To tar and feather a person
- To tar and feather a person
- Feather Feath"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feathered}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Feathering.}]
1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a
cap.
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An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow
feathered from her own wing. --L'Estrange.
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2. To adorn, as with feathers; to fringe.
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A few birches and oaks still feathered the narrow
ravines. --Sir W.
Scott.
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3. To render light as a feather; to give wings to.[R.]
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The Polonian story perhaps may feather some tedious
hours. --Loveday.
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4. To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.
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They stuck not to say that the king cared not to
plume his nobility and people to feather himself.
--Bacon.
--Dryden.
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5. To tread, as a cock. --Dryden.
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{To feather one's nest}, to provide for one's self especially
from property belonging to another, confided to one's
care; -- an expression taken from the practice of birds
which collect feathers for the lining of their nests.
{To feather an oar} (Naut), to turn it when it leaves the
water so that the blade will be horizontal and offer the
least resistance to air while reaching for another stroke.
{To tar and feather a person}, to smear him with tar and
cover him with feathers, as a punishment or an indignity.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
2000.
Look at other dictionaries:
To tar and feather a person — Tar Tar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tarred}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tarring}.] To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar cloth. [1913 Webster] {To tar and feather a person}. See under {Feather}, v. t. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tar and feather — phrasal : to smear (a person) with tar and cover with feathers as a punishment or indignity tarred and feathered them and rode them out of town on a rail * * * tar and feather see under ↑tar1 • • • Main Entry: ↑feather tar and feather To smear… … Useful english dictionary
tar and feather — verb To cover a person in sticky tar, then covered in feathers which stick to the tar. An archaic means of humiliating a person. O, say they, if you talk with a Mormon Elder, you are sure to get worsted; tar and feather them, mob them, and stone… … Wiktionary
tar-and-feather — verb To cover a person in sticky tar, then covered in feathers which stick to the tar. An archaic means of humiliating a person. The villagers had a strong desire to tar and feather Injun Joe and ride him on a rail, for body snatching, but so… … Wiktionary
tar and feather — phrasal to smear (a person) with tar and cover with feathers as a punishment or indignity … New Collegiate Dictionary
tar and feather — idi to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation … From formal English to slang
Feather — Feath er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Feathering.}] 1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap. [1913 Webster] An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow feathered from her own wing. L Estrange.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tar — Tar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tarred}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tarring}.] To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar cloth. [1913 Webster] {To tar and feather a person}. See under {Feather}, v. t. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tar — tar1 [tär] n. [ME terre < OE teru < PGmc * terw(i)a , substance from trees < IE base * deru , TREE] 1. a thick, sticky, brown to black liquid with a pungent odor, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood, coal, peat, shale, etc … English World dictionary
To feather an oar — Feather Feath er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Feathering.}] 1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap. [1913 Webster] An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow feathered from her own wing. L… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English