quoddle 
It seemes it is the fashion with you to sugar your papers 
with Carnation phrases, anil spangle your speeches with 
new quodled words. N. Ward, simple Cooler, p. 89. 
quoddle- (kwod'l), r. i. ; pret. and pp. qmxl- 
illfil. ppi 1 . i/iiiii/d/iiti/. [('!'. iruiMli' ('.).] To p;id- 
ille. 
You will presently see the young eagle mounting into 
the air. the duck quoddKiuj in a pool. 
Bp. SKUingfleet, Origines Sacne, Hi. 1, i 16. 
quoddy (kwod'i), .; pi. >j noddies (-iz). [Abbr. 
of Paasamaquoady.j A kind of largo herring 
found in l j ;issamaquoddy Bay. 
quodlibet (kwod'li-bet), . [= F. quolibet, a 
joke, pun; (. ML. quodlibetuni, a quodlibet, < L. 
qiiiitl/ilii-l (<[mdlil/et), what you please, anything 
you please, anything at all (neut. of qidlibet, 
any one you please, any one at all), < quod, 
what, neut. of qui, who, which, + libt't, impers., 
it pleases. Cf. quillet 2 .'] 1. A scholastic argu- 
mentation upon a subject chosen at will, lout 
almost always theological. These are generally the 
most elaborate and subtle of the works of the scholastic 
doctors. There are about a dozen printed books of quod- 
libets, all written between 1250 and 1350. 
These are your quodlibets, but no learning, brother. 
Fletcher (and another), Elder Brother, H. 1. 
He who, reading on the Heart 
(When all his Quodlibets of Art 
Could not expound its Pulse and Heat), 
Swore he had never felt it beat. 
Prior, Alma, iii. 
2. In music: (a) A fantasia or potpourri, (b) 
A fanciful or humorous harmonic combination 
of two or more well-known melodies: some- 
times equivalent to a Dutch concert. 
quodlibetal (kwod'li-bet-al), a. [< ML. quodli- 
betalis ; as quodlibet + -al.] Consisting of quod- 
libets Quodlibetal question. Same as quodKbet. 
quodlibetarian (kwod"li-be-ta'ri-au), . [< 
ML. quodlibetarius(< qitodlibetum, a 'quodlibet : 
see quodlibet) + -an.] One given to quodlibets 
or argumentative subtleties. 
quodlibetic (kwod-li-bet'ik), a. [< ML. quod- 
libeticun, < quodlibetuni, a quodlibet: see quod- 
libet.~\ 1. Not restrained to a particular sub- 
ject; moved or discussed at pleasure for curi- 
osity or entertainment; pertaining to quodli- 
bets. 
To speak with the schools, it is of quodlibetic applica- 
tion, ranging from least to greatest. Sir W. Hamilton. 
2. Given to niceties and subtle points. 
quodlibetical (kwod-li-bet'i-kal), a. [< quod- 
libetic + -al.] Same as quodlibetal. W. Watson, 
A Decachordon of Ten Quodlibetical Questions. 
quodlibetically (kwod-li-bet'i-kal-i), adv. In 
a quodlibetical manner ; at pleasure ; for curi- 
osity; so as to be debated for entertainment. 
Many positions seem qtmttibetically constituted, and, 
like a Delphian blade, will cut on both sides. 
Sir T. Browne, Christ. Mor., ii. 3. 
quodlingt, quodlint, n. See codling 1 , 2. 
Dol. A fine young quodling. 
Face. O, 
My lawyer's clerk, I lighted on last night. 
B. Jonson, Alchemist, i. 1. 
quod permittat (kwod per-mit'at). [So called 
from these words in the writ: L. quod, which, 
neut. of qni, who ; permittat, 3d pers. sing. pres. 
subj. of permittere, permit: see permit^."] In 
Kiu/. law, a writ (requiring defendant to permit 
plaintiff to, etc.) used to prevent interference 
with the exercise of a right, such as the enjoy- 
ment of common of pasture, or the abatement 
of a nuisance. 
quod vide (kwod vl'de). [L. : quod, which, neut. 
of qui, who; vide, impv. sing, of videre, see.] 
