▪ I. run, n.1
(rʌn)
Forms: α. 5 rune, 7 runne, 6– run. β. north. and Sc. 6–7 ryn, 6– rin. See also ren n.
[f. run v. The verbal stem is similarly employed in Fris. rin, Du. ren, G. renn.]
I. 1. a. A single act or spell of running. † a near run, a narrow escape, a close shave.
| c 1450 Mankind 603 (Brandl), I was twychyde by þe neke;..þe halter brast a sondre;..The halff ys a bowte my neke; we hade a nere rune. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 207 They who leape for strife use to go backe a great way, and fetch a runne. 1692 R. L'Estrange Fables i. cccxcvi, The Ass..fetches a Run at them Open Mouth. 1768 Ross Helenore ii. 89 Ralph, mean time, to the door comes wi' a rin. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xxx, Mr. Pickwick..took two or three short runs..and went slowly and gravely down the slide. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxii. 152 A deep wide channel..; with the aid of a run I cleared it and went on. 1892 Longman's Mag. Nov. 87 The fish appear very fastidious in choosing their time for a big ‘run’. |
| fig. 1713 Arbuthnot John Bull ii. vi, I wish you would talk of some other subject; the thoughts of it makes me mad; our family must have their run. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. xxx, I think of giving her a run in London for a change. 1886 Stevenson Kidnapped xxx, My eye would take a glad bit of a run over the prospect. |
b. A distance covered, or taking a certain time to cover, by running.
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. i. 16 Curtis. Who is that calls so coldly? Gru. A piece of Ice:..if thou doubt it, thou maist slide from my shoulder to my heele, with no greater a run but my head and my necke. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 126 The run seldom exceeds three or four miles. 1872 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 114/2 Within a few seconds' run of the station. |
c. A running away, a bolt.
| 1848 Dickens Dombey iv, If I didn't know he was too fond of me to make a run of it, and..enter himself aboard ship. |
d. to have a run for one's money, to have some kind of return or satisfaction for one's expenditure or exertions (orig. racing slang). to give (someone) a run for his money (colloq.), to give (that person) satisfaction or a good return for trouble taken; to offer (him) a strong challenge.
| 1874 Slang Dict. 274 To have a run for one's money is also to have a good determined struggle for anything. 1883 Daily Telegr. 28 Aug. 5/1 It does not always follow that the silly backers get a run for their money. The horse may..be scratched a few hours before the race. 1889 Pall Mall G. 19 Jan. 1/1 So far the Macmillans have had what is called in some circles a good run for their money. 1905 Athenæum 1 Apr. 397 We do not get the proper run for our money, if we may put it in sporting lingo. 1908 Chesterton Man who was Thursday xiii. 277 Since the beginning of the world all men have hunted me like a wolf... I have given them a good run for their money, and I will now. 1914 G. B. Shaw Dark Lady of Sonnets Pref. 108 If I had been born in 1556 instead of in 1856, I should have taken to blank verse and given Shakespear a harder run for his money than all the other Elizabethans put together. 1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin ix. 160 Most of them longed for run for their money... The graver possibilities of war did not intrude themselves upon their minds until long afterwards. 1920 A. Huxley Limbo 83 ‘We'll give you a good run for your money,’ said Hyman. ‘I hope they'll be feeling a little uncomfortable by the time they have done with you, Greenow.’ 1948 Sun (Baltimore) 26 Nov. 17/1 Backers of..Egretta, a stakes-winning filly, in the Endurance 'Cap did not get a run for their money. 1952 E. O'Neill Moon for Misbegotten i. 14 You're a wonderful fighter. Sure, you could give Jack Dempsey himself a run for his money. 1955 Times 27 Aug. 6/1 Pickering said that he was going..‘simply to satisfy the people of Bloxwich. They demand a run for their money and I will give it to them.’ 1976 J. Wainwright Bastard i. 13 The old Beetle punches the rear wheels into the softness and with good tyres..this bus could give a snow-cat a run for its money. |
e. Cricket. The act of running by the bowler to the bowling crease in delivering the ball; a run-up.
| 1836 New Sporting Mag. Oct. 358 The only fault is in his taking too long a run before he delivers the ball. 1891 W. G. Grace Cricket ix. 240 When Smith begins his run he is behind the umpire and out of sight of the batsman... It is rather startling when he suddenly appears at the bowling crease. 1904 P. F. Warner How We recovered Ashes i. 22 With a short run Relf bowls a fast medium ball. 1976 J. Snow Cricket Rebel 77, I finished the match with ten wickets—the five in the second innings off a short run—for 80 runs. |
f. U.S. A movement of settlers to new land; = rush n.2 4 a.
| 1894 Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Okla.) 30 Apr. 2/1 Buckskin Joe and his followers are camped at Marlow preparatory to making a run on the Fort Sill country tomorrow. 1901 World's Work June 894/1 Hitherto the settlers made a ‘run’ for the homesteads. 1930 Publishers' Weekly 8 Feb. 697 On April 22, 1889, this strip was opened up with the land rush known as the famous Oklahoma Run. 1948 Daily Oklahoman (Okla. City) 16 May e 3/2 The nine great land openings began in 1889 with the ‘run’ into the area now occupied by Oklahoma City, Guthrie, Norman, Stillwater and other cities. |
2. a. Cricket. An act of running successfully from one popping-crease to the other by both batsmen, counting as an addition of one to the score. Also Comb.
| 1746 in ‘Bat’ Cricket Man. (1850) 80 Runs..40. 1772 in Waghorn Cricket Scores 87 Last Thursday Dartford headed Chatham just the same number of runs... Bell and Twinkler made many runs. 1843 Blackw. Mag. LIV. 171 In spite of Hanmer's steady bowling, they got runs pretty fast. 1859 All Year Round No. 13. 306 We had made our 80 runs in less than two hours. |
| Comb. 1853 F. Lillywhite Guide to Cricketers 32 He is a splendid field anywhere, and one of the most sure run getters to be met with. 1867 Baily's Monthly Mag. July 250 The wickets good, and the ground in splendid order for run-getting. Ibid. Dec. 137 Harrow had not a great run-getting Eleven this year. 1877 London Society May 416/2 The run-stealer's heart would surely be broken in his first innings. 1881 Standard 14 June 3/8 Such a breakdown on a run-getting wicket was without excuse. 1884 Lillywhite's Cricket Ann. 25 Neither of them quite as reliable run-getters. Ibid. 65 A match evenly drawn, after some heavy run-getting. a 1907 F. Thompson Sel. Poems (1908) p. viii, And I look through my tears on a soundless-clapping host As the run-stealers flicker to and fro. 1921 G. R. C. Harris Few Short Runs iv. 95 We..got two of their best bats caught..by George Remnant—one of the finest fields I ever saw, and in second-class matches a wonderful run-getter. 1934 Blunden Mind's Eye 186 The pair amuse themselves and astonish us with slogging and run-stealing. 1950 Sport 7–11 Apr. 11/3 Our batsmen will find run-getting more easy. 1963 Times 17 Apr. 3/1 P. K. Thomas, a consistent run-scorer in the Colts, is expected to mature with the first XI experience. 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai xii. 209 It was an era of run-getters. 1976 0–10 Cricket Scene (Austral.) 7/1 His career Test aggregate of 5187 leaves him fourth on the Australian run-gathering list, among the elite. 1977 Sunday Times 2 Jan. 28/3 Australia's reaction..was to score at a run-a-minute rate. |
b. Baseball. (See quots.) Also Comb.
| 1856 Spirit of Times 6 Sept. 13/3 At the time of the adjournment the score stood fifteen runs in favor of the Union, and twelve runs for the Baltic. 1858 By-Laws Knickerbocker Base-Ball Club of N.Y. 20 The game shall consist of nine innings to each side, when, should the number of runs be equal, the play shall be continued until a majority of runs, upon an equal number of innings, shall be declared, which shall conclude the game. 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 407/1 A run is scored when any base-runner reaches the home base again, after touching all the other bases in proper succession, and provided three players are not put out. 1886 F. H. Burnett Ld. Fauntleroy vi, Once round the field is a home run and counts one. 1891 Harper's Weekly 23 May 391/4 As for Poole, he is the same ‘run-getter’ that he was last year. 1970 Washington Post 30 Sept. d1/2 But the Twins came back to tie it 11–11 in their half on run-scoring singles by Cardenas and Chuck Manuel. |
c. Croquet. The passage of a ball under a bridge or hoop. Cf. run v. 37 d.
| 1863 Mayne Reid Croquet 34 If a ball, after running a bridge, strike an obstacle, and recoil back through the bridge, the run remains good. |
3. a. A spell of riding after hounds or in a race.
| 1812 Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 56 A real Lincolnshire run at a good hunting pace. 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports ii. ii. ii. 383/2 To guard against this, the owner of the colt should always be ready to sacrifice his own place in the run [steeplechase]. 1875 W. S. Hayward Love agst. World 2 You could never show me your horse's heels in a run yet. |
b. A round of running at hare-and-hounds. Also, the course taken by the harriers.
| 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. vii, Which run is it?.. The Barby run,..nine miles at least, and hard ground. 1897 Academy 30 Oct. 348/1, I cut football,..and said I had a sore heel so as not to be run in for Tuesday's run. |
4. a. A spell of sailing, esp. between two ports. Also in Comb., as run-boat U.S., a boat which collects or transports the catch made by marine fishing vessels; also transf.
| 1712 W. Rogers Voy. round World Introd. (1718) 10 The general Distemper in such long Runs is the Scurvy. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 26 We made pretty good Runs under an easy Sail. 1851 Melville Whale xiv. 69 After a fine run we safely arrived in Nantucket. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 171 After a first-class run, poor Grant made the light, sometime after nightfall. 1911 Rudder Aug. 49/2 The run-boats, in the local vernacular, are schooners mostly, about 60 to 70 feet on deck, and merely run back and forth between the dredging fleet and Baltimore. 1935 Sun (Baltimore) 6 Feb. 13/6 Most of the catch is brought to Crisfield in large run⁓boats, sent to the fishing grounds by fish dealers here. 1941 Ibid. 17 Mar. 11/3 Large dealers here go down the bay in run-boats to buy from the catchers. 1967 Washington Star (Sunday Mag.) 25 June 11 The Jessie Taylor out of Smith Island, Md., is typical of the ‘runboats’ that bring the seafood to town. 1974 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) ii. 13/2 He told me he'd run aground in his private ‘run boat’. |
b. In phr. by the run (see quots.).
| 1758 J. Blake Mar. Syst. 44 It is customary in the West-Indies..to hire mariners by the run-home. Ibid. 46 It is proposed that all contracts and bargains by the run be made illegal. 1808 T. Clarkson Abol. Slave Trade I. xv. 327 The seamen belonging to them were to be permitted to come home by what is usually called the run. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. s.v., Seamen are said to be engaged by the run, when they ship with the intention of leaving the vessel at a certain port of destination. |
c. An excursion, trip; a rapid journey accompanied by a short stay at a place. Now freq. an excursion or drive by car or bicycle. Also in phr. run ashore (Naut.), a brief period of shore leave; also (with hyphen) attrib.
| 1819 H. Cockburn Let. 8 Oct. (1932) 18, I also took a run t'other day to Blair Adam. 1854 Greenwood Haps & Mishaps 89 After a short run on the rail we took a stage-coach. 1881 Sportsman's Year-bk. 199 Bicycle Touring Club... The members..enjoy Club runs or tours without the heavy outlay attendant on forming a small local Club. 1886 C. E. Pascoe London of To-day vii. (ed. 3) 86 Other garrisons generally manage during those weeks to get a day or two's leave for ‘a run up to town’. 1902 C. L. Freeston in Harmsworth Motors & Motor-Driving xxi. 388 Several tours and runs also took place, the anniversary run to Southsea..being an enormous undertaking. 1912 Motor Man. (ed. 14) v. 163 Never start on a run without being assured that there is ample oil. 1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 159 Run ashore, a short evening's shore leave. 1959 Motor Man. (ed. 36) xii. 259 A party in an ordinary family car..can count its daily run, including stops, at a kilometre a minute. 1977 Navy News June 8/2 It was certainly a good run ashore for the ship's company, with the Principality of Monaco granting free admission to many places of interest. Ibid. Aug. 31/2 Also ‘out of this world’ are the run-ashore opportunities. |
d. A single journey made by a locomotive engine; the distance thus traversed.
| 1857 Lawrence (Kansas) Republican 4 June 2 The train..made a quick and pleasant run, arriving in Jefferson City promptly in time. 1870 in De Vere Americanisms 360 Engineers and firemen often arrive at the end of their run somewhere among the small hours of night. 1872 Ibid., The railway officials..state that the run will be made in so many hours. 1889 Spectator 12 Oct., The Great Northern can claim..the fastest run. |
e. A brisk walk or perambulation. Now usu., a dog's exercise walk.
| 1837 W. Tayler in J. Burnett Useful Toil (1974) ii. 178, I am obliged to stay within to help the sick. This is what I don't like as I like to get a run everyday when I can. 1871 ‘L. Carroll’ Through Looking-Glass iv. 79 ‘O Oysters,’ said the Carpenter, ‘You've had a pleasant run! Shall we be trotting home again?’ 1967 P. Moyes Murder Fantastical viii. 106 ‘What on earth made you go off down to the river on your own?’ ‘I was only giving Tinker her run... There was no need to come after me.’ 1977 ‘J. Bell’ Such Nice Client viii. 83, I was giving Caesar a very short run on the lead. |
f. A single trip on a toboggan, sleigh, etc., down a slope or course. Cf. sense 23 d below.
| 1898 Encycl. Sport II. 473/2 A good average run down the Cresta course takes 75 seconds. 1919 [see luge n.]. 1935 Encycl. Sports 178/2 The art of making good time on a run is acquired by long study of the ten banked turns. 1956 Ski-ing (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) 22/1 If the run is made too early, the snow will be as hard as iron. 1976 F. Raphael Glittering Prizes 57 I'll make the first run. You grab the stop watch and bugger off down to the bottom of the hill, OK? |
g. Mil. An offensive operation, spec. an attack by sea or air. See also bomb run s.v. bomb n. 6, dummy run s.v. dummy n. 7 b. Also transf.
| 1916, etc. [see dummy run s.v. dummy n. 7 b]. 1941 Flight 13 Mar. 204/2 The bomber had successfully bombed its target on the first run; another run was then made and incendiaries started small fires. 1944 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 12 Apr.–26 Sept. 43 (caption) The aircraft is seen making its second run over the target. 1948 Auden Age of Anxiety i. 18 We began our run; Death and damage darted at our will. 1963 Listener 4 Apr. 585/2 Our patrol car got the call as ‘shots fired’, with the address given. My partner and I responded. In such radio ‘runs’ you never know what to expect. 1975 J. Grady Shadow of Condor vi. 109 The CIA agent..tips us to another run, which we intercept. 1977 Time 30 May 46/3 For the climactic battle sequence, which includes dogfights in space and missile runs on the Death Star, Lucas gathered all the old war movies he could find and spliced together their aerial-combat footage. |
h. A single or regular journey made by an aircraft; the distance thus travelled.
| 1912 Kipling Diversity of Creatures (1917) 4 DeForest, whose business it is to know the out districts, told us that it..was about half an hour's run from end to end. 1944 [see milk-run s.v. milk n. 10]. 1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose i. 3, I was on the Sydney–Melbourne run. 1976 Daily Mirror 16 July 2/1 President Amin's jet airliner was poised last night to take off for Uganda..on a whisky run. |
i. A regular round (freq. one accomplished by means of a vehicle). Also in phrases mail-run s.v. mail n.3 4 b, milk-run s.v. milk n. 10, paper run s.v. paper n. 12.
| 1925 N. & Q. 21 Mar. 208/1 In the dairy trade phrases such as ‘He has a milk-run’ or, ‘he has a milk-walk’ or ‘he has a milk-round’ are common. 1946 [see mail-run s.v. mail n.3 4 b]. 1968 K. Weatherly Roo Shooter 38 At night when they had done the evening run on their traps they would return home. 1978 Oxf. Diocesan Mag. July 16/3 A Soup run was established, operating four nights a week, and we have made contact with up to forty people in derelict property in and around the town centre. |
5. † a. The total amount of the cargo carried by a vessel on a single voyage. Obs.
| 1795 Scots Mag. LVII. 132/1 His Lordship's enquiry into the monopolizing arts of buying bread-corn out of coasting vessels, by what is called the run. |
b. A landing of smuggled goods.
| 1832 Times 30 Oct. 2/6 A run of illicit goods having been effected near Bexhill on Monday night. 1895 Stoker Watter's Mou' 4 Keep careful watch to-night; run expected. |
6. a. A rapid course; esp. with a run, rapidly, with a rapid fall. (Cf. 29 d.)
| 1822 J. Flint Lett. fr. Amer. 86 On the 11th we went down Letart's rapids, a very violent run. 1840 Marryat Poor Jack i, The lanyard of the cot gave way, and she came down with a run by the head. 1866 Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. xxi, I shall go down in your opinion with a run.., like the hall clock..when the spring broke. 1895 Daily News 13 Sept. 2/6 Cheese fell slowly last year, but this year values have come down with a run. |
b. Mining. (See quots.)
| 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., Run, certain accidents to the winding apparatus. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal-mining, Run,..a breakaway upon an inclined-plane. |
7. a. Skating. (See quot.)
| 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports 523/1 This is the most simple form of skating, and is called the ordinary run, or inside edge forward. |
b. Golf. A stroke in which the ball is made to run along the ground.
| 1901 Scotsman 5 Sept. 7/3 He followed up by a fine run to within a yard of the pin. |
8. With advbs., as run-in, run-off, run-out, run-over, run-up.
II. 9. a. A small stream, brook, rivulet, or watercourse; a channel or overflow. Chiefly U.S. and north. dial.
| β 1581 Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1882) 557 Edward Galbrayth having oft tymes desyrit ane tak of the commodity of the rin of the said loch. 1643 Rec. Elgin (New Spalding Cl.) I. 276 The counsell appoyntis theis that castis the ryn of Lossie to haue for ilk ruid thairof that thai cast 26s. 8d. 1808 Jamieson, Rin,..a stream. Ibid., A rin of watter, a waterfall. |
| α 1605 Rosier Waymouth's Voy. (Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc.) 146 Searching up in the island, we saw it [a pond] fed with a strong run. 1652 Virginia St. Papers (1875) I. 1 On the Eastward side of a Runne, which falles into ye head of Ware River. 1703 W. Dampier Voy. III. i. 31 There is..a Run of Water in the bottom, which empties it self into a fine small Cove or sandy Bay. 1768 Boswell Corsica 36, I remember on the road between Rome and Naples, a run from a sulphureous spring. 1808 Pike Sources of Mississ. (1810) ii. 191 We struck on a brook which led west,..and shortly came to a small run, running west. 1863 Kingsley Water-Bab. 132 He swam to the shore and met the light as it stopped over a shallow run at the edge of a low rock. 1877 Marcus Clarke Australia & Tasm. 24 This interesting exploration discovered several ‘runs’ of fresh water around the bays. |
b. A flow or current of water; a strong rush or sweep of the tide, etc.
| 1814 Scott Diary 2 Sept. in Lockhart, In the passage or sound between Scarba and the extremity of Jura, is a terrible run of tide. 1856 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XVII. ii. 404 This will only happen where there is a summer run of water. 1887 Stevenson Merry Men iii, Already along the curve of Sandag Bay there was a splashing run of sea. |
c. A flow of sand; a slip, slide, sudden fall of earth. Chiefly Mining.
| 1854 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XV. ii. 426 [He] stopped the mischief with thin parings of turf placed over the joints where the run of sand was found. 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts III. 294 The working..has opened up enormous excavations; whence disastrous ‘runs’ have taken place in the mines. 1897 Archæol. Jrnl. Dec. 375 There are conditions where the flints are buried in the ‘head’ or ‘rain wash’, or ‘run o' th' hill’. |
d. A downward flow or trickle of paint when applied too thickly; the action of paint in ‘running’. Cf. run v. 22 b.
| 1935 J. Lawrence Painting A to Z xi. 103 Don't leave the quirks swimming in paint, or it will wrinkle, or perhaps even run down into the lower mouldings, and leave a ‘run’. 1951, 1958 [see curtain n.1 1 e]. 1975 Amer. Speech 1969 XLIV. 24 Run, n., the action of paint when it is applied too heavily; it can't adhere to the wall surface and begins to stream down the wall. |
† 10. A running sore. Obs.—0
| 1648 Hexham ii, Een loopende gat, ofte Fistel, a Fistula or a Run. |
11. † a. A rhythmical flow of verse. Obs. rare. (Cf. 29 b.)
| 1693 Dryden Exam. Poet. Ess. (ed. Ker) II. 10 To give my poetry a kind of cadence, and, as we call it, a run of verse. ― Disc. Satire ibid. 85 Lucilius..minded neither his style, nor his numbers, nor his purity of words, nor his run of verse. |
b. (After Gael. ruith.) A rapidly recited passage of measured and alliterative prose, characteristic of Gaelic folk-tales.
| 1891 A. MacDougall Folk & Hero Tales 260 Both terms convey the same meaning, and either..preserves the alliteration and rhythm of the run well enough. |
12. Mus. a. A roulade.
| 1835 Penny Cycl. III. 527/1 Purcell,..in a wretched endeavour to express descent, writes for the base a run of notes from D above to D below the staff. 1876 Stainer & Barrett Dict. Mus. Terms s.v., Except for the purpose of training the voice, runs may be said to be out of fashion. 1878 M. W. Hungerford Molly Bawn xiii, I like something I can understand, and I hate your runs and trills. |
b. (See quot.)
| 1895 Funk's Standard Dict., Run,..the sound of an organ-pipe caused by leakage of air into the pipe. |
III. 13. a. A continuous stretch of something.
| 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. Contents, Shewing there would be no run of unmade time between two worlds, nor formerness nor afterness. 1719 W. Wood Surv. Trade 139 Some of our Colonies..suffer particular Planters to keep great Runs of Land in their Possession uncultivated, on purpose to prevent New Settlements. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 555 All angles within the building, if oblique,..are allowed for, under the head of run of cut splay. 1837 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 24/2 During last winter I made use of this boiler; it heated 448 feet run of 3 and 4 inch iron-pipe. 1867 F. Francis Angling i. (1880) 50, I was fishing a very promising run of trout and grayling water. |
b. A continued spell or course of some condition or state of things.
| 1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. ii. 195 Men of the slowest parts..have very often..a smooth run of business. Ibid. 280 Wicked men have..a continu'd run of success. 1732 Acc. Workhouses 111 A run of the small-pox through the town in 1725, and an epidemical disease in..1727 and 1728. 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Note-bks. (1871) IV. 284 They had a fine run of custom. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting vii. 269 We have had a long-continued run of the loveliest weather that ever poor mortal was blessed with. 1884 M{supc}Carthy Four Georges I. xiv. 294 Hardly ever since Walpole's time, has a minister had so long a run of power. |
c. A course or spell of (good or ill) fortune, esp. in games of chance.
| 1697 Vanbrugh æsop iv. ii, Forced to cut down his Timber, which he would willingly preserve against an ill run at dice. 1759 Sterne Tr. Shandy ii. v, As the dice took a run against him. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia iv. iii, He had had the preceding night an uncommon run of luck. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's x, I believe in luck myself—in a good or bad run of luck at cards. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xx. IV. 517 The smallest gain was welcome to those whom a long run of evil fortune had discouraged. 1884 Ruskin Wks. (1908) XXXIV. 654 They have had a run of ill-luck since. |
d. Mining and Geol. A continuous vein of rock or ore; (see also quot. 1747).
| 1747 Hooson Miner's Dict. s.v., A Run..is always a Branch that flies out of a Vein or Pipe, or lies near to it on one side. 1839 H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall, etc. iii. 88 Taking general lines of lamination and runs of greenstone as guides. 1865 J. T. F. Turner Slate Quarries 18 The various ‘runs’ have each their characteristics, and an observant quarrier will tell immediately whence a given slate came; naming the run [etc.]. 1882 U.S. Rep. Prec. Met. 636 Between walls of true country rock, termed the ‘runs’. |
| Comb. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 93 This run washing was chiefly up Hilder Ravine, where bank had very little of top or poorest gravel. |
e. Oil Industry. (A distance drilled during) a spell of drilling with a particular bit.
| 1880 J. F. Carll Geol. Oil Regions xxviii. 310 The engineer examines the steam and the water gauges and the fire, and then proceeds to sharpen the tool required for the next ‘run’. 1946 M. C. Seamark in Mod. Petroleum Technol. (Inst. Petroleum) 94 Cores of 10–20 feet can be taken at one ‘run’. 1974 R. D. Grace in P. L. Moore et al. Drilling Practices Man. xiv. 354 Bit records of that time [sc. the late 1940s] were filled with typical runs of only five to ten feet in four to five hours at depths below 10,000 feet. |
f. A length of electric wiring; a distance covered by uninterrupted cable.
| 1905 C. C. Metcalfe Pract. Electr. Wiring i. 5 If the run is this length..a conductor of greater sectional area, with a negligible resistance, should be used. 1938 J. W. Sims Elect. Installations vii. 128 Special care should be taken to avoid metallic obstructions inside the conduit..and bushes should be fitted at the end of a run. 1957 A. L. Osborne Elect. in Building ii. 20 By eliminating long unbroken cable runs, voltage drop within the building is not likely to occur. 1970 J. Earl Tuners & Amplifiers iv. 94 Use 15-ampere cables for runs in excess of 10 ft. |
g. A tear in a knitted garment or stocking; = ladder n. 3 b. Also attrib. and Comb. Cf. runner 9 d.
| 1922 M. B. Houston Witch Man xii. 146 She looked the suit over, darned a tiny run in the tights, [etc.]. 1933 Radio Times 14 Apr. 95, I had an awful ladder in my stocking... I scarcely ever have a run now. 1936 G. G. Denny Fabrics (ed. 3) i. 104 Run resist, knitting process which locks stitches to reduce runs in hosiery and under⁓wear. 1938 O. Nash I'm Stranger here Myself 173 She stopped to moisten her finger on account of a run in her stocking. 1938 ‘E. Queen’ Four of Hearts iv. 67 You've got a run in your stocking. 1938 Knit Goods Weekly 15 Aug. 11 These hosiery finishes bind fibre to fibre..strengthen the fabric..make it snag-resistant, run-resistant..add miles more wear. 1939 Business Week 27 May 32/1 Merchants..seem not at all worried about the inroads that this really run-resistant hosiery might make in total sales volume. 1951 in M. McLuhan Mech. Bride (1967) 95 Ivory Flakes care helps safeguard sheerest nylons from embarrassing, eye-catching runs. 1957 M. B. Picken Fashion Dict. 279/2 Run-proof, a knitted construction where locked loops prevent a run. Run resist, a type of knitting with loops so constructed as to resist the tendency to run. 1969 Sears Catal. Spring/Summer 409 Run-resistant mesh-knit seamless stretch nylons. 1970 Focus June 15/2 The term run-resist is used on the advice of hosiery trade associations, as an ‘out’ under the Trade Descriptions Act, 1968. 1973 ‘E. McBain’ Let's hear It x. 146 She's noisy and vulgar; there are runs in her nylons. 1974 H. L. Foster Ribbin' v. 186 A female student may have a run in her stockings and will be ribbed about it. |
14. a. A continuous series or succession. Also spec. (see quot. 1870).
| 1709 Tatler No. 86 ¶4 When we came to Temple-bar, Sir Harry and Sir Giles got over; but a Run of the Coaches kept the rest of us on this Side the Street. 1740 Cibber Apol. (1756) I. 310, I could never hear that upon an ill run of audiences they had ever returned or brought in a single shilling. 1774 G. White Selborne lviii, Such a run of wet seasons, a century or two ago, would, I am persuaded, have occasioned a famine. 1870 Hardy & Ware Mod. Hoyle, Cribbage 78 Sequences or ‘Runs’ consist of three or more cards following in consecutive order. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. III. 26 The cases are apt to occur, as it were, in runs. |
b. A shoal of fish in motion, esp. ascending a river from the sea for spawning.
| 1820 W. Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. II. 214 A large tribe passing from one place to another..is denominated a ‘run of fish’. 1873–86 S. F. Baird in Goode Amer. Fishes (1888) 94 [The scuppaug] arrives in successive detachments or ‘runs’ differing in size, the smallest fish coming last. |
c. A set or series of consecutive numbers of a periodical publication.
| 1889 J. Parker & Co.'s List of Books wanted, Mind, A Set, or Runs. 1898 Author's Circular 10 Mar. 2/3 Wanted, a run of the Field Newspaper from 1885. |
d. U.S. Of millstones: (see quot. 1848).
| 1798 Rec. Smithtown, N.Y. (1898) 351 The grist mill house..[will] carry three run of stones with three Bolting mills. 1815 Niles' Weekly Reg. IX. 187/1 The whole expense in generating steam sufficient to drive two run of stones upon this principle will not exceed two hundred and twenty dollars. 1828–32 in Webster. 1848 Bartlett Dict. Amer. 281 A pair of mill-stones is called a run of stones when in operation or placed in a mill. The Rochester flouring mills have ten or twenty run of stones. 1885 U. S. Grant Mem. I. 493 Every plantation..had a run of stone, propelled by mule power, to grind corn for the owners and their slaves. |
e. Mining. A train or set of trams in a pit.
| 1883 Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal-Mining. |
f. pl. with the. An attack of diarrhoea. colloq.
| 1962 E. Lacy Freeloaders vii. 147 I'd picked up a touch of ‘la tourism’ or in basic English, the runs, from..the unwashed fruit. 1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 91 Go like a bookie wit' ther runs, to move very fast. 1971 B. Malamud Tenants 214 Sam Clemence, a witness from Harlem U.S.A., despite a bad case of the runs.., stands up for his friend Willie. 1976 U. Holden String Horses ix. 112 ‘What can she do Lil? Please help.’ ‘There's nothing. Pills will only give her the runs. I don't hold with that abortion lark.’ |
15. a. A series or rush of sudden and pressing demands made upon a bank or treasury for immediate payment. Also spec. a sudden movement on the part of foreign depositors to withdraw their holdings of a nation's currency by exchanging them for equivalent sums in other currencies. Freq. const. on.
| a 1692 H. Pollexfen Disc. Trade (1697) 73 Any jealousie or suspicion that they shall not have Money for such Bills on Demand, will occasion a general run. 1727 Pope & Gay What passed in London Swift's Wks. 1751 VI. 265 The Tories and Jacobites, to whom he imputed that sudden Run upon the Bank, which happened on this occasion. 1776 Adam Smith W.N. i. v. (1904) I. 49 When a run comes upon them, they sometimes endeavour to gain time by paying in sixpences. 1802 Edinb. Rev. I. 193 A more permanent cause of a run upon the Bank of England for specie. 1834 Gilbert Hist. Banking 24 In the year 1667 occurred the first run of which we have any account in the history of banking. 1880 Fraser's Mag. May 679 If a run set in, no bank in the world could escape stoppage, no reserve could face it. 1891 G. Clare Money-Market Primer vii. 59 Country bankers,..fearing that the shock to confidence may cause a ‘run’ on the part of their depositors, telegraph to London for more notes. 1932 P. Einzig Tragedy of Pound vii. 65 In July [1931] the failure of the Nordwolle and other commercial firms resulted in a run on several German banks. 1955 H. Wilson in Hansard Commons 10 June 148 More confidence has been given to the speculators, and therefore the run on sterling has temporarily stopped. 1964 S. Brittan Treasury under Tories vi. 189 Mr Thorneycroft responded to the run on the pound with his famous deflationary package. 1976 Economist 16 Oct. 23/3 The Bank of England reacted to the March run on sterling by using up reserves and borrowing money to try to check the exchange rate collapse. |
| transf. 1833 J. H. Newman Arians i. ii. (1876) 26 Causing a sudden run upon his resources, which the circumstances of time and place do not allow him to meet. |
b. An extensive or well-sustained demand for something. Const. on.
| 1816 Jane Austen Emma II. vi. 97 A couple of pair of post-horses were kept, more for the convenience of the neighbourhood than from any run on the road. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxviii [xxix], Some accidental circumstances had occasioned what is called a run upon the road, and the landlord could not accommodate her with a guide and horses. 1846 Dickens Cricket on Hearth i. 32 ‘Busy just now, Caleb?’ asked the Carrier. ‘Why, pretty well, John... There's rather a run on Noah's Arks at present.’ 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab., Run on sorts, an extraordinary demand for any particular letter or letters in composing. |
c. Gaming. A continued spell of chance falling on a particular colour, etc.
| 1826 Disraeli Viv. Grey v. vi, There has been a run on the red. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis xxxviii, A confounded run on the red had finished him, he said, at Baden Baden. |
d. A concourse or resort of customers, etc.
| 1844 W. Cross Disruption xviii. (E.D.D.), The meal ye sent me wasna according to sample;..it has done my run mair ill than it was worth. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis xxiii, There was such a run to see the new folks, that the Low Church was deserted. |
† 16. A persistent set against, or attack upon, some thing or person. Obs.
| 1719 Swift Lett. to Young Clergyman Wks. 1751 V. 26 You cannot but have..observed, what a violent Run there is among too many weak People against University Education. a 1763 Earl Waldegrave Mem. (1821) 121 At the late change of administration, when there was a violent run against him. a 1779 Warburton Notes on Pope (Todd), He bade him not be discouraged at this run upon him; for..mere wit and raillery could not hold it out long against a work of so much learning. |
17. a. A success with the public, so as to be extensively bought or run after.
| a 1719 Addison (J.), It is impossible for detached papers to have a general run or long continuance, if not diversified with humour. 1749 Chetwood Gen. Hist. Stage 19 This double Play was performed on two succeeding Nights, and had a very great Run (a Theatrical Term). 1771 Luckombe Hist. Print. 227 Among the Irregular Bodied sorts of Letter, none has taken so great a run as Small Pica. 1818 Cobbett Pol. Reg. XXX. 9 If you were to go to London,..and become a seller of glass, do you not think that your glass would have a run? 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xix. IV. 351 A History of the Bloody Assizes..was expected to have as great a run as the Pilgrim's Progress. 1885 ‘F. Anstey’ Tinted Venus 67 I've been thinking out a machine..that ought to have an extensive run. |
† b. Amount of export from a place. Obs.
| 1789 J. Williams Min. Kingd. I. 167 The run of coals from Newcastle and Sunderland has been..very great for above fifty years. |
18. a. A continuous period of being represented on the stage. (Cf. 26 b.)
| 1714 Addison Spect. No. 592 ¶2 Several of them lay it down as a Maxim, That whatever Dramatick Performance has a long Run, must of Necessity be good for nothing. 1756 C. Smart tr. Horace, Sat. i. x. (1826) II. 83 These satires, which can neither be recited in the temple of Apollo.., nor can have a run over and over again represented in the theatre. 1837 Lockhart Scott IV. vii. 228 The Rob Roy had a continued run of forty-one nights. 1857 A. Mathews Tea-Table T. I. 38 This comedy..had a lengthened run. 1896 Mary Anderson Few Mem. vi. (ed. 2) 89 Each week brought..a round of new plays to these companies (long runs were almost unheard-of then). |
b. transf. A period of continuing in favour with, or remaining open to, the public.
| 1884 Manch. Guard. 22 Sept. 5/4 The International Textile Exhibition..closed yesterday..after a run of something like six weeks. 1885 Manch. Exam. 11 Nov. 3/2 A work which after a few weeks' run at the circulating libraries is ignored and forgotten. |
19. a. A spell of making or allowing something liquid to run; the amount run off at one time; spec. the amount of sap drawn off when sugar maples are tapped; the amount of maple sugar produced at one time. Also (Oil Industry), the action of transferring a quantity of oil through a pipeline, or of subjecting it to a process such as distillation; the amount of oil so treated.
| (a) 1710 Whitworth Acc. Russia (1758) 77 And being seldom tryed when melted, their coins are of different value, as the run happens to be good or bad, Plate, Dollars, and old Copeeks, being all melted together. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 72 ¶8 Sometimes they speak in Raptures of a Run of Ale in King Charles's Reign. 1838 Morewood Hist. Inebriating Liquors 283 The second run of the still..is of a strength from 23° to 26°. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 212 A run of this ore made in November yielded at the rate of $80 per ton. 1822 Farmer's Diary 1823 (U.S.) sig. C 3, Sugar makers may venture to set seven or eight hundred pails to one of these pans,..in case of extra ordinary runs, which, however, do not often happen. 1890–3 E. M. Taber Stowe Notes, Lett. & Verses (1913) 40 The early runs are not so sweet as the later; the trees being full of frost. 1949 Highway Traveler Feb. 17/2 In the average season of a month..sap can be expected to run on about half of the days, while on two to five days there will be ‘good runs’. 1978 N. Perrin First Person Rural 84 It was no hard run—but my 104 buckets would probably yield 40 or 50 gallons [of maple sap] today. |
| (b) 1883 Cent. Mag. July 332/2 He shuts off the flow, measures what remains in the tank, and makes out a triplicate certificate, showing depth of oil at the beginning and at the end of the run. 1888 Science 12 Oct. 172/2 This past spring an oil-man..was suffocated in one of these tank⁓sheds while making a run of oil; viz., running the oil from the receiving-tank to the transportation or pipe⁓line company's tanks. 1898 19th Ann. Rep. U.S. Geol. Survey vi contd. 29 Usually the terms ‘production’ and ‘pipe-line runs’ are considered as synonymous, but production is always slightly in excess of runs. The expression ‘pipe-line runs’ means the amount of oil the pipe lines have received from the wells, and as the pipe lines do not run all the oil in the tanks at the wells, it would be remarkable if the same amount remained in the tanks at the wells at the close of each year. 1914 Chem. Abstr. VIII. 2247 Flushing out the vapors remaining in the still with steam so that they will not mix with the vapors from the next run. 1931 Economist 14 Feb. 361/1 Crude oil ‘runs’ to refinery stills have, therefore, been restricted to about 10 per cent. below last year's level. |
b. A measure of yarn for spinning: (see quots.).
| 1734 Conn. Col. Rec. (1873) VII. 512 For every yard that is well spun, wove and whitned, and is a yard wide and made of yarn that is eight runs to the pound, two shillings per yard. 1875 Temple & Sheldon Hist. Northfield, Mass. 161 Spinning was commonly done by the run. A run of yarn consisted of twenty knots, a knot was composed of forty threads, and a thread was seventy-four inches in length, or once round the reel. 1878 A. Barlow Weaving 330 Woollen yarns are weighed in lengths or ‘runs’ of 1600 yards. |
c. A spell of making or allowing machinery to run or continue to work. Also, a spell of manufacturing some product; an instance or a spell of carrying out an experimental procedure, esp. one involving automatic equipment.
| 1875 Martin Winding Mach. 49 Its wear..is reduced as much as possible—as, also, are the number of turns of the engine in each run. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 319 The Sukey Mill made a short run in the summer, but was unsuccessful. 1882 U.S. Rep. Prec. Met. 473 Only one experimental run to test the machinery..has been made. 1931 Anatomical Rec. XLIX. 180 In an original trial run on five albino rats..three became pseudopregnant. 1935 Industrial & Engin. Chem. Sept. 1074/2 In one run,..the temperature began to rise and continued to rise after the heat input to the bomb was stopped. 1951 S. Jennett Making of Bks. vii. 106 When the make-ready is completed and the machine is ready to start its run the hand-feeder takes her place at the feeding board. Ibid. 107 The run then commences. 1971 J. E. Harry Plastics Fabrication & Electrotechnol. v. 38 Preformed materials such as sheet or tube..are sometimes used instead of moulding processes for short runs of large components. 1972 Nature 18 Feb. 397/1 The difference observed was found consistently in different electrophoretic runs. 1972 National Observer (U.S.) 27 May 11/2 At first he intended to fake the run, using plain creek water in the barrels with..foam rubber pellets floating on top to simulate the head on the fermenting mash. |
d. A spell of sheep-shearing. Austral. and N.Z.
| a 1910 G. Meek in A. E. Woodhouse N.Z. Farm & Station Verse (1950) 59 The record shearing run of nineteen-nothing nine. 1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 18 Nov. 15/7 Run,..stretch of work. Shearers work for an hour before breakfast, two stretches in the morning and three in the afternoon. The stretches are divided by meal-times and smokos. 1956 G. Bowen Wool Away! (ed. 2) 157 Run, the shearing time worked between official stops, smokos, or meals. a 1964 H. P. Tritton in Penguin Bk. Austral. Ballads (1964) 227 My shearing days are over, though I never was a gun: I could always count my twenty at the end of every run. |
e. Computers. An instance of the execution of a program or other task by a computer.
| 1946 Math. Tables & Other Aids to Computation II. 151 From a series of positive values of x and y, it could form σx, σy, σx2, σxy, σy2 and check them in one run. 1952 Rev. Electronic Digital Computers (Amer. Inst. Electr. Engineers) 17/2 The chance that the machine would get through any particular 20-minute run was independent of its chances of getting through any other 20-minute run. 1964 F. L. Westwater Electronic Computers ix. 144 It requires two runs on the computer..to solve the problem. 1971 J. B. Carroll et al. Word Frequency Bk. p. xxxvi, In the particular computer run that produced this table, the number turned out to be 609,798. 1977 Sci. Amer. Oct. 116/2 The program and certain aspects of the discharging procedure had to be modified to overcome the problems indicated by the first computer runs. |
20. a. common run, general run, normal run or ordinary run, the usual, ordinary, average type or class; the generality or great majority. Also without adj.
| 1712 Addison Spect. No. 287 ¶6 In the common Run of Mankind, for one that is Wise and Good you find ten of a contrary Character. 1747 Gray Lett. (Bohn) I. 165 The ordinary run of Readers. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. 101 The general run of laws, enacted by the superior state, are supposed to be calculated for it's own internal government. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas iv. viii. ¶7 To lead such a life would be..penance to the common run of ladies. 1875 Helps Soc. Press. vii. 92 They furnish very bad examples for dealing with the ordinary run of human beings. 1957 G. Ryle in C. A. Mace Brit. Philos. Mid-Century 257 This question did not begin seriously to worry the general run of philosophers until..sixty years ago. 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai v. 87 What..set our tannings aside from the normal run..was the deliberation and the ritual. 1970 Incorporated Linguist IX. iv. 111 This is a book which should be of interest to the scholar and the linguistic specialist, less so to the general run of professional translators. |
| ellipt. 1838 J. H. Newman Let. to Faussett 25 Would it not offend the run of religious men? 1839–52 Bailey Festus 320 A man of mind, above the run of men. |
b. A number of animals born or reared at the same time; a batch or drove.
| 1847 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. i. 10 It is not uncommon to suckle the next run of lambs upon the ewes that have had their lambs taken off. 1848 Ibid. IX. i. 3 After the first run of oxen have been sent to market,..these pastures are cleaned up. |
c. A line or class of goods.
| 1883 Daily News 23 Jan. 2/7 Makers of the ordinary runs of cloth being fully employed. 1886 Ibid. 20 Oct. 2/5 The best runs of English and foreign [wheat] sell at full prices. |
d. Printing. The total number of copies of a book, newspaper, etc., printed during a single period of press-work. Cf. press-run s.v. press n.1 17 b and print run s.v. print n. 16 a.
| 1909 Webster s.v. Run n., A run of 3,000 copies on a press. 1936 Penrose Ann. XXXVIII. 146 Rotary printing will master any long runs. 1951 S. Jennett Making of Bks. ix. 138 The film assists in the retention of moisture, and longer runs can be printed at greater speed [by collography]. 1976 Penrose Ann. LXIX. 132 Over half of all printing jobs involve runs under 10,000 sheets. |
e. run of the mill (also the mine, etc.), the material yielded by a mill, mine, etc., as it emerges from the production process and before being sorted or inspected for quality; also run-of-mine, etc. Hence fig., the ordinary, average, undistinguished, or mediocre type (cf. mill run (d) s.v. mill n.1 12). Also in various extended and nonce-uses. Freq. as adj. or attrib. phrase.
| 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl., Run of the kiln, bricks of all kinds and qualities just as they happen to come from the kiln. Ibid., Run of the mine, coal just as it comes from the mine, large and small sizes and all qualities together. 1930 Daily News Record (U.S.) 17 Mar. 19/4 Suspicion has attached to the yarn producers' definition of ‘inferior’. Leading users of these yarns say they interpret the word to mean ‘run of the mill’. A purchase of such yarns may include various percentages of first, second and sub⁓qualities of yarn, in fact all that ‘run of the mill’ suggests—but the grading is done by the cloth mill. 1930 Engineering 20 June 811/2 This machine is intended to reduce run-of-mine coal to any size between 6in. and 11/4in. cube, in one operation. 1930 Hearst's Internat. Sept. 37/2 But level-headed as a wife and a darned sight better-looking than the run of the mill of wives. 1933 Sun (Baltimore) 14 Oct. 4/3 An ordinary, run-of-the-mill gravy. Ibid. 23 Dec. 8/7 The attitude of run-of-the-mine citizens on lynching. 1938 K. A. Porter in Southern Rev. Winter 429 I've got a special job beside my usual run of the mill. 1939 Evans & McGowan Guide to Textiles 66 Run-of-the-mill is a term which in general means that the merchandise has not been inspected... Sheets and pillowcases are frequently sold as run-of-the-mill. 1940 O. Nash Face is Familiar 118 And in celestial circles all the run-of-the-mill angels would rather be archangels or at least cherubim and seraphim. 1941 Sun (Baltimore) 30 July 10/1 The balance is composed of items which, in the main, are run-of-the-mine budget pruning. 1943 B. A. De Voto in Harper's Mag. May 645/1 But what they have to say is mostly run of the mill. 1944 Sun (Baltimore) 17 Feb. 17/1 The growers want 25 cents a pound for wrapper leaf..and 15 cents for ‘run of the crop’ as against the OPA set prices of 21 for wrapper..and 10 for ungraded. 1945 ‘L. Lewis’ Birthday Murder (1951) i. 13 Hime..has managed out of..a run-of-the-mill story, something..unusual in its effects. 1946 Richmond (Va.) News Leader 29 Nov. 15/1 That's about 80 times the cost of a hide from a ‘run-of-the-mine’ cow. 1950 Engineering 11 Aug. 131/3 The..washery will treat 750 tons of run-of-mine coal per hour. 1951 News Chron. 12 Dec. 4 To the ordinary run-of-the-mill bank customer these may perhaps seem lordly examples of living on overdrafts. 1952 [see imperfect n. 3]. 1952 Amer. Speech XXVII. 264 Fabric which is shipped to a buyer just as it comes from the loom without inspection and without elimination of weaving defects is referred to as run-of-the loom. 1953 A. Upfield Murder must Wait x. 95 Her taste wasn't the usual run of the mill. 1960 E. Delavenay Introd. Machine Transl. vii. 106 It should free intellectual ability for more productive work than that of run-of-the-mill translations. 1967 Gloss. Mining Terms (B.S.I.) viii. 23 Run of mine (R.O.M.), the product of a mine before sorting or cleaning. 1969 Daily Tel. 21 Apr. 17/7 No hard boundaries exist to separate jazz singers from run-of-the-mill night club performers. 1975 ‘D. Jordan’ Black Account xii. 60 The difference between run-of-mine ores and washed fines. 1975 Publishers Weekly 9 June 52/1 Taylor's thoughtfully written, low-keyed text proves far superior to most run-of-the-battlefield ‘popular’ histories. 1977 Amer. N. & Q. XV. 117/1 Prices of run-of-the-mine books are often more difficult to ascertain than those of $500-plus items. 1978 R. Ludlum Holcroft Covenant iii. 35 Althene was not your run-of-the-mill mother, as mothers were understood by this particular son. 1980 Times Lit. Suppl. 31 Oct. 1240/2 We are left with a pretty run-of-the-mill thriller. |
IV. 21. a. A regular track made by certain animals; the ‘bower’ of a bower-bird, etc.
| 1821 W. Liddle Poems 116 (E.D.D.), I'll gar her keep the run, If deils waur on't. 1838 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) XXV. 430/2 The burrows which the Mole forms..are divided into several parts, its lodge and runs. 1845 Zoologist III. 1083 The ‘run’, as it is termed, of a tench is different to that of a bream or rud. 1861 Chambers's Encycl. II. 287/2 Their habit of making bower-like erections, called runs by the colonists of New South Wales. 1878 Jefferies Gamekeeper at H. 149 Hares have their regular highways or ‘runs’. |
b. An enclosure for domestic animals or fowls to range or take exercise in.
| 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports ii. i. vii. 339/1 Dividing off the field into the four separate runs for the mares and foals. c 1858 E. Watts Poultry Yard 3 It is very advantageous that those who intend to rear fowls should have a large run,..perfectly sheltered..and supplied with gravel. 1884 E. P. Roe Nat. Ser. Story ii, Fowls are restricted to a narrow yard or run. |
22. A large open stretch of land occupied by a settler for pasturage; an extensive range of pasture- or grazing-land; a sheep station. Also attrib., as run cattle, run sheep. Austral. and N.Z.
