▪ I. † ˈwager, n.1 Sc. Obs.
In 4–6 wageour, vageour, 6 waeger, waigeour, vager.
[f. wage n. + -er1 (spelt -our after words from AF.).
While the known instances are exclusively Sc., the surname Wager (‘Ricardus le Wager’ c 1275 in Shropsh. Arch. I. 126) suggests that the word may at one time have been current in the south.]
A mercenary soldier.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xi. 48 And off tresour so stuffit is he, That he may vageowris haf plente. c 1420 Wyntoun Cron. iv. 679 Thre hundyr thousande he had by Off wageouris armyt al at richt. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 87 In the samyn cas, say I of a knycht that is wageour till a king or a lorde. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 755 Thai wageours sone he put to confusion. 1513 Douglas æneis xi. Prol. 71 Gif thou be aganist God,..Than art thou wageour onto Lucifer. 1532 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 144 The furnesing of certane waegeris to conuoy our souerane lordis artailȝery. 1558 Ibid. 309 To furneis vageris extranearis to the nummer of ane hundreytht men. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 273 The men of weir waigeours, quhom he commandes to bring the gret gunis. |
b. attrib. quasi-adj. Mercenary, bribed.
| 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 182 Thocht wageour Freiris faine wald lie, The treuth will furth. |
▪ II. wager, n.2
(ˈweɪdʒə(r))
Forms: 4–5 waiour (= wajour), 5 wayoure, 5–6 wageour (5 -or, -oure, wagour, 7 wadger, 8 waiger), 5– wager.
[a. AF. wageure (= F. gageure), f. wager wage v.1: see -ure. In the legal use 5, prob. in origin a distinct word, f. wage v. + -er4; one of the technical nouns of action framed by lawyers in the 16th c. in imitation of Law French infinitives used subst.; the spelling wageour in quot. 1533, however, shows that it was already confused with the ordinary word.]
I. † 1. A solemn pledge or undertaking. Obs.
| 1306 Exec. Sir S. Fraser in Pol. Songs (1839) 218 A wajour he made, so hit wes y-told, Ys heved of to smhyte ȝef me him brohte in hold wat so bytyde. |
2. Something (esp. a sum of money) laid down and hazarded on the issue of an uncertain event; a stake. Now rare exc. in phr. to lay, win, lose a wager.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5596 A waiour dar y wyth ȝow ley, Þat y shal haue some gode at hym. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 513/2 Wayoure, vadium, vadimonium. c 1440 Jacob's Well 192 For a waiour I schal gon & askyn almes of Perys tollere,..þe waiour was leyde. c 1450 Bk. Curtasye 227 in Babees Bk. 306 Ne waiour non with hym þou lay. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon liii. 180 As for the wager that I sholde wyn therby, I am content to relese it quyte. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. ii. 69 Hort. Content, what's the wager? Luc. Twentie Crownes. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 78 They never play at Dice, seldome at Cardes, and that for small wagers. 1682 O. Heywood Diaries (1881) II. 295 Several Lords laid wagers which could out swear one another. 1691 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) II. 207 They being grown so bold and insolent as to offer wagers that Cork will be out of our possession by the last of May. 1702 Lond. Post 7–9 Sept. 2/1 Great Wagers are laid in this City, that Cadix is already in our Hands. 1722 N. Blundell Diary (1895) 191, I layed a Waiger, and Mr. Jo. Poole held the stakes. 1758 Johnson Idler No. 6 ¶11 By this performance, she won her wager. 1817 Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1296 It may be proper to state in what cases an action will lie for enforcing the payment of a wager. 1817 Byron Beppo xxvii, Most men..Will back their own opinions with a wager. 1840 Barham Ingol. Leg., Black Mousquetaire 284 The Captains and Majors Began to lay wagers How far the Ghost part of the story was true. 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes vi, There was a fire last night, there are two to-night, and you may lay an even wager there will be at least one, to-morrow. 1851–61 Mayhew Lond. Labour III. 116, I won the match, and beat the dog by four minutes. The wager was five shillings, which I had. 1866 G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. vii. (1878) 118 He would go down the underground stair..for the wager of a guinea. |
† b. The prize to be won in a contest. Obs.
