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otanist (1616-93).]
VOLKSRAAD. 296 VOLLEY.
A Linnean penus of verbcn-
aceous shrubs, characterizeti by their fleshy or corky
fruit ; a shrub or plant of this genus.
1753 Chambers* CycL Suppl., yolkaniericL, in botany, the
name of a genus of plants. . . The fruit is a roundish bilocular
capsule. i8a3 Crabb Technol. Diet, s.v., The species are
shrubs, :x?.— yoikameria actiienta,.. VrxcVXy Volkameria,
iic. 1833 B'ness Bunsbn in Hare Li/e (1879) I. tx. 403, I
have replanted with roses, oleanders, volcamerias, and
geraniums. 1866 Trtns. Bot. 1235.
n Volksraad (v^iksrat). [f. Du. volk people,
Folk sb,-^raad senate, council, Rbde sb.^ The
chief legislative assembly in either of the former
South African republics of 'the Transvaal or the
Orange Free State.
185s Barter Dorp
Abbot xviii, Even thus fly all your shafts.., but a breath of
foolish affection ever crosses in the mid volley, and sways the
arrow from the mark.
b. Const, of.
1590 Sir J. Smvth Disc. Weapons 31 b, The Archers with
their volees of arrowes did breake both horsmen and footmen.
1600 Holland Livy xxviii. xxxvi. 696 The Romans
..at the first onset and volie of shot.. put them to flight.
1625 Bacon Afiophtk. §126 It was told him, that the
enemie had such voUeyes of arrowes, that they did hide the
Sunne. 1686 tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 210 The People.,
ply'd the Top of the Mosque with .. Volleys of Stones.
1734 tr, Rollins Anc. Hist. (1827) I. 345 Numerous volleys
of arrows and stones. 1788 (jIubon Decl. Sf F. xlvi. IV. 520
Their engines discharged a perpetual volley of stones and
darts. 1850 Marsden Early Purit. (1853) 437 The mob
rushed upon them with a volley of stones.
c. poet. A storm or shower of hail, rain, etc.
1737 Gentl. Mag. VII. 630 Wintry clouds, Surcharg'd with
vollies of tumultuous hail, Or stores of sounding rain. 1784
CowPER Task V. 141 The gloomy clouds find weapons,
arrowy sleet, Skin-piercing volley, blossom- bruising hail.
1 3. A company or troop of birds, etc., in flight
a flight. Obs. rare.
1601 Dolman La Primaud. Fr. Acad. (1618) III. 760 The
ringe doues are scene to come euery yeere in great vollies
ouer the sea. Ibid. 843 Birdes of prey doe not flie togither
in vollies or troopes. 1610 G. Fletcher Christ's Vict. 11.
Ixi, But to their Lord, now musing in his thought, A heavenly
volie of light Angels flew.
f b. A crowd or large number ^persons or
things, Obs.
1595 Daniel Civil Wars v. cvii. Therefore easily great
Sommerset. . With all the vollie of disgraces met. 1639
Fuller Holy War 11. xxxvii. 94 King Almerick himself
wearied with whole volleys of miseries, ended his life of a
bloudy flux. ai656U5SHER^M«. vi. (1658) 564 The Souldiers
..finding their return intercepted by a valley of Archers.
1693 Humours To7vn 27 The Vollies of Duns, of believing
Vintners, Tailors, Sempstresses.
4. An uttering or outpouring ^numerous words,
oaths, shouts, etc., in smart or rapid succession.
Also without const.
1590 Nashe PasquiVsApol. 1. C ij b, He giues vs a voley of
Scriptures against Non Residents. 1591 Shaks. Two Gent.
II. iv, 30 A fine volly of words, gentlemen, & quickly shot
off. i6so [G. Brvdces] Horae Subs. 455 Whatsoeuer by
them is performed, shall be sure to finde whole vollies of
praises. 1647 N. WARD6'/>K^/£C«?^/Vr(ii843)54,Iamresolved
..to storme you with volyes of Love and Loyalty. X649
Milton Eikon, x. Wks. 1851 III. 412 Those thousands of
blaspheming Cavaliers about him, whose mouthes let fly
Oaths and Curses by the voley. 1710 Steele & Addison
Taller No. 254 P5 We heard a Volley of Oaths and Curses,
lasting for a long while. 1779 Sheridan St. Pa/rick's Day
I. 1, Let him have our grievances in a volley. xj8* Miss
BuRNEV Cecilia v. vii, [He] poured forth. .a volley of
compliments. x8so W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 64 This, however,
always produced a fresh volley from his wife. 1847
Illustr. Land. News 2 Oct. 219/2 Between them continuous
volleys of what is called * chaff' were kept up. 1874 Lisle
Carr y.GwyfimX. v. 163 A volley of dire anathemas against
those scoundrelly insurance chaps.
b. Similarly of sighs, groans, cheers, laughter,
etc. Also without const.
1589 Greene Tullics Love Wks. (Grosart) VII. 189 After
a vole of broken sighes tempered with some teares, nee fell
a sleepe. 1640 Sandvs Christs Passion iv. 270 Cries Of
weeping Women, in lowd Vollies rise. 1648 Crashaw
Music's Duel 63 A Throng Of short thicke sobs, whose
thundring volleyes float. .In panting murmurs. 1727 Gav
Begg. op. I. xii, What vollies of sighs are sent f^rom the
windows of Holborn. 1786 tr. Beckford's VaiMek (1868) 103
They burst out into volleys of laughter. 1877 Talmac.e
Serm. 334 Let this religion of Christ go down under a volley
of merriment. i88s B. D. W. Ramsay Recoil. Mil. Serv.
