▪ I. lane, n.1
(leɪn)
Also 5 laane, 6 laine, layne. See also loan n.2
[OE. lane, lǫne wk. fem. = OFris. lana, lona, laen (North Fris. lana, lona), Du. laan (16th c. laen).]
I. 1. a. A narrow way between hedges or banks; a narrow road or street between houses or walls; a bye-way. blind lane, † turn-again lane: a cul-de-sac (see also quot. 1725).
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 237 Forþon þe..þinne lichoman ᵹeond þisse ceastre lanan hie tostenceað. 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 4439 Þe cri aros be ech a side Boþe of lane and of strete. c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 105 In the suburbes of a toun..Lurkynge in hernes and in lanes blynde. 1478 Botoner Itin. (Nasmith 1778) 177 A laane goyng yn the south syde of Seynt Stevyn church. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxlii. (1482) 278 Euery strete and lane in london and in the subarbes. 1511 Nottingham Rec. III. 338 Clensyng of the lanys at the comyng in off the towne. 1531 Tindale Expos. 1 John Prol. Wks. (1573) 388/1 It is becomme a turnagaine lane vnto them, which they can not goe thorough. 1611 Bible Luke xiv. 21 Goe..into the streetes and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poore. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. v. iii. 13 Lo. Where was this Lane? Post. Close by the battell, ditch'd, and wall'd with turph. 1698 J. Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 105 The Hedges and Lanes are chiefly set with two sorts of Bushes. 1725 New Cant. Dict., Blind Lane, a Lane fit to run down to avoid Pursuers, after a Villainy committed. 1794 Act Inclos. S. Kelsey 12 Any of the Roads or Ways within the Manor..which shall be made into Lanes, or fenced on both Sides. 1828 Miss Mitford Village Ser. iii. 148 Their way..leading through cross country lanes. 1832 Tennyson Miller's Dau. 130 The lanes were white with May. 1837 Dickens Pickw. vii, Their walk lay through shady lanes. |
| fig. a 1625 Beaum. & Fl. Laws of Candy i. ii, The man That had a heart to think he could but follow..through the lanes Of danger and amazement. |
b. Proverb. Also allusively.
| 1778 Foote Trip Calais ii. Wks. 1799 II. 355 It is a long lane that has no turning. 1890 W. E. Norris Misadventure xvii, The longest lane, however, has a turning. 1893 B. Harraden Ships that pass, etc. 158 The lane had come to an ending at last, and Mr. Reffold was dead. |
II. Transferred senses.
2. a. A narrow or comparatively narrow passage or way, or something resembling this; esp. a channel of water in an ice-field (also called a vein); the course prescribed for ocean steamers; a route prescribed for aircraft.
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. ix. 170 And yf hit happe an hil thi water mete, Let make a lane & thorgh thi licour hale. 1714 Gay Trivia iii. 25 Forth issuing from steep lanes, the colliers' steeds Drag the black load. 1835 Sir J. Ross Narr. 2nd Voy. Explan. Terms 15 A lane or vein, a narrow channel between two floes or fields, or between the ice and the shore. 1842 Tennyson Golden Year 50 And like a lane of beams athwart the sea. 1847 ― Princess v. 6 By glimmering lanes and walls of canvas led Threading the soldier-city. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. xxviii. (1856) 228 A black lane of open water stopped our progress. 1862 Sir H. Holland Ess., Atlantic Ocean 223 It is proposed to mark off lanes, 20 or 25 miles in width..as the routes..to be followed and adhered to, by all steam vessels. 1911 [see air lane s.v. air n.1 III. 8]. 1929 Encycl. Brit. I. 231/1 Neon lighting is particularly suitable for landing in fog owing to its distinctive colour, and to the fact that long ‘lanes’ of illumination can be provided. 1941 A. O. Pollard Bombers over Reich 105 The clouds parted a little, and the approaching raiders found enemy fighters collected in the open ‘lanes’ like soldiers guarding breaches in a fortification. 1956 J. C. Swayne Conc. Gloss. Geogr. Terms 86 Lane, a much used ocean or air route. 1971 E. C. B. & K. Lee Safety & Survival at Sea i. 8 Safety sea-lanes, consisting of a series of two-way lanes with a safety buffer zone separating the inward and outward bound traffic, are used in the approaches to New York harbour and other seaports. 1971 Sci. Amer. July 1/1 [An automatic weather information station] was moored in the middle of the Gulf Stream, off the Florida Coast, in a hurricane lane. 1974 L. Deighton Spy Story xv. 146 The pilot..climbed again, now that he was no longer forced down under the lanes. |
b. A passage between two lines of persons; a way to pass through a crowd.
