▪ I. grapple, n.
(ˈgræp(ə)l)
Forms: 6–7 grap(p)ell, graple, (6 grapull), 6– grapple.
[In branch I, prob. a. OF. *grapelle, dim. of grape hook; cf. ‘grappil, the graple of a ship’ (Cotgr.; not elsewhere found). In branch II, f. the vb.]
I. An implement for grappling or laying hold.
1. = grapnel 1.
| 1530 Palsgr. 574/1, I fasten two shyppes of warre togyther with a grappell, jagrappe. 1546 Langley Abridgm. Pol. Virg. iii. xi. 80 b, Anacharsis..inuented the Grapull or Tacle of a ship. 1602 J. Clapham Hist. Gt. Brit. i. iii. xix. (1606) 151 They gave an assault to the wall..and with grapples, and such like engines, pulled downe..a great part thereof. 1650 R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Warres viii. 8 The enemie chasing him with Grapples in their hands, that is, long poles headed with iron hooks, or hooks at the end of long ropes. 1700 Dryden Fables, Cymon & Iph. 281 But Cymon soon his crooked grapples cast, Which with tenacious hold his foes embraced. 1774 Goldsm. Grecian Hist. II. 202 They likewise cast iron grapples, to throw on the enemy's works, and tear them away. 1842 Arnold Hist. Rome III. xlv. 287 The end of the lever, with an iron grapple affixed to it, was lowered upon the Roman ships. 1869 Echo 3 Feb., He procured grapples, and brought it [a dead body] to the bank. |
| transf. and fig. 1587 Mirr. Mag., Rudacke vii, Ambition out sercheth to glory the greece, The staire to estate, the graple of grace. 1658 Rowland Moufet's Theat. Ins. Ep. Ded., The petulant Crab-lice, with their grapples, wherewith they perpetually lance mans skin between the hair with their mouth, and stick on faster than Cockles do to the rocks. 1667 Jer. Taylor Dissuas. fr. Popery ii. i. vii. 207 The fear of the two deaths, which are the two arms and grapples of iron by which the Church of Rome takes and keeps her timorous, or consciencious, Proselytes. 1712 Blackmore Creation (1786) 68 The creeping ivy, to prevent its fall, Clings with its fib'rous grapples to the wall. 1877 Five Yrs.' Penal Servit. iii. 246 Anything she once put her grapples on she slipped inside. |
† 2. = grapnel 2.
to be at a grapple: to be at anchor.
Obs.| 1623 Whitbourne Newfoundland 59 Two small Boates, Anchors and a small Grapple..were found in the Sea. 1657 R. Ligon Barbadoes (1673) 81 A Grapple that holds the long-Boat of a Ship. 1749 F. Smith Voy. Disc. II. 147 Off Sea Horse Point, where the Boat found a pretty Stream being at a Grapple. 1804 Naval Chron. XI. 360 Cables, or chains, to which it is fixed by means of grapples, to prevent its drifting outwards. 1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. i. ii. 100 An iron grapple, or anchor, was discovered with one of these canoes. |
† 3. = clamp n.1 1.
Obs.| 1767 Montagu in Phil. Trans. LVII. 441, I endeavoured with a..hanger to cut off a small piece of the grapple [used ‘to fasten or tie the shaft’ of a pillar ‘to the base’]. |
4. a. A name given to various contrivances and implements for clutching and grasping.
| 1593 Hollyband Dict., Agraphe, a buckle of a girdle, a claspe, or brace, a graple. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., Grapple, a grasping tongs, used in various shapes and for many purposes. 1884 Ibid. Suppl., Grapple, a pair of claws grasping a beam or rafter as a means of suspension of a tackle for hoisting hay in a barn, or merchandise in a warehouse. |
b. ‘A tool with spring jaws which are closed by striking the fish’ (Knight
Dict. Mech. Suppl. 1884).
| 1872 Game Laws Maine in Fur, Fin & Feather (1872) 162 No person shall be allowed to take or catch any pickerel with spears, hooks or grapples. |
II. [
f. the
vb.]
