Square

adj., verb., and adv. SQUARE, like ROUND (q.v.), has lived many lives in slang: in fact, it has ‘boxed the compass,’ and now means the antipodes of what it meant in Shakespeare’s time.

  Verb. (old).—1.  To disagree, to quarrel or be at variance: hence SQUARER = a quarreller; while OUT OF SQUARE = (1) at variance, and (2) dishonest; TO BREAK (or BREED) SQUARES = to give offence; AT SQUARE = angry, at enmity; TO SQUARE UP TO = to assume a fighting attitude (BEE); TO SQUARE UP AND DOWN = to strut; TO SEE HOW SQUARES GO = to watch events, ‘to see how the cat will jump.’

  1551.  State Trials, ‘Gardiner,’ 5 Ed. VI. He said he had often SQUARED WITH me but he loved me never the worse.

  1555.  R. EDEN to Francisco Lopez [tr. R. EDEN, The First Three English Books on America (ARBER), 346]. Albeit Herodotus in his Melpomeme, scorneth them that make Europe and Asia equall: affirmynge that Europe in longitude is equal to Asia and Afrike: and that it passeth them in latitude, wherein he speaketh not greatly OWT OF SQUARE.

  1577.  HOLINSHED, History of England, iv. 8. She falling AT SQUARE with hir husband.

  1578.  WHETSTONE, Promos and Cassandra, ii. 4.

  1592.  SHAKESPEARE, Midsummer Night’s Dream, ii. 1. And now, they never meet … But they do SQUARE. Ibid. (1593), Titus Andronicus, ii. 1, 100. Are you such fools To SQUARE FOR this. Ibid. (1600), Much Ado about Nothing, i. 1, 82. Is there no young SQUARER now that will make a voyage with him to the devil. Ibid. (1608), Antony and Cleopatra, iii. 11. Mine honesty and I begin TO SQUARE.

  1592.  GREENE, A Quip for an Upstart Courtier. To SQUARE it UP AND DOWNE the streetes before his Mistresse.

  1594.  HOOKER, Ecclesiastical Polity, iii. 1. In St. Paul’s time the integrity of Rome was famous; Corinth many ways reproved; they of Galatia much more OUT OF SQUARE.

  d. 1612.  HARINGTON, Epigrams, I. 37. Once, by mishap, two Poets fell a-SQUARING.

  d. 1657.  W. BRADFORD, History of Plymouth Plantation, 268. At length they … resolved to send Mr. Winslow … into England, TO SEE HOW YE SQUARS WENTE.

  1696.  SIR R. L’ESTRANGE, Æsop, 19. One Frog … look’d about him, TO SEE HOW SQUARES WENT with their New King. Ibid., 150. It shall BREAK NO SQUARES whether it be so or not.

  1902.  Daily Mail, 13 Nov., 3, 4. The men SQUARED UP to each other, and Martin struck Drew a violent blow in the face which felled him.

  2.  (colloquial).—To be entirely in agreement, to arrange, to accommodate. Whence ON (or UPON) THE SQUARE (or SQUARELY, adv.) = absolutely dependable; ALL SQUARE (or SQUARES) = all right; SQUARE TO (BY THE SQUARE, or IN SQUARE) = suitable, exact, in amity or agreement; TO KEEP SQUARE = to lead a straight life. Also in combination: amongst others, SQUARE BACKDOWN = a palpable retreat; SQUARE PIECE = a decent girl; SQUARE ANSWER = an unmistakable reply; SQUARE CLOBBER = respectable clothes; SQUARE CRIB = ‘a house of good repute’ (GROSE); SQUARE TATS = honest dice; SQUARE DRINKER = a steady toper; SQUARE EATER = a hearty feeder; SQUARE THING = the truth: see quot. 1785: also SQUARE HEAD (thieves’) = an honest man; SQUARE MEAL = a substantial repast; SQUARE PLAY = fair play; SQUARE-RIGGED = well-dressed, &c., &c.

  1589.  PUTTENHAM, Art of English Poesie [ARBER], 113. A constant minded man, euen egal and direct on all sides, and not easily ouerthrowne by euery little aduersitie … a SQUARE MAN.

  1604.  SHAKESPEARE, Winter’s Tale, v. 1.

  1611.  COTGRAVE, Dictionarie, s.v. Vn ferial beuveur. A SQUARE DRINKER … one that will take his liquor soundly.

  1616.  FLETCHER, Bonduca, ii. 3.

  1628.  FORD, The Lover’s Melancholy, iv. 2.

  16[?].  MILTON, A Defence of the People of England, x. They chose rather to be lorded over once more by a tyrant … than endure their brethren and friends to be UPON THE SQUARE with them.

  1640.  SHIRLEY, Love’s Cruelty, ii. 3.

  1642.  SIR T. BROWNE, Religio Medici, i. 5. There is no Church whose every part so SQUARES unto my conscience.

  1644–5.  HOWELL, Familiar Letters, I. vi. 46. He could never SQUARE well with his Eminence the Cardinal.

  1662.  FULLER, Worthies, I. xv. Both being put together may SQUARE out the most eminent of the ancient gentry in some tolerable proportion.

  1677.  WYCHERLEY, The Plain Dealer, i. 1. Telling truth is … as prejudicial to a man that would thrive in the world as SQUARE PLAY to a cheat.

  1692.  DRYDEN, Juvenal, iii. 179. We live not ON THE SQUARE with such as these.

  d. 1704.  T. BROWN, Works, i. 46. If they dealt SQUARELY with me they’d scarce at all wonder.

  d. 1718.  PENN, ‘To his Wife and Children’ [Century]. Keep UPON THE SQUARE, for God sees you.