II. XV. 65 Giving a volley of British cheers.
c. A succession of words of command rapidly or
smartly delivered.
lyg/S Insir. ^ Reg. Cavalry (iZt^) 27 The repetition of them
by every other individual concerned, must not be strictly
successive, but as much as can be in a volley.
t 5. Al {the or d) volley, on (or d) the volley^ at
random, without consideration. Usu. with verbs,
esp. speak. Obs.
After F. a la volc'e.
(a) 1578 H. Wotton Courtlie Contro7\ 252 The king.,
they knew loued hir feruently,. .although it were begun at
the volue. 1596 Harington Metam. Ajax .ApoL Aavjb,
'I'he sundrie censures 1 shoulde incurre, by letting such a
pamphlet fly abroad at such a time, when euerything is taken
at the voley. c i6»o Z. Bovd Zion's Floivers (1855) 125
Like those who speake at random at a voleye. i6a5 B.
JoNsON Staple ofN. iv. i, 'Tis like a Ball at Tennis. .When
we doe speak at volley, all the ill we can one of another.
1686 F. Si ence tr. St. EuvrevionVs Misc. Pref., Otherwise
we cannot lay hold of him, he speaksat volley and universally.
[i8»oScoTT;1/^«rtj/. xvii, 1 have alwaysknown you. .prompt
to si>eak at the volley and without reflection.]
{b) 1629 Massinger Picture iii. vi, What we spake on the
voley begins to work. 1630 B. Jonson New Inn i- vi. You
must not giue credit To ail that Ladies puhliquely professe.
Or talke, o'th vollee, vnto their seruants. 1831 Fraser^s
Alng. Sept. 161/1 He never speaks ' on the voley ' (that is to
say, at random).
6. Tennis. The flight of a ball in play before
it has touched the ground. Cf. Fly sb."^ 2 b.
1596 Nashe Saffron Walden To Rdr. 24 One that stands,
as it were, at the line in a Tennis-court, and takes euerie
ball at the volly. 1878 Marshall Ann. Tennis 112 He frequently
takes a difficult service (at the volley) off the penthouse.
b. Tennis, Lawn-tenniSy Cricket, etc. A return
stroke or hit at a ball before it has touched the
ground ; the action of so returning the ball. (Cf.
half-volley Half- II. i.)
1862 Temple Bar VI. 282 [Mr. Budd] is said to have hit
a volley to long-field for nine. 1884 MarshalCs Tennis
Cuts 124 Ihe match was.. loudly applauded every now and
then by the spectators, when a brilliant volley was called,
or a smash was declared. 190a Sat. Rev. 12 July 51/1
Instruction is given in the underhand volley [in lawn-tennis].
C. = VOLLEYEB.
1878 Marshall Ann, Tennis 112 He wasa powerful ./Wic*,
and a capital volley.
7. attrib. and Comb., as volley-boast, loophole,
t -shot, system ; volley-ball V.S.^ a game in which
a ball is struck from alternate sides of a high net
without touching the ground {Cent. Diet. Suppl.)
volley-firing, simultaneous firing at the word of
command by successive parties of soldiers ; also
Jig. ; volley gun, a form of machine-gun which
fires bullets successively or in a volley (Knight,
1884).
1878 Marshall Ann. Tennis 197 He. .would generally return
it by a 'volley-boast against the main-wall. zZ^Mus.
ketry Instr. 62 Every file is to have its own target, and the
hits are to be counted as in *volley firing. 1879 CasselVs
Techn, Educ. III. 267 The superior efficacy of volley. firing
and reserved fire. 1891 Daily News 2 Oct. 5/5 In the..
Town Hall of Newcastle the representative fighting men of
the Liberal party veie assembled for volley firing. 1898 Sir
G. S. Robertson Chitral xxiii. 225 *Voltey loopholes are
good against an enemy that attacks with a masterful rush.
1689 Lond. Gaz. No. 2433/3 The Night concluded with
Dancing, Bells Ringing, Bonfires, *Volly- shots, ijxiz Ibid.
No. 3793/3 The 2 Companies of Foot, .gave a Volley Shot
at each Proclamation. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 15 Sept. 2/3
There has for some time been a feeling in the air that the
*volley system was going.
Volley (vp'li), V, Forms: 7 volly (8-9 /a, /.
voljied) ; 6- volley, [f. prec]
1. trans, a. To utter (words, etc.) rapidly or impetuously.
Usually with advs., 2.% forth, off, out.
1591 Troub. Raigne K. John i. (1611) 62 A prophet new
sprung up, whose diuination volleis wonders foorth. Ibid.
It. 73 If sobs would helpe,..My heart should volley out
deepe piercing plaints. 1593 Shaks. Ven. ^ Ad. 921 Another
flapmouthd mourner, blacke, and grim, Against the welkin,
voiles out his voyce. 1754 P. H. Hibemiatt 37 She raves,
and vollies off an horrid Cry. 1824 Scorr St. Ronan's xx,
The bursts of applause which were vollied towards the stage.
i8s9 Meredith R. Feverel xxxviii, Sir Julius turned one
heel, and volleyed out silver laughter. 1885-94 R. Bkidges
Eros iV Psyche Aug. xii, She saw an uncouth form.. whose
parted lips Volley'd their friendly warning in a storm.
b. To discharge (arrows, shot, etc.) in a volley.
Cf. Volleyed ppl, a, 3.
1839 Bailey Festus 139 When the storm bends hb bow,
And volleys all his arrows off at once.
O. Tennis, etc. To return (a ball) in play before
it touches the ground ; to reply to (a service) in
this way.
1875' Stonehenge ''Brit. Rur. Sports (^6. i2lin. i. v. 690'!
The service must not be volleyed. 1878 [see 2 b]. 190a