| 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. ccxvii. [ccxiii.] 672 The people..made a lane for hym to passe thorough. 1587 Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1996/1 A double canon..shooting off, made..a lane among the Frenchmen. 1677 Lond. Gaz. No. 1206/1 The Magistrates did..pass through a Lane of their own guards. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome 395 The People made a Lane for him and the Chariot to pass. 1806 Naval Chron. XV. 141 The 7th Royal Veteran battalion..formed a lane two deep. 1860 O. W. Holmes Prof. Breakf.-t. v. (Paterson) 109 The fire-buckets passed along a ‘lane’ at a fire. 1867 Morris Jason ii. 287 Then moved the princes..Between a lane of men. 1875 Tennyson Q. Mary i. i, Stand back, keep a clear lane! 1893 W. Forbes-Mitchell Remin. Gt. Mutiny 145 Every charge [of grape-shot]..leaving a lane of dead from four to five yards wide. |
| fig. 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. vii. (1851) 132 Passe on..to establish the truth though it were through a lane of sects and heresies on each side. |
c. In Athletics, a course for a runner marked out by broad chalk-lines (orig. strings). Hence also in Swimming, such a course marked out by ropes buoyed up by cork floats.
| 1909 in Cent. Dict. Suppl. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 853/2 The course for sprinting races..is marked off in lanes for the individual runners by means of cords stretched upon short iron rods. 1927 Daily Express 23 Mar. 13/5 Sprint-racing in ‘lanes’ instead of in strings will be in force at the next Olympic Games... The ‘lanes’ are marked by chalk lines, and have been used in America for some time. 1955 R. Bannister First Four Minutes 21, I moved out into the second lane so that I could..avoid the danger of being boxed in. 1960 J. Grinham Water Babe xiv. 158 Suddenly the roar in the pool turned to a gasp—Di swam on to the lane ropes. 1970 McGregor & Still Bobby McGregor Story ix. 77, I stepped on to the poolside of the magnificent Olympic swimming stadium. I took up my position behind lane 2, officially the position for the fifth fastest qualifier. 1971 D. Emery Lillian vii. 75 The bends were tighter on the inside lane and therefore harder to round at full speed. |
d. A part of a road, wide enough for one file of vehicles, which is marked out by painted lines and is used to segregate traffic according to speed, intended direction, etc. Also attrib. and Comb.
| 1926 Amer. City Apr. 358/1 One of the most recent developments in highway design is the so-called super-highway where eight or more traffic lanes are provided for on the same right of way. 1933 Evening Standard 19 Apr. 7/2 Roads..would carry any volume of traffic, divided into slow, medium and fast ‘lanes’. 1951 Economist 22 Sept. 685/3 Super-highways; with at least four lanes. 1959 Times 31 Mar. 15/6 The motorist who elects to park his car on a main road reduces the width of the road for a complete traffic lane for what may be hundreds of yards. 1960 Guardian 21 Nov. 2/4 Where there is good lane discipline, traffic should be able to pass on the near side. 1962 Economist 27 Jan. 327/1 Mr Barnes is a great believer in lane-painting to increase the capacity of streets. 1966 [see fast lane s.v. fast a. 11]. 1968 Autocar 7 Mar. 61/3 The first week's working of the London experiments with bus lanes in Park Lane and on Vauxhall Bridge. 1970 Guardian 4 Aug. 15/2 Lane-changing, the constant pressure to keep up speeds. 1971 Daily Tel. (Colour Suppl.) 22 Oct. 25/4 In town traffic, lane discipline is more a matter of cunning than of boldness. 1972 Police Rev. 8 Dec. 1597/2 Failure to judge distance at speed and bad lane drill accounted for most of the accidents. 1973 D. Westheimer Going Public ix. 127 Drivers on the inbound lane slowed to a crawl. |
e. In ten-pin bowling, etc.: = alley 4.
