▪ I. smock, n.
(smɒk)
Forms: 1, 3 smoc, 3–5 smok, 4– smock, 5–6 smokk; 4–8 smocke, 5–6 smokke; 5–7 smoke, 6 smoake.
[OE. smoc, = ON. smokkr (once, and perh. from OE.), OHG. smoccho (once); cf. also NFris. smok woman's shift (Helgoland, perh. from E.), neck-ruff (Sylt). The stem is probably related to that of OE. sm{uacu}ᵹan to creep, ON. smj{uacu}ga to creep into, put on, a garment.
The sense of ON. smokkr is however not certain; it may be some special application of the later Icel. smokkr, Norw. smokk, sheath, sheath-formed case or receptacle, finger-stall, etc.]
1. a. A woman's undergarment; a shift or chemise. Now arch. or dial. (common down to 18th cent.).
For the use as a plant-name see lady-smock.
| a 1000 in Wr.-Wülcker 210 Colobium.., loþa, hom, uel smoc, mentel. c 1000 ælfric Gloss. Ibid. 125 Colobium, smoc, uel syrc. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 163 Hire chemise [is] smal and hwit,..and hire smoc hwit. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 182 Are hire smok were of i-nome. a 1320 Sir Tristrem 1788 Ȝour smock was solwy to sen, Bi mark þo ȝe schuld ly. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 52 Whit was hir smok, and browdid al byfore And eek byhynde on hir coler aboute. c 1425 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 377 A smokke was her wede, garnysshyd curyously. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 371/1 He..wold not relece hir obedyence tyl that she was despoyled to hir smocke. 1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 173 Their shirtes and smokes are saffroned. 1591 Greene Farew. Follie Wks. (Grosart) IX. 316 Shee..standing in hir smocke by the bed side. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 200 The women..weare but three cubits of cloth in their smocks. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland xvii. 89 The use of smocks is no more known among women than the use of shirts among men. 1735 Pope Ep. Lady 24 Agrees as ill..As Sappho's di'monds with her dirty smock. 1837 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. i. Look at the Clock, You may sell my chemise (Mrs. P. was too well-bred to mention her smock). 1865 Kingsley Herew. xv, I would sooner have her in her smock than any other woman with a dower. |
| Prov. 1461 Paston Lett. I. 542 Nere is my kyrtyl, but nerre is my smok. 1639 J. Clarke Parœmiologia 254 Neare is my petticoat, but nearer is my smock. |
| transf. 1677 Grew Anat. Pl., Anat. Seeds (1682) 201 This sticks not to the midle Coat,..but commonly, remains entire, after those are stripp'd off, being as it were, the Smock of the Seed. |
b. Offered (formerly) as a prize in races to be run by women or girls.
| 1722 Mrs. Bradshaw in C'tess Suffolk's Lett. (1824) I. 98 The Colonel gave a smock for the young wenches to run for. 1740 Somerville Hobbinol i. 225 See here this Prize, this rich lac'd Smock behold. 1812 in Holland Cheshire Gloss. (1886) 325 A race for a good Holland smock by ladies of all ages. 1859 Hughes Scour. White Horse v. 91, I see, Sir, that ‘smocks to be run for by ladies’ is left out. |
† c. Used allusively to denote a woman or womankind.
Obs.| 1591 Greene Conny Catch. i. Wks. (Grosart) X. 60 The Collier..said he would be tried by the verdit of the smock. 1612 Pasquil's Night-cap (1877) 7 If his sweet worship..Scrape fauour with some female-wedded smocke. 1693 Shadwell Volunteers iii. i, Thou wert a pretty Fellow, to rebel all thy Life-time against Princes, and trail a Pike under a Smock-Rampant at last! |
2. a. = smock-frock 1.
| 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. i. iv, The broad button of Birmingham spelter in a Clown's smock. 1882 W. Ballantine Exper. 16 A man..clad in one of the ordinary white smocks worn by labourers. |
b. A loose garment worn by artists over their other clothes to keep them clean; a woman's or child's loose dress or blouse resembling a smock-frock in shape.
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 790/1 Girls' cashmere smock. In cream, sky, cardinal. 1938 N. Marsh Artists in Crime (1941) xiii. 192 He found..an evening dress in close proximity to a painting-smock. Ibid. 193 He was amused to find that even the Seacliff painting-bags and smock smelt of Worth. 1969 R. T. Wilcox Dict. Costume 326/2 The smock is now much worn as a coverall by professional people at work, especially artists. 1971 [see maternity 3 b]. |
c. In full
camouflage smock, a loose outer tunic of coarse material dyed brown and green and worn by troops as camouflage.
| 1964 L. Deighton Funeral in Berlin xxxii. 171 They wore camouflage smocks and steel helmets... They were front-line troops, not Waffen S.S. 1974 C. Ryan Bridge too Far iv. vii. 295 The only thing I could do for most of them was to take off their smocks and cover their faces. 1978 M. Walker Infiltrator xxi. 224 He tossed me an assault rifle and..a camouflage smock. |
3. a. attrib. and
Comb., as
smock-dowry,
smock dress,
smock jacket,
smock-linen,
smock-petticoat,
smock-shirt,
smock-skirt,
smock-sleeve; also
smock-like adj.;
smock-ravelled dial., perplexed.
