Forms: 1, 4 strange, 1–5 stronge, 4– north. and Sc. strang, 4– strong. [OE. strange, strǫnge = OHG. strango: see STRONG a.]
1. Qualifying a verb or predication: = STRONGLY adv. Obs. exc. as in b, c. † More stronger: = A FORTIORI.
c. 900. Bæda’s Hist., I. xxvii. (1890), 68. Þeah ðe þæt wiite hwene heardor & strongor don sy.
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., vi. 15. Heo strange ʓeondstyred on staðu beateð.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 254. Þeos vle … wes of teoned swiþe stronge.
a. 1300. K. Horn, 304 (Camb.). Wel longe Ihc habbe þe luued stronge.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 24100. On mi sorou mai be nan end, It stikes me sua strang.
13[?]. K. Alis., 1609 (Laud MS.). Þe fote men & þai on hors Trauaileden stronge her cors.
c. 1400. Gamelyn, 397. Gamelyn þat stood y-bounde stronge.
c. 1425. Seven Sag. (P.), 197. This house that is so strange dyȝt.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, iii. 86. Soo stronge he spored his horse, that he wente ayenste Reynawde.
1532. St. German’s Dial. Laws Eng., II. xxviii. 61 b. I suppose … that more stronger he maye appoyntte at what age suche wylles as be made shalbe perfourmed.
1570. Satir. Poems Reform., xviii. 63. His Father [ye] wyrreit strang.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., II. 98. The more weary [the Oxe] is, the more strong doth he fixe his footings.
1679. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., ix. 160. The stronger it is forced in, the faster the Hook sticks.
1697. Dryden, Æneis, XI. 1249. The Bow-string touch’d her Breast, so strong she drew.
1705. H. Blackwell, Engl. Fencing-Master, 34. If that Thrust be made at you, parry strong, and thrust at the same time.
1767. Warburton, in W. & Hurd, Lett. (1809), 407. G. S. was stronger engraved on your fancy than B. S.
1768–74. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), II. 81. Whatever affects a man’s private interests, touches him stronger than those of the community, or mankind in general.
1841. Catlin, N. Amer. Ind., i. (1844), I. 10. The reader will be disposed to forgive me for dwelling so long and so strong on the justness of the claims.
b. Used regularly with certain verbs, as blow, flow, grow, run, smell, etc. (Often indistinguishable from the complementary use of the adj.)
1422. Yonge, trans. Secreta Secret., 174. The course of the ryuer So stronge and So styfe rane.
1560. Jack Jugler (facs.), E j. Many here smell strong but none so ranke as he.
1596. Raleigh, Discov. Guiana, 53. A slent of northerly wind that blew very strong.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 475. The Current setting strong to the E.N.E.
a. 1778. W. Anderson, in Cook’s 3rd Voy., III. ix. (1784), II. 143. This wind … sometimes blows strong, though generally moderate.
1813. Sporting Mag., XLI. 85. His antagonist … run strong in, leaving the other three hundred yards in the rear.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xi. III. 110. The Whig peers … mustered strong, and spoke warmly.
a. 1861. T. Woolner, My Beautiful Lady, Her Shadow, vi. Thro’ pastures and thro’ fields where corn grew strong.
c. In colloq. phrases. To come it strong: to go to great lengths; to display great activity, energy, boldness, etc.; to make statements that are hard to credit. To come out strong: to make a big display or impression; to ‘launch out’; to declare or express oneself vigorously. To go it strong: to act vigorously or recklessly. To go strong on: to support or advocate energetically (? obs.). To be going strong: to be vigorous, thriving or prosperous. To pitch it strong: to indulge in ‘tall’ talk; to make exaggerated or incredible statements.
1812, 1825–. [see COME v. 27, 28].
1837. T. Hook, Jack Brag, xi. I can come it strong in that line.
1840. [see GO v. 46 c].
1841. Hood, Tale of Trumpet, 281. Unless the Managers pitch it strong.
1844. Disraeli, Coningsby, II. vi. ‘We go strong on the Church?’ said Mr. Taper.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., xlviii. He was a man as might have come out strong.
