1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, i. xi. He had already begun to exercise the tools . . . and some of the women would give these names, my Roger . . . my smell-smock, trouble-gusset, etc. ibid., i. lii. Ill-bred louts, simple sots, or peevish trouble-houses.
1821. Scott, Kenilworth, xxxvii. But once more to this same trouble-mirth, this Lady Varney.
Trounce, verb. (once literary: now
colloquial).—To vex, trouble,
punish; now to beat severely.
[B. E.: 'Trounc'd, troubled, cast
in Law, Punisht; I'll trounce the
Rogue, I'll hamper him': Grose:
'to punish by course of law.']
Whence trouncing = a drubbing.
1551. Bible, Judges iv. 15. The Lord trounsed [Auth. Ver. 'discomfited'] Sisara and all his charettes.'
c. 1614. Faithful Friends, i. 2. Well, sir, you'll dearly answer this: My master's constable; he'll trounce you for't.
1772. Bridges, Homer, 184. By Jove, for all their bouncing, I'll give their rogueships such a trouncing.
1887. Scribner's Mag., July, 283. We threatened to trounce him roundly when he got sober.
Trout. See Norloch Trout and
Peculiar River.
Trowel. To lay on with a
trowel, verb. phr. (old).—1. To
flatter or exaggerate grossly; to
butter (q.v.). Also (2) to lie
(Ray); and (3) to use powder,
paint, or the like, without stint.
1600. Shakspeare, As You Like It, i. 2. Well said: that was laid on with a trowel.
1694. Congreve, Double Dealer, iii. 10. Paints, d'ye say? Why she lays it on with a trowel . . . has a great beard that bristles through it, and makes her look as if she were plastered with lime and hair.
Trub, subs. (old colloquial).—A
slattern; 'a short squat woman'
(Ainsworth). Also truba-gully
= 'a short dirty ragged
fellow, accustomed to performing
the most menial offices' (Halliwell).
Truck, subs. (colloquial).—1.
Intercourse, dealing: e.g. 'I'll
have no truck with you.' Orig.
(and still colloquial American),
exchange, trading, espec. the
barter of small commodities;
whence (in contempt) odds and
ends, rubbish, and spec. bad
food, cagmag (q.v.), mullock
(q.v.). Also (now recognised)
truck-system (truck-shop),
etc. = the payment of wages in
kind instead of money: illegal
since 1870-5. As verb (originally
and still literary) = 'to swop,
barter, or exchange' (B. E. and
Grose).
c. 1608. [Capt. John Smith, Works, i. 82.] Much other trucke we had, and after two dayes he came aboord, and did eate and drinke with vs very merrily.
1622. Mourt, Journal [App. New England's Memorial, 360]. Retaining Tisquantum to send from place to place to procure truck for us.
1716. Church, Indian War. Now they passed down into Punkatees Neck; and in their march they found a large wigwam full of Indian truck, which the soldiers were for loading themselves with.
1778. Annals of Salem [Bartlett]. About this time family stores were usually called truck. . . . She looked out of the window for the market people, to ask them if they would take truck for their produce.
18[?]. Chronicles of Pineville, 40. They purchased homespun, calico, salt, rum, tobacco, and such other truck as their necessities called for.
1844. Major Jones's Travels. If the people of Georgia don't take to makin' homespun and sich truck for themselves, and quit their everlastin' fuss about the tariff and free trade, the first they'll know, the best part of their population will be gone to the new States.
