Cold a. World English Historical Dictionary

Cold a. World English Historical Dictionary Dictionary Biographies Literary Criticism Welcome Terms of Service ⧏ Previous Next ⧐ Contents Slice Contents Key Bibliographic Record Murray’s New English Dictionary. 1893, rev. 2025. Cold a. Forms: 1–3 cald, 3– cold, (5 coold(e, kold, gold, 6 coold, colld, 4–7 colde, 6–7 could). Northern 3– cald, (3–5 kald, 4 caald, 4–5 calde, 5 callde); 7– cauld, (9 caud, caad). Also 1 Saxon ceald, 2–4 Southern cheald, 4 cheld, chald. [OE. Anglian cald (WSax. ceald), corresp. to OFris. and OSax. kald (MLG. kold, MD. cold, cout(d-), LG. kold, koold, kool, Du. koud, WFris. kâd, NFris. kuld, kould, Satl. kôld, Wang. kôl, Helig. kûl, EFris. kold), OHG. chalt, kalt (MHG., mod.G. kalt), ON. kald-r, (Norw. kald, Sw. kall, Da. kold), Goth. kald-s:—OTeut. *kaldo·-z, originally a ppl. formation (corresponding to Gr. words in -τός, L. -tus) from OTeut. verb-stem kal- to be cold, frigēre, cogn. with L. gel- in gelu, gelidus, OSlav. golatŭ ice. ME. and mod. cold is in origin a midland form, from Anglian cald, later cāld, whence also, with a retained, Sc. cauld, north Eng. caud, caad; the Sax. and Kentish ceald survived in the south to the 14th c. as CHEALD, cheld, chald.

1   (The affinities of the various words belonging to this root are here exhibited for reference from their respective places.

2   I. from stem kal-: I. simply: 1. vb. intr. kal-an, kôl, kalans: cf. ON. kala, OE. calan, whence ACALE v. 2. sb. kal-i-z, OE. cęle, cięle, CHILL; thence CHILL a., CHILL v., CHILLED, CHILLING, CHILLY, CHILLINESS.

3   II. with suffix -d: 3. adj. kal-d-oz, OE. cald, ceald, COLD, CAULD, CHEALD. Thence 4. sb. COLD. 5. sb. kald-în, OHG. chaltî(n, Ger. kälte, OE. cieldu, ME. † CHELDE. 6. vb. intr. kald-ôjan, OS. caldôn, OHG. chaltên, OE. caldian, cealdian, to COLD; thence vb. ACOLD.

4   II. from ablaut stem kōl-: 7. adj. kôl-uz, OE. cól COOL, COOLY, COOLNESS; and with transition to jo- inflexion, OHG. chuoli, Ger. kühle. Thence 8. sb. COOL- 9. vb. intr. kôlôjan, OS. côlôn, OE. cólian to COOL; thence vb. ACOOL, adj. ACOLD. 10. vb. trans. kôljan, OE. cœlan, célan, to KELE; thence vb. † AKELE.

5   Several other formations occur in the other langs. ON. and LG. have also a weak-grade stem kuld (:—glto·), whence ON. sb. kuldi, LG. -küllen (sik verküllen) from kuldjan; of this no derivatives occur in Eng.]

6   I.  literally. 1. The proper adjective expressing a well-known quality of the air or of other substances exciting one of the primary physical sensations, due to the abstraction of heat from the surface of the body: of a temperature sensibly lower than that of the living human body. Admitting degrees of intensity (colder, coldest).

7   a.  of the atmosphere, and meteoric conditions.

8 c. 950.  Lindisf. Gosp., John xviii. 18. Stodon … æt gloedum forðon cald wæs and wearmdon hia.

9 c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., ibid. And wyrmdon hiʓ, for þam hit wæs ceald.

10 c. 1160.  Hatton G., ibid. And wermdan hye, for-þan hit wæs cheald.

11 a. 1300.  Cursor M., 15910 (Cott.). Þe night it was ful caald.

12 c. 1400.  Maundev. (Roxb.), viii. 29. Wheder þe weder sall be calde or hate.

13 c. 1440.  Promp. Parv., 86. Coolde [1499 colde], frigidus.