The early Amer. usage in quot. 1658 is not supported by further evidence.
| 1658 Rec. Brookhaven, N.Y. (1880) 3 This land and the grass thereof for a range, or run, for to feed horses and cattle on..I have sold. 1804 Sydney Gaz. 12 Feb., A commodious dwelling-house [with] an extensive run for stock. 1826 Goldie in Bischoff Van Diemen's Land (1832) 157 It is, generally speaking, a good sheep run. 1840 G. Arden Aust. Felix 109 The squatter is protected in the exclusive use of the run. 1847 A. Harris Settlers & Convicts xvi. 330 If the shepherd suffers the flock to spread, in these mountainous runs especially, they get into creeks and hollows. 1858 Richmond–Atkinson Papers (1960) I. vii. 421, I found that Elliot's run..was in a capital position.. in a finely grassed country. 1889 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms i. (1890) 2 The..steers have never done anything but ramble off the run now and again. 1911 C. E. W. Bean ‘Dreadnought’ of Darling i. 12 Huge 1,000,000-acre runs or little 20,000 acre homestead leases. 1930 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs 1st Ser. i. 2 A number..sold or abandoned their runs, and came to New Zealand early in 1851. Ibid. 7 All run sheep had been Merinos in the old days. 1933 ― in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 18 Nov. 15/7 Run sheep, run-cattle, as opposed to paddock sheep or milking cows and hand-reared calves. 1936 F. Clune Roaming round Darling xviii. 178 Toorale.., headquarters of a run of 1,000,000 acres. 1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Sept. 215/1 With fertility declining pastures are becoming more difficult to control for sheep, and because of this, run cattle numbers are being increased. 1963 Weekly News (Auckland) 10 July 38/3 Run cattle..can be moved on a mob basis from one paddock to another. 1966 G. W. Turner Eng. Lang. Austral. & N.Z. iii. 50 A run is a parcel of land as leased. A sheepfarmer might own several adjacent runs of land, in this sense, and the whole ‘station’ so formed might also be termed a run. |
| Comb. 1859 F. Fuller Five Yrs. Residence N.Z. ix. 162 The Runholder kept the remaining portion as the payment for his trouble and expense in looking after the sheep. 1864 Sunday at Home 17 Dec. 811/1 A small chapel has been built for the use of the inhabitants by a runholder near. 1872 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 83/1 Your New Zealand run-holder only thinks..of what sort of sheep country he is riding so gaily through. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Squatter's Dream xix. 238 What do you say if I go run-hunting with you? 1911 W. H. Koebel In Maoriland Bush xxii. 284 His career as a run-holder is usually a fleeting one with an abrupt termination. 1930 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs 1st Ser. 8 On the whole, runholding has not been much of a business in Canterbury. 1940 W. G. McClymont Explor. N.Z. xii. 130 The country they contained had been granted to run-holders in order of application. |
23. a. An inclined slope on a tramway or railway, down which a wagon runs by impetus. ? Obs.
| 1834–6 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 240/1 On these rails a single horse could readily draw three tons of coal from the pits to the river. Where any steep declivity occurred on the road, this was termed a run, or an inclined plane. 1838 Wood Pract. Treat. Railroads (ed. 3) 229 In wet weather, boys and men were employed, strewing ashes upon the rails down the steep declivities, or, as they were termed, ‘runs’, to cause the brake to take effect. |
b. A track or support along or on which something may run or move.
| 1887 Cassell's Encycl. Dict., Run.., a plank laid down to support rollers in moving buildings and other heavy objects; also as a track for wheelbarrows. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 17 June 7/2 When the stableman discovered the fire, he endeavoured to induce the horses to descend the slanting run into safety. 1900 H. Lawson Over Sliprails 47 To paint the runs of the sash. |
c. pl. A place at which wagons may be loaded or unloaded. U.S.
| 1870 Huntington (N.Y.) Town Rec. (1889) III. 585 The said land..[is] sufficient..to build two runs, so called, or three runs..to load brick at. 1923 C. R. Cooper Under Big Top 226 Many a man [is saved] from injury at the unloading runs. 1931 Amer. Mercury Nov. 354/1 Runs, the unloading place at the railroad. |
d. A slope of snow on which tobogganing, skiing, etc., are carried out. Also transf. Cf. sense 4 f above.
| 1874 [see toboggan v.]. 1898 Encycl. Sport II. 470/2 The English and American visitors to St. Moritz and Davos introduced tobogganing as a sport, and set to work to construct both toboggans and runs. 1910 [see bob-sled, -sleigh]. 1935 Encycl. Sports 178/2 The most famous toboggan run in the world, the Cresta is rebuilt every year under expert supervision. 1956 Ski-ing (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) 22/1 The piste is artificial and either made by a large number of skiers ski-ing down a run, or [etc.]. 1961 [see mogul n.2]. 1972 ‘M. Yorke’ Silent Witness vi. 137 She took off her skis at the bottom of the run. 1974 Rules of Game 253/3 The brake [on a bobsleigh] is used only in emergencies, as its serrated edge damages the surface of the run. 1976 F. Raphael Glittering Prizes 58 As he reached the top of the run, he was conscious that someone was standing there. |
24. a. A pipe or trough along or down which water may run.
| 1833 Act 3 & 4 Will. IV, c. 46 §114 The water from the roofs..shall be conveyed by..proper pipes or runs, to be brought down the walls of such houses. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 199 Rain-water spouts, or runs as they are technically termed. 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., Run.., a long deep Trough in which slimes settle. 1890 Cent. Dict., Run.., a trough for water that is caught by a coaming, built across the forecastle of a steamer. |
b. Mining. An airway.
| 1867 W. W. Smyth Coal & Coalmining 218 But the balancing of these splits requires nice management, or the air would tend to desert the longer for the shorter runs. |
V. 25. Naut. a. That part of a ship's bottom which rises from the keel and bilge, and narrows toward the stern († or bows).
| a 1618 Raleigh Royal Navy 10 To make her sayle well is to give a long run forward. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ii. 3 The run of the ship..is that part of the ship vnder water which comes narrower by degrees from the floore timbers along to the sterne post, called the ships way aftward. 1711 Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 29 Three or four Strakes of Elm to raise up the Run of the Ship. 1781 Nelson 24 Aug. in Nicolas Disp. (1845) I. 43 The Albemarle is in Dock... She has a bold entrance, and clean run. 1831 Examiner 740/2 A rakish..craft,..with a deep keel and sharp run. 1900 Sir W. Kennedy Life of a Sailor 241 Having a coarse run, she carried a huge body of water in her wake, in which the rudder was useless. |
† b. The course of a ship. Obs.
| 1688 Miége Grt. Fr. Dict., Sillage,..Course, the Rake or Run of a Ship, her Way forward on. 1712 Desaguliers tr. Ozanam's Curs. Math. V. 114 The Line describ'd by a Ship, which is call'd the Run, or Rake of a Ship,..still cuts all the Meridians at Right-Angles. |
26. † a. The vogue of a practice. Obs.
| 1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriot. i. 3 The prevalent Practice, Not totally pursued in the highest Run of Cremation. |
b. The time during which a dramatic work holds the stage continuously. (Cf. 18.)
| 1705 Farquhar Twin Rivals Pref., One reason that the galleries were so thin during the run of this play. 1779 Johnson L.P., Philips, [The epilogue] continued to be demanded through the run, as it is termed, of the play. 1810 Scott Fam. Lett. (1894) I. 175 As for the prologue and epilogue,..it is the rule of the stage not to resume them after the first run of the play is over. 1826 Miss Mitford Village Ser. ii. (1863) 269 It was as dull as a lesson, and the run would have been short. 1885 Bath Herald 17 Jan. 3/2 The usage was to engage stars for the run of the piece. |
c. The progress or prevalence of a disease.
| 1717 J. Keill Anim. Œcon. (1738) 18 During the run of that distemper now for two years thro' our town. 1828–32 Webster s.v., A disease has its run. |
† 27. in the run, in the long run (see long run). Obs.
| 1645 E. Pagitt Heresiogr. (1661) 245 Which we shall find in the run, slighted and scorned by them, made meerly a foot⁓stool upon which their spirit shall raise it self into her Throne. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) I. 105, I trust that, in the run, I shall not be a loser. |
28. a. The act of running, esp. in rapid retreat or flight. Chiefly in phr. to or on the run (chiefly in sense ‘fleeing’ or ‘escaping’ from justice).
| 1660–1 Pepys Diary 10 Jan., These Fanatiques that have..put the King's Life-Guards to the run. 1680 C. Nesse Church Hist. 133 He had bereaved himself..by putting Abiathar to the run. 1830 tr. Aristoph., Birds 227 Here comes some one on the run. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxv, The captains came hurrying down, on the run. 1900 Westm. Gaz. 23 Feb. 5/1 It was impossible to get in with the bayonet or to start the enemy on the run again. |
| fig. 1885 Punch 3 Jan. 4/1 But 'Arry, for once in the way, 's a stone-broker and not in the run. 1887 Times (weekly ed.) 25 Nov. 10/3 Every Irish member ‘on the run’ who gathers a dozen people together..commits [an] offence against the law. 1909 J. B. Atlay Ld. Haliburton 184 There was a widespread impression that the assailants had got the Government ‘on the run’, and that a vigorous campaign would show further concessions when Parliament met. 1932 Week-End Rev. 9 Apr. 456/2 In ‘Secret Sentence’ she explores another world—the world of political assassination, of criminal investigation departments, of men on the run. 1954 X. Fielding Hide & Seek xi. 139 They were fugitives from justice and had been on the run in this area for over a year. 1955 Times 30 June 10/7 The President strongly resisted the suggestion that, as Russia was now ‘on the run’ it might be possible to reduce American expenditure on foreign aid. 1957 Times 31 Oct. 3/1 The gangster, the No. 1 Public Enemy, on the run. 1963 T. Tullett Inside Interpol i. 17 If it had not been for the men in the Rue Paul Valéry he might still be ‘on the run’. |
b. A running pace.
| 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xvi, We returned to the village, going nearly all the way on a full run. 1856 Kane Arctic Explor. I. xii. 128 We started at a run, men and dogs, for the solid ice. 1901 Munsey's Mag. XXV. 721/2, I put the horse to his run. |
c. Capacity for, or power of, running.
| 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. vii. 166 They have too little run left in themselves to pull up for their own brothers. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 17 Oct. 4/2 Another golf ball is shortly to be placed on the market;..it is claimed for this latest production that it flies far and truly, [and] has more ‘run’ than other golf balls. |
d. to get the run upon: (see quots.). U.S. colloq.
| 1848 Bartlett Dict. Amer. s.v., ‘To get the run upon one, is to make a butt of him; turn him into ridicule. 1859 Slang Dict. s.v., ‘To get the run upon any person,’ to have the upper hand, or be able to laugh at them. |
e. to get the run: to be dismissed from one's employment. slang (chiefly Austral.).
| 1889 Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang I. 403/2 Get the run, to, (English and Australian), to be discharged. 1941 [see running shoe s.v. running vbl. n. 17 a]. 1959 Baker Drum (1960) ii. 141 Run, get the, to be dismissed from employment. |
29. a. The rush, flow, or onward movement of water, air, etc.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §344 Want of Motion, or Stoppings, (whereby the Runne of Humours or the Motion of Perspiration, is stayed,) furthers Putrefaction. a 1691 J. Flavel Sea-Deliverances (1754) 163 Keeping our boat's head to the windward, which was then at the North, as well as we could guess by the run of the sea. 1836 Marryat Pirate iv, The sea,..which at the change of wind had been cross, appeared to have recovered its regular run. 1851 Greenwell Coal-trade Terms, Northumb. & Durh. 17 By shortening the run of the air,..a larger quantity is brought into the mine. 1862 Thornbury Turner I. 360 The run of the waves and their sweeping leaps are beautifully given in these sketches. 1898 Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 847 An important factor in the blood-pressure, and in the run of the circulation. |
b. The flow or melody of verse. (Cf. 11 a.) Also, a flow of speech.
| 1725 Broome Notes Pope's Odyssey vi. xvi, This verse in particular has something horrible in the very run of it. 1749 Power of Numbers in Poet. Composit. 83 An Iambic..having a direct contrary Movement, interrupts the Run of the Verse very disagreeably. 1884 Athenæum 20 Dec. 802/1 The metre is neither quantitative nor strictly accentual, nor, when the reader has got the run of it, is it very melodious. a 1915 Joyce Giacomo Joyce (1968) 12 She stands black⁓robed at the telephone. Little timid laughs, little cries, timid runs of speech suddenly broken. |
c. Rapid movement of the eye.
| 1879 Dowden Southey ii. 20 A mediæval Latin chronicle he could follow with the run of the eye. |
d. by the run, = with a run (see 6).
| 1800 Gymnastics for Youth 277 Sailors..will descend from considerable heights in this way [sliding down by the hands], which they call coming down by the run. 1834 Blackw. Mag. XXXVI. 309 See all clear to let go every⁓thing by the run. 1843 Ibid. LIII. 81 The night cab comes down by the run, the night cabman tumbles off. 1886 Stevenson Treas. Isl. iii. xiii, If I risk another order, the whole ship'll come about our ears by the run. |
e. run-of-river adj. phr. (usu. attrib.), denoting (an installation employing) a water supply taken directly from a river, esp. for generating hydroelectricity, with no major attempt to store water or regulate flow.
| 1943 Steinberg & Smith Economy Loading v. 169 In a run-of-river plant, the flow of the river must be utilized as it comes, so that this plant would normally supply the system base load. 1956 V. A. Thiemann in B. G. A. Skrotzki Electric Generation v. 228 Hydro stations may be classified as either peaking or run-of-river. 1964 Linsley & Franzini Water Resources Engin. xvi. 453 Some run-of-river plants have enough storage..to permit storing water during off-peak hours for use during peak hours of the same day. 1965 R. G. Kazmann Mod. Hydrol. iv. 89 The raw water obtained from an impounded supply is generally better than that obtained from a run-of-river water source. |
30. a. The course, direction, or tendency of something immaterial.
| 1730 T. Boston Mem. xi. (1899) 348 This run of affairs quickly issued in the General Assembly's condemning of ‘The Marrow of Modern Divinity’. 1766 Fordyce Serm. Yng. Wom. (1767) I. v. 193 In the run of her discourse [she might] hurt them all. 1783 Justamond tr. Raynal's Hist. Indies VI. 31 There is no such thing as selling, without complying with the general run of the market. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas v. i. ¶20 The run of luck is against us. 1864 Newman Apol. v. (1904) 166/2 We shall find, I think, the general run of things to be such as I have represented it. 1880 Earle Engl. Plant N. p. xlviii, The place of these lists in the run of that history. |
b. to keep the run of, to keep in touch with, to keep oneself informed about. Also, to lose (the) run of. U.S. Now rare.
| 1859 J. W. Palmer New & Old ii 62, Even if I had time to follow his fortunes, it was not possible to keep the run of him. 1862 Maury in Corbin Life (1888) 212, I shall..very much wish to keep the run of public sentiment. 1872 Mrs. Stowe Oldtown Fireside Stories 29 She hed the in and out o' the Sullivan house, and kind o' kept the run o' how things went and came in it. 1893 ‘Thanet’ Stories of Western Town 145 I've been in this block, Mrs Carleton and me, ever since it was built; and, some way, between us we've managed to keep the run of all the folks in it. 1893 ‘Mark Twain’ {pstlg}1,000,000 Bank-Note 29 You couldn't afford to lose the run of business and be no end of time getting the hang of things again when you got back home. 1918 J. C. Lincoln Shavings xix. 320, I kind of lost run of the time. |
31. a. The direction, line, or lie of anything.
| 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. v. 340 Her small breadth, and the straight run of her leeward-side. 1778 W. Pryce Min. Cornub. 127 A valley may happen to lie at the feet of three several hills... This is also termed the Run of the country. 1848 G. F. Ruxton Far West v. 155 From the ‘run’ of the hills, there must be plenty of water. 1851 Sternberg Dial. & Flk. Lore Northants 88 Run, the ‘grain’ of stone, the direction in which it most easily cleaves. 1873 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 73/2 Pay..attention to the run of the grain of the wood. |
b. Mining. (See quot.)
| 1864 Webster, Run, the horizontal distance to which a drift may be carried. |
32. a. The freedom or range of a house, etc.; the privilege of free resort, access, or use.
| 1755 Connoisseur No. 76 ¶4 The curate..and the town apothecary, whom he indulges with the run of his table. 1763–5 Churchill Independence Poems (1767) II. 21 He may obtain a patent for the run Of his Lords Kitchen. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas xii. vii. ¶5, I have the run of two good houses. 1847 L. Hunt Men, Women, & B. II. xii. 308 She had the wholesome run of her good uncle's books. 1884 G. Allen Philistia I. 104 Then I have the run of the place entirely to myself. |
| transf. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis xli[i], It was as good as most books of the kind that had the run of circulating libraries and the career of the season. |
b. the run of one's teeth, knife, free board, usually in return for work done; maintenance, support. Also transf., complete freedom of action.
| 1807 in N. & Q. (1904) 11 June 478/1 And it suits to a T, To receive as your fee, The run of your teeth And five guineas a day. 1841 Hartshorne Shropshire Gloss. 552. 1879 M. E. Braddon Clov. Foot xxviii, It was an understood thing that he was to have the run of his teeth at Hazelhurst. 1889 R. S. Ferguson Carlisle 181 The subscribers frequently in turn provided the curate with..‘the run of his teeth’. 1927 Daily Mirror 10 Dec. 9/1 Sir Granville Ryrie..began work as a cattle driver at {pstlg}30 a year and the ‘run of his knife’, which means his food. 1974 Broadcast 2 Dec. 16/3 Hugh Carleton Green..allowed—nay! encouraged a group of bright and irresponsible young men and women to have the run of their teeth in the so-called ‘satire’ programmes. |
c. The pasture of an animal for a certain period.
| 1854 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XV. ii. 418 The summer run of a beast should pay the grazier 1 l. a-month. 1857 G. A. Lawrence Guy Liv. viii, She ought to be in great condition now, with a summer's run. |
33. (See quot.)
| 1887 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 718/1 The value of a division of the scale [on a level], in seconds of arc, is usually called the ‘run’. |
34. Special Comb.: run time Computers, (a) the time at or during which a program or other task is executed; (b) the length of time taken by the execution of a particular task.
| 1965 Mitchell & Willmott Programming Computer in Atlas Autocode viii. 51 Each routine or block is associated with a serial number for use in tracing faults found at run time. 1968 M. V. Wilkes Time-Sharing Computer Syst. iv. 37 At run time, the segment number is used to enter the segment table belonging to the user whose program is running at that instant. 1972 [see overlay n. 6]. 1974 Adby & Dempster Introd. Optimization Methods v. 178 Colville found that the number of function evaluations proved a totally unreliable guide to run time. |
▪ II. † run, n.2 Obs.—0
[Cf. rin.]
Brine.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 439/2 Run, or bryyn. |
▪ III. run
obs. form of roun.
▪ IV. run, v.
(rʌn)
Forms: (see below). Pa. tense ran. Pa. pple. run.
[A verb of complicated history in Eng., representing two forms originally distinct (a strong intransitive and a weak transitive), each of which was subject to metathesis; the forms are thus to some extent parallel to those of burn v.1 The strong intr. verb is represented by OE. rinnan (ran, *runnon, [ᵹerunnen]), = OFris. rinna, renna, runna (ran, pa. pple. runnen, ronnen), mod.WFris. rinne, ronne (roan, pa. pple. roun), NFris. ren (ruan, ronen), ran, etc.; MDu. rinnen (ran, geronnen); OS. rinnan (ran, runnun, ―), MLG. rinnen (ran); OHG. rinnan (ran, runnun, girunnan), G. rinnen (rann, rannen, geronnen); ON. rinna, later (also mod.Icel., Fær., Norw.) renna (rann, runnu, runninn), MSw. rinna (also mod.Sw.), rynna (ran, runno, runnin), MDa. rinde (rand, runde, runden), Da. rinde (randt); Goth. rinnan (rann, runnun, runnans). Of this type, however, very few examples occur in OE. texts (four or five in all of the simple verb, chiefly in verse, and a similar number of the pa. pple. from the compound *ᵹerinnan). The prevailing form in all dialects appears to have been that with metathesis, irnan, ięrnan, yrnan (arn or orn, urnon, urnen): for the later history of this see the forms below. The weak causative verb, of which the original form was *rannjan, is represented in the cognate languages by OFris. renna (p. p. rent), MDu. rennen (rende, rande, gerent, gerant; Du. rennen), OS. rennian, MLG. rennen (rende, rande, etc.), OHG. rennan, (ranta, girant), MHG. and G. rennen (rannte, gerannt and rennte, gerennt), ON. (also Icel., Fær., Norw.) renna (renndi, renndr), MSw. and Sw. ränna (rände, ränt), MDa. and Da. rende (rende, rendt). In OE. it appears only in the metathetic form ærnan, earnan (usually in the sense of ‘to ride’).
The extreme rarity of OE. rinnan, and the entire absence of an OE. *ręnnan, render it probable that ME. rinne(n and renne(n are mainly, if not entirely, due to the influence of ON. rinna and renna. To a great extent they first appear in texts where Scand. influence is prominent.
The different OE. and ME. types, partly by natural development of the vowels and partly by interaction of the various tenses of the strong verb, gave rise to a large number of variations, for which see the forms below. The weak conjugation, properly belonging to the causative but soon extended to the intransitive verb, remained fairly common until c 1400, and still survives to some extent in dialects.
In the sense ‘to curdle’ the causative form exists in mod. dialects as earn v.2 For the ME. forms representing the OE. compound ᵹe-yrnan, see yern v.]
A. Inflexional forms. I. Forms with metathesis.
1. inf. (α) irnan, iernan, 1–2 yrnan, 2 yrnen, 3 irne(n), 9 dial. hirn.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §7 Wildu dior ðær woldon to irnan. c 897 ― Gregory's Past. C. xvi. 103 Ðæt hi mæᵹen iernan & fleon. c 900 Wærferth tr. Gregory's Dial. 118 Se hræfn..ongan yrnan ymb þone ylcan hlaf. c 1205 Lay. 19750 He..hahte hine..irne to þere welle. Ibid. 21229 His hors he lette irnen. 1825 Jennings Obs. Dial. W. Eng. 180 I'll hirn auver an zee where I can't help 'em. |
(β) 1 iornan, [eornan], 3 eornen(n), 3–4 eorne (3 heorne).
| a 900 in O.E. Texts 178 Ðæt ða wildan hors scealden iornan. c 1200 Ormin 1336 He..let itt eornenn forþwiþþ. c 1275 Lay. 19750 [He] hehte him..heorne to þare wille. c 1400 Trevisa's Higden (Rolls) VIII. 61 Swyn were i-seie..renne [v.r. eorne] up and doun. |
(γ) 3 urnen, 3–4 urne, vrne, 9 dial. (h)urn.
| c 1205 Lay. 24696 Summe heo gunnen urnen. a 1250 Owl & Night. 638 Þat node makeþ old wif urne. a 1300 K. Horn 936 Hi gunne awei vrne. 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Wd.-bk. 635, I zeed the stoat urn 'long the wheel-ruck. 1894 Blackmore Perlycross 257 Zippy..hath orders to hurn for her life. |
(δ) 1 ærnan (dat. ærnenne, earnenne), 3 ærne(n), eærne, earn(n)e, earnee, hearn, 4 (9 dial.) arn; 3–4 ernen, ernyn, erne, 3 ernne, 5 eerne.
These are properly forms of the causative verb.
| c 825 Vesp. Ps. xviii. 6 He..ᵹefaeh swe swe ᵹiᵹent to earnenne on weᵹ. c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. v. vi. 400 Þæt hio ærnan moste. Ibid., To ærnenne & to flitenne. c 1205 Lay. 1638 Ȝeond þat lond he gon ernen. Ibid. 8542 Þa com an gume ærnen. c 1275 Ibid. 21229 His hors he makede earnee. a 1300 in E.E.P. (1862) 9 As bestis þat wer wode a-ȝe oþir to erne her and þare. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 1228 (Kölbing), He oȝaines hem fast gan erne. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 142/2 Ernyn, as horse (P. eerne), cursito. 1876 Mid. Yorks. Gloss. 163 Arn, to run, or walk hastily. |
2. pres. pple. (α) 1 irn-, 1–2 yrnende.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. 8 Seo is irnende of norþdæle. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 234 æfre heo byð yrnende ymbe ðas eorðan. a 1100 in Napier O.E. Glosses 5/2 Uagans, i. circumiens, yrnende. |
(β) 1 eorn-, iornende, 4 eornynge.
| c 825 Vesp. Ps. lvii. 8 Swe swe weter eornende. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 48 Hræðe iornende an of hiora ᵹenom spync. c 1320 Cast. Love 728 A welle þat euere is eornynge. |
(γ) 2 ernende, 4 erninde, ernyng(e.
| a 1100 in Napier O.E. Glosses 12/2 Labentibus,..ernendum. 13.. Guy Warw. 719 Riche stedes..erninde. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 376 Water..ernynge out of mennes eyen. |
(δ) 4 arnand, arnyng, 5 arnende.
| 13.. K. Alis. 2098 (Laud MS.), Ac a kniȝth þer comeþ arnyng. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 8404 (Kölbing), Arnand wiþ al his miȝt. 14.. Sir Beues (E) 1679 He prekyd hys hors al arnende. |
3. pres. ind.: 3rd pers. sing. and pl. (α) 1 irn(e)ð, yrn(e)ð, pl. irnað, yrnað, 3 irneð.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvi. §6 Ða dyseᵹan..irnað hidres ðidres. c 893 ― Oros. i. i. 8 Seo ea..irnð þonan suðryhte. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxii. 10 Eow aᵹen yrnð an man. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) cxlvii. 4 His word yrneð wundrum sniome. c 1205 Lay. 29664 Þe ueȝereste welles stæm þe irneð on uolden. |
(β) 1 iorn(e)ð, 2 eornð, 1, 3 eorneð, 3 Orm. eorneþþ, 4 eorneþ, -eth.
| c 825 Vesp. Ps. cxlvii. 15 Hreðlice eorneð word his. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xxii. 10 To-ᵹæᵹne iorneð iuh monn. c 1050 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 378 Cursat, iornð. c 1160 Hatton Gosp. Luke xxii. 10 Eow an-ȝen eornð an man. c 1200 Ormin 8832 All þiss weorrldess ald Bi seoffne daȝhess eorneþþ. a 1225 Juliana 74 As weter þat eorneð. c 1400 Trevisa's Higden (Rolls) I. 115 Þe brook..eorneth in to þe valey of Iosephat. |
| pl. a 1225 Ancr. R. 80 Heo eorneð boðe togederes. a 1250 Owl & Night. (J.) 375 If hundes eorneþ to him ward. a 1400 Trevisa's Higden (Rolls) I. 59 Þe strong stremes þat renneþ [v.r. eorneþ] þat course. |
(γ) 3 pl. urneþ, 4 urn-, vrneþ, 9 dial. urnth, pl. hurneth.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. (C.) 375 Ȝif hundes urneþ to him ward. a 1300 Floris & Bl. 225 He vrneþ in o pipe of bras. c 1400 Trevisa's Higden (Rolls) V. 329 Þat ryver renneþ [v.r. urneþ] under..Wygan. 1881 Blackmore Christowell ii, They little holes hurneth all round 'em. 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. 50 The water..urnth down his ditch. |
(δ) pl. 1 ærnað, 3 ærneð, erneþ, 4 erniþ; sing. 3 erneþ (Orm. -eþþ), 4 ernnes. Also 2nd sing. 3 ernst.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. 20 Þonne ærnað hy ealle toweard þæm feo. c 1200 Ormin 13183 Ure wukedaȝȝ Bi twellfe timess erneþþ. c 1205 Lay. 13999 Þurh þi lond heo ærneð [c 1275 erneþ]. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6570 Þat lond vp wan þou ernst. a 1300 in E.E.P. (1862) 20 Be-hold..how þe stremis erniþ of is swet blode. 13.. Guy Warw. (A) 6730 He ouer-ernnes dounes & cuntre. c 1400 Trevisa's Higden (Rolls) V. 329 Þat ryver renneþ [v.r. erneþ] under þe citee of Wygan. |
4. pres. subj. 1 irne (pl. irnen), yrne, ierne, 3 vrne.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xi. §1 Þæt he irne [v.r. ierne] on his willan. Ibid. xxxiv. §1 Swa swa..irnen mæneᵹe brocas & riða of. a 1000 in Grein Bibl. Ags. P. I. 352 Nefne he under seᵹle yrne. a 1225 Ancr. R. 164 Ȝif a wode liun vrne ȝeont þe strete. |
5. imp. sing. 1 yrn, irnn, eorn, 9 dial. (h)urn; pl. 3 ierneð, ærneð, herneþ, eærne.
| c 850 Kentish Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 59 Discurre, irnn. c 900 Wærferth tr. Gregory's Dial. 115 Broðor Maurus! yrn hraðe. Ibid. 325 Eorn la, Maxime, eorn, & onfoh me! a 1200 Vices & Virtues 51 Alle ȝe Adames children,..ierneð to ðe trewe. c 1205 Lay. 6138 Eorneð and eærne [c 1275 herneþ]. Ibid. 16441 ærneð æuere vorð & vorð. 1867 Rock Jim an' Nell li. (E.D.S.), Well, Jim, how be? Urn in, man, urn! 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. 359 Hurn cheel! and vetch the tay-run. |
6. pa. ind.: 1st and 3rd pers. (α) sing. 1–2 arn (1 arun), 3 earn, ærne, 4 ernne, arne. Also 2nd pers. 1 urne.
| c 825 Vesp. Ps. xlix. 18 Ᵹif ðu ᵹeseᵹe ðeof, somud ðu urne mid hine. c 850 O.E. Martyrol. 26 Dec., An pleᵹende cild arn under wænes hweowol. c 1000 Lambeth Ps. cxviii. 32 Weᵹ beboda þinra ic arn. c 1160 Hatton Gosp. Luke xv. 20 [He] aᵹen hine earn..& cyste hine. c 1205 Lay. 4536 Scip ærne to-ȝen scip. c 1315 Shoreham ii. 84 Hys bare flesche..arne alle a blode. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 5984 (Kölbing), His hors..ernne forþ. |
(β) sing. 1–4 orn, 3 eorn, 4 orne, 5 ourne, 9 dial. uurn.
| c 825 Vesp. Ps. cxviii. 32 On weᵹ biboda ðinra ic orn. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xvi. 103 Ðonne orn he eft innto ðæm temple. c 1205 Lay. 18806 He orn him to⁓ȝænes. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 43/312 To toune he orn with Ioye i-nouȝ. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. xviii. 58 Out of thin huerte orn the flod. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3893 Quiklich in-to a tour he orn. a 1400 Langl. P. Pl. C. xiii. 13 Til ich..ȝorn [v.r. ourne] in-to elde. 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. 74 Aay uurn [= I ran]. |
(γ) pl. 1–2 urnon (1 wurnon), 1–3 urnen, 3 hurnen; 3 vrne, yrne, 4 urne, hurne, vrn.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §7 Him urnon ealle hellwaran onᵹean. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1083, Sume urnon in to cyrcean. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 41 Alle hire stremes urnen fur berninde. c 1275 Lay. 1349 Þe sipes hurnen swiþe. c 1300 St. Margaret 28/137 Olibrius..bihuld, hou hure lymes yrne ablode. a 1320 Pol., Rel., & L. Poems (1903) 243 In fif steden..Stremes hurne of blode. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 6797 Man & woman vrn so dere. |
(δ) pl. 3 arne, 3–4 orne, ourne.
| c 1275 Lay. 11977 Waȝes þar arne, streme þar vrne. Ibid. 27720 Ourne grete stremes of Romanisse blodes. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8371 Wepinde hii armed hom, þe teres orne [v.r. ourne] adoun. |
7. pa. pple. 1 (ᵹe)urnen, 1, 4 vrnen, 4 y-orne, i-orne.
| a 1000 Phœnix 364 Oþþæt wintra bið þusend urnen. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 278 ær þan he to dropum ᵹeurnen sy. a 1300 K. Horn (C.) 1146 Feor ihc am iorne [v.r. yorne]. a 1325 Prose Psalter cxviii. 32 Ichaue vrnen þe wai of þy comaundementz. |
8. weak conj. a. pa. ind. (and subj.). 3 ærnde, 3–4 arnde 3 h(e)arnde, 4 arnede; 3 hern(e)de, 4 ernde; 5 ornd, 9 dial. urned, (h)urn'd, hirn'd. Also pl. 3–4 arnden, 3 hernde.
| c 1205 Lay. 9296 Hamun arnde [c 1275 hernede] upwarð. c 1275 Ibid. 9934 Þorh þat lond he hearnde. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 48/52 His Men..Arnden bi þe weie. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6202 He arnde [v.r. harnde] vpe a lute hul. c 1300 K. Horn (L.) 1239 Efter horn he [Aþulf] ernde. 13.. Sir Beues (MS. A) 2021 Þe hors..arnede awai wiþ þe king. c 1390–1400 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 11228 Hii caste awei þe dosils þat win ornd abrod so. 1825 Jennings Obs. Dial. W. Eng. 45 Hirnd, pret[erite]. 1842 G. P. R. Pulman Rustic Sketches 73 Then all th' cows hurn'd back agen. 1847 H. Baird Nathan Hogg's Lett. 37 A yung humman urn'd by. 1890 Glouc. Gloss. 169 Urned, ran. |
b. pa. pple. 4 y-eornd, y-arned, arnd, 9 dial. (u-)urned, a-urn'd, hirn'd.
| 13.. K. Alis. 896 (Laud MS.), Quyk away he is yarned. Ibid. 4357 Þe gregeys..beþ..away arnd [W. y-eornd]. 1825 Jennings Obs. Dial. W. Eng. 45 Hirnd,..part[iciple]. 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. 793 They cowcumber vines be proper a-urn'd out. |
II. Forms without metathesis.
9. inf. (α) (Chiefly north. and Sc.) 1 rinnan, 4 rinn(e, 4–6 rynne, 5 rynn; 4 rinin, rine, 6 ryne; 4–7 ryn (5 reyn), 4, 6– rin.
| a 900 Cynewulf Christ 1114 Þær blod & wæter..ut bicwoman..rinnan fore rincum. a 1300 Cursor M. 23729 All sal we rin into his rape. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 471 A best when it es born, may..ryn to and fra. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 103 That thai..Suld ryn on fute. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6217 He streynd his hors to rynn. 1483 Cath. Angl. 309/1 To Rynne as water dos. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 795 He that hath nede, man, let hym rynne. 1566 Knox Hist. Ref. Wks. (Wodrow Soc.) I. 186 He wold nott ryne whare God had nott called him. 1603 J. Davies (Heref.) Microcosmos Wks. (Grosart) I. 29/1 Through those passages it first doth rin. 1794 Burns Philly & W. ix, Let fortune's wheel at random rin. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake 83 Let never an auld man..Rin post to the diel for wyne. |
(β) 3–4 rennen (5 rennyn), 4–6 renne, 6 rene(n); 3–7 ren.
| c 1220 Bestiary 340 Bihoueð us to rennen to cristes quike welle. a 1300 in E.E.P. (1862) 4 Is fete sul ren of blode. c 1300 Havelok 1161 Or þou shal to þe galwes renne. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 220, I haue seyne charite..rennen in ragged wedes. 14.. in Wr.-Wülcker 589 Incurro, to ren yn. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 429/2 Rennyn, or lepyn, curro. a 1529 Skelton Sp. Parrot 142 Honowre..wyll ren on that syde. 1550 Crowley Last Trumpet 563 To play tenise..or to rene base. 1565 Cooper Thes. s.v. Cursus, To renne to a place. |
(γ) 4 run-, 6– run (7 runn); 6–7 runne, rune.
| c 1325 [see the pres. pple.]. 1525 in Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 55, 1s...to rune..to thuse of the reparacon. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 25 Lest your boke shoulde runne awaye with you. 1562 Pilkington Expos. Abdias 67 To run under some greate mans winge. 1658–9 in Hatton Corr. (Camden) 18 Mrs. Crue is like to rune quite mad. 1674 Boston Rec. (1881) VII. 89 A high way..to runn..betweene his other lands. 1683 D. Granville Lett. (Surtees Soc.) 163, I did..runne of halfe a sermon. |
(δ) 5–6 ronne, 5–7 ron; 6 rowne, roon(e.
| 1482 Cely Papers (Camden) 122 Lette hym [a horse] ron in a parke. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxv. 137 They..began to ron togyder thre heedes in one hood. 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 233, I thinke that sigh doth roon From me to you. 1592 Sir H. Unton Corr. (Roxb.) 271 Intendinge he shall first ronne fortune. 1667 in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. III. 64 To make him ron through fier and water. |
10. pres. pple. (α) 4–6 rynnand (4 -ande, rynand), 5–6 ryn(n)yng; 4, 6 rinnand (4 -ande, rinand), 8– rinnan, -in, -in', -ing.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5793 A land rinnand bath honi and milk. 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 648 His boy com fast rynand. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. i. 1026 A wattyr gret on hewide rynnande. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 370 Vsuell money rynnyng in Inglond. c 1500 Lancelot 2952 The stedis Rynyng with the sadillis bare. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 174 O fulis,..Rinnand fra Christ. 1785 Burns Halloween xx, Young an' auld come rinnan out. 1867 Goodwife at Home xlix. (E.D.D.), The road's rinnin noo. |
(β) 4 rennand(e, 5 -ende, -onde; 4 rennenge, 4–6 rennyng (5 -ying), 5–6 rennynge; 4 renand, -yng.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 14283 Rennand [v.r. renand] forth als sco war wod. c 1320 R. Brunne Medit. 839 Faste þese houndes come rennyng ryue. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 453 Wilde bestes..rennenge with-out croperes. 1412–20 Lydg. Troy Bk. ii. 656 Vynnettis rennynge in þe casementis. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Flumen, Cocytus rennyng with a slow course. |
(γ) 4 runnande; 6 runnyng(e, 6–7 runninge, 6– running (7 runing).