  1726.  VANBRUGH, The Provoked Husband, v. 1. Marriage is at worst but playing UPON THE SQUARE.

  1782.  COWPER, Charity, 559.

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. SQUARE. All fair, upright and honest practices are called THE SQUARE, in opposition to the cross. A … person who is considered by the world to be honest, and who is unacquainted with family people, and their system of operation, is by the latter emphatically styled a SQUARE COVE; whereas an old thief who has acquired an independence, and now confines himself to SQUARE practices is called, by his old pals, a flash cove who has tyed up prigging.

  1809.  MALKIN, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 86. I never split hairs, but deal UPON THE SQUARE.

  1823.  BADCOCK (‘Jon Bee’), Dictionary of the Turf, etc., s.v. SQUARE … Anything you have bought, or acquired honestly, is termed a SQUARE ARTICLE; and any transaction which is fairly and equitably conducted, is said to be a SQUARE CONCERN.

  1826–9.  G. OLIVER, Signs and Symbols, 190. You must keep within the compass, and act UPON THE SQUARE with all mankind; for your Masonry is but a dead letter if you do not habitually perform its reiterated injunctions.

  1864.  C. F. BROWNE (‘Artemus Ward’), Among the Mormons [Works (1890), 231]. That was the SQUAREST meal on the road except at Weber. Ibid., 288. A good SQUARE, lively fite.

  1866.  G. ELIOT, Felix Holt, xx. If a man’s got a bit of property … he’ll want to keep things SQUARE, Ibid. (1866), xxi. ‘Was the marriage all right then?’ ‘O, all ON THE SQUARE—civil marriage, church—everything.’

  1866.  The London Miscellany, 3 March, 57, 2, ‘London Revelations.’ We don’t want no one took in that’s ON THE SQUARE. The governor’s promised the school as strangers shant use the house.

  1869.  A. K. MCCLURE, Three Thousand Miles through the Rocky Mountains, 30. The transition from the luxurious tables of the East to the ‘SQUARE MEALS’ of the West is, fortunately, gradual.

  1885.  The Field, 3 Oct. James again brought matters SQUARE on the fifth. Ibid. (1886), 25 Sept. Mr. Laidlay won with six, and SQUARED matters.

  1886.  Daily Telegraph, 17 Feb., 5. The question will now come SQUARELY before the House.

  1887.  W. E. HENLEY, Villon’s Straight Tip to all Cross Coves.

  1896.  LILLARD, Poker Stories, 240. The games played there were not what are known as SQUARE games.

  1900.  FLYNT, Tramping with Tramps, 278. But I ’ve given many a lad a ride, and I ’m always willing to be square to a SQUARE PLUG [fellow].

  1901.  W. S. WALKER, In the Blood, 106. His SQUARE-CLOBBER or respectable clothes. Ibid., 259. I don’t call it actin’ ON THE SQUARE to Susie.

  3.  (colloquial).—To bribe; to pay. Thus TO SQUARE MATTERS = to pay off: also TO SQUARE THE YARDS (nautical); TO SQUARE UP = to settle a bill.

  1835.  R. H. DANA, Jr., Two Years Before the Mast, xxvi. Many a delay and vexation … did he get to pay up the old scores, or ‘SQUARE THE YARDS with the bloody quill-driver.’

  1845.  B. DISRAELI, Sybil; or, The Two Nations, III. 2. There will be enough to pay all our debts and pay us all SQUARE.

  1859.  LEVER, Davenport Dunn, xi. The horses he had ‘nobbled,’ the jockeys SQUARED, the owners ‘hocussed.’

  1886.  Globe, 10 March. They have squandered enormous sums of money in SQUARING a huge army of committee men, collectors, and other hangers-on.

  1889.  HUXLEY, The Value of Witness to the Miraculous [Popular Science Monthly, xxxv. Sept., 609]. How Deusdona was ‘SQUARED,’ and what he got for his not very valuable complicity in these transactions does not appear.

  1893.  P. H. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, v. To show you mean it stand a couple of shants of bevarly TO SQUARE the boys.

  4.  (colloquial).—To assume a rigid or set attitude: as TO SQUARE ONE’S SHOULDERS = (1) to stand (or sit) bolt upright, and (2) to show disgust; TO SQUARE ONE’S ELBOWS = to give free play in driving (BEE); TO SIT SQUARE = to sit straight; TO SQUARE OUT = to lay out; TO SQUARE ROUND = to make room.

  1850.  THACKERAY, Pendennis, xxxviii. ‘Wanted to fight the Frenchman’;… and he laughed, and he SQUARED with his fists.

  1854.  W. COLLINS, Hide and Seek, i. 12. Here Zack came in with the gloves on, ‘SQUARING’ on the most approved prize-fighter principles as he advanced.

  1861.  DICKENS, Great Expectations, xliii. I planted myself side by side with Mr. Drummie, my shoulders SQUARED and my back to the fire.

  1878.  R. L. STEVENSON, An Inland Voyage, 50. He who can sit SQUAREST on a three-legged stool, he it is who has the wealth and glory. Ibid., Epilogue. He again SQUARED his elbows over his writing.

  5.  MISCELLANEOUS PHRASES.—TO SQUARE THE CIRCLE = to achieve the impossible; ‘How go SQUARES?’ = ‘How do you do?’; A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE = anything misplaced or incongruous; STRAIGHT DOWN THE CROOKED LANE AND ALL ROUND THE SQUARE = a humorous way of setting a man on his word; ALL FAIR AND SQUARE = above board, dependable.