5. a. The action of grappling, or grappling
with; the state of being grappled; the grip or close hold of a wrestler; a contest in which the combatants grip one another. Said also of immaterial contests.
| 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. v. i. 59 A bawbling Vessell was he Captaine of..With which such scathfull grapple did he make, With the most noble bottome of our Fleete, That [etc.]. 1602 ― Ham. iv. vi. 18 In the Grapple, I boorded them. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 306 The variety of Graples a Christian hath for time. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 567 Antæus..oft foiled, still rose..Fresh from his fall, and fiercer grapple joined. 1701 C. Wolley Jrnl. N.Y. (1860) 55, I..ordered him to fetch a kit full of water and discharge it at them, which immediately cool'd their courage, and loosed their grapple. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 173 ¶1 The Knowledge of the Cornish Hug, as well as the Grapple. 1741–3 Wesley Extract of Jrnl. (1749) 14 An hour after I had one more grapple with the enemy, who then seem'd to collect all his strength. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iii. xxix, One beneath his grasp lies prone, In mortal grapple overthrown. 1836 J. Gilbert Chr. Atonem. ii. (1852) 38 The grapple of a tiger, or the more sparing resolution of the elephant. 1841 Miall in Nonconf. I. 2 A final grapple with ecclesiastical tyranny. 1873 Holland A. Bonnic. xviii. 278 Henry..in a fierce grapple with his antagonist, threw him. 1891 G. Meredith One of our Conq. III. x. 203 Presently he was at quiet grapple with her mind. 1894 Crockett Raiders 222, I..longed to..come to grapples with a dozen Faas. |
b. Applied to a friendly meeting, ? a hand-shake. ?
nonce-use.
| 1809 Malkin Gil Blas vii. vii, The burning desire of having a grapple with Phenicia. |
III. 6. attrib. and
Comb., as
grapple-closing;
grapple-iron = grappling-iron (
lit. and
fig.);
grapple-plant, a South African herb,
Uncaria (or
Harpagophytum)
procumbens, the fruit of which has many projecting claw-like hooks;
grapple-shot, a projectile attached to a cable, with hinged flukes which catch in the rigging of a ship in distress;
grapple-wood, some West Indian tree.
| 1851 Mrs. Browning Casa Guidi W. 115 Those whom she-wolves suckle Will bite as wolves do, in the *grapple-closing Of adverse interests. |
| 1661 Boyle Spring Air ii. ii. (1682) 31 For I further demand how the Funiculus comes by such hooks or *graple-irons to take fast hold. 1786 Burns Dream xiii, Then heave aboard your grapple airn. |
| 1822–4 W. J. Burchell Trav. I. 536 The beautiful Uncaria procumbens, or *Grapple-plant was not less abundant. 1893 J. T. Bent Ruined Cities Mashonaland 17 Lurking in the grass is the Grapple plant, the Harpagophytum procumbens. |
| 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., *Grapple shot. |
| 1750 G. Hughes Barbadoes 217 *Grapple-wood. This shrubby tree hath a reddish-grey bark. |
▪ II. grapple, v. (
ˈgræp(ə)l)
Also 6
grap(p)el(l, 6–9
graple.
[f. the n.; in some uses app. influenced by association with grope, grip, grasp.] 1. trans. To seize or hold (a ship, etc.) with a grapnel; to fasten
to something with grappling-irons.
| 1530 Palsgr. 574/1 Their shyppes were grappelled so faste togyther that one chaunce of fyre burned them bothe. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. ii. 168 The gallies were grapled to the Centurion in this maner. 1600 Holland Livy xxvi. xxxix. (1609) 614 They closed and grappled their ships together. 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 11 To grapple her, our fleet divided all night, but saw her not. 1647 W. Browne tr. Gomberville's Polexander i. i. 24 Iphidamantus ship..was grapled with a Turke. 1754 T. Gardner Hist. Dunwich 225 A fourth Fire Ship grappled him. 1774 Hutchins in Phil. Trans. LXV. 132 A large piece of ice, to which the three ships were grappled. 1838 W. Ware Lett. fr. Palmyra II. xiv. 152 The bridge was in the very act of being thrown and grappled to the ramparts. 1847 Grote Greece ii. xlvii. (1862) IV. 198 The ships on both sides..were grappled together. 1871 C. M. Yonge Cameos II. iv. 54 The King wished to grapple this vessel and take it. |
| refl. 1647 W. Browne tr. Gomberville's Polexander i. 31 He gave then his Gunners charge to shoot into the sailes, and to his Mariners to grapple themselves with the body of the ship. |
† b. To take hold of (the bottom) with a grapple or anchor. Also,
to grapple hold.
