[f. prec. sb.]
1. trans. To reward (a hawk, or hound) with a portion of the flesh of the game killed, in order to excite his eagerness in the chase. Hence in wider sense, to render (an animal) eager for prey by the taste of blood.
1530. Palsgr., 551/2. Flesshe, as we do an hounde, whan we gyve him any parte of a wylde beest to encourage hym to ronne wel.
1576. Turberv., Venerie, 131. Those rewardes are much better than others which are giuen afterwardes colde when they come home, and will much better flesh and encourage the houndes.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., XXVIII. xiii. 346. Ravening foules made more cruell and eagre with the tast of bloud that had so fleshed them, flew upon the inhabitants.
1633. T. Adams, Exp. 2 Peter ii. 4. He is like an old bitten cur, that being fleshed to the game, will not be staved off; hell’s bandog, fed with the livers of God’s cast-aways.
a. 1743. Savage, Valentine’s Day, 7.
| No crocodile there flesh’d with prey appears, | |
| And o’er that bleeding prey weeps cruel tears. |
1751. Smollett, Per. Pic. (1779), I. viii. 70. Before they had fleshed the hounds, however, he recollected himself.
2. transf. and fig. a. To initiate in or inure to bloodshed or warfare.
1530. Palsg., 416/2. He his fleshed and accustomed to kyll men lyke shepe.
a. 1611. Forman, Diary (1849), 8. Simon would not shrinke for a bluddi nose with any boye, for he was then thorowely fleshed buy the means of Kinge.
1646. Sir J. Temple, Irish Rebell., 86. So flesht and blooded in the slaughter of many thousands of the English nation, had transported a numerous army of Irish rebels, and suddenly landed them in some good port within the kingdom of England.
1704. J. Blair, in W. S. Perry, Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch., I. 110. Soldiers well fleshed in blood & accustomed to booty can’t endure to be reduced to private life again & so be put to labour for their living.
1826. E. Irving, Babylon, I. II. 143. France, the tenth part, was not only wrenched away from the papal city, but took arms against all the rest; and became in the hands of the King who ruleth in righteousness, the scourge of them all, after she had been well fleshed in the work of blood by maiming and wounding herself.
1863. Kinglake, Crimea (1877), II. iv. 41. He fleshed his troops by indulging them with enterprises against the enemy’s posts.
† b. Hence, To initiate in, inure or habituate to any practice; to render inveterate, harden (in wrong doing). Also, to render (errors or vices) inveterate.
1581. Savile, Tacitus’ Hist., III. xv. (1591), 123. He sent out his Auxiliary Cohorts into the Territory of Cremona, to the ende that the souldiers, vnder colour of prouiding necessaries, might be enured and fleshed in ciuill spoile.
1597–8. Bp. Hall, Sat. IV. vi. 52.
| When he is once fleshed to the Presse … | |
| He sends forth thraues of Ballads to the sale. |
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., xii. 153. Were not this a mere method of fleshing men in leudness and wickedness, and of instilling into them that vile Principle, That Vertue and Vice are but empty Names, and that any thing may be done by the permission or connivence of Authority?
1665. Glanvill, Scepsis Scientifica, x. 53. Yet others [Errors] are so flesht in us, that they maintain their interest upon the deceptibihty of our decayed Nature, and are cherish’t there, as the legitimate issues of our reasonable faculties.
1704. Swift, T. Tub, Wks. 1760, I. 53. Fleshed at these smaller Sports, like young Wolves, they grew up in Time to be nimble and strong enough for hunting down large Game.
c. To inflame the ardor, rage, or cupidity of (a person) by a foretaste of success or gratification (cf. flush); to incite, animate. ? Obs.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (Camden), 28. Being flesshid and animatid as he was bi his tutors preamble.
c. 1600[?]. Distracted Emp., V. i., in Bullen, O. Pl., III. 242.
| There is no devyll in me nor in hell | |
| That could have flesht me to thys violent deathe, | |
| Hadst thou beene false to all the worlde but me. |
1612–5. Bp. Hall, Contempl., O. T., VIII. iv. The Israelites were so fleshed with their former victorie, that now they think no walls or men can stand before them.
1660. T. M., Hist. Independ., IV. 56. The newes of this victory so fleshed our bloodhounds, that they began to boast above measure.
1671. Shadwell, Humourist, IV. Dryb. A pox on him this damn’d Bully Heildibrand was flesh’d, and would needs shew his Valour upon my Shoulders.
