1383. Chaucer, Cant. Tales, 7730, 'Sompnoures Tale.' And whan this sike man felte this frere About his towel gropen ther and here, Amid his hond he let the frere a fart.
A lead (or leaden) towel, subs. phr. (common).—A bullet.
1812. J. and H. Smith, Rejected Addresses, 182. Make Nunky surrender his dibs, Rub his pate with a pair of lead towels.
Tower, subs. (old).—1. A fashion
in feminine hair-dressing, temp.
William III. and Anne: pasteboard,
ribbon, and lace were built
up in tiers, or in stiffened bows,
and draped with a lace scarf or
veil. Also (2) a wig or the
natural hair built up in the same
fashion; and (3) false hair worn
on the forehead (B. E.).
1663. Butler, Hudibras, 'To his Lady,' 186. Lay trains of amourous intrigues In tow'rs, and curls, and periwigs.
1675. Woman Turn'd Bully [Nares]. 'Tis a frightful thing to see some women . . . undress'd: I do not mean naked; but only their face without the toor, shades, locks, hollows, bullies, and some transitory patches.
1675. Ape-Gentlewoman, 1. Her greatest ingenuity consists in curling up her towre, and her chiefest care in putting it on.
1676. Etherege, Man of Mode, ii. 1. Her tour wou'd keep in curl no longer.
1681. Radcliffe, Ovid Travestie, 63. Should I adorn my head with curles and towers, When a poor skipper's cap does cover yours?
1710. Congreve, Ovid's Art of Love, iii. And Art gives Colour which with Nature vyes: The well-wove tours they wear their own are thought.
1711. [Sydney, England and English, i. 90. About the year 1711 the good taste of the Queen induced her to discontinue wearing the . . . tower or Bow steeple, names which the wits bestowed in derision.]
Verb. (Old Cant).—(1) To watch closely; to see, observe, understand: as a hawk on the look-out for prey: also toure, tour, twire, twyre; to tour out = to go abroad in search of booty: hence to be off, to decamp (Harman, B. E. and Grose). [Grose: 'to overlook, to rise aloft, as in a high tower.' Dyce: 'a verb particularly applicable to certain hawks, etc., which tower aloft, soar spirally to a station high in the air, and thence swoop upon their prey.']
1567. Harman, Caveat (E.E.T.S.), 86. Now I tower that bene bouse makes nase nabes.
1607. Dekker, Jests to Make You Merie [Grosart, Works, ii. 329]. Kinchen the coue towres, which is as much as, Fellow the man smokes or suspects you.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all. 'Towre out ben Morts ' [Title].
1737. Old Ballad, 'Black Procession' [Bacchus and Venus]. Toure you well; hark you well, see Where they are rubb'd.
1822. Scott, Fort. Nigel. Tour the bien mort twiring the gentry cove.
1837. Disraeli, Venetia, 71. Queer cuffin will be the word if we don't tour.
Been round the Tower (Old Cant).—Clipped: of money (B.E. and Grose).
Tower-hill-play, subs. phr. (old).—'A
slap on the Face and a kick
on the Breech' (B.E. and Grose).
Tower-hill Vinegar, subs. phr.
(old).—The swordsman's block.
[Tower-hill was, for long, the
place of execution.] Hence to
preach on Tower Hill = to be
hanged. See Tyburn.
d.1529. Skelton, Magnyfycence [Works (Dyce), i. 295]. Some fall to foly them selfe for to spyll, And some fall prechynge on towre hyll.
