▪ I. deal, n.1
(diːl)
Forms: 1–3 dǽl, (1 dael), 3–6 del, 4–5 deel, delle, 4–6 dell, 4–7 dele, 5 deyll, 5–6 deele, deill(e, 6 deyle, (daill), 5–7 deale, 6 deall, 6– deal.
[A common Teut. n.: OE. dǽl, corresp. to OFris. dêl, OS. dêl (MDu., Du. deel, MLG. del, deil, LG. deel, dêl), OHG, MHG., mod.G. teil, Goth. dail-s:—OTeut. *daili-z: cf. Lith. dalìs, OSlav. dêlŭ part, dêlitĭ to divide. Beside the form dǽl (with ǽ umlaut of á= OTeut. ai), OE. had also, without umlaut, dâl, whence dole and dale2.]
I. A part, portion, amount
† 1. A part or division of a whole; a portion, fraction, section. Obs.
| a 800 Corpus Gloss. 548 Conpetentes portiunculas, ᵹelimplice daele. c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiii. §2 Hi..heora god on swa maniᵹe dælas todælaþ. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 51 Ðæs temples wah-ryft wearð tosliten on tweȝen dælas. c 1205 Lay. 21125 He a fif dæle dælde his ferde. 1340 Ayenb. 164 Þe filozofes..to-delden þise uirtues ine zix deles. 1398 Trevisa Barth. de P.R. xiv. iii. (1495) 469 Monteynes..passe vpwarde aboue the other deale of the londe. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 117 Dele, or parte, porcio. 1594 Carew Tasso (1881) 9 He ceast, and vanisht flew to th' vpper deale, And purest portion of the heauenly seat. |
† b. With an ordinal number, expressing an aliquot part of the whole. See also half-deal.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 35 We sceolan..syllan þone teoþan dæl ure worldspeda. c 1205 Lay. 3019 Þea þridde del of mine londe. c 1350 Will. Palerne 1284 Þe furþe del of a furlong. 1393 Gower Conf. II. 198 Be so that he the halve dele Hem graunt. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 21 Take þe to del ȝolkys of eyron, þe þridde dele Hony. 1534 Act 26 Hen. VIII, c. 3 §23 The moitie and halfe deale of euery suche pension. 1535 Coverdale Lev. xiv. 10 Thre tenth deales of fyne floure. 1601 Holland Pliny vii. 1, A good moity and halfe deale thereof. 1611 Bible Num. xv. 9, A meate offering of three tenth deales of flowre. 1737 Whiston Josephus' Antiq. iii. x. §5 They..bring one tenth deal to the altar. |
† c. With indefinite and distributive numerals, as a, each, every, never a, no, some, etc. See also every-deal, some-deal, etc. Obs. or arch.
| c 1200 Ormin 1720 All wass it filledd iwhillc dæl Þurh Crist i Cristess time. a 1300 Cursor M. 20276 (Cott.) O pine ne sal i thol na dele. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame i. 331 Suche godelyhede In speche and neuer a dele of trouthe. 15.. Merline 896 in Furniv. Percy Folio 450 That this woman hath told eche deale, certez I beleeue itt weele. 1531 Elyot Gov. i. xx, The straunge kynge..understode euery dele of the mater. [1870 Magnusson & Morris Volsunga Saga 67 Then Sigurd ate some deal of Fafnir's heart. 1884 J. Payne 1001 Nights IX. 166 Moreover, they ate not anydele of the food that remained in the tray.] |
† d. With other, and comparative words, as more, most, less, better, and the like, distinguishing one of two parts, or a part from the remainder. the other deal: the other part, the rest, the remainder. the better deal (fig.): the superiority, the better. for the most deal: for the most part, mostly, on most occasions. Obs.
| 1258 Eng. Proclam. Hen. III (Trans. Philol. Soc. 1868/9, 19), Vre rædesmen alle, oþer þe moare dæl of heom. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7582 Þe mestedel of heyemen..Beþ icome of þe Normans. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 669 He..ne a-ȝen no man ne tok querel..þat he ne hadde þe betere deel. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 219 Now for þe moste deel he fleeþ mannys siȝt. 1398 ― Barth de P.R. v. i. (Tollem. MS.), Þey beþ greuous to oþer dele of þe body [residuo corporis]. a 1400–50 Alexander 5568 Þe dreȝest deele of þaim died of his dukis handis. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb) 164 Whan she hys feet anoyntyd had weel..Upon hys heed she poryd the tothir deel. 1481 Caxton Reynard xvi. (Arb.) 35 He made it so that he had the beste dele, I gate not halfe my parte. c 1511 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.) Introd. 30/1 Wherof ye moost deyle is..kyt of of the holy Romes chyrche. 1572 J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 53 b, All the other deale of his body hathe the fourme of a litle hounde. |
† e. by the tenth deal: ten-fold; by a thousand deal: a thousandfold. Apparently an erroneous use originating in negative expressions where it means ‘not by the tenth or thousandth part’ (see quot. 1400).
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 261 If þei now powere had of vs, wite ȝe wele, Streiter we suld be lad bi þe tend dele. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 405 Woxen on high..Wel more be a thousande dele Than hyt was erst. c 1400 Rom. Rose 1074 In this world is noone it lyche, Ne by a thousand deelle so riche. 1401 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 31 Then was it better doe than is nowe..by a thousand dele. |
† 2. A part allowed or apportioned to any one; a portion, share, dole. Obs. exc. dial.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter cxli. 6 [cxlii. 5] Ðu earð hyht min dæl min in eorðan lifᵹendra. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xv. 12 Fæder, syle me minne dæl minre æhte. c 1325 Coer de L. 2220 Their tresour and their meles He toke to his own deles. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 407 He deleþ his mete at þe mel, And ȝeueþ eueriche manis del. 15.. Kyng & Hermyt 337 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 25 Every man schall have his dele. 1535 Coverdale 1 Sam. i. 5 But vnto Anna he gaue one deale heuely for he loued Anna. 1647 Herrick Noble Numbers, Widdowes Teares, The deale Of gentle paste and yeelding Dow That thou on widdowes didst bestow. 1806 Forsyth Beauties Scotl. IV. 132 The remainder [of the money] is divided into shares, called deals, according to the number of persons entitled to a portion of it. |
b. A portion or share of land; cf. dale2 1 and dole n.1
| 1600 Sc. Acts Jas. VI (1814) IV. 241 The cottaris deallis, and aucht akeris of land occupyit be þe fischeris of Ferne. 1633 Sc. Acts Chas. I (1814) V. 125 The tua dealles of land lyand betuix the lands of Grainge and Haltounehill. 1851 Cumbrld. Gloss., Deail, a narrow plot of ground in a common-field, set out by land-marks. |
3. A quantity, an amount; qualified as good, great, vast, or the like; formerly, also, as poor, small, little, etc. a great deal: a large part, portion, allowance, or amount (of anything), very much. a good deal: a considerable amount. Cf. lot (in a great lot, good lot, etc.).
