wharfing 
of which a wharf is coiistrueted ; wharves in 
general. 
A strong stonewall, which was a kind of H'ftrtr/??i(/ against 
rivers running into it. Evelyn, Sylva, i. 2. {Latham.) 
The San Marco glided into a bayou under a high U'harf- 
ing of timbers, where a bearded tlsherman waited. 
Harpers Mag., LXXVI. 703. 
2. In hytlraiilic eiii/iii., a method of facing sea- 
walls by the use of sheet-piling anchored to the 
bank. 
wharfinger (hwAr'fin-jer), n. [For *wliar/(i</ci- 
(with intrusive ii as in mcasciKjcr, passenger, por- 
rinijer, saireiiyer, etc.), < wliarfaye + -«■!.] A 
person wlio owns or who lias charge of a wharf ; 
one who makes a business of letting accommo- 
dation for vessels at his wharf. 
wharfman (hwarf'man), H. ; pi. wharfmen 
(-men). A man employed on or about a wharf; 
one performing or having charge of work on a 
wharf. 
An organization of whar/men, who form a species of 
close corporation. Fisheries of U. S., V. ii. .'i48. 
wharf-master (liwarf'raas''ter), )(. A wharfin- 
ger. [Western U. S.] 
wharf -rat (hwarf'rat), n. 1. The common 
brown or Norway rat, Mu.'! deeumanus, when 
living in or about a wharf, considered with ref- 
erence to its being in many places an imported 
animal, first naturalized in wharves after leav- 
ing the ship which brings it, or to the special 
size, ferocity, or other distinctive character it 
acfjuires under the favorable conditions of en- 
vironment afforded by wharves, shipping, and 
storeliou.ses. Henee — 2. A fellow who loafs 
about or haunts wharves, making a living as 
best he can, without regular or ostensible oc- 
cupation. [Cant.] 
wharli (hwiirl), n. [A var. of wlinrl or whirJ. 
Cf. i(7«/rc()H-.] A part of a spindle; a spin- 
dle (f). [I'rov. Eng.] 
[A patent for] placing ropes on whades of machinery. 
The Emjiiwer, LXVII. 470. 
wharl^ (hwilrl), r. I. [A var. of whirl, u.sed in 
sense of wliir, 1. e. roll ; ef. i«r^.] To sjieak 
with the uvular utterance of the r; be unable 
to pronounce r. 
All that are born therein [Carleton] have a harsh and 
rattling liind of uttering their words with much dittlculty 
and wharling in their throat. Fuller, Worthies, II. 226. 
Wharl" (hwiirl), II. [< wkarP, «.] See the quo- 
tation. 
The natives of this Country [Northumberland] of the 
antient original Race or Families are distinguished by a 
Shiblwlcth upon their Tongues in pronouncing the Letter 
R, which they can not utter without a hollow Jarring in 
the Throat, by which they are as plainly known as a 
Foreigner is by pronouncing the Th. : this they call the 
Northumberland R or Wharle ; and the Natives value 
themselves upon tlnrt Imperfection, because, forsooth, it 
shows the Antiiiuity of tlleir Blood. 
De.foe, Tour tliro' (jreat Britain, iii. 233. (Davies.) 
wharlet, "• A dialectal variant of quarreft. 
Witli all)lastens also amyt full streght, 
Wliappet in wharles, whellit the pepull. 
Deslructiun of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4743. 
wharp (liwiirj)), n. [An erroneous form of 
u-firp.'\ Same as treiit-sarid. [Local.] 
Wharrow-spindle (hwar'6-spin"dl), n. In her., 
a spindle represented with a small handle at 
the top, projecting at right angles as if intended 
to whirl the spindle by. Berri/. 
whart (hwart), V. Same as thwart^. 
Whartonian (hwar-to'ni-an), a. [Commemo- 
rating the English anatomist Thomas Wharton 
(died 1C73).] Noting certain anatomical struc- 
tures liiscovered or described by Wharton. — 
Whartonian duct. See (hict. 