14 1483.  Cath. Angl., 51. A Calde plase, frigidarium.

15 1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 140. In the colde wynter and foule wether.

16 1576.  Fleming, Panoplie Ep., 352. Without hoare frostes, without snowe, and such like colde meteors.

17 1601.  Shaks., All’s Well, I. i. 115. When Vertues steely bones Lookes bleake i’th cold wind.

18 1709.  Addison, Tatler, No. 24, ¶ 8. A cold Morning.

19 1774.  Goldsm., Nat. Hist., VII. 161. In the cold regions of the north.

20 1816.  J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 59. If the winters and springs be dry, they are mostly cold.

21 1880.  Geikie, Phys. Geog., V. xxxi. 349. Round the poles … the climates are coldest.

22   b.  of material substances which in their natural state communicate this sensation by contact. Often as a descriptive epithet of iron or steel, as the material of a weapon. Hence, such combinations as ice-cold, key-cold, stone-cold. See these words.

23 c. 1290.  Lives Saints (1887), 183. So cold ase a ston.

24 1297.  R. Glouc. (1724), 1. Welles swete and colde.

25 1576.  Fleming, Panoplie Ep., 231. Blowe hot and colde breath out of one mouth.

26 1667.  Milton, P. L., X. 851. Outstretcht he lay, on the cold ground.

27 1771.  Smollett, Humph. Cl. (1796), II. 36. To hazard a thrust of cold iron with his antagonist.

28 1795.  H. Macneill, Will & Jean, II. x. Wi’ the cauld ground for his bed.

29 1816.  Scott, Old Mort., xvi. Try him with the cold steel.

30 1833.  Marryat, P. Simple, xxxiii. Others darted cold shot at us.

31   c.  said of the human body when deprived of its animal heat; esp. of a dead body, of death, the grave (mingling with b); hence sometimes = Cold in death, dead.

32 c. 1340.  Cursor M., 7061 (Trin.). Þere mony modir son was colde.

33 c. 1386.  Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1920. Nowe in his colde graue.

34 c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 7303. Kild all to kold dethe.

35 14[?].  Tundale’s Vis., 106. He lay cold dedde as any stan.

36 c. 1450.  Guy Warw. (C.), 1149. When he sawe þe bodyes colde Of þe knyghtys.

37 1562.  J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 70. I would Thy toung were coold.

38 1602.  Marston, Antonio’s Rev., II. iv. E 1 b. Knowing my fathers trunke scarce colde.

39 1668.  R. L’Estrange, Vis. Quev. (1708), 99. Solacing her self with her Gallant, before her Husband was thorough cold in the Mouth.

40 1670.  Phil. Trans., V. 2027. The separated Heart of a Cold Animal.

41 1752.  Johnson, Rambler, No. 190, ¶ 6. The cold hand of the angel of death.

42 1805.  Scott, Last Minstrel, II. xxi. Then Deloraine, in terror, took From the cold hand the Mighty Book.

43   d.  said of light not accompanied by heat.

44 1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 186 b. As the lyght of ye nyght, a colde and a bareyn lyght.

45 1859.  Jephson, Brittany, ix. 139. I was almost dazzled by the moon’s cold rays.

46   2.  Relatively without heat, of a low temperature; not heated. Hence applied to metals and the like as worked in their natural state instead of when heated. The comparative colder often means simply ‘less warm, of a lower temperature than some other’; so the superlative coldest. Cold air: the air outside, as opposed to the hot air of a room. Cold bath, bathing: a bath in cold or unheated water.

47 1725.  N. Robinson, Th. Physick, 222. Having Recourse to the Cold Bath … This Action of Cold Bathing.

48 1800.  trans. Lagrange’s Chem., II. 111. Nitric acid dissolves copper well, even cold.

49 1833.  N. Arnott, Physics (ed. 5), II. 46. In a clear night the objects on the surface of the earth radiate heat … they consequently soon become colder.

50 1853.  C. McIntosh, Bk. Garden, 473. Cold pits for preserving vegetables during winter.

51 Mod.  The sun is supposed to be growing colder through loss of its heat.

52   b.  esp. Used of things that have been prepared with heat, and afterwards allowed to cool.