| 1960 D. Taylor Secret of Bowling Strikes 125 Most old-fashioned lanes have a center peg in the center of the alley. 1964 F. Brundle Tenpin Bowling Tips 79 In some localities a lane which allows the ball to take a wide hook is termed fast... Some authorities..speak of lanes as either ‘holding’ or ‘running’. 1970 C. Schunk Bowling i. 4 When alleys were first built in the Southern United States, three-fourths of the lanes were constructed for duck pins. 1974 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) 26 Oct. 5–D/5 Likewise, the lanes can also be too slick or too dry. |
3. Austral. A long narrow yard leading into the final yard in a kangaroo drive.
| 1866 Cornh. Mag. Dec. 741 Longer enclosures, called ‘lanes’, led in circuitous fashion to this oubliette. 1890 ‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer xviii. 226 About fifty head have been run into the drafting lane... The ‘lane’ is a long narrow yard about three panels wide and eight in length—a panel of fencing is not quite nine feet in length—immediately connected with the pound or final yard. |
4. a. slang. The throat; chiefly in the lane, the narrow, red lane, etc.
| 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 119 Whole mainour places..thei make no bones ne sticke not, quite and clene to swallowe down the narrowe lane, and the same to spue vp again. a 1553 ― Royster D. i. iii. (Arb.) 20 Good ale for the nones, Whiche will slide downe the lane without any bones. 1812 G. Colman Poet. Vagaries (1818) 75 O butter'd egg!.. I bid your yelk glide down my throat's red lane. 1865 Lond. Soc. Jan. 13, I eat the macaroon. You see it's all gone down Red Lion Lane. |
b. the lane: short for various ‘lanes’ in the City or for buildings situated there, e.g. Chancery Lane, Drury Lane (Theatre), Mincing Lane, Petticoat Lane, etc.: see quots.
| 1831 P. Egan Show Folks 29 The swell performers..who proudly observe, ‘I am engaged at the Lane.’.. But the ‘Lane’, alluded to in this instance, is Horsemonger Lane; where a number of engagements are suffered to expire. 1856 Mayhew Gt. World Lond. 82 note, Horsemonger Lane Jail—The lane. 1865 Chambers's Jrnl. 18 Feb. 106/1 The ‘Lane’ (as Chancery Lane is familiarly called). 1872 B. Jerrold London viii. 77 When on a certain Sunday we turned into Petticoat Lane, we had the key to the activity of the clothes market of Lazarus. The Lane clothes thousands at Epsom. 1879 ‘Autobiog. of a thief’ in Macm. Mag. XL. 500 We used to..sell it.. to a fence..down the Lane (Petticoat Lane). 1880 G. R. Sims Ballads Babylon, Forgotten 9 Whenever the Lane tried Shakespeare, I was one of the leading men. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 24 Apr. 2/3 When people who know that district [Drury-lane] hear it said that there has been ‘another murder in the lane’, they have no need to ask what particular lane is referred to. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 6 Aug. 11/4 ‘The Lane’, as that of Mincing is fondly known among the wholesale grocery crowd. 1926 F. M. Ford Man could Stand Up ii. iii. 138 He had lately promised [them] tickets for Drury Lane... The Lane was the locus classicus of the race. 1959 B. Kops Hamlet of Stepney Green i. 24, I also stand down the Lane [sc. Petticoat Lane] on Sundays now and again. I'm what you might call a purveyor of bad taste. 1974 M. Birmingham You can help Me i. 11 Wentworth Street, down which the stalls of Petticoat Lane market spill... We never say ‘Wentworth Street’; it's ‘The Lane’ to us. Ibid. ii. 29 Friday is the day for buying flowers in the Lane. |
5. Sc. A sluggish stream of water; also the smooth part of a stream. (Perh. a different word.)
| 1825–80 in Jamieson. 1891 Daily News 2 July 4/8 Vast pastoral expanses, with here a loch, and there a ‘lane’ or sullen deep stream threading the wilderness. 1897 Crockett Lads' Love xxv. 253 The still, black pools of the lazy, sluggish, peaty ‘lane’. |
6. Astr. A narrow band or strip in the sky that differs markedly from its immediate surroundings (e.g. in containing no observable stars or in emitting strong radio signals).