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 114 He..fled fra him ful fast runnande. 1526 Tindale Luke vi. 38 Good measure,..shaken to gedder, and runnynge over. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. xxix. 151 b, A promontorie..running along by the sea side. c 1610 Speed in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 108 My thoughts runnyng upon..this worke. a 1639 Wotton Reliq. (1651) 9 Runing..as smoothly as a numerous verse. |
(δ) 6 ronnyng, ronning.
| 1530 Palsgr. 693/1 It is fayre ronnyng here by this waters syde. 1571 Golding Calvin on Ps. lvii. 2 If wee come not ronning a pace. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. x. 23 Trompart ronning hastily, him did stay. |
11. pres. ind. (α) 1st pers. sing. 1 rinne, 4 ryn, 6 rin; 2nd pers. 6 rynis; 3rd pers. 3 rinneð, 5 rynnyth, -ethe, 6 -eth, rinneth, 9 dial. rin'th, rinth; 4–6 rynnis, 5 rynnys, ryn(n)es, 6 rinnis, 7 rinnes, 8– rins. pl. 4, 6 rinne, 5–6 rynne (5 -en), 5, 7 ryn, 4, 6– rin; 4, 6 rinnis, -es, 4 rynnys, -es, 5 rynes, 6 ryn(n)is.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) cxviii. 32 Ic on wisne weᵹ worda þinra reðne rinne. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 2477 Þat ter rinneð aa mare eoile iliche riue. c 1375 Cursor M. 26642 (Fairf.), [A] wound þat..rynnis, & rotis ay. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 60 Prol., Quhen þat it is eue, I ryn belyfe. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) i. 4 It rynnes thurgh Hungary. 1422 Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 151 His gladnys rynnyth al-way into worse. 1462 in Finchale Priory (Surtees) 95 A burn that rynes betwx the said lewod [etc.]. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 225 Than rynis thow doun the gait. 1562 Turner Baths 3 The..mater that thys water rynneth thorow. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 127 Efter the I rin. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. Table 62 Prescription rinnes not..agains him quha is absent. c 1730 Ramsay Fable, Miser & Minos 48 To fill the tub that ay rins out. 1825 Jamieson Suppl., It rins i' my head. 1867 Rock Jim an' Nell xxxvii. (E.D.S.), Away Dick rin'th. |
| pl. a 1300 E.E. Psalter lvii. 7 Als watres rinnes ai. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxiii. 2 As flodes rynnys in till þe see. c 1400 Secreta Secret. 73 Waters rynnen among hilles. c 1460 Towneley Myst. iii. 277 Thise nayles so thay ryn. 1523 Skelton Garl. Laurel 196 They ryde and rinne. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxx. 11 Thay rin lyk wyld..horss. 1572 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxi. 50 Thay and ye Papists rynis togidder. 1603 J. Davies (Heref.) Microcosmos Wks. (Grosart) I. 32 Lakes that never ryn. a 1886 A. Burgess Poute 67 [Two streams] rin below..Richt throo the Floor. |
(β) 1st pers. sing. 5–6 renne; 2nd pers. 5 rennest; 3rd pers. 2–3 renneð (2 reonneð), 4–5 renneþ, 4–6 renneth, 4–5 -yth, 5 -ethe; 4–5 rennes, 4 rennez, ren(n)is, renes. Pl. 4 renis, rennys; 5–6 renneth (5 renneþ); 4–5 rennen (5 -yn, -un), 4–6 renne, 5 ren.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 656, Swa swa þæt wæter renneð to..Norðburh. Ibid. an. 963, Swa swa þæt wæter reonneð to Crulande. c 1220 Bestiary 240 In ðe heruest [the ant]..renneð rapelike. a 1300 E.E. Psalter cxlvii. 15 Swiftli rennes saghe hisse. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 731 Fro þe crest þe colde borne rennez. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 491 Cleopatra, Pete rennyth [v.r. renneth] sone in gentil herte. 1400–21 26 Pol. Poems 43 Wiþ theues..Þou delest and rennest. 1433 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 439/1, I renne in grete indignation of my Lordes. a 1529 Skelton Bowge of Courte 399, I renne ay on the losse. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Exeo, The riuer..renneth into the sea. |
| pl. 13.. Cursor M. 9937 (Gött.), Þar-fra rennys [Trin. renneþ] four stremes. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 157 Faytours þat on Fote rennen. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 359 Ofte grehoundes renneþ after hem. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 75 Þei ren in þe curse of God. 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xvi. 90 Without him..prechingis rennen arere. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 1241 Some..renneth strayght to the stuse. 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. lix. 140 From place to place they renne. |
(γ) 1st pers. sing. 6–7 runne (7 rune), 7– run; 2nd pers. 6– runnest, run'st; 3rd pers. 6 runth, 6– runneth; 6–7 runnes (6 Sc. runis), 6– runs. pl. 6 runnes, 6–7 runne, 6– run (6 runn).
| 1530 Palsgr. 695/2, I runne upon one. 1535 Coverdale Prov. iv. 12 When thou runnest. 1539 Taverner Erasm. Prov. (1552) 28 He runneth farre, that neuer commeth agayne. a 1586 Sidney Astr. & Stella Sonn. ci, [It] runs vp and downe. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iii. ii. 72 Where run'st thou so fast? 1625 Gill Sacr. Philos. i. 46, I runne not with that opinion. 1644 Jessop Angel of Ch. of Ephesus 22 The Phrase runnes in the plurall number. 1704 Steele Lying Lover v. i, This unhappy Tongue..That still run'st on. |
| pl. 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utopia ii. (1895) 284 They runne in verye great infamy. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 21 Curst sores..run the longer without healing. a 1586 Sidney Ps. xvii. iv, How fleshly fancies runn. 1611 Bible Gen. xlix. 22 Whose branches runne ouer the wall. |
(δ) 1st pers. sing. 6 ronne; 2nd pers. 6 ronnes; 3rd pers. 6 ronneth, 7 rons. pl. 4, 6–7 ronne.
| 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles ii. 5 As þey ronne ȝoure rewme þoru-oute. 1525 tr. Jerome of Brunswick's Surg. B j b/2 Circles y{supt} ronne about the iye. 1530 Palsgr. 693/2, I ronne hastely to a..place. Ibid., The potte ronneth over. 1603 Owen Pembrokesh. (1892) 193 That tyme of the yeare..when all the neighbours cattle ronne together. 1667 in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. III. 73 A vertuous youth rons great hazard [etc.]. |
12. pres. subj. (α) 4 ronne. (β) 4–6 renne. (γ) Sc. 6 ryn, 6– rin. (δ) 6 runne, 6– run.
| α a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. v. 26 Whose ryht redeth ronne to Johon. |
| β c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 231 God..helpe þat Goddis word renne. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xiv. 32 Þauh thei renne at ones. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 11 Let renne..throgh, tyl it renne clere. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xxiii. 71 It is fayrer..that we tweyne renne more to gyders. 1544 tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 21 If escuage renne by auctoritie of parliament [etc.]. |
| γ 1546 Sc. Acts Parl. (1814) II. 465 That þis present parliament Ryn still our. a 1585 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 1528 Quhyle that this bend of craigs rin out. 1721 Ramsay Prosp. Plenty 152 If ye rin on, heav'n kens [etc.]. |
| δ 1575 Turberv. Venerie 162 If the houndes runne him. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 146 b, If the drop runne abroade. 1611 Bible Levit. xv. 3 Whether his flesh run with his issue. ? 1630 Milton Time 1 Fly envious Time, till thou run out thy race. |
13. imp. (α) 4–6 renne, 5 ren. (β) north. or Sc. rynne, 6– rin. (γ) 6–7 runne, 6– run.
| α 1382 Wyclif Zech. ii. 4 Renne thou, spek to this chijld. ― 1 Cor. ix. 24 So renne ȝe, that ȝe catche. 14.. Pol., Rel., & L. Poems (1903) 142 Ren to scole. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Curriculo, Renne ouer quickly to our house. |
| β c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 1813 Rynne, gude sonn, and se ȝone thing. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxx. 54 Rin no{supt} reklesly to rew. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. vii, Rin for it,..the road's clear. |
| γ 1535 Coverdale 2 Kings iv. 26 Runne now & mete her. 1594 Marlowe & Nashe Dido iii. i, Run for Aeneas, or I'll fly to him. 1615 Bedwell Moham. Impost. i. §28 Run not out..into speeches. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Ch. Porch xxx, By no means runne in debt. |
14. pa. ind. (α) 1, 3– ran, 3 Orm. rann, 4–7 ranne, 4, 5–6 Sc., rane, 5 raane. pl. 4 rannen, 5–7 ranne, 4–5, 7 rane, 4– ran.
| a 1000 Saturn (Thorpe) 712 Satan seolua ran and on susle feoll. c 1200 Ormin 1364 An bucc rann þær aweȝȝ. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1009 Abraham hem ran wel swiðe agon. a 1300 E.E. Psalter lviii. 4 With-outen wiknes I ran. a 1325 Prose Psalter xlix. 19 Ȝyf þou sest a þef, þou ran wyþ hym. c 1375 Cursor M. 3322 (Fairf.), Þe maydyn ranne hame. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret. 153 He raane to a stake. c 1489 Skelton Death Earl Northumbld. 124 Vpon this erle thou ran. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxvii. 58 At thair croce aboundantlie rane wyne. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 3061, I ran to the Consistorie. 1639 Fuller Holy War ii. xl. (1647) 97 Now it ranne dregs. |
| pl. a 1300 Cursor M. 15756 All on bak þai ran. 13.. K. Alis. 565 (W.), They rannen thorughout the contray. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 81 Thay rane faste to the roches. 1535 Coverdale Jer. xxiii. 21, I haue not sent these prophetes,..and yet they ranne. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. xviii. 46 Y⊇ streets ran full therof. 1635 Heylin Sabbath ii. (1636) 149 They..ranne upon the spurre to their recreations. |
(β) 3–7 ron, 4, 6 ronne. pl. 4 ronnen, -on, 5 ronen; 3–6 ronne, 4–6 ron.
| a 1225 Leg. Kath. 203–205 Euch waried weoued..ron of þat balefule blod. 13.. R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) App. G. 1 Blod þer ron &..muche folc þer deiȝede. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxvi. 5, I ronne til my hiler. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 3755 Towarde þat broke..he ron. 1577–82 Breton Floorish upon Fancies Wks. (Grosart) I. 8/1 Out of dores I ronne. c 1611 Chapman Iliad vi. 38 The horse..ron The same way other flyers fled. |
| pl. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 800** Þe terus ronne doun. 13.. K. Alis. 1252 (W.), The stedes ronnon with slak bridel. c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 163 A few wellys..ronnen doun. c 1400 Destr. Troy 9209 Terys on his chekes Ronen full rifely. c 1450 Merlin xiii. 197 Thanne thei..ronne to armes thourgh the town. |
(γ) 4 (2nd pers.), 6–7 runne, 6– run. pl. 3–5 runnen (5 runnun), 4 runne, 7 (9 dial.) run.
| 1382 Wyclif Ps. xlix. 18 If thou seȝe a thef, thou runne with hym. 1566 Pasquine in Traunce 44 b, I saw euery man run & I runne for company. c 1592 Marlowe Jew of Malta iv. v, You run swifter when you threw [etc.]. 1641 Earl of Monmouth tr. Biondi's Civil Warres ii. 87 He runne so hard away. 1655 Stanley Hist. Philos. (1701) 86/4 Theramenes run to the Altar. 1705 tr. Bosman's Guinea 316 He immediately run away. 1831 S. Lover Leg. Irel. Ser. i. 189 She run rootin' into every corner. 1869 Tennyson North. Farmer, New Style xiv, Feythur run oop to the farm. |
| pl. a 1300 Cursor M. 18952 Þai runnen til þe apostel hus. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2438 Þan runne þai away & saide alas. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xxv, So runnun thay to-gedur. 1670 Narborough in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. i. (1694) 7 [They] snatch'd some of our mens Hats off, and run away. |
(δ) 5 renne, ren.
| 14.. R. Gloucester's Chron. 573 (MS. Digby 205), He name his douȝty ax..& toward him renne. 1491 Cal. Rec. Dubl. (1889) I. 373 Part thereof ren out of his cowyres. |
15. pa. pple. (α) (1 ᵹerunnen,) 4 runnen, -yn, -un, 6 Sc. -yne; 4–7 runne, 4–5, 7 rune; 6– run (6 Sc. rvn, 7 runn).
| [c 725 Corpus Gloss. C 862 Concretum, ᵹerunnen. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) cxviii. 70 Swa meoluc..ᵹerunnen.] |
| a 1300 Cursor M. 22224 Þat es bot-if discord and strijf Ouer al þis werld be runnun rijf. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xviii. (Mary Egypt) 1314 A place, quhare a burne had runnyn. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 332 He telth..hou his houndes have wel runne. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxix. 25 Quhill that hir glas be run and past. 1514 Aberd. Reg. (1848) I. 88 And the said yeir be runnyne and compleit. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 233 Well runne dice. 1646 H. Hammond in Ld. Falkland Infallibility 116 When our Queene had runne so many dangers. 1653 Holcroft Procopius, Goth. Wars ii. 53 When five and thirty dayes are runn out. |
(β) 4 y-ronnen, 4–5 ronnen (-yn, -on), 5 Sc. ronnyne, ronnyng, rownyn.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ix. 82 He..is Ronnen in-to Religiun. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1835 So was the blood yronnen in his face. 1399 Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 364 The stedes colt is ronnon away. c 1425 Cursor M. 1548 (Trin.), Þe mychel spire is ronnen aboute. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 436/2 Ronnon, as mylke (K.P. ronnyn as mylke..), coagulatus. c 1470 Henry Wallace ix. 1779 Mony hors, at ronnyng had so lang. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 273/4 The voyses haue ronnen in myn eres. |
(γ) 4 i-, 4–5 y-ronne, 4–6 ronne (Sc. 5 roune, 6 rone), 6 ronn (Sc. roun), 5–6, 9 dial. ron.
| 13.. K. Alis. 896 (W.), Quyk away he is ronne. Ibid. 2704 Forth he is with that y-ronne. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 1644 Whan fire is in the poudre ronne. c 1407 Lydg. Reson & Sens. 336 Ful fer y-ronne in age. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ix. xx. 368 She wold haue ronne vpon the swerd. 1513 Douglas æneis ii. viii. 61 Hir slydry body in hankis round all roun. 1562 in Archaeologia XLVII. 231 Wee have rone on pillgrimage. a 1596 Sir T. More iii. ii. 75 It was broacht and half ronn out. 1869 A. C. Gibson Folk-Sp. Cumberld. 12 I'd ron me-sel' varra nar oot o' winnd. |
(δ) 4–6 renne, 5 arch. i-ren.
| c 1350 Ipomadon 4141 My houndes hath renne right wele. 1426 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 132 Henry the sext, of age ny fyve yere renne. 14.. Sir Beues 3544 For he hadde so wel igo [M. iren]. 1502 Arnolde Chron. (1811) 44 Yf they be attaynted be the said peyne renne and leuyd of a M marc. |
(ε) 5 i-ranne, 7 ranne; 6–9 ran.
| 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas i. i, The progenitours, Of all mankynd farre I-ranne in age. 1594 O. B. Quest. Profit. Concern. 31 She had rather her husband had ran out. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. ii. lxi, Those mischiefs into which we are ran. 1669 Cosin's Corr. (Surtees) ii. 231 Swinbourne is ranne away 5 or 6000 li. in the King's debt. 1729 T. Cooke Tales, etc. 36 He always thinks..his Race not ran. 1827 D. Johnson Ind. Field Sports 116 He had been..ran over by a..tiger. 1874 G. W. Dasent Half a Life III. 258 As though she had ran a match. |
16. weak conj. a. pa. ind. (α) 4 rende, 4–5 rennede, 5 rennyd, 8 dial. renn'd. (β) 3 pl. runden, 6, 9 dial. runned. (γ) 9 dial. rinn'd.
| c 1205 Lay. 1349 His scipen runden swiðe. c 1300 K. Horn (O.) 1319 Faste after horn he rende. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xxiv. 20 She..rennede aȝen to the pit. 1388 ― Isaiah i. 23 marg., If thou suest a theef, thou rennedist with him. 1586 D. Rowland Lazarillo ii. (1672) M 3, The one runned to one place, the other to another. 1795 Pindar Royal Visit ii. ix, Now to the tavern renn'd 'Squire Rolle. 1844 W. Barnes Poems Rur. Life 102 Two tears rinn'd down Ant's fiace. 1859 Hughes Scour. White Horse vi. 140, I..runned and hollered all I knowed. 1873 Spilling Molly Miggs , etc. (1903) 22, I turned round and runned away. |
b. pa. pple. 5 renned, ronned, 6–9 (now dial.) runned, 8 runn'd.
| 1382 Wyclif Ps. xviii. 6 He ful out gladide..to be runne [v.r. renned, ronned] the weie. 1604 Hieron Wks. I. 485 He had euen runned on to his owne destruction. 1634 Malory's Arthur (1816) II. 187 He..would have runned through sir Tristram. 1751 C. Labelye Piers Westm. Bridge 20 Iron Cramps, let into the Stones, and runn'd in with melted Lead. 1887 S. Cheshire Gloss. 322 I'm welly runned off my legs. |
B. Signification. I. Intransitive senses.
The conjugation of the perfect and pluperfect tenses with be instead of have (as is run, was run, etc.) is occasionally found in literary use down to the end of the 18th century.
* Of persons and animals, in literal or fig. senses.
1. a. To move the legs quickly (the one foot being lifted before the other is set down) so as to go at a faster pace than walking; to cover the ground, make one's way, rapidly in this manner.
Run may be construed with a large number of preps. and advs., as about, after, against, at, etc. Some idiomatic uses arising from such phrases are treated under III and IV, and others will be found under some other distinctive word in the phrase (as random n. 3).
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvii. §2 Færð ðonne micel folc to, & yrnað ealle endemes. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxviii. 8 [Hia] eodun hreconlice from byrᵹenne..iornende. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) xviii. 6 Swa swa ᵹiᵹant yrnð on his weᵹ. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him al þa hebreisce men. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 39 Þe swin urnen alse deulen hem driuen into þe sæ. c 1290 Beket 692 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 126 He orn and tolde his maister fore. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 7002 (Kölbing), Segremor hem asked, whi þai vrn & made swiche cri. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xvii. 83, I soiourned nouȝte, but shope me to renne, And suwed þat samaritan. 1400–10 Clanvowe Cuckoo & Night. 217 To the broke I ran, and gat a stoon. c 1470 Henry Wallace vi. 628 Full law thai crap, quhill thai war out off sicht; Eftir the ost syne rane in all thair mycht. 1523 Skelton Garl. Laurel 632 Masid as a marche hare, he ran lyke a scut. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 116 Many were drowned in the Ryver of Neccar, wher into they ran headlong. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 871 As she runs, the bushes in the way Some catch her by the neck. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 184 It is unlawfull [on the Sabbath]..to Runne, Leape, or tell Tales. 1659 Pell Impr. Sea 300 As soon as hee saw the ship, hee ran down to the Sea side unto her. 1760 Sterne Tr. Shandy iv. xvi, She is run upstairs, answered Obadiah, this very instant. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) V. 197 The young ones run about as soon as they are out of the shell. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Dau. i. iii, Here, boy.., run and ask Jenkinson for the key of the coach-house. 1863 Reade Hard Cash I. 21 A hundred..men, ready to run..with the boats all the way. 1871 Kingsley At Last x, The Coolie butler's child..ran in and out with the dogs. |
b. In various fig. contexts.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xli. §2 Þa þe..æfter hiora lichoman luste irnað. a 1225 Ancr. R. 332 Þe vuere ston bitocneð hope þet eorneð & stureð hire euer ine gode werkes. a 1300 Cursor M. 17251 Fra blis to blis mai þou noght rin. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 195 Þese beeþ my synnes þat renneþ after me. a 1400–50 Alexander 3383 Out of þe rake of riȝtwysnes ren suld he neuire. c 1460 Towneley Myst. vii. 25 All that will in trowth ren shall he saue. 1530 Palsgr. 696/1 He ronneth aheed as his fantasye leadeth hym. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 75, I beseech them to looke to their footing, that run ouershooes in al these vanities. 1628 Gaule Pract. The. 19 They..that follow their owne fancie, that run on their owne head. 1681 J. Flavel Meth. Grace xxx. 517 We must not run so far from an error, as to lose a precious truth. 1737 Whiston Josephus (1834) 830/1 He appears to have been so affected..as to run, as it were, in a sort of a middle way. 1821 Examiner 42/1 We must not..run too swiftly to our conclusions. 1868 [see harness n. 4 b]. |
c. Sc. Contrasted with ride. (Cf. go v. 1.)
| 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 103 That thai, that war off hey parage, Suld ryn on fute, as rebaldaill. c 1450 Holland Howlat 647 Robyn Redbrest nocht ran, Bot raid as a hensman. a 1700 Gaberlunzie-Man vii, O fy gar ride, and fy gar rin, And haste ye [etc.]. a 1802 Jamie Telfer xxviii, The Scotts they rade, the Scotts they ran. |
d. Used to denote (hurried) travelling or going about, esp. to distant places.
| a 1300 K. Horn (C.) 1146 Drink to horn of horne, Feor ihc am iorne. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 22 Oþere prestis rennen out of oure lond ouer grete sees. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 2862 For ane vnworthie Vickarage Ane Preist will rin to Rome, in Pilgramage. 1555 Inv. Ch. Goods (Surtees) 156 My charges in runnyng from Duresme to Yorke. 1791 Boswell Johnson Advt., I have sometimes been obliged to run half over London, in order to fix a date correctly. 1870 Lowell Study Wind., Condesc. Foreigners, I remembered people who..must run to Italy before [etc.]. |
e. In proverbs and proverbial phrases.
that he who runs may read is an alteration of Habakkuk ii. 2, ‘That he may run that readeth it’.
| 1523 Skelton Garl. Laurel 1434 Nedes must he rin that the deuyll dryuith. 1539 Taverner Erasm. Prov. (1552) 28 He runneth farre, that neuer commeth agayne. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 47 He runth far, that neuer turnth againe. Ibid. 77 Men saie he maie yll renne, that can not go. Ibid. 137 Holde with the hare and run with the hounde. 1672 Essex Papers (Camden) 6 That what euer Rules are made,..maybe soe Plainly..worded, That he that Runs may Read & understand them. 1687 T. Brown in Dk. Buckingham's Wks. (1705) II. 129 If you don't like me rough, as I run, fare you well, Madam. 1784 Cowper Tiroc. 80 But truths..Shine..With such a lustre, he that runs may read. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xviii, Which..extends a lesson so clear, that he who runs may read. |
f. Used allusively, with reference to the legs (in contrast to the wings) of game or poultry.
| 1591 Florio 2nd Fruites 57 Shall I give you some of this capon?.. Will you flie or run? 1824 S. E. Ferrier Inher. xiv, It's the fashion now, when you help game or poultry, to ask—Pray do you run or fly? |
g. to run counter (to): see counter adv. 1 and 3.
h. Cricket. To act as a runner (runner 1 f) for (a disabled batsman).
| 1855 F. Lillywhite Guide to Cricketers 7 No substitute shall in any case be allowed to stand out or run between wickets for another person without the consent of the opposite party. 1900 W. A. Bettesworth Walkers of Southgate xi. 290 Mr Rutter..was..standing behind the wicket in the usual place of a man who is running for another. 1908 W. E. W. Collins Leaves from Old Country Cricketer's Diary xiii. 223 Once only in more than forty years, when I was hit badly on the knee-cap, I had a man to run for me. |
i. colloq. To suffer pressingly from diarrhoea. Cf. run n.1 14 f.
| 1966 A. E. Lindop I start Counting vi. 92 ‘I said to her..{oqq}if you lie down on that wet grass you'll come down with the running trots{cqq}—’ ‘And did she?’.. ‘She was run, run, run, run! All the time.’ 1967 A. Wilson No Laughing Matter iii. 188 Suddenly she knew by sensation the meaning of that unattractive expression ‘it kept me running all night’... She was indeed kept ‘running all night’. |
2. a. To go about freely, without being restrained or checked in any way. Freq. with about; also const. with, and with adjs. as wild.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xlix. 18 Ᵹif ðu ᵹeseᵹe ðeof, somud ðu urne mid hine. c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvi. §6 Ða dyseᵹan..irnað hidres ðidres dwoliᵹende under þæm hrofe eallra ᵹesceafta. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 220, I haue seyne charite..Ryden and rennen in ragged wedes. 1402 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 79, I trowe thou menys the pardonystres..that rennen so fast aboute. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ix. xx. 369 This meane whyle ranne sir Tristram naked in the forest. 1535 Coverdale 1 Tim. v. 13 They are ydell, and lerne to runne aboute from house to house. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 64 b, He did..cast of, and leat renne at all auentures his soonne. 1611 Cotgr., Rodeur, a vagabond,..highway-beater; a rolling stone, one that does nought but runne here and there. 1722 De Foe Plague (1754) 265 People..run all together promiscuously, sick and well. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia viii. iv, Run about and divert yourself, 'tis all you have for it. 1855 Kingsley Westw. Ho! xxix, She runs about all day long after Mrs. Leigh. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 79 We are resolved..not to let them run about as they like. |
b. Of animals. Also with in.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 453 As in wilde wildernesse, wexeth wilde bestes,..rennenge with-out croperes. 1482 Cely Papers (Camden) 122 Lette hym ron in a parke. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 190 The hennes ron in the mashfat. 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. l, Neat and kyne, that runne wylde in the hils. 1607 Markham Caval. i. 25 They let their Colts runne with their Mares, till they couer their Dammes. 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 176 Worms..running betwixt the Bark and the Stem. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 343 In those boundless tracts,..where he [sc. the horse] runs at liberty. 1838 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) XXV. 1421/1 Large quantities of black cattle run wild among the hills. 1856 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XVII. ii. 485 The flock runs, through the summer, on the seeds and grass. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 263 The station..where the cattle were running. 1960 G. E. Evans Horse in Furrow xi. 151 But the danger of undersized or ill-bred stallions ‘running in’ with the mares on communal..pastures had become considerably less. 1972 Country Life 3 Feb. 288/3 The heifers..run with the Hereford bull to produce their first calf. |
c. to run (a)round: to associate or consort with (someone, esp. of the opposite sex); to court, have an affair with; similarly with together. Also in general sense, to go about hurriedly with no fixed goal; to go from one place or person to another. Also transf. to run (a)round in circles: see circle n. 1 c.
| 1887 in Amer. Speech (1950) XXV. 37/1 She used to run around with Jim Reiley. 1891 J. H. Pearce Esther Pentreath iii. v. 194 The speaker, a big awkward slattern, had been long trying hard..to get Casy to ‘run around’ with her. 1920 H. Crane Let. 24 Sept. (1965) 42 I've been running around talking, talking, talking and waiting for the proper persons to arrive at their offices. 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gatsby vi. 125, I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too much these days to suit me. 1929 D. Runyon in Hearst's Internat. July 56/1 He writes about..who is running around with who, including guys and dolls. 1940 M. Allingham Black Plumes iii. 19 He and Phillida ran round together quite a bit. 1940 F. & R. Lockridge Norths meet Murder viii. 129 You could tell me about it, and why you didn't like Brent, if it wasn't because he was running around with your wife. 1952 M. Laski Village xi. 161 They've been running around together for some time... She's certainly a lovely girl. 1962 [see cruddy a. 2]. 1969 in Halpert & Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 213 Since people know who the uncovered janney ‘runs around with’ (i.e., his friends), they will have a clue to the probable identity of the others. |
3. a. To hasten to some end or object, or to do something; to make haste, be active.
Sometimes with implication of the literal sense.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xvi. 103 Ðæt hi mæᵹen iernan & fleon to ðæs lareowes mode him to ondettunge. c 1200 Ormin 14115 Þe waterr tacneþþ uss mannkinn Þat erneþþ till hiss ende. a 1300 Cursor M. 21563 Þe Iuus to þe baptim ran, Ful fain þai war þai þider wan. 13.. K. Alis. 849 (W.), Theo stronge knytis of the halle, Anon ronnon to heore armes alle. 1408–9 26 Pol. Poems 32 So fele as shulde renne hedlyng to helle. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 2070 By robbynge they rynne to in manus tuas quecke. 1589 Nashe Martin Marprelate Wks. (Grosart) I. 161 Leauing the auncient game of England (Trumpe),..[they] are running to their Ruffe. 1634 Milton Comus 363 What need a man..run to meet what he would most avoid? 1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Wars Flanders 89 The people..run almost from all places to assist his cause. 1702 Steele Grief A-la-Mode Pref., 'Tis Habitual to 'em to run to the Succour of those they see in Danger. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xi. 91 ‘Boys,’ says I, ‘run now! dig! put! jest when ye want to!’ |
† b. To have recourse to a practice. Obs.
| a 1352 Minot Poems viii. 6 Whilum war ȝe wight in wede To robbing rathly for to ren. a 1400 Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 612/24 For grete Iewes, galwes weire greiþed, Þat euer to Robbyng Ronne ryf. |
c. To go or resort to a person, etc., esp. for help or guidance.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxvi. 5 Bot my hert shal not drede, for i ronne til my hiler, not to þo kastels, to seke help. 1509 Fisher 7 Penit. Ps. xxxviii. Wks. (1876) 69 Let vs therfore renne to..Marye the moder of god. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. Pref., Then was I forced to runne to the workes of manie. 1603 Parsons Let. in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. (1906) II. 217 In such case..the English Cath. shalbe forced to runne to the K[ing] of France for assistance. 1860 Reade Cloister & H. lv, That day first I did seem to glimpse why folk in trouble run to drink so. 1864 Lowell Study Wind., Gt. Public Char., Even Mommsen himself..cannot get or give a lively notion of ancient Rome, without running to the comic poets. |
4. a. To retire or retreat rapidly; to take to flight; to abscond or desert. Also const. from a place, person, etc. to run out on (someone), to abandon, desert.
| c 1205 Lay. 29298 Bruttes for-burnen; Bruttes gunnen irnen. c 1450 Myrr. our Ladye 31 They shall not knowe whither to fle ne ren from them. 1567 Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 174 O fulis, quhairfoir tak ȝe flycht, Rinnand fra Christ? 1673 Hatton Corr. (Camden) 111 The souldiers in very considerable numbers dayly run from their colours. 1758 J. Blake Mar. Syst. 20 The time and place when, and where he entered, died, run, or was discharged. 1781 Jefferson Corr. Wks. 1859 I. 306 They broke twice and run like sheep. 1845 Narr. U.S. Explor. Exped. I. Introd. 38 Robert Boyle, Seaman, Joined in the United States; run at Sydney. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxxii, He did not care to face Mrs. O'Dowd and Amelia, and own to them that he was about to run. 1893 Chamb. Jrnl. 1 July 414/1 He..had been forced to cut and run. 1920 H. C. Witwer in Collier's 15 May 57/1 Kin you imagine him runnin' out on me too? 1934 Ade Let. 8 Mar. (1973) 180, I received no invitation or notification and neither did John Golden and so we must not be accused of running out on our little pop-eyed friend. 1942 T. Rattigan Flare Path i. 25 You were a fool to run out on me, weren't you? 1951 M. McLuhan Mech. Bride (1967) 60/2 Some of the fellows were sneering that her husband was running out on her. 1962 H. Hood in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories 2nd Ser. (1968) 210 I'm not running out on you. 1973 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Starry Bird xv. 221, I decided I was going back to Rome... Johnson, on whom I was running out, listened to me with patience. |
b. So to run for it.
| 1642 W. Mountagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 306 My Lord of Stamford..made them run for it, and took their arms away. 1692 Hickeringill Good Old Cause Wks. 1716 II. 537 We hear the good News, that the Idolaters are run for it, the Syrians before Joab. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 119 Once or twice they were ready to lay down all their loads, and run for it. 1855 Kingsley Westw. Ho! xviii, He fairly clapped his hands to his ears and ran for it. 1883 Stevenson Treas. Isl. xxx, We'll run for it like antelopes. |
† c. To deviate or diverge from a standard.
| 1765 Treat. Dom. Pigeons 57 Rejecting those that ran from the feather, and judiciously matching the good coloured ones together. |
d. To draw back from a pledge, etc.
| 1824 Examiner 57/2 Mr. D...ran from his wager. 1858 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIX. i. 124 The contracting party may be inclined to run from his word. |
e. In weakened sense, to leave, depart (freq. with an implication of haste). Also with along, away. run along (with you)! imp., used esp. to children or inferiors (cf. get along! s.v. along adv. 2).
| 1816 Jane Austen Emma II. i. 18 ‘I am afraid we must be running away,’ said Emma..beginning to rise... ‘I, had no intention..of staying more than five minutes.’ 1890 O. Wilde Pict. Dorian Gray i, in Lippincott's Monthly Mag. July 7 You are not going to run away so soon, Mr. Hallward? 1902 B. Potter Tale of Peter Rabbit 15 Now run along, and don't get into mischief. 1927 A. A. Milne Now We are Six 57 But every one says, ‘Run along!’ (Run along, run along!) All of them say ‘Run along! I'm busy as can be.’ 1933 M. Lowry Ultramarine ii. 62 Oh well, I'll have to put up with you. Run away and play. 1934 E. Bowen Cat Jumps 242 ‘Yes, run along with you,’ she said. ‘And don't be so silly again.’ 1935 N. Mitchison We have been Warned ii. 202, I must run or the garden party will miss me. 1952 E. O'Neill Moon for Misbegotten i. 56 So run along now and play with your horse, and don't bother me. 1962 I. Murdoch Unofficial Rose vi. 62 Douglas Swann rose again, accepting his dismissal. ‘No thank you, Ann, I must run.’ 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai xii. 211 Tell your Mother we're going to the flicks and I'll be back about eleven. Better run along now. 1975 A. Bergman Hollywood & Levine xi. 164 ‘Helen, we'll be running, said Wohl... There was a final chorus of good-byes. |
5. a. To rush at, on, or upon a person with hostile intention; to make an attack on . Also fig.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 15786 Þai him vmsett on ilk side,..Wit maces and wit neues smert vnrekenli on him þai ran. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ix. xli. 407 The knyght was..in wille sodenly to haue ronne vpon syr Tristram with a swerd. |
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xxxviii. 123 All the sarasins at ones ran vpon Huon, & tooke hym. Ibid. lix. 205 Huon ranne at hym.., & strake him with his spere. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. v. v, They run all at Piero with their Rapiers. 1662 J. Davies tr. Mandelslo's Trav. 95 He run upon him and cut off his head. 1781 D. Williams tr. Voltaire II. 301 He pierced the furious boar who was running at him. 1835 I. Taylor Spir. Despot. i. 17 The..popery that was furiously run upon by the sceptics of the last age. 1889 Doyle Micah Clarke xxiii. 232 He ran at me and kicked me. |
† b. To move rapidly through or over a country with hostile intent. (Cf. overrun v. 4.) Obs.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 1 Þorgh out Chestreschire werre gan thei dryue. Had þei no styntyng, bot þorgh alle þei ran. 1648 Hexham ii, Rotteynen, to Roade, or Run through a Countrie. 1693 Mem. Ct. Teckely i. 42 Having gain'd the Fort, they could safely run over all the Peninsula that lies between the Mure and the Drave. |
† 6. a. To ride on horseback at a quick pace; spec. to ride in a tournament, to tilt or joust. Obs.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 11078 In a foul plodde..me him slong, & orne on him mid hor hors. 1535 Coverdale 2 Macc. v. 2 Then were there sene..horsmen runninge to and fro in the ayre. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 6 The kyng ranne neuer openly before, and there were broken many staues. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 377 The sprightly..Dowglas, that runnes a Horse-backe vp a Hill perpendicular. 1652 Sir C. Cotterell tr. Calprenède's Cassandra I. 3 There appeared ten or twelve fresh well mounted Knights, running towards them at full speed. |
b. In tilting, to charge with a lance or spear at a mark or object.
Now usually in phrase to run (full) tilt at or against: see tilt n., and cf. a-tilt adv.
| c 1530 [see quintain α]. 1550 Rutland MSS. IV. 359 (Hist. MSS. Comm.), For a spere wyche he lent to runne at the glove with, and was broken, iij s. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iv. 156 To run at the Gloue in a open place before all the people. 1686 [see ring n.1 4]. |
7. a. To compete, or take part, in a race (for a prize). Occas. with compl. denoting final position in the race. Also in fig. context. to run to (also true to, up to) form: of a horse, to perform in a race consistently with its previous record; freq. transf. and fig.
| c 1205 Lay. 24696 Summe heo gunnen urnen, summe heo gunnen lepen,..summe heo wræstleden. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 48/52 His Men pleiden and Arnden bi þe weie. 1382 Wyclif Gal. ii. 2 Lest perauenture I schulde renne in veyn, or hadde runne. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 103 Yf the game be onse wonne, no man wyl set forth hys foote to ronne. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Celes, a horse runnyng for a price or game. 1653 Binning Serm. (1845) 156 Think it strange that thou runnest so slowly, when so great a prize is to be obtained. 1713 Lond. Gaz. No. 5151/4 A Plate of 40l. Value was to be run for. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. Horse-racing, We will only here suppose a Horse set to run for a Plate. a 1837 [Apperley] Turf (1851) 127 He runs in front, it is true, for he can run to win. 1863 Sat. Rev. 8 Aug. 189 Before running this week for the Brighton Stakes, he was led..with a chain attached to his bit. 1886 St. Stephen's Rev. 13 Mar. 11/2 Ironclad ran a good horse considering that he was evidently very short of work. 1891 Sat. Rev. 26 Sept. 358/2 Gossoon..had run second to her for the Champagne Stakes. 1891 G. Chetwynd Racing Reminisc. I. 85 The result of the Prince of Wales' Stakes was interesting, as it afforded a striking proof of the way in which horses sometimes consistently run up to their form. |
| transf. and fig. 1881 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton My Love III. xii. 214 She tried it on with Val, who hated her... But Val said that didn't run! 1934 Webster, Run true to form, or type, to operate as might be expected by its inherent nature. 1960 Bedside ‘Guardian’ IX. 178 This [canvassing] ran true to form until one young woman reddened and said: ‘I don't think you should accost mothers on a playground.’ 1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard viii. 253 It was simply Paul running to form, never arriving anywhere on time. 1973 D. Lessing Summer before Dark 227 I'd be running true to form wouldn't I? A few years in the wide world and then back to the home paddock. |
b. To compete, stand as a candidate, for a position, seat, etc., or on a specific issue or policy. orig. and chiefly U.S.
| 1826 Virginia Herald (Fredericksburg) 22 Nov. 3/1 Mr. Pitcher is elected Lt. Governor, by a large majority over Mr. Huntington, who ran on the same ticket with Mr. Clinton. 1851 J. A. Quitman in J. F. H. Claiborne Life & Corr. J. A. Quitman (1860) II. xvi. 147 A majority of the people have declared against the course of policy..upon which alone I had consented to run as a candidate. 1859 Knickerbocker Oct. 372 We have never had the misfortune to run (or ‘be run’, as the phrase is) for Congress. 1861 Temple Bar II. 353 [He] might..stand a chance of running for Congress. 1870 Standard 12 Nov., If he naturalised himself in the United States and ran for President. 1912 M. Nicholson Hoosier Chron. 54 I'd go into their counties and spend every cent I've got fighting 'em if they ever ran for office again. 1929 W. Faulkner Sartoris ii. 67, I know what I'll do: I'll run for Congress. 1950 Manch. Guardian Weekly 24 Aug. 15 Mr. Dewey has sworn not to run again for the Governorship. 1964 Gould & Kolb Dict. Social Sci. 484/2 The Democratic candidate..ran instead on the issue, among others, that the Eighteenth Amendment should be repealed. 1967 G. F. Fiennes I tried to run Railway iii. 16 There's a job going as Assistant District Superintendent at Burntisland. Do you want to run for it? 1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 Feb. 3/8 Mr. Woodcock, who says he is running on a youth ticket, joins two other fringe candidates. 1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. a 14/1 President Carter says he does not know whether he will run for re-election in 1980 or whether he will win if he does. |
c. to run for luck, to take one's chance. U.S.
| 1841 Longfellow in Life (1891) I. 391, I have to run for luck as to horses, which is not so agreeable. |
d. U.S. To tout for a boarding-house, etc.
| 1891 C. Roberts Adrift America 228, I went with him to the house he was running for. |
e. to run scared: in U.S. political terminology, to compete for office in a manner indicating or suggesting a fear of losing, esp. to avoid over-confidence. Also in generalized and weakened senses, to be frightened, to panic. Usu. as pres. pple.
| 1960 Newsweek 19 Sept. 39/1 Confident as he is of winning, Nixon intends to run hard and scared until the very last minute. 1964 G. McDonald (title) Running scared. 1968 W. Safire New Lang. Politics 389/2 The phrase is directed..to the candidate who is in the position of Thomas E. Dewey in 1948, considered a ‘shoo-in’... Hindsighted politicians now say Dewey should have ‘run scared’—conducted a more aggressive, fighting campaign. 1969 P. F. Simon The Boxer (song) 3 In the quiet rail-way sta-tion run-ning scared. 1976 Times 1 Mar. 7/4 President Ford..has been running scared against Reagan for many months. 1976 J. Philips Backlash iii. i. 116 He's big, but running very scared. 1978 Time 1 May 24/2 ‘People are running scared,’ says..a Boston drug-abuse expert. ‘A situation exists which borders on hysteria,’ agrees the deputy director of the Illinois dangerous-drugs commission. 1978 Washington Post 12 June c2/1 Members of Congress who are already running scared (this is an election year). |
8. transf. Of fish: a. To swim rapidly.
| c 1520 L. Andrew Noble Lyfe in Babees Book (1868) 236 Percus is of diuers colours, & swift in ronnynge in the water. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 104/1 When Fish run away with the Bait in his Mouth. 1726 Gentleman Angler 155 To Run, this is properly applied to a Jack or Pike in Trowling, who, when he has seized the Bait, runs to his Harbour to pouch it; after which he runs again. 1820 Scoresby Acc. Arc. Reg. I. 465 Whales..blow strongest, densest, and loudest, when ‘running’. 1867 Francis Angling iv. (1880) 103 The pike made a splendid fight, often running to weed. 1891 Field 19 Dec. 948/1 This salmon showed no desire to run up stream. |
b. spec. To pass to or from the sea; to migrate.
| 1743 M. Catesby Nat. Hist. Carolina II. p. xxxiii, Herrings in March leave the salt waters, and run up the rivers. 1806 Lewis & Clark Orig. Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1905) IV. 95 These women informed us that the small fish began to run which we suppose to be herring from their description. 1884 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S.: Nat. Hist. Aquatic Animals 376 [Kingfish] occasionally run to a considerable distance up the rivers. 1887 Fortn. Rev. Mar. 406 Immense numbers of salmon ‘run’ early in the year. 1892 Longman's Mag. Nov. 88 The season when the eels are ‘running’. |
** Of inanimate things in rapid motion.
9. a. Of things, esp. the heavenly bodies: To move rapidly through space.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xviii. 6 [The sun] ᵹefaeh swe swe ᵹiᵹent to earnenne on weᵹ. a 1000 Genesis 138 Him arn on last þrang þystre ᵹenip. c 1000 Saxon Leechdoms III. 234 æfre heo [the sun] byð yrnende ymbe ðas eorðan. a 1300 Cursor M. 22695 Þe cludes to þe se sal rin For to hid þam þarin. a 1425 Ibid. 23590 (Trin.), Sonne, mone, watir, & stern, Þat now renneþ in cours ȝern. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge ii. 118 Sterres..Rennynge in the ayre dredfull to beholde. 1530 Rastell Bk. Purgat. iii. ix. 1 Where the sonne and the other sterres renne in theyr speres. 1692 Dryden Eleonora 150 Though 'tis a train of stars that, rolling on, Rise in their turn and in the Zodiac run. 1732 Pope Ess. Man ii. 21 Instruct the planets in what orbs to run. 1754 Gray Progr. Poesy 118 Oft before his infant eyes would run Such forms as glitter in the Muse's ray. 1864 Tennyson Voyage iv, Far ran the naked moon across The houseless ocean's heaving field. |
b. Of vehicles, etc.: To move easily or rapidly by reason of being set on wheels. Also fig. to run off the rails: see rail n.2 4 a, b.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xvii. 609 Ane cren thai haf gert dres vp hey Rynand on quhelis. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 64 The world runth on wheeles. 1611 Bible Nahum ii. 4 The charets shall rage in the streets,..they shall seeme like torches, they shall runne like the lightnings. 1675 Hobbes Odyssey (1677) 213 Sit quietly And eat..; your tongue so runs on wheels. a 1774 Goldsm. Surv. Exp. Philos. (1776) I. 267 A machine..that run upon wheels. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 551/2 A moveable carriage..running on lower side-rails. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting ix. 432 The wagon runs heavily. |
10. a. Of a vessel (or those on board): To sail swiftly or easily. Also in fig. context. Also of a torpedo: to pass through the water.
Used with many advs. and preps., as adrift, at large, free, in, out, etc.; before (the wind), down (a coast), into (a haven), up (an inlet), etc. to cut and run (see cut v. 41).
| a 1000 Ags. Proverbs 186 (Gr.), Seldan in sidum ceole, nefne he under seᵹle yrne, weriᵹ scealc wiþ winde roweþ. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1046, Hi..tuᵹon þa up heora seᵹel, & urnon west to Axamuðan. c 1205 Lay. 11981 Þa scipen þa urnen bi-uoren. 1382 Wyclif Acts xxvii. 16 We rennynge into sum yle..vnnethe myȝte gete a litil boot. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 160 The Schip which on the wawes renneth. c 1450 Myrr. our Ladye 307 Hauen of the see, to whyche the gylty renne with truste. c 1595 Capt. Wyatt R. Dudley's Voy. W. Ind. (Hakl. Soc.) 6 The next day,..runninge to make the lande, wee founde it to be the Groyne. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events Pref., As in a full sea, I hoyse up sayles, and run at large. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 12 The Currents of the Gulf of Venice made us run a head a pace. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack xi, We were obliged to run away afore the wind as the seamen call it. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 121 We kept running along-shore, with an easy Sail. 1827 Roberts Voy. Centr. Amer. 34 We..got under weigh and ran down the inner passage. 1856 Leisure Hour V. 334/2 With a fair wind we ran past the Bird rocks. 1885 Law Rep. 10 App. Cases 411 On that day she deviated from the course of the voyage and ran for Mauritius. 1914 F. T. Jane Navy as Fighting Machine xiii. 100 The ‘balance chamber’. This regulates the depth at which the torpedo will run. 1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 16 May 21 They dived and dropped their torpedoes, all of which ran satisfactorily. |
b. To sail or be driven on or upon the shore, rocks, etc.; to come aground or ashore. Also fig. Also in phr. to run into the sand(s), to peter out; to come to nothing.
| c 1205 Lay. 11710 Þa scipen urnen a ðen lond. 1540–1 Elyot Image Gov. (1549) 118 They be..by contrarie wyndes constreigned to renne on quicke sandes or rockes. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 24 Least I chaunce to..runne a grounde in those Coasts. 1600 Hakluyt Voy. (1810) III. 436 The ship..returned to the coast, where it ran on ground. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. xxix. (1674) 33 My inordinate desire..which hath made me run upon the Rock which you see. 1731 Gentl. Mag. I. 32/2 The Samuel..ran ashore on the Coast of New England. 1856 Leisure Hour V. 349/1 A West Indiaman had run on the rocks. 1877 C. M. Yonge Cameos Ser. iii. xv. 133 They had no escape but to run aground. 1931 E. Wilson Axel's Castle iv. 112 We may put it down to an academic assumption that English drama ended when the blank verse of the Elizabethans ran into the sands. 1956 A. L. Rowse Early Churchills xvii. 378 A naturally clever woman with genuine interests of the mind that ran into the sand. |
c. run foul of, † on, to collide or become entangled with (another vessel, etc.); to foul. Also fig.
| 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 13 As long as we spooned before the Sea, and kept from running foul of one the other. 1748 Anson's Voy. i. i. 15 Two of the transports,..in tacking, ran foul of each other. 1767 J. Byron Voy. r. World 177 We were alarmed by the ship's running foul of a whale. 1820 W. Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. II. 477 The John, running foul of a piece of ice. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Wordbk. 319 ‘A ship ran foul of us,’ that is, entangled herself among our rigging. |
| transf. and fig. 1686 Goad Celest. Bodies i. xvi. 101 Yet at no hand do we run foul..on uncertainties. 1786 tr. Beckford's Vathek (1868) 103 Plunging, kicking, and running foul of each other in the most ludicrous manner. 1830 Miss Mitford Village Ser. iv. (1863) 215 The Frenchman can't drive..; he'd as nearly as possible run foul of my pigs. 1918 Dialect Notes V. 21 Run foul of, to meet. 1932 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 Oct. 792/4 He ran foul of the most powerful gang in New York and the police at the same time. 1971 New Scientist 27 May 533/1 Tamplin originally ran foul of the AEC when he was asked to demolish Ernest Sternglass's case. |
d. run aboard, run on board (of): (see aboard prep. and board n. 12 c).
| 1725 Hearne R. Brunne's Chron. Gloss. s.v. Berd, Readily ran aboard him. 1796 Nelson 16 Apr. in Nicolas Disp. (1845) II. 154 Royal Sovereign put back much damaged; a Transport run on board her. 1829 Marryat F. Mildmay iii, A large..frigate ran on board of us. |
11. a. To take a (hurried) journey for the purpose of making a short stay at or visit to a place. Chiefly with down, over, up.
| 1798 Pitt in G. Rose Diaries (1860) I. 216, I have a scheme of running down..to Somersetshire. 1831 Lady Granville Lett. (1894) II. 115, I wish you could have run over for a week. 1841 Card. Wiseman in Purcell Life & Lett. A. P. de Lisle (1900) I. xi. 255 But I forsee that it will be necessary for me during the vacation to run to Rome. 1860 Trollope Framley P. xxxviii, No poor lad that ever ran up from Oxford for a spree in town got so lectured. 1861 J. A. Symonds Let. 30 Apr. (1967) I. 287 This is just the time that I sd like to be at home... If I can, I shall run down for a day this Term. Ibid. 28 Oct. 314 Do you not think you cd persuade Papa to run up with me one night this week to see it? 1866 G. Meredith Let. 14 Jan. (1970) I. 356 A..letter disarranged the plan, which would have left me free of conscience to run down to you. 1866 Trollope Belton Est. xxxii, in Fortn. Rev. 1 Jan. 429 I'll..just run over once or twice in the year. It would not be a nice place for you to live at long. 1871 J. Blackwood Let. 31 Dec. in Geo. Eliot Lett. (1956) 230 Hamley only ran up for an afternoon and could not get to the Priory. 1885 C. M. Yonge Two Sides of Shield I. x. 168 He says he would run over to see me if it were not for the dragons. 1898 G. B. Shaw Let. 18 Oct. (1972) II. 68 Our visitors here are..Strandring and Pease, who run down occasionally, or at least intend to do so. 1902 E. Nesbit Five Children & It ix. 237 I'll run up to town and have some lunch at club. 1921 G. B. Shaw Back to Methuselah iii. 136 Why not run over and join me for the afternoon? 1972 D. Sutton in Lett. R. Fry I. 53 During the 1910s Fry had formed the habit of running over to Paris. |
b. Of a conveyance, vessel, etc.: To ply between (two) places. Also const. † it. Also of a company, to schedule journeys over a given route. Now freq. with qualifying advb., as to run late, (of a transport service) to be behind schedule; also transf. of persons.
