'till

See also: till and Till

English

Conjunction

'till

1. Obsolete form of till.
   • a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Support of Good Men:

     […] they were enabled to bear it, ’till being distracted by their torments, their understandings were thrown off the hinges […]

   • 1695, John Woodward, An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth and Terrestrial Bodies‎, London: Richard Wilkin, Part 4, p. 198:

     [The water] sustains these Particles, and carries them on together with it ’till such time as its Motion begins to remit and be less rapid than it was at, and near its Source; […]

   • 1696, Basil Kennett, “Of the Censors”, in Romæ Antiquæ Notitia: Or, The Antiquities of Rome. […], London: […] A. Swall and T. Child, […], →OCLC, part II, book III (Of the Civil Government of the Romans), page 111:

     ’Tis very remarkable, that if one of the Cenſors died, no body was ſubſtituted in his room ’till the next Luſtrum, and his Partner was oblig’d to quit his Office; becauſe the Death of a Cenſor happen’d juſt before the ſacking of Rome by the Gauls, and was ever after accounted highly ominous and unfortunate.

   • 1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, “Of the general Uses of Corn, Grain, Pulse, and other Seeds propagated by the Plough”, in The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC, pages 261–262:

     After it is well rubbed and winnowed, you muſt then Ree it over in a fine Sieve, and if any of the Malt be uncleanſed, then rub it again into the Sieve, ’till it be pure, and the rubbings will ariſe on the Top of the Sieve, […]

   • 1709 (written c. 1597), William Shakespear, The Merry Wives of Windsor. A Comedy., page 189:

     Strew good Luck, Ouphes, on every ſacred Room, / That it may ſtand ’till the perpetual Doom, / In State as wholeſom, as in State ’tis fit, / Worthy the Owner, and the Owner it.

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene iv, page 10:

     Coarſe are his Meals, the Fortune of the Chaſe, / Amidſt the running Stream he ſlakes his Thirſt, / Toil’s all the Day, and at th’ approach of Night / On the firſt friendly Bank he throws him down, / Or reſts his Head upon a Rock ’till Morn: […]

   • 1719, [Daniel Defoe], The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe; […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 338:

     We ſtay’d by it a quarter of an Hour or thereabouts, ’till the Powder in the Eyes, and Mouth, and Ears of the Idol blew up; and we could perceive had ſplit and deform’d the Shape; […]

   • 1720, Tryals for High-treason, and Other Crimes: With Proceedings on Bills of Attainder, and Impeachments, for Three Hundred Years Past, to which are Prefix'd a Preface, Giving an Account of the Nature and Usefulness of the Work and an Alphabetical Table of the Respective Persons Try'd, and the Points of Law Debated and Adjudg'd : in Six Parts, page 64:

     Yes, every Day ’till the Thurſday Night; and he complain’d of his Belly, his Sides, and his Shoulders, and ſaid my Lord Pembroke had done him the Injury in throwing him down.

   • 1723, John Nott, “Blanc-Mangers”, in The Cook’s and Confectioner’s Dictionary: or, The Accomplish’d Housewife’s Companion. […], London: […] C[harles] Rivington, […]:

     Then put your Jelly back upon the Almonds three or four times, ſtill preſſing them through the Strainer ’till the Blanc-Manger is become as thick as Cream.

   • 1724, Aaron Hill and William Bond, The Plain Dealer, No. 36, 24 July, 1724, London: S. Richardson & A. Wilde, p. 296,

     […] not One in Fifty, of our Men of Fashion, or of Quality, as they call themselves, has an Understanding that is able to go alone. They are forc’d, therefore, to wait ’till they have their Sustainer’s Opinion to lean against, before they dare venture upon the Praise, even of what they are inclinable to think favourably of […]

   • 1748, William Brownrigg, “Of the Use of Salt as a Condiment or Pickle”, in The Art of Making Common Salt, as Now Practised in Most Parts of the World; with Several Improvements Proposed in that Art, for the Use of the British Dominions, London: Printed, and sold by C. Davis, […]; A[ndrew] Millar, […]; and R[obert] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, part II (The Art of Preparing White Salt: Appendix), pages 166–168:

     Thoſe therefore, who are moſt exact in pickling beef for exportation, […] take their carcaſſes as ſoon as cold, and cut them into proper pieces; and after rubbing each piece carefully with good white ſalt, lay them on heaps in a cool cellar, in a drab with a ſhelving bottom, where they remain for four or five days, ’till the blood hath drained out of the larger veſſels.

