[f. TOUCH- 1 c + WOOD sb.] Wood or anything of woody nature, in such a state as to catch fire readily, and which can be used as tinder. a. The soft white substance into which wood is converted by the action of certain fungi, especially of Polyporus squamosus, and which has the property of burning for many hours when once ignited, and is occasionally self-luminous.
By confusion the name is sometimes applied to the powdery snuff-colored mass into which wood is sometimes converted without the agency of fungi, by a process of slow chemical combustion (eremacausis), which is not distinguishable from the effects of dry rot, except by the absence of fungous spawn. (M. J. Berkeley in Treas. Bot., 1866.)
1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 62. I, but Euphues, hath she not hard also that the dry touchewoode is kindled with lyme … that the fire quickly burneth the flaxe?
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., III. ii. II. i. (1651), 450. As match or touchwood takes fire, so doth an idle person love.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., II. v. 89. To make white powder…. The best I know is by the powder of rotten willowes; spunck, or touchwood prepared, might perhaps make it russet.
1706. E. Ward, Wooden World Diss. (1708), 14. He had rather see the whole Fleet parch’d up like Touchwood, for want of Water.
1799. Med. Jrnl., II. 298. Observations … on the luminous property of touchwood.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas, IV. vii. ¶ 13. Gonzales, dry as touchwood, with all its inflammability.
1887. T. Hardy, Woodlanders, III. ix. 183. The rain had imparted a phosphorescence to the pieces of touchwood.
1898. Watts-Dunton, Aylwin, XV. vi. A fallen willow tree, the inside of which was all touchwood.
b. A name given to various fungi, esp. two species of Polyporus (P. or Fomes fomentarius and P. or F. igniarius), also called Touchwood Boletus, or to the tinder called ‘amadou’ made from them. Cf. TINDER.
The former of these is found on oak, beech, birch, lime, etc., the latter (which requires a process of preparation) on ash, poplar, willow, plane, fir, etc.
1598. Florio, Pano … touchwood, or a spungie swelling on trees like a mushrume.
1666. Pepys, Diary, 12 Nov. His skeleton [is here seen], with the flesh on; but all tough and dry like a spongy dry leather, or touchwood all upon his bones.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 85/2. Touchwood [is] a kind of hard, dry, spungy Mushroom.
1778. Lightfoot, Flora Scot. (1789), II. 1034. Boletus igniarius. Touchwood Boletus…. An excellent touchwood is made from this Fungus by … pounding and boiling it up with saltpetre.
1845–50. Mrs. Lincoln, Lect. Bot., 199. The genus Boletus contains the touchwood, or spunk, which is sometimes used as tinder.
c. fig. Said of a thing or person that easily ‘takes fire,’ or which, like tinder, ‘kindles’ something else (quot. 1601); esp. an irascible or passionate person, one easily incensed. Now rare.
[1601. Dent, Pathw. Heaven, 204. Sins of oppression … be the very fire-brands of Gods wrath, and as it were touch-wood, to kindle his anger.]
1617. Middleton & Rowley, Fair Quarrel, II. i. The Colonel, soon enrag’d, as he’s all touchwood.
c. 1620. Fletcher & Massinger, Lit. French Lawyer, II. iii. Peace touchwood.
1761. G. Colman, Jealous Wife, I. i. She is all Impetuosity and Fire.—A very Magazine of Touchwood and Gunpowder.
1840. Life of Origen, vii. 66. Wood, hay, stubble, and that which soonest burns of anything, the touchwood of denial.
d. attrib. and Comb.
1784. Cowper, Task, VI. 688. From his touchwood trunk the mulberry-tree Supplied such relics as devotion holds Still sacred.
1864. Tennyson, Aylmer’s F., 514. There the manorial lord too curiously Raking in that millennial touchwood-dust Found for himself a bitter treasure-trove.