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 202 Micel dæl bewylledes wæteres on huniᵹes godum dæle. c 1230 Hali Meid. 29 Ha..ȝisceð þah after muchele deale mare. a 1300 Cursor M. 13493 (Cott.) Hai þar was a mikel dele. a 1400–50 Alexander 3703 Coupis..þai fande bot a fewe dele forged of siluir. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 15 Safroun, & a gode dele Salt. 1570 Levins Manip. 207/37 A lyttle deale, parum. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 592 But one halfepenny-worth of Bread to this intollerable deale of Sacke! 1609 Bible (Douay) 2 Macc. iii. 6 The treasurie at Ierusalem was ful of innumerable deale of money. 1621 J. Mayer Eng. Catech. 207 Where ignorance preuaileth there can be but a poore deale of loue. 1673 Ray Journ. Low C. 57 There being so vast a deal of room, that 40,000 people may shelter themselves in it. 1685 H. More Some Cursory Refl. A ij b, To make such a Tragical deal ado about it. 1711 Hearne Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) III. 223 A great Deal of Lead. 1771 Franklin Autobiog. Wks. 1840 I. 6 He was also a good deal of a politician. 1790 Beatson Nav. & Mil. Mem. I. 183 A most violent hurricane, which did an incredible deal of damage. 1874 C. Geikie Life in Woods vi. 102 A good deal of rain having fallen. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 103 There is a great deal of truth in what you say. |
b. absol. (the thing referred to being implied or understood).
| c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 2971 Aftirwarde a litel dele, Cuthbert was prayde to karlele, Prestes to ordayne. 1659 Burton's Diary (1828) IV. 451, I see no need of it. The danger is a great deal. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 51 ¶2 But there is a great deal to be said in Behalf of an Author. 1720 De Foe Capt. Singleton xvi. (1840) 271 Our beef and hogs..being not yet all gone by a good deal. 1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. (ed. 2) 160 A great deal depends upon the just proportions of its several parts. 1871 B. Taylor Faust I. Prelude 3 They've read an awful deal. 1891 in Law Times XCI. 233/2 Whatever may be thought of the..propriety of a good deal that was done. |
4. a deal is used pregnantly for a good or great deal, etc.; an undefined, but considerable or large quantity (rarely number); a ‘lot’. colloq.
| 15.. Mylner of Abyngton 50 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 102 Of each mannes corne wolde he steale More than his toledish by a deale. 1597 Gerarde Herbal i. xxxi. §i. 42 Nothing else but a deale of flocks set and thrust togither. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. i. 157 O what a deale of scorne lookes beautifull In the contempt and anger of his lip! 1627–77 Feltham Resolves i. xxx. 52 What a deal of sweetness do we find in a mild disposition? 1741 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. xxii. 34 He and Mrs. Jervis had a deal of talk, as she told me. 1777 Johnson Let. 16 Oct., I have a deal to look after. 1780 Phil. Trans. LXX. 493 A tornado last night, with a deal of rain, thunder, and lightning. 1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds v. 62 Saving us a deal of trouble. 1875 Jowett Plato I. 351 Talking a deal of nonsense. |
II. Adverbial uses.
† 5. Connected with the notion of ‘part, bit, whit’: any deal, to any extent, any whit; some deal, to some extent, somewhat; each deal, each a deal, every deal, ilk a deal, every bit, every whit, entirely; halfen deal, half; mesten del, for the most part, mostly. See also everydeal, halfendeal, somedeal, etc. Obs.
| a 700 Epinal Gloss. 731 Partim, sume daeli [Erfurt sumæ dæli]. a 1225 St. Marher. 17 We luueð bi þe lufte alre mesten del. a 1300–1440 [see each 1 d]. a 1300 Cursor M. 17400 (Cott.) Your sagh es lese, euer-ilk del. c 1340 Ibid. 23532 (Trin) Wiþouten tariynge any dele. 1375–1715 [see everydeal 2]. c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 2016 Tille he were rosted to colis ilkadele. 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. ii. in Ashm. (1652) 138 The whych unknowen thy Warke ys lost ech dele. 1513 Douglas æneis ii. iv. 33 As I sall schew the verite ilka deil. 1553 N. Grimalde Cicero's Offices 106 a, Was hee any deale the richer? 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. ix. 53 The..hevenly lampes were halfendeale ybrent. 1710 Philips Pastorals iv. 25 Albeit some deal I pipe. |
† b. In the negative never a deal, no deal, not a deal: never a bit, not a whit, not at all. Obs.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 230 It ne wrocte him neuere a del. c 1340 Cursor M. 23332 (Trin.) Of hem shul þei rewe no del. c 1422 Hoccleve Tale Jonathas 277 Hir conpaignie he nat a deel forsooke. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4678 Þe pepill it lyked neuer a dele. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John vii. 57 Neuer a deale moued to cum to better aduisement. 1569 T. Stocker Diod. Sic. ii. xliv. 100 His father was no deale contented with the league. 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 392/1 They..are neuer a deale more acceptable to God. a 1600 Captaine Care xxvi. in Child Ballads III. vi. clxxviii. 431/2 His harte was no dele lighte. |
6. Connected with the notion of ‘amount’ or ‘extent’: a great deal, to a great extent or degree, greatly, very much; a good deal, to a considerable extent or degree, considerably; a vast deal, vastly; † much deal, etc. a. as verbal adjuncts.
| 1562 Winȝet Certain Tract. i. Wks. 1888 I. 3 To lat down ane grete dele thair hie sailis. 1572 Forrest Theophilus 169 (in Anglia VII.) The iuste prayer much deale for to prevayle. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1840) II. viii. 183, I..bled..a great deal. a 1845 Hood Last Man xxvii, The beggar man grumbled a weary deal. 1887 Sala in Illust. Lond. News 19 Mar., I had travelled a good deal in earthquaking lands. |
b. as adjuncts of adjectives or adverbs in the comparative or superlative, or their equivalents.
