▪ I. some, indef. pron., a.1, adv., and n.1
(sʌm)
Forms: 1–6, 9 dial. sum (9 dial. zum), 3–4 summ, 4–5, 6 Sc. sume, summe; 4 soumme, 5 soume, 5 (9 dial.) soom; 3–5, 7, 9 dial. som (4 zom, 7 dial. z'om), 5 somm, somp; 3–6 somme, 3– some (4, 9 dial. zome).
[Common Teut.: OE. sum, = OFris. sum (NFris. som), MDu. som, zom (WFlem. som, zom), OS. sum (MLG. sum, som), OHG. and MHG. sum (G. dial. sum, som, söm), ON. sumr (Icel. sumur, Norw. sum; MSw. sum, som, Sw. somt neut., Da. somme pl.), Goth. sums; the stem is also found in Gr. ἁµο- (as ἁµόθεν from some place) and Skr. sama any, every. The word has had greater currency in English than in the other Teutonic languages, in some of which it is now restricted to dialect use, or represented only by derivatives or compounds, as WFris. sommige, somlike, Du. sommige (also somtiids, somwijlen sometimes), LG. sömige (G. dial. summige).]
A. indef. pron.
For all and some, whole and some, see all a. 12, whole a.
I. In singular uses.
1. † a. One or other of a number of persons; someone, somebody. In later use also in phr. some or other. Obs.
| (a) Beowulf 1432 Sumne Geata leod of flanboᵹan feores ᵹetwæfde. a 1000 Riddles xv. 15 (Gr.), Þonne ic winde sceal sincfaᵹ swelᵹan of sumes bosme. a 1225 Ancr. R. 70 Summes kurteisie is noðeleas iturnd hire to vuele. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 131 In þis place sum is Þat wolde telle þe kinge fore, and maken him mi fo. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop v. x, Whan somme good cometh to somme, it ought not to be reffused. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxiii. (Percy Soc.) 107 Upon one hande some hath thombes twayne; And other also somtyme armes thre. c 1581 Lodge Reply Gosson's Sch. Abuse (Shaks. Soc.) 23, I feare me some will blushe that readeth this, if he be bitten. 1729 G. Adams tr. Sophocl., Antig. iii. i. II. 39 Therefore..despise he [Antigone], and suffer the Girl to marry some among the Dead. |
| (b) 1631 Heylin Hist. St. George 113, I wonder some or other hath not resolu'd the doubt. 1664 D. Fleming in Extr. St. Papers rel. Friends (1912) iii. 213, I am halfe of opinion, that some or other hath abused him in this Letter. 1682 Bunyan Holy War (1905) 208 Word, by some or other, could not but be carried to the good King Shaddai. |
† b. Const. of (or gen. pl.). Also of things. Obs.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xviii. §2 He cyðde on sumre his boca ðætte þa ᵹet Romana nama ne come ofer þa muntas. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 25 Þa com his feonda sum & ofer-seow hit mid coccele. Ibid. Mark viii. 28 Sume [secgað] summe of þam witeᵹum. c 1100 Twelfth Cent. Hom. 134 Ᵹif nu eower sum,..smeað hwæt god beo. 1340 Ayenb. 15 Vor onneaþe yualþ þet me ne ualþ in-to þe þrote of zome of þe zeue heauedes. 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 46 The Cutteries..have six and thirty Casts among themselves, from some of which none of them but is descended. 1656 Sanderson Serm. (1689) 405 All such sins being easily reducible to some of the former three. |
c. In the phr. some of these (..) days, some day soon; before very long.
| 1831 in Knapp Life G. Borrow (1899) I. 142 Young Simpson will be wanting an able assistant some of these days. 1848 Newman Loss & Gain i. xiv, ‘We shall have you a papist some of these fine days,’ said he. 1851 Borrow Lavengro lxxiii, I should not be surprised if he were to come back some of these days. |
† 2. some{ddd}, some, one{ddd}, another. (Cf. 7.)
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiii. §2 Þonne lufað sum ðæt, sum elles hwæt. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxv. 15 He sealde..sumum twa [pund], sumum an. a 1225 Ancr. R. 6 Vor sum is strong, sum is unstrong. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 834 Sum was king, and sum kumeling. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 2173 He mot ben deed,..Som in his bed, som in the depe see. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 14 For som schal singe and som schal syke. |
† 3. With ordinal numbers: One of (or with) a specified number. Obs.
For the use of the ordinal cf. G. selbdritte, -vierte, etc. In OE. the gen. plur. of the cardinal was employed, as syxa, eahta, twelfa sum: for the later history of this see -some2.
| a 1225 Juliana 79 And te sea sencte him on his þrituðe sum ant þer to ȝet fowre. 13.. Sir Beues 203 Him self was boute þe ferþe some Toward þat ferd. c 1320 Sir Tristrem 817 He busked and made him ȝare Hi[m] fiftend som of kniȝt. c 1425 [see thirdsome]. |
4. a. A certain indeterminate part of something; a portion. († In early use freq. following a noun or pronoun, or predicative.) Also some{ddd}, some.
| c 900 O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 877, Þa..ᵹefor se here on Miercna lond, & hit ᵹedældon sum, & sum Ceolwulfe saldon. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke viii. 5 Þa he þæt seow, sum feoll wið þæne weᵹ..And sum feoll ofer þæne stan. c 1275 Prov. Hendyng 98 Ȝef thou hauest bred & ale,..Þou del hit sum aboute. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 98 He hadde þer to Scropssire som & aluendel of warewik ssire. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 151 Amazonia..is som in Asia, and som in Europa. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 484/1 Sum, or sumwhat, or a part of a nowmyr or a noþer thynge. 1572 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 162 Sum in Bowltes and sum by lb. 1588 Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 245 Some was roste, some was backt. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, Epil., Bate me some, and I will pay you some. 1611 Bible Luke viii. 6 And some fell vpon a rocke, and..it withered away. 1796 C. Marshall Gardening xix. (1813) 371 As it is a small flower, pot some. |
b. Const. of (the thing specified).
