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VARMENT.
Varlo, obs. Sc. f. Warlock. Varly, obs. Sc.
f. Wabelt adv. Varm, southern dial. var. Farm
I'.i Varme, obs. Sc. f. Warm«.
Vannent, varmint (va-jmant), sty and a.i
dial, .ind I'.S. Also vajmant, -munt, verment,
warment, -mint, etc. [var. of varmin Vermin,
with excrescent -/. Rare before c 1825.]
1. a. collect. Vermin, b. An animal'of a noxious
or objectionable kind.
A large collection of American examples is given by
Thornton Attier. Gloss. (1912) s.v.
a. 1539 in Ellis Orig;. Lett. Ser. it. II. 14S Let me not be
utterly caste away here in prysson, remayening fwll of var.
ment which cawsythe me to hawe no lyste of meytte nor
dryncke. i6te Husnancb Monitor Ep. Ded.. For many who
smell like a Kirkish Verment, Can now, Sir, put on a Lamblike
garment. 1833 E. Moor Suffolk IVds., Varmint,
vermin, not always confined to the verminous class of
animals, but extended to any annoying or troublesome ones
1828 J. Hall Lett. fr. West 297 He gave his foe [a bear-cub)
a mortal shot, or to use his own language, ' I burst the
varment". 183S W. Irvino Tour Prairies xxiii, 'These
beavers, said he, '.. are the knowingest varment as I know'
J854 Miss Baker Northam/it. Gloss., Varment, vermin
18. 18.9 sporting Mag. (N.S.) XXIIL 242 Some of the
followers of the gallant varmint. 1846 T. B. Thorpe Baek-
•moods i66 The idea of a 'man's keeping two varmints in a
grass, when he might shoot a dozen by going a little way
into the woods '. These ' varmints ' were two ^autiful deer
1883 PENNELL-ELMHiRsrCrmm Lcicesterslt. 154 Meanwhile
the varmmt had stolen on in his struggle for Tilton Wood
and life. 1889 Boston (Mass.) Jml. 25 Oct. 2/3 The granger
came out with his rifle and shot the varmint [a panther).
2. An objectionable or troublesome person or
persons ; a raischievons boy or child.
1773 GOLDSM. Stoops to Cong. V. 92 The poor beasts have
smoaked for It Rabbet : me, but I'd rather ride forty miles
^ir^l- ^f"'' '^?" '^" *''' '"'^'' "«"«"'' i8«S Brockett
yv. C. (.loss., Varment, Verment, . .also a term of reproach
particularly to a child. 18^5 C. H. J. Anderson Swedish
Brothers 8 That little varmint Nettop has tickled his heels
for him. 1857 Hughes Tom Brmun 11. iv, ' I've got the
'
young varmint at last, have 1," pants the farmer/ i8sg
Slang Diet. 114 'You young varment, you I ' you bad or
naughty boy.
yarment, varmint, sb.i and a.2 slang (now
dial.). [Oi obscure origin ; there is no obvious
connexion with prec]
A. sb. A sporting amateur with the knowledge
or skill of a professional.
lilt Snorting Mag. XXXIX. 9 Every professional amateur
..IS denominated a Varment. 1813 Evron 7ua>i xi. xvii
fooT Tom was once a kiddy upon town, A thorough varmint,
and a rked
round inqumngly at the smug and varment citizens with
which the room was filled. 1859 WARBtmTOM Hunting
Songs (p A varment looking gemman on a woiry tit.
A. Knowing, clever, cunning.
1819 Brockett AT. C.GUss. 317 Varment.. H also a sort
of cant word for knowing; as a varment chap, a knowing
one. 1831 TRELAWNY^rfr/. Younger Son\.n^-He^m\t\^
there is a varnient and knowing look about her [a ship) which
I like. 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales II. 162 None but
a very rarmint dog.. will face one of these water.wea/els a
second time. 1890 ' R. Boldrewood • Col. Reformer (180,
""= '"x^ltya"!
^°ui- v?".'"'" and caught the varmint
ambling black mare 1891 P. H. Emerson East Coast
"''' -'"""y Lod«. Ibe varminlest horse-
\ "1'" I'' ?" dealer about these parts.
Hence Va-rmcntoy j Va-nnentish a.
ifi* ^rting Mag XXXIX. 9 This polite art is desig.
?'''• "° '^y °"8in of
IJf,^';., n ?1"'T, Varmentcy, as of
'" Sciences, is
?/ XT L-
obscure. 1819 liidtH .S 1
V. 54 Nothing under four horses would look '^varraentish '.
Varmin, obs. or dial. var. Vermin. Vam(e
obs. ff. Warn v. Varnasyng. Sc. var. War-
NisHiNo. VamgreiB, obs. Sc. var. Vkrdigris
Vamis, obs. Sc. var. Warnish v.