1850. Thackeray, Pendennis, xxxvi. They’ve took a house in Grosvenor Place, and are coming out strong.
1853. Miss Yonge, Heir of Redclyffe, xliii. ‘Over-worked, I suppose,’ said Charles, ‘I thought he was coming it pretty strong these last few weeks.’
1861. Meredith, Evan Harrington, xiv. By Jove! this comes it strong. Fancy the snipocracy here—eh?
1863. Reade, Hard Cash, xxxix. Well, I am thinking the ’Tiser is pitching it rather strong.
1866. A. Halliday, in Dickens, etc., Mugby Junction, 26/2. I used to make that journey to Brighton in fifty-two minutes. The papers said forty-nine minutes, but that was coming it a little too strong.
1879. Oxf & Camb. Undergrad. Jrnl., 6 Nov., 65/1. A grand meeting in the Sheldonian … at which Canon Farrar came out rather strong.
1898. Punch, 22 Oct., 186/3.
| And though, just now, we ’re going strong, | |
| The brandy cannot last for long. |
1913. Daily Graphic, 26 March, 17/2. ‘Everybody’s Doing It’ and ‘The Reaper’s Dream’ are still going very strong.
† 2. Qualifying an adj.: Extremely, very. Obs.
c. 1400. Brut, cxxxiii. 138. When he saw þat he was so stronge sike.
c. 1450. Merlin, iii. 52. I will tomorowe go to an Abbey, and feyne me stronge sike.
3. Comb. a. with pa. pples., as strong-built, -knit, -made, -set, etc.
c. 1412. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 4305. Now, godē fadir, how mochil monye In your strong bounden chist is, we yow preye?
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., III. 1226/1. A big, broad, strong set fellow.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, III. xii. § 10 (1912), 424. The unfaythfull armour yeelding to the swoordes strong-guided sharpenesse.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., II. iii. 21. His strong knit Limbs.
a. 1592. Marlowe, Jew of Malta, Prol. 22. A strong built Citadell.
1622. Mabbe, trans. Aleman’s Guzman d’Alf., II. 308. Their strong-sowne pockets.
c. 1656. Sir H. Cholmley, Mem. (1787), 11. He was … withal big and strong-made.
1690. Lond. Gaz., No. 2579/4. A very strong turn’d Gelding.
1757. Dyer, Fleece, III. 382. To cast the strong-flung shuttle.
1776. Burney, Hist. Mus., I. 59. There must have been other characteristic and strong-marked distinctions.
1820. Hazlitt, Lect. Dram. Lit., 66. The same strong-braced tone of passionate declamation is kept up.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., v. His firm and strong-set teeth.
1864. Tennyson, En. Arden, 30. If they quarrell’d, Enoch stronger-made Was master.
1899. Westm. Gaz., 12 Sept., 5/3. It became apparent that the jockeys of the American horses did not want a strong-run race.
b. with pres. pples., as strong-beating, -growing, -smelling, etc.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. i. III. Furies, 616. The Ram for Physick takes strong-senting Rue.
1619. A. Newman, Pleasures Vision, D 7. In her [sc. woman’s] strong-drawing fraile society.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, I. i. 59. That large strong-beating flood That gars the Poet write.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Hyacinthus, At which Time you must separate all the strong flowering Roots.
1761. Glover, Medea, III. vi. 52. The strong-constraining spell hath tam’d The restif blast.
c. 1770. Mrs. Glasse, Compl. Confectioner, 286. The aromatic, balsamic, oily, and strong-smelling plants.
1842. Loudon, Suburban Hort., 423. The stronger-growing plums, such as the Washington.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, xxx. He … held her … tight pressed against his strong-beating heart.
1880. ‘Brooksby,’ Hunting Countries, II. 212. Mounted on a bold, strong-jumping horse.
1898. J. A. Gibbs, Cotswold Village, 227. The hares in this district are remarkably big and strong-running.