1700. Dryden, Fables, Ajax & Ulysses, 137.
| Him, flesh’d with Slaughter, and with Conquest crown’d, | |
| I met, and over-turn’d him to the Ground. |
3. To plunge (a weapon, etc.) into the flesh. Also (originally with allusion to 1 or 2 a), To flesh one’s (maiden, virgin) sword: to use it for the first time upon flesh, to fight one’s first battle.
1590. Marlowe, 2nd Pt. Tamburl., IV. i.
| When he himself amidst the thickest troops | |
| Beats down our foes, to flesh our taintless swords. |
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., IV. v. 133.
| The wilde Dogge | |
| Shall flesh his tooth in euery Innocent. |
1622. Dekker, Virgin Martir, I. Wks. 1873, IV. 8.
| Antonius, | |
| So well hath fleshd his maiden sword | |
| and dy’d | |
| His snowy Plumes so deep in enemies blood, | |
| That besides publick grace beyond his hopes, | |
| There are rewards propounded. |
1725. Pope, Odyss., XX. 461.
| Impatient strait to flesh his virgin-sword, | |
| From the wise Chief he waits the deathful word. |
1866. Cornh. Mag., XIII. May, 630. These rude retainers deal blow all around them at random, and sometimes finish by fleshing their knives to the haft in each other.
1867. F. Francis, Angling, iv. (1880), 113. The barbs of the hooks not being fleshed in them.
b. transf. and fig.
a. 1592. Greene, Selimus, Wks. 1881–3, XIV. 231.
| To see the brethren disinherited, | |
| To flesh their anger one vpon another. |
1695. Blackmore, Prince Arthur, IV. 574.
| For warlike Toil he leaves the gameful Wood, | |
| And flesht his Courage first in Saxon Blood. |
1814. Byron, The Corsair, II. i. 16.
| Though all, who can, disperse on shore and seek | |
| To flesh their glowing valour on the Greek. |
1852. Dickens, Bleak Ho., i. Articled clerks have been in the habit of fleshing their legal wit upon it.
1870. Lowell, Among my Bks., Ser. I. (1873), 372. The poor youth, just fleshing his maiden pen in criticism, stood face to face with the famous author, with whose name all Europe rang from side to side.
c. To gratify (lust or destructive rage).
1601. Shaks., All’s Well that ends Well, IV. iii. 19. This night he fleshes his will in the spoyle of her honour.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., lii. He intended to … break into Butler’s peaceful habitation, and flesh at once his appetite for plunder and revenge.
4. To clothe (a skeleton) with flesh; to embody in flesh. Also with out, over. Chiefly fig.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies i. (1662), 2. I confess the subject is but dull in it self, to tell the time and place of mens birth, and deaths, their names, with the names and number of their books, and therefore this bare Sceleton of Time, Place, and Person, must be fleshed with some pleasant passages.
1862. N. Brit. Rev., XXXVI. May, 519/1. At any time, the strong imagination has difficulty enough to get fleshed, as we may phrase it, so as to dwell in common human forms, walk in common human footsteps, and speak our common human language.
1879. Blackw. Mag., CXXVI. Aug., 212/1. The making of man—a skeleton gradually fleshed over; Eve rising out of Adam’s body.
1886. G. Allen, For Maimie’s Sake, xi. It was dreamy, pretty, tender, romantic—a dainty bit of colloquial word-painting, fleshed out and rendered thinkable for Maimie’s mental vision by the audacious imaginings of the great untrammelled Viennese artist.
† b. To make fleshy; to fatten. Obs.
a. 1682. Sir T. Browne, Tracts (1684), v. 115. To restore and well Flesh them [Hawks], they commonly gave them Hogs Flesh, with Oil, Butter and Honey.
1682. 2nd Plea for Nonconformists, 16. If the Rooks, the Informers, those Birds of Prey, hope to flesh themselves by picking the bones of the Nonconformists, it should go against the stomack of every true Gentleman, not to say Merciful Christian.
fig. a. 1627. Middleton, Spanish Gipsy, IV. Flesh me with gold, fat me with silver.
5. Leather-manuf. To remove the adhering flesh from (a skin or hide).
1777. [see FLESHING 2].
1880. Times, 27 Sept., 12/6. Unhairing, fleshing, and scudding all kinds of skins.
1885. A. Watt, Leather Manuf., x. 120. After the hair is removed the hides are fleshed.
6. To paint flesh-color.
1861. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, III. 209/1. For colouring we [photographers] charge 3d. more. If the portraits are bad or dark we tell them, that if they have them coloured the likeness will be perfect. We flesh the face, scratch the eye in, and blue the coat and colour the tablecloth.
