Forms: 6 kanivas(se, kanvas, 6–7 canuas(e, canvase, canuasse, canvasse, (6 canvaze, canvisse, canuize, 7 canvise, canvize, canvace), 6–8 canvas, 6– canvass. [f. CANVAS sb., in its former spelling canvass, and some of its special senses. The development of senses 1–5 is plain enough, starting from the literal notion of ‘toss in a sheet,’ whence ‘shake up, toss to and fro (agitare), discuss, etc.’; but that of the intrans. 6, which appears early, has not been explained. The two notions subsequently influenced each other, and produced connecting usages.
Johnson says ‘from canvass as it signifies a sieve’: cf. CANVAS sb. 2; but no clear example of the vb. in the literal sense ‘sift or winnow’ has occurred. Yet Cotgrave’s explanation of F. vanner ‘to vanne or winnow … also to course, chide, canuasse, bayt … rake up scoffingly the faults or imperfections of others,’ affords an analogy for such a development; not so the case of berner ‘to vanne or winnow corne, also to canuasse or tosse in a siue (a punishment),’ which points to the development in 1–4 below. With Johnson’s derivation agrees his explanation ‘to try votes previously to the decisive act,’ but this is not historically the original sense of 6, and is either a conjectural explanation, or at most a mixing up of the notions of soliciting and of discussing or investigating. The trans. sense in ‘to canvass the constituency’ is quite late.]
† 1. trans. To toss in a canvas sheet, etc., as a sport or punishment; to blanket. Obs.
1508. Dk. Buckhm’s Acc., in Brewer, Calendar, 497. To a child of the kitchen being kanivassed before my Lord.
1530. Palsgr., 596. I kanvas a dogge or a matter, je trafficque.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., I. iii. 36. Ile canuas thee in thy broad Cardinalls Hat, If thou proceed in this thy insolence [cf. 2 Hen. IV., II. iv. 243].
1611. Cotgr., Berner (see above).
† 2. transf. To knock about, shake and shatter thoroughly; to buffet; to beat, batter, drub. Obs.
1573. Rastell, 12 Jests of Widow Edyth, XII. H iij b. I should canuas thee, and make thee lame.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., IV. 242. How lustilie the English canons did canvass and batter his castell walles.
1612. Warner, Alb. Eng., II. vii. 27. Hercules did canuase so his carkas.
1643. Subj. of Supremacie, etc. 57. To play … at the cudgels, to canvase one another with crosse blowes.
† b. To subject to attack or assault. Cf. CANVASS sb. 2. Obs.
1599. Hayward, 1st Pt. Hen. IV., 53. The north parts were many times canvased, and … almost consumed by the Scots.
† 3. fig. To buffet or ‘thrash’ (a person) in writing; to criticize destructively and unsparingly.
1590. Greene, Never too late (1600), 64. Some … haue for their satitical inuectiues been wel canuased.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Berné, He hath beene throughly canvassed; (a phrase most commonly applied to an ignorant or dull-headed fellow, that hath prouoked a learned penne, or tongue, to fall aboord him).
1618. Barnevelt’s Apol., D ij. I leaue him to your learned penne: canuase him according to his merits.
† b. To pull to pieces, criticize or discuss destructively (a writing, etc.). Obs.
1577. trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1592), 165. Therfore did the Gentiles bait and canuase it too and fro with wonderful preatie quippes.
1589. Nashe, in Greene, Menaph. (Arb.), Ded. Some desperate quipper will canvaze my proposed comparison.
1615. Luther’s Comm. 1 Pet. v. 51. These words have been so canvassed and wrested by my Lord the Pope.
4. fig. To shake out or discuss (a subject or matter), so that its parts may be thoroughly investigated; to discuss, criticize, scrutinize fully.
1530. Palsgr., 596/2. This mater hath be canvassed in dede.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (1884), 11. Sutch matters have bene thurrouly canvissid long ago.