| 1526 Tindale Mark x. 48 He cryed the moore a greate deale. 1578 Lyte Dodoens vi. xiii. 713 Wilde Peares..do drie and stop a great deale more then the others. 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. (1586) ii. 88 b, The kitchin was a greate deale too little. 1692 Locke Educ. §160 To have them [letters] a pretty deal bigger than he should ordinarily write. 1796 Jane Austen Pride & Prej. vi. (1813) 11 You are a great deal too apt..to like people in general. 1870 Dickens E. Drood viii, You take a great deal too much upon yourself. 1875 Jowett Plato I. 493 At a point a good deal lower than that at which they rose. |
7. a deal: to an undefined but considerable amount or extent; much. colloq.
| 1756 W. Toldervy Hist. Two Orphans III. 21 She talked a deal. 1811 Lamb Guy Faux, The first part of this dilemma is a deal too shocking to think of. 1855 Mrs. Gaskell North & S. xvii, Beside, I shall be a deal here to make it more lively for thee. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. iv, You boys of this generation are a deal tenderer fellows than we used to be. |
III. 8. Comb. (in OE. and early ME.), as † del (dal) neominde, -takand, participator, sharer; † del-taking, participation; † dealsman (Sc.), a partner, sharer.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalt. cxviii[i]. 63 Daelniomend ic eam alra ondredendra ðec. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 47 Beo heo dal neominde of heofene riches blisse. a 1300 E. E. Psalter cxviii. 63 Del-takand I am of al þe dredand. Ibid. cxxi[i]. 3 Of wham in him self del-taking hisse. 1563 Aberdeen Reg. V. 25 (Jam.) The awnaris and delismen of the said schip. |
▪ II. deal, n.2
(diːl)
[f. deal v.]
An act or the act of dealing.
1. The act or system of dividing into parts for distribution; sharing.
| 1873 J. G. Bertram Harvest of Sea 331 At that time most of the herring boats of Shellbraes were managed on the sharing system, or by ‘the deal’, as it was called. |
† 2. Dealing; intercourse. Sc. See dale2 2.
| 1588 A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. 6 To haue carnel deale with ane vþer mans vyffe. 1594 Willobie Avisa xix, Because you love a secret deale. |
3. Cards. The distribution to the players of the cards required for a game; a single round or game marked by one distribution of the cards (= hand n. 23 c).
| 1607 Heywood Woman Killed with Kindness Wks. 1874 II. 123 My minds not on my game; Many a deale I haue lost. 1674 Cotton Compl. Gamester xi, At French Ruff you must lift for deal. 1728 Swift Jrnl. of Mod. Lady, How can the muse..in harmonious numbers put The deal, the shuffle, and the cut? 1739 Gray Let. to Mother 21 June, You sit down, and play forty deals without intermission. 1778 C. Jones Hoyle's Games Impr. 61 You risk the losing of three or four Tricks in that Deal to gain one only. 1860 Bohn Handbk. Games ii. 68 If a card is faced in the deal, there must be a new deal, unless it is the last card. |
4. a. An act of dealing or buying and selling; a business transaction, bargain. vulgar or slang.
| 1837–40 Haliburton Clockm. (1862) 305 Six dollars apiece for the pictures is about the fair deal for the price. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. vi. (1889) 52 He wanted to have a deal with me for Jessy [mare]. 1879 E. K. Bates Egypt. Bonds I. iii. 51 He wants to make a deal for some chickens and vegetables in the morning. |
b. spec. A transaction of an underhand or questionable nature; a private or secret arrangement in commerce or politics entered into by parties for their mutual benefit; a ‘job’. orig. U.S.
| 1863 J. Sherman in R. S. Thorndike Sherman Lett. (1894) 205 The war is prolonged, and but little chance of its ending until we have a new deal. 1881 N.Y. Nation XXXIII. 487 [The party boss] his power of making ‘deals’. 1882 Ibid. XXXV. 411/1 The shifts and expedients and ‘deals’ which had illustrated his rise to political prominence. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. iii. lxiii. 461 The chiefs of opposite parties..will even go the length of making (of course secretly) a joint ‘deal’, i.e. of arranging for a distribution of offices whereby some of the friends of one shall get places, the residue being left for the friends of the other. 1891 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 27 Nov. 6/4 It is not known who are Deacon White's heirs in this corn deal. 1892 Ibid. 5 Nov. 12/7 An alleged Deal between the Republicans and the Democrats. 1928 Manch. Guardian Weekly 10 Aug. 102/2 We are..dependent on Parisian sources for information about our latest deal with the French. Ibid. 104/1 [He] tries to explain the attitude of British Liberalism towards the naval deal. 1931 H. F. Pringle T. Roosevelt I. vi. 66 There had been deals and counterdeals between Tammany and anti-Tammany Democrats. |
c. (a) bad deal, raw deal or rough deal, harsh or unfair treatment, swindling; (b) fair deal or square deal, equitable treatment, fair dealing. colloq. (orig. U.S.).
| [1838 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 2nd Ser. 266 Six dollars apiece for the pictur's is about the fair deal for the price.] 1876 W. G. Nash New England Life ii. 30 That was a square deal, Mis Brown. 1912 J. Sandilands Western Canadian Dict. 37 Raw deal, a bare-faced swindle. 1927 Lady Astor in Daily Tel. 15 Nov. 9/3 Although we have got the vote we women have a long way to go before we get a positive square deal. 1928 Daily Chron. 9 Aug. 6/2 The men have had a fair deal. 1931 Week-end Rev. 18 Apr. 580/1, I do not believe that in ordinary life Martin would have had such a rough deal. 1938 E. Bowen Death of Heart i. viii. 145 No outside people deserve the bad deal they get from love. 1940 E. C. Bentley Those Days viii. 237 The Opposition were quite content with this situation. If it was what is known nowadays as a raw deal, they did not mind. 1958 New Statesman 22 Feb. 219/1 The government in Djakarta refused to give Sumatra a fair deal. |
d. new deal, New Deal, a new arrangement with a view to reform and betterment; spec. the programme of social and economic reform in the United States of America planned by the Roosevelt administration of 1932 onwards. Also transf. and attrib. Hence new dealer, New Dealer, one who advocates or supports a ‘new deal’.
