[f. prec. sb.]
1. intr. To act as an engineer.
1681. [see ENGINEERING ppl. a.].
1769. J. Watt, Lett. Dr. Small, 12 Dec., in Muirhead, Life (1858), 202 Our present magistracy … have employed me in engineering for them … a canal to bring coals to the town.
1870. Emerson, Soc. & Solit., vii. 131. What of the grand tools with which we engineer, like kobolds and enchanters.
2. trans. To employ the art of the engineer upon; to construct or manage as an engineer.
1843. Vignoles, Life C. B. Vignoles (1889), 294. The carriage road magnificently engineered through the pass.
1848. Tait’s Mag., XV. 428/1. The drainage of the surface had been engineered to admiration.
1856. Olmsted, Slave States, ix. 546. The roads are admirably engineered and constructed.
1888. Pall Mall Gaz., 19 Sept., 5/1. Mr. Baker … with Sir John Fowler, engineers the undertaking [the Forth Bridge].
b. fig. To arrange, contrive, plan, superintend. Also (U.S.), to guide or carry through a measure or enterprise.
1873. W. S. Mayo, Never Again, vii. 99. With good looks, good voice, plenty of money, and Mr. Boggs to engineer matters for her.
1882. Jay Gould, in Standard, 28 Dec., 6/5. The corner in grain engineered by parties in Chicago.
1883. American, VII. 24/1. An exhibition engineered by a native prince is quite a novelty, even in India.
3. fig. nonce-use. To assail laboriously (humorous).
1781. Cowper, Lett., in Wks. (1837), XV. 64. Unless we engineered him with question after question we could get nothing out of him.
Hence Engineered ppl. a.; Engineering ppl. a., that engineers, contriving, scheming.
1872. Daily News, 3 Sept. From the safe ledge of a cleverly engineered road.
1681. N. N., Romes Follies, 26. Since I have begin to set my engineering brains to work.
