Liquor v.

[f. LIQUOR sb.]

  1.  trans. To cover or smear with a liquor; esp. to lubricate with grease or oil. Obs. exc. as nonce-use in to liquor over.

1573.  Churchw. Acc. St. Margaret, Westm. (Nichols, 1797), 19. Paid for netesfoot oil to liquor the belles … 2^d.

1577.  Fenton, Gold. Epist., 46. He liquored the earth wyth hys bloude.

1626.  Bacon, Sylva, § 117. Cart-Wheeles squeak not when they are liquored.

1655.  Baxter, Quakers Catech., 22. If I had your Spirit to liquor my tongue, I should … preach the people out of the place.

a. 1680.  Butler, Rem. (1759), I. 388. Witches liquor their Staves and fly through the Air.

1718.  Motteux, Quix. (1733), I. 149. That which he fansy’d to be Blood, was only … the Oil of the Lamp that had liquor’d his Hair and Face.

1737.  Bracken, Farriery Impr. (1756), I. 348. Greasing, or Liquoring the Hoofs with Hog’s Lard.

1847.  Halliwell, Liquor, to oil, or anoint. Glouc.

1864.  Gd. Words, 80/2. Great knobs of buds on a horse-chestnut … liquored over with an oily exudation.

  2.  esp. To dress (leather, boots or shoes) with oil or grease.

1502.  [see LIQUORING vbl. sb.].

1598.  Shaks., Merry W., IV. v. 100. They would melt mee out of my fat drop by drop, and liquor Fishermens boots with me.

1607.  Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 527. The fat of Swine is very precious to liquor shooes and boots therewithal.

1681.  Chetham, Angler’s Vade-m., xxxiv. § 31 (1689), 202. Let the Currier very well Liquor them with following Liquor.

1776.  Anstey, Election Ball, 29. Polish his Stirrups and liquor his Boots.

1830.  G. Colman, Br. Grins, Random Records (1872), 471. [He] liquored his boots, rubbed down his Highland pony [etc.].

  b.  slang, in phr. To liquor (a person’s) boots: (a) to cuckold (him); (b) (see quot. 1785).

1702.  T. Brown, Wks. (1720), II. 305. Believing for some Reasons be had an underhand Design of liquoring his boots for him.

1785.  Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v., To liquor one’s boots, to drink before a journey, among Roman Catholicks to administer the extreme unction.

  † c.  slang. To thrash, beat; esp. in phr. to liquor (a person’s) hide. Obs.

a. 1689.  R. Hood & Little John, viii. in Child, Ballads, III. 134/2. I’ll liquor thy hide, If thou offerst to touch the string.

1719.  D’Urfey, Pills, VI. 101. I’ll liquor your Hide.

  † 3.  Cookery. To cover (pie-crust) with a prepared liquor; to glaze. Obs.

a. 1704.  Compl. Servant-Maid (ed. 7), 72. Liquor it [a pie] with Claret, Butter, and stript Time.

1759.  Smollett, Per. Pickle, II. xlviii. 82. Two pies, one of dormice liquored with syrup of white poppies.

  4.  In various industrial arts: To steep in or soak with a liquor; to steep (malt) in water; to clear (sugar-loaves) by pouring over them a ‘liquor’ of fine syrup.

1743.  Lond. & Country Brewer, II. (ed. 2), 99. While the Malt lies liquored in the Mash-vat.

1833.  Ure, Rep. Sugar Refining, 3 in Parl. Papers, XXXIII. 553. I regret that circumstances did not permit me to adopt as my general practice the clearing the loaves with fine syrup, called liquoring, instead of using clay pap.

1851.  Ronalds & Richardson, Chem. Technol., III. 155. The [tobacco] leaves intended for the production of snuff are sorted and liquored.

1874, 1893.  [see LIQUORING vbl. sb.].

  b.  transf. To adulterate (spirits) with water.

1894.  Daily News, 18 April, 6/6. They will be obliged to ‘liquor’ their spirits—that is to say, they will dilute them with water.

  5.  To supply with liquor to drink; to ply with liquor. Also to liquor up. Now slang.

c. 1560.  Misogonus, I. iv. 19 (Brandl Quellen 434). I thinke, heis at Alhouse, a likeringe ones brayne.

1577.  Fenton, Gold. Epist., 115. The blynde man, who weening to powre drinke into hys dyshe, powreth it into y^e riuer which hath no neede to bee liquored.

c. 1600.  Timon, III. iv. If that your throates are dry, I’le liquour them.

1642.  R. Carpenter, Experience, I. xvii. 118. If wee licker them throughly with strong Beere.

1662.  Rump, I. 336. Unlesse the Brewer doth liquor him home.

1709.  E. Ward, Secret Hist. of Clubs, 321. There are several of these Flat-Cap Societies of Female Tatlers, who, as soon as their Business is over, liquor their Weather-beaten Hides at the Taverns adjacent to the Markets which they use. [Cf. 2 c.] Ibid. (1710), Brit. Hudibras, 5. Some liquor’d well with Foggy Ale.

1852.  R. S. Surtees, Sponge’s Sp. Tour (1893), 294. ‘Call him in,’ roared Sir Harry, ‘and let’s liquor him.’

1890.  Boy’s Own Paper, 11 Jan., 227/3. I’ve been liquored up and stroked down till I feel about as shaky as our friend Hugh there.

  6.  intr. (slang.) To drink alcoholic liquor. Also to liquor up.

1839.  Marryat, Diary Amer., Ser. I. I. 239. It’s a bargain then,… come let’s liquor on it.

1845.  S. Judd, Margaret, I. xii. 81. The old man called her Mary. ‘No, Dad,… it must be Margaret.’ ‘No! Mary…. Besides, that’s a Bible name, and we can’t liquor up on Margaret.’

1862.  Macm. Mag., June, 146. They … liquored at the bar, and played the mysterious game ‘euchre.’

1895.  Zangwill, Master, II. xi. 259. ‘Will you liquor with me?’ he said.

  Hence Liquored ppl. a.; Liquoring vbl. sb. Also Liquorer.

1502.  Privy Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830), 37. A barrell of greese … for the licoryng of the Quenes borehydes.

1611.  Cotgr., Surpoinct,… an oylie grease scummed from peeces of lichored leather.

1667.  Lacy, Sauny Scot, IV. (1698), 26. O’ my Saul, Sawndy wou’d be Hang’d gin I sud bestow an aw’d Liquor’d Bute.

1681.  Dryden, Abs. & Achit., II. 460. Og from a treason-tavern rolling home, Round as a globe, and liquored every chink.

1857.  Ronalds & Richardson, Chem. Technol., III. 156. The liquored leaves [of tobacco] are tied up in bundles.

1874.  W. Crookes, Dyeing & Calico-pr., iv. 47. By this alternate steaming and liquoring, the goods are much more thoroughly cleansed than [etc.].

1885.  A. Edgar, Old Ch. Life Scot., 326. These sobered liquorers.

1893.  C. Booth, Life & Labour Lond., IV. 224. The class of operatives [of a cigar factory] known as ‘liquorers’ and ‘strippers.’ Ibid. ‘Liquoring’ is the preliminary process to which the [tobacco] leaf is subjected, and consists in sprinkling it with pure water by means of a spray [etc.].

1896.  Georgiana M. Stisted, Life Sir R. F. Burton, xi. 267. A stroll … enlivened by an occasional liquoring up with a new acquaintance.