| a 1817 Jane Austen Northang. Abb. (1818) I. vii. 84 How long do you think we have been running it from Tetbury, Miss Morland? 1825 New Monthly Mag. XV. 20 Steam-boats will run from Toulouse..in 32 hours. 1830 Fr. Ignatius in Purcell Life & Lett. A. P. de Lisle (1900) I. iv. 82, I cannot just now tell how the coaches run between Northampton and Loughborough. 1869 Bradshaw's Railway Man. XXI. 177 The company authorized to run over the Mid-Kent, the West End of London and Crystal Palace,..and the West London Extension. 1886 Pascoe Lond. of To-day xliii. (ed. 3) 378 Steamboats run between London Bridge and Chelsea on week-days every ten minutes. 1954 L. MacNeice Autumn Sequel 161, I today, equally undefended, Not knowing if we are running fast or late, Walk through this empty train. 1956 N. Marsh Off with his Head (1957) vi. 113, I got called out on an urgent case and found myself running late. 1973 Daily Tel. 3 Feb. 14 Any attempt to discover by telephone whether an incoming flight is running late is futile. 1977 N. Marsh Last Ditch vi. 176 Alleyn looked at his watch. ‘I'm running shamefully late,’ he said. |
c. To slide or travel on a sleigh or toboggan or on skis.
| 1887 [see coast v. 13]. 1898 Encycl. Sport II. 472/1 Now, as each competitor is obliged to run three times,..and as the course varies, not only day by day, but hour by hour,..a great deal of judgment is required on the part of the rider. 1935 Encycl. Sports 562/2 The attitudes of skiers in running vary from an almost upright one to a very low crouch. Ibid. 563/1 Having acquired confidence, the ability to go fairly fast, and to run straight over moderate slopes without falling, the novice can now tackle the turns. 1956 Ski-ing (‘Know the Game’ Ser.) 13/2 The fastest method of ski-ing down a slope is naturally by running straight (schussing). |
12. a. To spread, pass, or move quickly from point to point. Usu. const. with preps.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter cxlvii. 15 [= 4] Se utsendeð ᵹesprec his eorðan; hreðlice eorneð word his. a 1300 Cursor M. 22224 Bot-if discord and strijf Ouer al þis werld be runnun rijf. a 1325 Prose Psalter cxlvii. 4 Þe which sendeþ his worde to þe erþe; hys worde erneþ swiftlich. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 1644 As swift as pelet..Whan fire is in the poudre ronne. Ibid. 1651 A smoke gan out wende;..the ferther that hit ran, The gretter wexen hit began. 1451 J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. xxxi. 41 This ensaumple ran oute þorw þe lond of Affrik, þat þo prestes.. had leue to preche. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. vi. 37 That cruell word her tender hart so thrild, That suddein cold did runne through euery vaine. 1655 Culpepper, etc. Riverius i. xi. 38 We say that the understanding doth run from one thing to another. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. x. 404 [The fire] was running along a wooden cornish, which would soon communicate it to a great distance. 1789 Ann. Reg., Hist. 6 The new doctrine ran like wild-fire through the nation. 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xxx. 416 Numbness..followed by tingling pains running along the course of the nerves. 1855 M. Arnold Balder Dead iii. 183 Squalls Ran black o'er the sea's face. 1893 Sir R. Ball Story of Sun 302 The temperature of Chicago has been known to run through a range of 80 degrees in twenty-four hours. |
b. Of sounds: To spread or pass rapidly (along, down, through a place, company, etc.); to be caught up or repeated in quick succession.
| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 1683 As lowde as any thunder That euery wight hath of hit wonder So brode hyt ran. 1629 Milton Hymn Nativ. xix, No voice or hideous humm Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 491 Soft Whispers run along the leafy Woods. a 1744 Pope (J.), And a low murmur runs along the field. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. i. (1858) 103 There was a shout which ran down the long file of horsemen. 1868 C. M. Yonge Pupils of St. John xvi, A whisper ran through the congregation. 1888 Mrs Notley Power of Hand I. vi. 67 A general assent ran from lip to lip. |
c. Of statements, reports, etc.: To spread abroad rapidly; to pass quickly from mouth to mouth; to be or become widely current.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 310 ‘Is þis Arþures hous,’ quod þe haþel.., ‘Þat al þe rous rennes of, þurȝ ryalmes so mony?’ c 1450 Merlin xv. 236 The tidinges ran so thourgh the contrey that the kynge aguysanx it herde. 1490 Caxton Eneydos xxxviii. 127 Durynge that these wordes ranne, Eneas and his people wroughte stylle to make vp theyr fortresse. a 1540 Barnes Wks. (1573) 330 There runneth a greate voyce of mee, that I haue maried a wife. 1605 Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 182 There ran a Rumour Of many worthy Fellowes, that were out. c 1676 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 33 The niewse runs as if the Dolphin should marry the Ellector of Bavaria's daughter. 1722 De Foe Plague (1754) 261 This Notion run like Lightening thro' the City. 1779 Hamilton Wks. (1886) VII. 578 In haste I snatch up my pen..to give you the news as it runs. 1853 M. Arnold Scholar Gipsy xiv, Two hundred years are flown Since first thy story ran through Oxford halls. 1858 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xviii. vii. (1872) V. 224 There run reports that make me shudder. |
d. Of plants: To creep or climb.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Salicastrum, a kynde of wylde vyne runnyng vpon willow trees. 1568 Turner Herbal iii. 2 The herbe groweth about ditches..and rinneth after the maner of a vyne alonge. 1611 Bible Gen. xlix. 22 A fruitfull bough by a well, whose branches runne ouer the wall. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. July, Vines..that run high, and bear chiefly out of the Knots of the old Wood. 1838 Penny Cycl. XII. 96/1 There is a kind [of ivy] which never runs or creeps upon other plants. |
13. a. Of thoughts: To come suddenly into (or † in), to course or pass through, the mind.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 8536 Hyt ran hym weyl yn þoȝt Þat þe abbot had inspyracyun. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 10308 In my mynde a-noon yt ran, To calle memoyre vn-to me. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 297 Par aventure this ranne in Phocions hedde, y{supt} menne ought not to..put assured truste..in luckie chaunces. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 181 Upon the first sight thereof, it run into our imagination, that they were the Cosaques. 1862 Tyndall Mountaineer. vi. 47 The extravagant analogies which then ran through my brain. |
b. Mus. To sing quickly. Also with down.
| 1613 W. Browne Brit. Past. i. v, When she should run, she rests; rests, when should run. 1812 Examiner 14 Sept. 590/1 She ran down her notes with..correctness. |
c. Of the eye: To glance, look quickly. Also of persons, to give a rapid glance (with the eye).
| 1611 Bible 2 Chron. xvi. 9 The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. vi. 66 Run with your Eye along the Parallel Lines. 1878 Scribner's Mag. XV. 800/2 She ran down the first page of her letter. 1890 Clark Russell Ocean Trag. II. 248 His eye swiftly ran from line to line. |
d. To go back in retrospect.
| 1702 Rowe Tamerl. Ded., I hardly have patience to run back to his having saved his own Country. 1702 Steele Funeral iv. (1723) 53 How many Thousand things does my Head run back to? 1889 Philips & Wills Fatal Phryne II. 49 She ran back over the pages of her memory. |
14. a. Of a weapon, etc.: To pass easily and quickly through something, to a certain point, etc.
| 13.. Cursor M. 16838 (Gött.), A spere..Thoru his side vnrekenli apon his herte it rane. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 3459 (Kölbing), A dint he ȝaf him so hard, Þe launce ran þe brini þurch. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 2793 The rosselde spere to his herte rynnes. c 1460 Towneley Myst. iii. 277 Thise nayles so thay ryn Thoro..Thise bordis ichon. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon viii. 21 [He] strake hym..with such force that the spere ran throw parte of hys body. 1561 Burning S. Paul's in Arber Garner VIII. 111 They saw a long and spear-pointed flame of fire, as it were, run through the top of..Paul's Steeple. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. iii. ii. 178 Looke, in this place ran Cassius Dagger through. |
b. fig. Of qualities, impressions, etc.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 26 Þer such rychez to rot is runnen. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 158 No likerous lust was thurgh hire herte yronne. ― Merch. T. 742 Lo pitee renneth soone in gentil herte. a 1631 Donne Poems (1650) 91 Straight her beauty to my sense shall runne. |
15. a. To slide, slip, or move easily or freely. Freq. with preps. or advs., as in, off, on, through.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 857 Rudelez rennande on ropez. 1391 Chaucer Astrol. i. §2 This ring rennyth in a Maner turet, fast to the Moder of thyn Astrelabie. 1481 Caxton Reynard xxxiii. (Arb.) 96 Where the two bokettys henge by one corde rennyng thurgh one polley. 1552 Huloet s.v. Knot, Knotte whiche runneth to, called a rydynge knotte, capulum. 1608 Willet Hexapla Exod. 605 To shoot the boords together..that one might runne within another. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 170 A Basket which they let down by a Rope that runs in a Pully. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. x. 415 The sails are made of matt..; they run upon the mast with hoops. 1834–6 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 666/1 These variations will be more frequent..when the ball runs very loose in the piece. 1858 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. viii. iv. (1872) III. 23 Actual neck-halter, but it seems to have been tarry, and did not run. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1819/1 Having no cheeks, the line may get out of its groove and cease to run. |
| fig. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie (Arb.) 262 Such composition makes the meetre runne away smoother. 1594, 1627 [see glib adv. 1]. a 1639 Wotton Reliquiæ (1651) 9 Runing..as smoothly as a numerous verse. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 405 ¶3 The Hebrew Idioms run into the English Tongue with a particular Grace and Beauty. 1754 Cowper Ep. to R. Lloyd 67 That Matthew's numbers run with ease Each man of common-sense agrees. 1879 ‘Annie Thomas’ London Season II. 79 [The verses] ‘go’ easily enough,.. but that sort of thing runs off by the yard. 1889 Mrs. Alexander Crooked Path II. x. 280 Life ran smoothly in its ordinary grooves. |
b. Of the tongue: To wag freely.
| a 1553 Udall Royster D. i. iii, Though your teeth be gone,..Yet your tongue can renne on patins as well as mine. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, ii. i. 122 This tongue that runs so roundly in thy head. 1676 Hobbes Iliad ii. 223 Else 'gainst the king thy tongue would not so run. a 1770 Jortin Serm. (1771) II. xi. 217 Vanity sets the tongue running faster then is decent. 1849 James Woodman viii, ‘How your little tongue runs,’ said her cousin. 1860 [see nineteen 2 b]. 1891 Meredith One of our Conquerors II. ix. 225 Her father let his tongue run. |
c. Of plants: To shoot up or grow quickly, so as to produce their seed. Cf. 81 a.
| 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. July, For if the first [cauliflowers] run, they will not be quite unfit for Use. 1812 Sir J. Sinclair Syst. Husb. Scot. i. Add. 17 As soon as the turnips or ruta baga begin to run or shoot in spring. 1894 Times 23 April 12/2 Too large a proportion of the plants show a tendency to ‘run’. |
d. Of bark: To peel off easily from a tree.
| 1731 D. Eaton Let. 2 May (1971) 135 We shall view the saplins at Oakly Wood on Wednesday and have the sale day on Saturday, bycause the bark runns very well. 1784 G. White Selborne ix, These trees..were winter-cut..before the bark would run. 1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 1096 Where the wood is to be barked,..the beginning of May may be the most proper, as it will then generally run the best. |
e. To unravel, come undone.
| 1878 A. Barlow Weaving 360 Lace made without this traversing motion would, in case a thread was broken, ‘run’ or become undone. |
f. To slip, diverge, go awry.
| 1846 Holtzapffel Turning II. 549 The single chamfered drill..is also more disposed of the two, to swerve or run from its intended position. 1885 Farrow Mil. Encycl. III. 524 A common drill may run, as it is usually termed, and produce a hole which is anything but straight. |
16. a. Of a ball, etc.: To roll forward on a surface. Said also of dice when thrown.
| c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. Prol. 27 Youre bagges been nat fild with ambes as But with sys cynk, that renneth for youre chaunce. 1412–20 Lydg. Troy Bk. ii. 838 Ȝif on haue Ioye, anoþer suffereþ wo, Liche as þe bonys renne to and fro. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 295 The dyse oft renneth upon the chaunce of thre. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V, 56 b, When Kyng Henry perceiued that the dice ranne not to his purpose, he abstained from the assault. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 233 Nay then two treyes..; well runne dice! 1611 Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girl iii. ii, His bowls run with a wrong bias. a 1680 Butler Characters (1908) 199 He uses all manner of conjurations, to make his bowl rub or run. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's xxvi, I will fancy the dice have run wrong. 1850 Bohn's Handbk. Games (1867) 564 He who blows upon a ball when running makes the stroke foul. 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 675/2 When the player's ball runs into a pocket without striking a ball. |
| fig. 1693 Dryden Pref. Ovid's Met., Andromache..runs off her bias, to tell him a story of her pedigree. |
b. transf. Of a player at billiards: To make the ball roll. Cf. run-through in 82.
| 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 676/1 When balls touch, the player may either run into a pocket, or play on to a third ball. 1885 Billiards Simplified (1889) 122 The proper way to play the stroke is to run through the red. |
17. a. To revolve or turn round on or as on an axis.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1548 Quen sa fele yeier ar wroken oute, Þe mikel spere es rune aboute. c 1425 Audelay XI Pains of Hell 49 in O.E. Misc. 212 Þer is a brenyng wel, A þosand tymys an our about doþ ren. c 1500 World & Child 93 A newe game haue I founde! Se this gynne, it renneth rounde. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 824 Me think the warld rinnis round about. 1658 tr. Porta's Nat. Magic vii. xxxii. 206 There is made a rundle, with a Latin-navel upon a point,..that it may run round freely. 1771 Encycl. Brit. III. 935/2 The balance-wheel G, whose pivot runs in the pieces A. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 509 In which case the wheel will have liberty to run. 1851–4 Tomlinson Cycl. Arts (1867) I. 485/1 Hollow centres for the spindle to run in. |
b. Of machinery or mechanical devices: To go; to continue operating. Also with compl.
| 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 112 It might ren..and strike er the time. 1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Del. i. xi. (1635) 242 You must get you a watch or clocke, apt to runne (if you can) 24 houres. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 184 A Stop-watch which runs Seconds. 1872 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 332 A 15-stamp water-power mill, which was running last summer. 1879 Paper & Printing Trades Jrnl. xxvi. 25 One of these little engines recently ran forty-seven days and nights without stoppage. 1912 Motor Man. (ed. 14) vi. 174 When a car is running badly the owner very often comes to the conclusion, [etc.]. 1939 G. B. Shaw Geneva iii. 110 It's no use going on making motor cars that you know will never run. 1952 Chambers's Jrnl. Apr. 208/1 With the port outer-diesel running the exciter and the other diesels cut to no load. 1959 E. K. Wenlock Kitchin's Road Transport Law (ed. 12) 112/1 The petrol tank must not be filled..while the engine is running. |
c. transf. Of a business, household, etc.: to function or operate.
| 1927 E. O'Neill Marco Millions ii. iii. 141 Sound common sense and a home where everything runs smooth. 1939 J. B. Priestley Let People Sing xiv. 416 I've got this place. It's doin' well, makin' money. But I don't want it all the time, an' now it's running easily it doesn't need me all the time. 1969 J. Barzun (title) The American university: how it runs, where it is going. 1974 N. Freeling Dressing of Diamond 84 Meals were always on time... The ‘house’ ran like silk. |
d. Of a cinematographic film, recording tape, etc.: to pass between spools, to (continue to) be in motion; to be shown or played.
| 1931 Discovery Dec. 386/1 The speed at which the film was running, ninety feet per minute, made it necessary that statements should be brief. 1969 ‘A. Gilbert’ Missing from her Home vi. 84 I'd been to see a film in the afternoon, and it ran longer than I expected. 1972 Listener 21 Dec. 852/1 Production Assistant: ‘Quiet. Going for a take. Standing by.’ Director: ‘Right.’ Sound: ‘Sound running.’ Director: ‘Turn over.’ 1973 V. Canning Finger of Saturn i. 8 The film began to run... I just watched. 1976 Oxf. Compan. Film 743/1 The first part, running about 3½ hours, was released as The Wedding March. |
18. a. Of thoughts, etc.: To revolve in the mind, to occur or return persistently to the memory.
| 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster ii. i, These courtiers runne in my minde still. 1670 G. H. tr. Hist. Cardinals i. iii. 74 A point that was alwayes running in my head. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 102 This Thought run long in my Head. 1810 Scott Let. in Lockhart II. ix. 326, I have not the least doubt that several of the passages must have been running in my head. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 288 The annoyance of having a tune, a line of poetry, or a phrase ‘running in the head’. |
b. To form, be present as, an impression or indistinct recollection.
| 1798 in Dallas Amer. Law Rep. II. 356 Another says, ‘it runs in his head that he also saw the prisoner there’. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss. s.v. To run in one's head, It runs in my head that I've heard something about it. |
*** Of liquids, sand, etc. (or vessels containing these).
19. a. Of milk, etc.: To coagulate, curdle, form a curd. Now dial.
| [c 725 Corpus Gloss. C 862 Concretum, ᵹerunnen. c 825 Vesp. Ps. cxviii. 70 Ᵹerunnen is swe swe milc heorte heara. c 1000 Saxon Leechd. II. 230 Swa lange seoð on cetele & wylle oþ þæt hio sie eal tosoden & þicge ᵹeurnen.] 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. lxiii. (MS. Bodl.), Talowȝ renneþ anon whanne hit is take oute of þe bodye and isette in cold ayer. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 15 Take thykke mylke of almondes clere,..Do hit soþenne in a canvas þenne, In soþun gar hit on hepe to renne. 1674 Ray N.C. Wds. 16 To Earn, to run as cheese doth. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 177 It will run into Lumps and curdle like Yolks of Eggs. 1808 Jamieson s.v. Yyrne, Milk is still said to rin ..when it breaks and forms into knots, in making of pottage, puddings, &c. 1861 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXII. i. 49 The temperature at which the milk is ‘set’, or ‘run’, as it is called in Gloucestershire. 1888 Sheffield Gloss. s.v., This pudding's all run; it's all gone to whey and cruds. |
b. To unite, combine (into one), esp. in a moist or melted state.
| a 1715 Burnet Own Time iii. (1724) I. 373 The Church party and the Dissenters were now run into one. 1848 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IX. ii. 558 It is the nature of these soils..to run like lime with the first little shower. 1850 Ibid. XI. i. 146 Its liability to run and cake together after heavy rains. 1868 Herschel in People's Mag. 63 By this the wax on both runs into one. |
20. a. Of liquids: To flow.
Freq. with advs. or preps., as down, in, into, etc.
| c 825 Vesp. Ps. lvii. 8 To nowihte [hie] bicumað swe swe weter eornende. c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. 8 Seo [ea] is irnende of norþdæle. a 1000 Boeth. Metr. v. 15 Swa oft æspringe ut awealleð of clife harum..& ᵹereclice..floweð, irneð wið his eardes [etc.]. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 963, Swa swa þæt wæter reonneð to Crulande. c 1205 Lay. 5075 Vrnen [h]ire teares ouer hires leores. Ibid. 23973 Þat blod orn a-dun ouer al his breoste. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 11228 Hii caste awei þe dosils, þat win orn abrod so. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 207 A candlestikke i-made..so þat þe oyle schulde renne in to þe crislere. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 70 Þanne..þe blood for gladnesse rynnys yn þe veynys. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §54 All maner of grasse, that the lande-floudde renneth ouer, is verye ylle for shepe. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Disc. E. Ind. xvii. 40 b, Part of the water..did runne downe uppon theyr breasts. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 258 The rivers that runne into the Ocean. 1639 T. de la Grey Compleat Horseman & Ferrier 90 It begetteth a fluxible humour, which..falleth to running. 1720 De Foe Capt. Singleton xi. (1840) 197 The flesh began to heal, and matter to run. 1779 Mirror No. 37, The brook which runs through my garden retires into a hollow dell. 1833 Tennyson Lady of Shalott i. 12 Little breezes dusk and shiver Thro' the wave that runs for ever. 1862 Temple Bar VI. 402 He thrashed his naked back, until the blood ran. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. IV. 518 The pulp is sometimes so diffluent as to run away. |
b. fig. (See also blood n. 10 c.)
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 874 A hue fro heuen I herde þoo, Lyk flodez fele laden, runnen on resse. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Fluens, A style runnyng copiously. 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 52 As long as moneye runneth, they will applye gentle and easie potions. 1628 Earle Microcosm. xxiv. (Arb.) 45 His Verses run like the Tap. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xvi. (1739) 30 It seemeth to run in the blood of an Englishman..to be as brave under a single Queen, as under the most valiant King. a 1770 Jortin Serm. (1771) III. i. 7 When the thoughts have been long used to run in another course. 1868 J. H. Newman Verses Var. Occas. 145 Who lets his feelings run In soft luxurious flow. 1881 Gardiner & Mullinger Study Eng. Hist. i. iii. 49 Thought still ran in very definite channels. |
c. With various complements. Also in fig. phr. to run hot: of persons, to become angry (cf. hot a. 6 b).
| c 1205 Lay. 30411 Urnen þa brockes of reden blodes. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxx. 137 Ane of þir wellez ran of wyne, anoþer of mylke. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 26 Lat it renne þorw þe cloþe so ofte tylle it renne clere. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. Prol. 19 Reveris ran reid on spait with watteir broune. 1623 Massinger Dk. Milan v. ii, I'll make her veins run high too, As if they had true motion. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. II. 102 b, It is not all Waters..that are good..; some running partly clear, and partly foul. 1727 Gay Begg. Op. i. x, The blood runs cold at my heart with the very thought of it. 1818 Keats Endymion ii. 544 Who Look full upon it feel anon the blue Of his fair eyes run liquid through their souls. 1893 Liddon Life Pusey I. xiii. 299 Time had allowed the lecturer's thoughts to run clear, or at least comparatively clear. 1924 A. D. Sedgwick Little French Girl i. iv. 31 We have our baths in the morning, and the water doesn't run very hot then. 1941 Sun (Baltimore) 29 July 10/7, I seen him reading across the table and called him down. He run hot and so I told him to git his money. Ibid., He was so pleased with the phrase ‘run hot’ that he regarded himself as the gainer on balance. 1976 K. Benton Single Monstrous Act v. 166 The Detective Chief Superintendent's waiting for us, and beginning to run hot, too. He's got a lot on his mind. |
† d. To come or descend of (some one). Obs.—1
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 420 Erector cam of kynge Dardan, Dardanus of Iubiter ran. |
† e. Of a flood: To subside, go down. Obs.—1
| c 1430 Freemasonry (ed. Halliw.) 537 Mony ȝeres after..That Noees flod wes alle y-ronne, The tower of Babylowne was begonne. |
21. a. Of the sea, tides, etc.: To course or flow, esp. in an impetuous manner. Also with compl., esp. to run high (see high adv. 9) or run mountain(s) high (see mountain 1 f).
| c 1205 Lay. 11977 Vðen þer urnen, tunes swulche þer burnen [c 1275 Waȝes þar arne, streme þar vrne]. c 1375 Cursor M. 6269 (Fairf.), Þe king..sagh þe see ranne in twyn. 1458 in Archaeol. XXIX. 327 Wawes boþe wild and wode, That rynnethe on euery syde. 1694 Martens' Voy. Spitzbergen in Acc. Several Late Voy. ii. 32 Here the Waves of the Sea run longer. 1694 Motteux Rabelais iv. xxi. (1737) 92 What a devilish Sea there runs? 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §259 The tides ran so remarkably short at this time, that our buss did not float at high water. c 1804 P. Gass Jrnl. (1807) v. 61 The ice began to run in the river. 1814 Scott Diary 28 Aug., The surf running heavy up between the island and the adjacent rock. 1865 Gosse Land & Sea (1874) 5 A pretty heavy sea running outside. 1867 A. D. Richardson Beyond Mississippi xi. 145 Reaching the Missouri again, I found the ice running so heavily, that it was impossible to cross. 1884 E. P. Roe Nat. Ser. Story vi, Don't go out again when the ice is running. |
b. fig. With complements, as cross, strong. (See also high adv. 9.)
| 1636 Sanderson Serm. (1681) II. 50 Nor did his Will run cross to his Judgment but was led by it. 1657–61 Heylin Hist. Ref. II. i. 53 It..seemeth also to run cross to the holy Scriptures. 1785 Crabbe Newspaper 3 Unheard we sing, when party-rage runs strong. 1887 Stevenson Merry Men iii. 131 Evil and good run strong in me. |
22. a. To flow as the result of melting; to melt and flow. Also fig.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. xxi. 1896 All the metall moltynnyd than In tyll a qwerne togydder ran. 1670 Dryden Conq. Granada iv. i, 'Twas long before my stubborn Mind was won; But, melting once, I on the sudden run. 1677 Moxon Mech. Exerc. i. 10 When your two ends are through⁓out of a good Heat, and that the inside of the Iron be almost ready to run. 1729 Swift Direct. Serv., Footman, You ought also to snuff them close to the Tallow, which will make them run. 1758 Reid tr. Macquer's Chym. I. 62 If Sulphur be applied to Copper made perfectly red-hot, the metal immediately runs. 1852 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIII. ii. 284 It forms a varnish..not liable to run in hot seasons. 1884 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Rec. Ser. iii. 206/2 The enamel melts; or, to speak technically, it ‘runs’. |
b. To spread on being applied to, or poured upon, a surface. † Also with abroad.
| 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. iv. 29 The like care must be, that their inke..wil not run abroad, nor blot. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 40 Thou art runne abroad like water that is spilt. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. Pears, You may know..by the drops of Syrup you shall put on a Plate, if they do not run. 1764 E. Moxon Eng. Housew. (ed. 9) 88 This is a paste that seldom runs if it be even roll'd. 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 937 Outlying spots..may be observed where the fluid has ‘run’ during its application. |
c. Of colours: To spread in a fabric when immersed in water or exposed to moisture.
| 1771 E. Haywood New Present for Maid 268 When the colours, with bad former washings, are run into the white ground. 1782 Lady Llanover in Mrs. Delany's Life & Corr. (1861) III. 97 Pieces of paper in which the colours had run and produced extraordinary and unusual tints. 1867 Lowell Lett. I. 427 Beg her not to wash them too hard, or they may run. 1889 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton Thro' the Long Night i. xvii, Here and there, when the colours were not quite fast, there were blotches as if the thread had ‘run’ and stained the cloth. |
23. a. Of the sands of an hour-glass: To pass from one compartment into the other. Chiefly fig.
| 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 138, I saw, my tyme how it did runne, as sand out of the glasse. 1608 Shakes. Per. v. ii. 1 Now our sands are almost run. a 1796 Burns Red, Red Rose iii, While the sands o' life shall run. 1821 Scott Pirate xl, The hour-glass is turned for us,..our sand is running fast. 1891 F. W. Robinson Her Love & His Life vii. v, The sands of life had run very low in the glass. |
b. Of loose earth: To slip or fall in.
| 1799 W. Nicol Pract. Planter 164 The mold adheres not to the spade, nor does it run in. 1802 Mawe Min. Gloss. s.v., When the earth falls, and fills up shafts or works, it is said to run. 1860 Eng. & For. Min. Gloss. (ed. 2) 21 Run—When excavations fall together. |
24. To flow, stream, be wet, with († a, o, on, of) a liquid. Also with adjs., as run red.
| c 1205 Lay. 26703 Vrnen þa streten, mid blode stræmen. c 1290 St. Edmund 382 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 442 Þat al þe stret a-watere orn, ase it were a gret flod. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 9018 (Kölbing), Mouþe & nose him ran a blod. a 1400 Prymer (1891) 38 His bodi ran al on blode. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lix. 206 Þe place ran lyke a ryuer of blode. 1611 Bible Lam. i. 16 Mine eye runneth downe with water. 1664 H. More Myst. Iniq. 425 Those fat and fair Objects that make their mouths run a-water so. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Foundering, [The horse] has a dry Cough..; his Nose runs with white phlegmatic Matter. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) III. 74/2 The body of the patient, which is running with sweat. 1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales I. 77 The mud walls ran down with damp. 1884 C. L. Pirkis J. Wynne II. xviii. 225 Her veins run with water, not blood. 1889 Randolph New Eve I. iii. 107 The glass of the great conservatory is running with dew. |
25. a. To discharge (or carry off) a liquid. Also in fig. context.
| c 1205 Lay. 12774 Him gunnen glide teores, & urnen his æȝene. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 781 His haire moutes, his eghen rynnes. c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's T. Prol. 36 Syn that my tappe of lif bigan to renne. c 1450 Trevelyan Papers (Camden) 67 The Coundite rennyth not as I wene. 1530 Palsgr. 696/1, I lyke hym nat, his eyes be ever ronning. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 70 Launce the sore frendly and let it runne. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. iv, I have taken a murre, which makes my nose run most patheticallie. 1662 R. Mathew Unl. Alch. 94 One of her leggs grew as big as three leggs, and did also break and run. 1683–4 Wood Life 24 Jan., Very cold, the quil would not run. 1710 Lond. Gaz. No. 4777/4 The other a black Mare.., runs at the near Nostril. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 262 [It] causes the Nose to run like a Tap. a 1744 Lucas in Trans. Cumb. & West. Archaeol. Soc. VIII. 38 When the Furnace is fit to run..they make a long Furrow through..a level Bed of Sand. 1845 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VI. ii. 573 The drains..were running very fast yesterday morning, and have continued running ever since. 1854 Ibid. XV. ii. 267 Some land has been thus drained more than twenty years ago, and still runs well. c 1865 Mrs. Gaskell Let. 6 Oct. (1966) 777 Still the scullery tap did not run; & until it does that smell will go on. |
b. Of a vessel: To overflow; to leak.
Usually with out or over: see 77 b (b) and 78 a.
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 39 Þe croh eorneð i þe fur, & te cheorl chideð. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 20 A Tonne, whanne his lye arist, Tobrekth and renneth al aboute. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 502 [He] carries it to the river..to see if it would hold water, and finding it to runne, came backe. 1834–6 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 816/1 The risk of the still boiling over, or running foul, as the distillers term it. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1464/1 Run; said of a mold if the metal insinuates itself along the parting or otherwise leaks out. |
c. Of an hour-glass: To allow the sand to pass from one compartment to the other. Freq. fig.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxix. 25 And lat Fortoun wirke furthe hir rage,..Quhill that hir glas be run and past. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. i. 25, I should not see the sandie houre-glasse runne, But I should thinke of shallows, and of flats. 1650 Baxter Saints' R. iv. v. (1654) 131 Look on thy glass, see how it runs. 1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters I. 196 They are rendered..decrepid and old before half their glass is run. 1779 [see sand-glass]. 1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Ch. 179 The sand-glass..has only one fixed time to run. |
d. Of a bath: to be in the process of being filled with water.
| 1936 J. Buchan Island of Sheep vi. 117 He's back now, for I heard his bath running. 1946 J. B. Priestley Bright Day x. 298 She popped her head round the door..to tell me that a bath was running for me. 1973 ‘P. Reid’ Harris in Wonderland xiv. 103 Mayer woke me at nine with a mug of tea. He was fully dressed. ‘The bath's running for you,’ he said. 1977 ‘A. York’ Tallant for Trouble xii. 184 I've a bath running. |
**** Of time, money, practices, or other things having course, continuance, or extension.
26. a. Of a period of time: To come to an end, be complete, expire. Only in pa. pple.
| a 1000 Phœnix 364 Oþ þæt wintra bið þusend urnen. a 1300 Cursor M. 10927 Fiue thusand yeir was runnun Efter þis werld it was bigunnen. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints x. (Matthew) 497 Of his elde quhene rownyn war be reknyne fyfe & thretty ȝere. c 1400 Sc. Trojan War i. 150 Sene he has this debate bygonnyne, Per awenture, or it all be ronnyne, Als gret defoule may fall hyme till. 1486 Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905) 7 After that the said xv daies be past & ronne. 1539 in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. ii. 105 The somme of v li, for ij quarters fully ronne at the natiuitie of saint Iohn Baptiste. 1610 Willet Daniel 283 From Daniels time vntill now there are not aboue 2200 yeares runne. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 320 The night was almost run. 1884 Law Rep. 27 Chanc. Div. 530 Delay is no bar to our enforcing it, as the Statute of Limitations has not run. |
| transf. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 37 A bed were we er the clocke had nine runne. |
† b. Of persons: To become advanced in years.
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 4495 A rympled vekke, fer ronne in age, Frownyng and yelowe in hir visage. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas i. i, The progenitours, Of all mankynd farre I-ranne in age. 1533 Bellenden Livy ii. ix. (S.T.S.) I. 161 Howbeit he was waik, and fer rvn in ȝeris. c 1550 H. Lloyd Treas. Health G ij. Youre grace beyng nowe sumwhat runne in yeares. |
27. a. Of time: To pass or go by; to elapse; also, to be passing or current.
| c 1200 Ormin 11251 All þiss middell ærdess ald Eorneþþ aȝȝ forþ wiþþ ȝeress. a 1300 Cursor M. 11178 Þe tide þat bringes al to fine, Ran wit þis to monet nine. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. clxxi, Thy tyme, Ane houre and more It rynnis ouer prime. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys viii. 1318 Long tyme aftyr, whan þe yere of grace On seuen hundryd ran & fourty & nyne. 1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 40 Because the tyme doth so faste ronne, and I have also other matters to intreate on. 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxvii. (1887) 148 The time to preuent it, is almost runne to farre. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies vi. ii. 435 Noting by those figures the yeare that did runne. 1634 Ford Perk. Warbeck iii. i, How runs the time of day? Past ten, my lord. 1726 Ayliffe Parergon 154 The Time of Instance shall not commence or run until after Contestation of Suit. |
b. To continue, go on, last; to remain existent or operative.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 24897 For to halu þis ilk fest dai,..In hali kirc rinnand bi yer. 1384 Chaucer L.G.W. 1943 Ariadne, This wekede custome is so longe I-ronne. c 1460 Fortescue Of Abs. & Lim. Mon. xiv. (1885) 143 In the arrerages off such livelod..wich shall renne aftir þat resumpcion. 1558 Warde tr. Alexis' Secr. 24 b, If..the disease bee olde or hath runne longe, giue the pacient..this glister. 1573 Reg. Privy Council Scot. II. 226 And swa hes ordanit the said Parliament to ryn and be continewit quhill the last day of August. 1677 A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 20 Their way of Dealing I knew, and what Security they took, which was impossible should run long. 1843 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IV. ii. 299 Leases run in general for nineteen years. 1850 Tait's Mag. XVII. 4/1 Must his exclusion run only during the currency of other parts of his sentence? 1893 Strand Mag. VI. 217/1 Her contract..had two years more to run. |
c. Of a play: To keep the stage or be played continuously (for a specified time). Also of a cinematographic film: (to continue) to be shown to the public.
| 1808 E. Inchbald Brit. Theatre 4 Having, on its first appearance, run, in the theatrical term, near thirty nights. 1828 Examiner 85/2 The piece..will run the season. 1890 Sat. Rev. 22 Nov. 574/2 The play now running at the Lyceum. 1923 H. Crane Let. 5 Oct. (1965) 149 Charlie [Chaplin]..is here in New York at present to see that the first film he has produced in it gets over profitably... It's running now for just a week or so more at the ‘Lyric’ theatre. 1940 G. Marx Let. 5 Sept. (1967) 25 He also hates Noel Coward and even refuses to see his playlets, which are now running at El Capitan. 1976 Oxf. Compan. Film 646/1 Rodgers and Hammerstein's stage musical, which opened in New York in 1959 and ran for four years. |
28. a. Of money: To have currency; to be in circulation; to go, pass current.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 14038 Þis riche man lent to þat tan An hundreth penis, suilk als ran. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxii. 239 Whan that Money hathe ronne so longe, that it begynnethe to waste. 1444 Rolls of Parlt. V. 109 That Half penyes and Ferthinges renne..in paiement in grete sommes amonge the peple. 1626 Sir R. Cotton in Posthuma (1651) 297 The said Royall of Eight runnes in account of Trade at 5.s. of..English money. 1662 in J. Simon Ess. Irish Coins (1749) 130 All sorts of small silver moneys of the denominations of or running for groates..or under. 1888 N. & Q. 7th Ser. VI. 338 Are not these the Spanish ‘pillar dollars’; and did they not run current in England as crown pieces? |
b. Of a writ, proclamation, etc.: To issue; to have legal course or effect; to operate.
| c 1400 Apol. Loll. 7 Þat..silk indulgencis rennun not forþ aȝen þe ordinaunce of God. 1436 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 497/2 Countrees where the Kynges Writt renneth noght. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 589 That Writs out of the Kings Courts, should in certain cases have no place nor runne among them. 1689 T. R. View Govt. Europe 51 The Process and Decrees of the Court ran in the Emperor's name. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. 78 In all these..the king's ordinary writs..do not run; that is, they are of no force. 1852 Lever Daltons xiii, Not knowing that they were in another land where the King's writ never ran. 1890 S. Lane-Poole Barbary Corsairs i. viii. 86 It may be doubted whether the Sultan's writ would have run in either of his new provinces. |
c. Of payments, practices, etc.: To be current or generally prevalent.
| 1429 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 252/1 At alle tymes when poundage hath ronne. c 1460 Reg. Oseney Abbey 126 Whenne scutage renneth generally thorowgh all Inglonde. 1599 Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 138 Their Annates and tenths doe stille runne current. 1605 Verstegan Dec. Intell. viii. (1628) 241 Some Names deriued from the Hebrew..doe now run generally in common vse among al. 1656 in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 214 Parliam{supt} hath setled upon the Minist{supr} of this place all the tythes running within the Liberties. 1892 Sat. Rev. 17 Sept. 340/1 A standard authority in every country where the English language runs. |
29. a. To have course or continuance, to go on, to go, proceed, etc., in various fig. uses.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 42 Alle þeos vreisuns eorneð bi ðeos fiue [letters]. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 1754 Ryght now renneth my sort Fully to dye or han a-noon comfort. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 231 God bringe doun þis fendis pryde, and helpe þat Goddis word renne. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6282 If god nyl done it socour, But lat renne in this colour. 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. (Rolls) 2 Whan the tyme of Crist is come, than renne to noumberes togidir. 1525 in Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 55 [Money] to rune and to be ymployde to thuse of the reparacon of the said myllys. 1551 Robinson tr. More's Utop. ii. (1895) 274 The worlde runneth at al auentures. 1587 Turberv. Trag. Tales (1837) 160 A Sonne, Gerbino namde, of whom this tale Especially doth runne. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. ii. 242 Much vpon this riddle runs the wisedome of the world. 1628 Pemble Worthy Rec. Lord's Supper 43 Like desperate Bankrouts to let all things runne at adventure. 1705 tr. Bosman's Guinea 31 After this all our Affairs run at random. Ibid. 420 Thus far runs our above-mentioned Relation. 1837 Penny Cycl. VIII. 116/2 The covenant will not run, that is, it will not bind the assignee, nor pass to him. 1840 G. Darley Beaum. & Fl. Wks. I. Introd. p. xvi, To complete a parallel which runs so far of itself. 1863 Sat. Rev. 8 Aug. 18/1 Those whose feelings run furthest in one direction. |
b. Of qualities, etc.: To be persistent or common in a family.
| 1777 Sheridan Sch. Scand. iii. iii, Learning that had run in the family like an heir-loom! 1832 L. Hunt Gentle Armour Poems 125 Talk of tricks that run in families. 1866 Simpson Life Campion ix. (1907) 261 The way in which fidelity and faithlessness ran in families. 1928 R. A. Knox Footsteps at Lock ix. 87 These things do run in families... In our family, we're always appearing when we're not wanted to. 1966 A. E. Lindop I start Counting xx. 259 Runs in the family, doesn't it. Goddam bossy, both of you. You're a real little chip off the brotherly block. 1971 ‘H. Calvin’ Poison Chasers x. 137 Curiosity.. runs in the family..like wooden legs. 1973 [see military policeman s.v. military a. 3 b]. |
c. Of a newspaper or magazine article: to be printed or published, to appear; to be printed without abridgement.
| 1928 Amer. Speech IV. 135 If news is ‘heavy’ on a ‘tight day’ and is permitted to ‘run’ in length practically as written, [etc.]. Ibid. The copy reader now knows whether he is to let ‘copy’, news articles, ‘run’ or must ‘cut’. 1974 Publishers Weekly 18 Nov. 12/3 Janet Flanner's introduction to ‘London Was Yesterday’..will run in the February issue of Travel & Leisure. |
30. a. To extend or stretch; to form a continuous line or boundary.
Usually const. with advs. or preps. of direction.
| c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. ii. §3 The degree of the sonne rennyth so longe consentrik vpon the almykanteras, þat sothly thow shalt erre [etc.]. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxvi. 266 That See of Caspye..rennethe be the Desert. 1525 tr. Jerome of Brunswick's Surg. B j b/2 There be iij, materyall circles y{supt} ronne about the iye. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 87 Two peers loftye run vpward From stoans lyke turrets. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 494 Tartaria..runneth along without controll by the high looking walls of China. 1658 A. Fox tr. Würtz' Surg. ii. xi. 88 Those Wounds, which deeply run into the body, are very dangerous. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) 142 A very deep rupture in the side of Libanus, running at least seven hours travel. 1790 F. Burney Diary Aug., A band of musicians were stationed in a long bower running across the garden. 1834 L. Ritchie Wand. by Seine 86 A balustrade runs round the building. 1861 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 45 On the..northern side..ran a lofty, massive front. 1892 Speaker 3 Sept. 289/2 The high road..runs at right-angles to..the lane. |
b. In fig. contexts.
| 1682 in Harl. Misc. (1809) II. 407 The privilege ran as well to the printing it in Italian as French. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome 389 A vein of Superstition ran through all his Actions. 1766 Blackstone Comm. (ed. 2) I. 98 Though certain of the king's writs..do not usually run into Berwick. 1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 99 The vein of ill-nature that ran thro' your tale. 1879 Huxley Hume i. 2 The paternal line running back to Lord Home of Douglas. 1890 Temple Bar Sept. 64 His patriotism very often runs far..into the region of prejudice. 1914 G. B. Shaw Parents & Children p. xi, The something unpleasant may be only a look of suffering..or it may run to forcible expulsion from the room. 1939 ― In Good King Charles's Golden Days i. 45 Mr. Newton: your privilege with me does not run to the length of knocking my brother down. 1967 ‘S. Woods’ And shame Devil 222 He was brilliantly attired in crimson pyjamas... Who would have thought his taste would run to the exotic? |
c. Law. Of recollection, memory, etc.: To extend or go back in time.
| 1447 J. Shillingford Lett. (Camden) 76 note, The Maier and Citeseyns..have ben seised of all maner jurisdiccion..of tyme that no mynde renneth. 1531 Dial. on Laws Eng. i. viii. 16 The limitacion of a prescription generally taken, is from the tyme that no mannes mind renneth to the contrarye. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. Introd. 76 That it [a custom] have been used so long, that the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. 1861 Temple Bar II. 299 The memory of Puffin ran not to the contrary. |
***** Of things passing into, assuming, or maintaining a certain condition or quality.
31. a. To pass into or out of a certain state. Const. with various preps.
| ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 320 So depe was hir wo bigonnen, And eek hir herte in angre ronnen. 1535 Coverdale 1 Esdras iv. 26 Many one there be, that renne out of their wyttes..for their wyues sakes. 1572 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxi. 58 Þai suld all rin by þair mynd. 1597 Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 420 Like as these cursed monsters ran too much out of frame in their vn⁓bridled lusts. 1639 Horn & Rob. Gate Lang. Unl. xvii. §188 A bitch useth to runne a salt (goe proud). 1680 W. Allen Persuasive Peace Pref. p. xxvi, What..should have been done to have kept things from running to so great an extream. 1731 Gentl. Mag. I. 438 Having bad Luck [she] lost all her ready Money, and run 200l. on Tick. |
b. With adj. or other complement: To become, end in being, turn, grow, fall, etc.
See also amok 2, mad a. 1 b, and riot n. 3 and 3 b.
| 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xvi. 90 For without him..prechingis rennen arere. a 1553 Udall Royster Doyster iii. ii. (Arb.) 41 Lest ye for lesing of him perchaunce might runne mad. a 1586 Montgomerie Misc. Poems xl. 57 Let Weirds rin wod; let furious Faits be fearce. 1589 ― [see mad a. 1 b.] 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. ii. iv, I am not mad—I run not frantic. 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. 306 They will run behind with me two or three Quarters, and then they will seek some occasion to take away their children. 1764 Ann. Reg., Chron. 129/1 Great expectations from lord Shelburn's colt, but he ran rusty. 1794 [see resty a.1 1 b]. 1803 Censor 1 Feb. 24 Is it any wonder..that this gentleman and many others are running behind hand? 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey II. 192 The boats..are built of thin planks, running very fine fore and aft. 1890 Longman's Mag. Oct. 659 The fortresses were destroyed; the roads ran wild. |
c. run dry, to cease to yield water or milk; hence fig., to become exhausted or spent.
| 1637 Rutherford Lett. i. clxxiii. (1664) 337, I am run dry of loving..that greatest and most admirable one! 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 390 The stream of living waters..will never run dry. 1827 Examiner 152/2 The Waverley novels ran dry at last. 1863 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXIV. ii. 301 Most cows run dry in about ten months. 1879 Lubbock Addr. Pol. & Educ. ii. 28 In 1797 the bullion in the Bank of England had almost run dry. |
d. run low, to be nearly exhausted, to become scanty.
| 1712 Arbuthnot John Bull i. xv, I am afraid our Credit will run low. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 110, I was..anxious about my money running low. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 22 Recollection tires, and chat runs low. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvii. IV. 101 The stock of provisions within Limerick was already running low. 1891 Chamb. Jrnl. 21 Mar. 189/2 Funds began to run very low. |
e. run short: see short a.