Which see: common, in the abbreviated form 
q. v., after a dictionary-word, book-title and 
page, or the like, to which the reader is thus 
referred for further information. 
quog (kwog), re. Same as quahog. 
quoEog, . Same as quahog. 
quoich, n. Same as quaigh. 
quoift, An obsolete spelling of coif. 
quoiffuret, " An obsolete spelling of coiffure. 
quoilt, An obsolete spelling of coil 1 . 
quoin (koin), n. [< F. coin, an angle, a corner, 
a wedge: see coin 1 .] 1. An external solid 
angle; specifically, in arch, and masonry, the 
external angle of a building. The word is gener- 
ally applied to the separate stones or blocks of which the 
angle is formed ; when these project beyond the general 
surface of the walls, and have their corners chamfered otf, 
they are called rustic quoins or bossaye. 
2. A wedge-like piece of stone, wood, metal, 
or other material, used for various purposes, 
(a) In masonry, a wedge to support and steady a stone. 
(6) In printing, a short blunt wedge used by printers to 
secure the types in a chase or on a galley. Mechanical 
quoins are made of iron in many forms, pressure being 
applied by means of the screw or by combined wedges. 
4921 
Small wedges, called riwniw, are inserted and driven 
fonvaul liy a mallet and a shooting-stick, so that they 
gradually exert increasing pressure upon the type. 
Encyc. Brit., XXIII. 700. 
(c) In gtm-cuUiwj, any one of the four facets on the crown 
of a brilliant ; also, any one of the four facets on the pavil- 
ion or base. These facets divide each portion of the bril- 
liant into four parts. Also called lozenge. See cut un- 
der brilliant, (a) fiaut., a wedge placed beneath a cask 
when stowed on shipboard, to prevent it from rolling, (e) 
In gun., a wooden wedge used to hold a gun at a desired 
elevation. Can tick-quoin. Same as canting-coin. 
quoin (koiu), *. t. [< quoin, n.] To wedge, 
steady, or raise with quoins, as a stone in 
building a wall, the types in a chase, etc. : gen- 
erally with up. See quoin, it., 2. 
"They [flat stones] are exactly what I want for my wall 
just the thing (or quoinimj up." What Mr. Grey meant 
by qnmninrj up was filling in the spaces under the large 
stones when they did not fit exactly to those below them, 
and thus wedging them up to their proper level. 
Jacob Abbott, Wallace, vii. 
quoin-post (koin'post), . In hydraul. engin., 
the heel-post of a lock-gate. E. H. Knight. 
quoit (kwoit), v. [Also coit; < ME. coiten,coyten, 
< OP. coiter, cottier, quoitier, cuiter, press, push, 
hasten, incite, prob. < L. coactare, force, freq. of 
cogere, compel : see cogent. Cf. quafl ; cf. also 
quail 2 , ult. < L. coagulare.] I. trans. To throw 
as a quoit; throw. 
Quoit him down, Bardolph. Shak., 2 Hen. IV., ii. 4. 206. 
Hundreds of tarred and burning hoops were skilfully 
quoited around the necks of the soldiers, who struggled in 
vain to extricate themselves from these fiery ruffs. 
Motley, Dutch Republic, II. 46S. 
II. intrans. To throw quoits; play at quoits. 
For Python slain, he Pythian games decreed, 
Where noble youths for mastership should strive, 
To quoit, to run, and steeds and chariots drive. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., i. 600. 
quoit (kwoit), . [Also coit, 
also dial, quait; < ME. coite, 
coyte; cf. quoit, v.] 1. A 
flattish ring of iron, used in 
playing a kind of game. It is 
generally from 8J to 9} inches in ex- 
ternal diameter, and between 1 and 
2 inches in breadth, convex on the 
upper side and slightly concave on when the quoit is skil- 
the under side, so that the outer fully pitched, cuts into 
edge curves downward, and is sharp th ; . ea " h ; ':. t l l "; 1 , b " 
enough to cut into soft ground. ** ^ 
He willed vs also himselfe to sit 
downe before him the distance of a 
quoit's cast from his tent. 