| c 1450 Brut ccxliv. 378 For our archers..schet þat day for a wager. 1513 Douglas æneis v. Prol. 10 At the begynning, the wageouris by and by, And the rewardis, in myddis of the field Befoir thair ene war sett. 1546 Langley tr. Pol. Verg. de Invent. ii. ix. 53 At the other ende was the wager sette, that they ranne for. 1576 Turberv. Venerie 246 He that giveth most Cotes or most turnes winneth the wager. 1609 Dekker Guls Horne-bk. vii. 36 And let any hooke draw you either to a Fencers supper, or to a Players that acts such a part for a wager. 1667 Pepys Diary 14 Apr., There the girls did run for wagers over the bowling-green. |
| fig. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 167 For Kyng Henry..and Richard duke of Yorke..wresteled for the game, and strove for the wager. |
3. An agreement or contract under which each of the parties promises to give money or its equivalent to the other according to the issue of an uncertain event; a betting transaction.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII. 7 Certayn noble men made a wager to runne at the rynge. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia i. xiv. (1912) 93 Love and mischeefe having made a wager, which should have most power in me. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iv. vii. 156 (1604 Qo.) Wee'le make a solemne wager on your cunnings. 1611 ― Cymb. i. iv. 181, I will fetch my Gold, and haue our two Wagers recorded. 1641 Evelyn Diary 4 Oct., One who, upon divers greate wagers, went to and fro betweene that Citty and Antwerp on foote. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 301 Wagers were very rife among us, who should come first to the shore of Patagonia. 1761 Burrow Cases K.B. (1766) II. 1171 There are many Conveniences from allowing valued Policies: But where they are used merely as a Cover to a Wager, they would be considered as an Evasion. 1778 F. Burney Evelina (1791) II. 118 He was interrupted by a call from the company to discuss the affair of the wager. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xvii, I could venture to accept your wager, my lord,..but there is no time for foolery. 1876 Rogers Pol. Econ. i. 9 If one man makes a wager with another, the occurrence of the event on which the wager depends, does involve loss and gain. |
† b. an equal wager, even wager, an even chance. Obs.
| 1638 Chillingw. Relig. Prot. i. iv. §57. 224 It were an even wager there were none such! 1706 Hearne Collect. 25 Mar. (O.H.S.) I. 209 But 'tis an even Wager whether his Book proves himself or me a schismatick. 1742 Hoyle Whist xviii. 84 It being an equal Wager that your Partner has a better Card in that Suit, than the last Player. |
† c. to lie upon the wager: to be at stake. Obs.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. iii. 12 Full fast she fled, ne euer lookt behind, As if her life vpon the wager lay. |
d. An act of putting to hazard, a risk.
| 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xviii. IV. 220 Nothing could be more natural than that, for the very smallest chance of recovering the three kingdoms..he should be willing to stake what was not his own, the honour of the French arms..[etc.]. To a French statesman such a wager might well appear in a different light. |
e. A contest for a prize.
| 1615 Markham Country Contentm. i. vii. 102 If you will prepare him [a greyhound] for match and wadger. 1834 John Bull 27 July 238/3 Putney Regatta... Twelve pairs of sculls were entered to compete for the prize (a purse of 20 sovereigns). It was what would be termed in the aquatic circles, a double-sculled wager, viz., two pairs in each boat. |
4. Something on the issue of which bets are or may be laid; the subject of a bet or bets.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. vii. (1912) 193 Their ruine was the wager of the others contention. 1625 K. Long tr. Barclay's Argenis v. xvii. 391 But what, thinks she, if they cast Lots for mee, as for a trivial or base wager? 1678 Temple Let. to Hyde Wks. 1731 II. 474, I would be glad likewise to know your Conjectures there, whether France will come to the Peace or no, without refusing any longer to evacuate the Towns, which is the present Wager current at Amsterdam. 1865 E. Burritt Walk Land's End iv. 124 Every man and boy of these colored laborers was working as at a wager. |
II. 5. Law (now Hist.). The action of wage v. (4 a, b). a. wager of law: an offer to make oath of innocence or non-indebtedness, to be supported by the oaths of eleven compurgators. b. wager of battle: a challenge by a defendant to decide his guilt or innocence by single combat.
