sb. (a.) [f. the verbal phr. turn out (TURN v. 75).]
1. A turning out or getting out (of bed, etc.); hence, a call to duty, esp. during one’s period of rest; spec. Mil. a signal to rise (? obs.).
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xix. (Roxb.), 154/2. The seuerall Beates or points of warre are these…. 13. A Turn out.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xxxix. Is he always fit for duty upon a sudden turn-out?
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, xxx. The bugles were sounding the turn-out.
1873. Routledge’s Yng. Gentl. Mag., July, 482/1. A sudden turn-out during his watch below.
2. A withdrawal of workmen from their place of employment by common consent; a strike.
1806. Docum. Hist. Amer. Industr. Soc. (1910), III. 74. In a little time there came a turn-out to raise the wages…. They would grant me no quarters at all, but I must turn out.
1834. Ht. Martineau, Moral, II. 55. To show how tremendous is the waste of capital in a turn-out.
1835. W. White, Jrnls. (1898), 15. Much discussion in shop, relative to the turn-out; refused to join, not in accordance with my principles.
1835. Ure, Philos. Manuf., 283. I have had several turn-outs, and have heard of many more, but never heard of a turn-out for short time.
1837. Whittock, etc., Bk. Trades (1842), 430. A … turn out which proved instructively unavailing, and was utterly disastrous to their funds.
b. One of a body of strikers.
1826. Examiner, 663/2. Skirmishes … between the turn-outs and those whom they call ‘knobsticks.’
1842. R. Oastler, Fleet Papers, II. 286. The failure of ‘the Strike’ will be attributable … to divisions in the camp of the ‘turn-outs.’
1848. Mrs. Gaskell, M. Barton, xxi. One of the poor, maddened turn-outs.
3. Those who turn out or assemble for any purpose; an assemblage, muster; also, a turning out or assembling of persons.
1816. Chalmers, Lett., in Life (1851), II. 78. I met with several people here, and had a turn out of population from several of the houses.
1819. Sporting Mag., V. 54. The circumstances … account … for the small turn-out of sportsmen.
1843. Le Fevre, Life Trav. Phys., III. II. x. 5. Compared with the turn-out in Hyde Park in the season, it sinks into insignificance.
1880. Antrim & Down Gloss., The Hurries, a term for the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Called also the Turn-out.
1901. Scotsman, 1 March, 8/1. The turnout was much larger than might have been expected.
4. A loop-line or siding in a railway or tramway; also, in a narrow road, a part wider than the rest, or a short side road, to enable vehicles to pass one another; a similar place in a canal.
1824. T. G. Cumming, Rail & Tram Roads, 16. A pointer, fixed at the intersection between the principal rail and the turn out,… to open the way into the turn out, and shut that along the road.
1826. Act 7 Geo. IV., c. 49. § 38. Passing-places or turn-outs, for the purpose of enabling waggons, carts, and other carriages drawn along the said [L’pool and Manch.] railway or tram road to pass each other.
1898. Westm. Gaz., 31 May, 6/3. A canal … with locks at each end, and suitable turnouts.
5. A place where animals may be turned out to graze.
1895. Queenslander, 7 Dec., 1090. There was not a turnout for a carrier from Westwood to Tambo, a distance of fully 300 miles,… the marsupials having cleared the pasture off the face of the country.
1901. 19th Cent., July, 59. The collager could get fuel … with a turn-out for a cow, pig,… donkey and geese.
6. A turning or clearing out; a clearance, emptying.
1856. Miss Yonge, Daisy Chain, xiv. You must make interest with Margaret for the turn-out of my pocket to-morrow.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, II. iii. A regular turn-out of the den.
7. The manner in which anything is turned out or equipped; style of equipment; ‘get-up’; also concr. equipment, outfit, array.
1812. Col. Hawker, Diary (1893), I. 46. Their ‘turns-out’ of horses and harness are beggarly.
1825. Sporting Mag., XV. 355. The turn-out of himself and his horse is ‘quite the thing.’
1859. Jephson, Brittany, x. 171. On a holiday … the whole turn-out would be much more dressy.
1883. Harper’s Mag., Aug., 378/2. The parishioners coming to mass in their best turn-outs.
1901. Scotsman, 1 March, 8/1. The significant feature of their turn out, however, was that they carried, not the cavalry carbine, but the infantry service rifle.
b. Tea and turn out (cf. TEA sb. 4), tea and something with it; tea and accompaniments.
1806. Francis, Lett. (1901), II. 638. We brought the Irish custom of suppers into fashion,… for last year they only gave tea and turn out.
1830. H. Angelo, Remin., II. 184. This was not tea and turn out, but tea and walk up stairs.
1858. Ramsay, Remin., v. (1870), 120. I hope you will sport it … at your first tea and turn out.
8. A driving equipage; a carriage with its horse or horses, and other adjuncts. Also transf.
1817. Lady Morgan, France (1818), I. 258. No man … founds his celebrity … upon the superior excellence and appointment of his turn-out.
1842. Thackeray, Sultan Stork, Wks. 1900, V. 750. Egad! what a neat turn-out of a barge!
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., I. xvii. 211. Quite a neat turn-out of sledge and dogs.
1891. ‘J. S. Winter,’ Mrs. Bob, 19. The sort of coachman that you get in London with a turn-out from the job-master’s.
1895. Daily News, 13 July, 5/4. A special prize will be given for the best turn-out of donkey and barrow.
9. The quantity of anything turned out or produced in an industry, etc.; the total product; output.
1879. Spon’s Encycl. Manuf., I. 10. If a large turn-out is necessary, carbonization may be effected in twelve or thirteen hours.
1884. Ld. Bramwell, in Law Rep., 9 App. Cases, 203. The actual turnout was over one million a year.
b. attrib. or as adj. That turns out, or is turned out, in various senses.
1899. Westm. Gaz., 11 Feb., 7/1. A slashed velvet jacket with a Manx turn-out collar.
1908. Daily Chron., 9 Jan., 7/2. The ‘turn-out’ switch rings electric bells in every room in the building [fire station].
1909. Toilers of Deep, Sept., 225/1. As we are working on ‘turn out’ tides, we must be up betimes to embark on the outward turn…. The men turn out … at one o’clock in the morning.