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 133 Sum of þe sede feol an uppe þe stane. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 101 Som of gloucestressire & of warewikssire al so. 1560 Bible (Geneva) Lev. iv. 7 The Priest also shal put some of the blood..vpon the hornes of y⊇ altar. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iv. iii. 96 Some of my shame, if you will know of me What man I am. 1639 J. Smyth in Glouc. Gloss. (1890) 200 Ga'as zo'm of thuck bread. 1694 Congreve Double Dealer v. v, Snuff some of my spirit of hartshorn. 1834–6 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 762/1 In the act of drying, some of the lac is generally brought to the surface. 1872 Morley Voltaire (1886) 6 Some of it, much of it, has ceased to be alive for us now. |
† c. (by) some and some, by little and little; by degrees; gradually. Obs. (Cf. 8 b.)
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xi. i. (Tollem. MS.), Vapoures, þat beþ gaderid sum and sum in þe erþe. Ibid. xvii. cxliii. (Bodl. MS.), Whan þe weþye is swiþe olde, þan he faileþ & roteþ somme and somme. 1602 J. Rhodes Answ. Romish Rhyme 8 Your doctrine.., which did creepe Into the Church, by some and some. |
† d. some and some, something in return for something. Obs.
| 1573 Gascoigne Herbes Wks. 1907 I. 353 Recompence the lyke agayne: For some and some is honest playe. 1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus T j, Thinke some and some is honest play. |
e. to get some: to have sexual intercourse; to succeed in finding a sexual partner. U.S. slang.
| 1889 W. H. Herndon Let. 5 Jan. in E. Hertz Hidden Lincoln (1940) 233 Speed about 1839–40 was keeping a pretty woman in this city, and Lincoln, desirous to have a little, said to Speed: ‘Speed, do you know where I can get some?’ 1971 E. E. Landy Underground Dict. 88 Get some.., obtain sexual intercourse with someone. 1978 J. Krantz Scruples vi. 173 Since his last visit she was getting some, somewhere, he'd bet his life on it. |
f. and then some: and (plenty) more in addition. colloq. (chiefly U.S.).
| 1908 ‘Yeslah’ Tenderfoot in Southern California ii. 22 It rains in sheets, in blankets, and in comforters, and then some. 1914 D. O. Barnett Lett. (1915) 19, I picked them out with those glasses, and let them have it, and then some! 1931 T. E. Lawrence Let. 10 June (1938) 724 It..will be 12 guineas and then some! 1958 J. Cannan And be Villain i. 24, I waited till the train had gone out and then some. 1976 D. Clark Dread & Water ii. 51 People have got to talk... Tell us everything they know and then some. |
II. In plural senses.
5. a. An indefinite or unspecified (but not large) number of persons (or animals); certain persons not named or enumerated. Also some or other.
| Beowulf 400 Sume þær bidon, heaðoreaf heoldon. c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xi. §1 Sume beoð swiðe æþele & widcuðe on heora ᵹebyrdum. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. John vii. 44 Sumo..uilnadon ᵹegrioppa hine. 1154 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1137, Sume hi diden in crucethus. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him..and summe mid ufele þeonke. c 1205 Lay. 27376 Heo sculleð beon islaȝene and summe quic iulaȝene. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1648 Summe of þe scheules makeþ. a 1300 Cursor M. 14739 Amang þir men..War sume þat duues boght and sald. 1375 Barbour Bruce vi. 440 Thai ourtuk sum at the last, And thame forout mercy can sla. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 283 Summe hem kepe Thre nyght in molten donge. 1450 Paston Lett. I. 125 Soom sey he wrotte moche [thing]. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Sept. 152 Neuer was Woolfe seene, many nor some. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 117 Some there be that think how it was first founded by Amphitus. 1675 H. More in R. Ward Life (1710) 361, I do not wonder that some or other are now and then so strangely assaulted. 1747 H. Glasse Cookery ix. 88 Some love scalded Gooseberries with them. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i, Some, my son, Would bid thee trust in time. 1842 Loudon Suburban Hort. 121 It feeds on worms..and according to some, on roots. 1878 T. Hardy Ret. Native i. iii. (1890) 21, I shouldn't have cared about the man, though some may say he's good-looking. |
b. Similarly of things.
| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 4 And þa he seow, sume ᵹefeollun bi wæᵹe & cuomun fuᵹlas heofun & frætun. a 1225 Ancr. R. 28 Uor þe ten hesten þet ich ibroken habbe, summe oðer alle. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xiii. 4 And the while he soweth, sum felden byside the weye. a 1400–50 Alexander 568 It..raynes doune stanys,..And some as hoge as þi hede fra þe heuyn fallis. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. xiv. 371 And so forth of manye othere staryng gouernauncis, semyng summe wijlde woode. 1547 Boorde Brev. Health Pref., Many obscure termes,..some & fewe beynge Araby wordes. 1588 Lambarde Eirenarcha iv. xix. 595 There be also certain matters..appropriated, some to any, and others to some one, of the generall Sessions. 1607 Sir J. Harington in Nugæ Ant. (1804) I. 47 Manie bowlts were roved after him, and some spitefullie feather'd. |
† c. With pronoun or n. in apposition. (Cf. B. 7 b.) Obs.
| c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. iv. vii[i]. 282 Þa sumu [v.r. sume] woe nu ᵹemdon ᵹeþeodan in þis user ciriclice stær. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John vi. 64 Ac sume ᵹe ne ᵹelyfað. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1101, Se cyng syððan scipa ut on sæ sende.., ac hi sume æft æt þære neode abruðon. c 1275 Passion Our Lord 43 in O.E. Misc. 38 Summe hi weren wyse, and duden al bi his rede. 1597 Shakes. Lover's Compl. 148 Yet did I not, as some my equals did, Demaund of him. 1606 ― Tr. & Cr. iv. v. 190 (Q.1), That I haue said to some my standers by. |
d. In possessive form. Now rare.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Capio, Sommes consciences beganne to pricke them. 1597 Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 44 Somes lot it was to be torn in pieces. 1653 G. Webbe Pract. Quiet. 253 Nor may I condemn all..for somes unquietness. 1675 E. Wilson Spadacr. Dunelm. 67, I fear I have spoken ænigmatically..to somes understanding. 1823 Byron Juan xiii. xxx, Howsoe'er it shocks some's Self-love, there's safety in a crowd of coxcombs. |
