sb. Also 3 sunnesin-e, 6 son(ne)shyne, -shine, 6–7 sunneshine, (7 sunschyne, -schene), 6– sun-shine, sunshine. [ME. sunnesin-e (which appears very much earlier than SHINE sb.) had prob. a similar origin to that of SUNRISE: see quot. c. 1250. But cf. OFris. sunna skin, (M)LG. sunnenschîn, MDu. sonnescijn (Du. zonneschijn), MHG. sunne(n)schîn (early mod.G. sunnen-, sonne-, sunschein, G. sonnenschein). OE. had sunscín, glossing ‘speculum’ = mirror.]
1. The shining of the sun; direct sunlight uninterrupted by cloud.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3335–7. Ilc man is he bead,… Him gaderen or ðe sunne-sine, Elles he sulden missen hine, For it malt at ðe sunne-sine.
1535. Coverdale, Job viii. 16. Oft tymes a thinge doth florish, and men thynke that it maye abyde the Sonneshyne.
1588. Lambarde, Eiren., IV. 372. I shall as the saying is, but set a Candle in the sunne-shine.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 206. As cleere, as the Sun-shine is at mid-day.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 473. A Cot that opens to the South prepare: Where basking in the Sun-shine they may lye.
1781. Cowper, Lett. to J. Newton, 28 May. You seldom complain of too much sunshine … the south walk in our long garden will exactly suit you.
1840. Dickens, Old C. Shop, xv. Sunshine peeping through some little window.
1842. Loudon, Suburban Hort., 566. The gooseberry may be forced in pots…. The temperature is never allowed to be high, and abundance of air is given during sunshine.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xvii. 119. There was a long fight between mist and sunshine.
† b. with a and pl. A burst or spell of sunshine.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, V. iii. 33. I am not a day of season, For thou maist see a sun-shine, and a haile In me at once.
1611. Mure, Misc. Poems, i. 56. Lyk to a fair sunschyne befoir a schoure.
1657. J. Watts, Scribe, Pharisee, etc., I. 177. To partake of the benefit of the Sun-shines and Rains.
1747. Gould, Eng. Ants, 62. They take the Opportunity of a Sun-shine to disperse in the Air.
c. with poss. adj.: cf. LIGHT sb. 1 g and quot. 1390 in SUN sb. 4.
a. 1774. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), II. 72. The plain man … may say … as Diogenes did to Alexander, ‘Only please to stand out of my sun-shine.’
d. To have been in the sunshine (slang), to be drunk: cf. SUN sb. 4 b (c).
1857. Geo. Eliot, Scenes Clerical Life, Janet’s Rep., i. 52. He was in that condition which his groom indicated with poetic ambiguity by saying that ‘master had been in the sunshine.’
2. fig. (often with literal phraseology retained). a. A source of happiness or prosperity.
1595. T. P. Goodwine, Blanchardyn, liv. 213. Is she gon, the comfort of my youth … the sonshine of my blisse?
1866. B. Taylor, Poems, Neighbor, 22. Ye are the sunshine of the earth.
1901. Gelett Burgess, in Harper’s Mag., CII. 798/2. He always used to say, ‘Well, how is mamma’s little sunshine to-day?’
b. A favorable or gracious influence.
a. 1596. Sir T. More, IV. v. 98. The rest … haue had fayre time to growe In sun-shine of my fortunes.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., IV. ii. 12. That man that sits within a Monarches heart, And ripens in the Sunne-shine of his fauor.
1598. Florio, Dict., Ep. Ded. a 3 b. To me … the glorious and gracious sunne-shine of your Honor hath infused light and life.
1741–2. Gray, Agrippina, 147. The gilded swarm that wantons in the sunshine Of thy full favour.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq., II. ix. (1877), 367. They were to be allowed to bask in the sunshine of the court.
c. A condition or atmosphere of happiness or prosperity.
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., II. ii. 156. Euen then that Sun-shine brew’d a showre for him, That washt his Fathers fortunes forth of France.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage, VII. xii. 597. Henrie, the Infanta of Portugall, that day-starre, which by his industrie made way to the present Sun-shine of discoueries.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl. (1848), 67. Those, that during the Sun-shine of prosperity are beset with seeming Friends.
1696. Tate & Brady, Ps. xxx. 6. Whilst in my Sunshine of Success No low’ring Cloud appear’d.
1779. Mirror, No. 43, ¶ 8. It would have been inhuman in our philosopher to have clouded, even with a doubt, the sunshine of this belief.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, II. iii. In the meantime all was sunshine with Vivian Grey.
