sleeve 
of the nineteenth century. Mandarin Sleeve. See man- 
darin. Ridged Sleeve. See ridge. To hang or pin 
(anything) upon the Sleeve, to make (anything) depen- 
dent. 
It is not for a man which doth know, or should know, 
what orders, and what peaceable government requireth, 
to ask why we should hang our judgement upon the 
church's sleeve, and why in matters of orders more than in 
matters of doctrine. Hooker, Eccles. Polity. 
To hang upon one's sleeve, to be dependent upon one. 
To have in one's sleeve, to have in hand ready lor a 
vacancy or emergency ; be provided with or have ready to 
present as occasion demands. [The sleeve was formerly 
used as a pocket, as it still is in China, Japan, etc.] 
The better to winne his purposes & good aduantages, as 
now A then to haue a iourney or sicknesse in his sleeue, 
thereby to shake of other importunities of greater conse- 
quence. Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 251. 
To laugh in one's sleeve. See laugh. To wear one's 
heart upon one's sleeve. See heart. 
sleeve 1 (slev), v. t. ; pret. and pp. sleeved, ppr. 
sleeving. [< ME. sleven; < sleeve 1 , n.] 1. To 
furnish with a sleeve or with sleeves ; make 
with sleeves. Prompt. Parr., p. 459. 2. To 
put in a sleeve or sleeves. 
sleeve 2 , . and v. See sleave. 
sleeve-axle (slev'ak 'si), . A hollow axle which 
runs upon a shaft. E. H. Knight. 
sleeve-board (slev'bord), n. The board used 
by tailors in pressing sleeves. 
There 's a celebrated fight in that [ballet] between the 
tailor with his sleeve-board and goose and the cobbler 
with his clam and awl. 
Slayhew, London Labour and London Poor, III. 146. 
sleeve-button (slev'bufn), . A button used 
to fasten a sleeve ; in modern costume, a button 
or stud, usually large and decorative, to hold 
together the two sides of the wristband or cuff ; 
by extension, a sleeve-link. 
sleeve-coupling (slev'kup"ling), n. See coup- 
ling. 
sleeved (slevd), a. Having sleeves: especially 
noting a garment Sleeved waistcoat, a body-gar- 
ment resembling a waistcoat, but with long sleeves, usual- 
ly of a different material from the front of the garment, 
and intended to cover the shirt-sleeves when the coat is 
removed. This garment is worn in Europe by hostlers, 
bootblacks, porters, and the like. Also sleeve -waistcoat. 
sleeve-fish (slev'fish), . The pen-fish, cala- 
mary, or squid. See calamary and Loligo. 
sleeve-handt (slev'hand), . The part of the 
sleeve next the hand; also, the wristband or 
cuff. 
You would think a smock were a she-angel, he so chants 
to the sleeve-hand and the work about the square on 't. 
Shak., W. T., Iv. 4. 211. 
sleeve-knot (slev'not), n. A knot or bow of 
ribbon attached to the sleeve. Compare shoul- 
der-knot. 
sleeveless (slev'les), . [< ME. slereles, < AS, 
slefleds, sleeveless, < slef, sleeve, -I- -leas = E. 
-less.] 1. Having no sleeves; without sleeves: 
noting a garment. 
We give you leave to converse with sleeveless gowns and 
threadbare cassocks. Randolph, Hey for Honesty, ii. 4. 
2. Imperfect; inadequate; fruitless; unprofit- 
able ; bootless. [The original turn of thought in this 
use of sleeveless is uncertain. The use remains only in the 
phrase a sleeveless errand, where the connection of the ad- 
jective with sleeveless in def. 1 is no longer recognized.) 
Neither faine for thy selfe any sleeuelesse excuse, where- 
by thou maist tarrye. Lyly, Euphues, Anat. of Wit, p. 114. 
A sleeveless errand. Shak., T. and C., v. 4. 9. 
[He] will walk seven or eight times a-day through the 
street where she dwells, and make sleeveless errands to 
see her. Burton, Anat of Mel., p. 499. 
sleeve-link (slev'liugk), . Two buttons, plates, 
or bars united by a link or short chain, and 
serving to hold together the two edges of the 
cuff or wristband : a common adjunct of men's 
dress in the nineteenth century. Compare 
sleeve-button. 
Sleeve-nut (slev'nut), n. A double nut which 
has right-hand 
and left-hand 
threads for 
attaching the 
joint-ends of 
rods Or tubes; Sleeve-nut. 
a union. E. H. . "t "i< r f s or P'P" 5 to ** j'n<*i. having a 
. ' right-hand screw and a' a left-hand screw, to 
JjL.nigtlt. which screws the right and left sleeve-nut b 
sleeve -waist- isfitted 
coat (slev'wast'kot), n. Same as sleeved waist- 
coat (which see, under sleeved). 
At intervals, these street-sellers dispose of a sleeve- 
waistcoat at from 4s. ed. to 6. 
Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, I. 435. 
sleeve-weight (slev'wat), M. A metal weight 
of such shape as to be easily adjusted to the 
edge or bottom of long, hanging sleeves, used 
to keep them smooth during wear. 
