▪ I. talesman1 Law.
(ˈteɪliːz-, ˈteɪlzmən)
[f. tales + man n.1]
A member of the tales impanelled to complete a jury: see tales.
| 1679 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) I. 18 There was a good jury impanelled, but they were never summoned; so that there were talesmen there ready who did the work. 1770 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 129/1 Only seven of the special jury attended, so that five talesmen were allowed to be taken out of the box. 1825 Act 6 Geo. IV, c. 50 §37 Where a special jury shall have been struck the talesmen shall be such as shall be impanelled upon the common jury panel. 1891 ‘Octave Thanet’ Otto the Knight, Trusty 236 One of those court-room hangers-on always ready to the sheriff's hand either for jurors or talesmen. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 19 Oct. 14/1 In a murder case now being heard in Albany [N.Y.]. After the expenditure of a whole fortnight in the examination of 522 talesmen, only ten of the number have qualified as jurors. |
▪ II. † talesman2 Obs.
(ˈteɪlzmən)
[f. tale's, genitive of tale n. + man n.1]
The teller of a tale, the author of a story; a relater, a narrator.
| a 1568 Henryson's Credence of Titlaris 12 (Bann. MS.) Ane worthy lord sowld wey ane taill wyslie..gif the tailis⁓man [Maitl. MS. tellar] abyd at It he wald. 1570–76 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 358 Polydore might well have spared to magnifie Becket with this lie,..unlesse he had brought his Talesman with him. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage i. ix. 44 Yet the Tales-man shall be Set by the Tale, the Authors name annexed to his Historie. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, I tell you my Tale, and my Tales⁓man, or Author. 1768 Ross Helenore 29 Baith tale an' tales-man I to you shall tell. |
So † ˈtales-ˌmaster, in the same sense: cf. tale-master, s.v. tale n. 10.
| 1656 Heylin Extraneus Vapulans 53 Without producing his Tales-master to make it good, he only says that he hath been told. |