neafe, a clenched hand, a fist. Mids. Night’s D. iv. 1. 15; neuf, B. Jonson, Poetaster, iii. 1 (Tucca); Ford, Witch of Edmonton, iii. 1 (Cuddy). In common prov. use in various parts of the British Isles, see EDD. (s.v. Neive). ME. neefe, a fist (Barbour’s Bruce, xvi. 129); also in forms nave, new, in pl. nevis, newys, newffys (id., see Glossary). Icel. hnefi.
neal, to anneal. B. Jonson, Devil an Ass, ii. 1 (Meer).
neat-house. The Neat House (lit. house for cattle) was a celebrated market-garden, near Chelsea Bridge (Gifford); Massinger, City Madam, iii. 1. 14.
neatresse, a female neatherd. Warner, Alb. England, bk. iv, ch. 20, st. 48.
neck, in chess; a move to cover check. Surrey, To the Lady that scorned her Lover, 3, in Tottel’s Misc. (ed. Arber, 21). See NED.
neck-verse, the Latin verse read by a malefactor, to entitle him to benefit of clergy, so as to save his neck; usually Psalm li. 1, Miserere mei, &c. Marlowe, Jew of Malta, iv. 4 (Pilia); Fletcher, Mad Lover, v. 3 (Chilax).
needle, to penetrate like a needle; to make their way into; ‘Mice made holes to needle in their buttocks’ (of fat hogs), Middleton, Game at Chess, v. 3 (B. Knight).
needly, of necessity, necessarily. Peele, Sir Clyomon, ed. Dyce, p. 517, col. 2; id., Tale of Troy, p. 552. A Yorks. word (EDD.).
neeld, a ‘needle’. Fairfax, tr. of Tasso, xx. 95; Stanyhurst, tr. of Aeneid, i. 715; Mids. Night’s D. iii. 2. 204. A common prov. form, see EDD. (s.v. Needle).
neele, a ‘needle’. Gammer Gurton’s Needle, i. 3 (Tyb). The word spelt without the d is common in prov. E. in many spellings, as neele, neel, neal, nill, nail (EDD.).