5692 
sleezy, . See xi^i-ij. 
sleght, a. A Middle English form of uly. 
sleghtt. An old spelling of slight, sleight?. 
sleidedt, a. [Origin obscure ; usually referred 
to slfij, A'/fli/ 2 .] Unwoven; untwisted, as silk. 
For certaine in our storie, she 
Would eutr with Marina be. 
Beet when they weaude the deded silke, 
With Angers long, small, white as milke. 
Shak., Pericles, iv., Prol., 1. 21 (original spelling). 
sleigh 1 (sla), n, [A bad spelling, conformed to 
weigh, of what should rather have been spelled 
*slay or *sley, < ME. scleye, < OP. 'escleie, < MD. 
slede, D. slede, contr. slee (= Norw. slede), a 
sled: see sled 1 , of which sleigh is thus a doub- 
let.] 1. A vehicle, mounted on runners, for 
a '* 
Single-horse Sleigh or Cutter. 
a. runners ; b, shoes ; c. shafts or thills ; d, braces ; t, body ; /, cush- 
ioned seat ; g, dash-board ; A, raves. 
transporting persons on the snow or ice ; a 
sled. 
Than most the! let carye here Vitaylle upon the Yse, 
with Carres that have no Wheeles, that thei clepen 
Scleyes. Mandeville, Travels, p. 130. 
You hear the merry tinkle of the little bells which an- 
nounce the speeding sleigh. Eelee. Rev. (Imp. Diet.) 
2. A form of drag-carriage for the transport of 
artillery in countries where much snow falls ; 
also, the carriage on which heavy guns are 
moved when in store, by means of rollers placed 
underneath the carriage and worked by hand- 
spikes. 3. The slender fore part of the lower 
jaw of a whale, containing the teeth : same as 
coach, 5. See pan 1 , 12. 
sleigh 1 (sla), v. i. [< sleigh 1 , n.] To drive or 
take the air in a sleigh. 
sleigh 2 !, a. A Middle English form of sly. 
sleigh-bell (sla'bel), H. A bell, commonly con- 
sisting of a hollow ball of metal having a slit 
or oblong hole in the exterior, and containing 
a solid pellet of metal which causes a ringing 
sound when the ball is agitated. Compare gre- 
lot and hawk-bell. Such bells are used especially to 
give notice of the approach of a sleigh, being attached 
usually to the harness of the horse. Sleigh-bell duck, 
the American black scoter. See cut under (Edemia. O. 
Trumtndl, 1888. [Rangeley Lakes, Maine.] 
sleigher (sla'er), . One who rides or travels 
in a sleigh. 
The sleigher can usually find his way without difficulty 
in the night, unless a violent snowstorm is In progress. 
Elect. Rev. (Amer.), XI. xjdl. 8. 
sleighing (sla'ing), . [Verbal n. of sleigh 1 , p.] 
1. The act of riding in a sleigh. 
Certainly no physical delight can harvest so many last- 
ing impressions of color and form and beautiful grouping 
as sleighing through the winter woods. 
Scribiier's Mag., IV. 649. 
2. The state of the snow which admits of run- 
ning sleighs : as, the sleighing was bad. 
sleighlyt, adv. A Middle English form of slyly. 
Chaucer. 
sleigh-ride (sla'rid), n. A ride in a sleigh. 
Nantucket sleigh-ride, the towing of a whale-boat by 
the whale. Macy; Davis. 
sleight (slit), n. [Early mod. E. also slight, 
sleyghte; < ME. sleight, sleighte, sleigte, sleghte, 
sleht, sleigthe, slegthe, slehthe, steythe, sleithe, 
slithe, slythe, < Icel. slsegdh (for *skegdh), sly- 
ness, cunning (= Sw. slojd, dexterity, mechan- 
ical art. esp. wood-carving, > E. sloid), < sleegr 
(for "sleegr), sly, = Sw. slog, dexterous, expert, 
etc. : see sly. Cf . height and high.'} If. Cun- 
ning; craft; subtlety. 
It is ful hard to halten unespied 
Bifor a crepul, for he can the craft : 
Youre fader is in sleighte as Argus-eyed. 
Chaucer, Troilus, IT. 1459. 
Nowe sen thy fadir may the fende be sotill sleghte. 
York Plays, p. 181. 
By this crafty deuise he thought to haue . . . taken, 
eyther by sleyghte or force, as many of owre men as myght 
hane redeemed hym. 
Peter Martyr (tr. in Eden's First Books on America, 
[ed. Arber, p. 81). 
This is your doing, but, for all your sleight, 
He crosse you if my purpose hit aright. 
Heywood, Fair Maid of the Exchange (Works, 1874, II. 7X 
2. Skill; dexterity; cleverness. 
slender 
For the plssemyres wolde assaylen hem and devouml 
htm anon; so that no man may gete of that gold but In- 
grete sleighte. Mandeville, Travels, p. 301. 
Thus may ye seen that wisdom ne richesse, 
Beaute ne sleighte, strengthe ne hardynesse, 
Ne may with Venus holde champartye. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1090. 
