. L. Stevenson Uma i, in Illustr. London News 2 July 11/1 What's she carrying on about? Ibid. ii, 9 July 42/1 There was Adams in the middle, gone luny again, and carrying on about copra like a born fool. 1930 W. S. Maugham Cakes & Ale viii. 92 It was impossible that she could be ‘carrying on’ with Lord George. 1947 ‘N. Shute’ Chequer Board 4 She don't half carry on about the beer I drink. |
53. carry out. (See senses 1–5, and out.) † a. trans. To transport (the mind) in ecstasy or devotion. Obs.
| 1599 Davies Immort. Soul xxxv. (L.) These things transport and carry out the mind. 1639 Harvey in Carlyle Cromwell (1872) V. x. 154 His requests, wherein his heart was so carried out for God and His People. |
b. To conduct duly to completion or conclusion; to carry into practice or to logical consequences or inferences.
| 1605 Shakes. Lear v. i. 61 Hardly shall I carry out my side, Her husband being aliue. 1840 Fraser's Mag. XXII. 317 His jackass brother..‘carried out’, as the phrase now is, the principle so far that it drove him from the throne. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. ii. 117 Henry..proceeded to carry out his father's ultimate intentions. 1875 Jowett Plato's Crito (ed. 2) I. 391 The law which requires a sentence to be carried out. 1885 Sir H. Cotton in Law Rep. 30 Chanc. 13, I do not think that the cases..carry out the proposition for which he has cited them. |
c. to carry out one's bat (in Cricket): to leave the wickets (esp. at the close of the game) without being ‘out’. Also freq. with omission of out. So to carry one's bat through: to go in first and remain undismissed at the end of the innings.
| [1833 J. Mitford in Gentl. Mag. Sept. 236/1 Tom scored the amazing number of 95 runs in his first innings, and brought his bat out with him.] 1833 New Sporting Mag. Sept. 325 Take care..or through the game Your bat you will not carry. 1846 W. Denison Cricket: Sk. Players 18 Brown carried his bat out with 112 runs marked against his name. 1859 All Y. Round No. 13. 306 We had made our 80 runs in less than two hours, and carried out our bats. 1867 G. H. Selkirk Guide Cr. Ground ii. 23 If the player carrying his bat out was one of the two who first went in, he is said to have carried his bat through. 1882 Cliftonian June 228 The former carried his bat for a lucky 14. 1895 Westm. Gaz. 18 May 7/1 Grace has carried his bat twenty-two times when scoring centuries. 1933 D. L. Sayers Murder must Advertise xviii. 311 The satisfaction of carrying out his bat for 14. |
d. trans. To bear out (a corpse) for burial.
| 1526 Tindale Acts v. 6 And the yonge men roose vp..and caryed him out, and buryed him [so 1611]. 1832 Tennyson May Queen, New-Year's Eve 42 When I have said goodnight for evermore, And you see me carried out from the threshold of the door. |
54. carry over. a. trans. To influence (any one) to pass over to the other side.
| 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvii. IV. 64 To carry over a regiment or two would do more harm than good. Ibid. xxii, Marlborough had promised to carry over the army, Russell to carry over the fleet. |
b. To carry to a new account; to keep over to the next settling day on the Stock Exchange; to allow an account to remain open over the day when its settlement is due; also said of the debtors.
| 1745 De Foe's Engl. Tradesm. (1841) II. 19 Carried over {pstlg}10 14s. 2d. 1839 Reply Lockhart's Phamph. 13 Balance carried over..{pstlg}2932 4s. 4d. 1880 Standard 15 Dec, The charge for ‘carrying over’ English Railways advanced in the later hours. 1887 Daily News 26 Feb. 6 The smaller brokers and dealers were ‘carried over’ on sufferance. |
c. To transfer.
| 1889 E. Carpenter Civilis. iv. 105 The ideal passion of that period..was that of comradeship, or male friendship carried over into the region of love. |
55. carry through. trans. To conduct or bring safely through difficulties, or a crisis; to prosecute to the natural end.
| 1605 Shakes. Lear i. iv. 3 My good intent May carry through it selfe to that full issue For which I raiz'd my likenesse. 1832 Blackw. Mag. Jan. 67/2 It is by similar means that conservative meetings..may be carried through in every part of the country. 1863 tr. V. Hugo's Miserables viii. (ed. 7) 163 Impudence had carried him through before now. 1874 Act 37 & 38 Vic. xciv. §10 Such petition shall be presented, published and carried through. |
56. carry up. a. trans. To continue (building, etc.) to a given height.
| 1705 Stanhope Paraph. I. 80 For carrying up his Spiritual House. 1747 Col. Rec. Penn. V. 61 So much of the Buildings as was carried up before such Notice. 1876 Gwilt Archit. 566 Where walls..are to be carried up. |
b. To bring up (one portion of a series or subject) so as to preserve its due relation to the rest.
| 1630 Wadsworth Sp. Pilg. iii. 17 Wee march forth..by two and two, Father Thunder himselfe carrying vp the reare. 1817 Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. iii. 392 Unable to carry up its payment to the level of the taxation. |
c. To trace back in time.
| 1677 Hall Prim. Orig. Man. ii. ii, He carries up the Egyptian Dynasties before the Flood. 1862 Stanley Jew. Ch. (1877) I. iv. 64 The feud..is carried up by them to the feud between Joseph and his brethren. |
† d. To bear, holding up; to hold up. Obs.
| 1563 Foxe A. & M. (1596) 66/2 She was caried up from drowning. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iv. i. 51 She that carries vp the Traine. 1685 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) I. 340 These six persons following carried up the pall. |
e. = carry over or forward to the top of a new column, in accounts.
