Forms: 4–5 quasse, (5 qwas-), 4 quasche, 5 qv-, quaschyn, quassh-, quaysch-, 6– quash. [In branch I, ad. OF. quasser = casser to annul, ad. late L. cassāre (med.L. also quassāre), f. cassus null, void; in branch II, ad. OF. quasser, casser to break, smash, etc.:—L. quassāre, freq. of quatĕre to shake. In later F. the form in all senses is casser. Senses 2 and 3 may be partly derived from 4, and the later examples in 5 may be partly of onomatopœic origin. Cf. SQUASH v.]
I. 1. trans. To annul, to make null or void (a law, decision, election, etc.); to throw out or reject (a writ, indictment, etc.) as invalid; to put an end to, stop completely (legal proceedings). † Also with down.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 209. Þe pape at his dome þer Elites quassed doun. Ibid., 217. Þe purueiance … He quassed it ilk dele þorgh jugement.
c. 1430. Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, I. lxxvi. (1869), 44. Michel it displeseth hire that ye quassen thus hire ordinaunces.
1589. Warner, Alb. Eng., VI. xxx. (1612), 151. Phœbus his plainte did quash.
1671. F. Philipps, Reg. Necess., 521. All the then Judges did agree, that if a Writ of that Form should be brought unto them … they would immediately quash it.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 303. Praying ‘judgment of the writ, or declaration, and that the same may be quashed,’ cassetur, made void, or abated.
1829. Scott, Demonol., ix. 335. The Lord Advocate … quashed all farther procedure.
1882. Serjt. Ballantine, Exper., iv. 43. My clients were completely exonerated and the conviction was quashed.
b. Used adverbially with go (suggesting sense 4).
1802–12. Bentham, Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827), IV. 406. Down comes the money, quash goes the conviction, like a snail under our feet.
2. To bring to nothing; to crush or destroy; to put down or suppress completely; to stifle (esp. a feeling, idea, scheme, undertaking, proceeding, etc.). Also with down.
1609. Bible (Douay), Ecclus. vi. 2. Extol not thyself … lest perhaps thy strength be quashed.
1646. P. Bulkeley, Gospel Covt., V. 366. Balaam had faire hopes before him … but all was quasht in a moment.
1717. Tabor, in Phil. Trans., XXX. 552. When the Ground about the Pavement was dug, all these Suppositions were quash’d.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1862), I. 34. The sound seemed at last quashed in a bed of water.
1834. Pringle, Afr. Sk., 316. Every such attempt had heretofore been at once arbitrarily quashed by the colonial authorities.
1857. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 313. I wanted to scream, but the physical weariness had quashed down that nonsense.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, xviii. 305. The preparations for the election were quashed.
3. To crush, quell, or utterly subdue (a person); to squash. Now rare.
1639. G. Daniel, Ecclus. xxxv. 50. His Arme Shall Quash the Cruell, and prevent their harme.
1643. Burroughes, Exp. Hosea, I. v. 128. They did not stay the building of the wall of Jerusalem, till all their adversaries were quashed.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), II. VII. ii. 168. This … resolution … would in all probability have quashed their enemies.
1876. Blackie, Songs Relig. & Life, 182. When, by Logic’s iron rule, I’ve quashed each briskly babbling fool.
II. † 4. To break or dash in pieces; to smash; also, to crush, squeeze, squash. Obs.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), IV. 439. Þanne þe secounde wal was i-quasched [v.r. yquaysched].
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 3389. Abowte scho whirles the whele … Tille alle my qwarters … ware qwaste al to peces.
1563–87. Foxe, A. & M. (1596), 310/2. A mightie stone … able to haue quashed him in peeces.
1608. Topsell, Serpents (1658), 628. Then, shepheard, take both stone in hand, and blade, To quash his swelling neck.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., 12. The Fathers and Mothers never faile to quash, or flat down that part of the face which is between the eyes and mouth.
1750. W. Ellis, Mod. Husbandm., IV. iii. 85 (E. D. S.). [Boys] rejoice when they find a nest of eggs to quash with their feet.
† b. To dash or smash on or against something.
1548. Udall, Erasm. Par. Luke ix. 99. The eiuill spirit that was in hym tooke hym, quashyng the chylde on the grounde.
1620. J. Wilkinson, Coroners & Sherifes, 19. A man falleth from his horse and quasheth his head against a blocke.
c. 1645. Waller, Battle of Summer-Isl., II. 25. The whales Against sharp rocks, like reeling vessels quash’d … are in pieces dash’d.
† 5. intr. To shake; to splash, to make a splashing noise. Obs.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXI. 64. The erthe quook and quashte as hit quyke were.
1691. Ray, Creation, II. (1692), 12. A thin and fine Membrane strait and closely adhering to keep it [the brain] from quashing and shaking.
1739. S. Sharp, Surg., xxiv. 122. The water by a sudden Jirk may be heard to quash.
1750. W. Ellis, Mod. Husbandm., III. i. 130 (E. D. S.). When the butter is come, which you may know by its quashing.
Hence Quashed ppl. a.; Quashing vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
a. 1665. J. Goodwin, Filled w. the Spirit (1867), 107. A notion … of a dangerous and quashing import to the spirit of all signal excellency.
1802–12. Bentham, Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827), IV. 408. A rare trade, this quashing trade.
1816. W. Taylor, in Monthly Mag., XLII. 35. These are called stratous clouds from their sinking quashed appearance.
1846. J. Hamilton, Mt. of Olives, viii. 196. With quashed delight and bitter fancies.
1859. I. Taylor, Logic in Theol., 270. A factitious quashing of any sensibility.