6. With of (persons or things).
| c 875 in O.E. Texts 178 Ðæt he spræc to his liornæra sumum. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxviii. 11 Summe of ðæm haldendum cwomun in ða ceastra. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 43 Summe of þan monne sare wepeð. c 1200 Ormin 6574 Sume off ure little flocc Þatt lefeþþ uppo Criste. c 1275 Lay. 12001 Somme of þaie sipes wonde mid þan wedere. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 9997 Lo here a tale for of ȝou sum. c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. 193 Somme of hem synke in to the ground. c 1449 Pecock Repr. ii. viii. 185 God wrouȝte tho myraclis in summe of tho placis more and ofter than in othere placis like. 1470–85 Malory Arthur viii. xxxiii. 323 Somme of them were sore hurte. 1537 Thersytes 99 in Pollard Mir. Plays (1890) 129 Some of the giauntes before Noes floud. 1588 Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 267 A youth who..doth seme to write and mannedge some of their affaires. 1611 Bible Rom. xi. 17 If some of the branches bee broken off. 1664 Pepys Diary 19 Mar., I spent the afternoon in paying some of the charges of the burial. 1748 Hartley Observ. Man i. i. 63 Some or other of those vibrations which are excited in it. 1779 Mirror No. 31, Some of our most celebrated historians have committed errors of the first sort. 1823 Scott Quentin D. xxxiii, Bring that rascal forward, some of you. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvi. III. 715 Some of those who opposed the bill. 1891 E. Roper By Track & Trail xv. 217 Higher up..there are some of the most sublime scenes I have looked on anywhere. |
7. a. some{ddd}, some, = Some{ddd}, others. (Cf. 2.) † Formerly also in some{ddd}than some, some and some.
| (a) c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiii. §5 Sume beorhtor sume unbyrhtor, swa swa steorran. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark xii. 5 Sume hi beoton, sume hi of-sloᵹon. 1154 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1140, Sume helden mid te king & sume mid þemperice. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 101 Sume sitteð and sume ligeð and sume we stondeð. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 37 Summe þurh muchele ȝeouen.., summe þurh fearlac. 13.. K. Alis. 2517 (W.), To divers castles he heom sent:..Some to Libye, some to Rome. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 948 Of summe þay smyte of legges & armes, & of sum þe heuedes þay gerde. a 1400–50 Alexander 1330 All at he slayn fyndez, He makes to grave, some in grete, some in gray marbyll. c 1450 Holland Howlat 64 Sum will me dulfully dicht, Sum dyng me to deid. 1523 Skelton Garl. Laurel 250 Some whispred, some rownyd, some spake, and some cryde. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 8 Some [fled] into Norway, and some into Denmarke, and some into one Countrie, and some into another. 1611 Bible Psalms xx. 7 Some trust in charets, and some in horses. 1685 Temple Misc. ii. Gardens (1690) 11 Like Rover Shots, some nearer and some further off, but all at great Distance from the Mark. 1750 tr. Leonardus' Mirr. Stones 130 For some are gold, some silver, others copper, and others iron. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lex. 122 Some are annular, some are reticulated, some are dotted, and some akin to spirals. 1855 Kingsley Westw. Ho! xxv, Some ran; some did not run. |
| (b) c 1491 Chast. Goddes Chyld. ii. 7 Our lorde withdraweth him fro some more than fro some. 1526 Inv. Goods Dk. Richmond in Camden Misc. (1855) 19 Item, Counter⁓points of all sortes, some bygger than some. 1547 Bk. of Marchauntes c vj b, My marchants, of whome truely some be wilier than some. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xli, Some are wiser than some,..and some are worse than some. |
| (c) 1522 Skelton Why not to Court? 385 But there is some trauarse Bytwene some and some. |
b. So some{ddd}, others († other).
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark xii. 5 Sume ðurscun, oðero æc ofsloᵹon. 1382 Wyclif Mark xii. 5 Betynge summe, but sleynge othere. 1588 Kyd Househ. Phil. Wks. (1901) 262 Some are naturally borne to commande, and others to obey. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 189 Some have a smacke of Christ, others of Mahomet. 1696 in 13th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. VI. 41 By impowering some, and neglecting others. 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace, Art Poet. 491 Some Charm when nigh, Others at Distance more delight your Eye. 1852 C. M. Yonge Cameos (1877) III. iii. 21 The burghers hurried out, some with the straight cross of France, others with the saltire of Burgundy. |
† c. Also some{ddd}, other some. Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 52 For sum wald haiff þe Balleoll king;..And oþir sum nyt all þat cas. 1532 G. Hervet Xenophon's Treat. Househ. (1768) 74 For some haue gret plenty..and other some haue scantly so moche as they nede. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xvi. 50 b, Cesternes.., supported some by vaultes, and othersom by..pillars. 1611 [see other some]. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 141 Some place it in the circle of the Moone,..other some vnder the Circle of the Moone. 1700 S. L. tr. Frykes' Voy. E. Ind. 121 Some of 'em are far better than other some. |
† 8. a. some after some, = next. Obs.—1
| 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. iv. xvi. (1622) 115 Comming some after some, and dropping in by companies. |
b. some and some, a few at a time, gradually. Obs. (Cf. 4 c.)
| 1686 tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 63 He put my Goods aboard, some and some, as he saw his Opportunity. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 501 They came dropping in, some and some, not in two Bodies, and in Form.., but all in Heaps. 1769 G. White Selborne xxiii, Persons who assert that the swallow kind disappear some and some, gradually, as they come. |