53   Cold collation, a collation or lunch consisting entirely of such viands; cold meat, cold roast, roast meat, kept till cold; cold treat, a table of cold viands, also fig. and depreciatively; so cold kale, cold porridge, and the like.

54 a. 1240.  Sawles Warde, in Cott. Hom., 251. Þat fur ham forbearneð al to colen calde.

55 c. 1420.  Liber Cocorum (1862), 17. When hit is colde, leche hit with knyves … messe hit forthe on schyves.

56 1575.  Laneham, Lett. (1871), 59. Of a dish—az a colld pigeon or so.

57 1598.  J. M., Seruingmans Comf., H. The remayne of these cold boyled meates … which may well be called colde Commons.

58 1759.  Compl. Letter-writer (ed. 6), 227. It was succeeded … by a prodigious cold collation.

59 1837.  Dickens, Pickwick, xix. ‘You mustn’t handle your piece in that ere way … I’m damned if you won’t make cold meat of some on us.’

60 1856.  Emerson, Eng. Traits, Personal, Wks. (Bohn), II. 132. The story of Walter Scott’s … slipping out every day … to the Swan Inn, for a cold cut and porter.

61 1883.  G. Lloyd, Ebb & Flow, II. 149. Picked away daintily at his cold chicken.

62   3.  Of a person: Having the sensation of cold, feeling cold. (Usually in predicate.)

63 1570.  Levins, Manip., 218. Could to be, frigescere.

64 1590.  Shaks., Com. Err., IV. iv. 33. When I am cold, he heates me with beating.

65 1870.  Mrs. Phelps, Hedged In, xviii. 273. ‘I grew cauld to my shoes.’

66 1884.  F. M. Crawford, Rom. Singer, I. 21. One moment you are in danger of being too cold.

67   b.  Of the chilly or shivering stage in ague.

68 1846.  G. Day, trans. Simon’s Anim. Chem., II. 256. Intermittent fever … towards the end of the cold stage.

69   4.  Of soil: Slow to absorb heat, from its impervious clayey nature and retentiveness of moisture.

70 1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XV. xx. 496. In Asturia in Spain is scarce of wyne, of whete, and of oyle: for the londe is colde.

71 c. 1420.  Pallad. on Husb., III. 1050. The colde or weetisshe lande most sowen be.

72 1626.  Bacon, Sylva (1677), § 665. It sheweth the Earth to be very cold.

73 1649.  Blithe, Eng. Improv. Impr. (1652), 96. Sad and moyst strong Clay and Cold.

74 1665.  Phil. Trans., I. 92. Cold weeping Ground.

75 1805.  Gregory, Dict. Arts & Sc., I. 514. The worst soil is a cold heavy clay.

76 1813.  Sir H. Davy, Agric. Chem. (1814), 178.

77 1833.  New Monthly Mag., XXXVII. 209. On such a cold and lean soil the emotions of domesticity wither, and can never take root in the master or the menial.

78 1877.  Pendleton, Sci. Agric., 102. Clay soils are cold.

79   † 5.  Caused or characterized by cold. Obs.

80 1568.  Grafton, Chron., II. 454. Muche vexed with colde diseases.

81   II.  fig.

82   † 6.  In the physiology of the Middle Ages, and down to 17th c. cold and hot were (in association with dry or moist) applied to the ‘complexion’ of things, including the elements, humours, seasons, planets, properties of herbs and drugs. Obs.

83   Thus, earth was dry and cold, water moist and cold, air moist and hot, fire dry and hot. So melancholy or choler adust, Autumn, Saturn, were dry and cold; phlegm, Winter, Venus, and the Moon, were moist and cold. In some of these the application is obvious, in others it savors of mysticism.

84 c. 1050.  Byrhtferth’s Handboc, in Anglia, VIII. 299. Eorðe ys ceald & driʓʓe.

85 a. 1300.  Cursor M., 3563 (Cott.). Quen þat sua bicums ald His blode þan wexus dri and cald.

86 a. 1340.  Hampole, Pr. Consc., 767. Þan waxes his kynde wayke and calde.

