beshrew

English

Etymology

From Middle English beschrewen (“to curse, pervert”), equivalent to be- +‎ shrew.

Verb

beshrew (third-person singular simple present beshrews, present participle beshrewing, simple past and past participle beshrewed)

1. (transitive, archaic) To invoke or wish evil upon; to curse.
   • 1598?, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona,Act I, scene I:

     Beshrew me, but you have a quick wit.

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

     I had expected to freeze her young – or, rather, middle-aged – blood and have her perm stand on end like quills upon the fretful porpentine, and she hadn't moved a muscle. “Beshrew me,” I said, “you take it pretty calmly.”

2. (transitive) An imperative uttered as a mildly imprecatory or merely expletive introductory exclamation.
   • Shakespeare

     Beshrew your heart, fair daughter!

   • 1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Chapter V

     "Now, beshrew his heart," quoth jolly Robin, "that would deny a butcher. And, moreover, I will go dine with you all, my sweet lads, and that as fast as I can hie." Whereupon, having sold all his meat, he closed his stall and went with them to the great Guild Hall.

Translations

to invoke or wish evil upon; to curse

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 咒罵／咒骂 (zh) (zhòumà)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: maudire (fr)
• Russian: проклина́ть (ru) n (proklinátʹ)

Anagrams

• Hebrews, Shebrew