▪ I. tice, n.
(taɪs)
[f. tice v.]
a. An act of enticing, an enticement; spec. a stroke at croquet, or ‘ball’ (bowled) at cricket (see quots. 1843, 1901, etc.), which tempts or entices the opponent to take aim.
| 1843 ‘Wykehamist’ Pract. Hints Cricket 15 The ‘Tice’, which may be described as a short pitched full-pitch..is one of the most destructive Balls that can be bowled. 1869 L. M. Alcott Little Women II. ix. 128 The phrases, ‘caught off a tice’, ‘stumped off his ground’,..were as intelligible to her as Sanscrit. 1874 J. D. Heath Croquet-Player 55 It is admissible to give a double shot as a ‘tice’, so as to tempt him to shoot where his missing would give you the dead ball. 1888 Steel & Lyttelton Cricket (Badm.) iii. 132 In the first over he [the bowler] should try a ‘yorker’. This ball, called in days gone by a ‘tice’, an abbreviation of ‘entice’, is certainly one of the most deadly balls that can be bowled. 1900 A. Lillie Croquet up to Date 41 The length of the tice should depend on the trueness of the ground. 1901 N. & Q. 9th Ser. VIII. 284/2 It might meet the requirements of present-day definition..if one classed a ‘tice’ as a lob, or to be more precise, an underhand yorker. |
b. Comb. tice-basket, a decoy basket.
| 1884 19th Cent. Feb. 245 Fish..falling freely to the native net and tice-basket. |
▪ II. tice, v. Obs. exc. dial.
(taɪs)
Forms: 3–7 tyce, 4–6 tise, 4–7 tyse, 5–6 Sc. tyss, (6 Sc. tist, tyst, tyist(e, tyisce), 5–7 (9 dial.) tice, 7 (9 dial.) 'tice.
[Aphetic form of atise, attice or entice, but found earlier than either of these, and perhaps taken immediately from OF. a-tiser, dropping the prefix.]
trans. To entice; to induce or attract by the offer of pleasure or advantage. Also absol.
| c 1275 Moral Ode (Jesus MS.) 266 Þe þat were gaderares of þisse worldes ayhte And duden þat þe loþe gost heom tycede [v.rr. hechte to, tihte] and tahte. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2152 To tyse a chylde swyche synne to do. c 1449 Pecock Repr. v. xii. 548 Which schulde rather lette fro glorie than tice into glorie. 1533 Bellenden Livy i. xviii. (S.T.S.) I. 103 He tyistit þe ȝoung men of his ciete to his purpois. 1593 Nashe Christ's T. 48 b, If one tice a Prentise to robbe his Maister, it is Felony. a 1835 Mrs. Hemans Let. in Chorley Mem. (1837) I. 299 An old gardener of ours used to say of me..that Miss Felicia ‘ticed him to do whatever she pleased’. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede xxxix, He's been false to me, and 'ticed her away. |
Hence ˈticing vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| a 1400 Hampole's Psalter liii. 4 Þat þai take me not in þaire wickidnes & liþere eggynge [v.r. tisynge]. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 31 For na mede na othir tyssing. 1568 in H. Fleming Mary Q. of Scots (1897) 512 Be persuasioun and tyisting. 1582 T. Watson Centurie of Loue lxxii. (Arb.) 108 My Loue, Whose tising face is of more liuely hewe. 1646 H. P. Medit. Seige 69 What a ticeing bayt is golden hope! |