unstrike

English

Etymology

un- +‎ strike

Verb

unstrike (third-person singular simple present unstrikes, present participle unstriking, simple past and past participle unstruck)

1. (falconry) To loosen the strings that attach the hood on the bird's head.
   • 1859, Frederick William Wyon, Poems, page 92:

     Now I unstrike, and at my whistle heard, Upcircling skyward springs my gentle bird Condemned through many centuries to search For some true Christian whereupon to perch.

   • 1870, James White, The King of the Commons:

     I wish I could as easily unstrike The strings that keep my memories in hood, And let them down the wind.

   • 1876, Elizabeth Kerr Coulson, Dante and Beatrice, from 1282 to 1290, by Roxburghe Lothian:

     Either sportsman, as they reached the marshy ground, attended to the falcon on his wrist, and began to unstrike her hood.

   • 1965, The North American Review - Volume 68, page 217:

     He then stopped, turned about, and suddenly unstriking her hood, tossed her into the air with an encouraging shout.

2. To restore text that has been struck out.
   • 1987, West's South Western Reporter - Volume 721, page 870:

     This case involves the power of the trial court to strike an answer, keep it stricken, and enter a default judgment. Woodruff tried to "unstrike" her answer by filing an amended one.

   • 1999, The National Rural Letter Carrier - Volume 98, page 668:

     I would like to unstrike the two-thirds and leave it as is.

3. To cause a blow not to have occurred.
   • 1834, Thomas Hood, Tylney Hall:

     Sare, you apologise at me, you shake hands to me, you beg pardon from me, but can you unstrike me?

   • 1862, Hawksview; a family history, page 162:

     Ye can't unspeak ane oath, or unstrike ane blow.

Noun

unstrike (plural unstrikes)

1. A collective action by members of a trade union in which they appear at work but protest in some way such as passing out leaflets or refusing to wear a uniform.
   • 1985, Canadian Labour Relations Boards Reports - Volume 9, page 328:

     As collective bargaining was going poorly, the Union membership had approved the implementation of an "unstrike" campaign, which included a refusal to wear uniforms.

   • 2002, Wayne Grytting, American Newspeak: The Mangling of Meaning for Power and Profit, →ISBN:

     Starbucks courageously faced an "unstrike" by employees in the Canadian province of British Columbia.