taw
1- a choice or fancy marble used as a shooter.
- a game in which marbles are arranged in the center of a circle drawn or scratched on the ground, the object being to knock out as many as possible from the circle; ringer.
- Also taw line. the line from which the players shoot.
- to shoot a marble.
Origin of taw
1taw
2- to prepare or dress (some raw material) for use or further manipulation.
- to transform the skin of an animal into white leather by the application of minerals, emulsions, etc.
- Archaic. to flog; thrash.
Origin of taw
2taw
3- tav.
Examples from the Web for taw
Historical Examples of taw
After the first shot, every player must shoot from the place at which his taw rests.
The Book of Sports:William Martin
I'm hanging on to his taw now for the past fortnight and I can't get a penny out of him.
UlyssesJames Joyce
Hall, on the Taw, is the fine mansion of the Chichester family.
A Book of the West. Volume I DevonS. Baring-Gould
Whoever first gets back to the starting-point, or taw, wins.
Brightly belonged to the Torridge and Taw branch of the family.
Furze the CruelJohn Trevena
taw
1- the line from which the players shoot in marbles
- back to taws Australian informal back to the beginning
- a large marble used for shooting
- a game of marbles
Word Origin for taw
taw
2- to convert (skins) into white leather by treatment with mineral salts, such as alum and salt, rather than by normal tanning processes
- archaic, or dialect to flog; beat
Word Origin for taw
Word Origin and History for taw
"to prepare" (leather), from Old English tawian "to do, make," from Proto-Germanic *tawojan (cf. Old Frisian tawa, Old Saxon toian, Middle Dutch tauwen, Dutch touwen, Old High German zouwen "to prepare," Old High German zawen "to succeed," Gothic taujan "to make, prepare"), probably related to the root of Old English tol "tool" (see tool).