Vami8h(va-jniJ),ja..fimis, Hw./emissa ]'
L Resinous matter dissolved in some liquid and
used for spreading over a surface in order to give
this a hard, shining, transparent coat, by which it
IS made more durable or ornamental.
'^' ""'^ '•«'"°'« ">»"«' ia' making a solution
this kfn^ of
«:.lV,l-»ElySacr. Rolls IL 121 In vj libr. de albo ver.
'^''J''li
^;f \r, •'^'" PiP'RollT.'2 Edw.ft/uCUJih,
In .uij. Mill de vernisHIe j .v. 16 de vermeillone. 136a LanclI
'° o'.vemisch
Y'""" or vinegre, I trouwe,
W.n.i,-
«r^tth '"V'?r^- M- in R'lk. ^"t. 1. 163 F6rto make
*^°
f^il
."'Kood ale,
f
"r?"'"." and put thereto iii
Ti(Rji;T'"' of A,abyke (etc.). .4M M^n. * Househ'.
e-xf. (Koxb.) 349 My mastyr receyvid of Fynches man of
65
Colchestre a li. of yernyshe, pryse .vj.d. 1501 Ace. Ld.
Ihd. IV. 90 Caddes, verneis, rede lede. 1530 Pal.scr. 28^/2
Vernysshe, uernys ,585 T. Washington tr. NicholayS
Voy. HI. XV. 99 b. They vse by continuall artifice Terebinthe
and vernish, ,598 Barret Theor. Warrcs 135 Aqua vita,
I'^ll^Th '"-'l "";"''?• '*?3 Hart Diet 0/ Diseased i
xyu. 69 Iheoile of w.ilnuts is.. used, .by painters for vernice.
1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 285 Apelles. .did by an
inimitable invention anoint his finished workes with.
thinne
.a
kinde of inke or vernish. 1658 tr. Porta's Mat
"^^'""^
v.r?fl,''''''.?*l>?°"''''J""'P*''-8""'> Scriveners call
Vernish, and add it to the rest. 1706 Stevens Span. Diet.
I, Bamtz, Vernish.
3. 1346 iHV.Ch. Goods Surrey 106 Item for ij lb. of varnysch,
ij s. vu, d iSao Skuttleivorths' Ace. (Chetham Soc.)
244 lliree pound of varnishe for the caroache, xxj''. i6eS
PHILLIPS, \arnisli, is that wherewith a picture is rubbld
over to make it shine and have a glosse; there is also a
ground or varnish which is laid upon a plate that is to be
V^rnf i,
"^,'1? "^T- ^'"- ^\ l*'""'"^^. Let him drop some
yarn sh with a Feather to the bottom. 1773 Cook's Voy.
1777) "• HI. XI. 146 As we had neither pitch, tar, nor rosin
left to pay the seams, thi's was done with varnish of pine.
iBis J. i^mTH Panorama Sci. vemis. Come hyther, spurryer be
my spurres well vernyssbed. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. IV,
12 Some had their .armyng sweardes freshly bumyshed and
-some had them conningly vernished. 1589 Alex. Hume
/ oems (S.T.S.) 55 Corslets of pruif, and mony targe of steill
Sum varneist bright, sum dorred diuerslie. 1604 E. G(rimstone]
D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iv. xxix. 288 They bringe
likewise from this Province oyle of Aspicke, which . . Painters
vse much.. to vernish the pictures.
1697 J. Potter Antia
Greece in. xv. (1715) 127 Several other Colours were also
made use of, nor were they barely vamish'd over with them
but very often anneal'd by Wax melted in the Fire. 170a
W. J. tr. Bruyn's Voy. Levant xxxvii. 147 Plaistervarnish'd
with a green colour. 175s Did. Arts/j-Sci. s.v. japanning,
With a pencil varnish it over with the finest white varnish.
i8ji Craig Led. Drawing, etc. ii. 112 These pictures, I am
persuaded, were afterwards constantly varnished. 1861
T. A. Trollope La Beata I. vii. 152 The copy., was not to
be sent home till it had been varnished.
absol. isn Art Limming (i^iz) g If you will vernish on
silver, then take the Almon of Bengewyne.
b. trans/. To invest with a bright or glossy
appearance ; to smear or stain with some substance
similar to vamish.
c 1386 Chaucer Reeve's T. 229 Wei hath the myller ver-