|
18. a. Exemption from being immediately put to death, granted to a vanquished opponent by the victor in a battle or fight; clemency or mercy shown in sparing the life of one who surrenders. {dag}Formerly also pl. {dag}to cry quarter: to call for quarter. The precise origin of this sense is obscure, but it may be derived from defintion 17, or even from definition 15 on the supposition that to give quarter originally meant to provide prisoners with quarters. The assertion of De Brieux (1672 Origines..de plusieurs façons de parler, 16) that it arose in an agreement between the Dutch and Spaniards, by which the ransom of an officer or private was to be a quarter of his pay, is at variance with the constant sense of the phrases give and receive quarter.
(It would ssem to me that the De Brieux assertion is the origin of the "knight in shinging armor" myth. Also, there is apparently no mention of the word "quarter" being used in any written form relating to warfare that early. When it finally does appear in a war-related form, it is a reference to housing.) 1611 COTGR., Quartier..Quarter, or faire war, wherein souldiers are taken prisoners and ransomed at a certaine rate. c1645 HOWELL Lett. (1655) I. 231 He suffered Tilly to take that great Town with so much effusion of blood, because they wood receiue no quarter. 1659 B. HARRIS Parival's Iron Age 308 Many were cut down, the Swedes giving no quarter. 1693 Mem. Ct. Teckely II. 89 As this was not a War of Quarter, they defended themselves desperately. 1720 DE FOE Capt. Singleton xi. (1840) 188 The Portuguese cry quarter. 1788 PRIESTLEY Lect. Hist. V. lxii. 494 Civil wars are also peculiarly bloody, because less quarter is expected in them. 1816 BYRON Siege Cor. xxiv, Cry For quarter, or for victory. 1841 JAMES Brigand iii, Several of them uttered a cry of ‘Quarter quarter’. 1865 KINGSLEY Herew. vii, Hereward bid his men give quarter.
pl. c1644 MS. Hist. Somerville Fam. in Scott's Rokeby, Having refused quarters, every man fell in the same order and ranke wherin he had foughten. 1684 Scanderbeg Rediv. iv. 91 There was no Quarters given during the heat of the fight. 1726 G. SHELVOCKE Voy. round World 129 They instantly came to, and call'd for quarters. 1747 Gentl. Mag. 486 Near 7 at night she called out for quarters. 1769 FALCONER Dict. Marine (1780) s.v., Quarters is also an exclamation to implore mercy from a victorious enemy.
b. transf. and fig. 1647 WARD Simp. Cobler 72 He shewes more true fortitude, that prayes quarter of..Truth. 1684 J. PETER Siege Vienna 51 Nor was there any quarter given to the Wine-Cellars of the Emperor's Ministers. 1745 DE FOE Eng. Tradesman (1841) I. vii. 55 The tradesman can expect no quarter from his creditors. 1762 KAMES Elem. Crit. xix. (1833) 344 Mere witticisms, which ought to have no quarter. 1817 SHELLEY Rev. Islam Pref., There is no quarter given to Revenge, or Envy, or Prejudice. 1871 MORLEY Crit. Misc. Ser. I. Vauvenargues (1878) 25 The Trappist theory of the conditions of virtue found no quarter with him.
The aforementioned 15 and 17 are:
15. a. Place of stay or residence; dwelling-place, lodgings, esp. of soldiers. Now usu. in pl. free quarter(s): see FREE-QUARTER. head-, home-, out-, summer-, winter-quarters: see the first element. quarters of refreshment (see quot. 1702-11). to beat up the quarters of: see BEAT v.1 28. to take up one's quarters: to establish oneself (in a place).
1717. a. Relations with, or conduct towards, another; esp. in phr. to keep good (or fair) quarter(s) with. 1590 SHAKES. Com. Err. II. i. 108 So he would keepe faire quarter with his bed. 1604 {emem} Oth. II. iii. 180 Friends all..In Quarter, and in termes like Bride, and Groome. 1625 BACON Ess., Cunning (Arb.) 439 Two, that were Competitors,..yet kept good Quarter betweene themselues. 1637 RUTHERFORD Lett. (1862) I. 207, I find it to be hard wrestling to play fair with Christ and to keep good quarters with Him. a1674 CLARENDON Surv. Leviathan (1676) 153 The two next Kings..kept very fair quarter with Paschal.
|