   • 1764, Mrs. Gunning (Susannah), Family Pictures, a Novel. Containing Curious and Interesting Memoirs of Several Persons of Fashion in W-----re, page 115:

     The tedious hours whiled slowly on, ’till the succeeding afternoon, when the expected carriage made its appearance much sooner than they had promised themselves.

   • 1769, Elizabeth Raffald, The Experienced English House-keeper, pages 321–322:

     Take the smallest Cucumbers you can get, and as free from Spots as possible, put them into a strong Salt and Water for nine or ten Days, or ’till they are quite Yellow, and stir them twice a Day at least, or they will scum over, and grow soft

   • 1776, Benjamin Victor, Original letters, dramatic pieces, and poems: Volume 1, page 188:

     […]—I was unpatroned ’till I had the honour of being distinguiſhed by your grace—[…]

   • 1791, Homer, “[The Odyssey.] Book II.”, in W[illiam] Cowper, transl., The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, Translated into Blank Verse, […], volume II, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 29, lines 127–130:

     [S]ince the noble Chief / Ulyſſes is no more, preſs not as yet / My nuptials, wait ’till I ſhall finiſh, firſt, / A fun’ral robe […]

   • 1794, Mrs. Bennett (Agnes Maria), Ellen, Countess of Castle Howel: A Novel, volume 1:

     The duet was in alt; one stormed, the other half crying, half scolding, made up in volubility what her aunt possessed in authority, and it was not ’till Lady Meredith had twice raised her mild voice, either party could be silenced.

   • 1803, Oddicurious, The oddest of all oddities, page 24:

     Just after you’ve din’d, take a dish that is large, / And into it what you have eaten discharge; / Then get all the rest that are at the table, to spew in the same as long as they’re able; / Let them strain very hard, ’till all is brought up, / For the more spew there is, the better the soup; […]

   • a. 1829, G. Mackenzie, Lives, quoted in 1829, "Fag", entry in The London Encyclopaedia: Or, Universal Dictionary, Volume 9, page 12,

     Creighton with-held his force ’till the Italian began to fag, and then brought him to the ground.

   • 1844, Stephen Prentis, “The Cabin”, in The wreck of The Roscommon, Dinan: J.-B. Huart, pages 23–24:

     With ghastly faces ghastlier from the lamp, / That swung and flicker’d with its yellow flare, / And feebly stain’d their frighten’d features, damp / With chilly sweat and rigid with despair, / Or list’ning to the terrifying tramp / Of feet above the cabin where they were, / Or gazing, as they shrunk and huddled more / And more together on the shelving floor, / Upon the fierce irruption of the seas, / Which now had grown a formidable tide, / That climbingly increas’d by swift degrees, / The passengers were kneeling side by side, / Gentle and simple; but alarm did freeze / Their accents, and the pray’r unutter’d died / Within their lips, ’till fell the mast, and then / « Oh! God! » they cried, and straight were still again.

   • 1847, Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, page 957:

     Tradition relates, that the O'Kelly crest of “the Enfield” originated at this time, from the circumstance of this animal having issued from the sea, to protect the body of Tadhg from the Danes, ’till rescued by his followers.

   • 1857, [Charles Heavysege], Saul. A Drama. In Three Parts., Montreal, Que.: Henry Rose, […], pages 46–47:

     Your highness broods too much: adversity / Acts on you as harness acts upon the steed / That is as yet unbroken, it inciting, / Even by its very, uncomprehended touch, / To violent and self-injurious efforts / To cast it off, which only make the Tamer / To strengthen it, and rudelier ply the bit / ’Till the proud beast consents to do its paces.

   • 1872, Agrikler [pseudonym; Joseph Edwards], “Tha Man as Coodent Plaze Nubbody”, in Rhymes in the West of England Dialect. […], 2nd edition, Bristol, Somerset: Leech and Taylor, […], →OCLC, page 39:

     And zo thay muggled along, ’till tha volks all begun to make giame on them.

   • 2017, Matt Manochio, Sentinels:

     “I just assume not wake him ’till he's ready.”

Anagrams

• lit'l, it'll, lilt