1862. Miss Braddon, Lady Audley, xxxvi. There had never been anything but harmony and sunshine between Lucy Audley and her generous husband.
d. Happiness or cheerfulness of mind or heart; sunny disposition.
1742. Gray, Eton, 44. The sunshine of the breast.
c. 1836. Carlyle, in Academy, 17 Sept. (1808), 273/3. Particularly endeavour to keep a good heart…. Sunshine in the inside of one is even more important than sunshine without.
1850. W. Irving, Goldsmith, xxxix. 370. In these genial moments … the sunshine of Goldsmith’s nature would break out.
3. transf. Light or brightness resembling or suggesting that of the sun; brightness of the eye or the countenance.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., V. ii. 201. Vouchsafe to shew the sunshine of your face.
1839. Lytton, Richelieu, IV. i. Deaf to the music of a woman’s voice—Blind to the sunshine of a woman’s eyes.
1901. W. Clark Russell, Ship’s Adv., iv. With the stateliness of a frigate she broke into a sunshine of canvas.
4. attrib. and Comb. Simple attrib. and objective (with reference to indicating or recording sunshine), as sunshine map, record, recorder.
1892. W. A. Taylor in Scott. Geog. Mag., June, 322. The first sunshine recorder was the invention of Mr. John C. Campbell of Islay.
1893. H. N. Dickson, Ibid., Aug. (Title on cover), Sunshine Map of the British Isles. Ibid., 396. In discussing sunshine records, it is … necessary to distinguish the cases where allowance must be made for latitude from those where the actual duration merely is required. Ibid., 400. The general form of the sunshine curve is thus a strong minimum in winter, a steady increase to a maximum in May.
5. attrib. passing into adj. a. Full of or characterized by sunshine; sunshiny, sunny. Now rare.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Jan., 3. All in a sunneshine day, as did befall.
1601. Holland, Pliny, VI. xvi. I. 123. The warme Sunneshine weather.
1632. Milton, L’Allegro, 98. Young and old com forth to play On a Sunshine Holyday.
1663. S. Patrick, Parab. Pilgr., xxvi. (1687), 281. A fine Sun-shine morning it was.
1715. Leoni, Palladio’s Archit. (1742), II. 75. The Sun-dial … could serve but in Sun-shine Weather.
1765. Phil. Trans., LV. 155. In a calm hot sun-shine day,… the air … appears to have a tremulous motion.
1841. Browning, Pippa Passes [Introd.], 23. Thy fitful sunshine-minutes, coming, going.
1894. ‘G. Egerton,’ Keynotes, 155. It is a sunshine Sabbath morning.
b. fig. ‘Bright,’ cheerful, cheering; prosperous, happy, joyous.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., IV. i. 221. God saue King Henry,… And send him many yeeres of Sunne-shine dayes.
1594. Drayton, Amours, ix. Her sun-shine face there chaunsing to espy.
1663. S. Patrick, Parab. Pilgr., xxix. (1687), 341. Then were his Sunshine days, and his Heart all in an ardour of Love and Joy.
1833. Longf., Outre-mer (1851), 227. The French have that happy and sunshine temperament.
1834. J. H. Newman, Par. Serm. (1837), I. xxv. 379. The Bible does not take a pleasant sunshine view of the world.
c. That remains faithful, or subsists, only in prosperity; ‘fair-weather.’
1775. Burke, Lett. to Marq. Rockingham, 14 Sept. The worst sort of tories, the sunshine gentlemen of the last reign.
1809. W. Irving, Knickerb., VI. vi. (1861), 207. Would you have had me take such sunshine, faint-hearted recreants to my bosom?
1847. Whittier, My Soul & I, 25. Summon thy sunshine bravery back.
1876. H. Gardner, Sunflowers, Leone, I. 108. My sunshine-friends have turned their backs on me.
6. Comb.: sunshine-showery a. nonce-wd., of a disposition that is cheerful in the midst of trouble.
1830. Coleridge, Lett. to J. H. Green, 1 June. Mrs. Aders … looks as bright and sunshine-showery as if nothing had ever ailed her.
Hence Sunshine v., intr. to shine as or like the sun (also impers.): Sunshineless a., dull, gloomy.
1627. J. Taylor (Water P.), Armado, B 2 b. If it storm’d, rain’d, or blewe, or Sun shinde [ed. 1630 Sun-shinde] too hot.
1831. G. P. R. James, Phil. Augustus, I. xvi. The fixed contraction of his brow, and the sunshineless coldness of his lips.
1892. J. Lumsden, Sheep-head & Trotters, 278. On the visage of their hero, sunshined for a moment an unforgettably answering smile.
