† 1. The action of boasting, swaggering, or brow-beating; an instance of this, a defiance. Obs.
1523. St. Papers Hen. VIII., VI. 190. Protestations and exclamacions, with facyng crakyng and mynatorie wordes agaynst the Cardynalles.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. xii. 5. Their importunate facing and bracing in woordes.
a. 1625. Fletcher, Lover’s Progress, III. vi. Leave facing, ’twill not serve you.
1647. N. Bacon, Discourse of the Laws & Government of England, I. lxvi. (1682), 140. This wrought some stirrings in France, complainings in England, and facing between the Emperor and the Pope.
† b. attrib. in Facing-card (see FACE v. and CARD sb.2 2 a): fig. an imposing allegation or argument. Obs.
a. 1624. Bp. M. Smith, Serm. (1632), 33. If yee [goe away,] for these facing-cardes of multitudes or chaire, vnhappy are ye.
2. Mil. The action of facing or turning in another direction. Facing-about: the action of turning in the opposite direction, an instance of this. Hence To put (one) through (his) facings, to go through (one’s) facings: lit. and fig. Also transf.
1635. Barriffe, Mil. Dlscip., ix. (1643), 32. Facing is a particular turning of the Aspect from one part to another, whereby the Front proper becomes a Front accidentall: And a Front accidentall, may bee reduced to his proper Front.
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacr., III. ii. § 11. After many encounters and facings about, they fell into their severall troops.
1724. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 232. Their facing about in a lane where there was no room to wheel, and one who understands the manner of wheeling a troop of horse must imagine, put them into a great disorder.
1833. Regul. Instr. Cavalry, I. 13. In going through the facings, the left heel never quits the ground.
1867. Trollope, Chron. Barset, I. xli. 356. Grace, not at all unwillingly, was put through her facings.
1888. C. Blatherwick, Uncle Pierce, i. Look in as you pass … and I’ll put you through your facings.
3. The action of turning (a card) face upwards.
1674. Cotton, Complete Gamester, in Singer Hist. Cards 344. Lest there should be a discovery made of the facing, he palms them as much as he can.
4. concr. (chiefly in pl.): Something with which a garment is faced (cf. FACE vb. 12); esp. the cuffs and collar of a military jacket, when of a different color from the rest of the coat.
1566. in Peacock, Eng. Ch. Furniture, 89. Two Copes the ffacyng taken of.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 87. Their skins are of great use through the world … for garments, facings, and linings.
1612. Barry, Merry Tricks, III. i. Tawny coats, with greasy facings.
1688. Lond. Gaz., No. 2368/4. The stuff having yellow Spots … with a little Silver Edging across the Facing.
1741. Richardson, Pamela, I. xx. 49. I made Robings and Facings of a pretty Bit of printed Calico, I had by me.
1816. ‘Quiz,’ Grand Master, III. 56. His facings bore The designation of his corps.
1853. Stocqueler, The Military Encyclopædia, s.v. The facings of the artillery are scarlet.
1866. Rogers, Agric. & Prices, I. xxii. 580. The silk lining or facing is used for the summer robe only, and generally amounts to about two-thirds of the price at which the cloth is bought.
b. transf. and fig.
1642. Wotton, Life Dk. Buckingham, 5. These Offices and Dignities … were but the facings and fringes of his greatnesse.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., V. viii. 388. Well may the Hypocrite afford gaudy facing, who cares not for any lining; brave it in the shop, that hath nothing in the ware-house.
1808. Syd. Smith, Plymley’s Lett., x. Dulness turned up with temerity, is a livery all the worse for the facings.
1862. Burton, Book-Hunter (1863), 46. Each shelf uniform, with its facings or rather backings, like well-dressed lines at a review.
5. The action of putting a new face on (anything); of overlaying (a building, etc.) with other material; of coloring (tea); the action of covering or protecting the face of. Cf. FACE v. 13–15.
1549. Churchw. Acc. St. Dunstan’s, Canterbury. For fasynge of the Images in the Churche ix d. Item fasynge of the tabyll that stoode at the Awlter iiij d.
1703. T. N., City & C. Purchaser, 52. Of Facing Timber-buildings with Bricks.
1825. Hone, Every-day Bk., I. 1480. They [houses] are undergoing reparation by new facing.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Facing.… 4. the covering of brick or rough stone-work with fine masonry, such as sawed freestone or marble.
1875. The Saturday Review, XL. 30 Oct., 552–3. We are told that the ‘facing’ of tea, like the colouring of brandy or port wine, does not affect its quality, and that the process is necessary, or at least harmless.