1662. J. Bargrave, Pope Alex. VII. (1867), 15. Canvacing many titles, at length they pitched upon Eminency.
1753. Richardson, Grandison (1781), VI. xvii. 67. They canvassed the matter, with … much good-natured earnestness.
1798. Dallas, Amer. Law Rep., II. 343. An opportunity to canvass the character of the witnesses.
1845. Disraeli, Sybil (1863), 261. It was canvassed and criticised sentence by sentence.
1864. Fraser’s Mag., April, 487. Clubs where the reputations of men are coolly canvassed.
† b. To investigate or examine physically. Obs.
1622–62. Heylin, Cosmogr., IV. (1682), 105. Having thoroughly canvassed all the Eastern Shores, he turned his course.
† c. ‘To discuss’ (a dish). Obs.
1602. Return fr. Parnass., II. vi. (Arb.), 33. I inuited the hungry slaue … to the canuasing of a Turkey pie.
d. intr. To debate; to discuss.
1631. Heylyn, St. George, 40. That he should neyther canvasse over idle Pamphlets, nor give beleefe to old wives Fables.
a. 1766. Frances Sheridan, Sidney Bidulph (1767), V. 169. Having canvassed over the first part of Sir George’s letter.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, 272. I canvassed for a moment whether I should make use of this.
1835. Marryat, Jac. Faithf., xxxii. We sat there canvassing over the aflair.
e. trans. ? To scrutinize, so as to reject bad votes. Cf. CANVASSER d.
a. 1715. Burnet, Own Time (1766), II. 182. The poll was closed when the Court thought they had the majority: But upon casting it up it appeared they had lost it: So they fell to canvass it.
† 5. ? To bargain or deal with; to sound or try as to their expectations. Obs.
1688. Evelyn, Mem. (1857), III. 289. The hero [William III.] is now at St. James’s … By what I collect, the ambitious and the covetous will be canvassed for places of honour, and rich employment.
6. intr. To solicit; esp. to solicit votes or support previously to an election; also, to solicit support, contributions, orders for goods, etc. (Johnson says ‘To try votes previously to the decisive act.’)
a. 1555. Latimer, Serm. & Rem. (1845), 296. This object is so seriously taken up, and canvassed for … in so eager or rather so ardent a spirit.
a. 1626. Bacon, Apophthegms (1674), 9 (J.). Queen Elizabeth being to resolve upon a great Officer, and being by some, that canvased for others, put in some doubt of that person, whom she meant to advance.
a. 1660. Hammond, Wks., IV. 510 (R.). He that should give his voice unto Christ, because there was no body else to canvass for it.
1681. Temple, Mem., III. Wks. 1731, I. 342. Every one began to canvas for Elections in the ensuing Parliament.
1726. Ayliffe, Parerg., 119. This crime of canvassing or solliciting for Church-Preferment.
1824. Miss Ferrier, Inher., I. xv. 97. She had begun to canvass with her brother and her uncle, to bespeak their votes.
1831–55. Brewster, Newton, II. xix. 215. Unwilling to canvass personally for a seat in the new Parliament.
7. trans. † a. To sue for or solicit (a thing). Obs.
1768. H. Walpole, Hist. Doubts, Pref. 19. He … was not likely to canvass the favour of the father, by prostituting his pen to the humour of the court.
a. 1774. Goldsm., Hist. Greece, I. 75. Even kings sometimes canvassed that title [‘citizen of Athens’] for themselves and their children.
b. To sue or solicit (persons, a district) for votes, subscriptions, custom, orders, etc.; esp. to solicit the support of a constituency, by going through and interviewing the individual electors; to ascertain by this means the number of one’s supporters.
1812. Examiner, 4 Oct., 638/1. He apologized for his inability to canvas the Livery in person.
1844. H. H. Wilson, Brit. India, I. 161. Mr. Paull, having canvassed unsuccessfully the borough of Westminster, ceased to be a member.
1855. Motley, Dutch Rep. (1861), II. 293. His most trustworthy agent … was now actively canvassing the governments and peoples of Germany.
1873. Burton, Hist. Scot., VI. lxxi. 236. Having canvassed the town and county of Aberdeen [for] … adherents to the Covenant.