| 1611 Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girl v. ii, A wench with her smock-dowry, no portion with her but her lips and arms. |
| 1980 J. Hone Flowers of Forest i. 28 The woman in the pale smock dress. |
| 1976 Bridgwater Mercury 21 Dec. 3/2 (Advt.), Half price smock jackets. |
| 1603 J. Davies (Heref.) An Extasie Wks. (Grosart) I. 90/2 Her nether smockes or smock-like Petticotes. |
| 1880 L. Higgin Handbk. Embroidery ii. 12 Smock Linen is a strong even green cloth..an excellent ground for working screens. 1882 Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlwk. 452/2 Smock linen, the linen of which our peasants' Smockfrocks are made, which is a strong even green linen, employed also for articles designed for embroidery. |
| 1627 Lismore Papers (1886) II. 222, 2 smock petticoats of worsted for my mother and my wife. |
| 1904 in Eng. Dial. Dict., Smock-ravelled. 1913 D. H. Lawrence Let. 15 Sept. (1962), I feel a bit smock⁓ravelled—don't know where the east is, nor the north and west. |
| 1883 Cent. Mag. Nov. 74/2 Blue smock-shirts have it all to themselves. 1972 Guardian 8 Feb. 11/6 A smock shirt is less voluminous than a smock, but has..smock details: the neck is round or square, there is usually a yoke, and often pleated or pin-tucked fronts. |
| 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Wks. ii. 165 From the loftie Quoyfe to the lowly..Smockeskirt. |
| 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 635/2 The deepe smock sleeve hanging to the grounde. 1870 A. J. Munby Diary 25 June in D. Hudson Munby (1972) 288 A stout fair girl..who looked well in her cotton hoodbonnet and red neckerchief, and smocksleeves. |
b. In allusive terms, usually suggestive of loose conduct or immorality in, or in relation to, women, as
smock-agent,
smock-council,
smock-employment,
smock-fair, etc.
Examples are very common in 17th
cent. dramatists.
| 1632 Massinger Maid Hon. ii. ii, I hope, sir, You are not..employed by him As a *smock-agent to me. |
| a 1652 Brome City Wit iii. i, I'll be hang'd if this Doctor be not of her *smock-councell. |
| 1624 Massinger Renegado ii. i, 'Tis but procuring; A *smocke emploiment. |
| a 1652 Brome Novella iii. i, What make you here i' th' *Smock-Faire, precious Mistris? |
| 1611 L. Barry Ram Alley iv. i, A knight, and never heard of *smock-fees? |
| 1681 Dryden Sp. Friar ii. i, Now Plague and Pox on his *Smock-Loyalty! |
| 1640 Shirley Imposture v. iii, I was the agent 'twixt them: he was pleased To choose me his *smock-officer. |
| 1632 B. Jonson Magn. Lady iv. ii, Keep these women-matters, *Smock-secrets to ourselves. |
| 1705 Hickeringill Priest-cr. ii. Pref. A 3 b, Great Kindred, *Smock-Simony, and Whores, have advanc'd many a Sot to the Holy-Chair. |
| 1598 Marston Sco. Villanie i. ii. 175 Lust fiered, Attended only with his *smock-sworne Page. |
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 102 This *smocktoy Paris..with falling woommanish hearelocks. |
| 1611 B. Jonson Catiline iv. v, There are of us can be as exquisite traitors, As e'er a male-conspirator of you all. Cethegus. Ay, at *smock-treason, matron. |
| a 1625 Fletcher Elder Brother iii. ii, These *Smock-vermine, how eagerly they leap at old mens kisses. |
▪ II. smock, a. [prob. an attributive or elliptic use of prec.] (See
quots.)
| 1849 D. J. Browne Amer. Poultry Yd. (1855) 290 In 1823, he [a game-cock] was milk-white, or ‘smock’, as the English term it. 1854 L. A. Meall Moubray's Poultry 111 [Sub-varieties of Game-Fowl.] White, or Smock (vulgar). |
▪ III. smock, v. (
smɒk)
[f. the n.] † 1. trans. To render effeminate or womanish.
| 1614 Sylvester Bethulia's Rescue iii. 28 Here would the Mede show..that no pomp..Had ever power his Manly mind to smock. |
† 2. intr. To consort with women.
Obs. rare.
| 1719 D'Urfey Pills IV. 126 Then we all agree; To..Smock and Knock it, Under the Green-wood Tree. 1731–8 Swift Polite Conv. 176 You don't smoke, I warrant you, but you smock. |
3. trans. To dress in a smock.
| 1847 Tennyson Princ. iv. 228 This is proper to the clown, Tho' smock'd, or furr'd and purpled. |
4. Needlework. To gather by means of sewing done in lines crossing each other diagonally, after a pattern common on smock-frocks.
| 1888 Pall Mall G. 30 May 11/1 Her gown is of Liberty silk,..smocked here and gathered there. 1963 N. Streatfeild Vicarage Family iii. 27 Louise..was still small enough for smocks and her mother smocked beautifully. 1980 Daily Tel. 24 Apr. 14/5 His mother brought him up alone on a war pension plus what she could make by smocking children's clothes. |