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 23 Wheere sea tost nauye remayning Needs not too grapple thee sands with flooke of an anchor. 1825 T. Jefferson Autobiog. Wks. 1859 I. 82 To throw an anchor ahead, and grapple further hold for future advances of power. |
c. fig. or with reference to what is immaterial: To fasten as with a grapple; to attach closely and firmly.
| 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, Prol. 18 Follow, follow: Grapple your minds to sternage of this Nauie. 1602 ― Ham. i. iii. 62 The friends thou hast, and their adoption tride, Grapple them to thy Soule, with hoopes of Steele. 1785 Burke Sp. Nabob Arcot Wks. IV. 228 Never to be torn from thence, but with those holds that grapple it to life. 1853 Maurice Proph. & Kings iv. 70 Let us grapple this faith to our inmost souls. 1887 J. Hutchison Lect. Philippians Pref. 7 Some abrupt but significant phrase at once grapples his argument upon the personal feelings of those to whom he writes. |
d. To take
up with a grapnel.
rare.
| 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. ii, They've grappled up the body. |
2. intr. for refl. To fasten oneself firmly (
to an object) by means of a grapple. Also
fig. (
Cf. 8.)
| 1563 B. Googe Eglogs viii. (Arb.) 67 Death..Coms saylyng fast, in Galley blacke, and whan he spyes hym neare, Doth boorde hym strayght, and grapels fast And than begyns the fyght. 1748 F. Smith Voy. Disc. I. 42 The Piece of Ice we grappled to had a Pond upon it. 1861 P. Leys Mem. J. Maclaren viii. 51 Those elementary principles..had grappled to the heart of him, and conquered it. |
3. intr. To ‘fish’
for with a grapnel.
| 1799 A. Burn Mem. (1816) iv. 189 When we had light and time to grapple for the cable. |
4. trans. To take hold of (a person or thing) with the hands; to seize; to grip firmly;
hence, to come to close quarters with.
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 90 Of my feloes I saw that a couple he grapled. a 1704 T. Brown Sat. Antients Wks. 1730 I. 23 As Horace is a true Proteus..they have..grappled him as well as they could. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. xii. (1840) 247 He grappled the pagan, and dragged him by main force out of their own boat into ours. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 166 In vain to grapple pendent ropes they try. 1791 Cowper Iliad iv. 560 Man grapples man. 1830 Capt. H. Crow Mem. 233 Uttering a loud yell of triumph, [they] grappled the poor fellow as their prisoner of war. 1834 Pringle Afr. Sk. viii. 275 Grappling its antagonist by the throat with its fore-paws. 1865 Kingsley Herew. v. 114 Whoever she grappled she would never let go. 1898 A. H. S. Landor Forbidden Land II. lxxxii. 131 The soldiers..grappling me, and lifting me bodily off my feet. |
| fig. 1854 J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) II. xxxiii. 613 The profundity of his doctrine, which grapples the mightiest difficulties. 1894 C. N. Robinson Brit. Fleet 71 With the same purpose did the Dutchmen (1594–7) grapple the icy perils of the North-East Passage. |
b. To snatch
up.
rare.
| 1775 Adair Amer. Ind. 111 They fly about to grapple up a kind of chalky clay, to paint themselves white. |
c. poet. To fasten in the grip of irons.
rare.
| 1833 Mrs. Browning Prometh. Bound Poems I. 142 Here's an arm at least Grappled past freeing. |
5. intr. To take a firm hold, as with a grapple,
esp. in wrestling; to get a tight grip of another; to contend with another in close fight. Also with
together. (
Cf. 8 b.)
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 58 With righthands grapling thee tops of turret ar holden. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. iv. 29 As two wild boares together grapling go. a 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Maid's Trag. v. ii, Your Grace and I Must grapple vpon euen tearmes no more. 1644 Milton Educ. Wks. 1738 I. 139 To tug or grapple, and to close. 1700 Dryden Pal. & Arc. iii. 57 Greyhounds,..A match for pards in flight, in grappling for the bear. 1709 Steele & Swift Tatler No. 70 ¶10 A large French Mongrel..when he grapples, bites even to the Marrow. 1825 J. Neal Bro. Jonathan I. 271 They drew up—made play..grappled anew. 1858 Doran Crt. Fools 338 They grappled and commenced wrestling. |
| fig. 1644 Milton Areop. (Arb.) 74 Let her [Truth] and Falshood grapple. |
6. To make movements with the hands, as if to grasp some object: to grope. Const.
after,
at,
for,
to. Also with
about adv. rare. (?
