ppl. a. [Pa. pple. of LEAD v.1]
1. In various nonce-uses (see the vb.).
1570. Levins, Manip., 48/38. Ledde, ductus.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, IV. (1629), 425. I would suffer this fault … to be blotted out of my minde, by your former led life.
1754. Richardson, Grandison, III. xxii. 203. Is not in his own power. He suffers himself to be a led man.
absol. 1895. Daily News, 11 July, 5/1. The fusion is adopted by the leaders and half repudiated by the led.
2. Led horse, a spare horse, led by an attendant or groom; also a sumpter- or pack-horse. Also transf. in led tub, etc., (Mining): see quot. 1851.
1662. J. Davies, trans. Olearius’ Voy. Ambass., 21. Twenty led Horses, with great silver Chains instead of Bridles.
1718. Freethinker, No. 109, ¶ 4. With an Hundred Led-Horses in his Train.
1806. A. Duncan, Nelson’s Funeral, 35. The carriage was drawn by six led horses.
1842. Barham, Ingol. Leg., Ser. II. Smuggler’s Leap, 19. The led-horse laden with five tubs or more.
1851. Greenwell, Coal-trade Terms Northumb. & Durh., 35. A led tub or corf means a spare one, for the barrowman to leave empty with the hewer, whilst the full one is being put to the flat or crane.
3. That follows slavishly or as a sycophant. Led-captain, a hanger-on, dependant, parasite. So also led-†eater, † friend, poet.
1672. Wycherley, Love in Wood, I. i. Every wit has his cully, as every squire his led captain.
1679. Shadwell, True Widow, I. Wks. 1720, III. 123. He is, in short, a Led-eater … and Dry Jester to gaming and jockey-Lords.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 202, ¶ 2. There is hardly a rich Man in the World, who has not such a led Friend.
1745. H. Walpole, Lett. (1846), II. 68. Churchill, whose led-captain he [Sir John Cope] was.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, l. A led captain and trencher-man of my Lord Steyne.
1866. Daily Tel., 16 Jan., 7/4. In the last century opera singers used to keep led-captains in their pay, who … swore their employers were incomparable, and defied those who dared denial to the duello.
1881. Saintsbury, Dryden, 53. Elkanah Settle was one of Rochester’s innumerable led-poets.
4. Led farm: a farm held and controlled by a non-resident farmer. Sc.
1815. Scott, Guy M., l. The Deuke’s no that fond o’ led farms.
1899. Crockett, Kit Kennedy, 58. The Back o’ Beyont was a solitary place,… and was situated on a led farm.
transf. 1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., I. II. iv. 92. He transferred the Markgrafdom to Brandenburg, probably as more central in his wide lands; Salzwedel is henceforth the led Markgrafdom or Marck.