| 1834 in M. James Andrew Jackson, Portrait of Pres. (1937) ii. xvii. 376 A new bank and a New Deal. 1863 [see sense 4 b above]. 1876 Chicago Tribune 7 Aug. 1/6 The ‘New-Dealers’ appointed a committee to confer with the old State Central Committee. 1909 H. James Princess Casamassima (N.Y. ed.) II. xxxiv. 199 I'm one of those who believe that a great new deal is destined to take place. 1932 F. D. Roosevelt in N.Y. Times 3 July i. 8/7, I pledge you—I pledge myself—to a new deal for the American people. 1934 Amer. Mercury June 246/2 Fifty New Dealers who are helping the President make the country laugh. 1940 H. G. Wells New World Order 61 The New Deal is plainly an attempt to achieve a working socialism and avert a social collapse in America. 1943 J. S. Huxley TVA 7 The Tennessee Valley Authority Act was one of the earliest New Deal measures, having been passed in May 1933—less than three months after Roosevelt took office. 1955 Times 3 Aug. 9/6 He ousts the ‘new dealer’, Malenkov, and re-directs Russian economy towards heavy industry. 1965 Listener 24 June 947/3 As a member of the New Deal team his position was in the highest degree anomalous. |
e. big deal, an important business transaction; also transf., something important, exciting, or satisfying; freq. used as an ironical exclamation. orig. U.S.
| 1928 Z. Grey Nevada xvi. 279 ‘Are you open to a big deal?’ queried the rustler bluntly. 1949 A. Miller Death of Salesman ii. 100 My brother..pulled off a big deal today. I think we're going into business together. 1951 J. D. Salinger Catcher in Rye i. 6 The game with Saxon Hall was supposed to be a very big deal around Pencey. Ibid. xviii. 163 The whole bunch of them—thousands of them—singing ‘Come All Ye Faithful!’ like mad. Big deal. It's supposed to be religious as hell. 1953 Pohl & Kornbluth Space Merch. (1955) vii. 77 My bunk was all mine, twenty-four hours a day. Big deal. 1966 ‘S. Harvester’ Treacherous Road ii. 22 So, I can charge an evening's entertainment to business expenses. Oh, big deal. Carry on. |
▪ III. deal, n.3
(diːl)
Forms: 5 dele, 6 dell, deil, 6–8 deale, 7 dale, 8 Sc. dail, 6– deal.
[Introduced from Low German c 1400: cf. MLG. dele fem. plank, floor (mod.Du. deel plank, dele, delle floor), corresp. to OHG. dil, dillo m., dilla f., MHG. dil m. f., dille f. board, deal, boarding, mod.G. diele f. deal-board, fir-plank, in north Germany ‘floor’ (see Grimm); ON. þilja fem. deal, plank, planking; OE. þille stake, board, plank, thill:—OTeut. *þeljôn- (whence þiljôn, þilljô, þille: cf. Finnish teljo from Teutonic). Another OE. derivative was þelu hewn wood, board, flooring: see theal.]
1. A slice sawn from a log of timber (now always of fir or pine), and usually understood to be more than seven inches wide, and not more than three thick; a plank or board of pine or fir-wood.
In the timber trade, in Great Britain, a deal is understood to be 9 inches wide, not more than 3 inches thick, and at least 6 feet long. If shorter, it is a deal-end; if not more than 7 inches wide, it is a batten. In N. America, the standard deal (to which other sizes are reduced in computation) is 12 feet long, 11 inches wide, and 2½ inches thick. By carpenters, deal of half this thickness (11/4 inches) is called whole deal; of half the latter (5/8 inch) slit deal.
The word was introduced with the importation of sawn boards from some Low German district, and, as these consisted usually of fir or pine, the word was from the first associated with these kinds of wood.
| 1402 in C. Frost Early Hist. Hull (1827) App. 6 Mari Knyght de Dansk..xvj deles, iij{supm} waynscots. Ibid. 18, iij dusen deles. a 1450 Rature (in Hull Trin. House Records), Item for euerie hundreth of firre deales, xijd. 1558 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees) I. 183 Ffyrdells of the biggest sorte..litle firdells..doble firr sparrs. 1583–4 Bk. Accts. Hull Charterhouse in N. & Q. 6th Ser. VIII. 217/1, 7 deals to seale the windows. 1595 A. Duncan Appendix Etymol., Asser, a deele or planke. 1604 Vestry Bks. (Surt.) 283 For fortie firre dales, xxiijs. iiijd. 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 111 Robert Bonwicke of Wansworth demanded for everie deale a pennie, for bringing them from Hull to Parsonpooles, alledging that everie deale weighed three stone. 1762 Sterne Tr. Shandy VI. xxiii, A little model of a town..to be run up together of slit deals. 1820 Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. I. 141 These huts, some constructed of logs, others of deals two inches in thickness. 1886 Law Times LXXX. 212/1 To there load a cargo of deals. |
b. (Without a or pl.) Wood in the form of deals.
| a 1618 Raleigh Obs. in Rem. (1661) 180 The huge piles of Wainscot, Clapboard, Firdeal, Masts, and Timber..in the Low-countries. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ii. 14 Laying that Decke with spruce Deale of thirty foot long, the sap cut off. 1667 Primatt City & C. Builder 85, A handsom Door, lyned with Slit-deal. 1794 Builder's Price-Bk. 41 Whole deal dove-tailed dado. 1876 Gwilt Encycl. Archit. §2365 The table shows that the value of 1½ inch deal is 8d. per foot. Ibid. Gloss. 1196 Fir boards..one inch and a quarter thick, are called whole deal, and those a full half inch thick, slit deal. |
2. As a kind of timber: The wood of fir or pine, such as deals (in sense 1) are made from.
white deal, the produce of the Norway Spruce (Abies excelsa); red deal, the produce of the Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris); yellow deal, the produce of the Yellow Pine (P. mitis), or kindred American species.
