subs. (old: now recognised).—A stickler: spec. (17th century) = a PURITAN (q.v.) in depreciation: also as adj. = punctilious, rigidly exact.—B. E. (c. 1696).
1598. JONSON, Every Man in his Humour, iii. 2. He’s no PRECISIAN, that I’m certain of.
1607. DEKKER, Westward Ho! i. 2. We have the finest schoolmaster, a kind of PRECISIAN, and yet an honest knave too.
1615. HARINGTON, Epigrams, i. 20.
| The man affrighted at this apparision, | |
| Upon recouerie grew a great PRECISION. |
1612. DRAYTON, Poly-Olbion, vi. 301.
| These men (for all the world) like our PRECISIANS be, | |
| Who for some Cross or Saint they in the window see | |
| Will pluck down all the Church. |
1614. R. C., The Times’ Whistle [E.E.T.S.], 10, l. 213.
| You hypocriticall PRECISIANS, | |
| By vulgar phrase entitled Puritanes. |
1647. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, The Custom of the Country, iv. 1.
| He was of Italy, and that country breeds not | |
| PRECISIANS that way, but hot libertines. |
1625. MASSINGER, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, i. 1.
| Well. Verity, you brach! | |
| The devil turn’d PRECISIAN! |
1628. EARLE, Microcosmographie, 2. His fashion and demure Habit gets him in with some Town-PRECISIAN, and maks him a Guest on Fryday nights.
d. 1655. T. ADAMS, Works, II. 465. If a man be a Herod within and a John without, a wicked politician in a ruff of PRECISIAN set, God can distinguish him.
1694. C. GILDON, Miscellaneous Letters and Essays, The Preface. I hope too the Graver Gentlemen, the PRECISIANS, will not be scandaliz’d at my Zeal for the Promotion of Poetry.
1821. SCOTT, Kenilworth, ii. Tony married a pure PRECISIAN … as bitter a PRECISIAN as ever eat flesh in Lent, and a cat-and-dog life she led.
1822. BYRON, The Vision of Judgment, cv. As Welborn says—‘the devil turn’d PRECISIAN.’
1864. ALFORD, A Plea for the Queen’s English, 64. The word ‘devil’ is far more frequently pronounced ‘devvle,’ than ‘de-vill’; indeed, this latter pronunciation, in the mouth of an affected PRECISIAN, is offensive.
1888. R. L. STEVENSON, An Inland Voyage, Epilogue. He is no PRECISIAN in attire.
