Obs. or arch. Also 4–9 farse, (5 faarce, 5–6 fars). [ad. OF. farsir (Fr. farcir) = Pr. farsir:—L. farcīre to stuff.] To stuff, to fill full of something. Const. with.
† 1. trans. In cookery: To stuff (an animal, a piece of meat) with forcemeat, herbs, etc. Obs.
13[?]. Medical Receipts, in Rel. Ant., I. 51. Farse the catte within als thu farses a gos.
c. 1430. Two Cookery-bks., 41. Broche þin Pygge; þen farce hym.
1530. Palsgr., 545/2. This conye is well farced.
1586. Bright, Melanch., xxxix. 252. Pigge … farced with sage.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage, II. xviii. 173. If any farse a henne, the needle must be threeded the day before, and the threed must be burned, not bitten, or broken asunder.
1727. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Breast of Veal, Farce it between the Skin and small Ribs.
1736. Bailey, Househ, Dict., 235. To farce Cucumbers.
absol. 1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., II. li. 1231. Martiall was cuik till roist, seith, farce and fry.
† b. To farce together: to make into forcemeat. Obs.
1650. Ward, Discolliminium, 46. Polcatts Lites, and Hedge-hoggs Livers, Tortoises Garbages, farced together with the galls of Wizards.
† 2. In embalming (see quots.). Obs.
1563. Homilies, II., Idolatry, III. (1859), 264. They bury dead bodies farced with spices.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 325. Some used to embalm … the belly … farced with cassia.
† 3. To cram (the stomach, etc., oneself) with food. Also, To fill out (what is lean or shrunken).
1375. Barbour, Bruce, IX. 398. With gud morsellis [thai] farsis thair panch.
14[?]. Prose Legends, in Anglia, VIII. 154. She was fattid & farsed wiþ goostly fodes.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII., Proloug, 52.
| Sum grenis eftir a gus, | |
| To fars his wame full. |
1599. B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Hum., V. v. If thou would’st farce thy leane ribbes with it too, they would not rub out so many doublets.
a. 1632. T. Taylor, God’s Judgem., I. I. ix. (1642), 20. Never ceasing to farse his greedy throat with continuall sustenance.
1669. Address to Hopeful Young Gentry England, 39. They farse themselves with the most exquisite delicacies, as if neither their bodies were cast in the mould of Earth, nor their regalioes but the various-form’d figures of the dust they raise.
† 4. gen. To cram full of; to pack; also, to overlay thickly. Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prologue, 233.
| His typet was ay farsud ful of knyfes | |
| And pynnes, for to give faire wyfes. |
1569. Stocker, Diod. Sic., III. xiii. 124 b. To euery window was a couer which opened and shut by cunning and arte as occasion serued, for suertie of the enginers, made of cowe hides farsed with wolle to breake the blow and dint of shot.
1577. Hellowes, trans. Gueuara’s Chron., 60. As the windes did vse their furie so straunge or neuer seene, and the earth so parched and dryed by the drought of the Summer, they raised so sharpe a dust, that the ayre seemed to be farsed or compound with dust.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (Arb.), 31.
| When they [bees] do foorth carry theyre yoong swarme fledggie to gathring: | |
| Or cels ar farcing with dulce and delicat hoonnye. |
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 137. His capcase farsed with things of great value.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. viii. (1632), 563. A Helmet of excellent proofe full farsed with Mayle.
1634. T. Johnson, Parey’s Chirurgion, XI. iii. (1678), 278. The wound must forthwith be inlarged, unless the condition of the part resist, that so there may be free passage forth both for the Sanies, or matter, as also for such things as are farced, or otherwise contained therein.
5. fig.; esp. To season, ‘spice’ (a composition, speech). Also with up. (Cf. FARSE v.)
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, xvi. 11. Þai held þaire pride farsid in felonyse.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 1369, Hypsipyle and Medea. Wordes farsed with plesaunce.
c. 1400. An Apology for Lollard Doctrines, 49. We stoffid and farsid wiþ gold, folowen pore Crist.
1406. Hoccleve, La Male Regle, 13. Farsid was I with hertes gladnesse.
c. 1555. Harpsfield, Divorce Hen. VIII. (1878), 116. We are now come to the conclusion and shutting up of the book; which is farced with many untruths.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., I. 84/1. With what stuffe our old historiographers haue farced vp their huge volumes.
1599. B. Jonson, Cynthia’s Rev., Induct. Your Poets would leaue to bee promoters of other mens iests, and to way-lay all the stale apothegmes, or olde bookes, they can heare of (in print, or otherwise) to farce their Scenes withall.
1631. Massinger, Believe as You List, III. ii. Farce thy lean ribs with hope.
1678. Owen, Mind of God, viii. 233. Such notable sayings are many of our late Criticks farced withal.
1830. D’Israeli, Chas. I., III. xi. 243. Their invectives were well farced for the gross taste of the multitude.
1834. Southey, Let., in H. Taylor, Autobiog. (1885), I. xvi. 280. Farcing it [a book] … with quotations.
† 6. To stuff or force (something) into something else; also To farce in; in quots. fig. Also to force (something) through (a strainer). Obs.
c. 1420. Liber Cure Cocorum (1862), 30.
| Take mustarde and let his drye | |
| Anonyn, Sir, wyturlye; | |
| Stomper hit in a morter fyne, | |
| And fars hit þurghe a clothe of lyne. |
1579. Fulke, Heskins’ Parl., 257. He farceth in another slaunder of vs, that we agree not in the number of the sacraments.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage, IV. iv. 361. Other prodigious miracles he farseth into his storie.
Hence Farced ppl. a. in senses of the vb.
c. 1420. Liber Cure Cocorum (1862), 36. For pygges farsyd.
c. 1450. Two Cookery-bks., 41. Capoun or gos farced.
1549. Chaloner, Erasmus on Folly, I ij a. Well farsed tables.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., IV. i. 280. The farsed Title running ’fore the King.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Carp, Farced Carps.
