Hath crawled into the favor of the king. --Shak.
2. The act of countenancing, or the condition of being
countenanced, or regarded propitiously; support;
promotion; befriending.
But found no favor in his lady's eyes. --Dryden.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in
favor with God and man. --Luke ii. 52.
3. A kind act or office; kindness done or granted;
benevolence shown by word or deed; an act of grace or good
will, as distinct from justice or remuneration.
Beg one favor at thy gracious hand. --Shak.
4. Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
I could not discover the lenity and favor of this
sentence. --Swift.
5. The object of regard; person or thing favored.
All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, His
chief delight and favor. --Milton.
6. A gift or represent; something bestowed as an evidence of
good will; a token of love; a knot of ribbons; something
worn as a token of affection; as, a marriage favor is a
bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a
wedding.
Wear thou this favor for me, and stick it in thy
cap. --Shak.
7. Appearance; look; countenance; face. [Obs.]
This boy is fair, of female favor. --Shak.
8. (Law) Partiality; bias. --Bouvier.
9. A letter or epistle; -- so called in civility or
compliment; as, your favor of yesterday is received.
10. pl. Love locks. [Obs.] --Wright.
{Challenge} {to the favor or for favor} (Law), the challenge
of a juror on grounds not sufficient to constitute a
principal challenge, but sufficient to give rise to a
probable suspicion of favor or bias, such as acquaintance,
business relation, etc. See {Principal challenge}, under
{Challenge}.
{In favor of}, upon the side of; favorable to; for the
advantage of.
{In favor with}, favored, countenanced, or encouraged by.
{To curry favor} [see the etymology of {Favor}, above], to
seek to gain favor by flattery, caresses, kindness, or
officious civilities.
{With one's favor}, or {By one's favor}, with leave; by kind
permission.
But, with your favor, I will treat it here.
--Dryden.
Syn: Kindness; countenance; patronage; support; lenity;
grace; gift; present; benefit.
A challenge to controversy. --Goldsmith.
2. The act of a sentry in halting any one who appears at his
post, and demanding the countersign.
There must be no challenge of superiority.
--Collier.
4. (Hunting) The opening and crying of hounds at first
finding the scent of their game.
5. (Law) An exception to a juror or to a member of a court
martial, coupled with a demand that he should be held
incompetent to act; the claim of a party that a certain
person or persons shall not sit in trial upon him or his
cause. --Blackstone
6. An exception to a person as not legally qualified to vote.
The challenge must be made when the ballot is offered. [U.
S.]
{Challenge to the array} (Law), an exception to the whole
panel.
{Challenge to the favor}, the alleging a special cause, the
sufficiency of which is to be left to those whose duty and
office it is to decide upon it.
{Challenge to the polls}, an exception taken to any one or
more of the individual jurors returned.
{Peremptory challenge}, a privilege sometimes allowed to
defendants, of challenging a certain number of jurors
(fixed by statute in different States) without assigning
any cause.
{Principal challenge}, that which the law allows to be
sufficient if found to be true.
Where nature doth with merit challenge. --Shak.
I challenge any man to make any pretense to power by
right of fatherhood. --Locke.
2. To call, invite, or summon to answer for an offense by
personal combat.
By this I challenge him to single fight. --Shak.
3. To claim as due; to demand as a right.
Challenge better terms. --Addison.
4. To censure; to blame. [Obs.]
He complained of the emperors . . . and challenged
them for that he had no greater revenues . . . from
them. --Holland.
5. (Mil.) To question or demand the countersign from (one who
attempts to pass the lines); as, the sentinel challenged
us, with ``Who comes there?''
6. To take exception to; question; as, to challenge the
accuracy of a statement or of a quotation.
7. (Law) To object to or take exception to, as to a juror, or
member of a court.
8. To object to the reception of the vote of, as on the
ground that the person in not qualified as a voter. [U.
S.]
{To challenge to the} {array, favor, polls}. See under
{Challenge}, n.