B. adj.
I. With singular nouns. (See also 9 c.)
† 1. a. Of persons or places: A certain. Obs.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. i, Þa wæs sum consul,..Boetius wæs ᵹehaten. 971 Blickl. Hom. 15 Þa sæt þær sum blind þearfa be ðon weᵹe. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John xi. 1 Sum seoc man wæs ᵹenemned lazarus of bethania. 1382 Wyclif Luke i. 5 Ther was sum prest, Zacharie by name, in the dayes of Eroude. Ibid. xviii. 2–3 Sum iuge was in sum citee... Forsothe sum widowe was in that citee. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 87 Sum godlie man [sc. John Knox] was in the castell. |
† b. = one pron. 2 b. Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Acts xxv. 19 Thei hadden aȝens hym summe questiouns..of sum Jhesu deed, whom Poul affermyde for to lyue. 1760 T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. i. 86 A quo warranto had been brought by some Sir John Banks, attorney-general [etc.]. |
2. a. One or other; an undetermined or unspecified.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvii. §2 Þæt mon hehð ænne heafodbeaᵹ gyldenne æt sumes ærneweᵹes ende. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xxxi. 651 Martinus..wolde for sumere neode wið hine spræcan. c 1200 Ormin 228 Þeȝȝ wisstenn þatt himm wass þatt daȝȝ Summ unncuþ sihhþe shæwedd. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 811 Scheoteð forð sum word, & let us onswerien. c 1250 Owl & Night. 1265 Naueþ mon no sikerhede Þat he ne may..adrede Þat sum vnhap neih him beo. a 1300 Vox & Wolf 125 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 62 For he thoute, mid soumme ginne, Him self houp [= up] bringe. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 101 Þat hul is ful hiȝe, so þat snowe lyeth all wey in som side of þat hille. c 1470 Henry Wallace ii. 391 Thow Scot, abide, I trow thow be sum spy. 1528 Tindale Obed. Chr. Man 89 This worde..representeth allwaye some promise of God. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osorius 360 b, They rest their handes upon some staffe shaking and tremblyng. 1634 Milton Comus 485 Som neighbour Wood-man, or at worst, Som roaving Robber. 1663 S. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. (1687) 171, I believe you are desirous to have some list of these Enemies. 1725 Pope Odyss. viii. 180 Some mean sea-farer in pursuit of gain. 1780 Mirrour No. 94, Miss Sophia R. therefore keeps me right..or covers my deviations with some apology. 1825 Scott Talism. ii, They had even their knights, or some rank analogous. 1867 Trollope Chron. Barset I. xxi. 177, I am going to ask him to put his case into some lawyer's hands. 1876 ‘Ouida’ Winter City vi. 128 A triptych of some old fogey of a painter. |
b. In adverbial expressions of time and place, with or without a preposition.
See also sometime, -where, -while.
| (a) c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. 17 He sæde þæt he æt sumum cirre wolde fandian [etc.]. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 62 Þa becom se apostol æt sumum sæle to þære byriᵹ Pergamum. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Ðos feawe word seide ure drihten..at sume sele. a 1225 Ancr. R. 48 David..seide et sume time þat heo was etstert him. c 1250 Owl & Night. 293 At sum syþe herde i telle hw Alured seyde on his spelle. a 1300 Cursor M. 20981 He was sua stanid on sum dai, Vneths he bar lif a-way. 1382 Wyclif Heb. ii. 6 Sum man witnesside in sum place. a 1400–50 Alexander 204 Suppos⁓and þaim in sum tyme for sothe to be knawen. Ibid. (MS. D.) 755* He..stighillys hym in som stede a stable by hym one. 1616 B. Jonson Forest xiii, No lady, but at some time loves her glass. |
| (b) a 900 O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 896, Þa sume dæᵹe rad se cyng up be þære eæ. a 1300 Cursor M. 13185 Men mai yeitt se sum sted in france [etc.]. 13.. Seuyn Sag. (W.) 2936 Bot wele in hert he hoped ay That he sold hir se sum day. a 1425 Cursor M. 956 (Trin.), I hete to sende hit ȝou sum tide. 1550 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 88 He hopis sum day to see his sone [etc.]. 1822 Shelley Chas. 1st ii. 451 His Grace..expects to enter the New Jerusalem some Palm Sunday in triumph. 1845 Browning Home Thoughts 4 And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware [etc.]. 1865 Ruskin Sesame i. §13, I see it is true; or if I do not now, I hope I shall, some day. |
c. With the indefiniteness emphasized by the addition of or other (cf. other B. 5 a), or another.
| 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. ii. 95 By some deuise or other, The villaine is ore-wrought of all my monie. 1615 W. Bedwell Arab. Trudg. K iiij, How oft..shal you not meet with some exoticke and strange terme or other? 1697 Dryden Dedic. æneis a iij b, Yet all this while I have been Sailing with some side-wind or other toward the Point I propos'd in the beginning. 1736 Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 171, I received yours some day or other this week. a 1774 Goldsm. Surv. Exp. Philos. (1776) II. 14 Certain it is that air is impregnated with salts of some kind or another. 1845 Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 9 An impulse which will vent itself in some form or other. 1881 L. B. Walford Dick Netherby xii. 144 He must write some day or other. |
d. With adjs. used absolutely. rare.
| 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Mar. 74 [I] Might see the mouing of some quicke, Whose shape appeared not. 1725 Ramsay Gentl. Sheph. iii. ii, The man's..possest With some nae good. |
e. In suggestive or euphemistic use.
| 1725 Ramsay Gentl. Sheph. v. iii, She's baith a slee and a revengfu' bitch, And that my some-place [= posteriors] finds. |
† 3. Used with an indefinite or generalizing force similar to that of the plural (sense 7). Obs.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiv. §10 Sumes wuda eard bið on dunum. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 322 Sumum men he forᵹifð wisdom and spræce, sumum god inᵹehyd, sumum micelne ᵹeleafan. 13.. Cursor M. 10226 (Gött.), For þan was sum man god dredand. 1375 Barbour Bruce ii. 295 Sum man for eryness will trymbill, Quhen he assayit is sodanly. 1481 Caxton Reynard xxviii. (Arb.) 68 The ape..is wyser in clergie than somme preest. 1535 Coverdale Ecclus. vi. 9 And there is some frende that turneth to enemyte, and taketh parte agaynst the. Ibid. xx. 5 Some man kepeth sylence, and is founde wyse. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Alburnum, the fatte that is in some tree. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 103 In some regard they tooke speciall notice of the difference of wits. |
4. a. A certain (unspecified) amount, part, degree, or extent of (something), freq. implying ‘not little, considerable’. † In OE. also with the, his, etc.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxiv. §4 Nis nan man þætte sumes eacan ne ðyrfe. c 893 ― Oros. iii. x. 140 He beæftan ᵹebad mid sumum þæm fultume. c 920 O.E. Chron. an. 913, Sum his fultum worhte þa burᵹ. a 1200 Moral Ode 25 in O.E. Hom. I. 161 Sendeð sum god bi-foren eow, þe hwile þet ȝe muȝen, to houene. c 1275 XI Pains of Hell 290 in O.E. Misc. 220 Poul knelid adowne..And prayd..Fore þe soulis in hel sum ryst haue þer. 1375 in Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1878) 125/1 Bote rys, & go we eft wiþ mod For to seken vs sum fod. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iii. 128 Þat god wolde were ydo with-oute som deceite. ? c 1440 Pol., Rel., & L. Poems (1903) 246 Lord! sende me sum ‘amor’ sede. 1478 Paston Lett. III. 237 He praythe yow to sende hym sum mony. 1562 Child Marriages 189 He came thither to get somme threde. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. i. i. 244 When this Haile some heat from Hermia felt. 1650 Earl of Monmouth tr. Senault's Man bec. Guilty 345 These wise men..mought have some cognizance of the truth. 1677 Marvell Season. Argum., etc. Wks. (1776) II. 562 Where he feathered his nest to some purpose. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 100 ¶1 He immediately calls for some Posset-drink for him. Ibid. No. 106 ¶5 A Person of good Sense and some Learning. 1761–2 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxi. 589 Some state was up⁓held, but with little expense. 1831 Scott Cast. Dang. v, His master..had been a man of some reading. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xviii. IV. 191 In the neighbourhood..was some copsewood and some pasture land. 1890 Law Times Rep. LXIII. 767/1 There is some variation in the mode in which the custom is stated. |
b. With partitive terms, as part, degree, etc.
