after PREPOSITIONS DEFINED AND ILLUSTRATED 32 After-for: After and for are in certain uses equivalent and used interchangeably. One may be said to be named after or for Lincoln; one may seek after fame or seek for it. The fact that after carries the sense of seeking, reaching toward, or caring for (probably from the following or pursuing after something desired) disposes of the objection that of course one is named after any one who lived before him. After has other references than that to time, signifying according to, in behalf of, etc. In behalf of or for the sake of one loved or honored, we give a child or a place his name, thus naming the person or place after (in behalf of) him. [After-for are often used interchangeably, especially after words expressing desire, striving, search, etc. To thirst after truth or for truth, to search after, or for knowledge, hunt after, or for riches, strive after, or for fame, eager for, or after position. FALLOWS 100,000 Synonyms and Antonyms.] After-since: After excludes while since includes reference to the present time. The statement "After the battle of Marathon the Greeks no longer feared the Persians" puts the whole matter far from the present. Greeks and Persians ceased to be competitors centuries ago. But the statement "Since the Reformation the principles of religious liberty have steadily advanced" brings the advance up to to-day. "After my departure I heard nothing from him" puts all expectancy or likelihood of hearing far into the past. It is so we should speak of one long dead. But "Since my departure I have heard nothing" keeps expectancy and possibility open to the very moment of utterance. IV-Prepositions Defined and Illustrated AGAINST Against is derived from the Middle English againest, from again plus the adverbial ending -es plus the intensive ending -t, the idea of being opposite or opposed underlying all the meanings both of the adverb again and of the preposition against. I. Of place or space: in a direct line toward; opposite to. 1. Of position: (a) directly opposite; facing; in front of: often preceded by over; as, against the background of the sky; over against the temple. Go into the village over against you. The ships' masts standing row by row Matt. xxi, 2. MORRIS Jason bk. ix, st. 18. High in the topmost zenith a central spark, A luminous cloud that glow'd against the dark. E. C. STEDMAN Alice of Monmouth div. xx, st. 4. Above, against the clouds of twilight, ghostly on the gray Against the sheer, precipitous mountain-side ALDRICH Thorwaldsen 1. 6. (b) In contact with and pressing upon; bearing upon; as, to lean against a wall. We fended the canoes off the sides, and assisted our progress by pushing against the rocks. BAKER in Bayard Taylor's Lake Regions Cent. Afr. ch. 24, p. 377. Putting his feet, now, against the wall, so as to get a good purchase, and pushing, . . the trunk, with much difficulty, was slid out. POE Tales, Von Kempelen in first series, p. 107 ... 2. Of motion, into contact or collision with; so as to meet, strike, or the like; in movement toward: often implying force; as, the ship was dashed against the rocks. And heel against the pavement echoing, burst Their drowse. TENNYSON Idylls of the King. Geraint and Enid 1. 271. The waves pounded like Titanic sledge-hammers against the vessel's quivering timbers. KENNAN Tent Life in Siberia ch. 2, p. 14. The linden, like a lover, stands And taps against thy window pane. T. B. READ Arise st. 2. I brushed against a withered old man tottering down the street under a load of yarn. J. M. BARRIE Auld Licht Idylls ch. 4, p. 97. II. Of time, approximating to (a specified moment or event): in anticipation of; in preparation for; in view of; in time for; as, be ready against the third day. [NOTE.-The object of the preposition in such use is often a clause or phrase, which has sometimes been improperly supposed to be a conjunctive use; as, be ready against visitors come.] And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. Gen. xliii, 25. III. Of various relations: 1. In opposition to, as in character, spirit, or purpose; opposite or contrary to; in hostility to; not in conformity with (compare I., 2); counter to; as, against my will; to set up your opinion against mine. Thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, . unto the Lord against thee. and he cry Deut. xv, 9. Blame is safer than praise. . . . As long as all that is said is said against me, I feel a certain assurance of success. EMERSON Essays, Compensation in first series, p. 98. Eight of the older girls came forward, and preferred against her charges-alas, too well founded-of calumny and falsehood. MARGARET FULLER OSSOLI Summer on the Lakes, Mariana ch. 4, p. 89. The stream of public opinion now sets against us; but it is about to turn, and the regurgitation will be tremendous. WHITTIER Prose Works, William Leggett in vol. i, p. 417. I strove against the stream and all in vain. TENNYSON Princess pt. vi, Song, Ask Me No More st. 3, 1. 2. I hear him charge his saints that none ... E. B. BROWNING De Profundis st. 19. A fault in respect to the settled forms of words, that is, an offense against the etymology of a language, is denominated a barbarism. DAY Art of Discourse div. ii, pt. i, ch. 8, p. 260. 2. In resistance to for protection; so as to protect or defend from; adversely concerning; as, to warn against a plot. He declares to all nations that he will stand by his political creed against the world. A. GILMAN Making of American Nation ch. 21, p. 183. Energy in government is essential to external and internal dangers. security against MADISON in The Federalist No. xxxvii, p. 163. The weak, against the sons of spoil and wrong, BRYANT The Ages st. 11. The searching tenderness of her woman's tones seemed made for a defense against ready accusers. GEORGE ELIOT Middlemarch vol. ii, ch. 76, p. 373. In Sweden sanitary amulets are made of mistletoe-twigs, and the plant is supposed to be a specific against epilepsy and an antidote for poisons. FISKE Myths and Myth-Makers ch. 2, p. 61. So in human action, against the spasm of energy, we offset the continuity of drill. EMERSON Conduct of Life, Power p. 65. Thy grave is shut against the lies of this false world. G. H. BOKER The Book of the Dead pt. vi, st. 1. At four different points have the vast towers been pushed to the walls, filled with soldiers, and defended against the fires of the besieged by a casing of skins. W. WARE Zenobia vol. ii, letter xiv, p. 131. His soul was steeled against the grosser seductions of appetite. PRESCOTT Biog. and Crit. Miscell., C. B. Brown p. 12. 3. To the debit of; as, to charge items against a customer. Bene. Sir, I shall meet your wit in the career, an you charge it against me. SHAKESPEARE Much Ado about Nothing act v, sc. 1, l. 136. 4. Of comparison, as of objects weighed in opposite scales, or placed opposite to each other for measurement or the like, commonly metaphorical: in comparison with; contrasted with; as an offset to. (Compare I., 1 (a).) But in that crystal scales let there be weigh'd SHAKESPEARE Romeo and Juliet act. i, sc. 2, l. 96. Weighed against your lying ledgers must our manhood kick the beam? WHITTIER The Pine-tree st. 2. POPE The Dunciad bk. i, 1. 54. And solid pudding against empty praise. 5. In preparation for; as a resource for; so as to meet or be ready for (compare II.); as, money laid up against old age; provision against famine. It is the duty of parents to make a prudent provision for their children, and against the accidents of life. GUTHRIE Man and the Gospel, Riches p. 135. In the city is a public granary, an admirable resource against scarcity. JOHN ADAMS Defence of Constitutions vol. i, letter xv, p. 47. Distinctions Against-before-by-for: As referring to time these words have kindred use. For distinctly denotes purpose. "Be ready for the third day" means "be prepared to meet that day's demands." By in the same sentence would mean "not later than," so that the third day shall not come and not find you ready. "Before the third day" would mean in advance of its coming, the preparation to be all completed at some earlier time. Against |