2. To induce to give or lend; to borrow from; as, to touch
one for a loan; hence, to steal from. [Slang]
2. An act of borrowing or stealing. [Slang]
3. Tallow; -- a plumber's term. [Eng.]
Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear Touched
lightly. --Milton.
2. To perceive by the sense of feeling.
Nothing but body can be touched or touch. --Greech.
3. To come to; to reach; to attain to.
The god, vindictive, doomed them never more- Ah, men
unblessed! -- to touch their natal shore. --Pope.
4. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone. [Obs.]
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed. --Shak.
5. To relate to; to concern; to affect.
The quarrel toucheth none but us alone. --Shak.
6. To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.
Storial thing that toucheth gentilesse. --Chaucer.
7. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the
books. --Pope.
8. To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to
melt; to soften.
What of sweet before Hath touched my sense, flat
seems to this and harsh. --Milton.
The tender sire was touched with what he said.
--Addison.
9. To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke
to with the pencil or brush.
The lines, though touched but faintly, are drawn
right. --Pope.
10. To infect; to affect slightly. --Bacon.
11. To make an impression on; to have effect upon.
Its face . . . so hard that a file will not touch
it. --Moxon.
12. To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an
instrument of music.
[They] touched their golden harps. --Milton.
13. To perform, as a tune; to play.
A person is the royal retinue touched a light and
lively air on the flageolet. --Sir W.
Scott.
14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly. `` No decree
of mine, . . . [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse
his free will,'' --Milton.
15. To harm, afflict, or distress.
Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do
us no hurt, as we have not touched thee. --Gen.
xxvi. 28, 29.
16. To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree;
to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the
past participle.
She feared his head was a little touched. --Ld.
Lytton.
17. (Geom.) To be tangent to. See {Tangent}, a.
18. To lay a hand upon for curing disease.
{To touch a sail} (Naut.), to bring it so close to the wind
that its weather leech shakes.
{To touch the wind} (Naut.), to keep the ship as near the
wind as possible.
{To touch up}, to repair; to improve by touches or
emendation.
2. To fasten; to take effect; to make impression. [R.]
Strong waters pierce metals, and will touch upon
gold, that will not touch upon silver. --Bacon.
3. To treat anything in discourse, especially in a slight or
casual manner; -- often with on or upon.
If the antiquaries have touched upon it, they
immediately quitted it. --Addison.
4. (Naut) To be brought, as a sail, so close to the wind that
its weather leech shakes.
{To touch and go} (Naut.), to touch bottom lightly and
without damage, as a vessel in motion.
{To touch at}, to come or go to, without tarrying; as, the
ship touched at Lisbon.
{To touch on} or {upon}, to come or go to for a short time.
[R.]
I made a little voyage round the lake, and touched
on the several towns that lie on its coasts.
--Addison.
Their touch affrights me as a serpent's sting.
--Shak.
2. (Physiol.) The sense by which pressure or traction exerted
on the skin is recognized; the sense by which the
properties of bodies are determined by contact; the
tactile sense. See {Tactile sense}, under {Tactile}.
The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine. --Pope.
Note: Pure tactile feelings are necessarily rare, since
temperature sensations and muscular sensations are more
or less combined with them. The organs of touch are
found chiefly in the epidermis of the skin and certain
underlying nervous structures.
3. Act or power of exciting emotion.
Not alone The death of Fulvia, with more urgent
touches, Do strongly speak to us. --Shak.
A true, natural, and a sensible touch of mercy.
--Hooker.
5. Personal reference or application. [Obs.]
Speech of touch toward others should be sparingly
used. --Bacon.
6. A stroke; as, a touch of raillery; a satiric touch; hence,
animadversion; censure; reproof.
I never bare any touch of conscience with greater
regret. --Eikon
Basilike.
7. A single stroke on a drawing or a picture.
Never give the least touch with your pencil till you
have well examined your design. --Dryden.
Of many faces, eyes, and hearts, To have the touches
dearest prized. --Shak.
9. The act of the hand on a musical instrument; bence, in the
plural, musical notes.
Soft stillness and the night Become the touches of
sweet harmony. --Shak.
10. A small quantity intermixed; a little; a dash.
Eyes La touch of Sir Peter Lely in them. --Hazlitt.
Madam, I have a touch of your condition. --Shak.
11. A hint; a suggestion; slight notice.
A small touch will put him in mind of them.
--Bacon.
12. A slight and brief essay. [Colloq.]
Print my preface in such form as, in the
booksellers' phrase, will make a sixpenny touch.
--Swift.
13. A touchstone; hence, stone of the sort used for
touchstone. [Obs.] `` Now do I play the touch.'' --Shak.
A neat new monument of touch and alabaster.
--Fuller.
14. Hence, examination or trial by some decisive standard;
test; proof; tried quality.
Equity, the true touch of all laws. --Carew.
Friends of noble touch . --Shak.
15. (Mus.) The particular or characteristic mode of action,
or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the
fingers; as, a heavy touch, or a light touch; also, the
manner of touching, striking, or pressing the keys of a
piano; as, a legato touch; a staccato touch.
16. (Shipbilding) The broadest part of a plank worked top and
but (see {Top and but}, under {Top}, n.), or of one
worked anchor-stock fashion (that is, tapered from the
middle to both ends); also, the angles of the stern
timbers at the counters. --J. Knowles.
17. (Football) That part of the field which is beyond the
line of flags on either side. --Encyc. of Rural Sports.
{In touch} (Football), outside of bounds. --T. Hughes.
{To be in touch}, to be in contact, or in sympathy.
{To keep touch}.
(a) To be true or punctual to a promise or engagement
[Obs.]; hence, to fulfill duly a function.
My mind and senses keep touch and time. --Sir
W. Scott.
(b) To keep in contact; to maintain connection or
sympathy; -- with with or of.
{Touch and go}, a phrase descriptive of a narrow escape.
{True as touch} (i. e., touchstone), quite true. [Obs.]