▪ II. carry, n.
(ˈkærɪ)
[f. prec. in various unconnected applications, of dialectal or technical origin.]
1. a. A means of transport; a vehicle. b. spec. ‘A two-wheeled barrow’ (Jamieson). Sc. and north. dial.
| 1605 Stowe Ann. 1272 On the last of March, Henry Barrow and John Grenewood were brought to Tyborne in a carry. 1820 Caldeonian Merc. 20 July, Alexander then asked the loan of her carrie. 1863 Atkinson Danby Provinc., Carry, a kind of waggon with solid floor but unplanked sides..Used for carting stone, wood, etc., and in hay and harvest time. 1887 Scott. Leader 20 May 4 One of the..horses..started, violently throwing Wilson on to the front of the ‘carry’. |
c. (See quot.)
| 1881 Antrim & Down Gloss. (E.D.S.) Carry, a weir or mill-lead. |
† 2. Falconry. Manner of carrying. Obs.
| 1618 Latham 2nd Bk. Falconry (1633) 90 Shee is a buzzard; shee is of a bad carry, he can make her do nothing. |
3. The position required by the command to ‘carry arms’; cf. carry v. 36.
| 1833 Regul. Instr. Cavalry i. 170 The lance to be brought to the ‘Carry’. |
4. a. The range (of a gun); cf. carry v. 9.
| 1858 Mayne Reid Oceola lxxxiii, Our position was beyond the ‘carry’ of their guns. |
b. Golf. The distance between the spot from which a ball is struck and that where it first lands; also, the trajectory of the ball. Cf. carry v. 9 b.
| 1887 W. G. Simpson Golf 112 Getting both hands well under the club also produces a low carry. 1890 H. G. Hutchinson Golf xvii. 445 Carry, the distance from the place where the ball is struck to the place where it pitches. Hence a long carry, and a short carry. 1896 W. Park Golf 104 A well hit drive should be almost all carry; the ball should not run any distance after it falls. Ibid. 262 A long carry or a short carry are used to signify the distance a ball must be lofted usually over a hazard. 1899 Golf Illustrated 29 Dec. 319/2 The carry alone is estimated to have been close on two hundred and fifty yards. 1953 B. Locke On Golf ii. xvi. 118 You must not take a divot with this shot, otherwise you will not get the loft and the carry needed. |
5. A portage between navigable rivers or channels U.S. and Canada. Cf. carriage.
| 1860 All Y. Round No. 75. 588 We crossed the carry at day-break. 1884 Harper's Mag. June 125/1 Boats came to St. Louis from Montreal with but few ‘portages’ or ‘carries’. |
6. a. The drift of the clouds as they are carried along by the wind. Sc.
| 1819 H. Busk Vestriad v. 870 Still towering, till the faithless currents change, And adverse carries floating hopes derange. 1828 J. Wilson in Blackw. Mag. XXIV. 292 The clouds are driving fast aloft in a carry from the sea. 1857 R. White Madeira 170 The direction of the wind..registered from the ‘carry’ of the lower strata of clouds. |
b. The clouds collectively, firmament, sky.
| 1788 Picken Poems 60 (Jam.), I min'..sin' he used to speel Aboon the carry. 1807–10 Tannahill Sleeping, Maggie, Mirk and rainy is the night, No a starn in a' the carry. |
7. a. gen. The action or an act of carrying; a posture or manner of carrying.
| 1880 G. Fraser Lowland Lore 134 She [sc. a hare] got a guid lang carry [in a sack]! 1925 E. F. Norton Fight for Everest: 1924 i. v. 117 We hoped that their [sc. porters] reluctance would be reduced..by the fact that the carry had now been once successfully accomplished. 1951 J. Frame Lagoon 66 I'm having first go, Minnie said. But I haven't even had a carry of it [sc. a kite], I protested. 1966 J. Chamier Cannonball i. 4 The barman, with the glass of vodka stopped dead in his carry. 1967 ‘G. Bagby’ Corpse Candle (1968) xiii. 165 Schmitty hung him over his shoulder in a comfortable carry. 1979 United States 1980/81 (Penguin Travel Guides) 624 Basque games and contests (50-pound carries, walking weight carries,..and a granite-ball lift). |
b. N. Amer. Football. An act or instance of carrying the ball in order to gain ground. Cf. rush n.2 3 a.
| 1949 Pittsburgh Press 6 Nov. 40/4 The 20-year-old junior from University City, Mo., averaged more than 10 yards a carry..at Harvard stadium. 1962 Springfield (Mass.) Republican 18 Nov. 131/2 Grisham, who outrushed the entire Missouri team by getting 116 yards on 23 carries, sparked the scoring drive with a 30 yard run. 1970 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 26 Sept. 36/5 Raimey..is leading the Eastern Football Conference in rushing. He has run for 571 yards, 6.9 a carry. 1984 News (Mexico City) 12 Mar. 30/1 Dupree's 11 carries made him the Breakers' most active rusher. |