▪ I. locker, n.1
(ˈlɒkə(r))
Also 5–6 loker(e, -yr.
[f. lock n.2 or v.1 + -er1.]
I. One who locks.
1. An officer at the Custom House, in charge of a locked-up warehouse, acting under the warehouse-keeper.
| 1735 J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. iii. 200 (List of Excise Officers), Six Lockers at the Tea Warehouses, each 30l. per Ann. 1812 J. Smyth Pract. of Customs (1821) 361 The Locker in attendance at the Warehouse receives notice of the Merchant's intention to ship the Goods. 1858 in Simmonds Dict. Trade. 1887 Daily News 7 Apr. 6/7 Robert Lecky, the prisoner's father,..had been a locker in the service of the Customs. |
2. slang. (See
quot.)
| 1718 C. Higgin True Discov. (Farmer), I am a locker, I leave goods at a house and borrow money on them, pretending that they are made in London. |
3. With
advs.| 1751 Hist. Acc. 66 note, Had it fell into the Hands of one of the Park-Lockers-up. 1887 Pall Mall G. 18 Oct. 4/1 Young men may remain out until twelve on leaving their names with the locker-up. 1894 Athenæum 30 June 831/2 In several pitched battles between the two parties the lockers-out were successful. |
II. A means of locking.
4. a. techn. Something that locks or closes;
† ? a stopper, a stop to a bell.
| 1417 in Surtees Misc. (1888) 13 That the water be ledde downe..be a pype of lede closed wyth a loker. 1545 Ludlow Churchw. Acc. (Camden) 21 Item, for settynge up of a loker to drawe the corde before the crucifixe. 1569 Ibid. 139 Item, a locker and a handell ffor the second bell..iiijd. 1844 G. Dodd Textile Manuf. vii. 211 Bobbins, pushers, lockers, point-bars. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal Mining 159 Locker, a short iron or wooden bar for scotching tram wheels on inclined roads. |
† b. = locket 2.
Obs.| 1660 Act 12 Chas. II, c. 4 Sched., Lockers or Chapes for Daggers. |
III. A locked or enclosed receptacle.
5. a. A box or chest with a lock; also, a small cupboard,
e.g. one attached to a bench, or placed under a window-seat.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 311/2 Lokere, cistella. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 31 They..trussyd the body in a loker of tre. 1463 Bury Wills (Camden) 19 The bulle and the busshoppees seelys..be set in a loker of burde for brekyng of the seelys. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. ii, Some small Lockers to put in some Bottles of such Liquor as he thought fit to drink. 1754 Mrs. Delany Lett. to Mrs. Dewes 296, I have ordered lockers to your windows. 1807 J. E. Smith Phys. Bot. 509 The specimens thus pasted, are conveniently kept in lockers. 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 237 Some benches have a locker, or cavity. 1873 J. Richards Woodworking Factories 112 The planers, lathes, and drills have their lockers. 1886 W. J. Tucker E. Europe 316 Iliana's trousseau was stored away in the stout old heavy lockers. |
b. Naut. A chest or compartment for containing clothes, stores, ammunition, etc. Often with word prefixed to indicate its use, as
chain-locker,
shot-locker.
boatswain's locker: ‘a chest in small craft wherein material for working upon rigging is kept’ (Smyth
Sailor's Word-bk. 1867).
(not) a shot in the locker, used
fig. for: (no) money in one's pocket, (not) a chance left.
laid in the lockers fig., dead. For
Davy Jones's locker see
Davy Jones.
| 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Sea-men 11 A Hamacke, the lockers, the round-house [etc.]. a 1642 Sir W. Monson Naval Tracts iii. (1704) 356/2 The Gunner is..to have his Shot in a Locker near every Piece. 1644 H. Manwayring Sea-mans Dict. s.v., Any little boxes, or as it were, Cubbords which are made by the Ships-sides to put in shot by the Peeces,..are (by a common name) called Lockers. 1726 G. Roberts Four Years Voy. 41 Heaving the rest into David Jones's Locker. 1793 Trans. Soc. Arts XI. 188 Coiling the line in the front locker. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxiii, Brown's dead—shot—laid in the lockers, man. 1835 Marryat Jac. Faithf. vii, In front of the bed-places were two lockers, to sit down upon. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast iii. 4 He..has charge of the boatswain's locker. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxvi, As long as there's a shot in the locker, she shall want for nothing. 1865 Livingstone Zambesi vi. 151 They made a sudden dash over the lockers and across our faces for the cabin door. 1890 W. E. Norris Misadventure xl, He had another shot left in his locker, which he now fired. |
6. a. A compartment in a pigeon-house, a pigeon-hole.