Wharton's duct. Sec ilmi. 
Wharton's gelatin, Wharton's jelly. See 
!/i'laliii of Hharloii, under gelatin. 
wharves, n. Plural of wharf. 
what' (hwot), pran. [< ME", what, whet, wheel, 
qiml, (prnl, hicat, hicet (gen. wha.'s, whos, dat. 
wham, whom, ace. u-hnt, whet), < AS. hws-t (gen. 
hwxs, dat. hwriin, hwuiin, ace. hwiet) = OS. hwat, 
h im I = OFries. /; wet = D. wa t = MLG. LG. tmt = 
OHG. hwa~, HY/r, MHG. wa::, G. !(.■«,« = Icel. hral 
= Dan. Sw. head = Goth, hwa, what (inter- 
rogativf^ and indefinite, also interjeetional) ; = 
]j.7«(V/, what (indefinite), somewhat, = Zen(UY(rf 
= Skt. Icat; neut. of the pron. who: see who. 
WhoKe is historically the gen. of what not less 
than of who; and it is still so used (namely, as 
equivalent to of which), although many authori- 
ties object, and it is becoming less common.] 
A. iiitirrog. 1. Used absolutely as an interro- 
gative pronoun, (a) Applied to inanimate things, 
i^wat liast thu don . . . sin Saterdai at nun ? 
Iti'l. Aiitiij., I. i^li 
6886 
Thenne ascryed thay hym skete, & asked ful loude, 
'* What the deuel hatz thou don, doted wrech?" 
Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), iii. li)6. 
Shame then it was that drove him from the Parlament, 
but the shame of what? Milton, Eikonoklastes, vi. 
Folks at her House at such an Hour ! 
Lord ! what will all the Neighbours say ? 
Prior, Tlie bove, St. 9. 
I believe they are in actual consultation upon what 's for 
supper. Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, ii. 1. 
What can restrain the agony of a mother's heart ? 
Irmng, Granada, p. 40. 
(?>) Applied to animals (and sometimes in contempt to 
persons) with the force of inquiry after the nature or 
kind; as, what is that running upthejtree? (c) Applied 
to persons : nearly equivalent to who, but having reference 
to origin or character, rather than to name or identity. 
" What is this womnian," quod I, "so worthily atired?" 
"Tliat is Xlede the mayde," quod she. 
Piers Pluinnan (B), ii. 19. 
Thise tweyne come to the messagers, and hem asked 
what thei were, and thei ansuerde that thei sholde sone 
knowe, yef it plesed hem to a-byde. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.X ii. 129. 
What 's he that walks alone so 8adl.v, with his hands be- 
hind him? Beaxi. and Fl., Woman-Hater, ii. 1. 
Eminent titles may, indeed, inform who their owners 
are, not often what. Ford, Perkin Warbeck, Ded. 
(rf) Used in various elliptical and incomplete construc- 
tions: as, what? equivalent to what did yim say ? or what 
i^ it? (e) Used in exclamation, to express surprise, in- 
dignation, etc. 
Bwat ! wuUe ge this pes to-breke. 
And do than kinge swuche schame? 
Owl and Nightingale, 1. 1730 (Morris and Skeat, I. 191). 
" IT/taf .' " quod the prestto Perkyn, "Peter! as me think- 
eth, 
Thow art lettred a litel ; who lerned the on boke ? " 
Piers Plowman (B), vii. 130. 
But what, shall the abuse of a thing make the right vse 
odious? Sir P. Sidney, Apol. for Poetrie (ed. Arher), p. 54. 
What ! are the ladies of your land so tall ? 
Tennyson, Princess, ii. 
(/) Expressing a summons. 
La. Cap. Nurse, where 's my daughter ? call her forth to 
me. 
Nurse. ... I bade her come. What, lamb ! what, lady- 
bird ! 
