Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, I

68. Prick at the loop. Same as fast and loose ( a ) (which see, under fast1 ). - To prick up, to freshen, as the wind. prickantt (prik'ant), a. [ A copper basin on a prickant spear. Beau , and Fl ., Knight of Burning Pestle, iii. 2. prickant (b) Spurring on; traveling; errant. What knight is that, squire? ask him if he keep The pa age bound by love of lady fair, Or else but prickant . Beau , and Fl ., Knight of Burning Pestle, ii. 5. prick-eared (prik'ērd), a . Having pointed ears. [This epithet was commonly applied by the English Cavaliers to the Puritans, because, their hair being cut close all around, their ears stood out prominently.] Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick - car'd cur of Iceland! Shak., Hen. V., ii. 1. 44. pricked (prikt), p . a . 1. In ceram ., ornamented with small indentations made by the end of a slender rod, or, for economy of time, with a sort of comb of from three to six teeth. The depre ions, arranged in lines, zigzags, etc., and alternating with continuous lines drawn by a point, form often the sole decoration of simple pottery. 2. Same as piqué . pricker (prik'ėr), n . [ priker , preker ; prick + -er1.] 1. That which pricks; a sharp pointed instrument; a prickle. Specifically - ( a ) A saddlers' implement, usually a bifurcated tool for marking equidistant holes for stitching. (b) A needle used by draftsmen for marking points or measurements on drawing-paper, also for pricking through important points of a drawing, in order to locate such points on an under laid sheet. (c) A slender iron rod, usually provided with a cro -handle at the top, used to sound the depths of bogs, or in searching for timber embedded in soft muck. (d) A spur or climbing-iron, either strapped to the boot or to the wrist, or grasped in the hand, for aid in climbing trees, telegraph-poles, flagstaffs, etc. ( f )