[WATCH sb.]
1. Mil. A word or short phrase used as a password. Obs. in technical use.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 6056. Bisé was the buerne,… The ost out of angur & auntur to were, Wacche wordes to wale, þat weghis might know.
a. 1513. Fabyan, Chron., V. lxxxix. (1811), 66. Hengiste beynge mynded to execute his former purposed treason, shewyd his watche worde, by reason wherof anon the Brytons were slayne as shepe amonge woluys.
1538. Elyot, Dict., Tessera,… watch worde or priuie token gyuen to souldiours.
1560. in J. Scott, Berwick-upon-Tweed (1888), 448. Any man that cometh to the watch hill and is by the officers to watch and thereupon hath the watchword given him.
c. 1592. in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1898), XIII. 513. Et les ditz comons auoient entre eux vne wacheworde en Englishe with whome haldes you et le respons fust with Kinge Richarde and the true comons.
1657. North’s Plutarch, Addit. Lives, 45 (Tamberlain). Every evening the watch word was distributed, and each man was to repaire to his Quarters.
† b. = PAROLE sb. 2. Obs.
1760. Cautions & Advices to Officers of Army, 132. At the Delivery of the Report you are to return the Parole, or Watch-Word, to the Commanding Officer by whispering it in his Ear.
† c. The call of a sentinel on his rounds. Obs.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., I. 13. Since when, a watch-word euery minute of the night goeth about the wals, to testifie their vigilancie.
1756. R. Rogers, Jrnls. (1769), 16. We were so near the enemy as to hear their centry’s watch-word.
1797. Mrs. Radcliffe, Italian, xxvi. I have heard only the watch-word of the sentinels.
† 2. A preconcerted signal to begin an attack.
1550. W. Lynne, Carion’s Cron., 256 b. And then about midnight the watche worde was geuen that euery man shoulde be ready with his weapon.
1555. Eden, Decades (Arb.), 178. The kynge … came foorth … with a great bande of armed men cryinge in maner of a larome … Guazzauara, Guazzauara, which is as it weare a watch worde to giue thonset.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 452. As a token or watche worde, they cried that the Frenchemen were vp in harnesse.
1583. Stocker, Civ. Warres Lowe C., IV. 57 b. The Enemie discharged three Cannons for the Watch word, that the horsemen might get together.
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 85. Democles seeing his time,… gaue the watchword, and the ambush leapt out.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 370. The common watchword was the tolling of the Bels to Even-song.
1834. G. P. R. James, J. Marston Hall, ix. The name acted as a watchword, and the moment it was pronounced, a well-directed volley of stones was let fly.
† b. transf.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 370. Which giues the watch word to his hand ful soon, To draw the clowd that hides the siluer Moon.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 90. Take heed … of a false backe to the … furnace, hauing a loose bricke … that may bee taken awaie in an other Roome by a false Sinon that attendeth onely the Alchimistes hemme, or some other suchlike watch-worde.
1680. H. More, Apocal. Apoc., Pref. 25. The Witnesses are already risen in the late Reformation … that no watch-word may be taken to any Tumults from any such Indication of Time.
1793. [Johnson], Consid. Coal in Scot., 25. Colliers … in the west country … have some watch-word, by sending round of which they can lay the whole collieries in the country idle.
3. A password used among members of the same sect, society, etc. ? Obs. exc. arch.
1534. More, Comf. agst. Trib., II. Wks. 1170/1. After their holy watcheworde spoken on both the sydes, after the maner vsed in that place, the one toke the other by the tip of the finger … thorow the grate.
1696. Whiston, Theory of Earth, II. (1722), 214. A certain Watchword out of 500 pitch’d upon among certain Conspirators.
1809. Syd. Smith, Wks. (1859), I. 168/2. Classical quotations are the watchwords of scholars, by which they distinguish each other from the ignorant and the illiterate.
1891. Farrar, Darkn. & Dawn, li. They meet in the most secret places, and have their watchwords.
b. A word or phrase used as embodying the guiding principle or rule of action of a party or individual.
1738. Gentl. Mag., VIII. 292/2. Now I cannot help being of Opinion, that all the former Watch-words, were better chosen than theirs.
1780. Cowper, Table-t., 322. When the rude rabble’s watch-word was—destroy, And blazing London seem’d a second Troy.
1832. Tennyson, Love thou thy Land, 28. Nor deal in watch-words overmuch.
1844. Macaulay, Ess., Chatham (1897), 760. The watchwords of the new government were prerogative and purity.
1875. Stubbs, Const. Hist., I. x. 307. Again in A.D. 1127 his name was made the watchword of a renewed struggle.
1876. F. Harrison, Choice of Bks. (1886), 7. Our stately Milton said in a passage which is one of the watchwords of the English race, ‘as good almost kill a man as kill a good book.’
† 4. A cautionary word or speech; also, a premonitory sign, a warning event. Obs.
c. 1475. Plumpton Corr. (Camden), 33. I took that for a watche word for medling betwixt lords.
1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 124 b. Geuyng a preatie watche woord that best were vtterly to abstein from matrimonie.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (Camden), 19. He gave me this watchwurd in his own Chamber that it miht be thai ment to make me weri of the Hous.
1584. [A. Munday] (title), A Watch-woord to Englande To beware of traytours and tretcherous practises [etc.].
a. 1639. Spottiswood, Hist. Ch. Scot., IV. (1655), 197. The Ambassadours had a watchword given them, not to see nor salute him.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., V. xix. 436. To welcome the Duke … he was entertain’d with prodigies…; as if Nature … made her hand to swerve, that she might shoot a warning-piece to these countreys, and give them a watchword of the future calamities they were to expect.
a. 1761. [S. Haliburton & Hepburn], Mem. Magopico, v. (ed. 2), 19. An arch wench … had smelled a rat about Magopico, and had given her lady a watch-word.
† b. To set a watchword upon: to utter a caveat against. Obs.
a. 1586. Sidney, Apol. Poetrie (1595), I. S. Paule himselfe, (who yet for the credite of Poets) alledgeth twise two Poets, & one of them by the name of a Prophet, setteth a watcheword vpon Philosophy, indeede vpon the abuse.
