take-
the verb-stem in combinations and phrases used as ns. or adjs. (mostly nonce-wds.): take-all, a disease of wheat and other cereals caused by the fungus Ophiobolus graminis, which produces a foot rot, yellowing of the plants, and stunted growth; take-apart a., capable of being taken to pieces and reassembled; take-charge a. colloq. (orig. and chiefly N. Amer.), pertaining to or characterized by leadership or authority; cf. take-hold adj. below; take-down, (a) an act of taking down (in quot. in sense 82 b (d)); (b) (a rifle with) the capacity to have the barrel and magazine detached from the stock; usu. attrib. or as adj.; (c) Austral. slang, a deceiver, cheat, or thief; take-downable a., capable of being taken down; take-for-granted a., that takes something for granted, involving unproved assumptions; † take-heed, the action of taking heed, caution; a warning to take heed, a caution; take-hold a. (U.S. colloq.) = take-charge adj. above; take-home a. (orig. U.S.), that may be taken away home; esp. as take-home pay, that portion of a person's earnings which is left after deductions of tax, insurance, etc.; take-it-easy a., that takes things easily, easy-going; adapted for making oneself at ease, comfortable; take-it-or-leave-it a., allowing acceptance or rejection; showing indifference; also as n. in various senses (cf. take it or leave it s.v. take v. 39 a); take-leave, a. of or pertaining to taking leave, parting, ‘farewell’; n. an act of taking leave, leave-taking; take-on, a state of ‘taking on’ (take v. 86 j) or mental agitation, a ‘taking’; take-with a. (U.S. colloq.), that may be taken along with one; spec. (see quot. 1941); also applied to prices; cf. cash and carry s.v. cash n.1 2 g. See also take-in, take-off, take-up.
| 1880 Silver's Handbk. Australia 72 That terrible foe to wheat known as the *take-all in South Australia, has spread beyond the Adelaide plains. 1912 Bull. Misc. Inf. R. Bot. Gardens Kew 436 In the condition known as ‘Take-all’, the plants are attacked seriously at an early stage of growth and become yellow, and often die before the stem is formed. 1950 H. J. Massingham Curious Traveller viii. 150 The weather..has certainly nursed the spread of take-all. 1978 Times 7 Aug. 3/2 ‘Take-all’..can make a wheat plant yield a stunted and useless ear. |
| 1966 J. S. Cox Illustr. Dict. Hairdressing & Wigmaking 147/1 *Take-apart wig. 1979 Nature 5 July p. viii/3 Equipment is housed in a practical, take-apart cabinet that provides a support surface and slip-fit vacuum connection for various manifold arrangements. |
| 1954 Sun (Baltimore) 1 Apr. 20/4 [The team] lacks a *take-charge guy... Neither..players..have those take-charge qualities. 1965 Economist 23 Jan. 339/1 Mr Wilson and Mr George Brown, the two take-charge men. 1970 [see pivot n. 3 c]. 1976 M. Machlin Pipeline xlii. 456 Usually that take-charge tone of voice would send the adrenalin racing through Larry's system, setting up deep currents of psychological resistance. |
| 1893 Westm. Gaz. 12 June 6/3 In the second division [of Cambridge boat-races] as many as six *take-downs were effected, First Trinity III going sandwich boat instead of Christ's [etc.]. 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 578/2 All rifles of this model can be furnished with pistol grip, with take down and all other extras. ibid. 579/2 No other lengths made in Take Down style. 1901 Kynoch Jrnl. Aug.–Sept. 136/1 This is not a ‘take-down’..but the barrel is detachable in the true sense of the word. 1905 A. M. Binstead Mop Fair vii. 144 There are more takedowns at this game of racing than are suspected. 1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands xi. 143 Well, iv she ain't a fair take-down! 1920 G. Burrard Notes Sporting Rifles 15 A rifle on this principle cannot be cleaned from the breech unless it is a take-down model. 1926 J. Doone Timely Tips for New Australians 19 Take⁓down, a slang word for thief. A cheat. 1934 Bulletin (Sydney) 31 Jan. 42/2, I could learn something from a cool-headed young take-down like you. 1971 L. Koppett N.Y. Times Guide Spectator Sports xix. 240 A ‘takedown’ gives 2 points to the wrestler who puts the other down. 1976 Shooting Times & Country Mag. 16–22 Dec. 7/2 (Advt.), Beautiful supple quality leather take down style gun cover... Barrels and action in separate compartments inside. 1977 Rolling Stone 24 Mar. 67 It survives the knocks and rough handling of countless loadings, unloadings, road bumps, set-ups, and take-downs. |
| 1815 Lamb Let. to Southey 6 May, It will be a *take-downable book on my shelf. |
