subs. (old).—A cheat.
c. 1597. PEELE, Jests, 619. The tapster having many of these LURCHES fell to decay.
1606. T. DEKKER, The Seven Deadly Sinnes of London [GROSART (1886), ii. 52]. Betting, LURCHES, Rubbers and such tricks.
1604. MIDDLETON, The Black Book [in Century]. All such LURCHES, gripes, and squeezes, as may be wrung out by the fist of extortion.
1626. BRETON, Pasquil’s Madcappe [GROSART (1869), I. e, 6, 2, 27].
| How ere his wit may giue the foole THE LURCH, | |
| He is not fit to gouerne in the church. |
Verb. (old).—To steal; to cheat; to trick.
1575. R[ichard] B[ower], Appius and Virginia [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, iv. 150]. Then—gallop to see where her father doth LURCH.
1592. GREENE, The Defence of Conny-catching, in Works, xi. 58. Was not this an old conny catcher M. R. G. that could LURTCH a poore conny of so many thousands at one time?
1593. NASHE, Christe’s Teares [GROSART (1885), iv. 228]. Laughing at the Punies they haue LURCHED.
1596. SHAKESPEARE, Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 1. I … am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to LURCH.
1598. FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes. Imbolare, to filch, to steale, to purloine, LURCHE, to pilfer, to prowle.
1609. JONSON, Epicœne, or the Silent Woman, v. You have LURCHED your friends of the better half of the garland, by concealing this part of the plot.
1662. Rump Songs, i. 210.
| Our Gossips spoons away were LURCHT, | |
| Our Feasts and Fees for Women churcht. |
TO LEAVE IN THE LURCH, verb. phr. (colloquial).—See quot. 1696. Fr. laisser quelqu’un béar. [From cribbage.]
[?]. Robin Hood and the Tinker [CHILD, Ballads, v. 233].
| Robin made them haste away, | |
| And LEFT the tinker IN THE LURCH, | |
| For the great shot to pay. |
1594. NASHE, Have with You to Saffron-Walden [GROSART (1885), iii. 150]. He … LEFT both of them IN THE LURTCH.
1606. The Return from Parnassus, iv., 1 [DODSLEY, Old Plays, 1874, ix. 178]. ’Sblood, a while ago, before he had me IN THE LURCH, who but my cousin Prodigo?
1611. COTGRAVE, Dictionarie, s.v. Il demeura lourche. He was LEFT IN THE LURCH.
1662. Rump Songs, i. 9. And LEAVE US IN THE LURCH.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. LURCHED … LEFT IN THE LURCH. Pawned for the Reckoning or left at Stake to Smart for any Plot.
1725. A New Canting Dictionary, s.v.
1763. North Briton, No. 41, March. [quoted in Notes and Queries, 7 S. iv. 48].
| When John LEAVES Marg’ret IN THE LURCH, | |
| And Presbyterians head the church. |
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
1785. BURNS, The Jolly Beggars, ii. But the godly old chaplain LEFT him IN THE LURCH.
1827. TODD, Johnson’s Dictionary, s.v. LURCH. TO LEAVE IN THE LURCH, a ludicrous phrase.
1858. LADY HOLLAND, Sydney Smith, xcv. Weary will be the latter half of my pilgrimage, if you LEAVE me IN THE LURCH.
1888. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery under Arms, v. It won’t do to LEAVE old dad IN THE LURCH.
TO GIVE A LURCH, verb. phr. (old).—To tell a lie; to deceive.