| 1899 Astrophysical Jrnl. IX. 157 The wonderful nebulous region about Rho Ophiuchi..and..the great vacant lanes near that star. 1917 Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. III. 678 A study of the negatives of spiral nebulae obtained with the Crossley Reflector has shown that the phenomenon of dark lanes caused by occulting or absorbing matter is much more frequent than had..been supposed. 1964 R. H. Baker Astron. (ed. 8) xvii. 506 The hydrogen lanes traced by Dutch radio observers..in longitudes available to them are shown in Fig. 17·22... In a direction 80° from the sun we note three hydrogen lanes, which trace three spiral arms. 1970 Nature 12 Dec. 1077/1 This is identified with NGC 1579 which is a small, irregular, diffuse nebulosity..with a prominent dark lane. 1971 Ibid. 21 May 197/3 The underlying common feature of spiral galaxies is the existence of elongated spiral arms traced out by gaseous material (neutral hydrogen lanes; ionized HII regions and dust). |
III. 7. attrib. and Comb., as lane-end, lane-side, lane-way; lane-filling adj.; lane-born a., country-born, rustic; lane-galloper hunting, one who keeps to the lanes in preference to riding across country; lane-route, a route laid out for ocean steamers.
| 1834 Landor Exam. Shaks. Wks. 1846 II. 279/2 *Lane born boys..embezzling hazel-nuts in a woollen cap. |
| 1898 Westm. Gaz. 12 Mar. 2/1 A proclamation..was..posted at every *lane-end throughout his dominions. |
| 1831 Howitt Seasons (1837) 13 Deep, *lane-filling, hedge-burying snows. |
| 1826 Sporting Mag. XVII. 361 That when the select few have got well away with the hounds..they should be stopped, to enable tailers, *lane-gallopers, and all the οι πολλοι of the field to come up. |
| 1895 Funk's Stand. Dict. 1000/1 *Lane-route, or ocean-l. route, one of the routes prescribed for transatlantic steamers in Northern waters, being different for eastward- and westward-bound vessels, to avoid collisions. 1950 Ocean Passages for World (Admiralty, Hydrographic Dept.) (ed. 2) B. i. ii. 41/1 The large number of steam vessels crossing the Atlantic..has necessitated the adoption of clearly defined separate routes to be followed by outward and homeward bound ships... These are known as the North Atlantic Lane Routes. Ibid., Masters of all ships..who do not..make use of the ‘lane routes’, should make themselves acquainted with them, for their own safety. |
| 1463 Bury Wills (Camden) 22 Y⊇ doore be the *lane syde. 1899 H. T. Timmins Nooks & Corners Shropshire ix. 167 An old country woman tending her cow by the laneside. 1923 Daily Mail 2 Apr. 6 To see the lanesides in this delicate livery of verdure and bloom. |
| 1882 Standard 8 Dec. 3/4 There was a border, or *laneway, near the house of the Prisoner. |
| 1914 Joyce Dubliners 185 A crowd which had followed him down the laneway collected outside the door. 1933 L. A. G. Strong Sea Wall 258 He charged like a bull across the open space and disappeared into the human laneway. |
▸ Basketball. With the. = free-throw lane n. at free throw n. Compounds.
| 1902 Bucks County (Pa.) Gaz. 30 Jan. 4/2 The players must remain outside of the lane until the ball has either entered or missed the goal. 1970 P. Axthelm City Game iv. 48 Bradley shoves the ball to Frazier, who is breaking down the lane at top speed for the lay-up. 2004 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 24 Jan. iii. 7/3 He forgot the cramps in his calves, drove to the basket and hit a 5-foot leaner in the lane with 1:11 left. |
▪ II. † lane, v. dial. Obs. rare.
[f. lane n.1]
trans. to lane off: To mark the course of (intended roads); to mark the roads on (land).
| 1772 Welton Inclos. Act 13 After the same [roads] shall be laned-off. 1773 Harpham Inclos. Act 15 At all times after the same [lands] shall be laned off. |
▪ III. lane
Sc. form of loan n. and v., lone a.
▪ IV. lane
var. lain n., concealment; v., to conceal.
▪ V. lane
variant of lain n.2, stratum.
▪ VI. lane
obs. form of lawn, linen.