[a. Fr. amusement, n. of action f. amuser: see AMUSE and -MENT.] gen. The action of amusing, or a thing done to amuse.
† 1. Musing, mental abstraction, reverie. Obs.
1611. Cotgr., Amusement, an amusing, or amusement.
1712. Fleetwood, Lay Bapt., Pref. in Serm. (1737), 518 (T.). Here I put my Pen into the Inkhorn, and fell into a strong and deep Amusement, revolving in my Mind, with great Perplexity, the amazing Change of our Affairs, both Civil and Religious, within the compass of two Years!
† 2. Distracting bewilderment, distraction. Obs.
1648. Jos. Beaumont, Psyche, XXII. cxv. A strange Amusement on all hearts did seize.
1663. Aron-bimn., 68–9. To hear the holy Text abused by such absur’d allusions, designed on purpose to raise up amuzements and jealousies in the people.
1690. Locke, Hum. Underst., IV. ix. 353. This … if well heeded, might save us a great deal of useless Amusement and Dispute.
1699. R. Lestrange, Erasm. Colloq., 238. I give no heed to what men do when they are under the Amusements of Death.
3. Distraction or diversion of the attention from the point at issue; beguiling, deception. esp. in military tactics, diversion of the enemy’s attention from the real aims of the other side. arch.
1692. Dryden, St. Euremont’s Ess., 367. Too frequent Comparisons turn’d men from the Application to true Objects, by the Amusement of Resemblances.
1693. Mem. Count Teckely, IV. 53. The Trumpets and Kettle-drums, which by way of Amusement had been sent out of that place the Night before.
1759. Franklin, Ess., Wks. 1840, III. 446. What he says … was mere sophistry and amusement.
† 4. A trifling with the attention or time of any one; a diversion to gain or waste time. Obs.
1685. trans. Bossuet’s Doctr. Cath. Ch., xii. 24. If there be any Sense in these Words, if they be not an useless sound, and a vain amusement.
1696. Phillips, Amusement … the making of vain Promises to gain Time.
1696. Luttrell, Brief Rel. (1857), IV. 83. The French offer the allies peace … which they take to be meer amusement to gain time. Ibid. (1710), VI. 553. This affair is look’t upon only as a French amusement.
5. The pleasurable occupation of the attention, or diversion of the mind (from serious duties, etc.); passing from a. (in early use) Idle time-wasting diversion, or entertainment; through b. (generally) Recreation, relaxation, the pleasurable action upon the mind of anything light and cheerful; to c. (esp.) Pleasant excitement of the risible faculiy by anything droll or grotesque, tickling of the fancy.
1698. Atterbury, Disc. Death of Lady Cutts, 11. Pieces of pure Diversion and Amusement.
c. 1720. Pope, in Swift’s Wks. (1841), I. 838. Amusement is the happiness of those that cannot think.
1735. Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. 10. We seldom profit by writings that do not afford amusement.
1771. Junius Lett., xlix. 257. The remainder of the summer shall be dedicated to your amusement.
1824. Coleridge, Aids to Refl., 221. The same craving for amusement, i. e. to be away from the Muses for relaxation.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, xxvii. 262. Giving a new source of amusement to these merry travellers.
1865. Ruskin, Sesame, 100. When men are rightly occupied, their amusement grows out of their work.
Mod. He paints only for his own amusement. To provide for the amusement of the children. Much amusement was excited by the recital of his misadventures. To the growing amusement of the House, the honourable gentleman proceeded to complain that he had been called a ‘blockhead.’
6. concr. Anything that lightly and pleasantly diverts the attention, or beguiles the time; a pastime, play, game, means of recreation. (Orig. used depreciatively.)
1673. Temple, Observ. United Prov., ii. 119 (R.). Men are generally pleased with the Pomp and Splendour of a Government … as it is an amusement for idle people.
1696. Phillips, Amusement, any idle employment to spin away time; ibid. (1706), a trifling business to pass away the time, a Toy.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 10, ¶ 6. Their amusements seem contrived for them, rather as Women, than as … reasonable Creatures.
1712. Swift, Let. Eng. Tongue, Wks. 1755, II. I. 189. Monstrous productions, which under the name of trips, spies, amusements, and other conceited appellations, have over-run us for some years past.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), II. I. ix. 48. They have plays, and other amusements.
1837. J. H. Newman, Par. Serm. (ed. 2), III. xx. 329. To take … pleasure in our families rather than to seek amusements out of doors.
1859. Helps, Friends in C., Ser. II. I. 8. The commonplace despotic amusement of war.
