the verb-stem in combinations and phrases used as sbs. or adjs. (mostly nonce-wds.): take-all, local name in Australia for a disease in wheat; take-down, an act of taking down (in quot. in sense 80 b [d]); take-downable a., capable of being taken down; take-for-granted a., that takes something for granted, involving unproved assumptions; † take-heed, the action of taking heed, caution; a warning to take heed, a caution; take-it-easy a., that takes things easily, easy-going; adapted for making oneself at ease, comfortable; take-it-or-leave-it a., allowing acceptance or rejection; showing indifference; take-leave, a. of or pertaining to taking leave, parting, ‘farewell’; sb. an act of taking leave, leave-taking; take-on, a state of ‘taking on’ (TAKE v. 84 j) or mental agitation, a ‘taking.’ See also TAKE-IN, TAKE-OFF, TAKE-UP.
1880. Silver’s Handbk. Australia, 72. That terrible foe to wheat known as the *take-all in South Australia, has spread beyond the Adelaide plains.
1893. Westm. Gaz., 12 June, 6/3. In the second division [of Cambridge boat-races] as many as six *take-downs were effected, First Trinity III going sandwich boat instead of Christ’s [etc.].
1815. Lamb, Lett. to Southey, 6 May. It will be a *take-downable book on my shelf.
1840. Knickerbocker, XVI. July, 84. ‘Love’s Progress,’ … from … the pen of Mrs. Gilman,… is one of those agreeable take-downable books, from off a family-library shelf, or take-upable production, on board a steam-boat, for an hour or two of pleasant entertainment.
1833. Coleridge, Lett., to T. H. Green (1895), 767. I feel a *take-for-granted faith in the dips and pointings of the needle.
1853. Lynch, Self-Improv., ii. 26. You must talk of many things in a take-for-granted style in order to talk at all to the purpose.
1911. Saintsbury, Hist. Eng. Crit., i. 15. ‘Rules’ … put forth … with no insolent dictation or irritating pedantry, but in an easy take-for-granted manner, which it might seem at once insolent and pedantic to resist.
1611. Cotgr., Mesgarde,… carelesnesse, lacke of good-*take-heed.
1622. Fletcher & Massinger, Span. Curate, IV. v. I know ye want good diets,… And, in your pleasures, good take-heed.
1648. Ward (title), Mercurius Anti-Mechanicus, or the Simple Coblers Boy, with his Lap-full of Caveats (or Take-heeds).
1872. Routledge’s Ev. Boy’s Ann., 500/2. The good-humoured *take-it-easy South-Sea Island nature.
1897. Westm. Gaz., 24 June, 4/2. The walls and roofs of this take-it-easy room were draped with broad stripes of scarlet and white bunting.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 251. I affected an easy *take-it-or-leave-it-manner, and looked on.
1902. Monthly Rev., Aug., 155. England … sets out her exhibits with a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ air, with a disregard of their possibilities which seems almost wilful.
1917. L. Spence, Mexico of the Mexicans, xi. 148. The ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ attitude is of all the most foolish to adopt with the Latin-American peoples.
1799. Mrs. J. West, Tale of Times, II. 93. In his *take-leave visit he made some further discoveries.
c. 1815. Jane Austen, Persuas., v. Going to almost every house in the parish, as a sort of take-leave.
1837. Lett. fr. Madras (1843), 81. I was prevented from finishing this … by take-leave visits, &c.
1893. Cornh. Mag., June, 566. The governor is in a dreadful *take on about you.
1894. Baring-Gould, Kitty Alone, III. 142. Zerah’s … in a fine take-on.