| a. 1521–2 Ir. Act 13 Hen. VIII, c. 2 (1621) 73 The partie or parties defendants shall haue none essoine, protection, ne law wager. 1533 More Debell. Salem ii. xv. 33 Lyke as in the wageour of a lawe, they shall not swere that the defendaunt oweth not the money, but that they byleue that he swereth treuth. 1536 Ir. Act 28 Hen. VIII, c. 5 (1621) 102 Wherein no wager of law, essoine ne protection shall lye. 1628 Coke On Litt. §514. 293 b, The like oath shall bee made in an Attaint and in battaile, and in wager of Law [Litt. en Battaile & en ley gager]. 1696 Ventris Reports (1701) 261 In this case the Court overruled the Wager of Law. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. xxii. 341 A sixth species of trial is by wager of law, vadiatio legis. 1833 Act 3 & 4 Will. IV, c. 42 §13 And be it further enacted, That no Wager of Law shall be hereafter allowed. |
| incorrect use. 1791 Burke App. Whigs Wks. 1808 VI. 142 In this part, his defence will not be made by argument, but by wager of law. |
| b. a 1625 Sir H. Finch Law (1636) The Table, Wager of battell shall not be by Cosins in a writ of right. 1716 W. Hawkins Pleas Crown ii. xlv. (1726) 427 He may counter⁓plead the Wager of Battel. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. xxii. 337 The trial by wager of battel. 1819 Act 59 Geo. III. c. 46 (title) An Act to abolish Appeals of Murder, Treason, Felony or other Offences, and Wager of Battel. |
| transf. 1824 Miss Mitford Village I. 150 Having accepted the wager of battle, our champion began forthwith to collect his forces. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1875) III. xi. 5 When Harold and William met face to face in the great wager of battle. |
III. 6. attrib. and Comb., in sense ‘done for a wager’, as wager-fight, wager-shooting, wager-smoking; also wager-boat, a light racing sculling-boat used in contests between single scullers; wager-cup, a ‘cup’ offered as a prize in a contest; † wager-hall, ? the hall of the imaginary guild of betting men; wager-insurance = wager-policy; † wager-office, a place for recording wagers; wager-policy, an insurance-policy partaking of the nature of a wager.
| 1844 Alb. Smith Adv. Mr. Ledbury ix. (1886) 29 [He] began talking about the sweet *wager-boat which his friend..had bought at Searle's. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iv. i, It was an amateur sculler..in so light a boat that the Rogue remarked: ‘A little less on you, and you'd a'most ha' been a Wagerbut.’ |
| 1878 W. J. Cripps Old Engl. Plate x. 292 The well-known cups, sometimes called ‘*wager cups’, in the form of a woman holding a smaller cup over her head with outstretched arms. |
| 1826 Hor. Smith Tor Hill II. 283 The *wager-fight between the English and Italians was to be a combat of three and three in succession. |
| 1691 Dryden K. Arth. Prol. 31 Betts..[are] grown a common Trade for all, And Actions, by the News-Book, Rise and Fall; Wits, Cheats, and Fops, are free of *Wager-Hall. |
| 1824 Benecke Mar. Insur. 142 The statute 19 Geo. II. c. 37, by which *wager insurances have been declared illegal. |
| 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 54 One Stewart..kept a *wager-office and insurance. |
| 1761 Burrow Cases K.B. (1766) II. 1171 A valued Policy is not to be considered as a *Wager Policy. 1787 J. A. Park Law Marine Insur. 294 Of Wager-Policies. 1913 M. Roberts Salt of Sea vi. 166 They'll pay premiums reckless and regardless 'ow Lloyd's runs rates up on 'em rapid when they starts wager policies on 'er. |
| 1892 Greener Breech-Loader 235 The ‘Red House’ at Battersea was..the favourite metropolitan resort for *wager shooting. |
▪ III. wager, n.3 rare.
(ˈweɪdʒə(r))
[f. wage v.1 + -er1.]
One who wages (war).
| 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. v. §46. 481 But the wiser amongst them vnwilling to bee wagers of new warres..denied his request. |
▪ IV. wager, v.