87 c. 1400.  Lanfranc’s Cirurg., I. iii. 12. Oon of þe men is of an hoot complexioun & a moist, þat oþer of a cold complexioun & a drie.

88 1551.  Turner, Herbal, I. P v b. The vertues of Chokewede … Galene writeth that it is colde and drye in the fyrste degree.

89 1597.  Gerarde, Herbal (1633), 805. His root, is cold and dry.

90 1626.  Bacon, Sylva (1677), § 701. Bole-Arminick is the most cold of them, and … Terra Lemnia is the most hot.

91 1707.  Floyer, Physic. Pulse-Watch, 391. The Meat produces cold Spirits.

92 1732.  Arbuthnot, Rules of Diet, 256–7. They are fitter for old People, and cold Constitutions, than the young and sanguine.

93   † b.  Opposed to ‘hot’ as applied to taste or to effect on the bodily system: The opposite of pungent, acrid or stimulating. Obs.

94 1585.  Lloyd, Treas. Health, Y iij. Of these .iiii. cold sedes, Lettyse, Purslayne, white poppye and sanders.

95 1614.  W. B., Philosopher’s Banquet (ed. 2), 72. Bitter grapes are colde and stringent.

96   7.  Void of ardor, warmth, or intensity of feeling; lacking enthusiasm, heartiness or zeal; indifferent, apathetic. Of persons, their affections, and actions. Cold as charity: see CHARITY.

97 c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 95. Heortan, þet calde weren þurh ilefleaste.

98 a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 400. Ich wolde … þet tu were, i mine luue, oðer allunge cold, oðer hot mid alle.

99 1382.  Wyclif, Rev. iii. 15. I wolde thou were coold or hoot.

100 c. 1450.  trans. T. à Kempis’ Imit., I. xxi. For þese goþ not to þe herte … þerfore we remayne colde & slowe.

101 1523.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccviii. 248. He was nat colde to sette forward, but incontinent went to the lorde of Roy.

102 1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 264 b. Vnkynde synner, whiche renderest agayne so drye & colde thankes to thy lorde therfore.

103 1597.  Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxxix. Their cold affection to God-ward.

104 1640–1.  Kirkcudbr. War-Comm. Min. Bk. (1855), 129. The Committie foirsaid … declares ane cold covenanter to be suche ane persone quha does not his dewtie in everie thing committed to his charge, thankfullie and willinglie.

105 1711.  Steele, Spect., No. 38, ¶ 10. Whether a Man is to be cold to what his Friends think of him.

106 1727.  A. Hamilton, New Acc. E. Ind., II. xlvii. 167. Their Incomes are very small, as Charity and Piety are very cold among their Flock.

107 a. 1770.  Jortin, Serm. (1771), VI. vii. 137. A cold request is entitled to a cold answer.

108 1783.  Crabbe, Village, I. 245. And the cold charities of man to man.

109 1842.  H. Rogers, Introd. Burke’s Wks., I. 19. He was even slandered in Ireland as a cold friend to his country.

110   † b.  Free from excitement; unimpassioned; not flurried or hasty; deliberate, COOL. Obs.

111 c. 1500.  Yng. Children’s Bk., in Babees Bk. (1868), 23. Be cold of spech, & make no stryfe.

112 1509.  Fisher, Wks., 269. His delynge in tyme of perylles and daungers was colde and sobre.

113 1513.  Douglas, Æneis, XI. vii. 104. A man nocht indegest, bot wys and cald.

114 1611.  Shaks., Cymb., II. iii. 2. Your Lordship is … the most coldest that euer turn’d vp Ace.

115 1794.  Paley, Evid., II. iii. (1817), 88. The production of artifice, or of a cold forgery.

116   † c.  Void of sensual passion or heat. Obs.

117 1597.  Shaks., Lover’s Compl., 315. He preached pure maid and praised cold chastity. Ibid. (1602), Ham., IV. vii. 172. Long Purples … our cold Maids doe Dead Mens Fingers call them. Ibid. (1610), Temp., IV. i. 66. To make cold Nymphes chast crownes.

118 1602.  Warner, Alb. Eng., XIII. lxxviii. (1612), 323. And Nature, as in Mules, in all Diuersities is cold.

