1600. Holland, Livy, xxxvi. v. 921. To deale roundly and simply with no side, but to go between the bark and the tree.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 303. So audacious as to go betweene barke and tree, breeding suspitions . . . betweene man and wife.
1804. Edgeworth, Mod. Griselda [Works (1832), v. 299]. An instigator of quarrels between man and wife, or, according to the plebeian but expressive apophthegm, one who would come between the bark and the tree.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, i. vii. 'What a pull,' said he, 'that it's lie-in-bed, for I shall be as lame as a tree, I think.'
Adj. (old).—Three: e.g., Treewins = threepence; tree-*moon = three months' imprisonment, etc. (Grose): see Tray.
Tree of Knowledge, subs. phr.
(Charterhouse: almost obsolete).—The
tree under which books,
etc., are piled in the interval
between morning school and
dinner.
Treer, subs. (Durham School: obsolete).—A
boy who avoids organised
sports, but plays a private
game with one or two friends.
[Presumably because played at
the trees by the side of the
ground.]
Trek, verb. (common).—To go
away, run off, bunk (q.v.): of
South African origin, properly =
to yoke oxen to a waggon.
Tremble, subs. (common).—Involuntary
shaking; spec. when
caused by excessive cold, fear,
drinking, etc. Also, all of a
tremble = agitated, excited,
shivery-shaky.
1849. Bronté, Shirley, xx. Mrs. Gill . . . came 'all of a tremble,' as she said herself.
1882. Blackmore, Christowell, xli. The housekeeper . . . to set a good example, ordered back her trembles and came out.
Trembler, subs. (old).—In pl. =
the extreme Protestant section
of early Reformation days: cf.
Quaker.
1705. Ward, Hudibras Redivivus, i. x. 21. As thus I strol'd along the street, Such gangs and parcels did I meet Of these quaint primitive dissemblers, In old queen Bess's days call'd Tremblers; For their sham shaking, and their shivering.
See Knee-trembler.
Trench, subs. (venery).—The
female pudendum: see Monosyllable.
1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 35. The smooth rimm'd trenches Of sooty, sweaty, negro wenches. Ibid., 361. I'll give him seven wenches With fists so hard they've kept their trenches From being storm'd.
Trencher, subs. (old).—1. A
square wooden platter: in general
use before plates, and till lately
at Winchester. Whence, trenchering
= eating; trencher-buffon = a
droll or butt whose
place has been taken by the 'professional
diner-out'; trencher-chaplain
= a domestic chaplain;
trencher-fly (friend, man,
or mate) = a hanger-on, smell-feast,
parasite, or sponger: whence
to lick the trencher = to
sponge, to lickspittle; trencher
knight (or knight of the
trencher) = a serving man, or
waiter at table: hence trencher-cloak
= a cloak worn by servants
and apprentices; trencher-man
= (1) a hearty feeder (Grose),
one who 'plays a good knife and
fork,' (2) = a cook, and (3) see
supra; trencher-law = the
regulation of diet; trencher-