| 1601 Holland Pliny I. 476 Some..haue their boughes disposed in good order, as the Pitch-tree, Firre, or Deale. Ibid. I. 488 For Mast-poles and crosse saile-yards in ships, the Fir or Deale [abies] is commended. 1673–4 Grew Anat. Trunks ii. vii. §2 Deal, especially the white Deal, if it be cut cross, it tears. 1765 Parsons in Phil. Trans. LV. 3 What we call white deal, which is esteemed the lightest and tenderest of all the class of firs. 1833 Penny Cycl. I. 31/2 The Norway Spruce Fir..In the market [its wood] is known under the name of white or Christiania deal. 1840 Ibid. XVIII. 170/2 The Scotch Pine..Its timber furnishes the red deal of the carpenters. 1877 Japp De Quincy I. vii. 143 Preferring mahogany to deal for book-shelves. |
3. attrib. and Comb., as (‘made of or consisting of deal’), deal box, deal door, deal-shaving, deal table, etc.; (‘engaged in the trade in deals’) deal-carrier, deal-merchant, deal-porter, deal-runner, etc.; deal-apple (dial.), a fir-cone; deal-end (see 1 note); deal-fish (see quots.); deal-frame, a gang-saw for cutting deals; deal tree (dial.), a fir-tree; deal-worker, a joiner who works up deal; deal-yard, a yard where deals are stacked. Also deal-board.
| a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, *Deal-apples, the conical fruit of the fir-tree. |
| 1728 Vanbr. & Cib. Prov Husb. i. i, Four mail-trunks, besides the great *deal-box. |
| 1893 Daily News 26 Apr. 6/1 If the Union *deal-carriers did not return to work their places would be filled by free labourers. |
| 1886 Ruskin Præterita I. vii. 232 Neatly brass-latched *deal doors. |
| 1812 J. Smyth Pract. Customs (1821) 285 What constitutes the difference between a Deal and a Batten, is the width: the former being above 7 inches wide, and the latter not above 7 inches wide. This distinction..applies also to *Deal Ends and Batten Ends. |
| 1845 in Yarrell Brit. Fishes Suppl., *Deal-fish. 1856 J. Richardson in Encycl. Brit. XII. 303/2 The Vaagmaer or Deal-fish has also been recorded by Dr. Fleming as a British species. 1862 Chambers' Encycl., Dealfish..a genus of fishes of the ribbon-fish family, having the body much compressed, and so named from the resemblance of the form to a piece of deal. |
| 1706 Lond. Gaz. No. 4246/7 John Thomas, late of Lambeth..*Deale-Merchant. |
| 1883 Gd. Words Aug. 543/1 Dock-labourers, *deal-porters and coal-heavers. |
| 1889 Daily News 24 Oct. 6/6 Dock labourers, wharfingers, *deal runners. |
| 1693 Phil. Trans. XVII. 998 *Deal-shavings or brown Paper. |
| a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, *Deal-tree, a fir-tree. |
| 1705 Lond. Gaz. No. 4126/4 At the Cock in the hoop *Deal-Yard..are to be sold, Deal-Boards, Laths. 1840 Evid. Hull Docks Comm. 9 There are no timber-yards..they are deal-yards. Ibid. 12 A deal-yard is for sawn timber. |
▪ IV. † deal n.4, deal-wine Obs.
Also dele-wine.
Some unidentified kind of wine, supposed to have been of Rhenish origin.
| 1613 in Rogers Agric. & Prices V. 449 [cf. also VI. 416/3]. 1616 T. Adams Souls Diseases xvi, He..cals for wine, that he may make knowne his rare vessell of deale at home not forgetting to [tell] you that a Dutch merchant sent it him. 1616 B. Jonson Masques, Mercury Vind., Paracelsus man..that he promised you out of white bread and Dele-wine. 1635 Shirley Lady of Pleas. v. i, To the Dutch magazine of sauce, the Stillyard; Where deal and backrag, and what strange wine else..Shall flow into our room. |
▪ V. deal, v.
(diːl)
Pa. tense and pple. dealt (delt). Forms: inf. 1 dǽlan, 2–3 dealen, 3 dælen, deale(n, 3–5 delen, 3–6 dele, (4 del, 4 daile, 4–6 Sc. deill, 5 delyn, deele), 6–7 deale, 6– deal. pa. tense, 1–3 dǽlde, 3 delet, 3–4 deld(e, 3–6 delt, 3–5 dalte, 4 dalt, delte, delit, 4–6 deled, -id, -yd, 5 dellyd, 5–6 dealed, -id, -yd, 6 dealte, 6– dealt. pa. pple., 1 dǽled, 3–4 i-deld, 4 ideled, 3–7 delt, 4–6 dalt, 6 dault, 4– as pa. tense.
[A common Teut. verb: OE. dǽlan= OFris. dêla, OS. dêljan, MDu., Du., MLG. deelen, OHG. teilan, Ger. teilen, ON. deila (Sw. dela, Da. dele), Goth. dailjan, derivative of *daili-z, OE. dǽl deal n.1, part, division.]
I. To divide, distribute, share. Mainly trans.
† 1. trans. To divide. Obs.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. xxiv. 51 Dividet eum dæles hine [c 1000 Ags. Gosp. todælþ hyne]. c 1205 Lay. 21125 And he a fif dæle dælde his ferde. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 239/715 Þis watur..delez þis world a-two. a 1300 Cursor M. 6883 (Cott.) Þe folk þat delt [Trin dalt] war in kinrede tuelue. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 45 Ȝif we deleþ þe somme on þre and þe seuenþe parte of þe þridde. 1480 Caxton Descr. Brit. 24 This kyngdome of Northumberland was first deled in two prouynces. 1535 Coverdale Dan. v. 28 Thy kyngdome is delt in partes. 1570 Sat. Poems Reform. (1890) I. 128 Our Lords are now delt in twa sydis. |
† 2. a. To separate, sever. Obs.
