The phrase "Against The Day" in Mason & Dixo

Wed Jan 23 21:20:27 CST 2008

Yes, it is VI esp. 19, but with TRP it is ALL of the definitions as overtones as well......
It is like a six piece jazz combo harmonizing, soloing and crescendoing......

I am especially take with what I learned re "Against" (from The Tempest)...it means II "motion towards" 
AND IV, motion away from................................................................................
More metaphoric bi-location?  Like a half-silvered mirror (from GR)

Has anyone since Shakespeare ever...??????

Beautiful and brilliant......

----- Original Message ----
From: David Payne <dpayne1912 at hotmail.com>
To: David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
Cc: Guy Ian Scott Pursey <g.i.s.pursey at reading.ac.uk>; P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 4:49:30 PM
Subject: RE: The phrase "Against The Day" in Mason & Dixo

Just to clarify -- the quotes in my previous email are *not* taken from usage examples for the phrase "against the day." I searched *all* of the quotes on the OED Online--the quotes I found were taken from usage examples for various words, none of which were "against" or "day."

But to your question -- short answer: yup, Dave, I think that the OED confirms your definition.

Long answer: the OED Online does not specifically define the phrase "against the day." The definition of "against" is really long & varied (in fact the outline becomes so convoluted that I cannot quite follow all the sub-groupings). There appear to be 6 basic (overarching?) definitions:

I. Of position. 
II. Of motion towards. 
III. Of motion into contact; pressure upon. 
IV. Of motion or action in opposition to. 
V. Of mutual opposition or relation.
VI. Of time. 

Based on the various sub-definitions & usage samples, I think that #VI is what we're after. Pay particular attention to VI.19, which is remarkably similar to your definition, Dave: 

VI. Of time. 
    18. Drawing towards, near the beginning of, close to. Obs. 
c1320 Sir Bevis 1971 On a dai, agenes the eue. c1385 CHAUCER L.G.W. 1356 The white swan Agens his deth be-gynnyth for to synge. c1440 Morte Arth. 103 Agaynste day he felle on slepe. 1483 CAXTON Gold. Leg. 397/3 The Sonday ageynst euen ther came a grete multytude of fendes. 1523 LD. BERNERS Froissart I. xviii. 20 And whan it was ageynst nyght, they came to the ryuer of Tyne. 1634 Malory's Arthur I. cx. 200 It happened him, against a night, to come to a fair courtlage.
    19. esp. with some idea of preparation: In view of; in anticipation of, in preparation for, in time for. 
c1350 St. Jerome's 15 Tokens (1878) 92 at God wil Aeins domesdai. c1425 Seven Sages 1488 How scho myght agayens nyght Fonden a tale al newe. 1577-87 HARRISON Eng. I. II. v. (1877) 121 This furniture is to be provided against his installation. 1642 FULLER Holy & Prof. St. V. xviii. 431 The moist dropping of stone walls against rainy weather. 1659 BURTON Diary (1828) IV. 349 To shorten the business against Thursday. 1697 LOCKE Lett. (1708) 194 Some additions to my book against the next edition. 1741 RICHARDSON Pamela (1824) I. 131 If I chose to order any new clothes against my marriage. 1758 WESLEY in Wks. 1872 II. 435 Having a Sermon to write against the Assizes at Bedford. 1832 H. MARTINEAU Each & All i. 14 Go to Covent Garden, to see the people dressing it up against sunrise. 1875 EMERSON Lett. & Soc. Aims viii. 194 When the Queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, he had built, against her arrival, a palace. a1884 Mod. He has a few pounds put by against a
 ‘rainy day.’
    B. conj. or conjunctive adv. In reference to time, AGAINST prep. 18 is also used relatively (explainable by ellipsis as, Against (the time) at which or that I come, Against I come). By the time that, before. Either of simple futurity, or futurity and contingency.    a. with rel. Obs. 
1393 LANGL. P. Pl. C. xxii. 319 Aeynst at i greynes.. bygynne to growe, Ordeyne e an hous, peers · to herberghen in thi cornes.

(The capital B following #19 is where I get lost--is this supposed to be a sub-grouping of #19, or is this set against the capital A that proceeds I? i.e., are the overarching, highest-level meanings A and B, or are they I - VI?)

> Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:57:15 -0600
> From: fqmorris at gmail.com
> To: dpayne1912 at hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: The phrase "Against The Day" in Mason & Dixo
> CC: g.i.s.pursey at reading.ac.uk; pynchon-l at waste.org
> 
> So, besides usages, does the OED offer a definition? It still seems
> from these quotes (but not as uniformly clearly) that my
> interpretation of it meaning "a form of preparation or storage of
> something to be used at a time appropriate in the future" is
> correct....
> 
> On Jan 23, 2008 11:39 AM, David Payne <dpayne1912 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:25:42 -0600, Dave Monroe fqmorris at gmail.com wrote:
> >
> > > Is it ["against the day"] listsed in the OED anybody?
> >
> > Yes -- it appears in nine usage quotations (BTW, many public and university
> > libraries offer free use of the OED online):
> >
> >
> >
> > 1560 in Strype Ann. Ref. (1709) I. xvii. 208 Against the day of ordering..,
> > to give open recognizations to all men.
> >
> >
> >
> > 1596 BACON Elem. Common Lawes (1635) II. i. 21 Against the day they should
> > have appeared above, to returne the verdict read in the Court above, which
> > returne is called a Postea.
> >
> >
> >
> > 1620 J. ROGERS Disc. Christian Watchfulnesse 93 Wee make Queries: and put
> > cases, and beate our braines to deceiue our selues against the day of the
> > Lord.
> >
> >
> >
> > 1761 T. MORTIMER Ev. Man his own Broker ii. (1762) 82 Against the day of
> > settling he has made out, what he calls his list.
> >
> >
> >
> > 1726 J. THOMPSON Winter 7 Where are..your aerial Magazines reserv'd, Against
> > the Day of Tempest perilous?
> >
> >
> >
> > 1848 CLOUGH Amours de Voy. I. 106 These, that fanaticized Europe. 1860 Sat.
> > Rev. X. 357/2 The object is..to fanaticize the mob against the day of trial.
> >
> >
> >
> > 1956 Nature 21 Jan. 120/1 The information can be conveniently stored against
> > the day when better interpretation methods allow one to make the fullest use
> > of the recordings, without having to reshoot in areas which are often
> > exceedingly difficult of access.
> >
> >
> >
> > 1966 I. JEFFERIES House Surgeon iii. 31 Anybody graph the survival rates
> > against the day of admission?
> >
> >
> >
> > 1977 F. BRANSTON Up & Coming Man xv. 172 We..broke open a fine crusted
> > bottle of Sainsbury's Spanish which we had been hoarding against the day
> > when we could afford to cook in wine again.
> >
> > ________________________________
> > Climb to the top of the charts! Play the word scramble challenge with star
> > power. Play now!

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