32. a. To have a given tenor or purport; to be worded or expressed in a specified manner.
| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. cv. iii, I give in fee (for soe the graunt did runne), Thee and thine heirs the Cananean ground. 1624 Doc. Illustr. Impeachment Dk. Buckingham (Camden) 136 It was thought fitt the acquittance runnes in these wordes. 1681 H. More Exp. Dan. 72 The sense may run thus, An Host shall be given [etc.]. a 1744 Pope Hor. Sat. ii. vi. 157 Once on a time (so runs the Fable) A Country Mouse [etc.]. 1746 Hervey Medit. (1818) 250 Surely it brought a message to surviving mortals, and thus the tidings ran, [etc.]. 1827 Pollok Course T. 11, Thus the prohibition ran,..in terms of plainest truth. 1862 Temple Bar V. 164, I know not how his proper official title ran. |
b. To be constituted or conditioned.
| 1724 Swift Drapier's Lett. v. Wks. 1751 XII. 15 As Politicks run, I do not know a Person of more exceptionable Principles than yourself. 1764 Foote Mayor of G. i. i, We must take things rough and smooth as they run. 1864 J. H. Newman Apol. ii. (1904) 47/1 However judgments might run as to the prudence of publishing it. 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts III. 106 Then the numbers run 14, 30. |
33. a. To have a specified character, quality, arrangement, form, etc. Const. with preps. and adjs.
| 1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriot. 22 Nor onely these concealed peeces, but the open magnificence of Antiquity, ran much in the Artifice of Clay. a 1722 Lisle Husb. I. 239 Wheat and barley that is then to fill must run thin. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 283 The apartments..run in suits like Wanstead house. 1821 Examiner 473/1 His hair was brown, with a tendency to run in ringlets. 1854 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XV. i. 228 They are apt to run hairy in the wool, big in the bone. 1890 Graphic 20 Sept. 314/1 German traditions of obedience run on different lines entirely. |
b. To be of a specified (average or maximum) size, price, etc. Also const. at, and with a specified amount.
| 1762 Ld. Radnor in Priv. Lett. Ld. Malmesbury (1870) I. 85 There are very few of them, consequently they run very dear. 1836 F. Sykes Scraps fr. Jrnl. 71 Large Wenner trout, running as large as twenty-six pounds. 1890 Crawfurd Round Calendar in Portugal 26 The trout run to a good size in Portugal where the river-pools are deep. 1924 Sci. Amer. Sept. 213/1 This means that the ore runs approximately four and one-half tons per gram of radium. 1940 G. Marx Let. 5 Sept. (1967) 24 He ran it [sc. a film] yesterday for the Breen office—it runs over 13,000 feet. 1960 Beside ‘Guardian’ IX. 216 The original operetta, which runs to a bothersome two and a half hours, was compressed..into a tight, not to say breathless, hour. 1971 Daily Tel. 26 Oct. 1/8 Unemployment benefit is running at about {pstlg}6,900,000 a week. 1973 Country Life 14 June 1712/2 The Historic Buildings Council grants are now running at a rate of {pstlg}1½ million a year. 1978 Nat. Geographic Nov. 623/1 Last autumn arrests [of illegal immigrants] were running 80 a week. |
c. To be in the (average) proportion of.
| 1849 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. X. ii. 425 It ran eleven and a half fleeces to the tod all the way through. 1892 Field 2 Apr. 469/3 His oats run 44 lb. to the bushel. |
II. Transitive senses.
* To traverse, accomplish, aim at or avoid, etc., by running.
34. a. (a) To pursue or follow (a certain way or course) in running, sailing, etc. † to run one's way, to run away, make off hurriedly.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxi, Þæt hie ne moton toslupan, ac bioð ᵹehwerfde eft to þam ilcan ryne þe hie ær urnon. a 1300 E.E. Psalter xviii. 6 He gladed als yhoten to renne his wai. 1375 Barbour Bruce xx. 558 At mydday to turne agane The sone, that rynnis his cours all playn. 1480 Robt. Devyll 488 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 238 Yt was no hede to bydde hym begone. He ranne hys waye. 1535 Coverdale Job i. 14, I only ranne my waye, to tell the. 1562 Child-Marriages 72 Wher-of Richard Pierson was so ashamid, that he wold have runne his way. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iii. ii. 138 How briefe the Life of man runs his erring pilgrimage. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. iv. iii. 148 You are more Easterly or Westerly, by running or sailing that Course and Distance. 1775 Burke On Conciliation with America Sel. Wks. 1897 I. 176 Others run the longitude, and pursue their gigantic game along the coast of Brazil. 1814 Sporting Mag. XLIV. 87 Being headed on the Ipswich road, he again ran the same cover, on his way to Somes-Wood. 1892 Field 20 Feb. 245/3 Our fox..did not run the chain of woodlands, but held on southwards. |
(b) In figurative contexts.
| c 1000 Lambeth Ps. cxviii. 32 Weᵹ beboda þinra ic arn. a 1300 E.E. Psalter cxviii. 32 Wai ofe þi bodes ran i. 1572 in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 23 Erle of Lenox..wes persuaditt..to rin a cours with England, attempting mony things innaturallie agains his native realme. 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 330 Wee were fellowes and Companions in one Prison, and..had runne both of vs one and the same Carreere. 1881 Gardiner & Mullinger Study Eng. Hist. i. vii. 148 The members encouraged one another in running the Christian course. |
b. Hunting. To pursue, follow up (a scent). Also † to run one's country (see quots. 1611).
| 1607 Markham Caval. iii. (1617) 10 Then laying on fresh dogges,..make your Horse run the traine with good courage and liuelinesse. 1611 Cotgr., Fendre le vent, to runne his countrey. Ibid., Tirer pais, (in hunting) to runne his countrey; or, to flye directly forward. 1826 Scott Woodst. iv, Hunting counter, or running a false scent. 1890 Blackw. Mag. CXLVIII. 548/1 Hounds are running a high scent through a stiff country. |
| fig. 1857 Whewell in Todhunter Acc. W.'s Wks. (1876) II. 411 The dynamical-heat men are running their scent very eagerly. |
c. transf. Of immaterial things.
| 1864 W. T. Fox Skin Dis. 11 It is not associated with any special form of ill health, is non-contagious,..runs a definite course [etc.]. 1881 Gardiner & Mullinger Study Eng. Hist. i. v. 97 Lollardism, too, ran much the same course. 1889 Traill Strafford xiii. 169 Affairs ran their fated course. |
35. To traverse or cover by running, sailing, etc.: a. a specified distance. Also fig. in colloq. phr. to run a mile, to seek safety in flight; to evade through fear, reluctance, etc.
| c 1200 Ormin 6969 Þatt follc rideþþ onn a der..Þatt onn a daȝȝ..Erneþþ an hunndredd mile. c 1300 Havelok 1831 He was ded on lesse hwile, Þan men mouthe renne a mile. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 30 Prelatis schulden not..make a pore man to renne two or þre þousand myles [etc.]. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 379 Runnynge southwest in the sea, [we] dydde runne .xii. leagues. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. iv. ii. 146 So many Knots as the Ship runs in half a Minute, so many Miles she saileth in an Hour. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Courier, Pliny,..and Cæsar, mention some of these, who would run 20, 30, 36..Leagues per Day. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. vi. 345 We had a..gale blowing right upon our stern: So that we generally run from forty to fifty leagues a day. 1812 Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 53 Flying Childers..once run four miles in six minutes and forty seconds. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict., With reference to the ship's progress..we say she has run so many knots in an hour and so forth. 1861 Temple Bar I. 345 The engine had run more than 10,000 miles. 1949 D. Smith I capture Castle v. 64 Men..run a mile from obvious fascination. 1952 ‘R. Gordon’ Doctor in House xvii. 188 The ones that run a mile if they see a nurse and talk big about staying single. 1963 A. Heron Towards Quaker View of Sex 67 Were a woman to whom he exposed himself to respond sexually, the average exhibitionist would run a mile. 1969 H. E. Bates Vanished World x. 98, I run a mile from intellectual swank words such as ‘esoteric’ and ‘proliferate’. 1973 J. Wilson Truth or Dare iv. 44 Full of talk—yet if Betty gave any of them the come-on they'd run a mile. 1977 Gay News 7–20 Apr. 29/1 Whenever anything reasonably likely appears on the scene Cole runs a mile and wallows in neo-platonic discussions on the..differences between lust and love. |
b. a defined stretch or space.
| 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. ii. 110 Well, well, but for mine owne part,..I will not rest till I haue run some ground. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 183 Hauing run all the coast of Algarues. 1690 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) II. 98 Mr. Peregrine Bertie,..upon a wager, run the mall in St. James Park 11 times in lesse then an hour. 1715 tr. Gregory's Astron. (1726) I. 97 The Spaces run by a heavy Body, in its fall, are as the Squares of the Times. 1766 Pennant Brit. Zool. (1776) I. 2 The same horse has also run the round course at Newmarket..in six minutes and forty seconds. 1836 Macgillivray Humboldt's Trav. xxii. 312 While they were running short tacks, a false manœuvre..exposed them..to imminent danger. 1847 L. Hunt Men, Women, & B. I. x. 178 Our companion, who had run the round of the great world. |
| fig. 1892 Sat. Rev. 29 Oct. 507/2 [His] perfect elocutionary style held flexibility enough to enable him to run the whole gamut with ease. |
c. To scour, run about in (a place).
| 1648 Gage West Ind. 32 The next day in the morning Cortez went forth to run the fields. 1820 Scott Monast. xxiv, I will not see a proper lad so misleard as to run the country with an old knave, like Simmie and his brother. 1861 Temple Bar III. 334 Many..would sooner let their children run the streets than pay a penny. |
d. To slip or shoot down (a rope, river, etc.); esp. to navigate (a stream, esp. a dangerous stretch of one) in a small boat.
| 1805 Lewis & Clark Orig. Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1905) III. 23 There were five shoals neither of which could be passed with loaded canoes nor even run with empty ones. 1839 J. K. Townsend in R. G. Thwaites Early Western Trav. (1905) XXI. xv. 358 Here Mr. M'Leod and myself debarked, and the men ran the dall. 1875 ‘Mark Twain’ Old Times on Mississippi ii. 37 Each of our pilots ran such portions of the river as he had run when coming up-stream. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining 209 Running the tow is a common practice in shallow mines. 1889 Scribner's Mag. May 532 Two bits of rapid are run in a flash. 1892 Field 28 May 783 We have run most parts of the Wye in a coracle. |
36. To perform or accomplish by running or riding: a. a course (on horseback or foot), career, etc. Freq. in fig. contexts.
to run the gantlope or gauntlet: see gantlope, gauntlet n.2 b.
| 1494 in Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 394 Thenne therll of Suffolke and Sir Edward A Borough ran the vi. furst courses. 1551–2 Edw. VI in Halliw. Lett. Kings Eng. (1846) II. 53 Afterward there was run a match at tilt, six to six, which was very well run. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 292 Eyther of them set hys speare in the rest to haue runne the first course. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 88 By thy reasoning this I guess, Who..supposest That..Heav'n such journies [should not] run, Earth sitting still. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. Horse-racing, There being but a single Course to be run, you must push for all at that one Time. 1743 Francis tr. Hor., Odes iv. xiv. 38 When thrice five times the circling sun His annual course of light had run. a 1827 Wordsw. Somnambulist 116 When a circuit has been run Of valour, truth, and love. 1854 Dobell Balder Wks. (1887) 204 The doom has run its course, the hour is here! 1891 Field 7 Mar. 347/2 Johnny Moor practically ran a single-handed course, as Brave Briton was unable to raise a gallop. |
b. a race, chase, etc. Freq. in fig. contexts (cf. race n.1 1 c).
| a 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 153 The restlesse race that he full oft hath runne. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. ii. iv. 75 If our wits run the Wild-Goose chase, I am done. 1610 Reg. Privy Counc. Scotl. IX. 91 Upoun occasioun of ane horse race whiche wes then run at Cumnoke. 1628 Earle Microcosm. xvii. (Arb.) 39 Commonly his race is quickely runne. 1729 T. Cooke Tales, etc. 36 He always thinks..his Race not ran; But Death, tho long delay'd, confutes the Man. 1789 Burney Hist. Mus. III. 534 The comparative speed of two coursers is best known by their running a trial. 1856 Leisure Hour V. 803/2 She flew along the green sward and ran races with Harry. 1873 Spencer Sociology ii. 39 The Derby has been run in a snowstorm. |
c. Cricket. To score (a run or bye). Also to score from (a stroke) by running; cf. sense 77 i (d).
| 1744 Laws [of Cricket] in New & Compl. Dict. Arts & Sci. (1755) IV. 3459/2 If in running a notch, the wicket is struck down by a throw [etc.]. 1816 W. Lambert Instr. & Rules Cricket 35 The Striker should be careful and attentive in running both his own and partner's hits. 1849 in ‘Bat’ Cricket Man. (1850) 56 The striker shall have all [the runs] which have been run. 1878 Sussex Archaeol. Coll. XXVIII. 80 Cricket grounds are not larger now than then, and yet the batsmen ran their hits. 1881 Standard 28 June 3/1 Three byes were now run. |
d. to run (a thing) fine, to leave a very slight margin (esp. of time). colloq.
| 1890 W. E. Norris Misadventure II. ii. 18 On consulting his watch, he found he had run things rather fine. 1892 Eng. Illustr. Mag. IX. 800 One cart-load was run so fine that partner and superintendent were constrained to lend a hand to finish the packing. |
e. to run rings round: see ring n.1 15 d.
f. to run interference: in U.S. Football, to move in such a way as to cause interference (cf. interference 1 c). Also fig.
| 1929 Jones & Wesson Football for Fan ii. 23 Whether he is to charge straight ahead, cross check, pull out to run interference or to protect a pass..he must always look the same to his rivals before the ball is snapped. 1932 F. Oakes Football Line Play xi. 135 The most difficult block the center must make occurs when both linemen on each side of him drop back to run interference. 1947 Partisan Rev. May–June 236 The official liberal runs interference for the Communist with a system of intellectual evasion. 1972 J. Mosedale Football iii. 39 Nagurski was described as a ‘man who runs his own interference’. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 1 May 5/3 He said he wasn't going to allow his police to run interference for employees trying to get through a union picket line. |
37. a. To go upon (an errand or message).
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lx. 44 His erandis for to ryne and red. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lxiv, The Prince's grandfather..ran errands for gentlemen, and lent money. 1859 Jephson Brittany xviii. 300 Idle hangers-on, who subsist upon the casual profits of..carrying luggage, or running messages. |
b. run descant, run division(s): see descant n. 6, 7, and division n. 7. Now only arch.
| 1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Fam. of Love 26 b, He might runne descant at will. 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. ii. Wks. 1856 I. 25 Beautie and youth run descant on loves ground. 1607 Heywood Wom. killed w. Kindn. Wks. 1874 II. 148 Vpon this instrument Her fingers haue run quicke diuision. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 274, I might yet run several Divisions upon this Topic. 1821 Examiner 300/1 The gentle lady [may] run divisions on roses and myrtle-bowers. |
c. Billiards. (See coup n.3 3.)
| 1850 Bohn's Handbk. Games (1867) 608 The player may lose a life..by running a coup. 1861 Chambers's Encycl. II. 98/2 The points of the game are..1 for a miss,..and 3 for ‘running a coo’. |
d. Croquet. To play through (a hoop) or up to (a peg).
| 1874 Heath Croquet Player 63 It is true that every foot nearer to the hoop makes it easier to get into position and run it. 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 608/2 In match play the hoops and pegs are set and run as in the diagram. |
38. a. To flee or escape from (a place, country, etc.); to desert from (a ship).
| 1608 Chapman Byron's Consp. Plays 1873 II. 235 A lusty courser..when (his headstall broken) Hee runnes his prison. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Saut, Faire le saut, to breake, fall bank⁓rupt, runne his countrey for debt. 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. I. x. 113 Some..were lawfully murdered, or obliged to run their Country. 1888 Roots 62 He had come out to New Zealand, as a sailor boy, had run his ship [etc.]. 1889 W. Westall Birch Dene III. ii. 38, I should have to run the country if he wor to dee. |
b. U.S. To depart surreptitiously without paying for (one's board).
| 1898 Howells Open-eyed Conspiracy 73 If they run their board I shall have to pay it. |
39. † a. to run..fortune(s), in various phrases denoting voluntary sharing of another's lot. Obs.
| (a) 1567 Throgmorton in Robertson Hist. Scotl. (1759) II. App. 38 The queen will leave them in the bryers if they run her fortoun. 1670 Clarendon Hist. Reb. xiii. §20 The King desired that he might command this Army, at least run the fortune of it. 1713 Steele Guardian No. 19 ¶8 My Fellow-soldiers, said he, as you run my Fortune, so do I yours. |
| (b) 1610 J. More in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 87, I presume you will be content to run the same fortune with him. 1676 Wood Jrnl. in Acc. Sev. Late Voy. i. (1694) 191 Some holding Consultation to stave the Boat, and all to run the like Fortune. |
| (c) 1674 Clarendon (J.), He would himself be in the Highlands to receive them, and run his fortune with them. a 1713 Burnet Own Time (1734) II. 376 If he thought it could do him any service, he would come in, and run fortunes with him. |
b. To expose oneself, or be exposed, to (a chance, danger, etc.).
See also risco, risgoe, and risk n. 1 b.
| 1592 Sir H. Unton Corr. (Roxb.) 271 He comandeth Monsr. de Maine to take the vantgard, intendinge he shall first ronne fortune. 1642 C. Vernon Consid. Exch. 89, I was resolved..to runne all the hazards of envy. 1675 Temple Wks. (1720) II. 333 He who goes to Sea, or to War, runs a Venture. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 143, I had run so much Hazard.., nor had I any Mind to run any more Ventures. 1847 C. Brontë J. Eyre xvii, We run a chance of being busy enough now. 1860 Jowett in Ess. & Rev. 392 We run a danger..of wasting time. |
c. To incur, meet with, encounter.
| 1624 Bargrave Serm. 23 S. Paul himselfe hath runne the censure of being too much a Lutheran. 1665 J. Webb Stone-Heng (1725) 4 The most remarkable Stone-Heng hath sadly run the same Fate. 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xxii. ¶4 The Compositer..runs different fortunes, either of good or bad Copy, viz. well or ill writ. a 1822 Shelley With Guitar, to Jane 31 Many changes have been run Since Ferdinand and you begun Your course of love. |
40. a. run it, or run a voyage (see quot. 1838).
| 1787 Minor ii. x, We resolved to run it, even without convoy. 1804 Nelson 20 Mar. in Nicolas Disp. (1845) V. 469 The only merchant-ship bound to England..is so well armed as to be able to run it. 1826 G. J. Bell Comm. Law Scot. (ed. 5) I. 620 It is important to know whether a ship is to wait for convoy, or to run the voyage. 1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scot. 871 A vessel which in time of war does not sail with convoy, is technically said to run the voyage. |
b. run the (or a) blockade: (see blockade n. 1 b).
| 1869 Overland Monthly 47 How we ran the blockade. 1893 Peel Spen Valley 331 If they were only lucky enough to run the blockades. |
c. run the cutter: (see quot. 1882).
| 1882 Jamieson's Sc. Dict. IV. 33 To rin the cutter, i.e., to evade the revenue cutter, hence, to smuggle. 1892 H. Nisbet Bushranger's Sweetheart iii. 22 Sailors, as a rule, are not friends of bailiffs or custom house officers, and thus appreciate ‘running the cutter’. |
d. slang (orig. and chiefly N. Amer.). To drive past (a traffic signal showing red). Cf. jump v. 10 b.
| 1935 Harper's Mag. June 60/2 Perhaps we even ‘ran’ a light, relying on the waiting cars to continue to wait until we were out of their way. 1951 Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News 28 Jan. 1/7 Mitchell..had been arrested on charges of reckless driving and running a stop sign. 1953 Birmingham (Alabama) News 8 Aug. 1/8 Wilson told officers the brakes of his..truck failed, causing him to run a red light at the intersection. 1967 Boston Traveler 1 June 5/6 Policeman Howard Park stopped a minister for passing a red light... ‘He who runs red light gets ticket.’ 1972 Even. Telegram (St. John's, Newfoundland) 27 June 14/4 Guy forgot to turn on his lights. And ran a stop sign. A policeman pulled him over. 1978 Guardian Weekly 15 Jan. 13/2 Cairo drivers run red lights and drive the wrong way down one-way streets. |
41. a. To sew slightly and quickly, usually by taking a number of stitches on the needle at a time. Also const. with.
| 1708 Mrs. Centlivre's Busie Body Prol. 29 The Fleet-street Sempstress.., That runs spruce Neckcloths for Attorney's Clerks. 1721 Amherst Terræ Fil. No. 46 (1726) 257 Long muslin neckcloths run with red at the bottom. 1815 Kirby & Sp. Entom. (1818) I. xiv. 461 They..run (as a sempstress would call it) loosely together..the two membranes on that side. 1875 Plain Hints Needlework 22 Take a needle and cotton and run it once round. |
b. To darn (the heel of a stocking) before wearing in order to strengthen it.
| 1802 D. Wordsworth Jrnl. 24 Dec. (1941) I. 186, I have been..running the heel of a stocking. 1844 S. S. Arnold in Proc. Vermont Hist. Soc. (1940) VIII. 170 Paid Mrs. Wales for knitting silk stockings and running the heels 67 cents. 1904 Eng. Dial. Dict. V. 186/1 It is common to run the heels of stockings with cotton before wearing them. |
c. To attach (a ribbon or similar decoration) to cloth by passing it through a series of holes in the material.
| 1872 Young Englishwoman Nov. 607/2 Run a braid or ribbon through the open row. 1908 M. Morgan How to dress Doll v. 48 Ribbon is run through neck and sleeves. |
42. a. To pursue, chase, hunt (game, etc.); spec. to chase or hunt animals (e.g. buffalo) on horseback or (occas.) with a vehicle (chiefly N. Amer.).
Partaking, to some extent, of the causal sense.
| 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop ii. vii, Dogges..haue grete luste to renne and take the wyld beestes. 1576 Turberv. Venerie 35 The first is that he neuer accustome his houndes to runne a Hinde. 1674 N. Cox Gentl. Recr. (1677) 17 When Deer, after being hard run, turn head against the Hounds, we say, they Bay. 1812 Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 185 A fox was run on Saturday..by Sir W. W. Wynne's hounds, for upwards of one hour. 1841 G. Catlin Lett. on N. Amer. Indians I. 219 On this journey we saw immense herds of buffaloes; and although we had no horses to run them, we successfully approached them on foot. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 878 Pointers are very apt to run sheep when hunting. 1849 F. Parkman Calif. & Oregon Trail xxiv. 386 The chief difficulty in running buffalo..is that of loading the gun or pistol at full gallop. 1891 Field 7 Nov. 693/1 Hounds won't leave the fox they are running. 1900 W. F. Drannan 31 Yrs. on Plains (1901) xxi. 300, I met about thirty Kiowa Indians going out to run the buffalo near there. 1949 L. Nordyke Cattle Empire 264 Horses are furnished for the care of the cattle and for other useful purposes, and they must not be used to run wild horses, or buffalo, or antelope. 1963 G. F. G. Stanley Louis Riel 5 There could be no room for selfish individualism when the métis ran the buffalo. 1968 K. Weatherly Roo Shooter 130 Hunter would have to run the little doe with the Land-Rover. |
| fig. 1764 Low Life 70 Tallow-Chandlers who do Business privately in Back Cellars..to evade the King's Duty..make Mould Candles, known by the Name of Running the Buck. 1841 Lever C. O'Malley x, The various modes of ‘running a buck’ (Anglicè substituting a vote). 1876 A. S. Palmer Leaves fr. Notebk. Pref. p. viii, I have run it [a word] to earth in a Sanscrit root. |
b. To contend with (a person, etc.) in a race.
| 1786 Burns Farmer's New Year Salutation vii, An' ran them till they a' did wauble, Far, far behin'. 1822 Scott Nigel xxiii, Perhaps you will like to..leap a flea—run a snail. 1859 E. Capern Ball. & Songs 125 If..he beats me there, then I'll run him a mile. 1891 Sat. Rev. 25 July 107/1 Desdemona..gave her 5 lbs. and ran her to a neck. |
c. To press (one) hard or close, so as to inconvenience in some way. Also without adv.
| 1767 J. Wedgwood Let. 27 May (1965) 54 The Ministry were run very hard yesterday in the House of Lords. They carried their point by a Majority of three only. 1790 Bystander 159 My associates have run me so hard this week, as to room, that I cannot go on. 1798 C. Smith Yng. Philos. III. 96 He never was so hard run for money. 1821 Scott Pirate xxxii, Bryce..now saw himself run so close, that pleading to the charge became inevitable. 1824 ― St. Ronan's xi, I shall be hard run unless I can get a certain sum of money. 1828–32 Webster, To run hard, to press with jokes, sarcasm or ridicule. 1892 Temple Bar Sept. 53 Both author and artist were notoriously always run for time. |
d. To press (a person or thing) close or hard, in competition or rivalry.
| 1806 J. Beresford Miseries of Human Life ii. 40 Your quagmire-scene runs it very close. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis xx[i]x, Warrington and Paley had been competitors,..and had run each other hard. 1892 Eng. Illustr. Mag. IX. 830 The Gloriana would run her very close on the score of beauty. |
e. run (a thing) into the ground, to carry to excess, to overdo; to exhaust or defeat by constant pursuit or pressure; to destroy by excessive use. orig. U.S.
| 1836 W. T. Porter in Spirit of Times 9 July 162/1 It's no use to run the thing into the ground. a 1859 in Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 374 The advocates of temperance have run it into the ground by their extreme measures. 1884 L. Gronlund Co-oper. Commw. iii. 74 After having run this Social ‘Order’ into the ground, it will be supplanted by a new principle. 1947 J. Steinbeck Wayward Bus viii. 135 Well, start feeling good, then, and don't run it into the ground. Nobody likes sick people very long. 1955 Times 3 Aug. 3/7 Close marking, hard tackling, and shrewd tactical kicking, until the opposition has been ‘run into the ground’. 1977 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 31 Mar. 21/1 Crossman during his brief tenure as editor..just about ran the paper into the ground. |
** To cause to run, move rapidly, or extend.
43. a. To cause or force (a horse or other animal) to go rapidly, esp. when riding it. † Also absol. to ride. Also transf., esp. in political use.
In early use only with the transitive form of the vb., and usually without object.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. 20 Þonne ærnað hy ealle toweard þæm feo; ðonne cymeð se man se þæt swiftoste hors hafað [etc.]. c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. v. vi. (1890) 400 Þæt hio ærnan moste & ᵹecunnian, hwelc heora swiftost hors hæfde. c 1205 Lay. 6752 Þe king..lette enne cniht eærne after an oðer eorle. c 1275 Ibid. 24696 Somme gon hors earne, somme afote eorne. a 1300 K. Horn 1319 After horn he arnde anon, Also þat hors miȝte gon. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 8404 (Kölbing), So þai wenten, þai metten a kniȝt Arnand wiþ al his miȝt. |
| 1504 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. II. 428 Item,..and to the boy ran the Kingis hors, xxviij. s. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 169 Alexander.., as he was runnyng his horse, fell horse and man to the grounde. 1647 Trapp Comm. Rom. xiii. 11 As they that run their horses for a wager, spur hardest at the races end. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. Horse-racing, Start him off roundly, and run him to the very Top of what he can do, during the whole Course or Heat. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) VIII. 659/1 The place where they ran or breathed their coursers was called hippodromus. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop xlvi, Men running horses up and down the street for sale. 1880 E. W. Hamilton Diary 2 Dec. (1972) I. 83 He expressed his belief that the suspension of the Habeas Corpus a month or two ago would have arrested the evil, and as things now are the only course to take is to ‘run’ two measures side by side the moment Parliament meets. 1883 Harper's Mag. Dec. 147/1, I forged on, fairly running the dogs. 1890 Lippincott's Mag. Mar. 372 The horses were run rapidly forward to the skirmish-line. 1898 W. S. Churchill Let. 5 Jan. in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. ii. 854 We can run Tirah and Egypt in double harness. |
b. Racing. To enter (a horse, etc.) for a race; also fig. to pit (lives) against each other.
| 1750 F. Coventry Hist. Pompey i. xiv. (1785) 35/2 Nothing is esteemed a more laudable topick of wagering than the lives of eminent men; which, in the language of Newmarket, is called running lives. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) V. 499/2 For this reason, no gre-hound of any value should be run at this course. 1812 Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 287 Who, to use the jockey phrase, run the lives of their respective fathers against each other. 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rural Sports 364 No Person can Run More than one horse for any plate. 1892 Pictorial World 16 Apr. 695/1 An owner runs his horse ostensibly to win. |
c. To allow to run or feed at large, to graze (cattle, sheep, etc.). Chiefly Austral.
| 1812 Sir J. Sinclair Syst. Husb. Scot. i. 343 A few farmers..still think it beneficial to run their horses in an inclosed field through the night. 1862 R. Henning Let. 28 Aug. (1966) 95 He is going to run some sheep on the station, and I dare say will do very well. 1880 Victorian Rev. I. 630 If one man can only make a living by running his sheep in large flocks. 1892 Cornh. Mag. Oct. 384 A large number of milch-cows were run in the woods. 1901 M. Franklin My Brilliant Career ii. 10 Mother felt dubious of her husband's ability to make a living off a thousand acres, half of which were fit to run nothing but wallabies. 1930 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs 1st Ser. x. 241 The dry cattle were run further out than the sheep. 1966 G. W. Turner Eng. Lang. Austral. & N.Z. iii. 50 The word might be used as a transitive verb. ‘He runs merinos’ i.e. has merino sheep as his stock. |
d. To send (a ferret) through a hole.
| 1892 Black & White 5 Nov. 518/2 The common way..has hitherto been for the keeper to run a ferret through the burrows at night. |
44. a. To bring into a certain state, affect in a certain way, by running. Chiefly refl. and in phrases (see quots.). Also to run (one) off one's feet, to occupy or overwork to the point of exhaustion (usu. pass.). to run (one) ragged: see ragged a.1 6.
| 1548 Patten Exped. Scotl. I v, Sum also [were] seen in this race all breathles to fal flat doun, and haue run themselues to death. 1648 Winyard Midsummer-Moon 3 He runs himselfe off his legs the first daies journey. 1850 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XI. ii. 600 To use the ordinary phrase used by farmers, ‘they run all the flesh off their bones’. 1891 Field 7 Nov. 693/1 It's hot till we are close to Garthorpe where our fox runs us out of scent. 1892 Ibid. 19 Nov. 786/1 He had almost run himself to a standstill. |
| fig. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iv. i. 57 Fie, now you run this humor out of breath. 1637 Shirley Gamester 111, His lordship's bones are not well set;..they will run him quite out of all. 1679 Dryden Pref. Troil. & Cress. Ess. (ed. Ker) I. 221 His inborn vehemence and force of spirit will only run him out of breath the sooner. 1716 M. Davies Athen. Brit. II. 111 To foresee that Warwick by running so a-Head, would at last run himself out of Breath. 1857 C. M. Yonge Dynevor Terrace II. xv. 235 Charlotte was what Martha expressively called ‘fairly run off her feet’. 1937 M. Allingham Dancers in Mourning xxii. 279 Run off his feet, poor lad. Don't know when he sleeps. 1949 N. Mitford Love in Cold Climate i. x. 107 You'd never believe that woman was nearly eighty, she could run us all off our feet. 1970 W. J. Burley To kill Cat i. 7 ‘I expect you've got enough to do at this time of year.’ ‘Run off our feet, sir.’ |
b. To bring, lead, drag, or force (one) into († upon, † to) some state, action, etc.; † to drive or make (one) mad. Also, to drive (one) crazy, out of one's head (U.S. dial.).
| 1621 Fletcher Pilgrim iii. iii, These wild woods, and the fancies I have in me, Will run me mad. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts, New Test. 50 When he hath omitted his good services and runne himself into judgement. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. iii. §7 For whatever is required as a duty, is such as the neglect of it runs men upon damnation. 1682 Bunyan Holy War 91 Attempted to run the town into acts of Rebellion against our Prince. a 1715 Burnet Own Time iii. (1724) I. 356 He run me into a long discourse about the authority of the Church. 1747 Chesterfield Lett. I. cxxxii. 355, I should have avoided many follies and inconveniencies, which undirected youth run me into. 1820 Scott Monast. xxv, What need to run myself into trouble for a fool's word? 1828 Examiner 701/1 She had been running him into debt. 1889 W. Westall Birch Dene II. iii. 32 It might have run us into a loss of four or five pounds. 1924 L. Vollmer Sun-Up i. 13 Neither one of us is got 'nough [learning] to run us crazy. 1928 J. Peterkin Scarlet Sister Mary xxv. 288 It'll run you crazy if it don' kill you. 1940 J. Stuart Trees of Heaven i. ii. 20 Some say whiskey will run a man crazy. 1942 L. Vollmer in Sat. Even. Post 22 Aug. 12/3 Fink's meanness had run his wife out of her head. |
c. To force, drive (a person or thing) out of, or off, some place. Also with advbs.
| 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. II. xlvii. 169 Who..had rioted away a great Part of his Masters Goods and Money, and had run his own Credit out of Doors. 1822 J. Flint Lett. fr. Amer. 309 Arresting a free negro, with a view to run him out of the State. a 1861 T. Winthrop John Brent (1876) xvi. 183 But then he knows ther ain't no Utes round here to stampede his animals or run off any of his gals. 1890 Lippincott's Mag. Mar. 312 He ran two men out of the regiment. 1891 Sat. Rev. 22 Aug. 216/1 The railways had been running the travelling carriages..off the roads. 1901 W. N. Harben Westerfelt xvi. 220 He was here the night they run him off. 1911 T. Dreiser Jennie Gerhardt i. 10 A man run us away. 1924 H. Croy R.F.D. No. 3 xi. 189 He's got to be run out. 1946 G. Foreman Last Trek of Indians x. 195 The agent announced his intention of running out of the country any such preacher who might appear. 1949 W. Gann Tread of Longhorns v. 57 The city rulers felt that the marshal should have stopped the jail delivery, and for his failure to do so, he was run off the job. 1967 Boston Sunday Globe 23 Apr. 4/6 Something most 17-year-old girls seldom mention..rats. ‘They're bad and they'd run you right out of the cellar,’ she said. 1976 C. Egleton State Visit xiii. 120 Some cowboy of a truck driver ran us off the road. 1977 ‘E. Anthony’ Silver Falcon ii. 44 Get out of Beaumont!.. There's enough of us here who loved your father to run you out. |
d. To describe, put down (a person), as having deserted. Cf. run ppl. a. 2.
| 1797 Nelson 29 Mar. in Nicolas Disp. (1845) III. 7 Five or six men absent without leave, who can not be ‘Run’ on the Ship's books, not having been absent three musters. 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXV. 291, I told him I had run him on the books; he said that I ought to have discharged him to Sombrero. |
45. a. To cause (a boat or ship) to move rapidly or easily forwards, esp. towards or against the land.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 94 The Scottes ran their shippes on land, and the Englishmen folowed wyth boates and landed. 1611 Bible Acts xxvii. 41 Falling into a place where two seas met, they ranne the shippe a ground. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iii. 127 [They] cut their Cables, and runne the Galley a shoare. 1775 Romans Hist. Florida App. 7 The stream will run you out in such a manner [etc.]. 1816 Keatinge Trav. (1817) II. 168 Our Palinurus now ran us ashore. 1855 [J. D. Burn] Autobiog. Beggar boy 92 Our jolly old captain ran the Fame foul of a brig. 1873 W. Black Pr. Thule xxii. 356 The boat was run in to her moorings. 1889 Doyle Micah Clarke xxiv. 246 The lugger had been run into a narrow creek. |
| refl. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. i. 4 Speake to th' Mariners: fall too't yarely, or we run our selues a ground. |
| fig. 1603 Drayton Bar. Wars i. lv, [They] some vnknowne Harbor suddenly must sound, Or runne their Fortunes desp'rately on ground. 1901 M. Franklin My Brilliant Career xxiv. 207 The recent ‘going bung’ of a building society—his sole remaining prop—had run him entirely ashore. |
b. To bring, convey, transport, in a vessel, down a stream, along rails, etc. Also spec., to convey (someone) in a motor vehicle to a particular destination.
| 1700 Law Counc. Trade (1751) 255 As much as we are obliged to pay to them for running the real species, when it is found necessary to carry it out. 1864 Laws of Michigan 23 The logs, timber, or other floatables, driven, boomed, rafted, or run. 1884 Graphic 20 Nov. 534/2 The engine runs trucks to and from the piers on the island. 1890 Illustr. Lond. News 1 Nov. 562 The steam-trawler has replaced the sailing-smack, and the former runs home her own cargo. 1909 W. J. Locke Septimus iv. 57 The chauffeur touched his cap. ‘I'll run you both over to Nice,’ said Clem Sypher... ‘I'll run you back again.’ 1924 Kipling Debits & Credits (1926) 326 I'll run you out home before sun-up. I'm a haulage contractor now. 1936 L. A. G. Strong Last Enemy ix. 274 ‘I must go over and see him.’.. ‘I can't run you over to day, I'm afraid.’ 1939 A. Thirkell Before Lunch v. 126 ‘Shall I run you home?’ he asked. Daphne said her bicycle was in the bottle room. 1952 ‘M. Innes’ Private View iii. 60 Better run you home first... It will save you five minutes. 1958 ‘A. Bridge’ Portuguese Escape viii. 128 A taxi..will take aeons. I'll run you out when it's all fixed. 1971 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Doctor Bird iv. 58, I ran Johnson back to my house. 1976 M. Birmingham Heat of Sun ix. 152 I'll run you over later... You stay and have some tea now. |
c. To land, smuggle (contraband goods).
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), To Smuggle Goods, to run them ashore, or bring them in by stealth, without paying the Custom. 1710 Lond. Gaz. No. 4737/3 Goods run from on Board one of the East-India Company's Ships. 1837 R. Ellis Laws & Reg. Customs I. 199 The vessel or boat, adapted for the purpose of running goods. 1887 G. M. Fenn Devon Boys xxxi. 269 It was a smuggler running a cargo. |
d. To sail (a vessel) in time of war without a convoy.
| 1813 in G. J. Bell Comm. Law Scot. (1826) I. 621 note, We have determined on running the Nancy. |
† e. run..out of sight, to outsail (a vessel) quickly and lose sight of it. Obs.
| 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. v. 177 The Centurion so much out-sailed the two prizes, that we soon ran them out of sight. 1797 S. James Narr. Voy. 217 The Hound then ran us out of sight in the space of four glasses. |
f. To get (something) hastily carried through.
| 1891 Daily News 15 July 3/1 He said that was the time when the Tories took the opportunity of running their jobs. |
46. a. To throw (oneself) upon or among something.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7770 Þan drogh saul self his suord And ran him-self a-pon þe ord. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 23 Like a furious Tigres, who runnes herselfe amongst the weapons of the hunters. |
b. To drive or cause (one's head, etc.) to strike forcibly against (a person or thing).
| 1589 ? Lyly Pappe w. Hatchet D iij b, All the desperate & discontented persons were readie to runne their heads against their head. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Heurter, To runne his head against the doore. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 268 ¶6, I..chanced to run my Nose directly against a Post. 1887 A. Sergeant Jacobi's Wife I. i. 66 If we run our heads against walls we're safe to hurt ourselves. |
c. To thrust, esp. to dash or force, (one's head, etc.) into or through something.
| 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxv. 137 They began to murmure, and began to ron togyder thre heedes in one hood. 1667 Pepys Diary 23 Sept., The glass was so clear that she thought it had been open, and so ran her head through the glass! a 1719 Addison (J.), Some English speakers run their hands into their pockets. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. xlvii, I would not have you..run your head precipitately into a noose. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho l, Many an honest fellow has run his head into the noose that way. |
47. a. To drive by violent impact. rare—1.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cix. 372 It ranne vnder the water .iii. or .iiii. of the other old shippes. |
b. To drive (a vehicle, etc.) into, against, or through something. Also fig. (see coach n. 4).
| 1663 Aron-bimn. 93 Aspiring Novices will run it into bogs and precipices. 1793 Regal Rambler 64 [He] ran one of the wheels foul of a garden wall. 1849 H. Martineau Hist. Peace i. v. 53 The mob..running the chariot against a wall, they all got out and walked. 1872 Black Adv. Phaeton iv. 46 He once or twice..pretty nearly ran us into a cart. 1888 Times (weekly ed.) 30 Mar. 7/4 To show..how very easily they could run a coach and four through their proclamations whenever they chose to do it. |
| fig. 1751 Chesterfield Lett. (1792) III. cclix. 189 Another point is,..not to run your own present humour and disposition indiscriminately against every body. |
c. To dash (a thing) forcibly upon one.
| 1700 T. Brown tr. Fresny's Amusem. 21 There a Fat Greasie Porter runs a Trunk full Butt upon you. |
d. run..aboard, to collide with.
| 1821 Scott Pirate xl, They miss stays, and the frigate runs them aboard! |
48. a. To thrust or force (a weapon or the like) through or into († in) a person, etc.
| 1480 Robt. Devyll 463 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 237 So throughe one of theyr bodyes hys sworde [he] dyd runne. 1674 J. Wright Mock-Thyestes 99 Faith I'le run this Pin i' your bum. 1734 tr. Rollin's Rom. Hist. (1827) II. 335 He drew out his dagger and run it into the thigh of the beast. 1786 Burns Earnest Cry xvii, She'll..rin her whittle to the hilt, I' th' first she meets! 1820 Scott Monast. xxxvii, If you had run a poniard into him. 1892 A. Oldfield Man. Typogr. xxi, To do this, run four pins from the back of the tympan right through. |
b. To pierce or stab (a person). Usually with through or † into (a specified part).
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lix. 205 He ranne hym clene throw the body with his spere. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, ii. i. 68 Ile run him vp to the hilts, as I am a soldier. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. King & No King ii. i, I was run twice through the body, and shot i' th' head with a cross-arrow. c 1670 Wood Life (1848) 27 Col. Greaves escaped very narrowly, being run into the body. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 475 ¶1 The next Morning he received a Challenge..and before Twelve a Clock was run through the Body. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) IV. 94 One of the ruffians..came behind, and run me through the back. 1809 Roland Fencing 114 With as great propriety you might run him through the body before he is on the position of the guard. 1890 Sat. Rev. 23 Aug. 227/1 Ormonde..ran two of the cowards through the body. |
49. a. To cause to roll quickly; to cause (a ball) to move rapidly in a specified direction; spec. in Bowls, to drive away (the jack).
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, ii. i. 123 This tongue that runs so roundly in thy head, Should run thy head from thy vnreuerent shoulders. 1861 Chambers's Encycl. II. 289/1 The last player frequently endeavours to run the jack [etc.]. 1889 W. T. Linskill Golf iv. 32 In ‘running’ the ball with the iron..keep the hands forward in advance of the club head. 1971 Times 15 Feb. 9/4 He ran the ball strongly 30ft. past the hole. 1977 Observer 30 Jan. 24/8 Tueart made ground on the left before passing to Power, who struck a low centre and David Craig ran the ball past his own keeper. |
b. To cast or pass (the eye, hand, etc.) rapidly along, down, over (etc.) something.
| 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Printing, By running his Eye along both, he easily spies where Corrections are to be made. 1775 C. Johnston Pilgrim 253 Having ran his eye over the letter, he desired my friend to stay there. 1828 Examiner 37/1 The reader runs his eye down a couple of columns. 1890 Clark Russell Ocean Tragedy I. iii. 53, I..caught myself running my glance round. 1890 Chamb. Jrnl. 1 Nov. 694/2 Running the fingers along the keys of a piano. |
c. Sc. Law. (See letter n.1 4 c.)
| 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xvi, They'll run their letters, and be adrift again, before ye ken where ye are. 1846 M{supc}Culloch Acc. Brit. Emp. (1854) II. 224 A prisoner..may protect himself from undue delay of trial by the remedy called ‘running his letters’; a process in force since 1701. |
d. To allow (bills or accounts) to accumulate for a certain time before paying.
| 1861 Temple Bar I. 277 A lady-customer who ran such heavy bills. 1874 J. S. Blackie Self-Culture 87 It is found a great safeguard against debt..not to run long accounts. 1887 Ruskin Præterita II. 25 At Oxford I ran what accounts with the tradesmen I liked. |
50. a. To cause to move, slide, pass, etc., in a quick or easy manner. Usually with advs. or preps. denoting direction. Also spec. to pass (a duster, etc.) hurriedly over (a surface) or under (furniture).
| 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xxiv. ¶7 He Runs the Carriage under the Plattin..: Then he Runs in the Carriage again... Then he Runs out the Carriage. 1747–96 H. Glasse Cookery xiv. 236 Run a red-hot fire-shovel over it, to brown it. 1765 Museum Rust. III. 242 The poles thus prepared, the handfuls of teazels must be put on them, by running the small end through the handful. 1849 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. X. i. 272 The smaller cord to be run through a noose at the free end. 1879 Man. Artill. Exerc. 254 To fill the cylinder with oil, run the carriage up to the stops. 1891 Eng. Illustr. Mag. Oct. 69 Studding sails were run aloft. 1948 A. Christie Taken at Flood i. xvi. 95, I know service isn't up to much nowadays—but I still think they run a mop under the furniture. 1952 M. Allingham Tiger in Smoke xii. 190, I ought just to run a tape over the place. 1975 W. J. Burley Wycliffe & Pea-Green Boat viii. 115, I cook a meal for him occasionally and I run a vacuum over the place. 1977 J. R. L. Anderson Death in City i. 10 Emptying waste-paper baskets, running a duster over desks, and vacuum-cleaning floors. |
| transf. 1771 Luckombe Hist. Print. 388 It is not improper to use a Comma..where figures are put after the matter, instead of running them to the end of a line. 1861 Temple Bar I. 475 It was not possible..to stifle thought, or run it in governmental grooves. 1892 Idler Sept. 162 Mr. Chatto..ran Philistia through the pages of The Gentleman's. |
b. To carry, pass, or suspend (a line or rope) between two points.
