Forms: α. 4–7 type, 5–6, 9 dial. tipe; infl. 5 tipen, 6 typed. β. 6– tip; infl. 7 tippeth, tipt, 7–8 tip’d, 7– tipped, 8 tipp’d; 7–9 tipping. [Origin and form-history obscure: known first in form tȳpe (14th c.), tīpe, in literary use as late as 1632 (sense 7), and still dialectal from Cumberland to Shropsh. and E.Anglia. Tip with short vowel appears in 1581 (sense 6).
The ME. verb may have been tīpe, tipte, tipt (cf. keep, kept, kept), and the short i of the past have been later taken over into the present (perh. under the influence of TIP v.1, though not necessarily so).]
I. Transitive senses.
1. To overthrow, knock, or cast down, cause to fall or tumble; to overturn, upset; to throw down (off a support, out of a vehicle, etc.) by effort or accidentally.
α. 13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., C. 506. & if I … type doun ȝonder toun when hit turned were.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 1303 (Dubl. MS.). Sone þe toppe of þe toure he typys [Ashmole MS. tiltis] in þe water. Ibid., 1418. Som … Typed torrettes doune, towres on hepes.
1530. Palsgr., 758/2. I type over, I overthrowe, or overwhelme, je renuerse.
1570. Levins, Manip., 141/47. To Type a ball, profligere.
1862. C. C. Robinson, Leeds Gloss., 442. Type that box off o’ that cart.
1887. South Chesh. Gloss., s.v., Nai, sey as yo dunna tipe that can o’er wi’ yur foot.
1904. in Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v.
β. [1567. in TIP v.1 1 may possibly belong here.]
a. 1680. Butler, Rem., Panegyric on Sir J. Denham, 26. No China Cupboard rudely overthrown; Nor Lady tip’d, by being accosted, down.
a. 1715. Burnet, Own Time, an. 1677 (1823), II. 107. Here would be a precedent to tip down so many lords at a time.
1741. Richardson, Pamela (1824), I. 77. They … tipped me into the dam, crying, Lie there, parson, till tomorrow!
1791. ‘G. Gambado,’ Ann. Horsem., ix. (1809), 106. I tipp’d my nag over a broken place in the wall.
1869. Tozer, Highl. Turkey, II. 268. [She] tipped the pot over.
1880. Mary Fitzgibbon, Trip to Manitoba, xii. 153. Down the face of the jagged cliff, into such deep gullies, that it was a wonder we were not tipped over the horse’s back, or left behind.
1894. Outing (U.S.), XXIV. 190/1. It would be far from the truth to state that a canoe cannot be upset. Under certain conditions it is easier tipped than a boat.
1909. Nation, 6 March, 851/2. Caricatures of fat Jews tipped out of motor cars.
b. Skittles. † (a) In the older game, said of a pin: To knock down another by falling or rolling against it, as distinguished from the direct action of the bowl. Obs. (b.) In some forms of the game, applied to other modes of knocking down a pin.
1679. A. Lovell, Judic. Univ., 237. I have carried four and tipped six Pins.
1773. A. Jones, The Art of Playing at Skittles, 16. The next in height and value [to the king or middle pin] were the four corner pins … these were called Dukes, Lords, and Nobles…. These four counted for three each when tipped by the King or his consequents, but if by the bowl or any other from it, either of their own height or lower, they only counted for two each. The remaining four were called Common,… and counted for two each when tipped by the King, but by any other only one each.
1884. Sat. Rev., 18 Oct., 494/2. The skill was to hit over the King, and make him ‘tip’ as many pins as possible over with him, as thus the greatest number of points was scored.
(b) 17[?]. Rules & Instr. for playing at Skittles (Sat. Rev., 18 Oct., 1884, 498/2). Care should be taken in Tipping not to jump into the Frame immediately after, as in this case he is not allowed any of the Pins he Tips.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. T., s.v., Tipping, at these games, is slightly touching the tops of the pins with the bowl.
1801. Strutt, Sports & Past., III. vii. § 9. In playing at skittles, there is a double exertion; one by bowling, and the other by tipping: the first is performed at a given distance, and the second standing close to the frame upon which the pins are placed, and throwing the ball through the midst of them.
1819. Pantologia, X. s.v. Skittles, When the learner is to tip for four upon game, he should choose the eighth, seventh, sixth, and fourth pins.
2. To cause to assume a slanting or sloping position; to raise, push, or move into such a position; to incline, tilt. Often with up.
