breast up

breast up (third-person singular simple present breasts up, present participle breasting up, simple past and past participle breasted up)

1. (transitive) To cut the face of (a hedge) on one side so as to lay bare the principal upright stems of the plants.
   • 1844, “The Farmer's Magazine”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 405:

     If the fence be old and ragged at the bottom, all the strong stems are sawn off near the roots; and when there are any young slender shoots, they are reserved for the purpose of plashing or laying, and are fastened down with short hook pegs, the cop having been previously "breasted up," as it is termed, with the contents of the ditch; if there should not be young wood enough to form a sufficient fence to the field, a small beard of thorns is put along the top of the cop.

   • 1852, N. Davidson Redpath, “An Essay on Agricultural Fences and Enclosures”, in Transactions of the Michigan State Agricultural Society, page 239:

     Cut off 15 inches, breast up the hedge and leave it standing at 30 inches .

   • 1917, Highland and agricultural society of Scotland, editor, Prize Essays and Transactions, page 64:

     In dealing with old overgrown or worn-out hedges, the best policy is to allow them to grow away untouched after laying, except for breasting up on the sides if that should be necessary .

2. (nautical) To sail two boats side by side so that neither is in front of the other.
   • 2004, Annie Murray, Water Gypsies:

     Joel and Maryann, their skill honed by anger and determination to prove their point, breasted up the boats in quick time and edged side by side into Hatton's bottom lock.

   • 2009, Yocky Lol Gilson, Challenge of the Sea, page 53:

     As we came alongside the Will-Glyn and breasted up (roped together) there was still an hour to go before the sky would lighten up for the break of day.

   • 2019, Michael Stimpson, Narrow Boats: Ownership, Care and Maintenance:

     The pair would breast up in a 14ft-wide (4.2m) lock but in single locks (7ft/2.1m wide) the motor would go first and then the butty would be manhandled through.

3. To confront an obstacle directly, by pushing straight into it.
   • 1852, James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer, page 172:

     The wind was free enough, as has been already explained, to admit of this manoeuvre, and the cutter catching the current under her lee bow, was breasted up to her course in a way that showed she would come out to windward of the island again , without any difficulty.

   • 1879, Robert Michael Ballantyne, Six Months at the Cape, page 59:

     The bird, after breasting up to the hedge and finding it impassable, sat down on what may be styled his elbows, scraped his wings on the ground, and rolled his head and neck about in a fashion that is indescribable,

   • 1912, Alice Gerstenberg, Unquenched Fire, page 233:

     The Drive was deserted except for a disgusted tomcat picking his way among the puddles and a white gull that breasted up against the fitful wind, crying dismally into the emptiness of the gathering dusk.

   • 1922, Emerson Hough, The Covered Wagon:

     Unable to evade this, he drove into it, and his gallant mount breasted up and held its feet all the way across.

4. (by extension) To confront (someone or something) boldly, or to stand proudly or defiantly.
   • 1911, Frank Stanton, “The Mad King of Bavaria”, in Metropolitan, volume 34, page 154:

     In the south the northernmost Alps breasted up to be swept by the receding red-gold flood of the day's last light.

   • 2009, Jody Lynn Nye, A Forthcoming Wizard, page 103:

     This fellow, a healthy specimen half a head taller than the others, breasted up to the leader .

   • 2014, Alexander Cordell, The Fire People:

     Returning in minutes she put her hands on her hips and breasted up to them, showing her teeth, her eyes bright with success.

   • 2015, Laura Beatty, Pollard, page 134:

     A wood pigeon dropped into the clearing , tummy out like Steve, sipped and messed at the water's edge and breasted up again to cock and preen.

5. To move in close, to situate oneself right up against something; to belly up.
   • 1849, Herman Melville, Mardi, page 225:

     Peeping down, we beheld a company, breasted up against a board, groaning under numerous viands.

   • 1905, H. J. Driscoll, Jack Halliday, Stockman, page 231:

     Seated as we were in a little room at the back of the bar, he did not at first notice us, and "breasted up" for a brandy and soda .

   • 2008, Kyle Crichton, Law and Order, Ltd, page 188:

     He laid one big gun out on top of the bar and kept a kindly eye on his guests, who were now breasted up to the tongue-loosening establishment enjoying his hospitality.

   • 2012, Charles G. Davis, The Built-Up Ship Model, page 140:

     With a fiddler atop the big, flat, capstan head, and some half a hundred men breasted up against the long capstan bars, it was "stamp and go" to wind those big heavy yards on a battleship up to the mast bounds.

6. (engineering, dated) To reinforce or stabilize; to shore up.
   • 1873, Charles D. Taylor, “Description o fthe Stream Works in Restronguet Creek Near Truro”, in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, page 159:

     This process is continued, removing each set in succession, and removing also the roof laths as they are left free, until arriving within 9 feet of the air level, when the end is securely breasted up; and after all the stripping levels have been worked out to the same extent, the air level itself, if no longer required to be kept open, is also stripped back in the same manner.

   • 1912, Charles E. van Barneveld, Iron Mining in Minnesota, page 53:

     After the room is boarded up and the timbers drilled and charged, the drift is breasted up (see plan and elevation Fig. 22).

   • 1917, “Method of Resurfacing Gravel Roads in Rock County, Wisconsin”, in Engineering & Contracting, page 130:

     If at any point the old road is considered too low, instead of furrowing out, the grade should be breasted up and sufficient dirt brought up from the gutters to build retaining shoulders and the gravel deposited be- tween will raise the grade to any desired height .

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