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Running-out a warp, the act of carrying the end of a rope out from the ship, in a boat. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxvi. 85 In all directions athwart-ships, tricing-lines were run, and strung with hides. 1890 S. L. Poole Barbary Corsairs ii. xx. 286 Some of the Intrepid's crew leisurely ran a fast to the frigate's fore⁓chains. |
c. run the stage, run a ship (see quots.).
| 1888 Scribner's Mag. Oct. 444 Before the scene can be set it is necessary to ‘run the stage’, that is, to get everything in the line of properties..ready to be put in place. 1893 Labour Comm. Gloss., Running a ship on end, placing a ship's masts, yards, and rigging in their proper positions ready for sea again, after such ships have been stripped or dismantled. |
d. Theatr. To move or carry (scenery) about the stage; to shift (a ‘flat’) along a groove. Freq. with advs., as on, off.
| 1831 J. Boaden Life Mrs. Jordan I. ix. 201 English play and farce, demanding a constant succession of scenes called flats, run on suddenly for the frequent changes of place. 1889 N.Y. Tribune 14 July 10/5 Nearly all scenes..are mounted on wheels which enable them to be easily moved upon the stage, hence the compound verbs ‘run-on’ and ‘run-off’, which are in universal use in the theatre. The word ‘move’ is scarcely ever heard. 1921 G. C. D. Odell Shakes. from Betterton to Irving I. iii. 99 A Shutter is the modern ‘flat’, run—in two pieces— on grooves from opposite wings and clamping together when they meet midway of the stage. Ibid. iv. 109 The second scene is ‘Ambrosio's House’, and may with equal certainty be attributed to a second ‘flat’ scene run in, on the second groove, behind the first... The next act begins again with ‘the Street’, which I am convinced was run on immediately at the end of the first act. 1959 W. C. Lounsbury Backstage from A to Z 102 Running a flat, carrying a flat. |
e. to run the rule over: see rule n. 17 c
51. a. To cause (a conveyance, vehicle, vessel, etc.) to ply from place to place, or between two places, or to move in a particular direction, or to a specified destination.
| 1764 Jackson's Oxf. Jrnl. 31 Mar., Samuel Borton..Runs Neat Four-Wheeled Post-Chaises..at Seven-Pence a Mile. 1859 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XX. ii. 314 Cheap trains had been run. 1891 Murray's Mag. Mar. 401 They no longer run steamers there. 1902 J. H. A. MacDonald in A. C. Harmsworth Motors & Motor-Driving xix. 373 On this run he on one occasion got down for a moment, asking his friend to steer, which the friend did by promptly running the car off the road. 1913 Autocar Handbk. (ed. 5) xxi. 228 The car may be run in one way and out the other. 1970 J. Porter Rather Common Sort of Crime iv. 42 She got back to Shangrila and ran the car into the garage. |
b. To keep (a mechanical contrivance, etc.) moving or working; spec. to keep, use, and maintain (a road vehicle).
| a 1817 Jane Austen Northang. Abb. (1818) I. vii. 86 What do you think of my gig, Miss Morland?.. A friend of mine..ran it a few weeks, till..it was convenient to have done with it. 1849 C. Brontë Shirley ii, The hands we can't employ, the mills we can't run. a 1877 Knight Dict. Mech. II. 1346/1 Attempts are being made..to run locomotives by means of liquid fuel. 1880 Encycl. Brit. XI. 203/2 Such wheels are not capable of being run at the high rate of speed which is a first essential to their efficiency. 1892 Standard 7 Nov. 4/7 The owners of cotton mills..have..been running their spindles unprofitably. 1902 A. C. Harmsworth Motors & Motor-Driving iii. 38, I am running at present four cars of French construction. 1912 Motor Manual (ed. 14) vi. 174 A car owner had, for a long time, been running his car with a very defective lubricator. 1924 Discovery June 98/1 Simple..apparatus of this kind can be run off an ordinary lighting circuit. 1939 G. B. Shaw Geneva ii. 45 No No: motor oil. The stuff you run your aeroplanes on. 1959 E. K. Wenlock Kitchin's Road Transport Law (ed. 12) 78/2 The driver of every vehicle run under an A, special A, B or C license. 1973 ‘D. Jordan’ Nile Green xxii. 87, I can't collect you. I don't run a car. |
c. To direct, conduct, carry on (a business, etc.). orig. U.S. Also in various extended uses. In transf. use esp. to look after, manage, or control (someone, spec. a spy). Also refl. (said of a business or other organization): to function smoothly, to require little administrative interference. to run the show: see show n.1 16.
| 1861 O. J. Victor Hist. Southern Rebellion I. xvii. 252/2, I suppose I will have to run the machine as I find it. 1864 G. A. Sala in Daily Telegr. 23 Dec. 5/5 ‘To run’ is a term which is so purely a modern American locution, that I cannot let it pass without brief comment... You may ‘run’ anything—a railroad, a bank, a school, a newspaper,..or an administration. 1866 Harper's Mag. Mar. 539/1 The real owner of a grocery.., which was ‘run’ nominally by another individual. 1883 Referee 29 Apr. 7/2 American evangelists and speculators who run salvation on much the same lines as Barnum runs his menagerie. 1884 J. Quincy Figures of Past 370 A world which is run by steam, electricity, and newspaper extras. 1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonwealth II. lxii. 446 The primaries have almost always been so carefully packed, and so skilfully ‘run’, that a majority of trusty delegates has been secured. 1891 Blackw. Mag. CL. 788/2 He made a contract..to run the catering department at so much per head. 1899 R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street i. 4 A..coral island..‘run’ on principles of almost primitive Christianity. 1911 G. B. Shaw Doctor's Dilemma p. xxvii, He may make considerable profits at the same time by running what is the most expensive kind of hotel. 1928 E. O'Neill Strange Interlude vii. 235 Why couldn't Mother let me run my own birthday? 1932 E. Waugh Black Mischief viii. 295 Can't think what you see in revolutions... I suppose you ran the whole country. 1956 H. L. Mencken Minority Rep. 206 Why assume so glibly that the God who presumably created the universe is still running it? 1959 Motor Manual (ed. 36) xii. 265 One way of running a trial of this sort is to give each competitor a list of places. 1972 Jrnl. Social Psychol. Dec. 180 As a result of unexpected difficulties (early summer vacation at Patna University) only 26 groups could be run. 1974 J. Mann Sticking Place i. 14 He was as helpful as could be, the members always said..though of course the place pretty well ran itself. 1977 J. Aiken Last Movement iv. 76 Our staff are highly efficient; the place runs itself almost without our interference. |
| transf. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. I. i. ix. 115 It is often said of the President that he is ruled, or as the Americans express it, ‘run,’ by his secretary. 1890 S. Hale Let. 2 May (1919) viii. 242 Cornelia is running me, and she is really just the right sort. 1904 Conrad Nostromo i. vi. 67 He was not running a great enterprise there... He was running a man! 1931 E. F. Benson Mapp & Lucia iii. 67 She wanted to run her, to sponsor her, to arrange little parties for her. 1949 Sat. Even. Post 23 Apr. 130/4 You're my father and all that, but I'll be damned if you run me any more. 1961 ‘J. Le Carré’ Call for Dead ix. 91 The East Germans..run their agents direct from Germany. 1967 A. Christie Endless Night x. 89, I felt that Ellie was dependent on Greta..that she let Greta run her. 1972 D. Bloodworth Any Number can Play xx. 206 The central Chinese department..were running you for all you were worth. 1976 Scott & Koski Walk-In (1977) xv. 94 Major Ch'en was running this agent. |
d. To introduce or push (a person) in society.
| 1897 ‘Ouida’ Massarenes ix. 98 ‘Everybody does [know them] through you, or rather through your wife.’.. ‘Oh, we run 'em, yes.’ 1900 E. Glyn Visits Elizabeth (1906) 101, I asked her why she had invited her, then. And she said her sister-in-law..made a point of it, as she was running them. |
e. U.S. To support or provide for (a person or family).
| 1871 ‘Mark Twain’ in Galaxy Apr. 616/1 Turnips enough to run the family for two years! 1880 ― Tramp Abroad 225 ‘Pap's so po' he cain't run me no mo', so I want to git a show somers if I kin, 'tain't no diffunce what..I don't turn my back on no kind of work.’ 1909 R. A. Wason Happy Hawkins 280 She was in the habit of estimatin' just how little nourishment it would take to run her to the next feed. |
f. orig. U.S. To publish or print in a newspaper or magazine; spec. to publish repeatedly or successively (an advertisement, article, etc., or a series of such items). Also transf. of broadcast items.
| 1884 E. W. Nye Baled Hay 202 The business manager..hated to lose old Balshazzar's whole trade, for he wouldn't run any of his ads unless he would take them all according to his contract. 1912 G. M. Hyde Newspaper Reporting iii. 30 If..the editor decides not to print the story, he kills it; otherwise he runs it. 1916 J. London Let. 31 Oct. (1966) 479 Please send me as many prints or proofs..of this letter of mine (if you run it). 1930 Publishers' Weekly 8 Feb. 667/2 The full page advertisement we ran in the New York Times..brought in more business than any advertisement we have ever run. 1950 Time 16 Jan. 65/3 With his vigorous news pages, Dana ran blistering editorials against Boss Tweed, the Credit Mobilier and the Whisky Ring. 1966 Listener 12 May 699/1 For Mr Allsop to say that the film would be shown next week was like a newspaper editor saying that he would postpone the headline of today's news to run it the following day. 1973 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 20 July 4/3 During the last gubernatorial election campaign in New York State, the incumbent ran some 3,000 television commercials on twenty-two different television stations. 1976 N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone iii. 62 The lady who ran the ad..evidently had liked his voice. |
g. To be suffering from (a fever or high temperature).
| 1918 A. Woollcott Let. 6 July (1944) 64 Baldridge..was running a fever which worried me a little. 1926 I. Mackay Blencarrow xxxii. 273, I don't like her running this temperature. 1956 A. H. Compton Atomic Quest ii. 82 The following morning, still running a low fever, I cleared these moves with Vice President Filbey. 1961 P. Dougherty Mother Mary Potter xxviii. 245 All through Lent Mother Potter was running a high temperature and suffering greatly. 1963 ‘E. McBain’ Ten plus One viii. 107, I had a little virus, I was running a small fever. 1967 C. Potok Chosen xi. 189, I came home from school with a fever... I was running 103·6. 1970 D. Uhnak Ledger i. 17 You're warm, Christie. You must be running about a hundred and one. |
h. to run a book [book n. 11], to take bets; also transf.
| 1931 Economist 10 Oct. 642/1 The discount market has been inactive, and many brokers are running narrow books, and so are needing less money than usual. 1955 Times 12 Aug. 5/4 Powell, who explained that he had been ‘running a book’ in the prison. |
i. To show (a film or television recording); to set (a film camera) in action. Also with through.
| 1940 [see sense 33 b above]. 1953 E. Simon Past Masters iii. 196 ‘Have you ever thought of doing anything, with that Mexican film of yours, Hamish?’.. ‘If I coold have it run through somewhere and have another luke at it.’ 1956 H. Kurnitz Invasion of Privacy viii. 64 ‘Your film..unmistakably duplicates a heartbreaking episode experienced by my client.’.. ‘We'll run the picture for your client and guarantee to substantially change any objectionable portion.’ 1973 V. Canning Finger of Saturn i. 8 I'll run them [sc. films] straight through. 1974 I. Murdoch Sacred & Profane Love Machine 125 Harriet felt giddy and exposed as if very quietly, as in a silent film run in slow motion, the house had been hit by a bomb. 1974 Daily Tel. 2 May 3/4 Using a friend's projector and screen, he ran a short colour film taken at the wedding. |
j. To perform (a test, analysis, experiment, or the like); to subject (something) to, or measure (a property) by means of, an experimental procedure.
| 1947 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. CLXVII. 553 Assays run in replicate of course give narrow limits of confidence, the limits decreasing with increasing replication. 1961 Lancet 5 Aug. 291/2 The mobility of the abnormal screen-globulin did not correspond with that of the Bence Jones protein when both were run in a starch gel containing 2-mercaptoethanol. 1964 Roberts & Caserio Basic Princ. Org. Chem. ii. 29 Solids are often run as finely ground suspensions. 1970 H. McLeave Question of Negligence (1973) xxi. 167 Could Cameron have some sort of brain lesion?.. It was imperative to run those tests. 1976 M. Machlin Pipeline lviii. 588 In a test he ran, oil soaked ice disintegrated and sank within five days, while adjacent ice did not melt at all. 1978 Nature 8 June 456/2 Curie temperatures were run for seven specimens, and they ranged from 222 to 272 °C, with an average of 248 °C. |
k. Computers. To perform (a computation), execute (a program or other task), investigate (a problem), etc., on a computer.
| 1952 Rev. Electronic Digital Computers (Amer. Inst. Electr. Engineers) 12/3 The last problem in this field has not yet been run, but the study has shown that the entire gamut of stock control for a large supply office can be covered by the computer in approximately 3 weeks time. 1968 E. O. Joslin Computer Selection iv. 70 One should examine each class of programs to determine the equipment required to run that class of program through the computer. 1973 Computers & Humanities VII. 225 Instructors considering adopting this text can be assured that the programs accompanying the flowcharts do work since all solutions have been run. 1977 [see program library s.v. program, programme n. 4]. |
52. a. run one's face for, to get (an article) on credit. U.S. See also face n. 7 b.
| a 1848 in Bartlett Dict. Amer. 281 Any one who can run his face for a card of pens, a quire of paper, and a pair of scissors, may set up for an editor. |
b. To put or set up as a candidate. orig. U.S.
| 1789 Maryland Jrnl. 2 Jan. 3/2 It was agreed to run the following ticket in their respective Districts. 1792 A. Hamilton Let. 10 Oct. in Wks. (1886) VIII. 286 Either Governor Clinton, or Mr. Burr,..is to be run in this quarter as Vice-President, in opposition to Mr. Adams. 1825 J. K. Paulding John Bull in Amer. v. 85 [They] talk of running him for the next governor. 1862 H. Kingsley Ravenshoe xxxvii, He..might have been run for M.L.C., or possibly for Congress in a year or two. 1879 T. P. O'Connor Beaconsfield 46 The Reformers ran a candidate of their own colour. |
c. U.S. and Austral. To tease, nag, or vex.
Characterized by Webster (1879) as ‘Colloq. or low’.
| 1835 P. Hone Diary 16 Mar. (1889) I. 134 This is a club..where they sup, drink champagne and whiskey punch, talk as well as they know how, and run each other good-humouredly. 1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career 349 Now what's the use of running a feller? 1879 Webster Suppl. s.v. 1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xix, He thought I wanted to have my own way, and he made it up to take it out of me, and run me every way he could. |
d. To prosecute (a person); to bring (one) in for damages.
| 1891 ‘Annie Thomas’ That Affair II. viii. 138, I shall run that woman for infringement of literary rights. 1892 Sat. Rev. 22 Oct. 481/2 Such a proceeding would ruin him..and ‘run’ him ‘for hideous damages’. |
e. slang. To report or hand over (someone) to the police, etc.; spec. in Mil. use, to bring a charge against (someone).
| 1909 E. Wyrall Spike iii. 17 In tramp language, to be ‘run’ is to be handed over to the police. 1919 Athenæum 18 July 632/2 ‘Running a man’ means bringing a charge against him for orderly room. 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 247 Run, to, to report or charge anyone with an offence. 1930 Brophy & Partridge Songs & Slang 1914–1918 157 Let them spades alone or I'll run yer. 1933 ‘G. Ingram’ Stir xii. 188 Was any of you monkeying with the cocoa last night?.. If I find out who it was, I'll run 'im and make it 'ot for him. a 1935 T. E. Lawrence Mint (1955) ii. iii. 107 We are supposed to have a flight-lieutenant over us. I saw one, when the Sergeant Major ran me. |
f. To manipulate or falsify, esp. in phr. to run the odds.
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 312, I heard So and So made a cool hundred quid over it, says Alf... He let out that Myler was on the beer to run the odds and he swatting all the time. |
g. to run one's mouth, to talk profusely or excessively, to chatter; to complain. Cf. to shoot (off) one's mouth s.v. shoot v. 23 g. U.S. and Black slang.
| 1940 W. Faulkner Tomorrow in Sat. Even. Post 23 Nov. 39/1 Drunk still & running his mouth. 1954 in Cassidy & Le Page Dict. Jamaican Eng. (1967) 388/1 Yu run yu mout fe not a ting, all de talk yu talk fe nutten. 1970 C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 98 Run (one's) mouth, to talk excessively; to complain. 1973 Black Panther 24 Mar. 14/3 Maybe you call working running your mouth on these TV programs. 1977 Time 13 June 50/1 All there is to real estate is running your mouth a bit, knocking on doors and asking people if they want to sell their house. |
h. to run a game: to obtain money by deceit or trickery; freq. const. on. U.S. Blacks.
| 1967 J. Horton in Trans-Action Apr. 6/2 Their reasons for disapproving of hustling were not moral. Hustling meant trouble... Others said there was not enough money on the street or that it was too difficult to ‘run a game’ on people. 1973 T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out 162 Other operators on the street who are looking for a chance to ‘whup’ (Chicago) or ‘run’ (Los Angeles, New York) ‘a game’ (trick someone out of some money) are known as ‘slicks’ or ‘slicksters’. 1974 H. L. Foster Ribbin' ii. 30 This is..the behavior that urban blacks use to ‘run a game on the man’. Ibid. iv. 160 He knows how to ‘run a game’ to get what he desires from people. 1975 Language LI. 246 If we look at a number of Los Angeles examples of black ‘put down’ terms (e.g...to run a game on someone..) and K's example to mount someone, we can see that such expressions..are positive and kinetic. |
53. † a. To prolong (a note) in singing. Obs.—1
| 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. iv. Wks. 1856 I. 49 The Boy runnes a note, Antonio breakes it. |
b. run the line(s, to determine, fix, or mark off a boundary-line. U.S.
| 1641 Rhode Island Col. Rec. (1856) I. 114 It is ordered, that Mr. Porter..and Mr. Jeoffreys shall runn the line between the Touns. 1708 S. Sewall Diary 28 Mar., I agreed with Major Thaxter to run the Line of my 300 Acres of Land. 1764 T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. i. (1765) 208 The lines between..the governments..have been run. 1809 Kendall Trav. I. ii. 15 The boundaries are usually determined, or in the technical phrase, the lines run, by a land-surveyor. 1892 Gunter Miss Dividends (1893) 63 Ever since he ran the lines in Nebraska when that State was a howling wilderness. |
c. To cut (a mark), draw or trace (a line), on a surface.
| 1680 Moxon Mech. Exerc. xii. 214 The quick coming about of the Work may draw the edge of the Chissel into it inwards, and run a dawk on the Cilinder, like the Groove of a Screw. 1838 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) XXV. 301/1 It is requisite to..determine the position of the ship before running a new base. c 1850 Rudim. Nav. (Weale) 144 The running or drawing of a line on the ship, or mould-loft floor; as ‘to run the wale line’, or deck line, &c. 1895 E. Rowe Chip-Carving 27 This is best obtained by running lines and bevelling edges on a waste bit of wood before commencing to carve. |
d. To trace or pursue (a parallel, resemblance, etc.); to draw (a distinction).
| a 1716 South (J.), To run the world back to its first original..is a research too great for mortal enquiry. a 1768 Sterne Serm. (1773) I. 180 One might run the parallel much farther. 1794 Paley Evid. ii. iii. (1817) 96 The lawyer's subtilty in running a distinction upon the word neighbour. 1824 Examiner 8/1 It has been..the fashion to run comparisons between this cathedral church and that of St. Peter's. Ibid. 194/1, I am running my..simile too far. 1866 Ecclesiologist XXVII. 234 There is the danger of mistaking it by running the resemblance too far. |
e. To lead, take, extend, carry (a thing) in a certain direction, or to a certain length.
| 1713 Addison Guardian No. 100, A slip of fine Linnen, run in a small kind of Ruffle round the uppermost Verge of Women's Stays. 1736 T. Lediard Marlborough III. 82 A Trench of Fascines and Earth being run thro' the Morass. 1832 Austin Jurispr. (1879) II. liii. 887 A road or canal is run by authority of parliament through the lands of private persons. 1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuild. vi. 100 An intermediate frame..is run down from the upper deck to the third longitudinal. 1891 Cosmopolitan XII. 88/2 Lines of stake are run in various directions. |
| transf. 1849 Tait's Mag. XVI. 196/1 The narrative is run into three volumes, when it should have been one only. 1890 W. C. Russell Ocean Tragedy III. xxx. 137 The work ran us deep into the afternoon. |
f. Plastering. To form (a cornice, etc.); also, to cover (a space) with plaster.
| 1823 Practical Builder ix. 376 When the mould is ready, the process of running the cornice begins. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mech. 616 In running cornices which are to be enriched, the plasterer takes care to have proper projections in the running-mould. 1849 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. X. i. 238 A chamfered skirting..to be run in cement round the living rooms. Ibid., The floors of the chamber story to be run with plaster on laths. 1893 J. P. Allen Pract. Building Construction xxi. 337 Cornices, and other ornamental mouldings,..are ‘run’ in plaster by means of ‘horsed mouldings’, running on a wood ground fixed on the wall, truly horizontal, the required depth of the cornice. 1966 C. Lloyd Building Construction 115 (caption) Cornice mould run in situ in coarse plaster, using a sheet zinc profile. |
g. Bridge. To take an uninterrupted succession of tricks in (a particular suit), to take (a number of tricks) in that way, to play (one's cards in a suit) in that way.
| 1929 M. C. Work Compl. Contract Bridge iv. 21 The bidder..is insured against having his adversaries open and ‘run’ that particular suit. 1976 Country Life 29 Jan. 250/1 South drew trumps..then ran three Club tricks. |
*** To cause to flow or come together.
54. a. To give forth, to flow with (a specified kind of liquid).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5793 A land rinnand bath honi and milk. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxvii. 278 So that [of] the 3 Welles..on scholde renne Milk, another Wyn, and another Hony. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iv. vi. 4, I..command, that of the Cities cost The..Conduit run nothing but Clarret Wine. 1601 ― Jul. C. iii. ii. 193 At the Base of Pompeyes Statue (Which all the while ran blood). 1639 Fuller Holy War v. xiii. (1647) 252 They ranne dregs when first they were broched in Syria. 1684 Wood Life 2 Oct., At the same time the conduit ran clarret. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 97 To make the Nose run a thin Lymph or watery Humour. 1766 Compl. Farmer s.v. Purging, Horses..subject to swelled legs, that run a sharp briny ichor. 1811 W. R. Spencer Poems 81 His lips, his fangs, ran blood. 1835 S. Smith Mem. (1855) II. 381 Rivers are said to run blood after an engagement. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xlii, All the brooks ran gold. |
| transf. 1858 Kingsley Sappho 17 Till all her veins ran fever. |
b. To discharge; to convey (water) out of land.
| 1705 tr. Bosman's Guinea 286 When it hath almost run its last, they kindle a fire at bottom. 1844 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. i. 154 A drain, 4 feet deep, ran 8 pints of water in the same time that another 3 feet deep ran 5 pints. 1845 Ibid. VI. ii. 574 The drains..will run the water out of the land. |
c. With out: To exhaust (oneself) of something.
| 1889 A. E. Barr Feet of Clay iii. 45 You have run yourself out of threats, you have not one left that I fear. |
55. a. To cause to coagulate, or to unite in a viscid mass. Also const. to.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. cxxxviii. (Bodl. MS.), Suche humoure is strongeliche ifastened & ronne bi vertu and myȝt of hete. c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon i, She turned her smocke ouer her lilly armes, And diued them into milke to run her cheese. 1736 Pegge Kenticisms (E.D.S.) 44 Runnet, the herb gallium,..runs the milk together, i.e. makes it curdle. 1778 [W. H. Marshall] Minutes Agric. 29 Nov. 1774, Now, the frost, snow, and rains, having run the soil to mortar, it slides. 1848 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IX. ii. 548 They are filled up with fine soil from the surface which has been run with the frost. |
b. To unite or combine. Const. into, together.
| 1781 H. Downman tr. Voltaire I. 215 Our verses cannot be run into one another. 1849 Tait's Mag. XVI. 202/2 The parties named have run their contributions together to form one small volume. 1868 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1877) II. 648 The events of two days have been run into one. |
c. To convert into a certain form.
| 1700 Dryden Pref. Fables Ess. (ed. Ker) II. 249 To run them into verse, or to give them the other harmony of prose. a 1704 Locke (J.), Others..run natural philosophy into metaphysical notions. 1884 W. E. Henley in Ward Eng. Poets III. 230 Some of whose discourse he was at the pains of running into English verse. |
56. a. To smelt (metal); to form into sheets, bars, etc., by allowing to flow into moulds.
| 1663 Gerbier Counsel 87 Lead run thin, to serve for gutters. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. (1729) II. i. 70 The Tonquinese understand how to run Metals. 1727 in 6th Rep. Deputy Kpr. App. ii. 118 A new way of Calcining, Melting, and Running Copper Ores. 1873 E. Spon Workshop Rec. Ser. i. 12/2 It should be first run into ingots, then melted. 1884 C. G. W. Lock Ibid. Ser. iii. 356/1 Until the crystals..are fit to be melted, and run into pigs for market. |
b. = cast v. 51. Also refl. and transf.
| 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 384 He run himself in brass. a 1744 Lucas in Trans. Cumb. & Westm. Archæol. Soc. VIII. 35 The Fire will be so intense that they can run a Sow and Pigs once in about twelve hours. 1778 England's Gaz. (ed. 2), Buckstead,..where were run the first pieces of cast iron that were ever made in England. 1868 U.S. Rep. Munitions War 119 The quantum necessary for running a cannon of certain dimensions. 1886 C. Hazard Mem. J. L. Diman ii. 40 He seems, least of all men, run in the mould of any particular school. |
c. To cause (a liquid) to flow into a vessel, through a strainer, etc. Also spec. without const., to cause water to flow into (a bathtub); to pour out water for (a bath).
| 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Copper, The melted Matter [is] run into a kind of Molds. 1838 Penny Cycl. X. 386/1 Instead of melting and running the metal at once from a large furnace, earthen crucibles are used. 1857 Miller Elem. Chem., Org. ii. §3 (1862) 101 A small portion of water, run through a fine sieve, to keep back any portions of sand. 1879 Man. Artill. Exerc. 254 Repeat the operation until the quantity [of oil] required is run in. 1933 R. Hichens Paradine Case xxvi. 277 His valet was running the bath. 1955 W. Gaddis Recognitions ii. i. 341 When Basil Valentine got home, he ran his bath immediately. 1958 Osborne & Creighton Epitaph for George Dillon i. 20 I'll go and run myself a bath. 1971 Ink 12 June 15/1 Anna..asks if she should run her bath. 1974 ‘M. Allen’ Super Tour vi. 225 Be a good boy. You can begin by running me a hot bath. |
| fig. 1844 Mrs. Browning Wine of Cyprus xx, Yet that shadow..ran Both our spirits to one level. |
d. Sc. To draw (liquor). rare—1.
| 1717 Ramsay Elegy on L. Wood vi, She ne'er ran sour jute. |
e. To spread by allowing to flow.
| 1855 Brewster Newton I. vii. 158 If we take any glutinous substance, and run it exceedingly thin upon the surface of a smooth glass. |
f. To wash (colour) from (something).
| 1850 Mrs. Browning Sonn. fr. Portuguese viii, Frequent tears have run The colours from my life. |
g. To cause water to flow over (something) held under a tap.
| 1921 in Sc. Nat. Dict. (1968) VII. 448/2 To run one's hands under the tap. 1972 Guardian 18 Aug. 11/3 Boil the pasta..then drain and run under the cold tap. 1979 Daily Tel. 24 Aug. 14 One wine expert commented: ‘This is just the same as running a bottle under the tap. It would ruin any decent wine.’ |
57. † a. To overflow with tears, etc. Obs.
| 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. lv, Quhen thy brestis wete Were with the teres of thyne eyen clere, All bludy ronne. |
b. To fill up or fasten together with molten metal, etc.
| 1657–8 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 97 New running and repairing the leads in the new building. 1696 De la Pryme Diary (Surtees) 100 It [a glass coffin] was excellently well soldered or run together. 1735 J. Price Stone-Br. Thames 5 The Stones well cramp'd..together, run with Lead. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §274 It is..impracticable..that the whole of the circle could be run at once. 1837 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 12/2 [They] are to be connected by spigot and faucet joints run with lead. 1869 Phillips Vesuv. ii. 34 The stone being set and run together by a liquid mortar. |
58. To let water escape through or from (a sluice, pool, etc.); esp. run dry (also refl. and fig.).
| 1839 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. II. 76/2 The sluices have been run to night. 1891 Blackw. Mag. CXLIX. 782/1 The only thing to be done is to..run the pool dry and clean it. 1891 Harper's Mag. July 166/2 My artistic vein had run itself dry. 1892 Argosy Apr. 287 The old gentleman had run his subject dry. |
III. With prepositions, in specialized uses.
In all of these the verb is intransitive; for prepositions following the transitive verb, see senses 43 to 56.
59. run across ―, to meet or fall in with.
| 1880 ‘Mark Twain’ Tramp Abroad xxi. 202 If I don't run across you in Italy, you hunt me up in London before you sail. 1887 J. Hawthorne Tragic Myst. viii, The young man who happens to run across one of them and to make a good impression on her, may be accounted lucky. 1903 ‘C. E. Merriman’ Letters from Son 151, I keep running across Job Withers. 1930 D. Runyon in Collier's 20 Dec. 32/3 Now in the summer of 1928 I am in Halifax.., when I run across Louie the Lug. |
60. run after ―. a. To endeavour to gain the companionship or society of; to pursue with admiration or attentions.
| 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 2172, I am so lusty to loke on,..That nonnes wyll leue theyr holynes and ryn after me. 1603 Parsons Let. 6 July in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. (1906) II. 214 All this courte rane after him. 1781 D. Williams tr. Voltaire II. 32 Many fine women have run after me. 1802 M. Charlton tr. La Fontaine's Reprobate II. 156 When she found that her daughter was being run after by all our idle young men, she..went away. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 164 Every one runs after him—men, women, and children. |
b. To follow, take up with, eagerly.
| 1611 Bible Jude 11 Wo vnto them, for they..ranne greedily after the errour of Balaam for reward, and perished. 1656 F. Hawkins Youth's Behaviour (1663) 54 That English itch of running after fashions. 1751 F. Coventry Pompey the Little 154 [Her] thoughts ran wholly after..operas, Masquerades, Ridottas, and the like. 1823 Keble Serm. iii. (1848) 44 To prevent their running blindly after any doctrine, which might please their ear. 1890 T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. fr. 1689 109 Frederick and the whole nobility ran after the poorer operas of the fashionable favourite. |
61. run against ―. a. To act, operate, take effect, be directed, against (one).
| 1375 Barbour Bruce ii. 434 Sen it is swa That vre rynnys agane ws her. c 1489 Skelton Death Earl Northumbld. 140 Tyll the chaunce ran agayne hym of Fortunes duble dyse. 1538 in R. G. Marsden Sel. Pl. Crt. Adm. (Selden Soc.) II. 66 The xxiiij houres beyng paste the sayed assurauns dothe rone ageynst me..and my goodes. 1624 Lushington Resurrection (1659) 30 Things running as they did against our Saviour. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 104 If conjugal disputes arise,..the public voice is sure to run against the husband. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 153 Where twenty years have elapsed..and the time has begun to run against the ancestor. 1891 Law Times Rep. LXIII. 693/2 The statute began to run when the lease was wrongfully deposited..and has never ceased to run against the plaintiff. |
b. To dash rapidly and forcibly against (a person or thing); to encounter suddenly or casually. Also to run up against (fig.), to meet with difficulty, obstruction, or opposition from (a person or thing).
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. T. 404 He is as bold to renne agayn a stoon, As for to go bysides in the wey. 1485 Caxton Paris & V. (1868) 85, I shal rather renne wyth my hede ayenst the walle. 1575 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 359 His companye..did ronne against and break downe the dore. 1821 P. Egan Life in London ii. v. 285 Such is the hypocrisy displayed on the one side, and the saucy low independence exhibited on the other, which are to be run against every day in ‘Life in London’! 1825 New Monthly Mag. XVI. 182 How can he tell that he will not run bolt against his own divorced wife? 1886 B. M. Butt Lesterre Durant I. xv. 222 The very man I have been hoping I'd run up against one of these days. 1886 [see up against s.v. up adv.1 24]. 1914 ‘High Jinks, Jr.’ Choice Slang 23 Running up against a stone wall. 1924 Truth (Sydney) 27 Apr. 6 Run against, to meet. 1960 A. Munro in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 278, I had run up against the simple unprepossessing materialism which was the rock of their lives. |
62. run before ―, to keep ahead of, to anticipate (a time, subject, etc.).
| 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. vi. 4 It is meruaile he out⁓dwels his houre, For louers euer run before the clocke. 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster v. iii, Let your matter runne before your words. 1732 Swift Let. 20 Mar., Wks. 1778 XVI. 366, I mean, that my heart runs before my pen. 1821 Examiner 762/1 Imagination will run before any power of fulfilment. 1859 Hawthorne Marble Faun xx, An impulse ran before his thoughts. |
63. run in ―. † a. To incur, involve oneself in (blame, penalties, loss, danger, etc.). Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 352 Ful oft he renneth in a blame. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 75 Men..schuld tak hed how in þis same þei ren in þe curse of God. 1444 Rolls of Parlt. V. 113/1 That the yevers of excessyff Salaryes..renne in the same payne. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 71 Hee forbiddeth the one too runne in daunger of the wolfe. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. ii. 110, I am sorry, that the Duke of Buckingham Is run in your displeasure. 1637 Earl of Monmouth tr. Malvezzi's Romulus & Tarquin 297 He goes himselfe in person, and runs in danger of those who stay behinde. |
b. To lapse or fall into arrears of (payment, debt, etc.).
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 124 He may renne in arrerage and rowme so fro home. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 158 Þus þei rennen in dette, and wasten hor godes. 1433 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 439/1 Yhe yeerly moste renne in much gretter Dette. 1555–6 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) I. 453 Whereas the cittie..dyd ronne in entrest due to the said Mr. Umfrey. 1605 Bp. Hall Medit. & Vows ii. §4, I haue seene many prodigall wasters runne so farre in bookes that they cannot abide to heare of reckoning. 1729 Swift Direct. Servants, Waiting-Maid, Therefore, I fear you must be forced, like the rest of your Sisters, to run in Trust, and pay for it out of your wages. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xviii. xiii, She spends three times the income of her fortune, without running in debt. 1765–8 Erskine Inst. Law Scot. ii. vi. §44 (1773) 270 The tenant running two full years rent in arrear. 1861 Temple Bar III. 449 He had allowed the Goldthorpe family to run in his debt. 1891 Blackw. Mag. CXLIX. 508/2 [They] drew usurious bills on the wages that ran for five weeks in arrear. |
† c. To go astray in error, etc. Obs.
| 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. v. xli. in Ashm. (1652) 158 Rennying in errors more and more, For lac of trew under⁓standyng. 1497 Bp. Alcock Mons Perfect. B iij, He caused them to renne in apostacye. |
64. run into ―.
For trans. uses, see various senses from 44 b to 56 c.
a. To incur (blame, displeasure, loss, etc.); to involve oneself in (debt, expenses, etc.).
| c 1400 Apol. Loll. 42 And so many wyse to renne in to þe wrat of God. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 104 Leste that the same Rauf or his heires shold rynne into harme thereof after⁓warde. 1474 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 108/2 Wherby he ranne into the payne conteigned in the same Acte. 1530 Palsgr. 696/1, I runne in to a daunger, or to an inconvenyence, or in the displeasure of a persone, je encours. 1614 J. Cooke Greene's Tu Quoque C j b, When the harlotries Doe pine and runne into diseases. 1678 Bunyan Pilgr. i. (1900) 128, I have by my sins run a great way into God's Book. 1736 T. Lediard Marlborough III. 300 The Tradesmen were let run into an Arrear of 30,000l. a 1770 Jortin Serm. (1771) II. xvii. 342 To run into expenses they cannot afford. |
b. To rush headlong, fall, into (some practice).
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 120 Bi ypocrisie þei rennen into pride. 1628 Earle Microcosm., Alderman, Hee is one that will not hastily runne into error. 1692 Jas. II in T. Longueville Adv. Jas. II (1904) xxviii. 478, I..would have you avoyd those faults I have run into. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 64 ¶2 The general Affectation..makes the whole World run into the Habit of the Court. 1729 Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 5 These are the absurdities which even men of capacity run into. |
c. To go on, advance, into (something); to mount up or amount to. Also, to run into money (see quot. 1934). U.S. colloq.
| 1679 Moxon Mech. Exerc. vii. 134, I shall run no further into this Argument. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones Ded., I have run into a preface, while I proferred to write a dedication. 1754 Chatham Lett. Nephew iii. 13, I find my letter has run into some length. 1890 Leisure Hour Dec. 92/2 Railway takings run into large sums. 1893 National Obs. 1 July 168/1 A thesis which ran into five editions. 1934 Webster s.v., Run into money, to amount to a considerable sum; to cost a considerable amount. 1973 N. Meyer Target Practice (1975) ii. 20 You realize this could run into money?.. I generally get a hundred dollars a day plus expenses. |
d. To pass by change or transformation, to develop, into (something).
| 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 151 His gladnys rynnyth al-way into worse. |
| 1707 Mortimer Husb. (1721) I. 382 A piece of flat Stone two Inches thick, will run perhaps into twenty Slates. 1792 Ann. Reg., Hist. 10 Anarchy, according to the nature of extremes, ran into despotism. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xi. III. 30 That profound reverence for law and prescription which..runs sometimes into pedantry. 1890 Longman's Mag. Dec. 181 Every sermon..ran into a scathing denunciation of the new Poor Law. |
e. To merge into; to blend or coalesce with. (Cf. also run into one under 19 b.)
| 1699 T. Baker Refl. Learning 206 The rest of that MS. is writ in long Lines, and the Words run into one another. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 65/1 The Hills that lie beneath them all running one into another with..little Vallies between. 1849 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. X. ii. 606 These patches quickly increase in size so as to run into each other. 1879 How to teach History ii. 29 History proper is continuous. One year runs into another. |
f. To fall into; to tend towards; to be displayed in.
| 1721 Bradley Philos. Acc. Wks. Nat. 175 Being Subject..to have the Benefit run only into a few Hands. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Plastering, The modern taste runs greatly into plastering. 1821 Scott Pirate xii, I run into rhyme when I so much as think upon them. 1890 H. S. Merriman Suspense II. xiii. 300 [Their] talents ran more into words than into action. |
g. To dash into or collide with, esp. by accident. Also of dogs, to close with (an animal).
| 1812 Sporting Mag. XXXIX. 232 The hounds ran into him [a fox] a few fields distance from the wood. 1850 R. G. Cumming Hunter's Life S. Afr. (ed. 2) I. 84 One of my greyhounds..at once ran into him and pulled him down. 1885 Law Rep. 10 Probate Div. 101 A large steamer..ran into her, doing considerable damage. 1895 Law Times Rep. LXXIII. 623/1 To try and prevent the train from running into the children. |
h. orig. U.S. To encounter, meet by chance.
| 1902 G. H. Lorimer in Sat. Even. Post 22 Feb. 11/1 You're just about due now to run into a smart Aleck buyer. 1926 E. O'Neill Great God Brown i. ii. 35 The one time I ran into him, I thought he told me he'd destroyed all his pictures. 1934 ‘A. Bridge’ Peking Picnic vi. 60 Mrs. Leroy and the Kuniangs, walking with Derek Fitzmaurice on the City Wall, ran into Miss Ingersoll and Henri Delache. 1954 Koestler Invisible Writing xv. 164, I ran into Hahn as I was getting off the Number Eleven tram. 1977 A. Morice Scared to Death iii. 21, I expect she's run into one or two acquaintances. |
65. run on ―. a. To discourse on; to refer or relate to.
| 1472 Paston Lett. III. 57 My modyr hathe herd of that mater by the reporte of old Wayte, whyche rennyth on it with opyn mowthe in hys werst wyse. 1549 Chaloner Erasm. on Folly N iij, Admitte theyr theme renne on charitee. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 99 ¶5 The whole Story runs on Chastity and Courage. 1892 Stevenson & L. Osbourne Wrecker xx, The talk ran endlessly on the great house. |
b. Of the mind: To be engrossed or occupied with (a subject). † Also with of.
| [1504 W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione ii. i. 179 Theyr myndes renne moost of the ende of theyr iourney.] a 1529 Skelton Bowge of Courte 399, I haue no coyne nor crosse! I am not happy, I renne ay on the losse. a 1593 Marlowe Edw. II, ii. ii, Still his mind runs on his minion. 1602 Narcissus (1893) 181 Your heads may runne on crotchett..to know what manner wight..I am. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 33 ¶6 My Head ran all that Day and Night on the exemplary Carriage of this Woman. 1819 Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) IV. vii. 219 His mind running entirely on mathematics and fortification. 1889 M. E. Carter Mrs. Severn III. iii. iii. 100 Her thoughts had run on illness and death. |
c. To show a marked demand or preference for (some particular thing).
| 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing 389 When Matter runs much on some few Sorts of Letters, they say, it Runs on Sorts. 1895 Westm. Gaz. 22 Apr. 1/2 Colour seemed chiefly to run on that blending of purple and geranium. |
d. U.S. (See quot. and cf. run upon.)
| 1847 Webster, Run on,..to press with jokes or ridicule; to abuse with sarcasms; to bear hard on. |
66. run out of ―. † a. To run through or squander (property). Obs.
| 1710 Tatler No. 221 ¶2 Having excused himself for running out of his Estate. 1747 S. Fielding Lett. David Simple I. 137 This Gentleman had run out of a good Fortune when young. |
b. To come to the end of, to exhaust, one's supply of (something). Also with inanimate subject.
| 1713 Guardian No. 141 ¶6 When we had run out of Mony, we had no living Soul to befriend us. 1858 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xix. ix. (1872) VIII. 271 In the end, he must run-out of men. 1893 Scribner's Mag. Feb. 259/2 The British ran out of ammunition. 1929 D. G. Mackail How Amusing! 244 He had run out of tobacco the night before. 1938 Mrs. Belloc Lowndes Diary 29 Sept. (1971) 165, I ran out of methylated in the last war. 1966 New Statesman 14 Oct. 546/2 There was a popular line about the Tories running into Europe because they had run out of ideas. 1970 Amer. Speech 1968 XLIII. 59 Those who participated were asked to fill their cars with a small amount of gasoline and then have the cars run out of gas on one of the highways leading to the New York World's Fair. 1971 [see let v.1 32 b]. 1973 J. Porter It's Murder with Dover viii. 71 Do you mind just hanging on for a second, sir? I've-er-run out of cigarettes. |
c. In various colloq. phrases, as to run out of road: to approach the end of the roadway (usu. on failing to turn into a bend); also transf. and fig.; hence to run out of track, etc.; to run out of steam: of persons, to exhaust one's energy, ideas, etc.; also of things.
| 1961 Run out of steam [see post-Christmas s.v. post- B. 1 a]. 1961 Sunday Tel. 9 July 6/3 When he [sc. the motorist] ‘runs out of road’, he gets severely ‘bent’. 1965 Priestley & Wisdom Good Driving xii. 83 ‘Coming unstuck’ or ‘running out of road’ are the light-hearted expressions used by the motor racing fraternity for an experience which can be the far-from-amusing result of attempting to take a bend with the ‘wrong’ camber at too great a speed. 1968 Times 29 Nov. 13/4 It is losing energy more rapidly than other slower pulsars, and is likely to ‘run out of steam’ soonest. 1969 R. V. Beste Next Time I'll Pay xv. 235 If Sequierez's appearance had meant anything, it was that the Cultural Attaché to Her Britannic Majesty's Embassy in Madrid had run out of rope. 1970 Listener 19 Nov. 710/3 The real-life situation of the superstar simply running out of road gives the work a clearly recognisable integrity of plot. 1973 D. Francis Slay-Ride vii. 78 When I'd run out of steam, they would begin to nod while they listened. 1974 Country Life 26 Dec. 2009/2 At Zahedan in southern Iran I ran out of railway. 1975 I. S. Black Man on Bridge xii. 170 Munro..drove till he ran out of track. 1977 Times 11 June 11/3, I chose not to hire one [sc. a motor-bike], having run out of road on a 350 some years back. 1977 Gramophone Dec. 1191/1 The disc input..tends to run out of steam at the low frequency end. |
67. run over ―. a. To take a mental review of; to think over.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, s.v. Cogitatio, To runne ouer many thynges in mynde and cogitacion. 1727 Swift On Dreams Wks. 1755 III. ii. 234 The busy head..runs o'er The scenes and actions of the day before. 1741 Watts Improv. Mind i. i. §9 The Pythagoreans..every evening thrice run over the actions and affairs of the day. |
b. To glance or look over; to survey, scan, peruse or read, rapidly.
| 1573 G. Harvey Lett.-bk. (Camden) 51 If he wuld but..take the pains to run over the title concerning the Proctor's office. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 139 You..beare the Inuentory Of your best Graces, in your minde: the which You were now running o're. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 91 ¶4 He ran over, with a laughing Eye, Crastin's thin Legs, meagre Looks, and spare Body. 1789 F. Burney Diary 6 Sept., I was finishing a charming sermon of Blair, while she was running over some old newspapers. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet ch. xxi, ‘Look at it yourself...’ Fairford ran over the affidavit and the warrant. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis xlii, As he now ran over his early performance, he was pleased to find..passages exhibiting both fancy and vigour. |
c. To repeat or recite quickly; to tell over again; to recapitulate.
| 1563 Satir. Poems Reform. xlii. 536 Quhen thay haue run ouir with ane reill Thair sairles Sermone. 1625–8 tr. Camden's Hist. Eliz. iii. (1688) 368 Not to give any Answer till he had run over the Letters of the whole Alphabet. 1742 Richardson Pamela III. 88 As we are always running over old Stories, when we are alone. 1793 Trial of Fyshe Palmer 83 Mr. Burnet next proceeded to run over the evidence. 1833 Howitt Hist. Priestcraft 59 Let us now briefly run over the great features of priestcraft in Greece. |
d. To treat, perform, enjoy, etc., in a slight or hasty manner.
| 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 512 If I have omitted ought.., or lightly runne over any matter. 1611 Bible Pref. ¶14 Neither did we run ouer the worke with that posting haste that the Septuagint did. 1847 L. Hunt Men, Women, & B. I. iv. 65 When a pleasure is great and multitudinous, one is apt to run it all over hastily in the first instance. |
e. To go over again with some process, in a slight or rapid manner.
| 1607 Middleton Five Gallants ii. i, The pictures are all new run over again. 1843 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IV. i. 70 If..the turnips have been well hoed once, it is of comparatively little importance whether they are ‘run over’ again. |
f. To go over with the hand or with a machine; to execute (music) rapidly. Also in fig. context. Cf. sense 50 a above.
| 1641 Milton Animadv. Wks. 1851 III. 209 Varietie..erects and rouses an Auditory, like the maisterfull running over many Cords and divisions. 1667 Pepys Diary 24 Dec., That they do run over their beads with one hand and..make signs with the other. 1825 New Monthly Mag. XIV. 314 He hastily ran over the beads of a rosary. Ibid. XVI. 409 He amuses himself in his solitude, by running over the keys of a piano. 1881 Gardiner & Mullinger Study Eng. Hist. i. vi. 109 The whole gamut of human passion and feeling was run over. 1969 Guardian 17 July 11/5 When you've.. hoovered the landing..you could just run over Mr Neville's carpet. |
g. Of vehicles: To pass over (a person, etc., knocked down or lying in the way). (Cf. sense 78 i below.)
| 1794 J. Woodforde Diary 15 Feb. (1929) IV. 96 A very young Man coming back from Norwich to day with an empty Waggon, falling under it was run over by it. 1811 Ora & Juliet III. 30 The alarm of Mr. Belford's being ran over the night before. 1856 Titan Mag. Dec. 516/2 He has been thrown down, and run over. 1872 Punch 2 Mar. 88/2 Omnibuses which..are pleasing objects to behold, except when they are going to run over you. |
h. U.S. colloq. To impose upon, treat with contempt; to push (someone) around.
| 1836 Spirit of Times 9 July 162/2, I would not advise any man to run over me, for I ask no man any odds further than civility. 1914 B. Tarkington Penrod xxv. 264 I've stood enough around here for one day, and you can't run over me, Georgie Bassett. 1929 W. Faulkner Sound & Fury 227 You may think you can run over me like you do your grandmother and everybody else. |
68. run through ―.
