sb., adj., and advb. phr.
A. as sb. 1. Three quarters, three of the four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided; loosely, the greater part of anything.
1470, 1650. [see QUARTER sb. 1].
1886. C. E. Pascoe, London of To-day, i. (ed. 3), 29. A modest luncheon of grilled chops and boiled potatoes is ordered. In three-quarters of an hour these appear.
1900. Stoddard, Evol. Eng. Novel, 191. That three-quarters of life which is called conduct.
2. Three-quarter (pl. -quarters), in Football, short for three-quarter back (see D.).
1889. H. Vassall, Rugby Football, 13. If he [the captain] is playing four three-quarters and finds that his eight forwards are swamped by the opposing nine, he must make his extra three-quarter go forward.
1897. Whitaker’s Alm., 645/1. The English halves and three-quarters were run out before they had a chance of getting away.
B. as adj. Three-quarter (rarely -quarters). Amounting to three quarters of the whole; one quarter less in magnitude or dimension than that which is complete or full; three-fourths of the ordinary; also vaguely (cf. A. 1).
1677. Lond. Gaz., No. 1239/4. A middle sized Fox Beagle,… white breast, and her legs whitish, with three quarter sterne.
1684. J. Peter, Siege Vienna, 204. Three quarter Cannons, of each 36 pound.
1700. T. Brown, Acc. Journ. Exon, Wks. 1709, III. II. 101. As if he had been riding three-quarter-speed.
1766. Entick, London, IV. 448. Adjoining to the walls are ten three-quarter columns.
1837. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., I. 33/1. Secured with three-quarter inch bolts.
1867. Aug. J. E. Wilson, Vashti, xxii. A three-quarter moon was staring down at her own image.
b. spec. Of portraits, etc. (a) Originally applied to a canvas measuring 30 inches by 25 (about three-fourths of the area of a kitcat, 36 in. × 28). (b) Now usually applied to a portrait showing three-fourths of the figure (in full, three quarter(s length). (Also to a lady’s coat of similar length.) (c) Three-quarter-face (esp. in Photogr.), the aspect intermediate between full face and profile.
1712–3. Swift, Jrnl. to Stella, 27 Feb. I have a very fine picture of lady Orkney,… by sir Godfrey Kneller, three quarters length.
1831. Williams, Life & Corr. Sir T. Lawrence, 1769–1830, I. 77. The last prices received by Sir Thomas Lawrence. For a head-size, or three-quarters, 210l.; for a kit-kat, 315l.; for a half-length, 420l.;… and for a full-length, 630l.
c. 1850. Catalogue of Wm. Macgill, Edinb., 10 Canvasses on Frames kept in Stock … 24 by 20, head size; 30 by 25, 3/4 size; 36 by 28, Kitcat,… 50 by 40, half-length [etc.].
1865. Miss Braddon, Sir Jasper, ii. There were several sketches of the Baronet’s elder daughter; now a three-quarter face…; now a profile…; now a full face.
1832. J. Ashton, Soc. Life Reign Q. Anne, xxvii. II. 42. Wollaston, a portrait painter, who could only command five guineas for a three-quarters canvas.
1894. H. Gamlin, G. Romney, 202. Lady Susan Murray is a beautiful three-quarter standing figure.
1911. Queen, 4 Nov., Suppl. 14/3. A three-quarter length [coat] comes out at only 5 guineas.
c. ellipt. Measuring or relating to three quarters (of a yard) in Cloth Measure, or three fourths of any quantity indicated by context; spec. of a coal seam, three quarters of a yard thick.
1708. J. C., Compleat Collier (1845), 16. The 3 Quarter Coal about 3 Quarters thick or more.
1838. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., I. 381/2. A half-inch service pipe will fill a cistern in one-third the time now taken by the three-quarter cock.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), I. 75. The principal beds of coal are one of 6 feet thick, and a lower one called the three-quarter bed.
1894. Heslop, Northumbld. Gloss., Three-quarter-coal, a seam of coal about three quarters of a yard in thickness.
Mod. The three-quarter chimes.
C. as adv. To the extent of three quarters.
a. 1584. Montgomerie, Cherrie & Slae, 110. That little God of Loue … With bow thrie quarteris scant.
1832. Regul. Instr. Cavalry, III. 106. The … Troops wheel three-quarters left about.
1869. ‘Lewis Carroll,’ Phantasmagoria, 106. Prone to the dust he bent his head, And lay like one three-quarters dead.
D. Spec. Comb. and Collocations: three-quarter back, in Rugby Football (also in Hockey), one of two, three, or four players stationed between the half-backs and the full backs; three-quarter binding, a style of bookbinding having more leather than half-binding: see quot.; three-quarter-bred a., having three quarters of pure blood; three-quarter cleft (clift), dial. a person three-quarters ‘cracked’: cf. QUARTER-CLEFT 2; three-quarters face, Mil. three quarters of a full ‘face’ or turn; three-quarter fiddle: see quot.; three-quarter plate (watch): see quot.
1880. Daily Tel., 20 Dec. One of the Northern *three-quarter backs sustained an injury to his leg.
1889. H. Vassall, Rugby Football, 10. This led to the increase in the number of three-quarter-backs, first, from one to two, with two full-backs, and then to three, with one full-back—in other words, three-quarter-back became the main line of defence against the rush of opposing forwards.
1890. Cresswell, Hockey, 10. The three-quarter-backs, generally two in number.
1897. Lett. to Editor. *Three quarter binding is a very wide back and large corners. The sides may be of anything, paper, cloth [etc.].
1902. Bodkin, Shillelagh, 32. The fast *three-quarter bred mare between the shafts.
1843. Carleton, Traits Irish Peas., I. 5. ‘A *three-quarter clift’ of a fellow—half knave, half fool.
1833. Regul. Instr. Cavalry, I. 14. The recruit … makes a *three quarters face.
1889. E. J. Payne, in Grove, Dict. Mus., IV. 813/1. Violino Piccolo (… Dreiviertel-geige, *Three-quarter fiddle), a violin of small size, but of the ordinary parts and proportions, differing in this respect from the pochette or kit.
1884. Britten, Watch & Clockm., 199. In *three-quarter plate watches there is a piece cut out of the top plate sufficiently large to allow the balance to move in the same horizontal plane.
So Three-quartered a., † a. made in three sections (obs.); b. Her. of an animal as a bearing: turned so as to be nearly affronté, but showing a part of the flank.
c. 1450. Lovelich, Grail, xxxv. 535. There-Inne stoden peleris of Marbil stones … thre-qwarterid they weren Of Gold & Asure And Of Silver.
c. 1828. Berry, Encycl. Her., I. Gloss., Three-quartered, showing three-fourths of an animal; termed, also, trian-aspect, as an eagle, &c. in a trian-aspect.
1889. in Elvin, Dict. Her.
