To yield, to collapse physically or morally.
1837–40. He warn’t a goin’ to cave in that way.—‘Sam Slick,’ p. 55. (N.E.D.)
1848. The South-Western and Western Locos, it is thought, will cave in.—N.Y. Tribune, March 4 (Bartlett).
1848. Bimeby the old hardshell caved in for want of breth, and all the rest of the way he was hockin and hemin, and tryin to git the dust and sinders out of his wind-pipe.—W. T. Thompson, ‘Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel,’ p. 30 (Phila.).
1850. When northern territory was the question, at the first growl of the British lion the South “caved in.”—Mr. Van Dyke of N.J., House of Repr., March 4: Cong. Globe, p. 323, Appendix.
1852. The result of [this movement] will be a universal “caving in” upon the part of Southern Whigs to the support of General Scott.—Mr. Fitch of Indiana, the same, May 17: id., p. 1385.
1853. It goes agin my grit for Hardscrabble to cave in to Dogtown, when we could knock the hindsights off ’em, if we was only a mind to.—Durivage, ‘Life Scenes,’ p. 43.
a. 1853. Another half year has caved in,—collapsed into eternity.—Dow, Jun., ‘Patent Sermons,’ iii. 196.
1854. He ’d seen a fellow cave right in under one on ’em, and come out as cow’d as a whipt spaniel.—H. H. Riley, ‘Puddleford,’ p. 86 (N.Y.).
1856. Both these worthy gentlemen, to use the language of their conquerors, ‘caved in.’—H. B. Stowe, ‘Dred,’ chap. liv.
1856. One never knew whether to laugh or cave in to dignity, when she thus arose and went forth.—Knick. Mag., xlviii. 505 (Nov.).
1857. Here the preacher caved in, completely done up.—Id., xlix. 276 (March).
1857. His patience and his temper at last caved in, and seizing his opponent by the neck with his left hand, and thrusting him down upon the ground, he began very deliberately to cuff him with his right, in a way that seemed anything but pleasant to the individual upon whom his cuffs were bestowed.—S. H. Hammond, ‘Wild Northern Scenes,’ p. 94.
1858. You might just as well “cave in,” first as last.—J. G. Holland, ‘Titcomb’s Letters,’ p. 141.