See also senses 12–15, and cf. 43 d, 46 c, 47 b, 48, 56 c.
a. To examine, inspect, peruse, treat of or deal with, rapidly.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. viii. 41 Lete a man renne thoruȝ alle the..pointis. 1581 Mulcaster Positions xxxix. (1887) 196, I meane briefly to runne through this title of nobilitie. 1604 Shakes. Oth. i. iii. 132 Her Father..Still question'd me the storie of my life..; I ran it through. 1695 Dryden Parallel Poet. & Paint. Ess. (ed. Ker) II. 149, I have not leisure to run through the whole comparison of lights and shadows with tropes and figures. 1788 F. Burney Diary 13 Feb., He laughed, but told me they were then running through the charges. 1843 Fraser's Mag. XXVIII. 273, I had run through the lions of the place. 1861 Temple Bar II. 32 She..ran through her collection of salmon flies. 1888 F. Warden Woman's Face I. viii. 196 It is only a pamphlet, and will not take you long to run through. |
b. To pass or go through, in the way of trial or experience.
| 1602 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. v. iv. 2132 We haue run through many trades, yet thriue by none. 1686 tr. Chardin's Coronat. Solyman 121 Never had any man run through so many strange adventures. 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. iii. 148 The distresses and dangers they had already run through. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 607 We had run Through ev'ry change that fancy..has had genius to supply. |
c. To wear out, consume, spend, waste, in a rapid or reckless manner.
| ? c 1600 Distr. Emperor i. i, Full twoe and twentye severall liverye coatts..Have I runne throughe in your most faythfull service. 1772 T. Simpson Vermin-Killer 25 The stoat..will run through a whole brood of chickens in a little time. 1781 D. Williams tr. Voltaire II. 308 He ran through all he had, and left nothing for you. 1848 J. H. Newman Loss & Gain iii. ix, It might have been worse; you might have run through your money. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting i. 24 Oceans of milk, most of which the Kaffirs and dogs ran through. 1880 L. Stephen Pope vi. 139 He managed to run through a splendid fortune. |
d. To be or continue present in; to pervade.
| 1710 Steele Tatler No. 124 ¶2, I have received several Letters upon this Subject, but find one common Error running through them all. 1729 Law Serious C. x, If anything of this kind runs through the course of our whole life. 1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 20 One unvarying predeliction for the wonderful runs through the whole series of his poems. 1855 Bain Senses & Int. iii. ii. §47 The law of gravitation runs through all Astronomy. 1890 T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. fr. 1689 178 The royal influence continued to run through every branch of the State. |
e. To pass or go through, in various senses.
| 1709 Bagford in MS. Rawl. Lett. 21, fol. 8 All of them from y⊇ Bookes themselues which haue run throw my handes. 1833 New Monthly Mag. XXXVIII. 142 The novels..would have run through half a dozen editions in a year. 1850 Tait's Mag. XVII. 623/2 A paragraph which ran through all the newspapers. |
f. To rehearse, repeat, go over (a procedure, role, or the like).
| 1975 Cowie & Mackin Oxf. Dict. Current Idiomatic English 269/2, I think I've grasped your main proposals, but would you mind running through them once again? 1980 K. Hagenbach Fox Potential xvi. 157, I ran through it for her without the grim details... When I had finished the story, Frankie put her hand on my thigh. |
69. run to ―. (See also 3 and 30 c.) † a. Of loss, etc.: To fall upon (a person). Obs.
| a 1513 Fabyan Chron. (1533) 155 b, The losse ran to theym of the castell. 1555 in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. Var. Coll. IV. (1907) 283 Also the leke paines and penalties shall ronne and be unto all those free Burgesses. |
b. (a) To come, amount in numbers, extend in size or depth, to (a specified quantity, etc.).
| 1544 tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 21 If escuage renne by auctoritie of parliament to anye summe of moneye. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. ii. i. 31 Fashion it thus; that what he is, augmented, Would runne to these, and these extremities. 1787 G. White Selborne i, Our wells, at an average, run to about sixty-three feet. 1850 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XI. i. 143 The average number..will run to about a sheep to an acre. 1879 Encycl. Brit. IX. 645/1 The morality [play] might run to at least 1000 verses. 1892 Sat. Rev. 7 May 554/1 The Supplement will run to eight or nine numbers. |
(b) To be able for (esp. capable of purchasing). Now freq. const. can, could, etc.
| 1859 Slang Dict. 84 ‘I don't run to it,’ i.e. I can't do it,..or I have not money enough. 1892 St. James's Gaz. 8 Feb. 5/2 On week-days workmen..do not run to more than fourpenny ale. 1924 H. De Sélincourt Cricket Match iii. 76 [He] only gave it me..because he knows I couldn't run to one of my own. 1931 T. R. G. Lyell Slang, Phrase & Idiom 653 B. ‘How much do they want for it?’ A. ‘Five hundred pounds.’ B. ‘I'm afraid I can't possibly run to that.’ 1953 E. Simon Past Masters iii. 156 Bits and pieces in the press, posters if we can run to them. 1970 Alberta Hist. Rev. Summer 1/1 Frame houses..needed to be heated and insulated with something of the modern thoroughness to be at all tolerable; and few men could run to it. |
(c) To cover the expense of, be sufficient for.
| 1883 Daily Tel. 4 Oct. 3/2 What I should like is a nice pair of spectacles, and, as far as my money would run to it, everything else accordin’, sir. 1888 M{supc}Carthy & Praed Ladies' Gallery I. vi. 145 The Unknown's cheque wouldn't have run to that landau and pair. 1891 Longman's Mag. June 155 My money wouldn't run to it any further: so I had to go back. 1900 P. White West End v. 40, I always had an idea that the guv'nor had some money, but I didn't imagine it would ‘run’ to this. 1931 T. R. G. Lyell Slang, Phrase & Idiom 653 I've only got ten shillings, and..it certainly won't run to twenty-four! |
(d) To manage to provide, go so far as to have.
| 1880 Punch 25 Dec. 298/2 A red 'un [sc. button-hole] with maiden'air trimmings is what I consider O.K. Suits my style and complexion, yer know, so I runs to it once in a way. 1934 G. B. Shaw On Rocks i. 208 Weve got nothing out of this. We dont run to Spanish in the Isle. 1960 Bedside ‘Guardian’ IX. 215 Some of the others [sc. theatres] run to 1930-ish chrome and glass fittings. 1973 ‘M. Innes’ Appleby's Answer xv. 128 Am I right..in remembering that Gibber [sc. a village] runs to a tea⁓shop? |
c. To lapse or fall to (waste, ruin, etc.).
| 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. iii. 127 The Common-wealth hath dayly run to wrack, The Dolphin hath preuayl'd. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 153 It were to be feared, least..the other part opposite would run to ruine and decaie. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 177 The school..is running to ruin apace. 1856 Leisure Hour V, 419/2 The estate had run to ruin by neglect. 1874 Burnand My Time xxxiii. 346 His academicals..run to..utter rack and ruin. |
d. Of land: To produce naturally. Also fig.
| 1625 Bacon Ess., Of Nature in Men (Arb.) 365 A Mans Nature runnes either to Herbes, or Weeds. 1660 Sharrock Vegetables 97 When any land runs to fearn, heath, or ant⁓hills. 1762 Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. I. 152 They..sow it with rye and hay-seed the first year; after which they let it run to grass. 1835 Browning Paracelsus ii. 317 A birth-place Where the richness ran to flowers. 1892 Chamb. Jrnl. 17 Sept. 604/2 He preferred to let everything run to grass. |
e. Of plants: To tend to the development of (seed, straw, etc.). Now usu. to run to seed.
| 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. July, Let such olitory-herbs run to seed as you would save. 1765 Museum Rust. III. 157 If they are sown late,..they will be apt to run all to straw. 1825 New Monthly Mag. XV. 215 They seldom bear at all, but run entirely to leaf. 1847 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. i. 215 [Beet,] when transplanted, run much to top. 1847 Emerson Poems (1857) 29 Lemons run to leaves and rind. 1893 Burpee's Farm Ann. 65/1 It comes early and stands a long while before running to seed. |
| transf. 1740 Fielding Champion 15 Mar., For Virtue itself by growing too exuberant, and (if I may be allowed the Metaphor) by running to Seed changes its very Nature, and becomes a most pernicious Weed of a most beautiful Flower. 1819 Shelley Peter Bell 3rd vi. xviii, Now Peter ran to seed in soul Into a walking paradox. 1832 Blackw. Mag. XXXII. 506 A race notoriously said like cucumbers to run more to belly than head. 1861 N.Y. Herald 23 Nov. 4/5 Can such a country be..permitted to run to seed? 1873 Amer. Jrnl. Insanity Apr. 559 We believe somewhat in moral depravity and in accepting the results of our father's sins, but carried to the extent advocated by the Doctor, it is Calvinism run to seed. 1873 Spencer Study of Sociology viii. 189 The vital energies of this nation run mainly to teeth and claws. 1924 A. Huxley Little Mexican 249 He pictured a large, blonde, barmaidish personage, thirty-one and not yet married, running a bit to seed. 1953 J. Wain Hurry on Down iv. 66 He was plump, but not yet running to seed; aged about forty-five to fifty. 1956 G. Durrell Drunken Forest iii. 62 At one time she must have been a handsome woman, but now she had run slightly to seed. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 27 Nov. ii. 2/3 Today there is a striking resemblance among many of the 1,000 or so residents, and most of the youngsters run to tow⁓head. |
f. To pass or develop into (some excess).
| 1850 Tait's Mag. XVII. 747/1 His historical sketches have a tendency to run to some exaggeration. 1881 W. Black Beautiful Wretch I. 226 Her kindness..ran to extravagance. 1890 Chamb. Jrnl. 6 Dec. 783/2 This last fashion ran so much to the opposite extreme as to impede walking. |
g. U.S. Of persons: to have a preference for or a leaning towards (something); to favour.
| 1873 ‘Mark Twain’ Gilded Age xxxiii. 307 We had Dr. Spooner a good while, but he runs so much to emetics..that we changed off and took Dr. Leathers. 1896 ― in Harper's Mag. Aug. 346/2 In my nature I have always run to pie, whilst in his nature he has always run to mystery. |
70. run upon ―. (See also 5 and 10 b.) † a. To come or fall upon (a person). Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 3556 Sir Ysaac þat dughti man, Vnfere and eld apon him ran. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 255 Arrons was so wo besein With thoghtes whiche upon him runne. 1423 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 257 The grete disavauntage that shulde renne upon hym. 1487 Act 3 Hen. VII, vi. §3 The same forfeiture to renne upon the Seller or lener therof. |
b. To have a tendency to, or a favour or fancy for, to seek much after (something).
| 1550 Crowley Langland's Pierce Plowman To Rdr., The firste two verses of the book renne vpon .S... The next [line] runneth vpon .H. 1681 H. More Exp. Daniel 110 This sense generally Interpreters run upon, and it is most congruous and coherent. 1737 Bracken Farriery Improved (1757) II. 104 Mankind run upon Horses with great Appetites. 1762 Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. I. 39 A great deal of the marle in the north country runs much upon the loam; but that in Sussex is more like fuller's earth. 1878 Graphic 28 Sept. 315/3 The Agricultural Gazette..thinks that the Oxfords are run upon too much. |
c. To dwell upon, be occupied with (a subject) in thought or discourse.
| 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. I. 104/1 A late chronographer running upon this matter..saith that [etc.]. c 1610 Speed in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 108 My thoughts runnyng upon the well performance of this worke. 1698 J. Keill Exam. Th. Earth (1734) 203 [He] asserts, that my arguments run upon impossibilities. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 362 His Mind run upon Men fighting and killing of one another. 1775 Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 17 June, Write to me something every post, for on the stated day my head runs upon a letter. 1856 Titan Mag. Dec. 542/2 The conversation never ceased running upon the healing art. 1889 A. Sergeant Deveril's Diamond III. vii. 128 It does not do to let one's mind run too much upon these things. |
d. To engage in, enter upon (some action, etc.).
| 1581 G. Pettie Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 29 b, For..we naturallie runne upon things which are forbidden us. 1676 G. Towerson Decalogue 525 They may tempt unwary Men to..run upon any Falsity. 1696 De la Pryme Diary (Surtees) 110 Every one now runs upon tick. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 508 That I might not be said to run rashly upon any Thing, I stay'd here above nine Months. |
e. To incur, bring on oneself, fall into.
| 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 298 They..have runne very deep upon the displeasure of God. 1656 Nicholas Papers (Camden Soc.) III. 258 To make there peace, least otherwise they should runne vppon there owne future ruine. 1754 Chatham Lett. Nephew vi. 40 The inconveniences, dangers, and evils, which they themselves have run upon. |
f. To make a sudden demand upon (a bank) for the purpose of withdrawing deposits, etc.
| 1828 Examiner 842/1 The house was..very severely run upon. 1892 Daily News 14 Sept. 5/2 These persons..were infected by panic... They ‘ran’ upon the bank. |
g. To come upon, encounter, suddenly.
| 1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown i. ix, [They] run plump upon one of the masters as they emerge into the High Street. |
h. U.S. To quiz, make a butt of (one). Cf. 65 d.
| a 1859 in Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 374 He is a quiet, good-natured..chap, and will stand running upon as long as most men. |
71. run with ―. a. To go along with; to accompany, keep pace with; to march with.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 100 But goddis curs renneþ many þousand tyme wiþ al þis. 1609 Daniel Civil Wars v. cxii, With such as with the time did run, In most vpright opinion he doth stand. 1678 H. Vaughan Thalia Rediv. in Silex Scint. (1900) 233 A fatal sadness, such as..runs along with public plagues and woes, Lies heavy on us. 1837 Penny Cycl. VIII. 117/1 It has been contended that a covenant by the owner of land respecting the land should always run with the land; but this doctrine has not been established. 1893 Chamb. Jrnl. 1 Apr. 203/1 [He] offered to buy the Fairfield Farm..which ran with his own little estate. |
b. To concur, accord, or agree with.
| 1625 Gill Sacr. Philos. i. 46, I runne not with that opinion. 1662 Ld. Orrery State Lett. (1743) II. 429 Nor does this instruction run with the introductive words of the former. 1866 R. Simpson Life Campion xiv. (1907) 382 Public opinion did not altogether run with the statute. |
c. orig. and chiefly U.S. Of persons: to associate with (a person or group), to befriend.
| 1909 Dialect Notes III. 365 Run with.., to associate with, go in the company of. 1914 B. Tarkington Penrod xiv. 126 You fellers have treated me nice—and some day you come over to my yard; I'd like to run with you fellers. You're the kind of fellers I like. 1922 E. O'Neill Hairy Ape vi. 64 If I can't find her I'll take it out on de gang she runs wit. 1946 Mezzrow & Wolfe Really Blues (1957) 378 Run with, associate with. 1969 G. Donaldson Fifteen Men xiv. 240 He ran with a crowd of kids known as ‘Les Snobs’. 1975 New Review May 70/1 Hunter Thompson, who ran with the Hell's Angels for eighteen months to write The Hell's Angels. |
IV. With adverbs, in specialized uses.
In most of these both intransitive and transitive uses are very fully represented.
72. run away. a. To make off, retreat hurriedly, flee, in the face of danger or opposition.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2438 Þan runne þai away & saide alas. 1530 Palsgr. 695/2, I runne awaye from myne enemye, or any daunger. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 335 b, That same manne, that renneth awaye, May again fight, an other day. 1642–4 Vicars God in Mount 164 The present was the season, else the enemy would bee run away. 1724 De Foe Mem. Cavalier i. 94 The King..rated them for running away, as he called it, though they really retreated in good Order. 1804–5 Nelson in Sotheby's Catal. 15 June (1897) 17 That gentleman has thought proper to write a letter stating that the fleet under my command ran away. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxxii, This..Belgian hussar..was too good a soldier to disobey his Colonel's orders to run away. |
b. To abscond; to depart surreptitiously from or to a person; to elope with some one. Also transf. Freq. used jocularly in the negative (as, it won't run away) to give assurance of the permanence or fixity of something or someone.
| c 1460 Towneley Myst. iv. 227 ‘Where is he,’..will she spyr; If I tell her, ‘ron away’, hir answere bese..‘nay, sir!’ 1530 Palsgr. 695/2 He was aboute to ronne awaye, and he had done it in dede if I had nat taken the better hede. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. Pref. (Arb.) 18 Scholers..be runne awaie from the Schole. 1614 J. Cooke Greene's Tu Quoque C ij b, Doe not I know that thou wilt run away with the Gentleman? 1632 Lithgow Trav. iii. 127 There were foure-score Christian slaues, who hauing cut their Captaines throat.., runne away from Constantinople. 1754 Richardson Grandison IV. xiv. 105 The next girl that run away to a dancing master, or an ensign. 1793 ‘A. Pasquin’ Life Earl of Barrymore (ed. 3) 13 Mr. Stone had a tenant run away. 1892 Daily News 8 Jan. 3/6 It was true that the land could not run away, but they knew that rent could run away. 1882 C. M. Gaskell in Nineteenth Cent. Sept. 460 The landowner has been credited with the..most valuable form of security;..it could not ‘run away’. 1888 C. M. Yonge Beechcroft at Rockstone II. xxi. 191 The charms of ‘the halls of Ivor’..which, after all, would not run away. 1908 A. Bennett Old Wives' Tale iv. iii. 515 There's no earthly reason why you should go back... The house won't run away. 1928 A. M. M. Douton Bk. with Seven Seals 21 Sunday will be round again in a week, and Park Chapel won't run away. 1942 A. E. W. Mason Musk & Amber i. 15 ‘What of Grest [sc. an estate] meanwhile?’ ‘Grest won't run away, Sir.’ 1973 J. Porter It's Murder with Dover vii. 65 What's your sweat? This Tiffin bird's not going to run away. |
| transf. 1920 E. O'Neill Beyond Horizon iii. i. 152 You've spent eight years running away from yourself. 1934 ― Days without End i. 36 It's a rocky road..this running away from truth in order to find it? 1944 B. Hutchison Hollow Men vi. 79 It's his mask. It fools nearly everybody. He's always running away from himself. 1966 Listener 17 Nov. 718/2 The whole of the world ran away from the pound, and if this doesn't reveal an inflationary situation, what does? |
c. run away with: (a) To depart surreptitiously with, to carry off (something).
| 1624 Capt. Smith's Virginia Wks. II. 401 The strongest preparing once more to run away with the Pinnace. 1660 F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 12 The rest of the Jewes gave their seeming assistance..whilst he run away with coat and doublet. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 507 That they would..set Sail, and run away with the Ship. 1807–8 W. Irving Salmag. xiv. (1860) 331 At that time ladies were not quite so easily run away with as Columbine. |
(b) To take up with, accept, believe (an idea, etc.), hurriedly, without due reflection.
| 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 186 It is great wonder that Iosephus, and Philo,..runne away with the common acceptation. 1727 Boyer Dict. Royal II. s.v., To run away with (to fancy, or imagine) a thing. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. x, Don't run away with that opinion, sir! 1890 Sat. Rev. 29 Nov. 610/1 To let Dr. Barnardo run away with the notion that [etc.]. |
(c) To carry off, gain; † to carry (a point).
| 1698 in Harl. Misc. (1809) III. 343 The marshals du camp ran away with it clearly to raise the siege. 1736 Ainsworth Eng.-Lat. Dict. s.v., To run away with the praise of a thing. 1822–34 Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) III. 303 Any prescribed medicine..will seem to have effected the cure, and will run away with the credit of having done so. |
(d) To consume or exhaust.
| 1687 Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., The Collectors run away with a good Part of the Revenue. 1862 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXIII. 221 The cost of gathering runs away with much of the saving effected in cutting. 1890 Mrs. H. Wood House of Halliwell II. vii. 175 Caroline's illness..had run away with all the ready money. |
(e) Naut. (See quot.)
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 585 Run away with it! the order to men on a tackle fall, when light goods are being hoisted in, or in hoisting..sails. |
d. Of a horse, etc.: To rush off ungovernably, to bolt (with a person). Also transf.
| 13.. Sir Beues 2021 Þe hors..arnede awai wiþ þe king Þourȝ felde & wode,..And in a mure don him cast. 1677 Miége Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., That horse will run away with you. 1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsem. 41 It is far from improbable, that he may run away with you. 1791 ― Ann. Horsem. iii. (1809) 81 When a horse has run away. 1825 New Monthly Mag. XV. 451 The horse ran away with him. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 585 Run away with her Anchor, said of a ship when she drags or ‘shoulders’ her anchor. 1885 Standard 9 Mar. 3/5 The winding engine ‘ran away’, owing to the sudden loss of weight upon the drum. 1891 G. D. Galton La Fenton I. xi. 255 Your dog-cart ran away and you were thrown out. |
| transf. and fig. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 25, I thought to come and holde you.., lest your boke shoulde runne awaye with you. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 27 ¶2 His desires run away with him. 1727 Gay Begg. Op. i. ix, Don't let your passion run away with your senses. 1822 Hazlitt Table-talk II. vii. 152 Our anger runs away with our reason. 1862 Temple Bar IV. 560 Annoyed at having allowed his imagination to run away with him. 1898 Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 812 The accelerating nerves often..run away with the heart. 1935 Industrial & Engin. Chem. Sept. 1074/2 ‘Ethylene at a temperature above 350°C. and under a pressure of 175 kg. per sq. cm...decomposes with explosive violence.’ Fortunately, this was not found to be the case, but in many experiments the temperature ‘ran away’. 1945 Rev. Mod. Physics XVII. 482 If the reaction was not to ‘run away’, it was essential to make use of neutrons of very low energy in the individual steps of the chain process. 1946 [see oil operated s.v. oil n.1 6]. 1953 Times 31 Oct. 2/7 We have no practical experience of what happens if a reactor runs away. 1959 C. Hodder-Williams Chain Reaction xviii. 198 When the pile ‘ran away’, one of the heat-exchangers burst with the increased steam pressure. |
e. To get away from, to outdistance completely, in running or racing.
| 1825 W. Cobbett Rur. Rides (1885) II. 52 When the dog, or dogs, never get near enough to the hare to induce her to turn, she is said, and very justly, to ‘run away’ from them. 1890 Cent. Mag. June 208/2 Our men..have run away from all their Champions in actual races. |
f. To grow rank or luxuriant.
| 1848 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IX. i. 11 While other parts of the field may be found to have ‘run away’ in abundant seasons, these parts are always found fed down to the very roots. 1906 Woodruffe-Peacock Ideal Thoroughbred Stud 15 Under no circumstances should the grass be allowed to run away from the animals, and get into flower and seed. |
73. run down. (See also 11 a.)
* intr. a. Of a clock, etc.: To become completely unwound; to cease to go.
| 1761 Phil. Trans. LII. 203 During my illness, my clock was run down, and stopt. 1771 Encycl. Brit. III. 934/2 When the cord..is entirely run down from off the barrel, it is wound up again by means of a key. 1846 Dickens Cricket on Hearth ii, The toys that had been set in motion for the Baby, had all stopped and run down long ago. 1891 F. W. Robinson Her Love & His Life iii. iv, The clock-work had got out of order and run down. |
| fig. 1869 Martineau Ess. II. 40 They..run down with the time-piece that measures mortal things. 1889 Philips & Wills Fatal Phryne I. iii. 73 Madame burst into a flood of compliments. The doctor allowed her to run down. |
b. To decline, fall off, in vigour or health: (a) of the system, etc.; (b) of persons.
| (a) 1828 Examiner 678/1 The extraordinary elasticity of his spirit is somewhat weakened;—the wonder is, that long ago it did not snap and run down. 1883 Holme Lee Loving & Serving III. xi. 240 His strength ran down. 1890 Sunday Mag. Dec. 802/2 His system seems to have run down. |
| (b) 1846 D. Webster Letters (1902) 325, I am really ‘rundown’ with calls and visits. 1881 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton My Love II. x. 186 Was it to be wondered at if Stella looked worn-out and run down? 1888 Lady D. Hardy Dangerous Experiment II. viii. 156 She had run down..both mentally and physically, and was in a generally unstrung condition. 1897 A. Beardsley Let. 22 Nov. (1970) 396, I am abominably ill; I ran down at Paris quite alarmingly. Ibid. 22 Dec. 410, I had run down terribly before I came here and was quite shattered by the journey. |
c. To diminish or decrease.
| 1889 C. D. Warner Little Journ. x, Then they absorb its surplus; they let it run down so that it pays no dividends. 1893 National Obs. 5 Aug. 293/1 The value of their live stock has been steadily running down. 1901 Scotsman 11 Mar. 7/5 The attendance of the Nationalists is already running down. |
d. To deteriorate; to fall into disuse or decay.
| 1844 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. i. 113 It [a farm] had been allowed to run down a few years before I entered upon it. 1893 Harper's Mag. Feb. 439/2 [She] had let everything run down. She had, in truth, no money for repairs. |
e. Of a river: To settle down or subside after a flood; to diminish in volume.
| 1882 Daily Telegr. 28 Oct. 2/4 Both rivers are running down nicely. 1892 Illustr. Sporting & Dram. News 13 Aug. 810/2 We realise..how very low the river has run down during the drought. |
f. Of pneumatic tyres: To become deflated.
| 1901 Wide World Mag. VIII. 142 The tyres have a tendency to run down, owing to innumerable small thorn-pricks. |
** trans. g. To knock down or overthrow (a person); to dash into, collide with, and sink (a vessel).
| a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 39 Quhene they iunit witht the Inglischemen they had thame all run doune ore ever the Inglische speirs might tuiche thame. 1659 D. Pell Impr. Sea 137 There is a great care taken on both sides who should run down one another by the board first. 1779 Ann. Reg. 222 Capt. Drew, from London to Quebec, was run down by the Russell man of war. 1823 Examiner 754/2 The Captain..attempted to run the boat down. 1856 Titan Mag. Dec. 531/2 We stand a good chance of being run down by a tram. 1885 Law Times Rep. LIII. 60/2 The Chusan ran down a smack on the morning of the 24th Dec. |
h. To pursue (game) until caught or killed; to hunt down. Also transf.
| 1669 W. Hacke Collect. Voy. iii. (1699) 69 We should have made a better hand of them, had we had but Dogs to run them down. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. ii. 309 The fowls..were likewise run down with little trouble; for they could scarce fly further than an hundred yards. 1806 J. Beresford Mis. Hum. Life xx. xlii. 259 After dropping a wash-ball,..bestirring yourself to run it down, by following its doublings, as it rapidly rolls about the room. 1876 A. S. Palmer Leaves fr. Notebk. Pref. p. viii, I have been successful in running down my quarry. 1891 Cornhill Mag. Mar. 300 A weasel will occasionally run down the strongest hare. |
i. To put down, overcome, overwhelm (a person, etc.) by superior force, argument, talk, etc.
| 1674 Essex Papers (Camden) I. 233 That he may not be run down by a Vote of y⊇ House of Commons. 1695 J. Edwards Perfect. H. Script. 367 This good man..in..his..calamities was never quite run down by them. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 222, I was run down again by him to the last Degree. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. vi, Here comes our good friend..that run you down fairly in the argument. 1779 Mirror No. 5, Talk..of painting, he runs you down with a description of the gallery at Florence. |
j. To disparage, defame, or vilify.
| 1668 Dryden Even. Love i. i, I am revenged on you, for running down my poor old master. 1689 N. Lee Princ. Cleve ii. iii, After all this they'll run you down, and say your Grace is no Scholar. 1710 Addison Tatler No. 226 ¶4 He found himself run down as a superficial prating Quack. 1791 Boswell Johnson (Oxf. ed.) II. 342 A gentleman present..had been running down Ode-writing in general, as a bad species of poetry. 1844 Syd. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 337, I do not mean by this, unjustly and cowardly to run down O'Connell. 1889 F. C. Philips Ainslie's Courtship I. xii. 161 You need not run down the education we received. |
k. To melt (plate, etc.).
| 1684 Burnet tr. More's Utopia 104 The People might..be unwilling to let the Plate be run down, if a War made it necessary to pay their Souldiers with it. 1895 Daily News 15 Nov. 7/2 The parcel was one of scrap silver, which he wanted ‘run down’. |
l. To bring to a stop.
| 1697 Vanbrugh æsop iii. Wks. 1893 I. 200 Has thy eternal tongue run down its larum yet? |
m. To cause to sink or fall.
| 1737 London Mag. Oct. 542/1 Our directing the next Payment to be made to the Bank would, I believe, possess the Generality of Mankind with an Opinion that we were resolved to abolish the Company.., which would of course run the Price of their Stock down to very near Par. 1866 Shareholder's Guardian 16 May 385/1 They began by ‘bearing’ its shares until they run them down to a discount. |
n. To reduce or bring (an activity, operation, organization, etc.) to a halt gradually or progressively.
| 1861 C. M. Yonge Young Step-Mother vii. 74 Miss Meadows began one of her tangled skeins of words..and Mr. Kendal, knowing..that the only chance of a conclusion was to let her run herself down, held his tongue. 1976 A. Price War Game i. vi. 118 We're running down the Incident Room, it's true. But we're not giving up. 1977 Times 18 Aug. 15/8 Over the past few years, Volkswagen has been progressively running down its ‘beetle’ production in Germany... Only 100 cars a day are at present produced. |
o. U.S. slang. To rehearse or perform (a piece of music); to recite (verse).
| 1948 Down Beat 1 Dec. 10 We ran down three new instrumentals and a vocal for Baubles Buxon! 1959 G. Kanin Blow up Storm 19, I distributed the parts and we ran it down. 1960 Jazz Rev. Nov. 12 When we rehearsed an arrangement that no one had seen before, we'd run it down once or twice. 1961 R. Russell Sound i. 10 Bernie struck off a rich chord and began running the tune down in his immaculate post-Teddy Wilson style. 1969 H. R. Brown in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out (1972) 205 The teacher expected me to sit up in class and study poetry after I could run down shit like that. 1975 R. S. Gold Jazz Talk 228 Run down,..to perform, usually in rehearsal, a piece of written music. |
p. to run it down: to describe or explain a situation in full; to tell the whole truth about a subject. U.S. slang. (Freq. in Black English.)
| 1964 T. Cade in Massachusetts Rev. Summer 622, I tried to figure out the best way to run it down to this girl right quick that they didn't have to live in this town. 1967 J. Horton in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out (1972) 22 Street repartee at its best is a lively way of ‘running it down’, or of ‘jiving’. 1970 G. Jackson Let. 17 Mar. in Soledad Brother (1971) 236 Write me a letter..and run it down; school, politics, futurities. I want to know it all. 1972 B. G. Cooke in T. Kochman Rappin' & Stylin' Out 48 This gesture of lowering the lip is a result of the emphatic manner in which they are ‘running it down’. |
74. run in.
* intr. a. To concur, agree, fall in, with a person, opinion, etc.
| 1699 Baker Refl. Learning 58 Tho' Ramus run in with them..in his opposition to Aristotle, yet he has out-done them in this, that [etc.]. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 154 He need not..run in with the vulgar Notion. 1892 Abp. Benson in Life (1899) II. 430 Unless convocation ‘runs in’ with a Canon in this way, the whole liberty of the Church of England is at an end. |
b. To rush in, close with, in attacking or assailing.
| 1815 Scott Guy M. liii, Then rin in on him, take his arms, and bind him. 1847 Marryat Childr. New Forest xi, Edward..ordered Smoker [the dog] to run in to the bull. 1890 W. Morris in Eng. Illustr. Mag. Sept. 889 He lept aside nimbly and ran in on Hallblithe and caught his sword-arm. |
c. Rugby Football. (See quot. 1867.)
| 1867 Routledge's Hdbk. Football 31 Any player who catches the ball..may run with it..till he gets behind his adversary's line of goal, where he will touch it down... This feat is called ‘running in’. 1889 Field 19 Jan. 89/3 Within ten minutes of time E. Hancock succeeded in running in, and S. Escott kicked a goal. |
d. To pay a short or passing visit (occas. to) a person. to run in and out (of one another's homes, etc.): to make frequent informal visits (to one another).
| 1857 [see get v. 24 ¶ ]. 1876 C. M. Yonge Womankind xi. 81 A little croquet, a great deal of chatter; and worse than all, much running in and out among near neighbours. 1892 Mrs. Oliphant Marriage of Elinor II. xvii. 37 It might be a relief to her to run in to me whenever she pleased. 1952 M. Laski Village iv. 77 It's lucky it's so far away; at least they can't be running in and out of each other's homes every minute. 1958 A. White tr. Colette's Claudine in Paris iv. 30 Just a few yards from here, there's a delightful flat, and we'd be practically on each other's doorsteps... We could be always running in and out{ddd}it would be nice for Claudine and for you too. |
e. Printing. (See quot.)
| 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 117 Matter is said to ‘run in’ when it ‘gets in’, or makes less than an anticipated quantity. |
** trans. f. To fix, fill in, with (melted lead, etc.).
| 1751 C. Labelye Piers Westm. Bridge 20 Iron Cramps, let into the Stones, and runn'd in with melted Lead. 1865 Brande & Cox Dict. Sci., etc. I. 782/1 Designs..engraved with the burin, and run in, while hot, with a composition called niello. 1900 Yorks. Arch. Jrnl. XV. 322 An iron pin run in with lead. |
g. To arrest and convey (a person) to prison. Also in Naval use (see quot. 1962).
| 1859 G. W. Matsell Vocabulum 76 Run in, arrested. 1872 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 376/2 I'll run you in. 1874 Slang Dict. 274 The police are very fond of threatening to run-in any person to whom they may take exception. 1889 N. & Q. 20 July 49/1 The respectable gentleman who..takes my part if I get ‘run in’ by the police. 1909 J. R. Ware Passing Eng. 212/1 Thus hooked he is ‘run in’, where..he is treated for ‘D.T.'s’—the origin of most amok—when he either recovers or is passed into an asylum. 1933 J. Cary Amer. Visitor 35 Cottee was over the boundary, so I'm going to run him in. 1938 [see fowl n. 1 d]. 1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 159 I've warned you, the next time you are adrift I'll run you in to the First Lootenant. 1951 New Yorker 15 Dec. 94 ‘Am I going to have to run you in?’ the policeman asked. 1962 Granville Dict. Sailors' Slang 98/2 Run in, place a man in the Commander's report or bring him before the Officer-of-the-watch. |
h. Austr. To drive (cattle or horses) into a place where they may be captured or handled.
| 1885 Mrs. Campbell-Praed Head Station 45, I have had no end of sport..in shooting wild horses and running in scrubbers. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 315 Their time was spent in running in these..mustangs. |
i. To insert, slip in.
| 1817 Ackermann's Repository Jan. 53/1 A row of straw-colour ribbon is run in next to the border. 1883 Standard 26 June 3/3 A finer thread, not drawn in with the tambour, but run in with a point needle. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockm. 75 Many different methods of procedure are adopted for running in a cylinder. 1900 F. M. Ford Let. Oct. (1965) 13, I took hold of that young woman and ran in every bit of her charm I could think of and then smashed in all the repulsion I could think of. |
j. To enter and secure the election of (a person).
| 1892 Black & White 6 Feb. 168/1 A compact and consistent body..tried to run Mr. Swan in for each of the three events. |
k. To operate (new machinery, esp. a motor vehicle or its engine) at reduced speed or load unti it has reached a normal working condition. Also refl., said of the machinery, and fig.
| 1919 W. H. Berry New Traffic (Aircraft) xv. 86 Some engineers suggested that the flight should be used to ‘run in’ the engines. 1925 Morris Owner's Manual xvi. 103 It must, of course, clearly be understood that when an engine is new and stiff much more heat is developed than is the case when it has run itself in. 1934 Punch 6 June 629/1 Never start a new engine on the self-starter. The battery and dynamo need running-in before you use them. 1939 N. Monsarrat This is Schoolroom III. xvii. 390 Anthea bought a car, we ran it in. 1953 A. White tr. Colette's Cat iv. 109 We're going out to Rambouillet for lunch in the forest. I've got to run the car in. 1959 Listener 2 Apr. 603/1 If you are running-in a new car, and conscientiously keeping down to a maximum of thirty miles an hour, [etc.]. 1961 H. Nicholson Let. 1 June (1968) 395 Kennedy ‘must run himself in’ before he can inspire confidence. 1972 Guardian 18 Sept. 11/4 My car offers its apologies for curious behaviour: ‘Running In’ is plastered across its back. 1973 A. Behrend Samarai Affair iii. 31 Having thus ticked over gently during the previous ten minutes, the committee had now run itself in for the major business of the afternoon. |
75. run off.
* intr. a. To take to flight; to abscond or elope (with a person or thing).
| 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) II. 93 They cast their arms to the ground, and run off..as fast as they could. 1781 Mirror No. 81, Hardships from which, at last, she freed herself, by running off with a recruiting serjeant. 1805 Miniature No. 32 (1806) II. 151 My first observation..was, that Paris forgot to say ‘What next’ when he run off with Helen. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 57 The servant was taught how he might, without sin, run off with his master's plate. |
b. Of water, etc.: To flow off or away.
| 1707 Mortimer Husb. (1721) II. 322 Let it stand half an Hour undisturbed, that it may run off clear. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) IX. 512/1 The water will run off and leave the yellow matter behind. 1861 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXII. i. 66 When put to press the white whey runs off freely. 1869 A. W. Ward tr. Curtius' Hist. Greece II. ii. iv. 58 Allowing the rain-water to run off on an incline. |
c. To become smaller, diminish.
| 1765 Treat. Dom. Pigeons 94 It should have an hollow back, running off taper from the shoulders. 1890 Sat. Rev. 15 Nov. 557/1 Those who held upon borrowed money, finding margins running off and differences increasing against them, have been obliged to sell. 1925 Daily Tel. 13 May 4/3 On purchasing that company it was decided to allow its marine business to run off. 1955 Times 3 May 15/1 In the first quarter of this year the surplus has tended to run off. |
d. To go off, digress, in talk. Also to run off at the mouth: to talk excessively; to talk nonsense. Cf. sense 52 g above. U.S. slang.
| 1861 Temple Bar III. 552 Then my lady ran off to tell us how dull Fernwood was. 1889 Philips & Wills Fatal Phryne II. ii. 33 The sick man ran off into unintelligible mutterings. 1909 Dialect Notes III. 403 Runnin' off at the mouth ,..loquacity; talking too much. Used of one excessively loquacious. ‘He's got a bad case of runnin' off at the mouth.’ 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §151/6 Talk nonsense{ddd}go or run off at the mouth. Ibid. §189/3 Be talkative{ddd}run (off) at the mouth. 1951 Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chron. 12 Sept. 14/6 Culio... A run-of-the-mob gunsel—till he runs off at the mouth! 1962 A. Lurie Love & Friendship xi. 223 I'm a pig coming over here and running off at the mouth, probably boring you to hell. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 28 Aug 1/1 The man they simply ran off at the mouth about here, Jimmy Carter. |
e. To diverge, alter.
| 1871 Earle Philol. Eng. Tongue 142 It [whole] has since run off from sense of hale, sound.., into that of complete. |
** trans. f. To dash or rattle off; to write or recite rapidly.
| 1683 D. Granville Letters (Surtees Soc.) 163, [I] did..on a new text..runne of halfe a sermon at leisure hours. 1809 Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) II. vi. 232 You can so easily run off an article.., that it would be inexcusable not to afford us your assistance. 1861 Temple Bar III. 123 [He] ran off glibly..a list of all that was entertaining and interesting in the neighbourhood. 1891 M. M. Dowie Girl in Karp. xxi. 296 A curious specimen of beadledom who ran off long unintelligible histories in atrocious Viennese patois. |
g. To allow to flow out; to draw or drain off (a liquid).
| 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 92 A Supply will be wanted in the Vessel, which is running off its Contents. 1771 Encycl. Brit. II. 601/2 Until the former water be run off, and the canal cleaned. 1837 Penny Cycl. IX. 25/2 They derived a profit proportionable to the quantity of spirits they could run off in a given time. 1853 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIV. i. 140 Three days will now run off the highest floods. 1890 Chamb. Jrnl. 30 Aug. 557/1 The clear portion..is run off into another vessel. |
| transf. 1820 in Bischoff Woollen Manuf. (1862) II. 13 The stocks of woollen goods in the United States of America were then run off, and they must require fresh supplies. |
h. To cart off, remove.
| 1864 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXV. ii. 528 We generally preserve a portion of mangold on the land... But we always run off sufficient to secure us in the long spring. |
i. U.S. To steal.
| 1864 G. A. Sala in Daily Telegr. 23 Aug., The negroes his agents have bought in North Carolina, or ‘run off’, i.e. stolen, in Kentucky. 1882 B. Harte Flip ii, He's down on tramps ever since they ran off his chickens. |
j. Sport. To decide (a race) finally.
| 1881 Eagle Mag. XI. 353 The remaining two events being run off on the following Tuesday. 1892 Field 17 Sept. 446/3 It was a big order to have to run off eighty courses in the day. |
| absol. 1892 Illustr. Sport. & Dram. News 23 Apr. 209/3 In running off for second place in the sprint hurdles he succeeded in running the distance in 16 sec. |
k. To produce or turn out (duplicated copies, etc.).
| 1889 Cent. Dict. 5271/2 To run off,..In printing, to take impressions of; print: as, this press will run off ten thousand every hour; to run off an edition. 1901 Merwin & Webster Calumet ‘K’ vi. 106 Now, we'll write to Mr. Brown—no,..I'll do that one myself. You might run off the other and I'll sign it. 1932 A. J. Worrall Eng. Idioms 78 This machine will run off eighty copies per minute. 1970 H. McLeave Question of Negligence xxvii. 229 They had trundled in a portable X-ray machine... They ran off six plates. |
l. Austral. and N.Z. (See quots.)
| 1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 25 Nov. 15/7 Run off,..(3) To separate: e.g., ‘I will run off the strangers when we draft the mob’. 1965 J. S. Gunn Terminol. Shearing Industry ii. 15 Run-off, to take a group of sheep from the flock without necessarily ‘cutting out’ all of this group or ‘drafting’ them into special lots, for example ‘I'll run off some fats’. |
76. run on.
* intr. a. To continue running or going on, in various lit. and fig. senses.
| 1595 Shakes. John v. vii. 67 Euen so must I run on, and euen so stop. 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 138 The multitude of those that haue runne on amayne vnto this Sinne. 1740 Cibber Apol. (1756) I. 144 A new comedy of Mr. Congreve's..which ran on with..extraordinary success. 1779 Mirror No. 67, Having run on in the usual career, I became tired with the sameness..of the scenes. 1833 Penny Cycl. I. 384/2 What are called the cursive letters, which run on in continuous succession. 1866 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. II. i. 54 The pen learning to run on and to print each idea as it occurs. 1971 Rand Daily Mail 4 Sept. 23/4 Fighting Heart was running on when he beat Desert Oil over 1000 metres. 1977 Field 13 Jan. 56/1 Trainers had no way of knowing whether their fastest puppies had that ability to ‘run on’, an endowment with stamina so essential for Altcar honours. |
b. To continue in operation, effect, etc. Also const. to (a certain point).
| (a) 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 240, I was willing to let the bond runne on, till the time it was due. 1736 T. Lediard Marlborough III. 120 It was judg'd more convenient, and conducive to the Publick Good, to let the Navy-Debt run on. 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xxix. 366 A case of this kind, which has been allowed to run on unchecked. 1892 Black & White Xmas No. 33/1 You have..let the engagement run on without a word of protest. |
| (b) 1847 W. C. L. Martin The Ox 128/1 This disease may run on to a horrible extent before it destroys life. 1851 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XII. ii. 538 Wounds..often run on to suppuration. |
c. Of time: To pass or elapse.
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, v. v. 59 But my Time Runs poasting on. 1611 ― Cymb. v. v. 128 Since she is liuing, let the time run on, To good, or bad. 1736 Ainsworth Eng.-Lat. Dict. s.v., The time runneth on. 1855 Tennyson Maud iii. iii, As months ran on and rumour of battle grew. 1869 Hughes Alfred the Gt. iv. 45 New shapes, and ever more vile, as the years run on. |
d. To continue speaking; to speak volubly; also in recent use, to chatter.
| 1704 Steele Lying Lover v. i, This unhappy Tongue..That still run'st on. 1713 ― Englishman No. 1. 4 He ran on in a Way which he could never learn at any Place but one. 1762 Ann. Reg., Acct. of Books 232/2 Let him talk, ask questions, and run on at pleasure. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's xxvii, But I must not run on in a manner which..cannot be very pleasant to you. 1856 Titan Mag. Nov. 444/2 Thus did the little fellow run on, nor did I care to interrupt him. 1891 F. W. Robinson Her Love & His Life vii. v, ‘I'm a fool—I always was,’ he ran on, hurriedly. |
e. To expand or develop into.
| 1886 Ruskin Præterita I. 395 The proposed six lessons ran on into perhaps eight or nine. |
f. Printing. (See quot.)
| 1892 A. Oldfield Man. Typogr. iii, When two paragraphs are required to be made into one, or, in technical language, ‘to run on’. |
** trans. g. To continue to narrate (a story).
| 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xvi. iv, He ran on a long, unintelligible story about his wife. |
h. Printing. (See quots. 1888, 1892.) Also, to set (an advertisement) as continuous text rather than displayed matter.
| 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 116 Run on chapters, an intimation that the commencement of chapters in a work are not necessarily to begin on a fresh page. 1892 A. Oldfield Man. Typogr. iv, The Synopsis of Chapters should be ‘set out and run on’; that is, the first line full out at both ends, and the rest indented an em. 1951 S. Jennett Making of Bks. xv. 256 Some manuscripts and some of the early printed books avoided paragraph divisions and ran all paragraphs on, indicating the commencement of each by means of a paragraph mark. 1973 F. Jefkins Advertising made Simple i. i. 17 By classified we mean not only that the advertisements are small and run-on but that they are grouped together under identifying headings. Ibid. iii. xvii. 200 Displayed classified, or semi-display—advertisements in the classified section which are not merely run on, but set out and possibly illustrated. |
i. Cutlery. (See quot.)
| 1893 Labour Comm. Gloss., Run on, the process of placing imitation or spelter bolsters on common table knife blades. |
77. run out.