As Ulysses and stout Diomede 
With sleight and manhood stole to Rhesus' tents, 
And brought from thence the Thracian fatal steeds. 
Shale., 3 Hen. VI., iv. 2. 20. 
3. Art; contrivance; trick; stratagem; artful 
feat. 
Lo whiche sleightex and subtilitees 
In wommen ben ! 
Chaucer, Prol. to Squire's Tale, 1. S. 
He goeth about by his sleights and subtile means to frus- 
trate the same. Latimer, Sermon of the Plough. 
He learns sharp-witted logic to confute 
With quick distinctions, sleights of sophistry. 
Ford, Fame's Memorial. 
You see he [a trout) lies still, and the sleight is to land 
him. /. Walton, Complete Angler, p. 76. 
4. A feat or trick so skilfully or dexterously 
performed as to deceive the beholder; a feat 
of magic ; a trick of legerdemain. 
As lookers-on feel most delight 
That least perceive a juggler's sleight. 
S. Butler, Hudibras, II. Hi. 4. 
The Juggler . . . showeth sleights, out of a Purse. 
Boole, tr. of Comenius's Visible World, p. 186. 
Sleight of hand, the tricks of the juggler; jugglery; 
legerdemain ; prestidigitation : also used attributively. 
Will ye see any feats of activity, 
Some sleight-qf'hand, legerdemain ? 
Fletcher, Beggar's Bush, ill. 1. 
A good sleight-of-hand performer can deceive the most 
watchful persons by mechanical contrivances that nobody 
anticipates or suspects. The Nation, XLVIII. 298. 
Sleight 2 ! (slit), a. [Irreg. < sleight 2 , n., appar. 
suggested by slight 1 , a.] Deceitful; artful. 
Spells . . . 
Of power to cheat the eye with sleight illusion. 
Milton, Comus, 1. 156 (MS. Trin. Coll. Camb.). (Richardson.) 
8leightfult(slit'ful),a. [< sleigh ft + -ful.] Cun- 
ning; crafty; artful; skilful. Also slightful. 
Wilde beasts forsooke their dens on woody nils, 
And sleighi/ul otters left the purling rils. 
W. Browne, Britannia's Pastorals, il. 4. 
sleightilyt (sli'ti-li), adi: Craftily. 
Sleightyt (sli'ti), a. [< ME. sleyghty; < sleight* 
+ -y 1 .] 1. Cunning; crafty; tricky; artful; sly. 
When that gander grasythe on the grene, 
The sleyghty fox dothe hys brode beholde. 
Bookeqf Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.),i. 83. 
2. Dexterous; skilful; expert; clever. 
I shall learn thee to know Christ's plain and true mira- 
cles from the deiyhty juggling of these crafty conveyers. 
Tyndale, Ans. to Sir T. More, etc. (Parker Soc., 1850), p. 262. 
Mens sleyghtye iugling & counterfait crafts. 
Bp. Gardiner, True Obedience (trans.), fol. 6. 
slelyt, nrfr. A Middle English form of slyly. 
slent, r. t. A Middle English form of slayl. 
Slender (slen'der), a. [< ME. slender, slenilir, 
slendyr, slendre, sclender. sclendre, sklendre, < OP. 
esclendre,( MD. slinder, slender, thin; prob. orig. 
'trailing,' akin to MD. slinder, a water-snake, 
LG. slender, a trailing gown, G. schlender, the 
train of a gown, a sauntering gait; from the 
verb represented by MD. slinderen, creep, = 
LG. slindern, slide on the ice, slendern, > G. 
schlendem, saunter, loiter, lounge, in part a 
freq. form of the simple G. schlenzen, loiter, 
idle about, = Sw. slinta, slide, slip, > ME. slen- 
ten, slide (see slant and slinkl); but ult. prob. 
a nasalized form of the verb represented by E. 
slide: see slide.] 1. Small in width or diameter 
as compared with the length; slim; thin: as, a 
slender stem or stalk; a slender waist. 
Hire armes longe and sclendre. 
Chaucer, Merchant's Tale, 1. 358. 
Concerning his Body, he [Henry IV.] was of middle Stat- 
ure, slender Limbs, but well proportioned. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 165. 
There is a Roman Greek church here, called Saint Sophia, 
in which are two rows of slender pillars with Corinthian 
capitals. Pococke, Description of the East, II. i. 134. 
2. In zool., gracile ; tenuous ; attenuated : spe- 
cifically noting various animals and some parts 
of animals. 3. Weak; feeble; slight; lacking 
body or strength : as, a slender frame or consti- 
tution ; slender hopes ; slender comfort. 
Yet are hys argnmentes so slender that ... I feare me 
leaste fewe or none of them (specyallye of the greate 
wyttes) woulde haue been conuerted by Lactantius. 
R. Eden (First Books on America, ed. Arber, p. 10). 
It is very slender comfort that relies upon this nice dis- 
tinction. Tillotson. 
4. Meager; small; scant; inadequate: as,*/<- 
ilt'f means ; slender alms. 
The worst is this, . . . 
You are like to have a thin and slender pittance. 
Shak., T. of the S., iv. 4. 61. 