119 1722.  Pope, Chorus Youths & Virgins, 23. Chaste as cold Cynthia’s virgin light.

120   d.  Feelingless, cold-blooded; void of emotion.

121 1849.  Ruskin, Sev. Lamps, 2. That sometimes the too cold calculation of our powers should reconcile us too easily to our shortcomings.

122 1857.  Gen. P. Thompson, Audi Alt., II. App. 96. The cold, habitual, constitutional belief, that every man who is stronger has a right to take from every man who is weaker.

123   8.  Showing no warm or friendly feeling; the reverse of cordial, affectionate or friendly.

124 1557.  Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 246. The complaint of a hot woer, delayed with doutfull cold answers.

125 1601.  Shaks., All’s Well, III. vi. 121. I spoke with hir but once, And found her wondrous cold.

126 1673.  Wood, Life (1848), 184. Dined at my brother Kits, cold meat, cold entertainment, cold reception, cold clownish woman.

127 1703.  Maundrell, Journ. Jerus. (1732), 9. Having reason to expect but a cold welcome.

128 1722.  Wollaston, Relig. Nat., vi. 142. The husband becoming cold and averse to her.

129 1760.  Voy. W. O. G. Vaughan, vii. 158. I have, once more, made my Addresses to Isabella … but she ’s as cold as a Cucumber.

130 1833.  Ht. Martineau, Loom & Lugger, I. iii. 38. Meet cold looks at every turn.

131 1885.  Sir J. Hannen, in Law Rep., 10 P. Div. 91. She was excessively cold to her.

132   9.  fig. Said of things that chill, or depress the vital emotions, and of the feeling thus produced; gloomy, dispiriting, deadening.

133 a. 1300.  Cursor M., 24204 (Cott.). Care clinges in mi hert cald.

134 c. 1325.  E. E. Allit. P., A. 807. He toke on hymself oure carez colde.

135 c. 1340.  Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1982. With ful colde sykyngez.

136 c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 10385. Neuer kepis þu þi corse out of cold angur.

137 14[?].  Sir Beues, 3561 (MS. M). Whan he awaked, his hert was colde.

138 c. 1485.  Digby Myst. (1882), III. 151. Cast in carys cold.

139 1596.  Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., II. iii. 32. In very sincerity of fear and cold heart, will he to the King, and lay open all our proceedings.

140 1625.  K. Long, trans. Barclay’s Argenis, II. ix. 158. Timonides was strucke cold at heart.

141 a. 1691.  Flavel, Sea Deliverances (1754), 170. Which gave a colder damp of sorrow to our hearts.

142 1781.  Cowper, Conversation, 770. She feels … A cold misgiving and a killing dread.

143   10.  Felt as cold by the receiver, chilling, damping, the reverse of encouraging; as in cold comfort, cold counsel, cold news, † cold rede.

144 c. 1325.  E. E. Allit. P., C. 264. Lorde! colde watz his cumfort.

145 c. 1340.  Cursor M., 14295 (Trin.). My broþer lazer þi frend is deed, And þat is to me a colde reed.

146 c. 1386.  Chaucer, Nun’s Priest’s T., 436. Wymmens counseiles ben ful ofte colde; Wommannes counseil brought us first to woo.

147 1571.  Golding, Calvin on Ps. x. 14. We receive but cold comfort of whatsoever the Scripture speaketh.

148 1593.  Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., III. i. 86. Cold Newes, Lord Somerset: but Gods will be done. Ibid. (1594), Rich. III., IV. iv. 536. Colder Newes, but yet they must be told.

149 1615.  A. Niccholes, Marriage & Wiving, vii. in Harl. Misc. (1744), II. 153. A cold Comfort to go to hot Hell for Company.

150 1652.  Howell, Masaniello, II. 145. There came cold news from the countrey.

151 1837.  J. H. Newman, Par. Serm. (ed. 2), III. ix. 128. It all falls as cold comfort upon them.

152 1848.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., viii. Preston brought cold news from Cumberland and Westmoreland.

153 1879.  Froude, Cæsar, xxi. 356. The messenger sent to Capua came back with cold comfort.

154   11.  Without power to move or influence; having lost the power of exciting the emotions; stale.

