[f. FIELD v. + -ING1.]
1. The action of the vb. FIELD.
a. The action or process of exposing corn, malt, etc. to the action of the air. Also attrib.
1848. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., IX. II. 501. The wheat is harvested much greener…. Six or seven days is as much fielding as is usually given, and the samples are found to be much improved by early cutting.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, III. 1076. When fielding is resorted to [in making vinegar], it must be commenced in the spring months, and then left to complete itself during the warm season. The fielding method requires a much larger extent of space and utensils than the stoving process.
† b. The action of taking the field or fighting.
1526. in Pitcairn, Crim. Trials, I. 237*. Ffor … Insurrectioune and Feilding aganis Johne Duke of Albany.
c. Cricket and Baseball. The action of stopping or recovering and returning the ball.
1859. All Year Round, No. 13. 23 July, 306/1. Every ball came straight on the wicket, and their fielding was first-rate.
1862. J. Pycroft, Cricket Tutor, 81. Long-stopping requires clean fielding and quick return.
1884. H. C. Bunner, in Harper’s Mag., LXVIII. Jan., 299/1. There mayhap, their crack pitcher will distinguish himself, or somebody will do a little neat fielding [in baseball].
2. Comb., † fielding-piece = field-piece; fielding-plane, ‘a plane used in sinking the margin round a panel’ (Jam.).
1582–8. Hist. James VI. (1804), 132. They ascendit a hill at the toune end, and came to a place callit the Quarrell Hoiles in sicht of thair enemie, with twa feilding peeces of guns.
1646. in Rushw., Hist. Coll., III. I. 400. The Army followed up after the Fielding Pieces, and drew up in a Battel forth against the Enemy.