* intr. a. Of a period of time, etc.: To expire, terminate, come to an end.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 15177 Þe thre dais was runnen vte, And þe ferth on hand. 1535 Coverdale Ezek. vii. 10 Beholde,..the daye is come, the houre is runne out. 1601 J. Wheeler Treat. Comm. 99 When the ten yeares were almost complete and run out. 1660 tr. Amyraldus' Treat. Relig. iii. v. 389 Two thousand years pass'd before the Law,..and two thousand more shall run out under the reign of the Messias. 1826 Examiner 585/1 The time allowed by law..was fast running out. 1879 Froude Cæsar xx. 337 He was to remain with his troops till his term had run out. 1894 Cornhill Mag. Feb. 168 The lease of the inn was running out. |
b. (a) Of water, etc.: To escape from the containing vessel, part, etc. Also fig.
| a 1325 Prose Psalter civ. 39 God brake þe stone, and waters ran out. c 1400 Love Bonavent. Mirror (1908) 20 [Grace] abideþ nouȝt in þe soule bot renneþ out as water. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Transfluo, to leake or renne out. 1611 Bible Matt. ix. 17 The bottels breake, and the wine runneth out. 1725 Fam. Dict. s.v. Honey, Scrape them a little, that so the Honey may the more freely run out. 1803 Med. Jrnl. X. 564 It may be opened with a lancet or a needle, when the fluid will run out. 1861 Temple Bar II. 563 A retired London physician whose sands of life had nearly run out. 1890 W. F. Rae Maygrove ii. i. 2 An aged parent whose sands are running out. |
(b) Of vessels, etc.: To allow the contained liquid to escape; to leak.
| 1530 Palsgr. 693/2 This tubbe runneth out, let it be had to the coupers. 1625 Massinger New Way iii. ii, The baked meats are run out, the roast turned powder. 1727 Philip Quarll (1816) 52 The runlet..being unstopped, ran all out. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 645 Whenever we find the glass run out, we may rest contented [etc.]. 1800 Monthly Mag. IX. i. 322 The tub runs out. |
c. (a) To come to the end of one's resources or stock; to spend all one's means.
| 1692 15th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. II. 21 'Tis supposed he ran out by liveing above his fortune. 1720 Swift Stella's Birthday Wks. 1751 VII. 119 Had her Stock been less, no doubt, She must have long ago run out. 1781 Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 23 Oct., I sincerely applaud your resolution not to run out, and wish you always to save something. a 1809 H. Cowley Who's the Dupe? i. i, I was obliged to listen to some very wise dissertation about running out, as he calls it. 1965 A. Nicol Truly Married Woman 103 ‘Oxygen,’ Doc said. ‘We ran out last week, sir, I forgot to tell you,’ the nurse said. 1972 J. Wilson Hide & Seek vi. 106 ‘Haven't you got any?’ asked Alice. ‘No—no, I've run out,’ he said. |
(b) To become expended or exhausted; to come to an end.
| a 1700 Dryden (J.), Th' estate runs out, and mortgages are made. 1836 Haliburton Clockm. (1862) 192 The land gets run out in his hands, and is no good for ever after. 1864 Lowell Study Wind., Gt. Public Char., The New England breed is running out, we are told! 1889 J. Masterman Scotts of Bestminster II. xi. 217 The stock of ready-made clothing had run out. |
(c) Of a crop variety: to lose its distinguishing characteristics in successive generations.
| 1890 Bull. Cornell Agric. Exper. Station XXI. 88 We are still confirmed in our belief that varieties of tomatoes are unstable and that they soon ‘run out’. 1901 I. P. Roberts in L. H. Bailey Cycl. Amer. Hort. III. 1418/1 Old varieties [of potatoes] which have ‘run out’ often find their way into a locality where conditions are superior. 1957 Duncan & Ross Growing Field Crops 10 Sometimes disease and insect invasions reverse the process of plant improvement by adjustment. When this happens, varieties are said to run out. |
† d. (a) To launch out into bold or profuse speech; to expatiate. Obs.
| 1554 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1824) III. App. xx. 56 Then he ran out against the late government. 1615 Bedwell Mohamm. Imposturæ i. §28 Run not out..into speeches to say, That God cannot do all things. 1712 Arbuthnot John Bull i. viii, Upon all Occasions she run out extravagantly on the praise of Hocus. 1728 Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 358 Then he run out on the iniquity of the late times. 1779 Mirror No. 4, They ran out in praise of French cookery. |
(b) To break out, find vent.
| 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 346 To see how the next Day his Passion run out another way. |
(c) Cricket. Of the batsman: to move out rapidly from the crease to hit the ball.
| 1875 Baily's Mag. July 162 Mr Greenfield in particular running out almost to every ball and driving it along the ground. 1882 Daily Telegr. 27 May, Bannerman only made one hit before running out to hit Barratt and getting disposed of. 1883 Ibid. 15 May 2/7 Hill ran out to the..bowler, and was..stumped. |
† (d) Cricket. To be run out. Cf. sense 77 m below. Obs.
| 1828 Boy's Own Bk. 22 When a striker has run out, the notch they were running for shall not be reckoned. 1860 F. Lillywhite Eng. Cricketers' Trip to Canada & U.S. 20 Hayward contrived to run out. 1876 Haygarth's Cricket Scores 1855–75 V. 368 Five ran out on the Bradford side. |
e. (a) To continue running.
| 1589 Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. iv. (Arb.) 89 Our auncient rymers..let their rymes runne out at length, and neuer stayd till they came to the end. |
(b) Of a rope: To pass out in continuous length; to be paid out.
| 1730 A. Gordon Maffei's Amphith. 349 Nor did they run out in the same way that the small Cords did. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Stopper, It serves, when they are hoising the main-yard, to stop it, that it don't run out too fast. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word bk. 103 A ship is ‘brought up to a bitter’ when the cable is allowed to run out to that stop. 1890 Cornhill Mag. Sept. 271 The object of these breaks is to prevent the cable running out too quickly. |
f. To extend or project; to protrude, jut out.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Peninsula excurrit, the countrey lieth, or renneth out in length. 1604 E. G[rimstone] tr. D'Acosta's Hist. Indies i. xx. 67 Many hold, that above Florida, the Land runnes out very large towards the North. 1705 Addison Italy 8 The chief of 'em is situate on a Rock that runs out into the Sea. 1780 W. Coxe Russ. Disc. 166 It is divided..into three promontories, one of which runs out in a Westerly direction. 1816 Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) IV. i. 30, I have now several hundred acres thereof, running out as far as beyond the lake. 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey II. 106 A projection, running out at an angle to the main chain. 1883 Eng. Illustr. Mag. Nov. 82/1 At right angles to the fa{cced}ade a row of buildings ran out to Whitehall Gate. |
g. To shoot out (into excrescences, etc.); to go on to something.
| 1646 Hammond Tracts 119 The want of blood was the cause that they ran out into so many legs. 1650 Jer. Taylor Holy Living iii. iv. 256 The zeal of love which runs out into excresences and suckers, like a fruitful and pleasant tree. 1727 De Foe Hist. Appar. iv. 26 Others run out to an imaginary Scheme of Guardian Angels. 1790 W. H. Marshall Rur. Econ. Midl. Co. Gloss., To run out; to grow or sprout as corn in harvest. |
h. To emerge from or come out of (a contest) in a specified manner or position. Also without complement, to win.
| 1885 Field 4 Apr. 436/3 Roberts..eventually ran out a winner by 92 points. 1897 Daily News 20 Apr. 3/5 Dundee..ran out winners with 392 points. 1928 Daily Tel. 26 June 11/7 He went on to lead 4–2 in the third set, and then at 5–4, had three set balls before running out. 1941 G. Heyer Envious Casca xii. 219 [She] miscued... ‘You'll run out now.’ 1959 Times 19 Mar. 17/5 Then Borch began to smash brilliantly and ran out for the game. 1960 E. S. & W. J. Higham High Speed Rugby xxi. 289 In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, a fitter team will run out winners. 1976 Bridgwater Mercury 21 Dec., British Cellophane's second team ran out 4–1 winners against Bridgwater Police in the fourth division of the Somerset Squash League. |
** trans. i. (a) To finish or complete (a race, or period of time). Freq. in fig. contexts.
| 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 167 When Audley had runne out his race and ended wer his days. 1571 N. Boweman in Farr S.P. Eliz. (1845) II. 555 Houres, dayes, and yeeres, runne out their course at last. ? 1630 Milton Time 1 Fly envious Time, till thou run out thy race. 1710 Addison Tatler No. 154 ¶5 Not having run out the whole Thread of their Days. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cv. vii, Run out your measured arcs, and lead The closing cycle rich in good. 1861 Temple Bar II. 242 Ere its sands of life had run out the boiling of an egg. 1892 Illustr. Sport. & Dram. News 23 July 691/3 He didn't run his race out gamely and do his very best. |
† (b) To fulfil (an engagement). Obs.
| a 1837 [Apperley] Turf (1851) 11 [He] continued it [horse-racing] for a short time after his brother's death to run out his engagements. |
(c) Sport. To bring (a race, etc.) to a conclusive result; to determine or decide.
| 1891 Field 7 Nov. 711/3 The Tenant Farmers' Cup was, of course, run out, and was won by..Lavender Green. Ibid. 712/1 Had the stake been run out he would have taken a deal of beating. 1977 New Yorker 10 Oct. 152/2 He then dropped service again, after which Connors ran out the set, 6–2. |
(d) Cricket. To score from (a hit) by running. Freq. imp.
| 1856 Househ. Words 2 Feb. 60/2 When you holloa out... ‘Run it out!’ 1886 J. Pycroft Oxf. Memories II. xxi. 89 There were no bounds, all hits were run out. 1898 J. A. Gibbs Cotswold Village xi. 234 ‘Come six, Podder!’ I shouted, amid cries of ‘Keep on running!’ ‘Run it out!’ etc., from spectators and scouts alike. 1908 W. E. W. Collins Leaves from Old Country Cricketer's Diary xi. 180 Run it out, sir, run it out. I hope you'll get six. |
j. (a) To go through, spend, squander (money or property). ? Obs.
| 1632 Massinger City Madam v. ii, Your bonds lie For your sons' truth; and they shall answer all They have run out. 1693 S. Harvey in Dryden's Juvenal (1697) 241 A Fop in Rome, that had run out his Estate. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 264 ¶2 At which Age he ran out a small Patrimony. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas iii. iv. ¶7 He..taught them..to squander their substance: he had no qualms as to running out his own, for the deed was done. |
(b) Agric. To impoverish, exhaust (land).
| 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 139 By this management however, it is impossible they can run out the land. 1901 Contemp. Rev. Mar. 443 The law, as it now stands, encourages the Irish farmer to run out his farm. |
(c) Of expenses: To amount to, equal, or be as much as (the profit).
| 1740 Tull Horse-hoeing Husb. (ed. 2) 269 The Expence doth not run out the Profit of them. |
k. (a) To advance (a gun) so that the muzzle projects from the port-hole (or embrasure).
| 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. ii. 19 That we may be ready to run out our Guns when the Word is given. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. viii. 378 Men..were constantly moving about the decks, to run out and fire such guns as were loaded. 1805 Berry in Nicolas Disp. Nelson (1846) VII. 118, I ordered the quarter-boat to be cut away, and ran out the stern chasers. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxix, Our bow gun had been loaded and run out. 1862 Temple Bar VI. 148 Cannon were run out; matches kept lighted. |
(b) To expand, extend, or fill out; spec. in Printing (see quots.).
| 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xxiii. 375 When a Compositor Sets Wide, he is said to Drive out or Run out. 1716 Addison Freeholder No. 30 ¶10 Having already run my paper out to its usual length. 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 117 To fill up or ‘run out’ a line with quadrats or full points. |
(c) To drive out (horses or cattle), esp. to pasture.
| 1851 Mayne Reid Scalp Hunt. xviii. 130 We ran our animals out on their trail-ropes to feed. 1890 ‘T. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 241 First, Jack..ran out half a dozen quiet cattle. 1893 [see 81 i (d)]. |
(d) To allow or cause (a line) to be drawn or carried out.
| 1863 Kinglake Crimea (1877) I. ii. 162 The Prince declared that he had run out the whole line of his moderation. 1892 Illust. Lond. News 9 April 455/2 The salmon..runs out some yards of line. |
l. (a) U.S. To mark off, define. Cf. 53 b.
| 1719 New Hampshire Prov. Papers (1868) II. 726 The above boundaries when so run out..is the bounds of said Parish. 1763 Croghan in Gist's Jrnls. (1893) 194, I am sorry the Col. John Armstrong has not returned y⊇ four Tracts run out for you last fall. |
(b) To enumerate, detail.
| 1878 Cayler Pointed Papers 253 It would be easy to run out the points of resemblance. |
(c) To turn out, produce.
| 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Min. 19 The Sunderland, with a furnace of 15 tons of daily capacity, ran out 1,500 flasks last year. 1911 Chambers's Jrnl. Sept. 596/2 When you have read it over, I will run out another copy. |
m. Cricket. To put out (a batsman) while running between the popping-creases. Also refl. Also, of a batsman: to cause one's partner to be run out.
| 1750 in H. T. Waghorn Cricket Scores 1730–73 (1899) 47 Tom Bell (run out) o. 1803 Laws of Cricket 8 When a striker is run out, the notch they were running for is not to be reckoned. 1823 M. R. Mitford in Lady's Mag. July 391/1 Joel Brent..ran out his mate, Samuel Long. 1825 C. Westmacott Eng. Spy II. 89 Bacelli run him out. 1860 Baily's Monthly Mag. Aug. 364 His only perceptible fault was his tendency to run himself and others out. 1891 Sat. Rev. 18 July 81/2 In attempting an ill-judged run, Crabtree..was run out at 122. 1892 Ibid. 16 July 71/1 With the score at 5, Studd foolishly ran himself out. 1900 P. F. Warner Cricket in Many Climes i. iv. 59 Dick Berens ran me out when I was well on my way to a hundred. 1912 ― England v. Australia xii. 134 Hitch and Strudwick between them ran out Tumilty. 1933 M. Lowry Ultramarine ii. 80 You go in first and run out the chief steward. 1974 Times 4 Feb. 1/1 A decision whereby Kallicharan..was given run out for 142 off the last ball of the day..was later reversed. |
n. refl. To exhaust (oneself) by running; to come to an end, exhaust one's means, etc.
| 1836–7 Dickens Sk. Boz, Tales x, He ran himself out..as regularly as an eight-day clock. 1845–6 Trench Hulsean Lectures Ser. i. i. 10 Controversies which..have not yet run themselves out. 1891 Black & White 24 Oct. 569/1 The Beaufort line..would on the morrow run itself miserably out in muddy lees upon the scaffold. 1892 Eng. Illustr. Mag. IX. 451 It is not an uncommon thing to see the two last men running themselves out in order to beat each other. |
78. run over. (See also 11 a.)
* intr. a. Of a vessel, etc.: To overflow. (Cf. overrun v. 7.) Also fig. and transf.
| 1530 Palsgr. 693 The potte ronneth over, le pot sen fuyt. 1539 Elyot Image Gov. (1541) 59 The stinkynge Canelles of vice, whiche beyng ones brimme full, sodeinly renneth ouer through the Citee. 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. v. Wks. 1856 I. 56 Boy, keele your mouth, it runnes over. 1678 Bunyan Pilgr. i. (1900) 131 Now was my heart full of joy,..and mine affections running over with love. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 160, I shall not look for the Ladle till the Pot runs over. 1838 Lytton Alice 13 When the heart is full of affection, the eyes easily run over. 1850 Tait's Mag. XVII. 23/2 His coffers were running over with gold. 1879 Trollope Thackeray ii. 76 His mind was running over with the idea. |
b. Of liquid (or grain): To flow over the side of a vessel. Also fig.
| 1526 Tindale Luke vi. 38 Good measure, pressed doune, shaken to gedder, and runnynge over, shall men geve. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. s'Enfuir, The wine spils, or runnes ouer, at the top of. 1729 Swift Direct. Servants, Footman, Carry up your Coffee boldly, and when your Lady..examines you whether it has not run over, deny the Fact absolutely. 1758 Reid tr. Macquer's Chym. I. 247 Its contents swell, and might run over without this precaution. c 1820 S. Rogers Italy, Venice 17 As though the wealth within them had run o'er. |
c. = go v. 89 d.
| 1642 Newcomen Craft & Cruelty of Church's Advers. (1643) 8 The lesuites have a practice of running over to the Lutheran Church, pretending to be converts. 1700 S. L. tr. Fryke's Voy. E. Ind. 227 Running over from the Christians to some Heathenish King. |
** (passing into) trans. d. To recount, relate, or repeat rapidly or succinctly.
| 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 471, I will..runne over briefly those which are more memorable. 1695 Addison To the King 117 But who can run the British Triumphs o'er, And count the Flames disperst on ev'ry Shore? 1762–71 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) II. 260 The particulars of his life have been often written, and therefore I shall run them over very briefly. 1852 Dickens Bleak Ho. xxii, Will you run over, once again, what the boy said? |
e. To review rapidly. Usu. in the mind, etc.
| 1710 Addison Tatler No. 157 ¶3, I ran over in my Thoughts the several Characters. 1798 C. Smith Yng. Philos. IV. 336 Running over in his mind all the distress that at once awaited his Medora. 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour IV. 226/1 A man who knew..a great many regular scavagers,..‘ran them over’, and came to the conclusion [etc.]. 1871 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 371 Hilton had already run over in his own mind the probable consequences. |
f. To glance over, read hurriedly.
| 1677 Miége Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., To run over a writing. 1719 Swift Let. to Yng. Clergyman Wks. 1751 V. 16 On Sunday Morning [he] took care to run it [his sermon] over five or six times. 1796 Nelson 1 Dec. in Nicolas Disp. (1845) II. 307, I send you some papers of Troubridge. You will like to run them over. |
g. To retouch slightly or quickly.
| 1677 Miége Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., To run over his work again. |
h. Sc. To rub (a horse) over with something.
| 1815 Scott Guy M. lv, Just to rin the beast ower wi' a dry wisp o' strae. |
i. Of a vehicle, etc.: to knock down and pass over (someone); to injure or kill by knocking down. Also transf. Freq. in pass.
The passive use is indistinguishable from that of sense 67 g.
| 1932 L. Golding Magnolia St. i. vii. 114 He is so small the driver hardly notices him till he has very nearly run him over. 1954 T. S. Eliot Confid. Clerk iii. 109 Eggerson: ..Unfortunately, the father died suddenly... Lady Elizabeth: He was run over. By a rhinoceros In Tanganyika. 1970 [see roar v. 3 e]. 1978 Daily Tel. 1 Nov. 19/6 Mann appeared to be more concerned about the damage to his motor-cycle than the youth he had run over. |
79. run through. a. To pierce or stab through the body with a weapon, etc.
| [c 1400 Song of Roland 936 He..with a scherp sper rann throughe his hert. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 821 Ilk ane of þaim thurgh othir rann; Þai were sone deed ilk a mann.] |
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur xii. ii. 595 He gat a spere..& wold haue ronne syr launcelot thurgh. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 130 A souldiour encountred with him & ran him through. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xxx. i. 380 In menacing wise readie to run the young prince through. 1663 R. Boyle Usef. Exp. Nat. Philos. ii. i. 22 Flying insects may have their colour and shape preserved..by running them through in some convenient part with pins. 1727 Swift City Shower Wks. 1751 VII. 39 Those Bully Greeks, who, as the Moderns do, Instead of paying Chair-men, run them thro'. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 233 Rushing at him, [he] ran him through with his spear. 1890 G. M. Fenn Double Knot I. ii. 102, I shall shoot that fellow, or run him through. |
| fig. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. ii. iv. 14 He is already dead.., runne through the eare with a Loue song. |
b. To read over rapidly. † run the chapter through, to go over an old quarrel again. Obs.
| 1673 Wood Life 17 Mar., I told him I..would not come, or run the chapter through, as uncivil people. 1727 Boyer Dict. Royal II. s.v., To run through a Book (or to read it over). |
c. To strike out, draw a line through (words).
| 1817 Statutes Realm II. 2 note, Which latter Words are run through with a Pen. |
d. Founding. (See quot.)
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2004/2 A mold is said to be run through when a quantity of metal is made to enter at one gate and out at another, to remove sullage, air, etc. |
80. run together. (See also 55 b, 57 b.) † a. To fall together; to coincide. Obs. rare.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 80 Of silence & of speche nis bute a lore, & forði, ine writunge, heo eorneð boðe togederes. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. pr. i. (1868) 151 It bytidde and ran to-gidre þat he dalf þere as þat oþer hadde hidd þe golde. |
b. To combine, coalesce, unite, esp. in a moist or melted state.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. pr. i. (1868) 151 Þilke ordre..makeþ þat þe causes rennen and assemblen to-gidre. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 44 Lat þin bature renne dowun,..& whan it is ronne to-gedere on þe chafere [etc.]. 1610 B. Jonson Alchemist ii. v, The Aqueitie, Terreitie, and Sulphureitie Shall runne together againe. a 1713 Burnet Own Time (1724) II. 229 They had time enough to run together and form themselves. 1818–20 E. Thompson Cullen's Nosologia (ed. 3) 207 They are whitish, sometimes distinct, often running together. 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Builder 344 Burrs or Clinkers are such as are so much over-burnt as to vitrify, and run two or three together. 1861 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXII. ii. 357 This land, though apt to run together, breaks again with comparative ease. |
† c. To join in combat, engage in fight; esp. to tilt or joust. Obs.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 103 Þerfore þese kynges rennynge to gidres in myddes of þe ile [etc.]. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxii. 238 Thei rennen to gidre a gret randoum;..and they breken here speres so rudely. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xxiii. 71 Therwith they ranne to gyders that Arthurs spere al to sheuered. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Acies incurrunt, the armies incounter or runne together. Ibid., Decurrere dicuntur milites, to iust or renne together with speares. |
81. run up. (See also 11 a.)
* intr. a. (a) To shoot up; to grow rapidly.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 173 As the Netle which up renneth The freisshe rede Roses brenneth. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. Aug., If plants run up to seed over-hastily..pull their roots a little out of the ground. 1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. June, Which will cause them [sc. lettuce] to run up, and not cabbage. 1821 Scott Kenilw. iii, But these [hedges], having been untrimmed for many years, had run up into great bushes. 1847 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. ii. 577 The grass is again running up for a second crop of seed. 1873 M. Collins Squire Silchester I. ix. 126 Silvester was a tall fellow for his age; had run up a little too fast. |
(b) To grow up to, arrive at, manhood.
| 17.. Ramsay Birth of Drumlanrig vii, Your Prince, who late Up to the state of manhood run. |
(c) To increase, mount up.
| 1677 Miége Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., Why did you let your score run up thus? 1828–32 Webster s.v., Accounts of goods credited run up very fast. |
† b. To land; to arrive on shore. Obs.
| c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 802 With Cuthbert and his moder þen Rane vp þar bot thre men. Ibid. 4732 Þa rane vp at þe hauen agayne. |
c. To go back in time or memory.
| 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ iii. i. §12 If it had no beginning, it could be no tradition; for that must run up to some persons from whom it first came. 1698 J. Collier Short View vi (1730) 166 He exhorts them to refresh their Memories, to run up to their Baptism. 1851 Newman Lect. Pres. Posit. Cath. ii. (1904) 5 A general belief or impression..running up beyond the memory of man. |
d. (a) To rise to a high price or value.
| 1793 Jefferson Writ. (1830) IV. 482 Money being so flush, the six per cents run up to twenty-one and twenty-two shillings. 1870 [see break v. 8 c]. |
(b) To amount to a large sum.
| 1884 Manch. Exam. 17 Mar. 5/1 They anticipate that the costs..will run up to something like {pstlg}100,000. 1891 Chamb. Jrnl. 26 Sept. 622/2 Its price ran up to a fabulous amount. |
(c) To attain to a certain weight, size, etc.
| 1892 Field 2 Apr. 490/2 The trout run up to about 3 lb. |
e. Of cloth, etc.: To shorten, shrink, or contract after wetting.
| 1855 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XVI. i. 242 They do not ‘shrink’ or ‘run up’ in the washing. 1884 W. S. B. M{supc}Laren Spinning (ed. 2) 12 The fibre becomes thicker and shorter, and the cloth ‘runs up’ to an indefinite extent. |
f. Sporting. To be runner-up in a race, etc.
| 1842 Thacker Courser's Ann. 10 The winner to receive {pstlg}220..; the dog running up, a bonus of {pstlg}50. 1890 Field 8 Nov. 709/3 Mr. Chambers, who ran up, also played an excellent game [of golf]. 1970 Field 16 Apr. 703/1 Stanley and Michael Lunt, father and son who between them won three amateur championships and ran up in a fourth. |
** trans. g. (a) To make up (a sum or number); to increase or augment (one's fortune).
| 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 32 Promising them..that they shall pay no more rent yeerelie, till the same be runne vp. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, To Push on one's Fortune, to advance, or run it up. 1891 Sat. Rev. 19 Sept. 332/2 What was surprising was to see them..run up 117 for the loss of a wicket. 1955 Times 25 Aug. 3/3 The South Africans ran up 467 runs for the loss of eight wickets. 1977 Sunday Times 2 Jan. 28/3 They ran up 322 for four wickets despite a rain-soaked outfield. |
(b) To accumulate (a bill, debt, etc.) against oneself or another.
| 1736 Ainsworth Eng.-Lat. Dict. s.v., To run up a score. 1768 Foote Devil on Two Sticks 11, Julep. Dr. Linctus..run me up a bill of thirty odd pounds. 1780 F. Burney Diary Apr., He would be rather pleased than surprised if I should run him up a new bill. 1824 Examiner 541/1 An account to a large amount had been run up. 1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & Widows vi, I was running up fresh bills with my tradesmen. 1887 Contemp. Rev. July 13 A public debt, very heavy in proportion to..the wealth of the country, has been rapidly run up. |
(c) To bid against (a person) at an auction in order to compel him to pay more.
| 1862 Temple Bar VI. 419, I..suffered myself to be induced to bid.., and then to be ‘run up’ by the..wealthy broker. 1881 A. Lang Library i. 19 By bidding for a book.., and by then leaving in the lurch the professionals who combine to ‘run him up’. |
(d) To cause (prices) to rise; to force (a thing) up to a higher price.
| 1870 W. W. Fowler Ten Yrs. in Wall St. xxiv. 394 They stepped into the gap, and ran up the price again. 1885 Money Market Rev. 29 Aug. (Cassell), Engaged in running up the prices of the Southern Lines. 1890 Sat. Rev. 18 Oct. 451/1 Mexican Railway stocks..were run up partly because of the rise in silver. |
h. To trace or follow up in some way.
| 1657 Owen Commun. w. Father, Son & H. Ghost iii. iii, I cannot intend to run this expression up into its rise and original. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. ii. §9 In Moses his time it was a very easie matter to run up their lineall descent as far as the flood. 1740 Cheyne Regimen 186, I might..run this analogy up to all the Qualities and Attributes [etc.]. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxiii, He would run the scent up like a blood-hound, and surprise us. 1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma (1876) 201 We can run up nearly all faults of conduct into two classes. |
i. (a) To cause to ascend or rise, to lead, bring, or force up, to some point.
| 1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriot. To T. Le Gros, And so run up your thoughts upon the ancient of dayes. 1711 Fingall MSS. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 188 There is nothing which runs a man sooner up to holyness than a perfect patience in affliction. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Man of Many Fr. (Colburn) 130 Sheriff's officers, I mean; who sometimes are left in possession, when any man in a hurry runs us up to execution. |
(b) To build, erect, set up (a wall, etc.).
| 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 68 From the bottom of the ditch a wall shou'd be run up, thick and strong. 1772 C. Hutton Bridges 97 If the middle of the pier be run up to its full height. 1828–32 Webster, To run up,..to thrust up, as any thing long and slender. |
(c) To bring (a gun) up to the firing position.
| 1828 J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner (ed. 2) 180 Number 1 [detachment]..assists to run the gun up; 2, sponges, runs up, and elevates. 1879 Man. Artill. Exerc. 317 Under the muzzle of the gun when run up. |
(d) Austral. To fetch or bring (a horse) from pasture, etc.
| 1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms (1890) 350 Run up the horses..; they're in the little horse paddock. 1893 Pall Mall Mag. II. 78, I used to run up the horses at five o'clock in the morning, and run 'em out again..at night. |
(e) To raise (a flag) to the top of a mast, etc. Also fig. (see quot. 1962).
| 1901 G. B. Shaw Devil's Disciple i. 28 Run up the American flag on the devil's house. 1930 E. M. Brent-Dyer Chalet Girls in Camp v. 76 Nearer the lake were the two flag-poles, and the flags would be run up at six o'clock the next morning. 1938 A. J. Liebling Back where I came From 27 He run up the American flag. 1962 S. Strand Marketing Dict. 639 Run it up the flag pole, a Madison Avenue jargon for trying out any idea. Full expression: ‘Let's run it up the flag pole and see who salutes it.’ 1964 Mrs L. B. Johnson White House Diary 21 May (1970) 143 They had already provided a flag pole and we ran up the flag while they all gave the Pledge of Allegiance. 1966 New Statesman 25 Mar. 409/2 The decision was made—in the admen's jargon that comes naturally to Tory strategists—to run it up the flagpole and see if anyone saluted. |
(f) To run (an aircraft engine) quickly while it is out of gear in order to warm it up. Also intr.
| 1938 W. O. Manning Flight Handbk. iii. 77 These [wheel brakes] are used..for holding the aeroplane while the engine is being ‘run up’. 1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 3 Oct. 26 Intermittently, the sound of engines running up over⁓comes the wind. 1958 ‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose i. 33 Billy Monkhouse had got the Auster out and was running it up outside the hangar. 1976 Farnborough 76 (Soc. Brit. Aerospace Companies) 11/1 Inboard engines ‘2’ and ‘3’ are run up first, then the outboards ‘1’ and ‘4’ follow. |
j. (a) To build or construct rapidly or hurriedly (and unsubstantially).
| 1687 Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., To run up..a Wall. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. II. 95 To run up any thing that is immediately necessary for any particular purpose. 1779 Swinburne Trav. Spain xliv. 412 Valladolid has the appearance of having been run up in a hurry to receive the court. 1820 Examiner 474/2 He ran them up a fine new opera-house. 1890 T. F. Tout Hist. Eng. fr. 1689 108 Many hideous and formless brick buildings were run up. |
| transf. 1815 Scott Guy M. (1862) 85 You have a genius for friendship, that is, for running up intimacies which you call such. 1821 Lamb Elia 1. My Relations, Nature never ran up in her haste a more restless piece of workmanship. 1965 New Statesman 19 Mar. 458/3 Were one to ask a computer to run up a composite 18th-century man, the result would be remarkably like Dr Burney. 1974 ‘J. Le Carré’ Tinker, Tailor ix. 68 In KL I had them run me up a British passport. |
(b) To add up (a column of figures, etc.) rapidly.
| 1830 Examiner 436/2 The worthy Member has characteristically amused himself with running up a calculation. 1854 H. Miller Sch. & Schm. (1858) 512, I never acquired the facility, in running up columns of summations, of the early-taught accountant. |
| transf. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. i. 4 The quick eye of the trader, well used to run up at a glance the points of a fine female article. |
(c) To sew quickly (and loosely). Now usu. to make (a garment, etc.) by sewing quickly or simply.
| 1859 Reade Love Me Little xiv. I. 47, I want you to run up a tear in my flounce. 1883 I. Banks Forbidden to Marry II. i. 9 To keep the raw apprentice for a whole year running up the seams of gown-skirts. 1977 Lancashire Life Nov. 74/1 The women keep it clean, scrubbing floors, washing curtains, running up new ones on the machine [etc.]. 1979 P. Driscoll Pangolin iii. 38 The tailors who ran up suits in twenty-four hours. |
k. To cut up (a tree) as sound wood.
| 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 116 The pine lies prostrate. Then comes the question, how far can it be ‘run up’ into the branches? A cut is made in it, and if the wood is not sound a lower cut is made. |
l. Printing. (See quot.)
| 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 117 Run up colour, to distribute ink and to prepare for printing. |
V. 82. In various collocations used attributively or as ns., as run and fell Needlework (see quot. 1968); also attrib.; run-and-read, given to hasty reading (see 1 e); run-flat a., applied to a kind of tyre on which a vehicle may run after a puncture has occurred; run-over, due to being run over by a vehicle; run-sheep(y)-run N. Amer. and Sc., a children's hiding game (see quot. 1909); run-the-hedge, a vagabond; runther(e)out (only in Sc. form rin-), a vagabond, roving person; also attrib.; run-through, applied to a particular stroke in billiards.
| 1882 Caufeild & Saward Dict. Needlework 428/1 *Run and fell..is a method sometimes adopted in lieu of Over-sewing, and employed in making seams, either in underlinen, or in the skirts and sleeves of dresses. 1961 M. Spark Prime of Miss Jean Brodie iii. 69 In the worst cases they unstitched what had been done and did it again, saying ‘This'll not do’, or ‘That's never a run and fell seam’. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 99 Run-and-fell, a seam similar to a flat-fell but only one row of machining shows. The two edges are seamed together, one is trimmed close to stitching and the other turned under and then laid flat against the main part of garment and machined. 1976 P. Clabburn Needleworker's Dict. 230 Run and fell seam,..type of seam worked on fairly light fabrics, commonly used for children's garments and undergarments, but now often superseded by other varieties. |
| 1890 Pall Mall G. 24 June 2/3 The ordinary *run-and-read public. 1895 J. Hollingshead My Lifetime I. 142 In the hands of every run-and-read book-buyer. |
| 1946 R. Storrs Dunlop in War & Peace xi. 61 As the name *Run Flat (Bullet-proof) Tyre suggests, a bullet may penetrate this tyre, but there is no immediate deflation. 1958 A. G. Donnithorne Brit. Rubber Manuf. iv. 39 New kinds of tyres were produced to meet service demands in the two World Wars, such, for example, as Dunlop's ‘run-flat’ tyre. 1973 Guardian 30 May 9/3 The Dunlop Denovo ‘run-flat’ tyre, designed to end the dangers of punctures at high speed, and to enable the motorist to continue his journey without changing the wheel, will be available in October. |
| 1899 Cheyne & Burghard Man. Surg. Treat. i. ix. 189 Contused wounds are caused by crushes, *run-over accidents, bites, gun-shot injuries, and the like. |
| 1905 Dialect Notes III. 93 *Run, sheep, run,..a kind of hide and seek in which the participants hide together. 1909 J. H. Bancroft Games 6 The author found a good example of folklore-in-the-making in the game usually known as ‘Run, Sheep, Run!’ in which a band of hidden players seek the goal under the guidance of signals shouted by a leader. 1949 M. Mead Male & Female 456, I set myself to study changing patterns of run, sheepy, run or prisoner's base. 1962 W. Stegner Wolf Willow i. i. 15 The open field beside Down's where we used to play run-sheep-run in the evenings. 1968 Sc. Nat. Dict. VII. 447/1 Rin-sheep-rin. 1969 I. & P. Opie Children's Games iv. 173 ‘Run, Sheepie, Run’ (Cumnock [in Scotland]). 1975 Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 4 May 2/1 It seems to me I played run-sheep-run there. |
| 1882 Stevenson New Arab. Nts. (1884) 108 Perhaps you think I don't know a gentleman when I see one, from a common *run-the-hedge like you? |
| 1814 Scott Wav. lviii, The ne'er be in me, sir, if I think you're safe amang thae Highland *rinthereouts. 1818 ― Hrt. Midl. v, Ye little rinthere-out deil that ye are. 1863 H. Kingsley Austin Elliott I. 193 The daft rintherout callant. |
| 1873 Bennett & Cavendish Billiards 231 A winning hazard or possibly a *run-through stroke will be left for the adversary. |
▪ V. run, ppl. a.
(rʌn)
[f. run v.]
I. 1. Of liquor: That has run out or leaked.
| 1669–70 Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 306 Also the clauses subsequent of abatement to the merchant for leakage, run, and decayed wines. |
2. Naut. That has deserted. run man, a deserter. Hence run-money (see quot. 1867).
| 1702 Lond. Gaz. No. 3874/4 Otherwise they will either be made Run, or stay for the Recals of the said Ships, before they receive their Wages. 1758 J. Blake Plan Mar. Syst. 45 It is proposed that every deserter from a merchant ship be marked Run upon the muster-roll. 1823 Crabb Technol. Dict., Run-man (Mar.), a runaway or deserter from a ship of war. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 660 If a man be absent from his duty without leave, but not absent long enough to be logged as run. Ibid. 586 Run-money, the money paid for apprehending a deserter, and charged against his wages. |
3. Sc. Thorough-going, complete.
| 1786 Burns Twa Dogs 222 But hear their absent thoughts o' ither They're a' run deils an' jads thegither. |
4. Of a fish: That has made a migration up a freshwater stream from the sea (also dial. from a stream to the sea).
| 1828 Davy Salmonia (1840) 50 Salmo fario, which in colour and appearance is like a fresh run salmon. 1863 [see fresh adv. 2]. 1881 Daily Telegr. 17 Oct., It was..impossible to tell the cutlets or..‘head and shoulders’ thus obtained from [those of] the freshest and cleanest run fish. |
5. Sc. Of a knot: (see quot.).
| 1887 Jamieson's Scot. Dict. Suppl., A run-knot, a complete knot, one that is tightly drawn. |
6. Hort. (See quot. 1852.)
| 1851 Beck's Florist 75 In some summers the complaint of an unusual number of run flowers will be pretty general in a particular district. 1852 G. W. Johnson Cottage Gard. Dict. 794/1 When the dark colouring of a carnation, or other flower, becomes confused or clouded with its lighter ground colour, they say it is a run flower. |
7. a. Mining. (See quots.)
| 1730 Dale Taylor's Hist. Harwich & Dovercourt 454 Whence the Miners call them Run-Lime-Stone; they supposing these Figures to be produced by a more than ordinary Heat. 1789 J. Williams Min. Kingd. I. 246 One variety of this coal [stone or splent coal] is by Scots colliers very properly called run splent. 1864 W. W. Smyth Cat. Min. Coll. 11 (E.D.D.), Copper pyrites, botryoidal (‘run’ or ‘blister ore’ of the miners). 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining 208 Run Coal, soft bituminous coal. |
b. dial. Of milk: Coagulated, clotted.
Cf. ‘Viscum, ᵹerunnen blod’ in ælfric's Gloss.
| 1866 T. Edmonston Shetl. & Orkney Gloss., Run-milk, milk coagulated by the heat of the weather. 1888 Edmondston & Saxby Home Naturalist 100 Delicate people who dare not for their lives drink a cupful of sweet cream, can devour that quantity of ‘run’ cream with impunity. |
II. 8. Of goods: Illicitly landed or imported; smuggled.
| 1714 French Book of Rates 123 All the said Silk Stockings and Stirrups which..shall by them be exposed to Sale, not having the said Mark, shall be reputed as run and concealed. 1754 J. Shebbeare Matrimony (1766) I. 227 Buying great quantities of run Claret and Coniac Brandy whenever he could. 1837 Lockhart Scott I. vii. 199 In quest of a supply of run brandy from the Solway Frith. 1853 Hawker Prose Wks. (1893) 126 It was a very guilty practice in the authorities to demand taxes for what he called run goods. |
| transf. 1854 Pereira's Polarized Light (ed. 2) 151 The reason why run glass (that is, glass made without paying the duty) is very apt to crack. |
9. a. Poured in or out in a melted state; caused to flow out. run butter: see butter n.1 1 d.
| 1774 T. Pennant Tour in Scotl. (ed. 3) 287 Some of the walls, all of run lime, do as yet remain. 1806 Forsyth Beauties Scotl. IV. 430 A wall..cemented with lime after the manner of what is commonly called run⁓lime. 1866 Brande & Cox Dict. Sci., etc. II. 135/1 Pure white honeycomb, free from bee-bread or brood, and worth from four to five times the value of ordinary run honey, obtained on the single hive system. 1885 W. L. Carpenter Soap & Candles 188 This kind, technically known as ‘run soap’, was at one time largely made in America. |
b. run metal, run steel, a form of cast iron.
| 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 39 Run, or virgin steel.., in the proper sense of the term, is no steel at all, but rather good cast metal. 1851–4 Tomlinson's Cycl. Useful Arts (1867) I. 483/2 The best description of iron scissors are falsely named run or virgin steel. 1887 Jamieson's Scot. Dict. Suppl., Run-metal, cast-iron: metal that has been run into a mould, as opposed to that which has been forged. |
10. Of a race, etc.: That has been run or raced. Usually with prefixed adverb.
| 1822 T. Creevey in Creevey Papers (1903) I. x. 236, I met..the Duke [of Wellington]... ‘It has been a damned serious business,’ he said... ‘It has been a damned nice thing—the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.’ 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Rur. Sports 337/2 Nothing differs more from a true-run race than the ordinary careful gallop used in training. 1863 Trevelyan Compet. Wallah (1866) 180 The scars which testify to their prowess on more than one hard-run day of battle. |
11. Hunted, chased. Also, exhausted by running; worn out.
| 1876 Coursing Calendar 147 Troapham proved herself a rare stayer, for she was fearfully run in her first course. 1892 Field 2 Apr. 472 They left their run fox for dead beat. 1917 G. Bell Let. 13 Jan. (1927) I. xv. 393, I wonder you have time to write me such splendid long letters! You really must not do it when you feel dreadfully run. |
12. a. Carried on, continuous; running.
| 1811 Agric. Surv. Aberdeen (Jam.), 129 Strong spars, called run joists, were laid along side of the roof. 1833 Loudon Encycl. Archit. §1103 The back posts of the trivesses to be..mortised into a run-tree (a rail fixed along the tie-joists) at top. Ibid. §1214 The mangers..to have a run-beam (front rail) rounded on the top,..fixed along the top of the racks. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 219 Plain cornices, runbeads, and arises, 12-inch girth and under. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. II. 366/2 The measurements..are taken by the lineal inch, foot, or yard, and are then said to be ‘run’. |
b. run line: (see quots.). Sc.
| 1873 Mackelvie Ann. & Stat. U.P. Church 16 ‘The run⁓line,’ as it was popularly called, (that is, singing continuously, instead of singing and reading alternately) was then introduced. 1888 Barrie Auld Licht Idylls iii, The old, reverent custom in the kirk was for the precentor to read out the psalm a line at a time... Where run line holds, however, the psalm is read out first, and forthwith sung. |
13. a. run lace: (see quots.).
| 1865 F. B. Palliser Hist. Lace xxxvi. 424 To France must be assigned the application of the Jacquard system to the net-frame, and consequently the invention of machinery lace. Shawls and large pieces in ‘run lace’, as it is termed, had previously been made after this manner. 1882 Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlewk. 428/2 Run Lace. During the eighteenth century this description of lace was made in Northamptonshire... The lace ground..was made upon the Pillow, and the design embroidered or run upon it afterwards with the needle. 1883 Standard 26 June 3/3 The well-known Limerick production is of four kinds: Tambour, the simplest and commonest; ‘Run,’ finer and lighter, the pattern formed in the net with a finer thread, not drawn in with the tambour, but run in with a point needle. |
b. run stitch, a running stitch. Also as v.
| 1880 Plain Hints Needlework 23 The run-stitch should be placed under the tuck or fold. Ibid., Where the material has been joined by run-stitching the breadths. Ibid. 107 Run-stitch..is the only term which can with any propriety be used for the actual stitch as used in plain-work. |
14. With adverbs, as run-after, sought after; popular; run-in, inserted; run-off = sense 6; run-on, continued into the next line, couplet, etc.; run-out, exhausted; run-over, (a) of (the heels of) shoes: worn down on one side; (b) = run-on.
| 1810 Crabbe Borough viii. 102 This is no shaded, run-off, pin-eyed thing, A king of flowers. 1877 Dowden Shaks. Primer vi. 82 The proportion of the run-on lines in Lucrece is 1 in 10·81. 1878 Trans. Illinois Dept. Agric. XIV. 144 The long, lank hog of the old, run-out breed has given place to the improved Poland China. 1880 Rep. Vermont Board Agric. VI. 28 The first condition of fertility we have, even in these run-out pastures. 1882 G. M. Hopkins Lett. to R. Bridges (1955) 158 The question of what they call run-on lines and the rhymes or other final words belonging is difficult. 1893 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Dec. 801 A field of run-out inferior pasture. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 110 These garments have a band that consists of a run-in string. 1906 ‘O. Henry’ in N.Y. World Mag. 8 July 8/1 ‘Smoky’ was dressed in..run-over shoes, and trousers of the ‘serviceable’ brand. 1908 R. W. Chambers Firing Line vi. 75 I've heard that you are the most assiduously run-after girl at Palm Beach. 1919 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Mar. 89/4 ‘Why do my heels run-over?’ Run-over shoe heels are more than unsightly. They are warning of incipient foot trouble. They are usually due to a weakness of the foot structure which permits the foot to ‘give’ outwardly or inwardly in walking. 1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Jan. 43/2 His rules about mid-verse pause and run-over lines. 1946 B. MacDonald Egg & I xvi. 175 Reddish cotton stockings, run-over shoes. 1955 Ess. & Stud. VIII. 61 The madcap movement of the run-on lines perfectly parallels the hither-thithering of the trapped mind. 1965 R. E. Longacre in Language XLI. 74 Such imbedding of sentence within a phrase has special phonological characteristics (level, run-on intonation, and lack of pause before termination of the imbedding phrase). 1978 J. A. Michener Chesapeake 667 He wore run-over shoes, baggy trousers, torn shirt and smashed hat, items which he rarely changed. 1979 Dictionaries I. 15 The question arises of whether run-on entries will be defined or not. |