155   (In the first quot. the sense is doubtful: cf. the same phrase in Two Gent., IV. iv. 186.)

156 [1596.  Shaks., Merch. V., II. vii. 73. Fareyouwell, your suite is cold.]

157 1705.  Addison, Italy, Venice, 104. The Jest grows cold even with them too when it comes on the Stage in a Second Scene.

158 1843.  Carlyle, Past & Pr. (1858), 171. The coldest word was once a glowing new metaphor.

159   12.  Hunting. Said of scent in opposition to ‘hot’ or ‘warm’: Not strong, faint; weak.

160 1592.  Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 694. The hot sent-snuffing hounds are driuen to doubt … till they haue singled VVith much ado the cold fault cleanly out. Ibid. (1601), Twel. N., II. v. 134. He is now at a cold sent. Ibid. (1611), Wint. T., II. i. 151. You smell this businesse with a sence as cold As is a dead-mans nose.

161   13.  Sport. Unwounded.

162 1856.  ‘Stonehenge,’ Brit. Sports, I. X. § 1. An unwounded deer is called a cold hart.

163   † 14.  fig. Neglected, unattended to. Obs.

164 1703.  Maundrell, Journ. Jerus. (1732), To Rdr. a 2. The Papers, after they had lain cold a good while by him.

165   15.  Painting. Applied to tints or coloring that suggest a cold sunless day, or the colder effect of evening; esp. to blue and grey, and tints akin to these. Opposed to ‘warm’ colors, into which red and yellow enter.

166 1706.  Art of Painting (1744), 400. He is for the most part very cold in his colouring.

167 1795.  Gower, Painting in Oil Colours, 132. His middle tint, which was made only of black and white, was so very cold, that no other colour but blue would make a colder tint.

168 1821.  Craig, Lect. Drawing, iii. 172. Colours … are divided by the painter into warm and cold.

169 1879.  Rood, Chromatics, xvii. 296. Green is not a colour suggestive of light or warmth, but is what artists call cold.

170   III.  Combinations.

171   16.  Cold occurs prefixed to another adj. to indicate the combination of the two qualities. (But Shakespeare’s cold-pale perhaps meant pale with cold (sb.); later examples may be imitations.)

172 1592.  Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 892. With cold-pale weakness numbs each feeling part.

173 1626.  Milton, Death Fair Infant, 20. With his cold-kind embrace.

174 1830.  Tennyson, Dying Swan, 12. The cold-white sky.

175   17.  adverbial and parasynthetic, as cold-pated, -scented, -skinned, -spirited, -tempered; COLD-BLOODED; cold-muttonish, etc.

176 1598.  Chapman, Iliad, III. 165. Those cold-spirited peers.

177 1647.  H. More, Song of Soul, To Rdr. 6/1. Some cold-pated Gentlemen.

178 1718.  Cibber, Non-juror, II. 94. Stupid, cold-scented Treason.

179 1804.  Edin. Rev., III. 447. Some such cold-tempered … antiquary.

180 1806.  Forsyth, Beauties Scotl., IV. 250. Cold-bottomed land scattered in patches on the slopes.

181 1840.  Hood, Up the Rhine, 62. There was such a cold-muttonish expression in his round unmeaning face.

182 1861.  Gen. P. Thompson, in Bradford Advertiser, 21 Sept., 6/1. Some cold-skinned lizard.

183   18.  with pa. pple., expressing the state in which a process is performed: as cold-drawn (drawn cold, extracted or expressed without the aid of heat); cold-served, cold-swaged, COLD-HAMMERED.

184 1716.  Lond. Gaz., No. 5468/4. Fine Beech Oil cold drawn.

185 1742.  Young, Nt. Th., iii. 319. On cold-serv’d repetitions he subsists.

186 1844.  Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., IV. 47. Iron … which after having been cold-swaged became crystalline.

187 1859.  Gullick & Timbs, Paint., 207. When oils are expressed without heat, or, as it is termed, ‘cold-drawn.’