| a 1000 Daniel 21 (Gr.) Swa no man scyle his gastes lufan wið gode dælan. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 7 He deleð þe sowle and þe lichame. a 1300 Earth 13 in E.E.P. (1862) 152 He..deliþ þe dai from niȝt. c 1325 Poem Times Edw. II 205 in Pol. Songs (Camden) 333 I-deled from his riht spous. a 1400 Poems Vernon MS. 358 He ȝaf him wittes fyue, To delen þat vuel from þe good. |
b. intr. (for refl.) To separate oneself, go away, part (from). Obs. rare.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. liv. 7 [lv. 7] Efne ic feor ᵹewite, fleame dæle. c 1205 Lay. 7566 Julius þe kaisere mid alle þan Romanisce here dalden from þan fihte. Ibid. 18897 Þer heo gunnen dælen. Merlin ferde riht suð. |
† 3. a. trans. To divide (property, etc.) among a number so that each may have his due share; to distribute in shares; to portion out, apportion. Obs.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxii. 17 Onfoð and dælað betwux eow. 1002 Will of Wulfric in Cod. Dipl. VI. 147 Ðæt heo hig dælan him betweonan. c 1205 Lay. 4053 Heo wuolden al þis lond dælen heom bi-twenen. a 1300 Cursor M. 3395 (Cott.) Bituix his childer he delt his aght. c 1460 Emare 42 He was curtays in all thyng..And well kowth dele and dyght. 1535 Coverdale Josh. viii. 2 Ye shal deale amonge you their spoyle & catell. |
b. To share (property, etc.) with others. Obs.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2788 (Gr.) Næfre Ismael wið Isace wið min aᵹen bearn yrfe dæleð. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 219 Hu he mihte delen rice wið god. a 1225 Ancr. R. 248 Uorto sechen feolawes, & delen mid ham þet god. a 1536 Tindale Exp. Matt. Wks. II. 83 If thou give us abundance..give us an heart to use it..and to deal with our neighbours. |
4. a. To distribute or bestow among a number of recipients; esp. to distribute in the form of gifts or alms. Now mostly fig., or with out: see b.
(In 3 the main notion is the division into shares; here it is the giving away or bestowing.)
| a 1000 Andreas 548 (Gr.) Hu þrymlice..[þu] þine ᵹife dælest. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark v. 26 Þæt wif ðe..fram maneᵹum læcum fela þinga þolode and dælde eall þæt heo ahte. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 109 Þe ðe deleð elmessan for his drihtnes luuan. a 1225 Ancr. R. 224 To dealen his feder chetel to neodfule and to poure. c 1300 Beket 332 A sum of pans I deld on eche side. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 76 Let nat þy lyft half..Ywite what þow delest with þy ryht syde. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxii. 102 He..delez þam þis relefe in faire siluer vessell. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4151 Thurgh myght of god þat all gude deelys. 1588 A. King tr. Canisius' Catech. 12 He..deillis his sindrie giftis of graces. 1645 Evelyn Diary 25 Feb., There are many charities dealt publicly here. 1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 227 In comments they deal to the public dull diet. |
b. to deal out; † formerly also deal abroad, deal away, deal forth, etc.
| 1382 Wyclif Luke xi. 22 He schal..dele abrood his spuylis. c 1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 55, I schal newe tungis in ȝou frame Alle maner of langagis forþ to deele. 1535 Coverdale 2 Sam. vi. 19 He..dealte out vnto all the people..vnto euery one a cake of bred. 1795 Southey Joan of Arc v. 447 The provident hand deals out its scanty dole. 1866 Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxiv. 609 To deal out a certain number of herrings to their servants. |
† c. absol. or intr. To make distribution of. Obs.
Also with the recipients as indirect obj. (dative) or with to.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7866 Of his fader tresorie..He delde uor his soule. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. xi. 237 We shuln ȝiue & dele oure enemys And alle men þat arn nedy as pore men & suche. 1456 How Wise Man taught Son 154 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 175 And pore men of thy gode thou dele. |
5. To deliver or give (to a person) as his share; to apportion. Also with out.
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2285 Dele to me my destiné, & do hit out of honde. c 1400–50 Alexander 3475 Driȝtin deyne him to dele a dele of his blis. 1563 B. Googe Eglogs ii. (Arb.) 36 For she thy seruyce nought estemes, but deales thè griefe for gayne. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 70 To me..it deals eternal woe. 1704 Swift Mech. Operat. Spirit, This Grain of Enthusiasm, dealt into every Composition. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. iv, The hard measure that was dealt me. 1849 M. Arnold Mod. Sappho, Hast thou yet dealt him, O life, thy full measure? 1851 H. Martineau Hist. Peace (1877) III. iv. xiii. 115 The same measure was dealt out to the family of Napoleon. |
6. † a. To bestow, give forth, render, deliver. Obs. exc. as in b, c.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 952 He mihte bet speken a sele, Þan mid wraþþe wordes dele [v.r. deale]. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 344 Þenne con dryȝttyn hym [Noe] dele dryȝly þyse wordez. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 11890 Ffaire folden, and wel enseled, And to þer maister was hit [a letter] deled. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5646 And the dom þat he dulte [? dalte] duly was kept. c 1400 Apol. Loll. xxvii. 100 So may God delen it til an oþer. |
b. esp. To deliver blows.
(The earlier notion was that of distributing them (as in sense 4) among several opponents or in various quarters, in all directions, now more definitely expressed by deal about; later, the sense becomes either ‘to give one as his portion’ (as in 5), or simply ‘to deliver’.)
| c 1314 Guy Warw. (A.) 2219 Strokes hii togider delden, ywis, On helmes & on briȝt scheldes. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 32 [He] saw thaim swa gret dyntis deill. c 1400 Destr. Troy 6547 Mony dedly dint delt hom amonge. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xi. xi, Syr percyuale delt soo his strokes..that there durste no man abyde hym. 1640 Rawlins Rebellion ii. i, He's no true souldier that deales heedlesse blowes. 1700 Dryden Pal. & Arc. iii. 612 One with a broken truncheon deals his blows. a 1732 Gay (J.), The nightly mallet deals resounding blows. 1810 Southey Kehama i. v, Rejoiced they see..That Nature in his pride hath dealt the blow. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 337 Fortune or fraud soon gave Scipio the chance of dealing a decisive blow. |
c. Hence in various expressions, apparently arising out of prec.
| 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. vii. 385 He was perfect in the devilish art of dealing an ill turn. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 447 By fits he deals his fiery bolts about. 1700 ― Pal. & Arc. iii. 222 When hissing through the skies the feathered deaths were dealt. 1702 Rowe Tamerl. i. ii. 671, I Would..deal like Alha My angry Thunder on the frighted World. 1822 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Confess. Drunkard, We dealt about the wit, or what passes for it after midnight, jovially. |
7. Cards. a. To distribute (the cards to be used in a game) to the various players; to give a player (such or so many cards) in distributing. Also with out, and absol.
| 1529 Latimer Serm. at Camb. in Foxe A. & M. (1583) 2142, I purpose againe to deale vnto you another carde almost of the same sute. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 174 Were it as parellous to deale cardes at play. c 1592 Marlowe Mass. Paris i. ii, Take this as surest thing, That, right or wrong, thou deal thyself a king. 1673 Cotton Compl. Gamester in Singer Hist. Cards 345 He that deals hath the advantage of this game. 1709 Brit. Apollo II. 2/2 D. deals T. thirteen Cards. 1878 H. H. Gibbs Ombre 18 The Dealer's office is to deal and to see that there is no mistake in the cards dealt. 1891 Speaker 2 May 534/2 At baccarat..the stakes are made before the cards are dealt. |
b. To include (someone) in those to whom one deals cards for a game; freq. fig., to include (a person) in an undertaking; to give (someone) a share or part. colloq. (orig. U.S.).
