Also 5 botte, 5–7 butte, 5–9 but. [a. F. but goal, shooting-target (see Diez s.v. Bozza, and Littré); the cognate butte in early instances is closely associated in meaning (see next).
Cf. the senses of L. meta. Sense 1 may have been influenced by ABUT and BUTT v.2]
† I. 1. A terminal point; a boundary-mark, esp. in phr. butts and bounds; a goal; often fig. Obs.
From quot. 1592 in BUTT v.2 1 it appears that a butt was understood to refer to the end of a piece of ground, and a bound to its side.
c. 1475. Bk. Found. St. Barthol. Ch., II. iii. (1886), 84. We be come for oure synnys to the butte & terme or marke of vniuersale kynde of man.
1557. Order of Hospitalls, F viij. A Booke of all the Lands and Tenements … of their Buts and boundes.
1572. R. H., Lavaterus’ Ghostes (1596), 91. The bounds of countries and buts of lands.
1604. Shaks., Oth., V. ii. 267. Heere is my journies end, heere is my butt.
1726. De Foe, Hist. Devil, I. v. (1840), 62. The butts and bounds of Parnassus are not yet ascertained.
II. A mark for shooting.
2. A mark for archery practice; properly a mound or other erection on which the target is set up. Hence in mod. use a mound or embankment in front of which the targets are placed for artillery, musketry or rifle practice.
For the purposes of archery there were usually two butts, one at each extremity of the range; hence the frequent mention of a pair of butts, and the use of the butts for ‘the archery-ground’ (Jam.).
a. 1400. Octouian, 899. Ther na’s nother … That myght the ston to hys but bryng.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 56. But or bertel or bysselle, meta.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 89. An archier to faile of the butte is no wonder, but to hytte the pryke is a greet maistrie.
1526. Skelton, Magnyf., 297. Ye wante but a wylde flyeng bolte to shote at the buttes.
1620. J. Wilkinson, Courts Leet, 117. There ought to be buts made in every Tything, Village, and Hamlet.
1642. Bp. Reynolds, Israel’s Petit., 13. The arrow sticks in the Butt unto which the marke is fastned.
1678. A. Littleton, Lat. Dict., A butt, or bank to shoot at, agger.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 773. The Groom his Fellow-Groom at Buts defies.
1857. Kingsley, Gt. Cities, in Misc. (1859), II. 324. There were the butts … where … lads ran and wrestled, and pitched the bar … and practised with the long-bow.
1867. Leisure Hour, 477. We … see … solid mounds of earth…. These are the butts for the rifleman’s practice.
1873. Act 36 & 37 Vict., lxxvii. § 29. Any butt or target belonging to … any naval artillery volunteer corps.
b. transf. and fig. with conscious reference to prec.
1534. More, Comf. agst. Trib., II. Wks. (1557), 1199/2. Ye proude man … hath no … butte, or pricke vpon erth, wherat he determineth to shoote.
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., I. iv. 29. Come bloody Clifford … I am your Butt, and I abide your Shot.
1628. Earle, Microcosm., iii. (Arb.), 24. Hee shoots all his meditations at one Butt.
1679. Establ. Test., 26. The Crown … and … the Church, the two butts against which he levels all the arrows of his poisoned quiver.
1870. Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. xliv. 14. They were the common butts of every fool’s arrow.
† 3. The distance between the two butts; the length of the shooting-range. Also as a measure of distance (cf. bow-shot); in same senses A pair of butts, a butt(’s) length, Sc. a butelang. Obs.
1544. Ascham, Toxoph. (Arb.), 129. At a short but … ye Pecock fether doth seldome kepe vp ye shaft.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 144. Thy braine lacketh strength To beare a pinte of wine a payre of buttes length.
1600. Sc. Acts Jas. VI. (1814), 203. Within tua pair of butelangis to the towne of Perth.
1611. Raleigh, in Arb., Garner, I. 72. When two armies are within a distance of a butt’s length.
1696. Lett., in Aubrey, Misc. (1721), 209. E’re we were two pair of Butts past the House.
4. That towards which one’s efforts are directed; an end, aim, object.
1594. R. Parsons, Confer. Success., I. iv. 66. For enioying of Iustice were Kings appointed … but if they be bound to no iustice at al … then is this end and butte of … al royal authority, vtterly frustrat.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., I. ii. 187. To which is fixed as an ayme or butt, Obedience.
1624. Brief Inform. Aff. Palatinate, 29. His principall Butt and Marke was … to reuenge himselfe.
1710. Norris, Chr. Prud., iii. 114. Which he makes the great scope and butt of his Life.
1869. Goulburn, Purs. Holiness, vi. 46. Love is represented … as the mark or butt to which every precept is directed.
† b. A model, pattern. Obs.
1654. Gayton, Festiv. Notes, III. vii. 115. A Fashion to be whistled into a Tailors head without Butts or Patternes.
5. An object at which ridicule, scorn, or abuse, is aimed; from 18th c. often absol., a person who is habitually the object of derisive jokes. (Cf. 1 b).
1616. Beaum. & Fl., Cust. Country, V. i. Let me stand the butt of thy fell malice.
1628. Wither, Brit. Rememb., I. 1443. Oh; make them not the Butt of thy displeasure.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 47, ¶ 10. A Man is not qualified for a Butt who has not a good deal of Wit and Vivacity…. A stupid Butt is only fit for the Conversation of ordinary People.
1833. Coleridge, Table-t., 16 Aug. He could not make a fool of me, as he did of Godwin and some other of his butts.
1852. Gladstone, Glean., IV. 128. He was the butt and byword of liberalism.
1880. L. Stephen, Pope, v. 114. A taste for fossils … was at that time regarded as a fair butt for unsparing ridicule.
6. Attrib. and Comb., as butt-bow, -mark, -shaft, -shot; † butt-bolt, ‘the strong unbarbed arrow used by citizens in shooting at the butt’ (Gifford); butt-garden, an archery ground.
1467. Mann. & Househ. Exp., 427. My mastyr paid to Fraykok for iij flytes ij *bottebolts and ij byres, xvij.d.
1623[?]. Ford, &c., Witch of Edmonton, II. i. I saw a little devil fly out of her eye like a but-bolt [v.r. bur-bolt].
a. 1693. Urquhart, Rabelais, III. li. 415. The *Butt and Rover-bows.
1855. Kingsley, Westw. Ho! x. (1879), 184. What could he do but lounge down to the *butt-garden to show off his fine black coat?
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, I. xxiii. He … shot at *butt-marks.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., I. ii. 181. Cupids *Butshaft is too hard for Hercules Clubbe.
1884. D. C. Murray, in Longm. Mag., Feb., 378. They were thought to be safe from the blind boy’s butt-shaft, as if Cupid shot at none but handsome targets.
1538. Leland, Itin., I. 96. Another feld a good *But shot of.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 88. A standing water … neare a butt-shot from the sea shore.