188   19.  Special combinations: cold abscess [F. abscès froid], an abscess formed without the first three of the Celsian symptoms of inflammation (pain, redness, heat and swelling); cold Adam (see ADAM 2); cold-bathing, bathing in cold water, taking a cold bath; cold bed, (a) in Gardening, as opposed to hot-bed: see BED 8 (so cold frame); (b) Metallurgy (see quot.); cold charge (Farriery), see CHARGE sb. 7; cold chisel (see CHISEL 1 c); cold coil, an India-rubber pipe wound round an inflamed limb, and giving passage to a stream of cold water; † cold gout, sciatica; cold-livered a., passionless; cold-pausing a., pausing for cool consideration; † cold pie, cold pig (colloq.), the application of cold water to wake a person; hence cold-pig v., to treat in this way; cold punch (see PUNCH); † cold roast (fig.), something of little account (see ROAST sb.); cold shivers (see SHIVER sb.); cold-suttee (see SUTTEE); cold sweat (see SWEAT); cold treat (cf. sense 2 b); † fig. that of which the interest is stale; cold ulcer, an ulcer forming spontaneously on the cold extremities of persons of feeble circulation; cold wall Phys. Geog. (see quots.); cold well (see quot.); cold without (colloq.), brandy or spirits in cold water without sugar.

189 1828.  Boyer & Craigie, Gen. & Pathol. Anat., 43. The *cold abscess of the Surgeons of the Saracen School.

190 1847.  J. F. South, trans. Chelius’ Surg., I. 45. The commencement of cold abscess usually sets in, without any sensibly perceptible local appearance.

191 1888.  Q. Rev., April, 291. Sir John Floyer of *cold-bathing notoriety.

192 1664.  Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 197. African Marigolds … will come in the *Cold-bed without Art.

193 1881.  Raymond, Mining Gloss., Cold-bed, a platform in a rolling-mill on which cold bars are stored. Ibid., *Cold blast, air forced into a furnace without being previously heated.

194 1890.  Daily News, 6 Jan., 2/3. Best Staffordshire hot-blast pigs are 90s, and cold-blast 110s to 115s.

195 1725.  Bradley, Fam. Dict., *Cold-Charges, outward Applications to distemper’d Horses.

196 1888.  trans. Esmarch’s Surgeon’s Hand-bk., 44. A very great reduction in temperature … can be obtained by the *cold coil.

197 1586.  Cogan, Haven Health (1636), 149. A very good oyntment … for the Sciatica or *cold goute.

198 1816.  Scott, Old Mort., xliii. *Cold-livered and mean-spirited.

199 1785.  Burns, To Jas. Smith, xv. *Cold-pausing Caution’s lesson scorning.

200 1611.  Cotgr., Porter vne chemise blanche à, to giue a mornings camisado, or a *cold pie for a breakfast, vnto.

201 1834.  Hood, Tylney Hall (1840), 257. I’ve often *cold pigged her of a morning.

202 1870.  Miss Bridgman, R. Lynne, II. v. 117. You deserve ‘cold pig’ for your laziness.

203 1709.  Steele & Addison, Tatler, No. 93, ¶ 1. [These] are thread-bear Subjects, and *cold Treats.

204 1742.  Jarvis, Quix., I. III. xxvi. (1885), 151. All having been cold-treat with him for many days past.

205 1870.  T. Holmes, Surgery (ed. 2), I. 185. *Cold ulcers should be distinguished, because of the peculiarity of constitution on which they depend.

206 1858.  Merc. Mar. Mag., V. 168. Perhaps the most remarkable peculiarity of the Gulf Stream is what has been appropriately termed the *‘cold wall,’ a mass of cold water lying between the warm water and the shore.

207 1875.  Bedford, Sailor’s Pocket Bk., iv. (ed. 2), 103. The fall of temperature is so sudden that the line of separation has received the distinctive name of the ‘cold wall’; at the surface a difference of 30° has been observed within a cable’s length.

208 1859.  Rankine, Steam Engine, § 337. In land engines the injection water [for the condenser] comes from a tank called the *cold well, surrounding the condenser.

209 1850.  N. & Q., Ser. I. II. 82/2. A glass of *‘cold without’ … understood to mean brandy and cold water without sugar.

210 1853.  Lytton, My Novel, VI. xx. (D.). Fame, sir! not worth a glass of cold without.

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