6. concr. a. A superficial coating or layer; also the material of which this is made.
1586. A. Day, The English Secretary, I. (1625), 110. Report backe againe I pray you in the inner facing of his chimney Casket.
1783. T. Warton, Hist. Kiddington (ed. 2), 67. If we suppose some assistance from an artificial facing, they must have been visible at a vast distance.
1832. W. Stephenson, ed., A Collection of Local Poems, Songs, 32, The Retrospect.
| At ninety-four, he said, I’ll get | |
| My anvil a new facing. |
1856. J. H. Walsh, Dom. Econ. (1857), 285. Exhausted tea leaves made up with … facing.
1875. The Saturday Review, XL. 30 Oct., 553/1. Another writer in the Times asserts that some of the finest teas imported into this country are green teas with a slight facing of colour, and that such slight facing is almost a necessity for the proper preservation of the leaf when made into green tea.
1882. Worc. Exhib. Catal., iii. 52. Nickel, brass, and steel facing for printing from.
b. esp. The external layer of stone or other material which forms the face of a wall, bank, etc. Also the corners, door-jambs, etc. of stone employed to set off a brick building.
1823. P. Nicholson, Pract. Build., 585. Facings; in joinery, those fixed parts of wood-work which cover the rough work of the interior sides of walls, &c.
1841. W. Spalding, Italy & It. Isl., I. 303. It was chiefly constructed internally of rubble work,—the opus incertum of the ancient writers,—the facing of which with stone has chiefly disappeared, but the outline is quite entire.
1866. Rogers, Agric. & Prices, I. xx. 485. The older portions of … Merton College, many of which have perhaps been disfigured by modern facings.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Facing. (Hydraulic Engineering.). a. Protection for the exposed faces of sea-walls and embankments…. b. A layer of soil over the puddle, upon the sloping sides of a canal.
1876. Gwilt, Archit., 562. Walks are most commonly built with an ashlar facing.
1884. J. T. Bent, The Capital of the Cyclades, in Macm. Mag., Oct. 432/1. Each balcony is supported by marble lions or griffins, the steps, the facings and window cases of all the houses are of marble.
c. An external cover or protection.
1849. Grote, Greece, II. lxix. (1862), VI. 220. The horses also were defended by facings both over the breast and head.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., II. xviii. 185. A small pane of glass, formerly the facing of a daguerreotype.
d. Founding. (See quot.)
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Facing. (Founding.) Powder applied to the face of a mold which receives the metal. The object is to give a fine smooth surface to the casting.
1883. T. D. West, Amer. Foundry Practice, 364. Sea-coal or bituminous facing is mixed in with sands for heavy casting…. There is a limit to the percentage of facings to be mixed with the sand, which, if exceeded on the heavy castings, causes the iron to eat into the facing sand.
7. Mining. = CLEAT sb. 5.
1851. Greenwell, Coal-trade Terms Northumb. & Durh., Facing, a cleat.
1883. in Gresley, Coal-mining Gloss.
8. Brick-making. (See quot.)
1884. C. T. Davis, Bricks, Tiles, etc. (1889), 137. The bricks having all been placed in the kiln, the opening through which the bricks are wheeled into the kiln, and hauled out after burning, is closed or walled up. This opening is called a ‘facing,’ ‘bestowing,’ or ‘abutment.’
† 9. The action of defacing or disfiguring; also the result of this; defacement, disfigurement. Obs.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 9215.
| Refresshing his face for facyng of teres, | |
| And dride vp his dropes for dymyng his ene. |
10. attrib. and Comb., as facing-block, -brick, -implement, -machine, -tool; facing loam, -sand (see quot.).
1876. Gwilt, Archit., 555. An exterior *facing block of a better manufactured brick.
1850. Dobson, Bricks & Tiles, I. ii. 83. For *facing-bricks additional processes are employed.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Facing-brick. (Building.) Front or pressed brick.
1876. Voyle, A Military Dictionary (ed. 3), 135/1. *Facing Implements—Uused for facing or renewing the vent and breech pieces of an Armstrong gun.
1881. Wylie, Iron Founding, 13. Fine or facing loam, used to form the face of the mould.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., 324/1. *Facing Machine. (Milling.) A machine for dressing the faces or lands of mill stones.
1881. Wylie, Iron Founding, 73. This coal-dust sand is termed *‘facing sand,’ as it is sieved on the pattern, and forms the face of the mould.
1884. F. J. Britten, The Watch and Clockmakers’ Handbook, 204. *To form the facing tool.
