The chase of a fox with hounds.
1816. Sporting Mag., XLVII. 288. Next after a fox-hunt, the finest sight in England is a stage-coach just ready to start.
1875. W. S. Hayward, Love agst. World, 11. This is my first fox-hunt.
So Fox-hunting vbl sb., the sport of hunting the fox; Fox-hunting ppl. a.; and (back-formation) Fox-hunt v. intr., also † to fox-hunt it. Also Fox-hunter, Fox-huntress, Fox-huntsman, one who hunts the fox.
1674. N. Cox, Gentl. Recreat., I. (1677), 106. Fox-hunting is very pleasant; for by reason of his strong hot scent he maketh an excellent Cry: And as his scent is hottest at hand, so it dies soonest.
1692. R. L’Estrange, Fables, civ. The Fox-Hunters went their Way, and then Out steals the Fox, without One Word speaking.
1768. G. Washington, Writ. (1889), II. 232. Rid up to Toulston in order to fox hunt it.
1772. Dk. Richmond, in Burke’s Corr. (1844), I. 393. I have engaged a large party, some months ago, to come here on the first of December, and stay a month to fox-hunt.
1827. Sporting Mag., XX. June, 93/2. Shrewdness, no bad stem to graft a fox-huntsman on, was his early character. Ibid. (1829), XXIV. May, 32/1. I would as soon marry a French poissarde as I would a female fox-huntress.
1830. N. S. Wheaton, Jrnl., 59. The English are a fox-hunting, horse-racing, tandem-driving, shooting, boxing, people.
1837. Howitt, Rur. Life, I. iv. (1862), 31–2. Fox-hunting is now the chief amusement of the true British sportsman: and a noble one it is—the artifices and dexterity employed by this lively, crafty animal, to avoid the dogs, are worthy of our admiration, as he exhibits more devices for self-preservation than any other beast of the chase.
1852. R. S. Surtees, Sponge’s Sp. Tour, lvi. 318. Breaking their necks being, as she conceived, the inevitable end of fox-hunters.