| 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §369/4 Give a share,..deal one in (on). 1965 J. M. Cain Magician's Wife (1966) xiii. 101 You know everything, and yet you dealt yourself in. 1969 D. Bagley Spoilers iii. 72 He was on my original list, but he dealt himself in regardless and it would be too risky to leave him out now. 1969 W. Garner Us or Them War xvi. 121 If they won't deal us in we may end up having to steal it. |
8. † a. In Hurling, etc.: To deliver or throw (the ball). Obs.
| 1602 Carew Cornwall 74 a, Then must hee cast the ball (named Dealing) to some one of his fellowes. 1603 Owen Pembrokeshire (1891) 277 The horsemen..will alsoe assault anye..that hath not the Knappan..or cudgell him after he hath delt the same from him. 1827 Hone Every-day Bk. II. 1008 (Cornish hurling,) The ball [is] thrown up, or dealt. |
b. Of a horse.
| 1737 Bracken Farriery (1757) II. 34 His Carriage, and way of dealing his Legs. Ibid. II. 77 There are Horses that lead, or deal their Legs well. |
II. To take part in, have to do with, occupy oneself, do business, act. Mainly intr.
† 9. intr. To take part in, share or participate in or with, be a partaker of. Obs.
| c 1175 Pater Noster 225 in Lamb. Hom. 67 Þu aȝest to hatien wel his sunne, Þet ðu ne dele noht þer inne. a 1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 187 Hwa se euer wule habbe lot wiþ þe of þi blisse, he mot deale wiþ þe of þine pine. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 109 Of o side ne of other no þing deles he. 1481 Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 46 Ye shal be partener of my pylgremage, and dele of the pardon that I shal..fecche ouer the see. |
† 10. a. To engage with in conflict; to contend.
[Cf. ON. deila við to be at feud or quarrel with, to contend.]
| 993 Byrhtnoth 33 Betere..ðonne we swa hearde hilde dælon. c 1205 Lay. 30418 Þus heo gunnen delen þene dæi longe. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 113 Steuen stoutly deles. c 1400 Destr. Troy 11027 Wold haue dongyn hym to dethe, hade þai delt long. 1577 Hammer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 385 How Areobindus slue a mighty Persian after dealing with him hand to hand. 1596 Harington Metam. Ajax (1814) 14 To deal with him at his own weapon. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 125 Brutish that contest and foule, When Reason hath to deal with force. |
b. trans. To contend or fight about. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 26042 Nu wit scullen delen þen dæd of mire maȝen. |
11. a. intr. To have to do with (a person); to have intercourse or dealings with; to associate with. arch. (and now associated with 13).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 12249 (Cott.) Sum angels wit him deles To lede his wordes þat he meles. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 404 Þei delen not wiþ þes newe ordris, but supposen hem heretikes. c 1400 Rom. Rose 3265 Thou delest with angry folk, ywis. 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) 26 Her name was wanton Besse, Who leest with her delt he thryved not the lesse! 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretarie ii. (1625) 36 With a resolute vow never to deale with him, I then had cast him [his son] off. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 27 ¶6 The Noble Principle..of Benevolence to all I have to deal with. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) III. xii. 98 One of the charges against him was that of dealing with a familiar spirit. |
† b. Of sexual intercourse. Obs.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 1197 (Fairf.) Our lorde..bad he salde wiþ his wyf dele. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 37 Þey eteþ nouȝt, noþer deleþ wiþ hir wifes. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour 49 An ye loue ani other than youre husbonde, or ani other dele withe you, sauf he only. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 94 They go not to Church the day they have dealt with a woman, till they have wash'd themselves. |
12. To have business communications with; to carry on negotiations, negotiate, treat with; sometimes implying secret or sinister dealings. arch. (and now associated with 13).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5848 (Gött.) Wid þe eldest folk of israel, wid pharao þai went to dele. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 267 The grete clerken..com..To tret upon this lordes hele, So longe they to-gider dele [etc.]. 1597 Bacon Ess. Negotiating (Arb.) 86 It is generally better to deale by speech, then by letter, and by the mediation of a thirde then by a mans selfe. 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster iv. ii, Now have they dealt with my pothecary to poison me. 1625 Camden's Hist. Eliz. i. (1688) 127 The Bishop of Rosse dealt with the Duke, as they were Hawking, about the Marriage. 1625 Ussher in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 132, I doubt not, but before this time you have dealt with Sir Peter Vanlore for obtaining Erpinus his..Persian books. a 1715 Burnet Own Time (1823) II. 285 Wilkinson, a prisoner for debt..was dealt with to accuse him. |
13. a. To carry on commercial transactions; to do business, trade, traffic (with a person, in an article).
| [1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cclxvii. 395 People, suche as I haue dault with all in their marchaundyse. 1599 Minsheu Sp. Dict., Negociar, to deale in businesse, to follow a trade. 1611 Cotgr., Trafiquer, to trafficke, trade,..commerce, deale in marchandise.] a 1627 Middleton Mayor Quinb. iii. ii, I deal in dog's leather. 1667 Decay Chr. Piety (J.), This is to drive a wholesale trade, when all other petty merchants deal but for parcels. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. iii. 65 Merchants care not to deal with him. 1735 Pope Donne Sat. iv. 140 Who in the secret, deals in Stocks secure, And cheats th' unknowing Widow and the Poor. 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike vii. 82 A traveller who deals..with several firms in this place. 1866 Rogers Agric. & Prices I. xxi. 530 Such persons dealt in finished goods. |
† b. trans. To offer for sale. Obs. rare.
