Forms: 5–6 tryse, 6 tryce, 6–7 trise, 6– trice. [Found first in phrase at a trice, app. originally ‘at one pull or tug, at one effort,’ trice being app. verbal sb. from TRICE v.; soon passing into the sense ‘at once, immediately, in a moment, instantly,’ whence in later use the simple sb. comes to be equal to ‘instant, moment.’ Cf. the sense-development of Fr. † à un coup, à coup, † tout à un coup, tout d’un coup, orig. ‘at a stroke,’ hence ‘at once, immediately, instantly.’
The later phrase in a trice recalls the Sp. en un tris instantly, orig. ‘in a crack’ (CRACK sb. 2), from tris the noise made by cracking or breaking of glass; but the Eng. phrase ‘at a trice’ appears too early for Spanish influence. Rather are the English, French, and Spanish phrases parallels expressing suddenness of action.]
1. † a. At a trice, lit. at a single pluck or pull; hence, in an instant; instantly, forthwith; without delay. Obs.
c. 1440. Ipomydon, 392. The howndis … Pluckid downe dere all at a tryse.
a. 1530. Heywood, Love (1534), B iv. At dore were this trull was, I was at a tryce.
1540. Palsgr., Acolastus, N j b. Open the dores at ones, or at a tryce.
1603. Harsnet, Pop. Impost., 59. They made sure to have a Devil readie at a trice.
a. 1635. Naunton, Fragm. Reg. (Arb.), 49. True it is, He had gotten the Queens eare at a trice.
† b. With a trice in same sense. Obs.
1515. Barclay, Egloges, iii. (1570), B vj/2. Sometime thy bedfelowe is colder then is yse, To him then he draweth thy cloathes with a trice.
a. 1566. R. Edwardes, Damon & Pithias (1571), H j. Now Pithias kneele downe,… And with a trise thy head from thy shoulders I wyll conuny.
1577. Northbrooke, Dicing (1843), 129. The gaine gotten by this playe at dyce, when all is gotten with a trice ouer the thumbe, without anye traficke or loane.
1625. Gonsalvio’s Sp. Inquis., 140. Immediatly after this confession thus by them made, they broke their necks with a trice.
c. In a trice († on a trice) in same sense.
1508. Skelton, P. Sparowe, 1131. To tell you what conceyte I had than in a tryce, The matter were to nyse.
1553. Becon, Reliques of Rome (1563), 266. The Aungells … maye as a man would say in a trise go downe vnto them.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., II. 31/1. Suddenlie … in a trice it skippeth to the top of the rocke.
1610. Shaks., Temp., V. i. 238. On a trice,… Euen in a dreame, were we diuided from them.
1699. Ld. Tarbut, in Pepys’ Diary, etc. (1879), VI. 195. In a trice, from words they came to blows.
1782. Cowper, Gilpin, xxx. In a trice the turnpike-men Their gates wide open threw.
1847. C. Brontë, J. Eyre, xx. I’ll make you decent in a trice.
1872. Black, Adv. Phaeton, ix. A fire is lit in a trice.
† 2. One single attempt or act; the time taken for this; an instant or moment; a very brief period. Obs.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 899/2. Wee shall marueile howe the deuill coulde so deceiue vs at the first trice.
1589. R. Harvey, Pl. Perc. (1590), 5. Stand by a trice, but looke you depart not the court.
1597–8. Bp. Hall, Sat., IV. vii. 57. The whiles the likerous priest spits euery trice.
1605. Shaks., Lear, I. i. 219. That she … should in this trice of time Commit a thing so monstrous.
a. 1618. Raleigh, Advice of Son (1651), 8. Nothing would be so much esteemed as a short trice of time, which now by days, and moneths, and years, is most lavishly misspent.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., 186. By Time … Instant, Moment, Trice, Nick.