See also somedeal, -part, -what.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 13553 Iff ye haue ferkit any fode to þis frith now,..ges me som part. c 1470 Rauf Coilȝear 56 For I trow..sum part salbe thyne. 1567 Allen Def. Priesthood 306 To geue pardon..is to release some parte, or all the enioyned penaunce. 1648 Hamilton Papers (Camden) 226 It is beliued that som parte of the caus is from Scotland. 1780 Mirror No. 82, But I can venture to assert, with some degree of confidence, that [etc.]. 1826 Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 2, I admit this to be correct advice, in some measure. 1870 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Glean. Ser. ii. 7 Some part of its authority was due to its prestige. |
c. With terms of time or space.
| (a) c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. v. xii. (1890) 432 Þa ic sume tid fram ðe ᵹewat [etc.]. c 1060 O.E. Chron. (MS. C) an. 1055, Hiᵹ..wendan..ut on Wealas, & þær laᵹon sume hwile. a 1200 Moral Ode 147 in O.E. Hom. I. 169 Hefð he ifonded [it] summe stunde, he wolde al seggen oðer. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 8 Constantin ferde..in to Fronclonde, & wunede summe hwile þear. c 1275 in O.E. Misc. 89 Þo heo stod ful vaste, and seoþþe sume stunde. c 1400 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton, 1483) iii. viii. 55 Al be hit that for somtyme theyr lewd lyf displesid to them seluen. c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 33 He that can forbear speaking for some while, will remit much of his passion. 1658 J. Webb Cleopatra viii. i. 147 [He] continued sometime in the designe. 1710 Addison Spect. No. 12 ¶1 It was some time before I could settle my self in a House to my likeing. 1747 in E. H. Burton Life Bp. Challoner (1909) I. xiv. 223, I sent the lessons some time ago to Paris. 1838 Proc. Berw. Nat. Club I. 173 After lying some time among weedy rocks. 1845–6 Trench Huls. Lect. Ser. i. i. 13 No doubt for some while the Church did exist with a canon not full formed. 1891 E. Peacock N. Brendon I. 315 Basil hesitated for some time. |
| (b) 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. 4 An earthern vessel of some receipte. 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. i. 257 'Twixt which Regions There is some space. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxvi, At some distance among these woods stood a pavilion. 1820 Milner Suppl. Mem. Eng. Cath. 313 These authors answered the challenge, each of them in a work of some length. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1877) I. App. 765 The old frontier lies some way to the north. 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey I. 10 The town..is a place of some size. |
d. With adjs., as little, small, considerable, etc.
| 1382 Wyclif Acts xv. 33 Sothli sum litil tyme maad there, thei weren dismittid..with pees of bretheren. 1592 Soliman & Pers. ii. i, I haue some little replie, if neede require. 1602 Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 14 That you vouch⁓safe your rest heere in our Court Some little time. 1626 in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. Var. Coll. (1907) IV. 171 The necessitie of useing some small quantitie of bay salt therein. 1716 Church Philip's War (1867) II. 53 Several of his men..was gone some considerable time. 1792 Gentl. Mag. 13/2 The bridge..is some little distance from the main street of Duffield. 1825 Scott Betrothed xxviii, Suppose him returning some brief time hence. a 1834 Coleridge in Lit. Rem. (1836) II. 198 Perhaps, the influence of a princess..may be some little excuse for Albany's weakness. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVIII. 407/1 Fishes..which swim some little distance above the actual sea-bed. |
e. U.S. In predicative use: Of some account; deserving of consideration.
With quot. 1848 cf. the U.S. colloq. phrase some pumpkins s.v. pumpkin 2 b.
| 1844 Spirit of Times 30 Nov. 474/1 Many people have an idea that the ‘big mare’ will be ‘some’ in the race. 1848 G. F. Ruxton Life Far West (1849) 60 She's ‘some’ now, that is a fact, and the biggest kind of punkin' at that. 1849 in Bartlett Dict. Amer. (1859) s.v., Which was admitted by the oldest inhabitant to be ‘some’ in the way of cold winters. 1876 ‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer i. 8 Smarty! You think you're some, now, don't you. 1890 Dialect Notes I. 70 To say of a woman that ‘she looks some’, with emphasis on the some.., is equivalent to saying that she looks remarkably well. |
f. Quite a; a remarkable. Used meiotically, often ironically, to suggest that something or someone is worthy of consideration. some hope(s)!: see hope n.1 4 a. orig. U.S.
| 1808 J. Mackintosh in R. J. Mackintosh Mem. Life Sir J. Mackintosh (1835) I. viii. 448 You know that Bossuet and Arnauld believed their innocence—some authority. 1855 ‘Q. K. P. Doesticks’ Doesticks, what he Says iv. 28 It was ‘some’ bridge, in fact, a considerable curiosity, and a ‘considerable’ bridge. 1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 80 They're some geologists, he added with unwilling admiration. Ibid. 108 Butte is some education, believe me. 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gatsby iii. 60 He smiled with jovial condescension, and added ‘some sensation!’ Whereupon everybody laughed. 1931 Brophy & Partridge Songs & Slang Brit. Soldier (ed. 3) 359 Some hopes!, it is most unlikely! 1941 W. S. Churchill Unrelenting Struggle (1942) 345 When I warned them [sc. the French Government] that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their Generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet: ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck! 1958 ‘J. Byrom’ Or be he Dead v. 69 ‘I gather you have Miss Canning as your assistant sleuth!’ .. ‘Some hope’..a good secretary always has to be in love with her boss!’ 1976 A. Price War Game i. 66 ‘David has us to console him.’.. ‘Some consolation!’ murmured Frances. 1977 J. Wainwright Do Nothin' till you hear from Me x. 176 ‘Some band,’ murmurs Ted—and there is suppressed excitement in his voice. I say, ‘Ted—believe me—this is going to be some band.’ |
5. some other (see other a. 5 b).