| 1760 Foote Minor ii. Wks. 1799 I. 252 You would not have..the flints?.. Every pebble of 'em..He shall deal them as new pavement. |
14. To have to do with (a thing) in any way; to busy or occupy oneself, to concern oneself with.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1517 Jobal..Was first loger, and fee delt [v.r. dalt] wit. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xvii. 80 Any man þat deles with sorcery or enchauntementz. 1477 Paston Lett. 807 III. 211 Ther is no man wyllyng to del with your swanes. 1535 Coverdale Ps. lvii. 2 Youre handes deale with wickednesse. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretarie ii. (1625) 112 Speaking of Friendship, I onely deale with such, whose actions [etc.]. 1845–60 Abp. Thomson Laws of Thought Introd. 5 The mind deals with truth. 1869 Huxley in Sci. Opinion 21 Apr. 464 The first question with which I propose to deal. 1893 Law Times XCV. 26/2 That part of the Companies Act 1862 which deals with guarantee companies. |
15. with in: To occupy, employ, or exercise oneself in (a thing); to have to do with, to make use of. (Now often approaching a fig. use of 13.)
| 1581 Mulcaster Positions ix. (1887) 54 Among the best writers that deale in this kinde. 1597 Bacon Ess. Suitors (Arb.) 44 Plaine dealing, in denying to deale in Sutes at first, is grown..honourable. 1724 Watts Logic Ded., True Logic is not that noisy thing that deals all in dispute and wrangling. 1748 Chesterfield Lett. II. clviii. 65 All malt liquors fatten, or at least bloat; and I hope you do not deal much in them. 1770 Junius Lett. xxxix. 200 A poor contracted understanding deals in little schemes. 1885 Manch. Exam. 6 July 5/2 Lord E. F―..deals in vague outlines, as if afraid of being too specific. |
16. a. to deal with: to act in regard to, administer, handle, dispose in any way of (a thing); b. to handle effectively; to grapple with; to take successful action in regard to.
| 1469 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) 23 He said that..he wold deele with you & yours, both be the law & besides the law. a 1586 Sidney (J.), If she hated me, I should know what passion to deal with. 1661 Bramhall Just Vind. vi. 153 He so abated their power..that a Dean and Chapter were able to deal with them. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 120 The Lungs are formed accordingly, so that they may the better deal with the Air admitted in Inspiration. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 142 A power more than sufficient to deal with Protector and Parliament together. a 1859 Ibid. V. 33 The Long Parliament did not..propose to restrain him from dealing according to his pleasure with his parks and his castles, his fisheries and his mines. 1874 Green Short Hist. iii. §5 (1882) 137 It was with the general anarchy that Hubert had first to deal. 1891 Law Times XC. 462/2 Mrs. Headley..swore that she had never knowingly transferred or dealt with the mortgage. Ibid. XCII. 93/2 Restraining the defendants from selling or otherwise dealing with the shares. |
17. a. to deal with: to act towards (any one), to treat (in some specified way).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 16461 (Cott.) Iudas..be-hald and se Hu vile þat þai wit him delt. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1661 He..dalt with hir al in daynte. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vi. cxlvii. 133 In lyke maner as they had dalt with Burdeaux. 1535 Coverdale Ps. cii[i]. 10 He hath not dealt with vs after our synnes. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 360 Sore displeased, that they were so hardly delt withall. 1611 Bible 2 Sam. xviii. 5 Deale gently for my sake with..Absalom. 1729 Butler Serm. ix. Wks. 1874 II. 116 We ourselves shall one time or other be dealt with as we deal with others. 1874 Green Short Hist. viii. §6. 521 The Commons were dealing roughly with the agents of the Royal system. |
b. with by (= in regard to) in same sense.
| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 3 That he wuld not deale so hardly bi me. 1675 tr. Machiavelli's Prince (1883) 305 The Venetians..have..dealt..honourably by him. 1754 Chatham Lett. Nephew vi. 43 If we would deal fairly by ourselves. 1877 M. E. Braddon Weavers & Weft 324 It will not be found that I have dealt unjustly by any one. |
18. to deal on, upon: to set to work upon. arch.
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iv. ii. 76 Two deep enemies, Foes to my Rest..Are they that I would haue thee deale vpon. 1599 B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. v. iv, Mit. What, will he deal upon such quantities of wine, alone? 1816 Byron Ch. Har. iii. lxxxiii, Allured By their new vigour, sternly have they dealt On one another. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xv, ‘There is a man thou must deal upon, Bonthron,’ said the knight. |
19. To act towards people generally (in some specified way); to conduct oneself, behave, act.
| c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1114 Þay dronken & daylyeden, & dalten vntyȝtel, þese lordez & ladyez. Ibid. 1668 Þer þay dronken & dalten. 1535 Coverdale Josh. i. 7 Y{supt} thou mayest deale wysely whither so euer thou goest. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iv. ix. 46, I..doubt not so to deale, As all things shall redound vnto your good. 1602 ― Lear iii. vi. 42 Let us deal justly. 1652 Needham Selden's Mare Cl. 152 Michaël Attaliates truly did ill..Nor indeed hath that eminent man dealt any better, who [etc.]. c 1680 Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 446 O Lord I have..dealt falsly before thee. 1711 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 17 Dec., They had better give up now, if she will not deal openly. |
† 20. To take action, act, proceed (usually in some matter or affair). Obs.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur iv. xiii, Wel said syr Vwayne go on your waye and lete me dele. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 188 To the which the French King aunswered, that without the presence of the .xii. peeres he could not deale in so weightie a matter. 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 144 To deale in matters of religion both by word and deed. 1586 J. Hooker Girald. Irel. in Holinshed II. 44/1 No man would medle or deale to carrie the same awaie. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado v. i. 101 Do not you meddle, let me deale in this. |
† 21. trans. To treat. Obs. rare.
| 1586 Let. Earle Leycester 1 A late and weightie cause dealt in this Parliament. |
▸ a. intr. To sell illegal drugs. Also with in.
| 1958 W. Motley Let No Man write my Epit. 130, I know they used to deal but I don't know if they're dealing now. 1965 ‘H. Williamson’ Hustler! 129 He said this broad's dealin' and that she got some nice stuff on. 1995 J. Miller Voxpop xvi. 209 Now I know 14- and 15-year-olds who carry blades, deal in drugs..back home you can buy grass, gange, shit like that off 12-year-olds. 2001 G. Joseph Homegrown xiii. 181 Apparently he was still dealing up there, and was doing better than he had in London. |
b. trans. To sell (illegal drugs).
| 1965 C. Brown Manchild in Promised Land v. 147 If you were dealing horse, junkies were always around you. 1970 E. Knight Black Voices from Prison 67 His brothers dealt reefers around the neighborhood. 2000 ‘E. McBain’ Last Dance 160 Ramirez dealt cocaine. |