▪ I. gilt, n.1
(gɪlt)
Also 5 gylte, 6–7 guilt.
[from gilt ppl. a. in the phrases silver and gilt, etc.]
† 1. Gilt plate. Obs. rare—1.
| 1492 Bury Wills (Camden) 74 My best standyng pece of gylte, and my best doseyn syluer sponys. |
2. Gilding; the thin layer of gold with which anything is gilt. Also
fig. in
phr. to take the gilt off the gingerbread (see
gingerbread 2).
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, ii. i. 294 Wipe off the dust that hides our Scepter's gilt. 1610 G. Fletcher Christ's Vict. ii. xliii, For her tresses Marigolds wear spilt: Them broadly shee displaid, like flaming guilt. 1642 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 51 For giult for y⊇ Diall o. 4. 6. c 1880 ‘Saladin’ Woman I. xvii. 141 The gilt of the big Bible gleams on the window-sill. 1893 E. F. Benson Dodo (1894) 372 It was to be bound in white vellum, with their arms in gilt upon the outside. |
| Comb. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Gilt-jeweller, a manufacturer of gilded ornaments to represent gold. |
3. a. Gold; money. Now only
slang. Perhaps due to a confusion with
geld,
gelt ns.| 1598 Marston Sco. Villanie i. iii. 156 D 1 a, Now nothing, any thing, euen what you list, So that some guilt may grease his greedy fist. 1608 Middleton Mad World ii. ii. C 1 b, Tho guilt condemnes, tis gilt must makes vs glad. 1637 R. Monro Exp. Scots Regim. i. 7, I have seene other Nations call for Guilt being going before their enemie to fight, a thing very disallowable in either Officer or Souldier, to preferre a little money to a world of credit. 1708 Mem. J. Hall 18 And from thence conducted (provided he has Gilt) over the Way to Hell. 1885 Daily News 25 May 3/1 Disputatious little mobs grouped together to discuss whether Charrington or Crowder had the most ‘gilt’. |
b. A gilt-edged security.
| 1936 W. B. M. Ferguson Somewhere off Borneo vi. 37 If he could get free board and travel.., it would mean just so much more towards another ‘gilt’ for his private collection. 1953 Economist 14 Nov. 508/1 (heading) Spotlight on gilts. 1967 Times Rev. Industry June 93/1 They went into equities largely because the scope for gilts had been mostly exhausted by three cuts in Bank rate. |
▪ II. gilt, n.2 (
gɪlt)
Forms: 5
gilte,
gylte, 6–7
gylt, 7–8
guilt,
guelt, 8
gelt, 7–
gilt.
[a. ON. gylt-r (OSw. and mod.Icel. gylta) young sow:—OTeut. type *gultjâ, related by ablaut to ON. gǫlt-r (:—OTeut. type *galtu-z) boar, galt. Of the same origin, but of different formation, are
OHG. galza,
MHG. galz(e (also
mod.G.
dial.):—
OTeut. *galtôn-; also,
OE. ᵹilte,
OHG. gelza (
MHG. and
mod.G.
gelze),
MDu. gelte (
Du. gelt(e):—
OTeut. *galtjôn-. The
OE. form is found only in ælfric's
Gloss., but must have remained current in southern dialects; it appears as
yelte,
ȝelte, in 15th c. vocabularies (
Wr.-Wülcker 614/30, 624/32), and as
ilt about 1746 (
Exmoor Scolding).
Gilt on the other hand belongs to the eastern and northern dialects. Connexion with
geld v. has been suggested, but the meaning of ‘spayed pig’ seems to be accidental, though it is the common sense in
Ger. and
Du. The late spellings
gelt,
guelt are
prob. due to a popular etymology of this kind.]
A young sow or female pig.