(ˈweɪdʒə(r))
[f. wager n.2]
† 1. intr. To contend for a prize. Obs.
| 1574 tr. Marlorat's Apoc. 42 None shall bee crowned sauing he that wagereth lawfully. |
2. trans. To stake or hazard (something of value) on the issue of an uncertain event or on some question to be decided, to bet.
| 1611 Shakes. Cymb. v. v. 182 Whereat, I..wager'd with him Peeces of Gold, 'gainst this, which then he wore Vpon his honour'd finger, to attaine In suite the place of's bed, and winne this Ring By hers, and mine Adultery. a 1626 Bacon Apophth. Wks. 1879 I. 326 He would wager twenty shillings with him upon that. 1674 Govt. Tongue xi. 201 He that will lay those [his truth and reputation] to stake upon every flying story, may as well wager his estate which way the wind will sit next morning. 1800 Wordsw. Brothers 283 I'd wager house and field That, if he is alive, he has it yet. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xvii, I will wager a hundred merks with you, that [etc.]. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 137 Everything dear to nations was wagered on both sides. 1887 Gunter Mr. Barnes xii. 85 The stake he plays for is not generally wagered on the tables of the Casino. |
b. fig. To offer (one's head, etc.) as a pledge, guarantee, or forfeit.
| 1635 Shirley Coronation i. (1640) B 4 b, I beg the honor, for Eubulus cause To be ingag'd, if any for Macarius, Worthy to wager heart with mine, accept it. a 1704 T. Brown Two Oxf. Scholars Wks. 1730 I. 3, I'll wager my head against thee. 1832 H. Martineau Homes Abr. iv. 63 Ellen could give no better reason than that she could wager her life upon it. |
c. To offer to put to the issue of a contest, to venture.
| 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xxv, We hold ye as robbers and traitors, and will wager our bodies against ye in battle, siege, or otherwise. Ibid. xxxviii, ‘That is but brief space,’ answered Rebecca, ‘for a stranger..to find one who will do battle, wagering life and honour for her cause, against a knight who is called an approved soldier.’ |
3. intr. To offer or lay a wager, to make a bet.
| 1602 Shakes. Ham. iv. vii. 135 Wee'l..bring you in fine together, And wager on your heads. 1605 B. Jonson Volpone iv. i, If I had But one to wager with, I would lay odds now, He tells me instantly. 1722 Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 647 It seems certain that an assassination was designed; and I hear the Jacobites..were wagering on it some weeks ago. 1819 Scott Leg. Montrose xxi, He hath wagered deeply for a son of Diarmid. |
b. With clause or inf.: To make a wager, to bet that...
| 1604 Shakes. Oth. iv. ii. 12, I durst (my Lord) to wager, she is honest; Lay downe my Soule at stake. 1608 ― Per. v. i. 43 We haue a maid in Metiline, I durst wager would win some words of him. 1667 Leathermore: Advice conc. Gaming (1668) 8, I'le wager the Box shall have 1500l. of the Money, and that 18 of the 20 persons shall be losers. 1841 Dickens Barn. Rudge ii, I'll wager that your stopping here to-night would please him better than it would please me. 1848 G. F. Ruxton in Blackw. Mag. LXIV. 441 One may safely wager to see a dozen coyotes or prairie wolves loping round. |
¶ 4. Misused for wage v. 7. Obs. rare—1.
| 1592 Arden of Feversham i. i. 524 Indaunger not your selfe for such a Churle, But hyre some Cutter for to cut him short, And heer's ten pound to wager them withall. |
Hence ˈwagered ppl. a.; ˈwagering ppl. a.
| 1823 ‘Jon Bee’ Dict. Turf s.v. Wagers, These are ‘wagering kiddies’—or fellows who lay quirking bets on equivocal subjects. 1876 Morris æneids xii. 151, I may not look upon the fight, or see the wagered field. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 1 Apr. 6/3 Mr. John Alcock, aged sixty-two, yesterday walked backwards from Macclesfield market⁓place to the Crescent, Buxton,..15 min. 15 sec. under the wagered time. |
▪ V. wager
see wagger v.