Ply \Ply\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Plied}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Plying}.] [OE. plien, F. plier to fold, to bend, fr. L. plicare; akin to Gr. ?, G. flechten. Cf. {Apply}, {Complex}, {Display}, {Duplicity}, {Employ}, {Exploit}, {Implicate}, {Plait}, {Pliant}, {Flax}.] 1. To bend. [Obs.]
As men may warm wax with handes plie. --Chaucer.
2. To lay on closely, or in folds; to work upon steadily, or with repeated acts; to press upon; to urge importunately; as, to ply one with questions, with solicitations, or with drink.
And plies him with redoubled strokes --Dryden.
He plies the duke at morning and at night. --Shak.
3. To employ diligently; to use steadily.
Go ply thy needle; meddle not. --Shak.
4. To practice or perform with diligence; to work at.
Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply. --Waller.
Ply \Ply\, v. i. 1. To bend; to yield. [Obs.]
It would rather burst atwo than plye. --Chaucer.
The willow plied, and gave way to the gust. --L'Estrange.
2. To act, go, or work diligently and steadily; especially, to do something by repeated actions; to go back and forth; as, a steamer plies between certain ports.
Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard and daily). --Milton.
He was forced to ply in the streets as a porter. --Addison.
The heavy hammers and mallets plied. --Longfellow.
3. (Naut.) To work to windward; to beat.
Ply \Ply\, n. [Cf. F. pli, fr. plier. See {Ply}, v.] 1. A fold; a plait; a turn or twist, as of a cord. --Arbuthnot.
2. Bent; turn; direction; bias.
The late learners can not so well take the ply. --Bacon.
Boswell, and others of Goldsmith's contemporaries, . . . did not understand the secret plies of his character. --W. Irving.
The czar's mind had taken a strange ply, which it retained to the last. --Macaulay.
Note: Ply is used in composition to designate folds, or the number of webs interwoven; as, a three-ply carpet.
The use of scents is far from new for those who ply stained waters for bewhiskered catfish.
But count on paying around Dollars 250 per one-way trip in one of the numerous big GMC Suburban taxis which ply the route.
Flight attendants and ticket agents will ply passengers with free candy and gum, and get tough if necessary to enforce the new federal ban on smoking that takes effect on thousands of domestic flights Saturday.
Gangs, however, are simply moving into other areas of the city to ply their drug trade, Booth conceded.
For a $500,000 fee, the British firm also created the Q8 logo: the brand name above two colorful striped sails symbolizing the traditional Kuwaiti dhows that still ply the Persian Gulf.
Here in Guilin, which has, perhaps, the most romantic topography in China, the 80 to 90 tour boats that used to ply the Li River daily have dwindled to just three.
After hours of debate Tuesday, a bill to allow floating casinos ply the Mississippi River drew 48 votes, less than a majority.
The waterfront is piled with new washing machines, tires, car parts and sometimes whole cars destined for Iran aboard the hand-built little wooden dhows that ply the gulf.
As the two companies' results briefings will no longer coincide, there will also be no occasion for Zeneca to ply unsuspecting hacks with the company's meat-substitute, Quorn, in between sessions.
And as long as ships laden with oil continue to ply coastal shipping lanes for a fuel-hungry public, accidents are possible, they said.
Attention coupon junkies: the world's No. 2 toy maker is joining the users of discount certificates to ply its wares.
In one lane, money brokers ply their trade.
While the three magazines swear they never negotiate off their rate cards, the race is on to ply tight-fisted advertisers with bargains.