The precise application of the term varies in different districts; see
quots. 1788–1886.
| c 1440 MS. Linc. Med. f. 312 (Halliw.) Tak unto the mane the galle of the galte, and to the womane the galle of the gilt. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 194/2 Gylte, swyne, idem quod Galte. 1483 Cath. Angl. 156/1 A Gilte, suella. 1570 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1835) 354 A sowe and a gylt vjs. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 319 The grease of a young guelt which neuer had pigs. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme i. xxiv. 106 Let not youre Gylt goe to Bore, till she be past a yeare old. 1707 Mortimer Husb. 185 The spaid Guilts, as they call them, they steem the more profitable. 1788 W. Marshall Yorksh. II. Gloss. (E.D.S.) Gilts, young female pigs, whether open or spayed. 1877 N.W. Linc. Gloss., Gilt, a female pig before she has had a litter. 1886 S.W. Linc. Gloss., Gilt, a female pig, called by this name till it has had a second litter, when it is called a sow. 1959 Chambers's Encycl. X. 724/2 Well-grown gilts can be put to the boar at eight months. 1967 Oxf. Times 27 Oct. 11/6 A Large White pig from Burford Grammar School's farm was very highly commended in the carcase class (gilts). |
▪ III. gilt, n.3 slang. ?
Obs. 1. A thief or burglar. (
Cf. gilter2.)
| 1620 Melton Astrolog. 10 Leauing not a Pick-pockets, Gilts, Lifts, Decoyes, or Dyvers Hose unsurueyed. 1673 Char. Quack Astrol. B 3, He maintains..a correspondence with Gilts and Lifters. 1785 in Grose Dict. Vulg. Tongue. |
2. A pick-lock, skeleton key. (
Cf. gilk.)
| 1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 94 The Gilt..with his Gilts (from whence he takes his name)..will readily find out one that shall fit any Lock. 1839 H. Ainsworth J. Sheppard ii. xviii, We shall have the whole village upon us while you're striking the jigger. Use the gilt, man! |
▪ IV. gilt, ppl. a. (
gɪlt)
Also 4
gult,
Kentish y-gelt, 4–5
gylt(e, 4–6
gilte, 6
guylt, 6–7
guilt(e.
[f. gild v.1, as built from build.] 1. a. = gilded ppl. a. (in literal sense).
| 13.. K. Alis. 927 Mony a riche gult scheld That day schon apon the feld. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xliv. 11 Þe quene vpstode at þi rightside in gilt clathynge. a 1400–50 Alexander 1873 Þou..sittis..To-gedire with þi grete gods and on a gilt trone. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. cclv. (1482) 331 He toke his brigantyns smyten ful of gylt naylen and also his gylt spores. 1597 1st Pt. Return fr. Parnass. v. i. 1480 Farewell, base carle clothed in a sattin sute, Farewell, guilte ass, farewell, base broker's poste! 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xii. [xvi.] 56 A Helmet, a Coat of Mail, and a guilt sword. 1759 Symmer in Phil. Trans. LI. 376 The gilt paper happened to lie with its gilded side upper⁓most. 1847 Tennyson Princess Prol. 169 As a parrot turns Up thro' gilt wires a crafty loving eye. 1879 G. W. Kitchin in Encycl. Brit. IX. 544 Four thousand gilt spurs were hung as trophies in Courtrai cathedral. |
b. placed after the substantive.
| 1340 Ayenb. 26 Zuiche clepeþ oure lhord: berieles ypeynt and y-gelt. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 5493 Þe kyng ful ded of ys sadel y-gylt. 1434 E. E. Wills (1872) 102 A peyre of bedes of siluer with a crucifix of siluer and y-gilt. 1480 Wardr. Acc. Edw. IV (1830) 119, lxx bolyons of coper and gilt. 1533 Act 24 Hen. VIII, c. 13 And that no man shall weare..any maner aglettes, buttons, broches of golde or silver gilte. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 383 Two Basons of Syluer and gylt. 1660 Act 12 Chas. II, c. 4 Sched. s.v. Boxes, Touch-boxes of iron or other mettal, guilt, the dozen. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Abbé Conti 17 May, Under the large lamp is a great pulpit of Carved wood, gilt. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 91 Nine towers, covered with copper double gilt. 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metals II. 80 The guard..is..most commonly of brass, gilt. 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Jrnls. (1872) I. 28 A gold or silver gilt..image. |
2. fig. gilt (now gilded) youth: a rendering of F.
jeunesse dorée,
app. first applied to the young men of wealthy families who assisted in the downfall of Robespierre in 1794.