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xvii. 12 Mið-ðy innfoerde sum oðer werc. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives xxxi. 691 Se ylca sulpicius and sum oðer broðor. c 1200 Ormin 7476 Þatt teȝȝ..sholldenn..farenn ham till here land All wiþþ summ oþerr weȝȝe. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3470 As yn cherche to synge or rede, Or of sum oþer holy dede. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. viii. 34 Sette scolers to scole or to sum oþer craft. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. iv. 302 He which is ouerer..schulde louȝe him silf in sum other maner. 1560 Whitehorne Ord. Souldiours (1588) 6 The residue of the men..may be placed some other where. 1596 Edw. III, iv. vii, O, that I were some other countryman! 1611 [see other a. 5 b]. 1640 tr. Verdere's Rom. of Rom. II. 193, I will take the power to love some otherwhere. 1699 R. L'Estrange Erasm. Colloq. (1725) 200 He concluded to take some other Priest with him. 1732 [see other a. 5 b]. a 1845 [see otherwhere c]. 1858 Hawthorne Ancestral Footstep (1883) 514 The old Hospitaller must die in his bed, or some other how. |
6. Followed by certain or one with limiting force (cf. one B. 7).
| 1561, 1591 [see certain a. 7 b]. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Vnus aliquis, some one man. 1655 Stanley Hist. Philos. (1687) 62/1 Respiring Flames at some certain part. 1746 Francis tr. Horace, Epist. ii. i. 53 Some certain Point should finish the Debate. Ibid. 76 In some one Excellence their Merit lies. 1865 Ruskin Sesame ii. §72 She should..follow at least some one path of scientific attainment. |
II. With plural nouns.
7. a. Certain (taken individually).
Also with limiting terms as certain, other: cf. 5 and 6.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxv, Þæt ælc ᵹesceaft bið healdon locen wið hire ᵹecynde,..buton monnum & sumum englum. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1119, Wæs mycel eorðbifung on suman steodan her on lande. c 1200 Ormin 11214 Affterr þatt sume wise menn O lare itt unnderrstanndenn. c 1250 Owl & Night. 879 Þeyh summe men beon þurhut gode. a 1300 Cursor M. 19550 Þof summen mai baptise Mai naman..Conferming giue, bot biscop hand. 1340 Ayenb. 196 Zom uolk byeþ þet onworþeþ þe poure. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 132 Sum Pryncis ther bene, that..takyn atte har talent trew men goodis. c 1491 Chast. Goddes Chyld. 53 In somm outwarde signes the prophecye of the deuyll may be knowen. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 6 Some persones..wyll muse or meruayle. 1562 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 23 The durris..wes calket also with sum notes of dishonour. 1596 Shakes. Rich. III, i. iv. 125 Some certaine dregges of conscience are yet within mee. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iv. xlvi. 374 Some..bodies sink naturally downwards. 1696 [C. Leslie] Snake in Grass 88, I wou'd advise some Friends to go to the Dancing-School, and learn a more Gentle and Graceful Mien. 1723 Dk. Wharton True Briton No. 24. I. 208, I have heard some People very large in their Exclamations against Creeds and Forms of Faith. 1776 Trial of Nundocomar 23/1 Some days he has violent purgings, at other times he gets better. 1826 Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 15 Some gentlemen, however,..have studied the subject more particularly. 1855 J. Phillips Man. Geol. 498 Oligoclase occurs in some granites. 1867 Ruskin Time & Tide i. §3 Every nation is fitted..for some particular employments or manufactures. |
† b. With article or pronoun accompanying the noun. (Cf. A. 5 c.) Obs.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. 18 Þa teð hie brohton sume þæm cyninge. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 448 Ᵹe maᵹon ᵹehyran sume his ðeawes. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. ix. 3 Ða cwædon hiᵹ sume þa boceras him betwynan. c 1120 O.E. Chron. an. 1119, Sume þa castelas he mid strengðe ᵹenam. c 1205 Lay. 12001 Summe þe scipen wunden forð mid þan wederen. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2718 So þat some þe messagers to kermerdin come. |
c. some{ddd}(other) some, some{ddd}other(s). † Also with than, and ellipt. for sometimes.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiv. §10 Sumra wyrta..eard bið on dunum,..sumra on merscum, sumra on morum. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 48 Sume lareowas sindon beteran ðonne sume. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 95 Þere somme bowes ben leued and somme bereth none. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas ix. xxxviii. L'Envoi, Some folke appayre, some dothe amende. 1551 [see other some]. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iii. iii. 20 Sometimes her head on one side, some another. 1651–1875 [see other some]. |
8. a. A certain number of; a few at least.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1048, Ða he wæs sume mila oððe mare beheonan Dofran, þa dyde he on his byrnan. |
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie (Arb.) 235, I know..Your some sweete smiles, your some, but louely lowrs. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 145 They hurried vs a-boord a Barke, Bore vs some Leagues to Sea. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 208 Some flaggons of rich wine, some very white bisket, some pruines and raisins. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. r. World 30 To dig a small garden to sow some Lettices, and other sort of sallading. 1785 [Mrs. Grant of Laggan] Lett. (1807) II. 96 The house has no other inhabitant at present than an old Sybil..and some legions of rooks and daws. 1822 Scott Nigel x, It costs but..the journey of some brief days. 1842 Loudon Suburban Hort. 95 The middle and hinder ones die after some weeks' struggle for existence. 1887 Field 12 Nov. 734/2 Displaying his science by some beautiful casts. |
b. In adverbial expressions of time.