1624. Heywood, Gunaik., V. 233. Shee tipped up the table and flung down all that was upon it.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, vii. 16. We hove in upon our chain, and … tipped our anchor, and stood out to sea.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Voy. Eng. I waked … with the belief that some one was tipping up my berth.
1868. Lockyer, Guillemin’s Heavens (ed. 3), 479. How much the south pole will be tipped up—how the axis will exactly lie.
1894. Crockett, Raiders, 55. May Mischief seemed to incline her ear, tipping it a little to the side to listen.
b. To tip the scales: to tilt or depress the scale of a balance by excess of weight; to turn the scale; also fig.
1884. Harper’s Mag., June, 111/2. Single fish often tipping the scales at from five to seven pounds.
1893. St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Oct. She tips the scales at 150 pounds.
3. To empty out (a wagon, cart, truck, or the like, or its contents) by tilting it up; to dump.
1838. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., I. 354/1. On this stage the waggons are run, and the contents tipped with great rapidity. Ibid. (1842), V. 85/2. The sub-contractor … had … to keep the road in repair, and tip or turn the dirt.
1895. Law Times Rep., LXXIII. 157/1. The Holyhead breakwater … was constructed by tipping into the harbour some 6,000,000 tons of large stones.
1910. Times, 18 Jan., 3/1. A piece of land which was used for the purpose of tipping rubbish.
† 4. fig. (from 2). To render unsteady, make drunk, intoxicate. slang. Obs. (Cf. TIP sb.6)
1605. [see TIP v.3].
1633. Marston, Antiquary, IV. i. Your master is almost tipt already.
1708. [see TIPPED ppl. a.2].
5. To drink off, ‘toss off.’ slang and dial.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Tip it all off, Drink it all off at a Draught.
c. 1765. Flloyd, Tartarian T. (1785), 46/2. A large glassful, which I tipped off.
1784. R. Bage, Barham Downs, II. 49. As good claret as ever was tip’d.
1850. P. Crook, War of Hats, 47. Who tip sly drams, while feigning to cry ‘Sweep.’
1878. Cumberland Gloss., s.v., Tipe ’t up, man, we’ve plenty mair.
II. Intransitive senses.
† 6. To be overthrown, to fall. Obs. (exc. as in 7).
c. 1400. Death & Life, 194, in Percy Folio, III. 64. Trees tremble for feare, and tipen to the ground.
1581. A. Hall, Iliad, VIII. 142. He thrild them through with deadly wounds, they down to ground do tip.
7. To fall by overbalancing; to be overturned or upset; to tumble or topple over.
α. 1530. Palsgr., 758/2. His carte typed over [se renuersa] agaynst a banke.
1632. Sanderson, Serm., 558. When they are ready, with catching at babies in the water, to type over.
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Tipe, to kick up or fall headlong, from being top-heavy.
1904. in Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v.
β. 1620. Sanderson, Serm., I. 161. Like a ship all sail and no ballast, that tippeth over with every blast.
1890. W. A. Wallace, Only a Sister, 325. Over tips table, candle, and cloth and all.
8. To assume a slanting or sloping position; to incline, tilt; e.g., of a balance; now esp. of a cart, a plank, etc. (usu. with up), to tilt up at one end and down at the other so that anything supported by it is (or may be) thrown off or emptied out.
1666. Bunyan, Grace Ab., § 175. Still my life hung in doubt before me, not knowing which way I should tip.
1807. Vancouver, Agric. Devon (1813), 125. They are made to tip like tumbrils.
1849. Alb. Smith, Pottleton Leg., xxxi. His dog-cart … tipped back last year … and lifted the horse in the air.
1864. Bowen, Logic, ix. (1870), 301. Perhaps I do not know how the table tips.
1885. Law Times, LXXVIII. 391/2. As the cart was being unloaded, it unfortunately tipped up, and one of the heavy flagstones fell.
9. To tip off, also simply to tip, or tip (over) the perch: to die. slang or dial.
β. a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, To Tip off, to Dye.
1727. Gay, Begg. Op., III. i. If that great man should tip off, ’twould be an irreparable loss.
1735. Savage, Progr. Divine, 294. She, with broken heart, Tips off—poor soul!
1737. [see PERCH sb.2 3 e].
1808. Bentham, Mem. & Corr., Wks. 1843, X. 444. What if you should happen to tip the perch before all the children are grown up?
α. 1828. Craven Gloss., Tipe, ‘to tipe our,’ to fall down, to swoon. ‘To tipe off,’ to die.
1904. in Eng. Dial. Dict.