UaMuyt's Voyages, I. 355. 
'Tis not thine to hurl the distant dart, 
The quoit to toss, the pond'rous mace to wield, 
Or urge the race, or wrestle on the field. 
Pope, Iliad, jniil. 713. 
Formerly in the country the rustics, not having the 
round perforated quoits to play with, used horse-shoes, 
and in many places the quoit itself, to this day, is called a 
shoe. Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 142. 
2. pi. The game played with such rings. Two 
pins, called hobs, are driven part of their length into the 
ground some distance apart ; and the players, who are 
divided into two sides, stand beside one hob, and in regu- 
lar succession throw their quoits (of which each player 
has two) as near the other hob as they can. The side 
which has the quoit nearest the hob counts a point toward 
game, or, if the quoit is thrown so as to surround the hob, 
it counts two. The game only slightly resembles the an- 
cient exercise of throwing the discus, which has, however, 
been often translated by this English word. 
Quoit. 
Itral ope 
marginal edge. 
'.central opening; /', 
, which, 
by 
thrower is enabled to 
give the quoit a spin- 
ning motion on an axis 
at right angles with the 
marginal edge. 
A' plays at quoits well. 
SAot.,2Hen. IV., ii. 4. 266. 
The game of quoits, or coits, ... is more moderate, be- 
cause this exercise does not depend so much upon supe- 
rior strength as upon superior skill. 
Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 141. 
3. A quoit-shaped implement used as a weapon 
of war; a discus. Those used by the Sikhs are of 
polished steel with sharp edges, and are sometimes richly 
ornamented with damascening or the like. 
quoivest, Plural of quoif, an old form of coif. 
QUO jure (kwo jo're). [So called from these 
words in the writ : L. quo, by what, abl. sing. 
neut. of quis, who, which, what; jure, abl. sing. 
of jug, law, right.] In law, a writ which for- 
merly lay for him who had land wherein an- 
other challenged common of pasture time out 
of mind : it was to compel him to show by what 
title he challenged it. Wharton. 
quokt, quoket. Obsolete strong preterits of 
quoll (kwol), w. [Australian.] An Australian 
marsupial mammal, Dasyurus macrurus. 
quo minus (kwo mi'nus). [So called from these 
words in the writ : L. quo, by which, abl. sing. 
of quod, which, neut. of qui, who; minus, less: 
see minus.] An old English writ, used in a suit 
complaining of a grievance which consisted 
in diminishing plaintiff's resources, as for in- 
stance, waste committed by defendant on land 
quota 
from which plaintiff had a ri^hl to take wood or 
hay. The Court of Exchequer, whose original jurisdiction 
related tn the Treasury, acquired its jurisdiction between 
private suitors by allowing a plaintitt' by the use of this 
writ to allege that, by reason of the defendant's not paying 
the debt sued for, the plaintiff was less able (quo minus) 
to discharge his obligations to the crown. 
quondam (kwon'dam), a. and . [L., formerly, 
< quoin, cum, when, + -dam, a demonstr. par- 
ticle.] I. a. Having teen formerly ; former : 
as, one's quondam friend; a yvoitmm school- 
master. 
This is the quondam king. SAa*., 3 Hen. VI., iii. 1. 23. 
Farewell, my hopes ! my anchor now is broken : 
Farewell, my quondam Joys, of which no token 
Is now remaining. 
Beau, and Fl., Woman-Hater, iii. 2. 
II. n. A person formerly in an office; a person 
ejected from an office or a position. 