| 1382 Wyclif Acts x. 48 Thanne thei preieden him, that he schulde dwelle with hem summe dayes. |
| 1602 in Morris Troubles Cath. Foref. (1872) i. iv. 192 My abode..hath been for some years..in London. 1661 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 6 Gervise Lucas served..as gentleman of his horse some years. 1709 Manley Secr. Mem. (1736) I. 175 A comical Adventure happened to her some Nights ago. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 322 ¶2 Some Years ago it happened that [etc.]. 1821 Moore Mem. (1853) III. 273 Have not been very well these some days past. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede xxix, We shall meet with better feelings some months hence. 1891 E. Peacock N. Brendon I. 119 He has been here some years. |
c. With addition of few.
| 1582 Allen Martyrdom Campion (1908) 36 This blessed man,..of whose life I thought good to set downe some few lines also. 1626 Bacon Sylva §470 If some few Pertusions be made in the Pot. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xiv. (1848) 251 We..caught more in some few Minutes than we had taken in a whole hour before. 1820 Keats Isabella xxxiv, For some few gasping moments. 1847 Grote Hist. Greece (1862) III. xxv. 7 They had some few towns. |
9. a. Used with numbers to indicate an approximate amount or estimate, and passing into an adv. with the sense ‘about, nearly, approximately’. Also U.S., following a numeral.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxviii. §1 Þa wæron hi sume ten ᵹear on þam ᵹewinne. c 900 O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 896, Þær wurdon..sume feower cyninges þegnas ofslæᵹene. c 1205 Lay. 28983 Þa wunede bi-ȝeonde þere Hunbre..drenches sume sixe. 1567 J. Maplet Gr. Forest 84 b, The floud Ganges hath Eles some 30 Foote long. 1582 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 424 Some three or fower acres of woode. 1632 Massinger Fatal Dowry ii. ii, They skip into my lord's cast skins some twice a year. 1668 Dryden Even. Love ii. i, I have some three hundred pistoles by me. 1787 Burns Auld Farmer's Salut. iv, It's now some nine-an'-twenty year. 1836 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. I. 56 We expect John Carlyle in some ten days. 1865 Ruskin Sesame i. §33 This collection..would probably have been some thousand or twelve hundred pounds. 1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 648 The club consists of some 40 members. 1968 Time 19 Jan. 7/2 Twenty-some years ago, when I was a nurse on the U.S.S. Hope. 1971 R. A. Carter Manhattan Primitive (1972) xi. 104 He's thirty years old, with..a master's degree and forty-some hours towards a doctorate. 1980 in S. Terkel Amer. Dreams 2 There were sixty-some contestants from all over the place. |
b. With numerals denoting the time of day.
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. iii. 189, I thinke 'tis now some seuen a clocke. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxxii, At some ten o'clock the clinking of a sabre might have been heard. |
c. Hence with singular nouns expressing time, distance, amount, etc.
| (a) 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. v. iii. 257 When I came (some Minute ere the time Of her awaking). 1596 ― Merch. V. iii. ii. 9, I would detaine you here some month or two. 1822 Southey Lett. (1856) III. 348 A note from Murray some fortnight ago let me know [etc.]. 1875 B. Meadows Clin. Obs. 20 Face..not so free as some week or two back. |
| (b) 1595 Drake's Voy. (Hakl. Soc.) 7 We came to anchor some saker shott from a forte. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 86 Distant from the towne some halfe mile. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 191 Some halfe musket shot distance. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. iii, Which was distant some mile or so from the school. 1883 C. J. Wills Mod. Persia 203 Some mile and a half through the deserted streets. |
| (c) 1846 S. Wilberforce Sp. Missions (1874) 98 In order that the English people might buy that luxury some penny a pound cheaper. |
III. 10. With other, one, few, etc., used absolutely in sing. or plur.
| (a) c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 4 Sum oðer ᵹefeollon neh woeᵹ. Ibid. Luke ix. 27 Sint sume oðera her stondað ðaðe [etc.]. 1484 Caxton Fables of Auian v, The leche whiche wylle hele somme other, ought fyrste to hele hym self. 1513 Douglas æneid vi. xv. 7 Sum wtheris better can thair causis pleid. 1592 Soliman & Pers. iv. ii, I would my maister had left some other to be his agent here. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 53 Some other in the meane time playing with his nose, and bobbing him in the face. 1760–2 Goldsm. Cit. W. xiv. ¶3 There is Seneca, and Bolingbroke, and some others. |
| (b) 1546 Supplic. Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.) 85 Perhappes some one of vs hathe hylded C. shepe. 1598–9 Hakluyt Voy. II. i. 56 Most rich & precious stones, some one of which is of more value then a whole kingdome. 1886 C. E. Pascoe Lond. of To-day xlii. (ed. 3) 366 To admire and covet, if not to buy, some one of its treasures. |
| (c) 1582 Allen Martyrdom Campion (1908) 16 Meaning by the state..the welfare of some few..upholden by this new religion. 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 526 Vnlesse some few, & Many in your language be all one. a 1648 Ld. Herbert Hen. VIII (1683) 426 The use that may be made of some few, as two or three in euery Shire. 1735 Gentl. Mag. Feb. 106/1 Some few were well dress'd. 1875 Helps Soc. Press. ix. 124 We think—at least, some few of us do—that [etc.]. |
| (d) 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. i. iii. 122 Some certaine of the Noblest minded Romans. 1607 ― Cor. ii. iii. 59 Some certaine of your Brethren. |
C. adv. (See also B. 9.)
1. With comparatives: A little; slightly; somewhat. Chiefly Sc. and north.
| a 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus i. 662 Quhill time this corps be sum better applyit. 1636 Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 172 My Well-beloved is some kinder..than ordinary. 1667 O. Heywood Heart-Treas. xvi. (1825) II. 219, I am rich still, as rich as ever I was, and some richer. 1741 A. Monro Anat. (ed. 3) 207 The superior bulbous Part of this Bone forms some less than the inferior Half of that..Cavity. 1785 Burns To W. Simpson Postscr. xiii, I hope we..ken some better. 1807 P. Gass Jrnl. 219 Yesterday we gave him an Indian sweat, and he is some better to day. 1892 Heslop Northumbld. Gloss. 669 She's some better thi day. |
2. With verbs: a. A certain amount; a little.
| 1699 O. Heywood Diaries (1885) IV. 162 She bled some still. 1821 Joseph the Book-Man 17 Joe in his day had travell'd some. 1822 Hogg Tales & Sk. (1837) VI. 272 He spoke some to himself likewise, but it was only one short sentence. 1834 J. Hall Kentucky II. 40, I hunt some, and snake a little. 1842 Dickens in Foster Life iii. iv, He may walk some, perhaps—not much. 1909 Lady's Realm Feb. 468/2 He hunted some, and fished some. |
b. U.S. To some extent; in some degree; somewhat.
