vbl. sb. [f. BREECH v. and sb. + -ING1.]
1. The action of clothing with breeches; concr. clothing for the breech or haunches (obs.).
1604. S. Rowlands, Look to it, etc. D ij b. You with … The Moncky wast, the breeching like a Beare.
† 2. A flogging. Obs.
1520. Whitinton, Vulg. (1527), 26. I studye to-daye bycause I fere a brechyng.
1590. Marlowe, Edw. II., V. iv. Aristarchus’ eyes, Whose looks were as a breeching to a boy.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., 73. Worse than an vpbraiding lesson after a britching.
a. 1613. Overbury, Char., Puny-Clarke (1638), L iij. His dreames of breeching.
b. attrib. as in breeching-boy, -scholar, a young scholar still subject to the birch, hence fig. a novice. (Cf. also whipping-boy.)
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., III. i. 18. I am no breeching scholler in the schooles.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Donat, The diuells were, as then, but breeching boyes, like Grammar Schoole boyes, but young in experience, but Nouices.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. xx. 23. How such a breeching-boy as hee was, durst attempt so great a wickednesse.
3. A strong leather strap passing round the breech of a shaft-horse, and enabling him to push backwards; a breech-band. Also attrib.
1515–24. in Lodge, Illustr. Brit. Hist. (1838), I. 3. To William Pawn … cart-saddles, collars, harnes, and breeching.
1801. W. Felton, Carriages, II. 131. Breechings are of no use to them [horses] but in hilly places. Ibid., 134. It is buckled to the collar along with the breeching-strap.
1861. G. M. Musgrave, By-roads & Battle-Fl., 174. An old female hostler, who gave us neither cruppers, blinkers, or breeching.
4. Coarse clotted wool on the buttocks of sheep.
1799. Pitt, in Commun. Board of Agric., II. 464. The Morf fleece is almost wholly fine, with a very small proportion of breechings or daglocks.
5. Naut. A stout rope attached by a thimble to the cascabel of a gun, and securing the gun to the ship’s side. Hence breeching-bolt, -loop.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., xiv. 65. Britchings are the ropes by which you lash your Ordnance fast to the Ships side.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), Breeching, a rope used to secure the cannon … and prevent them from recoiling too much.
1833. Marryat, P. Simple (1863), 100. Double breechings were rove on the guns.
6. The parts forming the breech of a gun, the breech-action.
1802. Hull Advertiser, 18 Dec., 3/1. An improved construction of breeching.
1816. P. Hawker, Instr. Yng. Sportsmen (1826), 35. This breeching was also patronized by the late Mr. Smith.
7. ‘A bifurcated smoke-pipe in a furnace.’