† Applied also to the cell of bees.
| 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa iii. 146 These doues they keepe in certaine cages or lockers on the tops of their houses. 1608 Topsell Serpents (1658) 649 The Lockers or holes of the up-grown Bees, are somewhat too large. a 1617 Bayne On Eph. (1658) 91 Pigeons flye home to their own lockers. 1639 Horn & Rob. Gate Lang. Unl. xiv. §154 In a dove [pigeon-] hovse..to each pare of tame ones is appointed out a locker. 1727 Bailey vol. II, Locker, a Pigeon Hole. 1731 Gentl. Mag. I. 451 A Gentleman..who kept tame pigeons..discerned something white at the Lockers. 1816 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. (1843) I. 130 Which makes it advisable never to have their [Pigeon's] lockers fixed to a dwelling house. 1859 Brent Pigeon Bk. 86 Pigeon-houses, or lockers, on a more limited scale, are of various forms. |
b. Eccl. A cupboard, recess, or niche in a wall usually near an altar, fitted with a door and lock, for the reservation of the Sacrament, the keeping of sacred vessels, etc.
| 1527 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 117 The Egiptiens tuk out of Thomas Watsouns houss tua siluer spounis, liand in the locker of ane schryne. 1552 in Inv. Ch. Goods Yorksh., etc. (Surtees) II. 65 Item, one loker for the sacriment. 1593 Anc. Rites Durham (Surtees) 2 The severall lockers or ambers for the safe keepinge of the vestments and ornaments belonginge to everye Altar. |
IV. 7. attrib. and
Comb., as (sense 4)
locker-bar,
locker-plate; (sense 5)
locker-hole,
locker-key,
locker-nipper,
locker-room,
locker-seat.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 733 In the year 1824, Mr. Morley added another plate to each of the *locker-bars. |
| 1765 Treat. Dom. Pigeons 112 The common runt..kept..generally in *locker-holes in inn yards. |
| 1894 Outing (U.S.) XXIV. 379/1 Here are my *locker keys; you'll find everything open. |
| 1802 J. Anfrey in Naval Chron. VII. 48 The yeoman of the *locker-nipper. |
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 732 Two other long flat bars below, called the *locker plates. |
| 1895–6 Cal. Univ. Nebraska 252 The *locker room for young men is fitted with ninety-six lockers. |
| 1906 Westm. Gaz. 11 July 8/1 Two extra payments are a penny for a bath, including towel and soap, and 6d. deposit for the use of a large locker in the *locker room. 1931 Maclean's Mag. 1 Aug. 28/4 Mere males are lucky to find sanctuary in locker room, grill and bar. 1934 [see bathroom]. 1972 Newsweek 10 Jan. 30/2 On one side of the crowded Kansas City locker room, veteran quarterback Lenny Dawson dressed hurriedly and disappeared. |
| 1877 W. Thomson Voy. Challenger I. i. 21 The *locker-seat stretches across the forward end of the laboratory. |
▪ II. † ˈlocker, v. Obs. Chiefly
Sc. [? f. lock n.1 + -er5.] intr. To curl. Only in
ppl. adjs. † ˈlockered (
lockard,
lokerit,
lokkerit) curled, and
† ˈlockering (
lokerand) curling. Also
† ˈlocker n. in pl. = curled locks.
† ˈlocker a., curled.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 779 Alle with lutterde legges, lokerde unfaire. c 1470 Henryson Mor. Fab. vii. (Lion & Mouse) Prol. v, With lokker hair, quhilk ouer his schulderis lay. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. xii. 63 A felloun bustuus and gret lyoun skyn, Terrible and rouch, wyth taty lokyrand haris. Ibid. xiv. 8 His helm..Wyth cristis thre, lik till ane lokerit mane. Ibid. xii. Prol. 127 Hevinly lylleis, with lokerand toppis quhyte. Ibid. xii. i. 16 For ire [the lyoun] the lokkerris of his nek vpcastis. 1687 H. More Contn. Remark. Stor. (1689) 428 The Daughters lockard hair. |
▪ III. locker variant of
lockyer Obs.