The variations of American usage are very fully illustrated in Thornton's Amer. Gloss. (1912) 827–9.
| 1745 J. Emerson Jrnl. 8 Apr. in Mass. Hist. Soc. Proc. (1911) XLIV. 74, I read some in Watson. 1785 Massachusetts Spy 28 Apr. 2/3 (Advt.), A tall stout looking fellow,..stammers some in his speech. 1817 Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. (1866) VIII. 228 The material of which it is built looks some like marble. 1825 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. s.v., [You are] on the huffy order, some, to night. 1843 J. G. Whittier in Pickard Life (1894) I. 281, I think some of attending the great anti-slavery convention. 1863 Dicey Federal St. I. 225 It used to amuse me some..to find that the slaveholders wanted more territory [etc.]. 1889 Anthony's Photogr. Bulletin II. 206 Having been troubled some of late to get clear results. |
c. U.S. In emphatic use: Very much, very well, etc.
| 1866 Lowell Biglow P. Ser. ii. The Courtin' xiii, Thet night, I tell ye, she looked some! 1894 ‘G. Egerton’ Keynote 9 ‘How you love young things!’ she says. ‘Some.’ |
d. to go some: to go well or fast; to do well; to work hard. slang (orig. U.S.).
| a 1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. ii. 24 He had evidently been ‘going some’ for several days; the sour, worn, haggard face..suggested a moth-eaten jaguar. 1912 J. Sandilands Western Canad. Dict. & Phrase-Bk. s.v. Some, That's going some may mean great speed or excellence of workmanship, or it may even be used in reference to the speed at which a person races to his ruin. 1915 Wodehouse Psmith, Journalist x. 71, I guess we're making a hit. Cosy Moments is going some now. 1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 173 He had the easy movements of the retriever, and for a big dog could go some. 1973 J. Wainwright Touch of Malice 8 A uniformed inspector..with..less than five years service under his belt. Jesus—that was going some! 1982 H. Lieberman Night Call viii. 47 He'd known the girl for two months; for Daughtry that was going some. |
3. dial. and U.S. With adjs. (rarely with advs.): Somewhat.
| c 1780 in Amer. Speech 1969 (1973) XLIV. 304 Until it gets some darker. 1817 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. s.v., His clothes were some bloody. 1839 Marryat Diary Amer. Ser. i. II. 226 ‘Are you cold, miss?’ said I to a young lady... ‘Some,’ was the reply. 1851 Sternberg Northampt. Dial. s.v., It war some wet. 1858–61 E. B. Ramsay Remin. (1870) p. xxi, The heat has made your skin some tender. 1913 [see gun-play]. 1940 W. Faulkner Hamlet i. ii. 31 We had done been feeding it [sc. a horse] for two-three days now by forced draft..and it looked some better now than when we had brung it home. 1956 G. E. Evans Ask Fellows who cut Hay xxv. 231 An old worker..turned the handle and tried it with a few roots. Asked what he thought of it he said with conviction: ‘It's some stiff, maaster.’ 1976 M. Machlin Pipeline iv. 44 He's going to be some pissed off when he finds out about this. |
D. n. An unspecified amount, person, thing, etc. rare.
| 1830 Galt Lawrie Todd ii. v, I have myself obstinacious objections—a considerable some—against 'em here parley voos. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiogr. xxiv. 381 Some whim, some enjoyment,..with a thousand other somes and probabilities. |
▪ II. † some, n.2 Obs.
[OE. sóm, ablaut-variant of the stem sam-: see same a.]
Agreement, concord, peace. Usu. coupled with saught(ness) or sib. (Cf. some a.2)
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 198 Ðam dom-bocum þe se Heofenlica Wealdend his folce ᵹesette to some, and to sehtnysse. a 1011 Laws Ethelred vi. 25 (Liebermann), Beo eallum Cristenum mannum sibb and som ᵹemæne, and ælc sacu totwæmed. c 1205 Lay. 4099 Heo speken þer to sæhte, to sibbe and to some. c 1225 Ancr. R. 426 Þis is o þing,..þet is God leouest—seihnesse & some. c 1275 Holy Chirch 15 in O.E. Misc., For hi heolden cristes men myd sib and myd some. |
▪ III. † some, n.3 Obs. rare.
[a. OF. some (mod.F. somme) horse-load.]
The number of twelve thousand (nails or needles).
The use survives in mod.F. (Littré s.v. Somme).
| 1539–40 in Archaeol. Cant. (1893) XX. 243, 2 ‘some’ of ‘sprygg’ 10s. 1545 Rates of Customs b viij b, Nidels, the some conteinynge xii M., xs. Ibid. c iij, Patten nayles the some, iis. |
▪ IV. some
obs. form of soam, sum n.
▪ V. some, a.1
see some indef. pron.
▪ VI. † some, a.2 Obs.
[Reduced form of i-some a.]
1. United, reconciled; at peace, friendly. Chiefly in phr. saught and some. (Cf. some n.2)
| c 1205 Lay. 9883 Þus heo weoren sahte & þus heo weoren some. c 1320 Cast. Love 520, I chul fleon and neuere come. Bote my sustren ben sauȝt and some. Ibid. 552 Maken Ichulle..Pees and Riht cussen and be sauȝt and some. a 1400 Chron. R. Glouc. (Rolls) 52 Of þe folc of denemarch þat ȝuyt ne buþ nouȝt some. |
2. Characterized by peacefulness or quiet.
| c 1400 Beryn 3233 And eke of thy condicioune both sofft & some. |
▪ VII. some
obs. form of same a.
| a 1400–50 Alexander (D.) 2063 Þe some [v.r. selfe] sendesman he in þe sale fyndez. |