Obs.)
| 1596 Lodge Marg. Amer. 137 He grapled about the floore among the dead bodies. 1742 Young Nt. Th. iv. 349 Is praise the perquisite of ev'ry paw, Tho' black as hell, that grapples well for gold? 1766 H. Brooke Fool of Quality (1809) III. 126, I kept aloof, however, for fear he should grapple at me, and sink us both together. 1810 Scott Lady of L. vi. iv, Fierce was their speech, and, 'mid their words, Their hands oft grappled to their swords. 1815 He must be married ii. ii, Modesty! is it that you would be grapling after? |
† b. To mount
up by clutching or grasping.
| 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus' Ann. i. xiv. (1622) 27 They..grappled vp to the toppe of the trench [L. summa valli prensant]. |
7. Manège (see
quot.).
| 1727 Bailey vol. II, To Grapple [with Horsemen] is when a Horse lifts up one or both his Legs at once, and raises them with Precipitation, as if he were a curveting. 1727–41 in Chambers Cycl. |
8. grapple with ―.
a. Naut. To make one's ship fast to (an enemy) with grappling-irons; to come to close quarters with.
| 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 61 Metaneone..hastened to grapple with the Galley. 1687 A. Lovell Thevenot's Trav. i. 283 Laid us on board, and grappled with us on the Starboard side. 1759 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxv. 808 He sunk three fire-ships, which endeavoured to grapple with him. 1783 Watson Phillip III (1839) 71 As the Dutch..could navigate their ships with greater dexterity, they were enabled to avoid grappling with the Spaniards. 1868 E. Edwards Raleigh I. vii. 111 To advise the..Admiral..to grapple with the enemy's ships and board them. |
b. To grip as in wrestling; to seize with hands and arms; to close with bodily.
| 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia iii. x. 84 The President prevented his shoot by grapling with him. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 13 ¶3 He would fall at the first Touch of Hydaspes, without grappling with him. 1801 Southey Thalaba v. xl, The undefended youth Sprung forward..And grappled with him breast to breast. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. III. 253 Some one was grappling with Milo [a bloodhound]. 1880 Harting Extinct Brit. Anim. i. 19 As the animal rose to grapple with the dogs. 1883 Froude Short Stud. IV. i. x. 124 He grappled with Tracy and flung him to the ground. |
c. To encounter hand to hand; to battle or struggle with.
| 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 257 Then will I..in my Standard beare the Armes of Yorke, To grapple with the house of Lancaster. 1648 Gage West Ind. xviii. 129 Some of them fear not to encounter..and to graple in the rivers..with Crocodiles. 1850 Scoresby Cheever's Whalem. Adv. xi. (1859) 147, I..saw with horror one of our men..grappling with the waves. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. v. 288 The valiant burghers had already learned to grapple with the Dane on his own element. |
d. fig. or with reference to immaterial things.
| 1631 R. H. Arraignm. Whole Creature xiii. §i. 168 We will come (as in a Land, or Sea-fight) to grapple and gripe, with Vanities. a 1688 Bunyan Dying Sayings (1767) I. 48 Who can grapple with the wrath of God? 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. viii. 374 This is usually a power too mighty for reason to grapple with. 1807 Wordsw. Wh. Doe Rylstone ii. 150, I..Presumed to grapple with their scorn. |
e. esp. To try to overcome (a difficulty, etc.); to try to accomplish, take in hand (a task, etc.); to try to deal with (a question, etc.); to try to solve (a problem, etc.).
| 1830 J. W. Croker in C. Papers 10 May, He did not at all grapple with the real question. 1851 D. Wilson Preh. Ann. (1863) I. ii. 51 Science grapples with such startling phenomena. 1865 W. Pengelly in H. Pengelly Life xi. (1897) 170, I am glad to find you are grappling with the question. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. xxxvi. 3 The new historical school..will doubtless grapple with this task. |
Hence
ˈgrappling ppl. a.| 1666 Dryden Ann. Mirab. lxxxiv, Two grappling ætna's on the ocean meet And English fires with Belgian flames contend. 1705 Addison Italy 307 Antæus here and stern Alcides strive, And both the grappling Statues seem to live. 1814 Cary Dante, Par. xxvi. 54 All grappling bonds, that knit the heart to God, Confederate to make fast our charity. |