Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To beat (a thing) till it becomes dry; hence, to beat severely.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To beat severely.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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I will dry-beat you with an iron wit, and put up my iron dagger.
Romeo and Juliet 2004
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I will dry-beat you with an iron wit, and put up my iron dagger.
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Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal, and, as you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight.
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I will dry-beat you with an iron wit, and put up my iron dagger.
Romeo and Juliet 1595
reesetee commented on the word dry-beat
(Obsolete) To inflict "dry blows" upon (i.e., blows that do not draw blood, as those given with a stick or the fist, which merely causes a bruise); to beat soundly or severely.
Ouch.
October 15, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word dry-beat
Ugh, this is vile! No wonder it's obsolete. (Hopefully.)
October 15, 2008