Uod forbid ! Where 's this girl ? What, .Juliet? 
Shak., R. and J., i. 3. 3. 
Qua. [Within.] ICAaf, Simplicius ! 
Sim. I come, Quadiatus. Marslon, Wliat you Will, v. 1. 
Chamberlain, call in the music, bid the tapsters and 
maids come up and dance; what/ we'll make a night of 
it. Dekker and Webster, Northward Ho, v. 1. 
(i/t) A general introductory notion, equivalent to 'well,' 
'lo,' 'now,' etc., and constituting a mere expletive. 
What, welcome be the cut, a Goddes name ! 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 854. 
What, will you walk with me about the town? 
Shak., C. of E., i. 2. 22. 
2. Used adjectively and lending an interroga- 
tive force to the proposition in whicli it occurs, 
(a) Inquiring as to the individual being, character, kind, 
or sort of a definite thing or person. 
Alias ! ivhat womman wil ye of me make? 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1305. 
What maimer of man is this, that even the wind and 
the sea obey him ? Mark iv. 41. 
What news on the Rialto? Shak., M. of V., i. 3. 30. 
What good should follow this, if this were done? 
What harm, undone? Tennyson, Passing of Arthur. 
(6) Inquiring as to extent or quantity: equivalent to the 
question how much? 
" ITAaf money have you got, Copperfleld ? " he said. . . . 
I told him seven shillings. 
Dickens, David Copperfleld, vi. 
(c) Used intensively or emphatically with a force vaiying 
from tlie interrogative to the exclamatory : often followed 
by the indefinite article : as, what an idea ! 
What manner of pei-sons ought ye to be in all holy con- 
versation and godliness? 2 Pet. iii. 11. 
What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason ! 
how infinite in faculty I Shak., Hamlet, ii. 2. 315. 
What confusion ar.d misclieif do the avarice, anger, and 
ambition of Princes cause in the world I 
Eeelyn, Diary, March 24, 1672. 
Oh, Amos Cottle ! — Phoibus I what a name. 
To fill the speaking trump of future fame I 
Byron, English Bards and Scotch Reviewers. 
Oh, what a dawn of day 1 
How the March sun feels like May! 
Browning, A Lover's Quarrel. 
What an (and) 1ft ? Same as what if? 
And what an if 
His sorrows have so overwhelm'd his wits. 
Shall we be thus afflicted in liis wreaks? 
Shak., Tit. And., iv. 4. 9. 
What else ? what else can or could be the case : an ellip- 
tical expression expecting no answer, and hence sonie- 
tintes equivalent to a strong affirmation. 
Licio. But cans't thou blow it? 
Huntsman. What else? Lt////, Midas, iv. 3. 
What . . . for? what for? what . . . as? what kind of? 
in such phrases as, what.fora man is he? — that is, what 
kind of man. in loolis or character? It is equivalent to the 
(ierman idiom wasfiir ein, and as reflecting that idiom is 
used in the Englisli of tlie Pennsylvania Germans and their 
what 
neighbors, being in exclamatory use equivalent to wJuU. 
The earlier idiom what . . . for is now rare. 
What 's he for a man ? 
Peele, Edward I. (ed. Dyce), p. 383. 
What is he for a fool that betroths himself to unquiet- 
ness? Shak., Much Ado, i. 3. 49. 
Wliat ho ! an exclamatory summons or call. 
Gads. What, ho .' chamberlain ! 
Cham. [Within.] At hand, quoth pick-purse. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., 11. 1. 62. 
What if? elliptical for wfiat wmdd happen if? what wmdd 
you say if? what matters it if? etc. 
Wliat t/this mixture do not work at all? . . . 
Whattfithe a poison? Shak., R. and J., iv. 3. 21. 
What if he dwells on many a fact as though 
.SomethingsHeaven knew notwhichit ought to know? . . . 
Such are the prayers his people love to hear. 