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. vii. ii, Young men of what they call the Muscadin or Dandy species! Fréron, in his fondness, names them Jeunesse Dorée, Golden or Gilt Youth. Ibid., Let any one..think what an element, in sacred right of insurrection, this Gilt Youth was! |
3. Comb. a. with
ns., as
gilt-head (
attrib.),
gilt-latten;
gilt-bronze (see
quot. 1889); also
fig.;
cf. ormolu;
gilt-char (see
quot.);
gilt-cup (also
dial. gil-cup), the buttercup;
gilt-edge a. = gilt-edged; also
absol., a gilt-edged security;
† gilt-leaf, gold-leaf;
gilt-metal worker (see
quot.);
† gilt-paper, writing paper with gilt-edges;
gilt-poll = gilt-head;
gilt tooling (see
tooling vbl. n. 2 b);
gilt toy (see
quot. 1862);
giltwood a., made of wood and decorated with gilding.
| 1889 Cent. Dict., *Gilt-bronze, a gilded metal much used for decorative objects, either real bronze, or often brass, latten, or some similar yellow metal. 1906 F. Treves Highways & Byw. Dorset iv. 43 A track made of gilt-bronze moss. 1936 Burlington Mag. Nov. p. xix/2 Various candelabra in gilt-bronze. |
| 1787 Best Angling (ed. 2) 4 The English fishes that we have in our ponds, rivers, &c. are as follow: Carpio Lacus Benaci, the Guilt or *gilt Charr. |
| 1610 R. Vaughan Herefordsh. Waterworks Q 2, Medowground..that takes more pride in the company of the Cowslipp, then the *gilt-cupp which carrieth the garland from the rest. 1864 W. Barnes in Macm. Mag. Oct. 476 Where the barn-vloor wer a-sheenen do vall The cwold zummer dew; an' gilcups be bright. |
| 1818 Keats Let. 21 Sept. (1931) I. 236 A dissertation on letter writing... *Gilt edge [paper] Dandies in general, male female and literary. 1895 Brewer's Dict. Phr. & Fable 519/2 Gilt-edge investments, a phrase introduced in the last quarter of the 19th century..for investments in which no risks are incurred. 1901 Westm. Gaz. 28 Aug. 7/1 The Demand for Gilt-Edges. 1905 G. Wilson Ann. Glover Incorp. 24 What is termed a gilt-edge security. |
| 1847 Tennyson Princess i. 19 Our great court-Galen poised his *gilt-head cane. |
| 1900 S. R. Gardiner Student's Hist. Eng. 314 *Gilt-latten effigies of Richard Beauchamp. |
| 1759 Symmer in Phil. Trans. LI. 378 Any thin metallic substance, such as *gilt-leaf, or tin-foil. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Gilt-metal worker, one who over⁓lays metals with gold; an electro-plater. |
| 1660 M. R. Acc. Receipts Comm. Safety 4 Ten *gilt Paper-books..for his Lady to write in at Church. 1772 Gentl. Mag. XLII. 192 He's the gilt paper which apart you store And lock from vulgar hands in the scrutore. |
| 1713 Ray Syn. Pisc. 131 Aurata..The Gilt-head or *Gilt-poll. 1740 R. Brookes Art of Angling ii. lxxiii. 193 The Gilt-Head or Gilt Poll..is broad and flat, being in some respects like a Bream. |
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 442/1 Russia leather, with *gilt tooling. 1930 G. H. Bushnell University Librarianship viii. 50 Marking books permanently by gilt tooling. |
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 571 Supposing the articles desired to be gilded be brass or copper buttons, or small articles for *gilt toys, or ornaments of dress. 1851 Illustr. Catal. Gt. Exhib. iii. iii. 629/1 Much of the Birmingham jewellery and gilt toys are produced by means of dies or steel blocks, with impressions of articles to be sunk therein. 1862 Chambers's Encycl. IV. 754/2 Gilt toys, this term is known in trade as a designation for small articles which are gilded, but is chiefly applied to the cheap jewellery which is almost exclusively manufactured at Birmingham. |
| 1939 Burlington Mag. LXXV. 32/1 A set of *giltwood chairs by Thomas Chippendale. 1958 Times 2 Dec. 20/7 A pair of Italian giltwood side tables with rustic tree supports, 18th century. 1970 Daily Tel. 18 Apr. 10/5 A suite of 14 pieces of George I giltwood furniture was bought..for {pstlg}19,000. |
b. parasynthetic, as
gilt-framed,
gilt-handled,
gilt-headed,
gilt-knobbed,
gilt-robed,
gilt tooled; also
gilt-edged,
lit. of writing-paper or books: applied
fig. to ‘paper’ (
i.e. bills) or securities of exceptionally high value, and occasionally to specially expensive qualities of any commodity; also used to denote something of very high quality, richness, elegance, etc.;
absol., gilt-edged securities.
