v. [f. LION + -IZE.]
1. trans. To visit the ‘lions’ of (a place); to visit or go over (a place of interest).
1838. Ticknor, Life, Lett. & Jrnls., II. viii. 157. Eager to lionize the town with us.
1852. E. Lear, Jrnls. Painter in S. Calabria, 75. Lionising the church and convent.
1863. ‘Ouida,’ Held in Bondage (1870), 32. The time to lionise Cambridge is May and June.
1883. Ld. R. Gower, My Remin., II. xxi. 20. The next day … I passed at Northampton, lionising the different buildings of interest in the place.
2. a. To show the ‘lions’ to (a person). Also absol. b. To show the ‘lions’ of (a place).
1830. Macaulay, Southey’s Colloq., in Edin. Rev., L. 535. Mr. Southey very hospitably takes an opportunity to lionize [Ess. 1843, I. 228 escort] the ghost round the lakes.
1856. Lever, Martins of Cro’ M., 135. I want you to lionise an old friend of mine, who has the ambition to ‘do’ Connemara under your guidance.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxf., xxv. (1889), 238. I’m not in the humour to be dancing about lionizing.
1870. Disraeli, Lothair, xxiv. He had lionised the distinguished visitors during the last few days over the University.
1875. Buckland, Log-bk., 189. The vicar then lionised the church.
1881. E. FitzGerald, Lett. (1889), I. 475. I was lionized over some things new to me, and some that I was glad to see again.
3. intr. To see the ‘lions’ of a place.
1825. C. M. Westmacott, Engl. Spy, I. 137. We sallied forth to lionize … which is the Oxford term for gazing about, usually applied to strangers.
1847. R. W. Church, Lett., 6 Feb., in Life & Lett. (1897), 80. We got in yesterday [at Malta] at 1.30, and have been lionising since.
1860. Tristram, Gt. Sahara, xviii. 312. I was soon compelled to desist from all attempts to lionize, as ophthalmia rendered the light intolerable.
4. trans. To treat (a person) as a ‘lion’ or celebrity; to make a ‘lion’ of.
1809. Scott, in Lockhart, Life, xix. They cannot lionize me without my returning the compliment and learning something from them.
1864. Spectator, No. 1875. 639. During the height of the Russian War, Russians were as safe in London as in St. Petersburg, were, indeed rather lionized.
5. intr. To be a ‘lion.’
1834. Fraser’s Mag., IX. 64. This is quite fame enough for any one, and upon the strength of it he may continue to lionise.
Hence Lionizing vbl. sb.; Lionization, the action of the vb.; Lionizer, one who lionizes.
1829. Froude, in Rem. (1838), I. 239. I got within the baleful influence of Lionisers, and was pestered out of my wits by humbugging guides.
1837. Lockhart, Life of Scott, lxxiii. The pernicious and degrading trickery of lionizing.
1841. Dickens, Lett., in Life (1872), I. xv. 229. The horrors of lionization.
1851. R. F. Burton, Goa, 268. A glimpse of scenery that even a jaded lionizer would admire.
1857. Mrs. Mathews, Tea-Table T., I. 100. Her lionizing mania had reached to fever point.
1861. Clara Bromley, Woman’s Wand. in West. World, 34. In a hurried journey one gets sadly tired of lionising.
1864. ‘C. Bede,’ in Lond. Soc., VI. 27/1. The country cousins will retain but a very vague remembrance of their Oxford lionizings.
1887. Frith, Autobiog., II. xxix. 346. The lion was Tom Moore, the poet; and the lionizers, consisting chiefly of ladies [etc.].
1890. ‘Rolf Boldrewood,’ Col. Reformer (1891), 462. Antonia had to submit to the lionisation of her husband.
