Vice or Iniquity, names for the established buffoon in the old Moralities; ‘How like you the Vice in the Play?’, B. Jonson, Staple of News (ed. 1860, p. 388); ‘Thus like the formal Vice, Iniquity, I moralize’, Richard III, iii. 1. 82. See Schmidt, and Nares (svv. Iniquity and Vice).
vice, an iron press with a screw for holding things fast, 2 Hen. IV, ii. 1. 24; to hold one fast as in a ‘vice’, Wint. Tale, i. 2. 416. See Dict.
vide-ruff, an old card-game; obsolete. Heywood, A Woman killed, iii. 2 (Cranwell). Prob. vide = vied, pp. of vie, a term in card-playing; see [vie].
vie, to hazard or put down a certain sum upon a hand at cards; to revie, to cover that stake with a larger sum; after which, the first challenger could revie again; and so on. ‘Here’s a trick vied and revied!’, B. Jonson, Every Man in Hum. iv. 1 (Well-bred); Vie and revie, Drayton, Muses’ Elysium, Nymphal ii, § last; see Gifford’s note. See below.
vie with, to show in comparison or competition with; ‘So with the dove of Paphos might the crow vie feathers white’, Pericles, iv, Prol. 33. ME. envỳe, to show in competition (Chaucer, Death of Blanche, 173, MS. Fairfax). F. envier (au jeu), ‘to vie’ (Cotgr.); Ital. invitare (al giuoco), to vie at any game (Florio); cp. Span. envidar, to invite or open the game by staking a certain sum (Neuman). See Dict.
vild, vile. Spenser, F. Q. i. 9. 46; v. 11. 18. A very common form in Tudor English.
viliaco, a scoundrel. B. Jonson, Every Man out of Hum. v. 3 (Sogliardo). Ital. vigliacco, ‘a rascal, a scurvy scoundrel’ (Florio).
vilify, to hold cheap. Fletcher, Fair Maid of the Inn, v. 3 (Forobosco). Late L. vilificare (Tertullian).
villatic, belonging to a farm; hence, domestic; ‘Tame villatic fowl’, Milton, Samson, 1695. L. villaticus, belonging to a farm. L. villa, a country-house, farm.
vine-dee, a kind of wine. Mayne, City Match, iii. 4 (Quartfield). Supposed to represent F. vin de Dieu, or lacrima-Christi.