[ad. F. quarte: see prec.]
1. A position in fencing (see quot. 1692) = QUARTE, CARTE2. Quart and tierce, practice between fencers who thrust and party in quart and tierce alternately; also fig.
1691. Sir W. Hope, Fencing-Master, 4. When a Man holdeth the Nails of his Sword hand quite upwards,… he is said to hold his hand in Quarte.
1698. Farquhar, Love & Bottle, II. ii. A Frenchman is bounded on the North with Quart, on the South with Tierce.
1727. Boyer, Angl.-Fr. Dict., Quarte, a Quart, a Pass in Fencing.
1809. Malkin, trans. Gil Blas, IV. vii. (1881), II. 13. The assassin stab of time was parried by the quart and tierce of art.
1889. Tennyson, Demeter, etc. 173. Subtle at tierce and quart of mind with mind.
attrib. 1691. Sir W. Hope, Fencing-Master, 22. The Quart Parade, or the Parade within the Sword. Ibid., 105. Keeping this Quart Guard, with a streight point.
1794. Hope’s New Meth. Fencing, 13. Supplying the defect of the Ordinary Quart Guard.
2. A sequence of four cards, in piquet and other card-games. Quart major, the sequence of ace, king, queen, knave.
1727. Boyer, Angl.-Fr. Dict., Quarte, a Quart, or fourth, at Picket.
1746. Hoyle, Whist (ed. 6), 26. Suppose you have … a Quart from a King;… your Partner has a Quart-major.
1826. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. II. (1863), 342. [She] never dealt the right number of cards … did not know a quart from a quint.
1860. Bohn’s Hand-bk. Games, Pref. 12. Lead the highest of a sequence, but if you have a quart … to a King, lead the lowest. Ibid., II. 45. A suit of which your partner has a quart-major.
