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 1626. Breton, Pasquil's Mad-cappe [Grosart (1869), 1. e. 6, 2, 27]. Howere his wit may giue the foole the lurch, He is not fit to gouerne in the church.

Verb. (old).—To steal; to cheat; to trick.

1563. Appius and Virginius [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), iv. 150]. Then—gallop to see where her father doth lurch.

1592. Greene, Defence of Conny catching, in Works, xi. 58. Was not this an old conny catcher M. R. G. that could lurtch a poore conny of so many thousands at one time?

1593. Nashe, Christe's Teares [Grosart (1885), iv. 228]. Laughing at the Punies they haue lurched.

1596. Shakspeare, Merry Wives, ii. 1. I am fain to shuffle, to hedge, and to lurch.

1598. Florio, A Worlde of Wordes. Imbolare to filch, to steale, to purloine, lurche, to pilfer, to prowle.

1609. Jonson, Silent Woman, v. You have lurched your friends of the better half of the garland, by concealing this part of the plot.

1662. Rump Songs, i. 210. Our gossips' spoons away were lurcht, Our feasts and fees for women churcht.

To leave in the lurch, verb, phr. (colloquial).—See quot. 1690. Fr. laisser quelqu'un béar. [From cribbage].

[?]. Robin Hood and the Tinker [Child, Ballads, v. 233]. Robin made them haste away, And left the tinker in the lurch, The great shot for to pay.

1594. Nashe, Have with You [Grosart (1885), iii. 150]. He left both of them in the lurtch.

1606. Return from Parnassus [Dodsley, Old Plays (1874), ix. 178]. 'Sblood, a while ago, before he had me in the lurch, who but my cousin Prodigo?

1611. Cotgrave, Dictionarie, s.v. Il demeura lourche, he was left in the lurch.

1662. Rump Songs, i. 9. And leave us in the lurch.

1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew' s.v. Lurched Left in the lurch' Pawned for the Reckoning or left at Stake to Smart for any Plot.

1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.

1763. North Briton, No. 41, Mar. [quoted in Notes and Queries, 7 S. iv. 48]. When John leaves Margaret in the lurch, And Presbyterians head the Church.

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.

1785. Burns, Jolly Beggars, ii. But the godly old chaplain left him in the lurch.

1827. Todd, Johnson's Dicty, s.v. Lurch. To leave in the lurch, a ludicrous phrase.

1858. Lady Holland, Sydney Smith, xcv. Weary will be the latter half of my pilgrimage, if you leave me in the lurch.

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, v. It won't do to leave old dad in the lurch.

To give a lurch, verb. phr. (old).—To tell a lie; to deceive.

Lurcher, subs, (common).—1. A rogue.

1603-35. Breton, Mad World [Grosart (1860), ii. i. 12, 2, 50]. But these may rather be called lurchmen than Churchmen, who as they are not troubled with much learning, so they have no more honesty.

1888. Daily News, 4 Dec. After that shall try on the lazy lurchers who live on unfortunates.

1891. Morning Advertizer, 3 April. It was quite time that the honest and respectable drivers sat down on the lurchers once and for all, and when they knew that there were 7,000 of them in London they should think of their power and demand better conditions.

2. (old).—See quot. Also lurcher of the law.

1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Lurcher, a lurcher of the law, a bum bailiff, or his setter.

1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], p. 12. 'But where are the lurchers?' 'Who?' asked Wood. 'The traps!' responded a bystander.