Make them quondams, out with them, cast them out of 
their office. Latimer, 4th Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1549. 
As yet there was never learned man, or any scholar or 
other, that visited us since we came into Bocardo, which 
now in Oxford may be called a college of quondams. 
Dp. Kidley, in Bradford's Letters (Parker Soc., 1853), II. 84. 
quondamshipt (kwon'dam-ship), n. [< quon- 
dam, + -ship.] The state of being a quondam. 
As for my quondamship, I thank God that he gave me 
the grace to come by it by so honest a means. 
Latimer, 4th Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1549. 
Quoniam (kwo'ni-am), n. [So called from the 
initial word in the L. version : L. quoniam, since 
now, although, < quom, cum, when, since, + 
jam, now.] 1. In the Bom. Cath. liturgy: (a) 
A part of the Gloria. (6) A musical setting of 
the words of the above. 2f. [i. c.] A sort of 
drinking-cup. 
Out of can, quoniam, or jourdan. 
Healy, Disc, of Kew World, p. 69. (Nares.) 
quont, n. See quant. 
quookt, quooket. Obsolete preterits and past 
participles of quake. 
quorlt, ' A Middle English form of whirl. 
quorum (kwo'rum), . [Formerly also corum; 
< L. quorum, 'of whom,' gen. pi. of qui. who: 
see who. In commissions, etc., written in Latin, 
it was common, after mentioning certain per- 
sons generally, to specify one or more as always 
to be included, in such phrases as quorum mium 
A. B, esse volmnus (of whom we will that A. B. 
be one) ; such persons as were to be in all cases 
necessary therefore constituted a quorum.] 1 . 
In England, those justices of the peace whose 
presence is necessary to constitute a bench. 
Among the justices of the peace it was formerly custom- 
ary to name some eminent for knowledge and prudence 
to be of the quorum ; but the distinction is now practically 
obsolete, and all justices are generally "of the quorum." 
He that will not cry " amen " to this, let him live sober, 
seem wise, and die o' the corum. 
Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, i. 2. 
I must not omit that Sir Roger is a justice of the quorum. 
Addison, Spectator, No. 2. 
2. The number of members of any constituted 
body of persons whose presence at or partici- 
pation in a meeting is required to render its 
proceedings valid, or to enable it to transact 
business legally. If no special rule exists, a majority 
of the members is a quorum ; but in a body of consider- 
able size the quorum may by rule be much less than a ma- 
jority or in a smaller one much more. Forty members 
constitute a quorum or "house" in the British House of 
Commons. 
In such cases, two thirds of the whole number of Sena- 
tors are necessary to form a quorum. 
Calhoun, Works, I. 175. 
Others [regulations] prescribe rules for the removal of 
unworthy members, and guard against the usurpation of 
individuals by fixing a quorum. 
Stubbs, Const. Hist., 367. 
3f. Requisite materials. 
Here the Dutchmen found fullers' earth, a precious 
treasure, whereof England hath, if not more, better than 
all Christendom besides ; a great commodity of the quo- 
ruin to the making of good cloath. 
Fuller, Ch. Hist, III. ix. 12. (Daviee.) 
Quorum of Twelve, or Quorum, a name given collec- 
tively to the twelve apostles in the Mormon Church. See 
MormonV. 
quostt, ". An obsolete spelling of coast. 
quota (kwo'ta), . [< It. quota, a share, < L. 
quota (sc. pars), fern, of quohis, of what num- 
ber, how many, < quot, how many, as many as, 
akin to qui.] A proportional part or snare; 
share or proportion assigned to each ; any re- 
quired or proportionate single contribution to 
a total sum, number, or quantity. 
They never once furnished their quota either of ships or 
men. Swift, Conduct of the Allies. 
The power of raising armies, by the most obvious con- 
struction of the articles of the confederation, is merely a 
power of making requisitions upon the states for quotas of 
men. A. Ililiiiiltxn, Federalist, No. 22. 
