wrester (rester)

[ wrestle (res'l), v.; pret. and pp. wrestled, ppr. wrestling. [Also formerly or dial. wrastle, Sc. warstle; ME. wraxlen, wrasklen ) = OFries. wraxlia = MD. wrastelen, worstelen MLG. wrostelen, worstelen, LG. wro eln, worsteln, wrestle; freq. of wrest.] I. in trans. 11. To twist or wind about; especially, to writhe; wriggle; squirm; struggle, as with the limbs. = Petrius peyned hym sore to a-rise and turned wrastelinge; but all that availed not. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 655. From hence the river having with a great turning compa e after much wrestling gotten out towards the North. Holland, tr. of Camden, p. 279. (Davies.) 6990 And aye she warsled , and aye she swam, Till she swam to dry land. The Water o' Wearie's Well (Child's Ballads, I. 200). 2. To struggle in a hand-to-hand contest; strive, as for some advantage or for mastery, wretched be tuned; a tuning-pin. The upper part of the pin is square in section, so as to be turned by a tuning-hammer or-key. See cut under harp. - Wrest-pin piece, in the pianoforte, a metal plate through which the wrest pins are screwed into the wrest-block. with bodily strength and adroitne ; specifi wrest-plank (rest'plangk), n. cally, to struggle, as two persons striving to throw each other to the ground, especially in a contest governed by certain fixed rules. For many a man that may not stonde a pul, It liketh hym at wrastelyng for to be. Chaucer, Parliament of Fowls, 1. 165. Wrothely thai wrythyne and wrystille togederz. Morte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), L. 1141. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Gen. xxxii. 24. You have wrestled well, and overthrown More than your enemies. Shak., As you Like it, i. 2. 266. Each one may here a chooser be, For room ye need not wrastle . Drayton, Nymphidia. Hence-3. To contend in any way, as in a struggle for mastery; maintain opposition or resistance, especially against a moral foe or force; strive. I persuaded them, if they loved Benedick, To wish him wrestle with affection, And never to let Be at rice know it. Shak., Much Ado, iii. 1. 42. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedne . Eph. vi. 12. 'Twill be some pleasure then to take his Breath, When he shall strive, and wrestle with his Death. Cowley, Davideis, i. 4. To deal, as with a troublesome duty; apply one's self vigorously; grapple: as, to wrestle with a knotty problem; to wrestle with a distasteful task. [Colloq.] -5. Hence, to devote one's self earnestly to prayer; pray. [Cant.] My reverend Clergy, look ye say The best of thanksgiving ye ha'e, And warstle for a sunny day. Scott , Carle, now the King's Come, ii. II. trans. 1. To contend with in wrestling: as, I will wrestle you for so much. [Colloq.] -2. On a cattle-range, to throw for the purpose of branding, as an animal. [Slang, western U. S.] A fire is built, the irons heated, and a dozen men dismount to, as it is called, wrestle the calves. T. Roosevelt , The Century, XXXV. 861. wrestle (res'l), n. [Also dial. wrastle ; wrestle , v .] A bout at wrestling; a wrestling-match. whom in a wrestle the giant catching aloft, with a terrible hugg broke three of his ribs. Milton , Hist. Eng., i. Corineus, If he had gone out for a few days with his sinewy cousins in the country, and tried a wrastle with one of them, he would have quickly found that his body was a pretty slim affair. Tribune Book of Sports , p. 5. wrestler (res'ler), n. [ wrastlare , wrestler; Was not Charles, the duke's wrestler , here to speak with me? Shak., As you Like it, i. 1. 94. 