As tall a trencherman As e'er demolished a pye fortification.
Massinger.
His companions, being almost in despair of victory, were suddenly
recomforted by Sir William Stanley, which came to succors with three
thousand tall men.
Grafton.
3. Fine; splendid; excellent; also, extravagant; excessive. [Obs. or
Slang] B. Jonson.
Syn. — High; lofty. — Tall, High, Lofty. High is the generic term, and
is applied to anything which is elevated or raised above another thing.
Tall specifically describes that which has a small diameter in
proportion to its height; hence, we speak of a tall man, a tall
steeple, a tall mast, etc., but not of a tall hill. Lofty has a special
reference to the expanse above us, and denotes an imposing height; as,
a lofty mountain; a lofty room. Tall is now properly applied only to
physical objects; high and lofty have a moral acceptation; as, high
thought, purpose, etc.; lofty aspirations; a lofty genius. Lofty is the
stronger word, and is usually coupled with the grand or admirable.
{ Tal"lage (?), Tal"li*age (?), } n. [F. taillage. See Taille, and cf.
Tailage.] (O. Eng. Law) A certain rate or tax paid by barons, knights,
and inferior tenants, toward the public expenses. [Written also
tailage, taillage.]
When paid out of knight's fees, it was called scutage; when by cities
and burghs, tallage; when upon lands not held by military tenure,
hidage. Blackstone.
Tal"lage, v. t. To lay an impost upon; to cause to pay tallage.
Tal"li*er (?), n. One who keeps tally.
Tall"ness (?), n. The quality or state of being tall; height of
stature.
Tal"low (?), n. [OE. taluh, talugh; akin to OD. talgh, D. talk, G.,
Dan. and Sw. talg, Icel. tlgr, tlg, tlk; and perhaps to Goth. tulgus
firm.] 1. The suet or fat of animals of the sheep and ox kinds,
separated from membranous and fibrous matter by melting.
The solid consistency of tallow is due to the large amount of stearin
it contains. See Fat.
2. The fat of some other animals, or the fat obtained from certain
plants, or from other sources, resembling the fat of animals of the
sheep and ox kinds.
Tallow candle, a candle made of tallow. — Tallow catch, a keech. See
Keech. [Obs.] — Tallow chandler, one whose occupation is to make, or to
sell, tallow candles. — Tallow chandlery, the trade of a tallow
chandler; also, the place where his business is carried on. — Tallow
tree (Bot.), a tree (Stillingia sebifera) growing in China, the seeds
of which are covered with a substance which resembles tallow and is
applied to the same purposes.
Tal"low, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tallowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tallowing.]
1. To grease or smear with tallow.
2. To cause to have a large quantity of tallow; to fatten; as, tallow
sheep.
Tal"low*er (?), n. An animal which produces tallow.
Tal"low-face` (?), n. One who has a sickly, pale complexion. Shak.
Tal"low-faced` (?), a. Having a sickly complexion; pale. Burton.
Tal"low*ing, n. The act, or art, of causing animals to produce tallow;
also, the property in animals of producing tallow.
Tal"low*ish, a. Having the qualities of tallow.
Tal"low*y (?), a. Of the nature of tallow; resembling tallow; greasy.
Tall"wood` (?), n. [Cf. Tally.] Firewood cut into billets of a certain
length. [Obs.] [Eng.]
Tal"ly (?), n.; pl. Tallies (#). [OE. taile, taille, F. taille a
cutting, cut tally, fr. tailler to cut, but influenced probably by
taillé, p. p. of tailler. See Tailor, and cf. Tail a limitation,
Taille, Tallage.] 1. Originally, a piece of wood on which notches or
scores were cut, as the marks of number; later, one of two books,
sheets of paper, etc., on which corresponding accounts were kept.
In purshasing and selling, it was once customary for traders to have
two sticks, or one stick cleft into two parts, and to mark with a score
or notch, on each, the number or quantity of goods delivered, — the
seller keeping one stick, and the purchaser the other. Before the use
of writing, this, or something like it, was the only method of keeping
accounts; and tallies were received as evidence in courts of justice.
In the English exchequer were tallies of loans, one part being kept in
the exchequer, the other being given to the creditor in lieu of an
obligation for money lent to government.
2. Hence, any account or score kept by notches or marks, whether on
wood or paper, or in a book; especially, one kept in duplicate.