| 1818 Moore Fudge Fam. Paris xii. 61 There his Julie he wrote,—Upon paper *gilt-edged, without blot or erasure. 1851 Ord. & Regul. R. Engineers ix. 48 No Gilt-edged Paper is allowed. 1892 Spectator 17 Sept. 374/1 Colonial and Indian Securities, and other gilt-edged Stocks. 1894 Daily News 20 Sept. 3/1 ‘Gilt-edged’ butter in New York realises 4s. a pound. |
| 1867 Galaxy July 278 He decidedly should not honor any more drafts unless secured by previous deposits of specie, gilt-edged paper endorsed with two good names, or U.S. or solvent State stocks. 1872 Vermont Board Agric. Rep. I. 163 The high prices reported to be paid in the Boston market for what is called ‘gilt-edged butter’. 1897 Kipling Capt. Cour. x. 230 Pastors of great, gilt-edged congregations, at the seaside for a rest. 1913 E. Wharton Custom of Country ix. 113, I don't want to break into your gilt-edged crowd. 1930 Economist 10 May 1038/2 Gilt-edged were fairly steady after a shaky start, but little business was done. 1952 Koestler Arrow in Blue ii. 16 Dr. Bedoe's eyes flashed and he broke into his gilt-edged smile. 1958 Times 11 Jan. 12/1 While gilt-edged took the news of the new {pstlg}500m. Exchequer stock issue in their stride, the equity markets turned dull on the Stock Exchange yesterday. 1965 New Statesman 9 Apr. 588/2 There is to be no [tax] exemption..for gilt-edged. |
| 1854 Thoreau Walden 48 A..*gilt-framed looking-glass. 1936 Discovery Dec. 386/2 The Coffee House, where once the little gilt-framed poster had found so fit a home. |
| 1686 Lond. Gaz. No. 2100/4 Little *Gilt-handled Swords. |
| 1858 Skyring's Builder's Prices (ed. 48) 7 *Gilt-headed screws double..the above prices. |
| 1859 Sala Gas-light & D. xxvi. 301 The silken calves and *gilt-knobbed sticks of the splendid footmen. |
| 1825 D. L. Richardson Sonn. 135 A *gilt-robed villain came, With heartless guile her hopes betrayed And triumphed o'er her shame. |
| 1926–7 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 431/2 Leather photograph frames... Crushed calf, *gilt tooled. 1936 Burlington Mag. Apr. 198/2 Small gilt-tooled ornament. |
▪ V. † gilt, v. Obs. Also 6
gylte, 6–7
guilt.
[f. gilt ppl. a. by extension of the participial form to other parts of the verb.] = gild v.
1 in various senses.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Seven Sleepers 478 Sume men sais, þe emperoure gert gilt þair bare. 1382 Wyclif Exod. xxxvi. 34 And thilk tablid thingis he giltide. 1483 Cath. Angl. 156/1 To Gilte, aurare. 1503 Hawes Examp. Virtue vi. (Arb.) 21 Her towre was gylted full of sonne bemys. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B iij b, This aunciente worlde..was not golde by the sages that dyd gylte it. 1590 L. Lloyd Diall Daies 92 The sonne of this Scythian dead man causeth his father's head..to be guilted over. 1623 Cockeram, Inargentate, to gilt or couer with siluer. 1641 Milton Prel. Episc. 11 We doe injuriously..with these [rags] deformedly to guilt, and interlace the..robe of Truth. |
▪ VI. gilt(e obs. form of
guilt,
jilt.