2. One who wrestles cattle on a range. [Slang, western U. S.] The calf- wrestlers , grimy with blood, dust, and sweat, work like beavers. T. Roosevelt, The Century, XXXV. 861. wrestling (res'ling), n. [Verbal n. of wrestle, v.] The act of trying to throw another person to the ground; the act of two persons contending which shall throw the other to the ground and overpower him. Wrestling, as a game subject to special rules, is of great antiquity. It was held in high esteem by the Greeks, and their youth were taught it by special masters as part of the public education. In its highest and simplest form it was the fifth of the five tests of the pentathlon. In this contest the wrestlers wrestled standing and naked, any hold being allowed, and three falls constituting victory. Wrestling, in combination with boxing, formed the arduous and dangerous contest known as the pancratium -a contest much more resembling a fight to a finish than an athletic contest. A third form of wrestling, which does not seem to have come down to modern times, consisted in interlocking the fingers, pushing the palms of the hands together, and twisting the joints and wrists, without the a istance of any other member or of any hold of the body. The highest and purest form of Greek wrestling does not appear to have been transplanted to Rome, although the more contentious and cruel pancratium -a sport more nearly allied to the Roman gladiatorial spirit - was introduced there by Caligula, and became very popular. Go not to the wrastelinge , ne to scholynge at cok. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 40. wrest-pin (rest'pin), n. In the pianoforte and harp, a steel pin driven into the wrest-block or frame, around which one end of a string is wound, and by turning which the string may block. Same as wrest wretch (rech), n.and a. [ I wrecche , which that wepe and waille thus, Was whylom wyf to King Capaneus. Chaucer , Knight's Tale, L. 73. Fly, ye Wretches , fly, and get away, for your King is slain. Baker , Chronicles, p. 15. The poor wretch , half dead with fear, expected every moment to fall by the bloody hands of the Djawi. Bruce, Source of the Nile, II. 590, 2. A sorry or contemptible creature; a despicable person: a term of opprobrium applied to one who has incurred condemnation by misconduct, and often used on slight occasion and with little intended force. Fie on thee, wretch ! 'tis pity that thou livest To walk where any honest men resort. Shak., C. of E., v. 1. 27. Does not every dowager in London point to George Fitz-Boodle as to a di olute wretch whom young and old should avoid? Thackeray , Fitz-Boodle's Confe ions 3. Body; creature; thing: used (in some manner that indicates the intention) of a person regarded with some degree of kindly or ironical commiseration, or, when genuine words of endearment seem inadequate, with tender sympathy or pa ion, or even with admiration. Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul. But I do love thee! Shak., Othello, iii. 3. 90, Drayton, Nymphidia, st. 27. Come forth, Poor wretch was never frighted so. Fond wretch , and know thyself and him aright. Shelley, Adonais, xlvii II.t a . Miserable; wretched. Thu wrecche wiht. Owl and Nightingale , L 556. wretchcockt, n. See wretchock . wretched (rech'ed), a. [ wriched , wretched, miserable; wretch + -ed2. For the form, cf. wicked1 .] 1. Suffering from or affected by extreme misery or distre ; deep- ly afflicted; miserable; unhappy. Thir wormes ete that wreche [var. wreched ] manne. Old Eng. Metr. Homilies (B), 1. 215. ( Morris and Skeat.) I am, my lord, a wretched Florentine. Shak., All's Well, v. 3. 158. O wretched husband of a wretched wife! Born with one fate, to one unhappy life! Pope, Iliad, xxii. 608. IMG:content-2604.png:[blocks in formation] It was not merely during the three hours and a half which Uncle Sam claimed as his share of my daily life that this wretched numbne held po e ion of me. Hawthorne , Scarlet Letter, Int., p. 39. The wretched busine of warfare must finally become obsolete all over the globe. J. Fiske , Amer. Pol. Ideas, p. 151. 3. Of miserable character or quality; despicable; contemptible; reprehensible; strongly objectionable: used of persons or things: as, a wretched blunderer or quibbler; a wretched quibble; wretched stuff. Safe where no critics damn, no duns molest, Where wretched Withers, Ward, and Gildon rest. Pope , Dunciad, i. 296. At war with myself and a wretched race. Tennyson, Maud, x. 2. 4. Worthle ; paltry; very poor, mean, inefficient, unsatisfactory, unskilful, or the like: as. a wretched poem; a wretched cabin; a wretched defense or piece of work. Affected noise is the most wretched thing That to contempt can empty scribblers bring. Roscommon , Translated Verse. =Syn. 1. Forlorn, woebegone. - 3. Vile, sorry, shabby, pitiful. wretched head