vbl. sb. Also 5–6 tak(e)lyng, 6 taclyng. [f. TACKLE v. + -ING1.]
† 1. The furnishing of a vessel with tackle. Obs.
1486. Naval Acc. Hen. VII. (1896), 17. The wages of xxx marriners … for the Rigging and takeling of the same Ship.
† b. concr. The rigging of a ship; the tackle.
c. 1422. Hoccleve, Jereslaus’s Wife, 914. Our taklynge brast and the ship claf In two.
1526. Tindale, Acts xxvii. 19. The thyrde daye we cast out with oure awne hondes the tacklinge [1885 (R.V.) marg. or furniture] of the shippe.
1529. Act 21 Hen. VIII., c. 12 § 1. The great Cables, Halsers, Ropes, and all other Tackling … for your Royal Ships.
c. 1615. Bacon, Adv. Sir G. Villiers, v. § 9. For tackling, as sails and cordage,… we are beholden to our neighbours for them.
1676. Hubbard, Happiness of People, 12. If the Mast be never so well strengthened, and the Tackline never so well bound together.
1696. London Gaz., No. 3176/1. Abundance of Lanthorns were hung upon the Tackling of the Ships.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), Uu ij b. Unless we adopt the obsolete word Tackling, which is now entirely disused by our mariners.
fig. 1601. Sir W. Cornwallis, Ess., xvi. K iij b. Graue, wise, sober, temperate men,… meete to bee part of the tacklings of a Commonwealth.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., I. i. § 11. A relation as ill accoutred with tacklings, as their Ship;… unrigged in respect of time, and other circumstances.
† 2. Gear, furnishings, fittings, accoutrements, outfit, baggage, etc.; = TACKLE sb. 1. Obs.
1558. Ludlow Churchw. Acc. (Camden), 86. Takelynges and nayles for the great belle.
1637. B. Jonson, Sad Sheph., I. ii. Here’s Little John hath harbord you a Deere, I see by his Tackling.
a. 1659. Lond. Chanticleers, ix. in Hazl., Dodsley, XII. 345. Meet me here two hours hence with all your tacklings. I’ll see this bundle shall be safe.
1695. J. Edwards, Perfect. Script., 120. This sort of country tackling is call’d threshing-instruments.
1718. S. Sewall, Diary, 25 July. I give her two Cases with a knife and fork in each; one Turtle shell tackling; the other long, with Ivory handles.
1749. C. Campbell, in Scots Mag., Sept. (1753), 454/2. Remember Lady Ardsheil’s discharges, and all your other tackling.
1813. Sir R. Wilson, Pr. Diary, II. 244. It is necessary that I should feast myself into a little more embonpoint, for otherwise I shall not have sufficient carcase to suspend my tackling upon.
† b. A horse’s harness. Obs.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), III. 14. If he wanted money to mend his plow or his Cart, or to buy tacklings for his horses.
1726. Boston News-Let., 14 July. To be sold … two good carts, four good horses, and tackling compleat for the same.
1787. ‘G. Gambado,’ Acad. Horsemen (1809), 45. Let me entreat you to examine your tackling well at setting out…: see that your girths are tight.
† 3. Arms, weapons, instruments; also fig., esp. in phr. to stand or stick to one’s tackling, to ‘stand to one’s guns,’ to hold one’s ground, to maintain one’s position or attitude: cf. TACKLE sb. 4 b; so to hold tackling (cf. to hold tack, TACK sb. 11); also to give over one’s tackling, to ‘lay down one’s arms,’ surrender, give in. Obs.
14[?]. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 565/36. Armamentum, takelyng.
1529. More, Dyaloge, IV. Wks. 278/2. Than would he haue them abide by their tackeling like mighty champions.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VI., 160 b. Perceiuyng the kentishmen, better to stande to their taclyng, then his imagination expected.
1551. T. Wilson, Logike (1580), 61 b. Thus the aunswerer … maie … force the apposer to giue ouer his tacklyng, without any aduauntage gotten.
1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., 362. Your brother … tolde me … that you haue forsaken your booke…. I wishe you to … sticke still to your tackling: and as you haue begonne, so proceede.
1593. in Abp. Bancroft, Daung. Posit., IV. iii. 141. I thinke it a great blessing of God, that hath raised vp Martin to hold tackling with the Bishops.
a. 1635. Corbett, Poems (1807), 23. Reader, unto your tackling look, For there is coming forth a book Will spoyl Joseph Barnisius The sale of Rex Platonicus.
1679. Hist. Jetzer, 29. An ambition to be accounted and Canonized for a Saint, which by standing stoutly to his tackling he hoped for.
† 4. Fishing tackle. Obs.
1548. Elyot, Dict., Alopex marina … a fysshe of the sea, whyche perceyuynge the hooke to bee fastened in his bealy, byteth of the lyne aboue the taklyng, and so escapeth.
1653. Walton, Angler, 53. I will sit down and mend my tackling. Ibid., 105. Sure, Master, yours is a better Rod, and better Tackling.
1727. Philip Quarll (1816), 7. Having … caught a … dish of fish, we put up our tackling.
5. The action of the vb. TACKLE in mod. senses (in quots., in sense 5).
1893. Daily News, 14 Dec., 2/6. Cambridge’s tackling stood them in capital defence.
1900. Westm. Gaz., 12 Dec., 7/3. A strong Cambridge attack was foiled by the splendid tackling of the Oxford men.
6. Comb. † Tackling-ladder, a rope-ladder.
1680. Otway, Caius Marius, III. i. My man shall meet thee there; And bring the cords made like a tackling-ladder.
