▪ I. fielding, n. dial.
[f. field n. + ? -ing1; but cf. fielden.]
(See quot.)
| 1847 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. ii. 265 The north-west sandy districts or fieldings. |
▪ II. fielding, vbl. n.
(ˈfiːldɪŋ)
[f. field v. + -ing1.]
1. The action of the vb. field. a. The action or process of exposing corn, malt, etc. to the action of the air. Also attrib.
| 1848 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IX. ii. 501 The wheat is harvested much greener..Six or seven days is as much fielding as is usually given. 1875 Ure Dict. Arts III. 1076 When fielding is resorted to [in making vinegar], it must be commenced in the spring months..The fielding method requires a much larger extent of space..than the stoving process. |
† b. The action of taking the field or fighting.
| 1526 in Pitcairn Crim. Trials I. 237* Ffor..Insurrectioune and Feilding aganis Johne Duke of Albany. |
c. Cricket and Baseball. The action of stopping or recovering and returning the ball.
| 1823 Lady's Mag. July 391/1 John Strong did very well; his length told in fielding. 1859 All Year Round No. 13. 306 Their fielding was first-rate. 1862 J. Pycroft Cricket Tutor 81 Long-stopping requires clean fielding. 1884 H. C. Bunner in Harper's Mag. Jan. 299/1 Somebody will do a little neat fielding [in baseball]. 1955 Times 9 May 15/1 The South Africans have been hailed as a great fielding combination. |
d. The action of a fielder (sense 2).
| 1873 Hotten Slang Dict. 161 s.v. Field, Laying against favourites is called fielding, and bookmakers are often known as fielders. 1895 Daily News 20 May 3/6 There was a lot of fielding against yesterday's winner. |
2. Comb., † fielding-piece = field-piece; fielding-plane, ‘a plane used in sinking the margin round a panel’ (Jam.).
| 1582–8 Hist. James VI (1804) 132 They..came..in sicht of thair enemie, with twa feilding peeces of guns. 1646 in Rushw. Hist. Coll. iii. I. 400 The Army followed up after the Fielding Pieces. |