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riority; advantage; start; precedence. And, but for ceremony, such a wretch . . . Had the forehand and vantage of a king. Shak.

Early; timely; seasonable. "Forehanded care." Jer. Taylor.

Beforehand; in anticipation. [Archaic or Dial.] She is come aforehand to anoint my body. Mark xiv. 8.

ore preoccupation; in advance; -- often followed by with. Agricola . . . resolves to be beforehand with the danger. Milton. The last cited author has been beforehand with me. Addison.

, as money or other value, before it becomes due, or in aid of an enterprise; to supply beforehand; as, a merchant advances money on a contract or on goods consigned to him.

To take up or introduce beforehand, or before the proper or normal time; to cause to occur earlier or prematurely; as, the advocate has anticipated a part of his argument.

The act of anticipating, taking up, placing, or considering something beforehand, or before the proper time in natural order. So shall my anticipation prevent your discovery. Shak.

To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor. Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favor. Sir W. Scott.

Overcome by liquor; tipsy. [Slang] Cut and dried, prepered beforehand; not spontaneous. -- Cut glass, glass having a surface ground and polished in facets or figures. -- Cut nail, a nail cut by machinery from a rolled plate of iron, in distinction from a wrought nail. -- Cut stone, stone hewn or chiseled to shape af…

To take into consideration beforehand; to anticipate and form conclusions concerning (an event).

Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come. Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Cor. i. 22. And from his coffers Received the golden earnest of our death. Shak.

To admonish beforehand, or before the act or event. Bp. Hall.

To set, order, or appoint, beforehand. Sherwood.

To plan beforehand; to scheme; to project. He shall forecast his devices against the strongholds. Dan. xi. 24.

Chosen beforehand.

To preconceive; to imagine beforehand. [Obs.] Bacon.

To know or discover beforehand; to foretell. [Obs.] Which [maid] could guess and foredeem of things past, present, and to come. Genevan Test.

To plan beforehand; to intend previously. Cheyne.

To determine or decree beforehand. Bp. Hopkins.

To bestow beforehand. [R.] King James had by promise foredisposed the place on the Bishop of Meath. Fuller.