0. W. Uolines, A Family Record. 
What iB thee?t what is the matter with thee? 
Lef dy, what is the? . . . 
Me were letifre to beo ded 
Thane iseo the make such chore. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 50. 
What not, elliptical for what may J not say ? implying 
' everything else ; various other things ; et cetera ; what 
you will' : as, the table was loaded with toys, pictures, 
and what not. Hence what-not, n. 
Such air is unwholesome, and engenders melancholy, 
plagues, and what not. Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 150. 
Thou art like to meet with, in the way which thou goest, 
. . . lions, dragons, darkness, and, in a word, death, and 
what not. Bunyan, Pilgrim's I'rogress, i. 
College A cannot compete with College IS unless it has 
more scholarships, unless it changes the time of elec- 
tion to scholarships, or what jujt. 
Contemporary Rev., LI. 617. 
Whatof? (a) Elliptical forwAadjomMo/.'—tliat is, what 
care you (I, we, etc.)? does it matter in any way? 
All this is so ; but what of this, my lord? 
Shak., Much Ado, iv. 1. 73. 
(6) Elliptical for what say or think you of? 
To-day? but what o/ yesterday? 
Tennyson, The Ancient Sage. 
'VThat's his (Its) name ? what do you calllt ? etc. , collo- 
quial phrases gienerallysignifying that the speaker cannot 
supply a definite name for some person or thing, either 
because the name has escaped his memory, or because the 
person or thing is of so trivial consequence that he or it is 
not deserving of a specific name. The phrases are some- 
times formed into a compound : as, tell Mr. What's-his- 
name to be off. See what-d'ye-catt-it. 
Good even, good Master What-ye-cail't. 
Shak., As you Like it, iii. 3. 74. 
What's to do here? .See do'.— what though? See 
though. 
B. rel. 1. A compound relative pronotin, 
meaning 'that which,' or having a value in- 
eluding the simple relative pronoun which with 
the demonstrative pronoun W(n< preceding: as. 
"what 1 have written I have written" (that is, 
that which I have written I have written). It 
is no longer used of persons, except in the 
anomalous phrase but what. 
Mekli than to Meliors he munged [told] what he thon3t. 
WiUiam of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), \. 257a 
Loke up, I seye, and telle me what she is 
Anon, that I may gon aboute thy nede. 
Chaucer, Troilus, i. 862. 
I am what I was born to be, your prince. 
Beau, and Fl,, Philaster, t. 4. 
A host of second-rate critics, and official critics, and 
what is called "the popular mind " as well. 
.If. Arnold, Litermture and Dogma, vi. 6. 
What, as strictly equivalent to the relative which, never 
had much vogue, and has long been a vulgarism ; but its 
genitive [whose] has survived, in preference to whichs, 
as we should have modernized the medieval quhilkes. 
F. Hall, False Philology, p. 7, note. 
What was formerly and in vulgar speech is still used as a 
simple relative, equivalent to that or which : as, if I had a 
donkey what wouldn't go. 
Offer them peace or aught what is beside. 
Peele, Edward I. (Old Plays, II. 37). 
The matter what other men wrote. 
Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 142. 
I fear nothing 
What can be said against me. 
Shak., Hen. VIII., v. 1. 126. 
What has also the value of whatever or whoever : as, come 
what will, I shall be there. 
What in the world he is 
That names me traitor, villain-like he lies. 
Shak., Lear, v. 3. 97. 
Let come what come may, ... 
I shall have had my day. 
Tennyson, Maud, xL 
2. Usedadjeetively, meaning 'that . . . which,' 
or having compound relative value : as, I know 
what book you mean (that is, I know that book 
which you mean); he makes the most of what 
money he has (that is, he makes the most of 
that money which he has): applied to persons 
and things, (o) That . . . who or which ; those . . . 
who or which. 
.Shal nat be told for me . . . 
. . . what jeweles men in the fyr tho caste. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 2as7. 