| 1833 Coleridge Lett., to T. H. Green (1895) 767, I feel a *take-for-granted faith in the dips and pointings of the needle. 1853 Lynch Self-Improv. ii. 26 You must talk of many things in a take-for-granted style in order to talk at all to the purpose. |
| 1611 Cotgr., Mesgarde,..carelesnesse, lacke of good-*take-heed. 1622 Fletcher & Massinger Span. Curate iv. v, I know ye want good diets,..And, in your pleasures, good take-heed. 1648 Ward (title) Mercurius Anti-Mechanicus, or the Simple Coblers Boy, with his Lap-full of Caveats (or Take-heeds). |
| 1973 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 2 Aug. 16/3 (Advt.), Top salary, benefits for *take-hold person with excellent skills, initiative. 1977 I. Shaw Beggarman, Thief i. ii. 21 Your brother Rudy is one hell of a man. A take-hold guy. |
| 1943 Sun (Baltimore) 4 Dec. 12/1 (heading) Steel workers ‘*take home’ pay rises 55%. 1951 Manch. Guardian Weekly 8 Feb. 15/4 It used to be that trainmen were classed first or second in take-home pay. 1968 J. D. Watson Double Helix xvi. 111 Though the theoretical basis for many of their conclusions was shaky, the take-home lesson was obvious. 1973 Times 15 Mar. 23/6 Licenses should be granted to ‘any retailer whose character and premises satisfy certain minimum standards, at least as far as the take-home trade is concerned. Ibid. 23/7 Take-home beer sales. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 28 Aug. 6/3 A total of 823 cadets took the take-home exam.., and many cadets, their attorneys, and others suspect that as many as half the class collaborated. 1977 R.A.F. News 11–24 May 1/3 Between {pstlg}1.68 and {pstlg}5.29 a week is added to the take-home pay of married men with two children. |
| 1872 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 500/2 The good-humoured *take-it-easy South-Sea Island nature. 1897 Westm. Gaz. 24 June 4/2 The walls and roofs of this take-it-easy room were draped with broad stripes of scarlet and white bunting. |
| 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 251, I affected an easy *take-it-or-leave-it-manner, and looked on. 1902 Monthly Rev. Aug. 155 England..sets out her exhibits with a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ air, with a disregard of their possibilities which seems almost wilful. 1933 Wodehouse Heavy Weather xvi. 280 The gallant nonchalance of that take-it-or-leave-it of his..had sent Lord Tilbury scrambling for his cheque-book. 1940 C. Morgan Voyage iii. v. 267 [He] was a little distinguished among Thérèse's..adorers..by..his attitude of take-it-or-leave-it even towards Thérèse herself. 1942 ‘G. Orwell’ War-Time Diary in Coll. Essays (1968) II. 415, I believe, however, that in spite of the ‘take it or leave it’ with which our government started off, the terms will actually be modified. 1972 Adoremus Jan. 19 Devotion to her..is more than a matter of personal taste, a take-it-or-leave-it of the Christian religion. |
| 1799 Mrs. J. West Tale of Times II. 93 In his *take-leave visit he made some further discoveries. c 1815 Jane Austen Persuasion v, Going to almost every house in the parish, as a sort of take-leave. 1837 Lett. fr. Madras (1843) 81, I was prevented from finishing this..by take-leave visits, &c. |
| 1893 Cornh. Mag. June 566 The governor is in a dreadful *take on about you. 1894 Baring-Gould Kitty Alone III. 142 Zerah's..in a fine take-on. |
| 1930 Godley & Kaylin Control Retail Store Operation xviii. 214 For a ‘cash-*take-with’ register transaction, no salescheck is used. 1941 Duncan & Phillips Retailing Princ. & Methods xx. 720 Sometimes the terms ‘take transaction’ or ‘take-with’ are used to identify those sales in which merchandise is given to the customer at the close of the sale rather than having the goods delivered by the store. 1970 Redbook Jan. 97/2 Another feature..of the..Diet is take-with lunches for the working woman... For five days of each week's menu there are lunches that can be eaten at home or packed to take along to work. 1977 Chicago Tribune 2 Oct. ix. b (Advt. Suppl.) 2/2 Chain saws are take-with priced. |
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take-no-prisoners adj. colloq. ruthless, aggressive, uncompromising;
cf. prisoner n.2 Phrases 1b(b).
| 1974 Nevada State Jrnl. 1 Dec. (Family Weekly section) 14/2, I have never been a ‘*take-no-prisoners’ type of guy. 1998 Boards May 43/1 Unless you are absolutely certain that a full-on, take-no-prisoners racing machine is what you want..then look elsewhere. 2004 Washington Post (Home ed.) 23 Mar. a1/1 Dick certainly did infuriate a lot of his interagency colleagues with his take-no-prisoners style. |