curb (kerb)

[ Do bondes softe and esy for to were Theron, lest bondes harde it [the vine] kerbe or tere. Palladius , Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 72. Holland, tr. of Plutarch, p. 678. Crooked and curbed lines. 2. To bend to one's will; check; restrain; hold in check; control; control; keep in subjection: as, to curb the pa ions. Monarchies need not fear any curbing of their absolutene by mighty subjects, as long as by wisdom they keep the hearts of the people. Bacon, Advancement of Learning, ii. 145. So is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Shak., M. of V., i. 2. The haughty nobility of Castile winced more than once at finding themselves curbed so tightly by their new masters. Pre scott, Ferd. and Isa., i. 6. He guides the force he gave; his hand restrains And curbs it to the circle it must trace. Bryant, Order of Nature (trans.). 3. To restrain or control with a curb; guide and manage with the reins. IMG:content-1825.png:[blocks in formation] Shak., Hamlet, iii. 4. re curb (kėrb), n.2 [In some senses formerly also kerb; This is a defence to the adjoyning countrey; a safeguard and a curb to the city. Sandys , Travailes, p. 198. Wild natures need wise curbs . Tennyson, Prince , v. Specifically-2. A chain or strap attached to the upper ends of the branches of the bit of a bridle, and pa ing under the horse's lower jaw, used chiefly in controlling an unruly or high spirited horse. The curb-rein is attached to the lower ends of the fauces, and when it is pulled the curb is pre ed forward against the horse's jaw with a tendency to break it if the pre ure is great. See cut under harne . He that before ran in the pastures wild Felt the stiff curb control his angry jaws. Drayton, Eclogues, iv. Curculio nidæ curb-key (kėrbʻkē), n. In teleg., a peculiar key used in operating submarine cables, designed to prevent the prolongation and confusion of signals growing out of induction. curble (kèrb'les), a. [